- Worked with 87 local businesses and organisations to support them with either 100% or 75% funded improvements
- Awarded more than £800,000 in grants to enable the installation of green travel measures, including EV chargers, bike shelters, pool e-bikes and more
Nottingham City Council’s Workplace Travel Service secures new funding stream
Nottingham City Council’s Transforming Cities-funded Workplace Travel Service has wrapped up after two years, helping 87 local businesses and organisations.
Although the initial Government support for Nottingham City Council’s Transforming Cities-funded Workplace Travel Service has ended, the authority has another stream of funding for 2024/2025.
This comes from the Government’s Local Transport Plan Integrated Transport Block, which means the team can assist more local businesses and organisations with sustainable travel improvements.
In the past two years, the Workplace Travel Service has:
Home and garden PR agency enters phase of rapid growth with team and services expansion
Specialist home and garden PR agency, Honest Communications, has announced the expansion of its team and services, with the creation of its first-ever Operations Director and the launch of its influencer marketing platform, The Honest Network.
The promotion of longstanding employee, Fay Clarkson, to the position of Operations and Account Director bolsters the business’s leadership team, joining founder Holly Daulby at the helm of the company.
Fay, who is one of Honest Communication’s first employees having joined the company in 2020 and has recently returned to the business following maternity leave, will be the driving force behind the agency’s operations and systems, leading on team productivity and efficiency. She will also be continuing to oversee her client portfolio and account director responsibilities, as well as ensuring the Honest team continues to achieve stellar results for its clients.
Offering brands in its portfolio a fully integrated approach to communications with PR, social media, content creation and brand voice, Honest Communications has also launched its aptly named influencer marketing platform – The Honest Network.
Designed to bring brands and influencers together, the Honest Network provides a unique way of connecting companies with the very best content creators in the industry, uniting both parties to deliver top-quality campaigns.
While creating social media campaigns is at the heart of the Honest Network, it’s also about creating a community. Members will be among the first to hear the latest news from Honest’s clients, receive product samples, attend exclusive webinars, be invited to in-person networking events, and gain exclusive behind-the-scenes access to brands at events such as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
These exciting updates come as the business enters a rapid phase of growth, having just celebrated its fifth anniversary and welcomed numerous new clients, including premium greenhouse manufacturer, Alitex, to its portfolio.
Holly commented: “It’s an incredibly exciting time for us as an agency. We have secured several client wins over the past couple of months (watch this space for more updates on that of very soon!), and we are currently recruiting for two new positions – an account manager and an account executive – to help service these new accounts. We have big plans for 2024 and beyond, and hope to further expand our team, portfolio and services!”
The Derby-based agency provides PR and social media support for a host of popular household names such as Wilkinson Sword Garden Tools, Henchman, Town & Country, elho, WOLF-Garten, Seedball, Hillier Garden Centres, and Cobra.
Leicester property investor sells two industrial units
Leicester property investor Custodian Property Income REIT has sold two industrial units.
A site in Weybridge has been disposed of for £6m, while the firm has unconditionally exchanged on the disposal of a vacant industrial unit in Warrington for £9m.
The Warrington disposal is expected to complete in mid-April 2024 and total proceeds from the disposals of £15m will be used towards repaying the company’s existing revolving debt facility.
Richard Shepherd-Cross, Managing Director of Custodian Capital Limited (the company’s external fund manager), said: “Whilst planning consent has been received to redevelop the Warrington site we believe that, due to a lack of occupier demand and the ability to crystallise a substantial profit for our shareholders, now is the best time to sell.
“Selling vacant property is particularly accretive to earnings by both saving void costs and reducing interest expense.
“The Weybridge asset has provided a healthy level of income over its four years of ownership and having re-let the unit in 2022 at an increased level of rent, we believe future rental growth may not meet our income growth expectations going forwards so we have made the decision to sell.”
Funding sees automotive remanufacturer drive growth overseas
Grantham-headquartered engineering firm Autocraft Solutions Group has secured a £24 million Asset Based Lending facility from HSBC UK to fund domestic growth and set up new facilities in Europe and the USA.
The facility will directly fund significant growth for Autocraft Solutions Group’s existing UK and European contracts with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and as part of the expansion plans, the business is projected to increase turnover by over 50 per cent and to increase its headcount by over 10 per cent.
