Azets in Nottingham partners with the Friary
The team at Azets in Nottingham have volunteered their time to the Friary, a charity with a mission to empower homeless and vulnerable adults to rebuild their lives by offering practical services, advice and emotional support.
Explaining the partnership, Sue Maltby, Senior Manager at Azets in Nottingham said: “A group of 11 of us from our Nottingham office volunteered at the Friary to support with sorting the generous food donations following harvest festivals held locally. Seeing and talking to those running the charity gave us a great insight into how much goes on behind the scenes and how reliant they are on donations and volunteer hours.
Across the year, groups of colleagues from our Nottingham office are sharing their time to help the Friary, with a separate team helping with the maintenance of the allotments in May. The allotments not only provide some of the produce that goes into the food provision but also act as a type of therapy for those needing a break from their normal routine, with outdoor craft sessions being added to the Friary’s offering for those in need.
It’s a great charity doing incredible things, and we look forward to continuing our support in the coming months.”
Ben Talbot, CEO at the Friary added: “The Friary team spend time working to support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and we don’t always have the time to sort through the harvest donations we receive. We were genuinely blown away by how proactive and efficient the Azets team were. We look forward to welcoming them back again in the future.”
Every employee at Azets’ is entitled to one day a year of volunteering time as part of the firm’s commitment to social causes. The Friary was chosen by the team in Nottingham to be the office’s charity of the year.
Azets in Nottingham offers a full-service capability, including commercial audit, public sector audit, corporate tax compliance and advisory, private client tax, global mobility, technical accounting, outsourced statutory reporting, corporate finance, forensics, and restructuring. The office currently employs 47 people at Chetwynd Business Park.
MRP invests in cutting-edge laminator technology
As part of ongoing commitment to enhancing their capabilities, MRP have announced announce the installation of a new Lamina Fasline Edge 1116 FLE Mounter/Laminator.
This advanced machine offers increased versatility, productivity with up to 8,000 sheets per hour, sheet-to-sheet mounting of paper to board and board to board, whether solid or corrugated and with full servo control, it ensures edge-to-edge registration accuracy of less than 1mm and automatic feeding. It can seamlessly mount two sheets of board of varying thicknesses or paper to board. It is also capable of mounting various substrates to both open and closed-faced corrugated board.
Equipped with an in-line ‘Flip Flop Stacker’ system, it automatically flips sheets to prevent curling without compromising speed—a task that was previously done manually, impacting output.
Stephen Bates Managing Director said “We believe this new addition will offer better options to our clients, reduce turnaround times, and open doors to new markets. With the growing demand for subscription boxes, our clients are increasingly seeking environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic packaging.”
Allison Homes invests in future talent with successful apprenticeship scheme
Regional housebuilder Allison Homes is celebrating the success of its apprenticeship scheme, after seeing four apprentices complete their courses early.
Currently, the housebuilder has 11 apprentices working across various trades, including five first-year apprentices and six who are in their second year. This latest group takes the number of apprentices that Allison Homes has trained since 2021 to over 30.
As part of the scheme, Allison Homes welcomes students from colleges across the East region. In particular, the housebuilder is in partnership with Stamford College and is a proud sponsor of its innovative Modern Methods of Construction Centre (MMC).
In the last academic year, two carpentry apprentices, Leland Moore and Poppy Ludgate, and two bricklaying apprentices, Charlie Ransome and Jacob Kelk, graduated from the scheme well ahead of schedule.
Prior to graduating, both Leland and Jacob, who worked at Allison Homes’ Harriers Rest and Abbey Park developments respectively, were recognised as some of the best apprentices in Cambridgeshire at the Peterborough Telegraph Apprenticeship Awards. In 2023 Leland was shortlisted for Construction Apprentice of the Year, and in September 2024 Jacob won the award in the same category.
All four former apprentices are now in full-time employment for the contractors they worked with during their time at Allison Homes.
