Bridge Help welcomes new business development manager
Chesterfield-based commercial bridging finance provider Bridge Help has swelled its ranks with the appointment of Lisa Griffiths, who has joined as a business development manager.
Her appointment means Bridge Help continues to boast an all-female business development team, led by Katie Snodden, bucking the trend in the male-dominated financial services industry.
Lisa, who hails from Chesterfield, brings a wealth of experience to her new role, including a 20-year career in law before transitioning into ground-up property development before moving into commercial finance brokering.
Her extensive knowledge of the property sector, from both legal and financial perspectives, gives her a unique understanding of the challenges brokers and borrowers face.
Lisa said: “I’ve always enjoyed working closely with clients and brokers to find solutions that make deals happen.
“Bridge Help is known for its flexible, common-sense approach to lending, and I’m excited to be part of a team that truly puts brokers and borrowers first. With my background in property and finance, I’m excited to work closely with brokers to help them find the right solutions for their clients and get deals done quickly.”
Chris Sellars, CEO and general counsel at Bridge Help, welcomed Lisa to the team: “Lisa’s extensive experience, both in law and commercial finance, makes her a fantastic addition to our team. Her ability to understand complex deals from multiple angles will be a huge asset to our brokers. I’m delighted to welcome her aboard.”
Industry professionals turn out in force for inaugural Construction & Property Padel Cup
Industry professionals from across the region turned out in force for the inaugural Construction & Property Padel Cup hosted by Derby-based project managers and construction cost consultants Armsons Barlow.
32 teams from construction and property companies came together at We Are Padel on Pride Park in Derby for an afternoon of friendly competition, networking and fundraising.
The tournament, organised in partnership with Derby County Community Trust (DCCT) and Clowes Developments, marked the launch of Armsons Barlow’s fundraising initiatives for DCCT, who are the company’s 2025 Charity of the Year.
The tournament involved four groups of eight teams battling it out for a place in the knockout stages.
Eventually Morecroft Electrical emerged as winners of the ‘Champions League’ final, winning the championship trophy, along with prizes donated by We Are Padel. Fisher German were crowned as ‘Europa League’ winners and FHP were awarded the coveted ‘Wooden Spoon.’
The event raised £1,031.54 for DCCT from a combination of the entry fee and through a raffle which featured a range of prizes, including a sparkling breakfast for two at Darley’s, a corporate 4-ball at Horsley Lodge Golf Club and a signed Derby County shirt.
The event included a speech from Luke Wilkinson, Health Team Leader at DCCT, who provided an overview on the work the Trust undertakes.
DCCT is the charitable arm of Derby County Football Club and is dedicated to enhancing lives and communities through sport, physical activity, health, and education.
Josh Toon, director at Armsons Barlow, said: “The first Construction & Property Padel Cup was a massive success, and it was fantastic to see so many industry professionals come together for a day of competition and networking while raising money for such a worthwhile cause.
“The enthusiasm and generosity of everyone involved was incredible, and we’re already looking forward to making next year’s event even bigger and better.”
New bid submitted for Leicestershire storage units on former agricultural land
Paws Aid (2016) Ltd has submitted a new application to develop storage units on a 1.7-acre plot of land at Langham Bridge, Coventry Road, Narborough. The company previously applied for planning permission in 2018, but Blaby District Council (BDC) rejected the proposal, citing concerns over intrusion and flood risks.
The land, classified as agricultural, has been unused for farming for several years. Planning documents state that its small size and disuse make it unsuitable for continued agricultural use. The site has instead been used for various activities, including car repairs and storage. A semi-derelict structure currently serves as a storage facility, and the land is described as overgrown.
Paws Aid Ltd argues that no alternative sites are available for this type of development and maintains that the land is not at high flood risk. BDC is expected to decide on the application by Wednesday, 28 May.
Downing secures approval for two energy storage projects
Downing Renewable Developments (DRD) has received planning approval for two large-scale battery energy storage projects in the UK. The company will develop a 40MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Heanor, Derbyshire, and a 100MW BESS near Rowley Regis, West Midlands.
The Rowley Regis site will have the capacity to store enough energy to power 300,000 homes for two hours, while the Heanor project will support 120,000 homes for the same period. Both approvals were granted without public objections.
These projects follow DRD’s approval last year for a 49.9MW solar farm in Norfolk. The company says the new developments will support the UK’s transition to renewable energy and contribute to Net Zero targets.
New city centre base for Derby’s Transition2
A pioneering provision for young adults with disabilities has a new city centre base.
Derby City Council’s Transition2 provides bespoke transition programmes, allowing young people aged 18-25 years with learning difficulties, learning disabilities, and/or autism to become active, engaged members of their communities.
