A new centre has opened in Loundsley Green providing start-up businesses in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire with work spaces, meeting rooms, expert coaching and advice. ‘The Green’ is run by Loundsley Green Community Trust (LGCT) who have been operating the adjacent community centre (previously a church) for over 10 years. One of the free services being delivered during that time has been an Enterprise Coaching programme, helping people to get back into work through self-employment. Over the years that has helped over 60 people to start new businesses. Around 3 years ago the Trust looked at the Old Vicarage which was unoccupied for most of the time, and saw in it the potential to grow its support for people looking to get back into work. The team behind the new business support centre overcame several hurdles before its opening, however the space now includes a large training room, a smaller meeting room, and five individual workspaces for use by new businesses. The downstairs meeting and training spaces have been used to provide employability training to young people, health and safety training for people looking to work in construction, first aid training and a variety of meetings of local organisations. An important feature of The Green is the continued support that will be provided for people looking to start new businesses, and additional funding has been received from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to deliver a programme of training and coaching through 2021-22.

Commenting on the first day of COP26, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) chief executive Scott Knowles said: “The world’s focus will be on events in Glasgow over the next two weeks and the outcomes could well shape the future landscape for businesses in our region. “We have already seen some key commitments at the G20 summit in Rome, including an end to international coal finance and a pathway laid out for transitioning towards a green economic recovery post-Covid, and we expect to see further key announcements made that will affect the private sector in the short, medium and long term. “It’s clear that sustainability will be a hugely important consideration for investors as we move forward from the pandemic and we believe the East Midlands has the raw ingredients to play a central role in the future low-carbon economy given our manufacturing heritage, innovative businesses and academic base. “While climate change is a significant threat to our way of life, companies should see the sustainability agenda as an opportunity to take a lead in creating the next generation of products and services – not to mention making significant cost and energy savings – which is something we are highlighting via our Sustainable East Midlands campaign, launched a year ago. “Research carried out by East Midlands Chamber and the University of Derby shows the proportion of businesses in our region that derived turnover from low-carbon environmental goods and services has grown from 16% in 2015 to 37% in 2021. Meanwhile, 36% of companies have wholly or partly integrated clean growth into their business strategies, up from 29% last year. “This signals we’re heading in the right direction as firms increasingly understand the need to embrace sustainability – not only from a commercial perspective as it can open up new avenues for revenue, and help to attract and retain staff, but the regulatory landscape will soon make it essential to do so. “However, there is a huge disparity between large and small firms – while 62% of companies with more than 250 staff have begun integrating clean growth into business plans, only 27% of those with fewer than 10 employees had done so. “Also, 42% of firms still don’t feel well informed about support for clean growth, which indicates there is a huge amount of work to do in raising awareness. “We hope COP26 will go some way to addressing this. After the struggles of the past 18 months, businesses desperately require some certainty and signposting of where they ought to invest. “It’s therefore of vital importance that our global leaders can come to an agreement of where our priorities lie in the fight against climate change because it will ultimately be in the private sector where the innovation and transformation takes place.”

As the agricultural sector tackles new subsidy regimes and the carbon-natural agenda, farming is going to be very different in the future. Understanding your own challenges, opportunities and options in the future will be key. Those who start on this journey early will be best placed to adapt and thrive. Farmers and landowners in the East Midlands wanting advice on planning for this future are invited to attend a 2021 rural seminar from ActiveBP and Virgin Money. This free seminar will be held at The Cross Keys at Sturton by Stow on Wednesday 24^th November at 6.00pm followed by a complimentary pie and pint. The seminar will feature the ABP team discussing the importance of farm business reviews, the move towards environmental schemes, and an update on the Sustainable Farming Incentive. This will be followed by Brian Richardson, Head of Agriculture for Virgin Money, who will discuss the bank’s view of the future and how Virgin Money can support the strategies farmers should adopt. Brian says: “Michael Gove said the new, post-Brexit agricultural policy will mean a revolution in the way we produce food and manage the countryside. Big changes are coming, and payments received this winter for BPS will be markedly smaller than last year. There are new schemes afoot, but the cost of compliance will likely be higher. “Times are a-changing for farming, with the climate agenda coming to the fore. I will be talking about what this means for you, and how the bank and your advisors will help you succeed. Looking deep into your business may be the only way to thrive and survive as this revolution takes place. You have five years to learn about your farming business’s performance and to adapt.” Alex Olivant, one such Farm Business Advisor from ActiveBP, is also clear that there is a need for practical guidance in uncertain times. “Our teams are committed to supporting farmers through the agricultural transition, and we are actively working with clients to plan strategically for the future.” The seminar evening which begins at 6.00pm will include opportunities for questions and discussion, as well as supper to conclude. It is timed to finish at 8.00pm. The ActiveBP team, along with the Virgin Money team, will be attending the Sturton by Stow seminar, to answer queries and to offer guidance on planning for the future.

One of the UK’s leading manufacturers of specialist cleaning products for the automotive sector has completed an £100,000 redevelopment of its International Training Centre in Derbyshire. Nielsen, which provides more than 100 products to car dealerships, professional valeters and commercial vehicle cleaning markets, has installed new non-slip floors, lighting and equipment, including pressure washers, foaming equipment, wet and dry vacuums and dual action polishers. This sizeable investment will give the company a world class facility to demonstrate its range of products in an environment that will help it support customers to train a thousand of their staff every year. Five people will initially be employed in this area, with the business planning to recruit an additional dedicated trainer in 2022. “It has been a challenging year with the pandemic closing a number of facilities, but we have managed to pick up some new contracts, supplied hard surface sanitising products to the emergency services and pursued growth in existing accounts,” commented James Lomas, Sales Director at Nielsen. “This has seen demand in our cleaning and valeting products steadily rise and, in order to make sure we can show customers how to get the most out of them, we knew we had to create an International Training Academy that was up there with the very best in our industry.” He continued: “Our experts have designed every one of the improvements we have made and have also refreshed our training programme to include six specialist sections, including interior, exterior, wheels & tyres, traffic film removers & shampoo, polishing and cutting and air fresheners. “Everything is in place to deliver a dual boost by giving us a venue to demonstrate our products to potential new clients and a centre to help create some of the best valeters in the business.” Part of the Reabrook Group, Nielsen manufactures all its products on its 11-acre site in Moira, where it taps into the knowledge and capabilities of its Automotive Specialist Development and Compliance Lab. All products, ranging from interior dressings and wheel cleaning to tyre dressings and tar and glue removal, are designed in line with current legislation to ensure they meet the challenging demands of the automotive market. Hundreds of raw materials and blends are tested as part of the process to create the best performing and environmentally friendly cleaning and maintenance products suitable for all existing and emerging materials. James went on to add: “Nitrilotriacetic Acid (NTA) has been used extensively in the cleaning industry for years but has now been classified as a carcinogenic which can cause cancer. In one of the biggest developments in years, we have created a portfolio of formulations that are NTA-free, and these safer solutions are going to be in big demand. “Manual car washes are coming back now we’ve emerged from lockdown, and we’ve got exciting plans to target more contract valeting services with our professional range, as well as finalising the line-up for our retail offer – due to launch in 2022. “Central to our growth will be our commitment to sustainability and doing everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint. This has seen us sign a contract to work in partnership with The National Forest, sponsoring a 38-hectare site that has seen a total of over 42,000 trees planted to date.” Nielsen’s range of valet and automotive care products are sold through a network of UK distributors and, through its international division, to over 40 countries across the world.