Budding Derbyshire Lionesses score funding boost from the recruitment sector
A budding group of girl footballers, keen to emulate the likes of Mary Earps, Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood, has been given a major boost by the recruitment sector.
Allenton United Under-12s has netted more than £6,250 of sponsorship from recruitment advertisement agency Candidate Source, who has been offering training to members of TEAM (the UK’s largest network of independent recruiters) in return for a £30 donation.
37 companies have taken part so far in the courses that are designed to help teach them how to write the best possible job adverts, critically important when you consider the current volatility of the labour market.
The funding has been used to buy 9v9 goals, 20 new footballs, a subs bench, equipment, away strips and clothing for the management team, as the ambitious team look to claim top spot in Division 2 of the Derbyshire Girls and Ladies League.
In order to boost team spirit, the money has also been channelled into fun evenings and days out for the players (bowling, mini golf, laser quest and Oxygen trampoline park), whilst also creating Christmas and Easter ‘goodie bags’.
“This is great way to start the season and has given the team a major boost,” explained Carly Croft, who has been a manager of Allenton United for the last three years.
“The new kits really look the business and, importantly, we also have additional training gear, coats and snoods that will be needed when the usual UK winter kicks in.”
She went on to add: “It’s going to be a big season for us. We’ve been together now for three years, and the girls are ambitious to play at the highest level – after a very promising pre-season we’re setting our sights on promotion to the top division.
“Our players have been inspired by the Lionesses’ outstanding performances at the World Cup and, thanks to Candidate Source and TEAM members, we now have all the equipment we need to help give our players the chance to turn their dreams into a reality.”
Allenton United celebrates its 20th year as a football club in 2023 and has seen interest in the ladies’ game increase massively.
It has gone from having just one female team to boasting multiple sides, including an adult team, four juniors and a ‘Wildcat’ system that gives young girls who have never played the ‘beautiful game’ the opportunity to have fun and learn basic skills.
The Under 12s have had a good start to the season, winning their first two games and scoring ten goals in one of the matches.
Michelle Davies, founder of Coleshill-based Candidate Source, added her support: “The recruitment sector is a competitive market, so it’s great to see companies involved in the industry coming together to support the communities they operate in.
“With the Lionesses capturing national headlines in the World Cup, we thought now would be the perfect time to support the next ‘Lauren Hemp’, ‘Lauren James’ and ‘Alessia Russo’ by helping fund a grassroots football team.”
She went on to add: “Allenton United has a fantastic community spirit and are doing a lot of work on the ground to get girls into football, so we thought they would be the perfect club.”
Gilson Gray grows Lincoln property team with new partner
Full-service legal firm Gilson Gray has bolstered its residential property division in Lincoln with the appointment of new partner Cherie McBean.
Cherie joins Gilson Gray from one of the North East’s largest firms, where she spent almost seven years as a residential property solicitor and most recently as part of the senior management team. Her new role involves leading the 100-strong team at Gilson Gray’s Lincoln branch and helping to develop its people and processes.
Cherie will manage the team alongside Gary Tyman who was the head of Home Property Lawyers (HPL) prior to its acquisition by Gilson Gray over a year ago.
Cherie McBean said: “Gilson Gray is the perfect fit in terms of its cultural values and ambition. The property market is incredibly competitive in terms of client expectations, and embracing advances in technology will be key to streamlining the conveyancing process and improving customer experiences.
“My goal is to help retain the firm’s position as market leader and drive the property team forward as we deliver a personal and dedicated service for our clients.”
Debbie McCathie, partner and head of residential conveyancing at Gilson Gray, said: “Cherie is a very talented lawyer, and offers the perfect blend of skills that will further strengthen our residential conveyancing offering.
“Having a UK-wide footprint is becoming increasingly important for top-tier law firms and we have ambitious plans to expand further across the country, building on our full-service approach to support clients in the English property market.”
Glen Gilson, managing partner and chairman at Gilson Gray, said: “Our move into England was somewhat contra trend for the Scottish sector and has proven to be a valuable strategic move. Our English operation has expanded multifold from the original footprint acquired and the appointment of talent such as Cherie underpins our commitment to this market and client base.”
160 affordable homes to be delivered in Sleaford
A significant number of affordable properties are to be delivered in Sleaford, where Platform Housing Group will work alongside Miller Homes on bringing 160 homes to the site at the Handley Chase Sustainable Urban Extension.
For the group, the agreement represents another successful land deal to be added to its ambitious pipeline, supporting the commitment to start work on over 1,300 homes across the Midlands in the year April 2022 to March 2023.