Speaking about her experience on the scheme earlier this year, Poppy, who worked on Allison Partnerships’ Manning Road development in Bourne, said: “It has been great to learn whilst also
being ‘hands-on’ and putting into practice what I’ve been shown, as well as mixing with all the people on site and understanding how the different trades rely on each other.”
Andy Richards, Construction Director at Allison Homes East, said: “With the UK construction sector facing a significant skills shortage, Allison Homes is committed to playing our part in addressing this challenge. We’re passionate about investing in future talent, equipping young people with the skills and experience they need to build successful careers in the industry.
“Our apprenticeship scheme is a huge benefit both to the students and to us, helping diversify our workforce and inspire not only the next generation, but our established site teams too. Our long-term goal at Allison Homes is that each of our apprentices will go on to work for our contractors and supply chain, and one day come back to us as site managers.
“We look forward to seeing what all our apprentices, past and present, achieve and to continuing our successful scheme long into the future.”
Nottinghamshire Shared Ownership provider donates nearly £160,000
Platform, which provides Shared Ownership homes in Nottinghamshire has donated over £160,000 to charities and communities in the last year. Platform has reported that throughout the financial year 2023-2024, it gave £160,000 to 107 community projects.
This figure represents a number of separate contributions to charity, clubs and societies across the UK as part of its Community Fund, which both the home ownership and the housing association parts of the organisation has supported.
Examples of the projects supported include a baby, toddler and carers club, an organisation that promotes emerging local artists, a community pantry, and a retirement living complex that provides exercise classes to its residents.
As well as this, Platform donated a further £10,000 to its Community Kindness Campaign, which aims to support vulnerable and isolated people, as well as those on lower incomes, at a time when the cost of living continues to be a daily challenge.
In April, representatives of Platform handed midlands-based children’s charity Newlife a, a cheque for £43,533.48 after employees took part in a variety of fundraising activities, such as a 200 mile/2-day bicycle ride, the London Landmarks Half Marathon, bake sales, plant sales, clothing sales, and raffles.
Laura Osborne, Regional Director of Sales and Marketing at Platform, said: “It’s been an incredible experience being able to contribute to so many worthwhile causes throughout the year, and being able to make real and lasting change in the lives of so many how live in the communities that we’re a part of.
“Looking after and actively contributing to those communities that we operate in will always be important to us, and we’ll always do what we can to help support the most vulnerable in those communities. To know that we’re impacting people positively in these areas is as rewarding as it is important.”
All systems go at high profile summit on the East Midlands energy revolution
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, shared her vision for decarbonising the region and stimulating inclusive growth at the East Midlands Hydrogen Summit, which took place last week on Friday 8th November at Loughborough University.
The Summit showcased the East Midlands’ leading role in the future of clean energy and was brought together by East Midlands Hydrogen, an industry-led initiative supporting the region’s energy revolution by growing the UK’s largest inland hydrogen cluster.
Dr Jeevun Sandher MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hydrogen and MP for Loughborough, also spoke at the summit. The APPG for Hydrogen focuses on raising awareness of, and building support for, large scale hydrogen projects to help the country meet decarbonisation targets.
Hundreds flock to LEP conference
Over 400 people attended this year’s Greater Lincolnshire LEP Conference, where artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation were at the top of the agenda.
An inspiring keynote by rebel technologist Brett StClair set the tone for the event, which took place at the EPIC Centre on the Lincolnshire Showground.
A Demonstration Arena showcasing the latest technology and innovation from Greater Lincolnshire businesses and academics proved a popular attraction with delegates, and two
In Conversation discussions on innovation provided much food for thought.
On top of all that, the three past and present Chairs of the LEP – Professor Neal Juster, Pat Doody and Ursula Lidbetter – shared their reflections on the achievements of the LEP and looked forward to the future.
And James Pinchbeck, Chief Marketing Officer at Streets and Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Innovation Commission, launched the Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s Innovation Routemap.
Developed by the LEP and the University of Lincoln, the routemap sets out a new approach to accelerating innovation-led growth across Greater Lincolnshire.