Transition2 leaves its previous location of 14 years in Whitaker Road, Littleover, to move to Friar Gate Studios, at the heart of Derby’s Student Quarter. It will allow the college to expand its services with The World of Work programme, Supported Internships, a Sustainable Outcomes Service and a new Preparation for Adulthood SEND Hub.
Simon Hancox, Head of Service at Transition2, said: “Our move to a building in the heart of Derby’s Student Quarter offers an excellent opportunity for our learners to navigate the city alongside their peers as they head to their education and workplace destinations.
“Additionally, our central location opens up more opportunities for travel training and fostering valuable connections with families, local employers, adult social care, and health services.”
East Midlands Zero Carbon Innovation Centre opens
The University of Nottingham, in partnership with East Midlands Freeport, Research England and Loughborough University, has opened the Zero Carbon Innovation Centre (ZCIC).
The centre will deliver innovation in transport technology, green hydrogen production, and power solutions for industry and create jobs for the regional economy.
The ZCIC will deepen the university’s research and development (R&D) and manufacturing partnerships with industry across aerospace, automotive, marine, rail, off-highway and energy sectors. At the centre, partners will benefit from research projects as well as commercially contracted testing and R&D programmes. They will be able to co-locate to the centre to collaborate with researchers and have access to incubator labs and office space.
Nora Senior CBE DL, Chair at East Midlands Freeport, said: “The launch of the East Midlands Zero Carbon Innovation Centre is a game-changer for businesses looking to develop and scale new technologies. Our five million pounds investment is about more than just funding innovation – it’s about creating a clear pathway for businesses to move from research and development to full-scale operations within the Freeport.”
She continued: “With the right infrastructure, incentives, and support, companies can accelerate their growth and take their solutions to market faster. This sends a strong message to global industries: the East Midlands is the place to innovate, scale, and lead in the industries of the future.”
With investments from East Midlands Freeport, Research England’s UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) and match-funding by the two universities, the centre will drive innovation, create high-value jobs, and provide businesses with a clear path to transition from developing new technologies to potentially establishing operations at the Freeport.
Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said: “The launch of the Zero Carbon Innovation Centre marks a major milestone for our region, placing us at the forefront of innovative research and advancements in transport technology and clean energy solutions.
“This centre will not only drive the development of sustainable, zero-carbon technologies but also create significant economic opportunities – including new jobs and business growth across the region.
“I’d like to congratulate everyone involved in making this happen, particularly the East Midlands Freeport, whose vision and support are helping establish the East Midlands as a key player in the future of transport and sustainable innovation.”
Based at Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus, and with a site at Loughborough University, the ZCIC brings a range of open access innovation capabilities to the region including electrical machine manufacturing, robotics, digital twinning and green hydrogen generation.
A new electrical machine manufacturing line will enable end-to-end manufacturing, allowing flexible reconfiguration for low volume, high value production of advanced machines with state-of-the-art performance and power. This will accelerate technology insertion into manufacturing to support production in region and nationally.
Alex Norris, Minister for Local Growth and Building Safety, said: “I am pleased to see the East Midlands Freeport take a big step forward in driving growth through innovation in transport, a sector in which this region has long been an industrial leader.
“The new centre will help secure the East Midlands’ role in the future of green transport, accelerate the government’s Plan for Change mission for growth and help deliver on the UK’s ambition to be a clean energy superpower.”
The digital twinning lab at the ZCIC will enable development of model-based physics simulations, monitoring, prognostics and health management of propulsion powertrains and power generation applications.
It will provide an advanced digital twin platform enabling system integration, validation and verification, and will be connected to the megawatt-class physical testing capabilities of the nearby Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC) and the forthcoming Hydrogen Propulsion Systems Lab.
Jane Norman, President and Vice Chancellor at University of Nottingham, said: “We are very excited about this partnership with East Midlands Freeport, Research England and the two universities. Together we are expanding the region’s world-class research and innovation capacity to drive growth locally and decarbonise globally.
“Heavy transport is known as a very hard to decarbonise sector – a challenge that demands the very best and brightest minds. We want the world to know this is the place where those minds come together to develop zero carbon solutions.”
Romina Davoudi, Head of Programme Delivery at the Aerospace Technology Institute, said: “The Zero Carbon Innovation Centre is set to drive cutting-edge research and development in sustainable transport and energy technologies. Building on years of pioneering aerospace research, much of it funded through the ATI Programme, the ZCIC will play a crucial role in fast-tracking sustainable technologies from research to deployment.
“The ATI is proud to have helped accelerate aerospace innovation in the East Midlands, which can now be applied across multiple sectors to deliver real-world impact through the ZCIC.”