The funding will also assist Autocraft Solutions Group in accelerating its expansion plans by replicating its REVIVE® facility in Arnhem in the Netherlands at multiple global locations, including Scandinavia, Southern Europe and North America. The first of these locations is expected to open in mid-2025, which will enable the business to grow with existing and new global customers.
The new REVIVE® sites will triage, repair and remanufacture EV battery packs, enabling the business to process 1,400 EV batteries each year. This more environmentally friendly alternative to creating new battery packs will see each facility save around 1,500 tonnes of CO2, six megawatt-hours of electricity and two million litres of water per year.
Mike Hague-Morgan, Executive Director at Autocraft Solutions Group, said: “We are growing the legacy of engine remanufacturing, and we’re also at the forefront of EV technology. HSBC UK’s global capabilities made the bank an ideal partner to support our next phase of growth and international expansion. Importantly, the bank also shares our passion for green-tech and helping our customers in their journey to net-zero.”
Sam Owen, Business Development Director at HSBC UK, added: “Autocraft Solutions Group is playing an important role in the automotive sector’s transition to net zero, and this deal provides the business with financial firepower to boost supply to the growing EV market.”
Administrators sell Northamptonshire caravan firm
Following their appointment as joint administrators, Ryan Grant and Chris Pole from Interpath Advisory have sold White Arches Caravans Limited and its operating subsidiary, P.N. Sharpe Limited.
Trading from sites in Rushden and Wellingborough, White Arches Caravans Limited is a retailer of new and used caravans and motorhomes. Both companies are part of the Robinsons Caravans group.
Over the past 12 months, the Group’s cashflow declined due to a number of macroeconomic factors. In particular, the cost-of-living crisis has meant customers have had less disposable income leading to the company experiencing a decrease in both the number of caravans purchased and the average purchase price.
Additionally, White Arches had seen costs rise, including financing costs as a result of high interest rates. This, coupled with the impact of the financial issues seen across the wider Group, further harmed the company’s cash position.
As a result of these mounting pressures, the directors sought to undertake a review of their investment, refinance and sale options. When it became clear that a solvent solution could not be found, they took the decision to seek the appointment of administrators.
Immediately following their appointment, the joint administrators sold the business and assets of the companies to a newco owned by Spinney Motorhomes and Caravans. As part of the transaction, all 55 staff members have transferred to the purchaser.
Charlie Holland, Director of Spinney Garage Limited, said: “We’re delighted to welcome White Arches into the Spinney group. As a family-run business ourselves, our values and philosophy are very similar to those of White Arches, so we’re looking forward to taking the company back to its roots. To this end, we intend to continue to trade the business under the White Arches name, retaining its well-respected brand.”
Ryan Grant, managing director at Interpath Advisory and joint administrator, said: “Having traded for over 45 years, White Arches is a well-established and well-respected name in the caravan and motorhome sector. We are delighted therefore to have concluded this transaction which will enable the business to continue to trade under new ownership. We wish the team all the very best for the future.”
Harris Lamb appoints new head of environment team
The Director of property consultancy Harris Lamb’s Environment department has announced her departure from the business in order to specialise in heritage projects and is handing over the reins to her right-hand man.
Dr Holly Smith joined Harris Lamb in February 2018, tasked with building an ecological arm to the business to operate in conjunction with the Planning department. In the six years since, she has built a seven-strong team of ecologists and developed a UK-wide portfolio of clients requiring ecological advice and support.
Holly is joining the HCUK Group, an environmental consultancy with a focus on heritage and archaeology projects specialising in the management of change within the historic environment.
Holly said: “This has been an extremely difficult decision. I am immensely proud of the team of colleagues I have built here, the diverse range of invaluable services we offer and in particular, what we have achieved in terms of supporting clients throughout the residential and commercial sectors about environmental impact and biodiversity net gain.
“My passion for history and heritage projects dates back to my childhood, and I’m currently studying part time for a Masters degree in Historic Buildings at York University, so the opportunity to combine that with my ecological experience and to work alongside and learn from archaeological experts was one I simply couldn’t pass up,” she said.
Craig Greenwell, who joined the team as an Associate in 2022, will take over as head of department.