Kate Ellison, Platform’s director of land, partnerships and business development, said: “We’re delighted with this latest agreement to provide more affordable homes and the solid foundations they will bring for the people that go on to live in them. The development is proof once again that we can deliver the solutions that local partners need to solve their housing issues.
“I’m also proud of the team for securing such a significant number of opportunities in the past couple of months against the backdrop of the challenges facing the housing and constructions sectors as Platform continues our ambition to keep building homes. My thanks go to the teams involved in securing the deal and our partners at Miller Homes.”
Overall, some 1,450 homes will be built for Sleaford, with this new diverse community also hosting a convenience store, a new school, playing fields and a 67-bed retirement home.
Matt Carroll, senior land manager at Platform, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Platform Housing Group to continue building on our excellent working relationship with Miller Homes.
“As ever, this deal would not have been possible without our trusted consultant team, with Gabor Taller at Browne Jacobson, Greg James at WP Housing and Jon Adams at Tetlow King all providing essential support. An extra mention should also be made for our partners at North Kesteven District Council for their proactive and pragmatic support throughout the process so far.”
Stephanie Parker, land manager for Miller Homes, said: “It has been good to once again work in partnership with Platform Housing Group on this site within the East Midlands. It has given us a great opportunity to deliver 160 homes that will in part help address the housing shortage in the area.”
Subject to planning approval, work is anticipated to start on the site in the Spring of 2024.
200 Degrees Coffee CEO named one of UK’s top 50 most ambitious business leaders
Rob Darby, CEO and co-founder of 200 Degrees Coffee, has been named one of The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders for 2023.
Created by investment partner LDC – part of Lloyds Banking Group, and supported by The Times, The LDC Top 50 champions the business leaders who are pushing for growth and building successful medium-sized businesses.
The leaders featured in The LDC Top 50 are growing their businesses at home and overseas, making a positive contribution to society and driving progress against their sustainability goals. They hail from every corner of the UK and span every sector of the economy. Together, they employ more than 6,700 people and turn over more than £1.2bn.
Rob and his business partner Tom Vincent founded 200 Degrees in 2012, after struggling to find great coffee to serve in their bistros. They set up their roastery opposite Notts County Football Stadium, which is where they continue to roast today.
Over the last 11 years, the roaster has opened 20 distinctive coffee shops across England and Wales with dedicated Barista schools at seven of its locations.
The business has won multiple awards for its coffee, team culture and leadership, and continues to expand all elements of the business, which include wholesale, ecommerce and a home subscription service.
At the heart of 200 Degrees is its 300+ team.
Rob said: “We’ve created a true point of difference with the quality of our coffee at 200 Degrees and that’s down to our skilled team. They continue to innovate and evolve to ensure our customer experience remains high and constant.
“Being included in The LDC Top 50 has been an opportunity to look back at how far we have come as a company, and to be included amongst so many incredible leaders has been humbling and a real highlight, but I didn’t do this on my own, so I want to dedicate this acknowledgment to the whole 200 Degrees team.”
John Garner, managing partner at LDC, added: “We started The LDC Top 50 six years ago to champion the remarkable success stories of medium-sized businesses, the unsung heroes of the British economy.
“Since then, we’ve received more than 3,000 nominations and celebrated more than 500 business leaders through the programme, surpassing all our expectations. Every leader in this year’s cohort has a story as impressive as the next, and I’d like to congratulate them on their achievements so far. We can’t wait to see where they go from here!”
Leicester firm fined thousands for failing to clean up land
A company has been given a hefty fine by magistrates after failing to ensure a clean-up of an eyesore section of land in Earl Shilton.
Building waste, general rubbish and other mess was left on the land behind the former King William IV pub in The Hollow, Earl Shilton for more than a year. People living around the site complained the mess was encouraging others to fly tip in the area and that it was attracting anti-social behaviour.
The owner of the land was Regis Development Group Limited of St. Matthews Business Centre, Leicester. The directors of the company ignored several council demands to clean up the land, and the company has now been ordered to pay a £10,000 fine by Leicester Magistrates.
The court heard Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council was first made aware of the problem by people living around the site in August 2022. After Regis Development ignored informal advice, Officers from the Clean Neighbourhood team subsequently served the first Community Protection Notice (under Section 43 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing act 2014) on the landowner on 1 December 2022. The Notice required Regis Development to clear the mess by 6th January 2023, but this was repeatedly ignored, and the mess remained.