“The LEP Conference is a chance for us to bring our supporters together, share ideas and see how technology is shaping the future of our economy,” said Professor Neal Juster, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
“One of the great things about the LEP is the collaboration that goes on between businesses. The conference is a great networking opportunity because you never know where your new business friends, supporters and collaborators are going to be.
“Today our theme is innovation for growth, and it’s clear that if businesses are going to survive in a competitive market they need to either do new things or do what they’re currently doing differently. Today is an opportunity to see how other companies are doing things and share knowledge and experiences.
“The feedback from our annual conference has always been extremely positive, and every year we’ve always had more people coming along. What they get out of it is an understanding of how others are operating in Lincolnshire, the challenges they have, the opportunities they’re grasping and how best they can capitalise on new technologies.”
McLaren Construction Midlands and North expands with trio of senior hires
Three new senior roles have been announced within McLaren Construction’s Midlands and North division.
Operations Director – Luke Arnold, Divisional Director – Darren Harding, and Regional Commercial Director – Adam Craven, have been appointed to positions within the Midlands and North team as part of its continued growth strategy.
Luke Arnold will be working alongside managing director, Gary Cramp, to expand the Midlands and North business – developing into new sectors through public sector frameworks, alongside building the current teams to deliver success.
He brings 25 years of experience to the role and will be concentrating on building and motivating high performing teams alongside maximising both operational and commercial performance within the region.
On his new role, Luke said: “I am extremely proud of my client relationships and my ability to develop long standing relationships with supply chain and customers. With a wealth of experience across many different sectors of the industry, along with strong regional knowledge and long-standing customer and supply chain relationships – it’s exciting to have the opportunity to work with Gary and develop the Midlands and North region and I look forward to bringing new opportunities to the business.”
Darren Harding will be responsible for the full day-to-day responsibility of all PBSA (Purpose Built Student Accommodation) schemes across the Midlands and North regions, continuing to build on the success of the contractor’s completed schemes, whilst building new high-performing site teams for opportunities in the pipeline.
With over 40 years’ experience in the industry – relationship building will be a key focus of Darren’s new role – allowing him to build strong, professional connections to fortify teams and create new streams of work.
On his new position, Darren Harding, said: “In my new role I will continue to reinforce my client relationships across the Midlands and North region, whilst pursuing a variety of varied workload opportunities. I thrive on the ‘team building’ aspect of my role by means of listening, nurturing, and encouraging all team members to take full ownership for their roles, which ultimately allows them to grow and develop, whilst allowing me to build professional and high performing teams. The future is looking very positive for the business with a full pipeline of new opportunities.”
Business leaders gather for Chesterfield Investment Summit
Business leaders have outlined details on how Chesterfield’s collaborative approach towards regeneration is creating a perfect environment for business growth.
Writing on the Chesterfield web site, Josh Marsh said the Chesterfield Investment Summit had provided an extensive update on projects that will dramatically increase jobs and prosperity across the borough’s communities.
Destination Chesterfield organised the event, which was supported by Markham Vale, We Are Spaces, and East Midlands Chamber. The summit showcased a range of transformative projects taking place across the Borough, many of which have been made possible thanks to collaborative partnerships created across the public and private sectors.
Delegates heard an update from the East Midlands Combined County Authority on the East Midlands Investment Zone, which is set to bring hundreds of high-quality jobs in advanced manufacturing and green industries to the former Staveley Chemical Works site and former Hartington Colliery site.
Cllr Nadine Peatfield, Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands, commented: “The East Midlands Investment Zone is a game changer for our region. Under the leadership of Mayor Claire Ward, EMCCA will help create 4,300 jobs and leverage £383m of private investment.
“Investing in the right places at the right times is going to be crucial to deliver the change needed to make this region the best place in the country to live, work and learn.”
Vistry Group to deliver 475 mixed-tenure homes in Hinckley, Leicestershire
Vistry Group, the UK’s leading provider of affordable mixed-tenure homes, has acquired a major site in Hinckley, Leicestershire, with outline planning permission to deliver 475 new homes for the area.