The Zero Carbon Innovation Centre adds to a cutting-edge lineup of zero carbon R&D and manufacturing capabilities on Jubilee Campus at the University of Nottingham. These include the Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC), home to one of the world’s largest groups of electrification researchers, as well as Omnifactory, a national smart manufacturing demonstrator and testbed for smart manufacturing systems.
To this will soon be added the Hydrogen Propulsion Systems Lab, funded through £70 million of investments primarily secured with Research England and industry co-investment partners.
At Loughborough University, a novel battery-electrolyser demonstration facility is being created with a manufacturing prototype now developed. Loughborough also has complementary business incubation, commercialisation and scale-up facilities at the Loughborough Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP), with an existing CleanTech cluster of organisations.
Chris Gerada, Professor of Electrical Machines and lead for strategic research and innovation initiatives at the University of Nottingham, said: “The Zero Carbon Innovation Centre is more than just a facility – it is the innovation gateway for industry partners to access the region’s research strengths and deliver innovation.
“As a region we are now truly leading the way in giving industry partners high-impact, high-value and much-needed zero carbon solutions.” Manufacturers tackle EU trading, attracting staff and being sustainable at East Midlands conference
Driving sustainable growth, international trade since the UK left the EU, and the government’s industrial strategy were among areas addressed by businesses and educators at the 2025 East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference on 13th March at Loughborough University.
Held in partnership with Loughborough University, East Midlands Freeport, East Midlands Airport and sponsored by Howden, a series of talks and panel discussions explored the challenges and opportunities faced by the manufacturing sector.
Invest 2035 – the government’s industrial strategy – formed a backdrop for discussion, while East Midlands Chamber shared findings from its soon to be released Quarterly Economic Survey covering the first quarter of 2025.
Issues discussed during the conference ranged from talent attraction and retention in the manufacturing sector to identifying emerging international markets for business expansion and how to handle paperwork for exporting to the European Union.
East Midlands Chamber President Dawn Whitemore opened the conference. Speaking afterwards she said: “Getting like-minded people together to share insight, experience and knowledge provides a platform where we can all learn. For the Chamber it’s about further understanding how we can support businesses and help them grow.
“This event makes sure we’re all on the same page and that makes it critical. Industry and education all come together, along with supporting organisations. We’ve got perspectives and insight to bring and the same challenges to overcome.”
East Midlands Chamber Director of Policy and Insight Richard Blackmore gave a talk on its soon to be released Quarterly Economic Survey findings for the region. Speaking afterwards he said: “The data we gain comes from a wide cross-section of businesses across the East Midlands and is a vital indicator of performance, in terms of things like sales, orders and staffing levels, but also intentions for the future on everything from investment in technology to recruitment, and concerns right now.
“With manufacturing a major contributor to the East Midlands economy – we’re a region renowned for making things – bringing together representatives from the sector and from education is essential, and sharing research around the changing patterns and trends going on right here in the East Midlands is really helpful for businesses.”
Loughborough Business School Professor in Work Psychology Eva Selenko took part in a panel discussion on attracting and retaining staff. Speaking afterwards she said: “The East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference is so important for industry and for us at Loughborough University.
“My work includes a lot of research into staff turnover, turnover intentions and job quality aspects, how they inform turnover intentions. We look at the individual parts, but also the firm level factors that predict turnover among staff.
“What motivates someone to change a job – is it really salary, or the other benefits the job brings, from a supportive environment to developmental opportunities. We need to look at those, especially in a competitive environment. How social science develops informs how business could develop for the better. We need to bring those together.”
Make UK Region Director Chris Corkan shared an overview of the manufacturing sector and how it stands at the moment. He said: “Manufacturing has a stellar track record for being both productive and resilient. Undoubtedly, driving productivity remains high on the industrial agenda in order to remain competitive and to mitigate soaring costs against the backdrop of economic volatility.
“This exemplar manufacturing event has teased out some great insights to demonstrate the strong ecosystem support available in the region and for ensuring our manufacturing sector can continue to innovate and grow.”
East Midlands Manufacturing Network Chair Mark Goldby gave a talk on improving productivity through people. Afterwards he said: “It’s always great to get people together from all different disciplines, whether it’s the higher educational institutes and businesses generally or the business support networks.
“If you take out the current geopolitical discussions, fundamentally people are making great products here in the East Midlands. Yes, it’s getting a little bit more challenging. Yes, it’s a little broader and yes, a little more red tape, but the industry is committed to innovation-led development, making products more sustainable. There’s an absolute passion and it’s great to hear inspiring speakers talk about those journeys and inspire the rest to follow suit.”
Department for Business and Trade Midlands Regions Head of Export Development Ian Harrison gave a presentation on exporting opportunities. Afterwards he said: “My message to businesses trading overseas is you’re not alone. There’s an awful lot of support that the Department for Business and Trade provides alongside our partners, and you can find a lot of it online.