The case was heard at Leicester Magistrates’ Court last week (18 October). The court heard how the mess has impacted those living in the surrounding neighbourhood and that Regis Development had repeatedly failed to respond to demands to clear up the mess.
Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council’s Executive Member for Parks, Open Spaces and Neighbourhood Services, Councillor Lynda Hodgkins, said: “This land was left in an unacceptable state, and this can have a negative impact on nearby homes and businesses.
“The director of the company was given ample opportunities to clear it up but chose to ignore those warnings which left the council with no option other than to prosecute the company. We will not hesitate to take action in these circumstances to protect others from the misery this can cause.”
Business tax receipts up 22% in first six months
Overall receipts from business taxes in the six month period from April to September 2023 jumped by 22% year-on-year to £43.3bn, £7.7bn higher than the same period last year, according to new figures published by HMRC.
The huge rise in business tax receipts is largely due to the increase in the headline rate of corporation tax which came into force from April 2023, but HMRC also pointed to growth in company profits as a reason behind the rise.
Corporation tax receipts alone for the first six months rose to £39.5bn, up 17% from £33.7bn in the same period last year.
Overall tax receipts in the first six months were up 6.2% year-on-year.
The latest public sector finances data revealed that public sector net debt was £2,599.0 billion at the end of September 2023, provisionally estimated at around 97.8% of the UK’s annual gross domestic product (GDP). This is 2.1 percentage points higher than in September 2022.
Commenting on the latest figures Paul Falvey, a tax partner at BDO, said: “Today’s figures illustrate the extent to which businesses have been impacted by the recent rise in corporation tax.
“The chancellor has made it clear that he would like to see the tax burden on businesses reduce but given the state of the public finances and the likelihood of interest rates remaining high for some time, there is little prospect of this at the Autumn Statement.
“Businesses are likely to reluctantly accept that tax rates may need to stay high for some time, but they will hope that the government invests in improving HMRC’s service levels. The current poor response times and delays in modernising the tax administration system are proving a drag on business efficiency and ultimately will impair UK competitiveness.”
Gen Z harder to motivate than previous generations, say employers
New research from business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP shows that many employers are finding it challenging to motivate their Gen Z workforce and are adapting their training methods to better meet the needs of their younger cohort.
The research, which analyses the responses of 2,000 people aged between 16 – 25 in the UK and 605 UK mid-sized businesses, explores Generation Z’s views of the working world, as well as employers’ approaches to supporting their younger workforce.
It finds that over one third of businesses say it is more difficult to motivate their Gen Z employees compared to previous generations at the same age. Consequently, the majority (88%) of employers surveyed are adapting their training methods to meet the needs of the newest members of the workforce.
Over a third of these (36%) have introduced more personalised training, specifically tailored for individual needs. Nearly one in three (32%) have also moved towards more on demand content and more gamification within their training (30%), to appeal and engage with the new younger cohort.
The pandemic had a significant impact on young people’s education and opportunities for a first part-time job. The research suggests that this may have had a knock-on impact on how prepared they feel for certain aspects of the workplace. Gen Z respondents felt they were least prepared for softer skills such as verbal presentations and persuading and influencing. This was reflected in the views of employers who also noted that Gen Z needed support with developing these skills.
Three quarters (72%) of the young people surveyed believe that what they do for their job will be an important part of their identity and the research identified what Gen Z consider the most motivating reward for going above and beyond in their role at work:
· Career progression and opportunity to do more interesting and challenging work
· Annual salary increase
· Direct verbal appreciation from line manager and colleagues
However, Gen Z workers also have specific expectations around what they believe are unreasonable asks in an early career job. Over half (51%) think it’s unreasonable to be expected to take on extra responsibility without compensation, while 40% think regularly working 10-hour days should not be expected. One in three (31%) also believe that being expected to study outside of working hours is unreasonable, which is a common requirement for those working towards gaining a professional qualification.
Ronnie Corbett, Audit Culture Director at Grant Thornton UK LLP, said: “This insight into how the current generation of young people view careers and work will help to inform and shape decision making about how we best support them as they progress – after all, these are the people that will be running our firm one day.
“Generalisations are easy to make, but we must be mindful that there are many different factors that determine a person’s mindset and motivation – age is just one of them.
“Workplaces, and society at large, are rife with age-related (across generations) stereotypes, which are not always accurate. This is why it is important that we better understand how beliefs about age affect our workplace, and work to dispel some of the rhetoric that creates barriers and inhibits cohesion.