Simon Hawley, Director of the business’s Planning department, added: “We are extremely sad to see Holly go, but she goes with our best wishes. My planning colleagues and I had worked alongside Holly for five years prior to her joining us to form the Environment team, and we are very grateful for the time and effort she put into growing such a successful department from a standing start.
“Craig has proved himself a key member of the team from the moment he joined us, and we have no doubt he will be an enthusiastic successor who will follow in her footsteps when it comes to continuing to develop and inspire the team.”
Craig Greenwell said: “Holly’s are big shoes to fill but I am delighted to have been trusted to head up such a motivated and talented team of ecologists. The work our team does, and the passion they have, is a matter of real pride to us, and I am looking forward to continuing to work with them and our diverse client portfolio to oversee national projects and support organisations on the work we do and the steps they can take to enhance the natural environment alongside their own developments.”
PR Guru launches high-tech assistant in major Ai move
Greg Simpson, the Nottingham-based PR behemoth and former business journalist, who really should know better than to issue a story on a Bank Holiday, has announced his latest innovation.
According to Simpson’s missive, which was announced via a cloud of hot air, smoke and mirrors, “Pepe” will “transform the way writers of press content approach these dark arts and bring it kicking and screaming back into the good old days when life was simpler.”
As yet, it has not been revealed exactly how the assistant works but Simpson has apparently been teaching it basic commands which render the use of adjectives in headlines and opening paragraphs impossible to execute without an override.
Capital letters in job titles are also understood to be under threat.
As are curiously short paragraphs that add little value but do break up the copy and lead seamlessly into a quote, like this one here: “It’s high time that professional press botherers like myself started to take the impact of Ai more seriously,” Simpson explained.
“The threat to original thought, content and humour is very real. Meanwhile, the impact of that on being able to build a brand that people can actually be bothered to take at least casual notice of is as palpable as the content is pulpable.”
Beta-testing of “Pepe” in a controlled environment has already produced promising results, with helpful suggestions from the system including: “Hey! It looks like you’re writing a press release,” “Try a quote that doesn’t mention being DELIGHTED” and “Please don’t use the photo of you shaking hands below the company logo.”
Early adopters of Pepe can get a trial account by using the code AFool.
Council submits final objections on rail hub
Blaby District Council has submitted its final objections to the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange as the Planning Inspectorate’s examination of the plans ends.
The summary reinforces fears the 662-acre hub would destroy vast swathes of the District. It would also have far-reaching adverse highways, environmental and social impacts, according to the Council.
The scheme is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project so the final decision on approval or rejection lies with the Secretary of State for Transport.
As a consultee in the planning process the Council must now await this decision, expected in the autumn.
Proposed by developers Tritax Symmetry, the hub is earmarked for a huge expanse of countryside between the M69 and the Birmingham to Leicester rail line. The site lies southwest of Elmesthorpe and is on the edge of Burbage Common.
In its closing submission the Council outlines its key outstanding concerns. It urges the Secretary of State to refuse the application.
The Council contend:
- The true severity of highways impacts, especially at the M1/M69 junction and Narborough level crossing has been poorly assessed so required mitigation is unknown
- The proposal is badly designed and would create major adverse landscape and ecological impacts with the loss of wildlife habitat
- Neighbouring settlements would suffer from unnecessary noise and light pollution
- Expected job creation would not benefit the District as it results in generally low-paid jobs
- The suggested socio-economic and climate change benefits do not outweigh the adverse impacts
- There is no guarantee that goods will be brought in by rail rather than by road
£70m investment to help University of Nottingham power future transport to net zero
The University of Nottingham has secured more than £70 million to establish new world-leading and open-access research facilities and programmes that will decarbonise future transport.
The funding is secured based on a £14 million award from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF). This is augmented by both public and private co-investment that will allow the university to build on its existing internationally leading capabilities in electrification, hydrogen and manufacturing.
“This is one of the largest funding injections the East Midlands has ever seen, and the opportunities are clear for new research to enable the UK to take an international lead in powering transport,” said Chris Gerada, Professor of Electrical Machines and lead for strategic research and innovation initiatives at the University of Nottingham.
“Today’s investment accelerates our shared vision to create world-class facilities, build strategic partnerships with industry, stimulate investments in the UK, and drive economic growth. We’re grateful to UKRPIF and our industry partners for the trust they have put in us.”
Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair at Research England, said: “I am pleased to be able to award four more universities funding from our flagship UK Research Partnership Investment Fund to create four centres in a diverse range of topics, from net zero aviation to wound research, and disease therapies to future transport.
“I very much look forward to seeing how these new facilities deliver against a variety of diverse challenges over the coming years.”
The facilities will enable scale up of a number of manufacturing processes for Electrical Machines and Drives being developed in UKRI’s Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre (DER-IC).
From March 2025, the university will work closely with industry partners to demonstrate electrical machines and drives manufacturing for a range of propulsion, traction, and generator applications. The manufacturing facilities will also be available for industry co-location to accelerate new technology developments to market.
The facilities and programmes will also enable testing of novel powertrains, including cryogenic electrical machines and power electronics, systems fuelled by liquid hydrogen and other green fuels, as well as the opportunity to create advanced manufacturing capabilities to allow rapid market introduction of the latest research into decarbonised transport solutions where battery electric power is not viable.
Industry and researchers will be able to ‘plug and play’ disruptive heavy transport components and sub-systems. A new systems integration lab, operational by 2025, will support discovery of insights through performance evaluations under real-world environments with real component and sub-system interactions.
“Building on the university’s leading capabilities in zero carbon innovation, our open-access facilities will bring together partnerships at regional, national, and international level. We’re enabling collaboration with other higher education institutions, ensuring the highest-quality research and maximising academic, industrial and socioeconomic impact,” said Professor Tom Rodden, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham.
The university’s co-investment partners span a range of industries across aerospace, power generation, marine and off-highway. The facilities and programmes will be primarily based at the university’s Jubilee Campus and build upon recent investments such as the Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC), the zero carbon innovation centre funded by East Midlands Freeport, as well as previous investments from Driving the Electric Revolution, Research England, EPSRC and D2N2. Together, they strengthen the university’s position as part of a national network of research, infrastructure, and skills development.
Harry Malins, Chief Innovation Officer at the Aerospace Technology Institute, said: “The University of Nottingham’s proposed facility will address some of the key areas for which open-access solutions do not yet exist in the UK, including test infrastructure for hydrogen systems at altitude and at high power conditions.”
New owners for Leicestershire day nursery
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has sold Nurture Me Day Nursery in Lutterworth, Leicestershire.
Established in 2012 by Gill Masters and Helen Smith, Nurture Me Day Nursery is a ‘Good’ rated setting which has the capacity for up to 106 children, as well as an out-of-school and holiday club provision for 25.
Following a confidential sales process with David Eaves at Christie & Co, it has been purchased by Kids Planet Day Nurseries which now owns 190 settings across the UK.
Gill Masters and Helen Smith, former owners of Nurture Me Day Nursery, said: “Having enjoyed substantial growth over the past few years, we decided it was time to join a family-owned group of nurseries who could provide the central support needed for a larger setting, which also facilitated our retirement.
“Kids Planet was a great ‘fit’ with similar values to Nurture Me, and we both feel that the future of our lovely nursery is in very safe hands, for parents, children and of course our amazing staff team.”
Clare Roberts, CEO at Kids Planet Day Nurseries, said: “I am delighted to welcome Nurture Me. The nursery fits well into the Kids Planet family, coming with a well-established leadership team and a highly qualified workforce. Nurture Me expands our offering in Leicestershire, and we are excited to support the whole team and families moving forward.”
David Eaves, Director – Childcare & Education at Christie & Co, said: “It was a pleasure to support Gill and Helen in the sale of Nurture Me. I originally met Gill back in late 2021 and we had discussed sale options at that point.
“It was clear that there was a fantastic underlying business that simply needed a little time to recover from the pandemic for them to achieve the right value. Having now got the business to an enviable level of occupancy and profitability, it was the perfect time for them to realise the benefit of their hard work.
“Using our sector experience and deep market knowledge we were able to secure multiple offers in a short space of time and achieve a completion only six weeks from agreeing terms.
“We continue to see an exceptional level of demand for high-quality childcare businesses across the East Midlands from a range of buyers. With demand outstripping supply in the current market, this creates an excellent opportunity for nursery owners to maximise the value they can achieve in a sale process.”
Nurture Me Day Nursery was sold for an undisclosed price.