The site, to the east of Stoke Road and north of Normandy Way, in the north of the town, has a development value of £140m. Of the new homes being delivered, approximately 30% will be affordable, 25% will be developed for the private rented sector, and 45% will be for sale on the open market through a combination of its retail brands Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Countryside Homes.
All the houses will be constructed using modern methods of construction, with timber frame panels produced at the local Vistry Works factory in Bardon, Leicestershire. This will improve the sustainability and speed of the construction process, as well as reducing disruption for the local community. Each home built using these panels emits 14,460kg CO2e less than a traditional brick-and-block house.
Andy Reynolds, Managing Director of Vistry South East Midlands, said: “This latest deal adds another high-quality site to our pipeline of projects in Leicestershire. With a significant shortage of supply in the area, the acquisition of this site is a major milestone in bringing forward a new mixed-tenure development that will provide modern, well-connected homes catering to people with a wide range of requirements and at various stages of life.”
Richborough, one of the UK’s largest, best-in-class land promoters, was granted planning permission for the site in January 2024 and was instrumental in brokering the deal with Vistry.
Jordan Gresham, Group Disposals Director at Richborough, said, “Congratulations to Vistry on securing this site. We’re excited to see it come to life and deliver the much-needed new homes.
“I want to extend a huge thanks to our in-house team, and our consultants. Securing permission for 475 dwellings via planning appeal demonstrates our tenacity combined with a well-considered planning strategy.
“A special mention must also go to Steve Louth, our honorary director who passed away in 2022. This site was Steve’s vision, and it has been an honour to be involved in helping deliver this project as part of Steve’s Richborough legacy’’.
Coalville company introduces UK’s first carbon capture to concrete production
Groundbreaking technology that can capture carbon from the atmosphere and lock it into recycled concrete has been brought to the UK by Aggregate Industries.
The Coalville-based building materials supplier, part of the global Holcim Group, nd Swiss company neustark have set up a mineralisation plant in London – the first venture into the UK market for the Swiss cleantech start-up which has 19 other sites in Europe.
Neustark technology helps turn waste from demolished concrete – the world’s largest waste stream – into a carbon sink, permanently locking carbon removed from the atmosphere into processed concrete.
The technology works by taking concrete from demolished buildings which is crushed and screened at an AIUK recycling site. It then undergoes a procedure in which CO2, captured from biogas plants, is liquified and injected into the concrete granules.
This triggers a mineralisation process which permanently locks the captured carbon into the granules and can then be used to make new concrete or other building materials.
So far neustark has permanently removed more than 2,500 tonnes of carbon since it launched commercially in 2023, with an aim of removing a million tonnes by 2030.
Holcim invested in neustark last year, and is collaborating with it to deploy the solution at its sites worldwide, scaling up low-carbon and circular construction to multiple sites. The partnership won the 2023 Deloitte “Technology Fast 50” Venture Client Award for outstanding collaborations between startups and large companies.
Lee Sleight, CEO of Aggregate Industries UK, said: “We are really excited to be introducing neustark into the UK as part of our aim to decarbonise our own operations and the wider industry.
“This takes the battle to reduce carbon emissions to the next level through carbonation. The technology is available now and works – it can make a difference now not in five years time.
“We have London – as one of the world’s largest urban mines – with direct access to demolished concrete from building projects and we have the neustark technology. Together we can remove carbon from the atmosphere and permanently lock it into recycled concrete which can then go on to be used again in new building projects.
“This isn’t just a great carbon removal innovation but a great circular economy innovation where we are taking what was once a waste stream and reusing it, saving us from digging up virgin materials in the first place.
“Once fully operational, we are sure that there will be plenty of like minded contractors and specifiers out there who want to further their own decarbonisation journey with us and we see this technology scaling up and delivering results very quickly. Together we can really drive towards our net zero ambitions.”