“This is an area of inclusion that needs more focus. Harnessing the power of different perspectives is an opportunity, and it’s something we are working on as firm to leverage – it’s in everyone’s best interest to do so.”
Opticians completes merger
Lesley Cree Opticians has completed its merger with Amanda Findlay Eyecare.
Founded in 2012, Lesley Cree Opticians is a family run independent opticians based in Radcliffe on Trent and was recognised as the Association of Optometrists (AOP) ‘National Young Practice of the Year’.
Amanda Findlay Eyecare, founded in 2007, has been delivering personalised eyecare services through two practices located in the villages of Keyworth and Ruddington.
Under this new partnership, both entities will operate under the same directorship of Lesley and Ben Cree. Amanda Findlay, while stepping back from ownership responsibilities, will maintain her clinical role as the lead optometrist.
In response to the merger, Lesley Cree from Lesley Cree Opticians said: “We have recently been saying that we have just about achieved our growth goals at Radcliffe, so when this opportunity arose, we were surprised but felt ready to take on another challenge!”
Amanda Findlay added: “When I decided to take a step back my natural choice was Lesley Cree Opticians as I knew they shared similar principles and values and that our patients would continue to receive a personal and very caring service.”
Ben Cree said: “We anticipate a seamless merger given our shared principles and values. Our aim is to combine the ‘best bits’ from each practice to provide an even more enriched experience for patients in Radcliffe, Keyworth, and Ruddington. As well as eye care, patients will now be able to access a wider choice of frames, and additional services such as hearing tests, earwax removal, and an Optos eye scanner which is based in Radcliffe.”
Legal advice was provided to Lesley Cree Opticians by Adam Gilbert from AG Corporate Law (AGCL).
Commenting on AGCL’s involvement in the deal, Adam said: “I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to facilitate the merger of two highly respected businesses, both known for their excellent patient care and shared values.”
The enlarged eyecare business practice will now have around 20,000 patients and have capacity to carry out well over 100 eye tests per week which will enable local people to access local services from an independent company.
Bamboo Rose acquires Nottingham’s Supply Pilot
Bamboo Rose, the collaborative product development, sourcing, and supply chain platform for global retailers, has acquired Nottingham-based Supply Pilot.
Supply Pilot, a provider of supplier engagement and collaboration software, transforms the way retailers work with their suppliers. This move extends the Bamboo Rose retail management platform with enhanced supplier collaboration capabilities, to further support supply chain visibility and foster Environmental, Social Governance (ESG) initiatives.
“Today’s retail landscape is more complex than ever, requiring clear and continuous collaboration between retailers, suppliers, and vendors,” said Matt Stevens, CEO of Bamboo Rose. “Supply Pilot leads the market with proactive supplier engagement and collaboration. Together, our platforms will drive unprecedented efficiency and enable sustainability. We are truly excited about the possibilities that lie ahead with Supply Pilot.”
“The acquisition of Supply Pilot by Bamboo Rose is exciting news for retailers and their supply chains,” said Ajay Jindal, CIO of MGF Sourcing. “With their Global Trade Management solution and vendor base, I am energized about the potential that lies ahead as a Bamboo Rose customer.”
“We are delighted to join forces with Bamboo Rose to conquer complex retailer/supplier engagement pinch points. As one company, we’ll offer the most extensive supplier collaboration platform in the market,” said James Butcher, CEO of Supply Pilot. “We’re eager to join this growing team of talented retail technologists to dramatically improve digital transformation for our global partners.”
Dunelm sees strong first quarter sales growth
Dunelm, the Leicester-headquartered homewares retailer, has hailed “strong sales growth” for its first quarter.
According to a trading update for the 13-week period ended 30 September 2023, total sales increased by 9% to £390m, with both stores and digital channels performing well.
Nick Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our proposition, which offers an increasingly wide range of homewares products, continues to prove popular with customers, as we delivered another strong sales performance in Q1. We continue to have a laser focus on outstanding value, and customers can now find even more choice with the introduction of new ranges such as live plants.
“We are reaching more and more UK consumers through our expanding store estate, and our latest marketing campaign, which is our biggest to date, showcases the breadth of the Dunelm offer, reinforcing our position as ‘The Home of Homes’.
“There remains a significant opportunity for Dunelm to take further market share and we are excited about the progress we are making against our plans, through targeted and thoughtful investment, in order to seize the compelling opportunities ahead of us. We remain very confident about our prospects for continuing to drive sustainable growth.”