“We provide direct support to individuals, in terms of intelligence of where to do business, how to do business, whether online or offline, how to finance your business, and how to really optimise your time. The world by definition is a very big place, and if you’re not careful you can spend an awful lot of time or money pursuing the wrong thing. So, I say come and talk to us and our partners and we’ll help you grow.”
East Midlands Airport Commercial Director Chris Lane gave a talk on the site’s 60th anniversary. Afterwards he said: “The service the airport provides for businesses within the region is invaluable.
“So as the UK’s largest dedicated cargo airport, it really provides value to businesses, in terms of both imports and exports into and out of the UK that’s unrivalled across the rest of the UK really. I would encourage businesses to make use of that really and there’s a real opportunity to take advantage, to grow business within this region.”
East Midlands Chamber Head of International Trade Lucy Granger took part in a panel on overseas export and opportunities for manufacturers. Afterwards she said: “The UK’s exit from the EU created a pile of paperwork for businesses that wasn’t there before.
“There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ on the documents needed as it can differ significantly from country to country, the item or items you plan to export or the duration and there’s a solution to all of these things. Firms aren’t always aware of the challenges or how to overcome them. With differing restrictions from place to place, support is essential and the team I lead can overcome the hurdles for businesses and make it an easy process.”
UK economy contracts
The UK’s economy contracted in January.
According to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), GDP (gross domestic product), a key measure of economy growth, is estimated to have fallen by 0.1% month-on-month in January, contrasting expectations of a 0.1% rise and growth of 0.4% in December.
It reflects, across key sectors, monthly services output growing by 0.1% in January, following growth of 0.4% in December, production output falling by 0.9%, following growth of 0.5% in December, and construction output dropping by 0.2%, following a fall of 0.2% in December.
Ben Jones, CBI Lead Economist, said: “After a surprisingly strong performance in December, some pay-back was always a possibility in January. But the mixed picture across different sectors in recent months suggests the recovery is still fragile.
“There are signs that the drop in business and consumer economic confidence following the Autumn Budget is bottoming out. But downside growth risks remain from the potential for a softer labour market and an uptick in inflation. And rising global trade tensions could also keep business investment on the sidelines.
“Amid a very fluid international environment, the government’s domestic growth agenda can serve as a North Star. Yesterday’s announcements to reduce regulatory burdens in a variety of sectors were welcome. But businesses are still struggling with high energy costs, increased labour costs and the possibility that the Employment Rights Bill makes hiring riskier and more costly still.
“The government should be looking for every opportunity – not least via the upcoming Spending Review and industrial strategy – to support businesses with measures that give them the confidence to invest, grow and boost productivity.”
UK government expands defence contracts for SMEs
The UK government has announced new measures to increase small and medium enterprise (SME) involvement in defence contracts, following its commitment to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027. A new hub will be launched to improve SME access to the defence supply chain, and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will introduce direct SME spending targets by June.
Currently, nearly 70% of defence spending goes to businesses outside London and the South East, but only 4% reached SMEs in 2023-24. The new hub aims to address this gap by working with suppliers across the UK to increase procurement opportunities for smaller firms, enhance competition, and accelerate innovation.
Defence spending supported over 430,000 UK jobs last year, with government contracts injecting £28.8 billion into UK industry. Regional spending increases included a 30% rise in the East Midlands (£328 million), 20% in Northern Ireland, and nearly 19% in Yorkshire and the Humber. The government says expanding SME participation will drive further economic growth, create jobs, and strengthen the UK’s defence industrial base ahead of the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy.
Fleets in East of England rely most on independent garages
Research from epyx shows that fleets in the East of England are the most likely to use independent garages for service, maintenance, and repair (SMR), while those in Wales are the least likely.
From January 2024 to March 2025, 62% of SMR jobs for fleets in the East of England were handled by independent garages. Other regions with high independent garage usage include Scotland and the West Midlands (59%), the East Midlands (58%), and London (55%). The South East stood at 50% at the lower end, while Wales had the lowest rate at 46%.
The data, sourced from epyx’s 1link Service Network platform, suggests that fleet SMR policies, vehicle type, and the availability of franchise dealers may influence regional differences. While independent garages serviced 72% of vans, only 44% of company cars were maintained outside franchise networks. Hybrid vehicles had the lowest independent SMR rate at 32%, while independents maintained 42% of electric cars.
Epyx notes that fleet preferences and used market expectations drive these trends, with franchise dealer service histories often seen as more valuable for resale, particularly for company cars. However, the increasing share of EV maintenance by independent garages suggests a growing capacity to service electric fleets.
