Six Derbyshire businesses are amongst the first to pledge support for a new fundraising initiative launched by East Midlands charity, Star Trust – The Charitable Entrepreneurs.
Derby entrepreneur Kavita Oberoi OBE, who is a patron of the Star Trust, launched the monthly pledge scheme at a Marketing Derby event at Darleys Restaurant recently alongside the charity’s founder Steve Hampson.
They invited the local business community to pledge a monthly amount from £50 upwards which will be ring-fenced and then donated to SME charities from the county who apply for much-needed funding to improve the lives of people in their local communities.
The first to join the scheme were Darleys restaurant, Ask The Chameleon, Cosy Direct, Q Branch Consulting, WDS Limited and Worcester Lloyd.
Kavita Oberoi, who is the founder and managing director of the Oberoi Business Hub in Pride Park, said: “Star Trust has traditionally raised over £100,000 from their Star Trust ball and Motoring Day each year which is then deployed within weeks to charities that have applied.
“When I joined as a patron, I was keen that we look at ways to generate funds throughout the year so that charities can benefit from our support when and where they most need it.
“I knew from experience that the Derby business community would get behind such a worthwhile cause and, as ever, the Marketing Derby bondholders have stepped up to the plate.
“Their monthly pledges will be ring fenced to Derbyshire and will be donated to local charities who make the greatest impact on our local communities.”
The Star Trust is run by charitable entrepreneurs and business leaders who are committed to supporting their local communities across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Rutland.
Since its launch ten years ago, Star Trust has supported 114 charities with a total of £852,642 and has directly touched the lives of more than 71,732 people in the East Midlands area.
Among the Derbyshire charities recently supported are Derventio Charitable Trust which received £2,739 that paid for 155 essential food hampers for the charity’s supported housing residents in the city and county.
Star Trust founder Steve Hampson concluded: “The fantastic companies and individuals across the East Midlands who support Star Trust do so safe in their knowledge that their generosity is translated into real support for real people in the heart of our local communities.
“Our goal is to surpass the £1 million fundraising mark in 2024 and a key part of this will be growing the number of businesses who pledge on a monthly basis.
“This saves time and resources for these like-minded businesses as our role as conduit is to handle all the funding applications, site visits and due diligence process and always aim to support grassroot charities who are making a positive difference to people’s lives in their local communities.
“The application process is very straightforward so that it is accessible to even the smallest of charities and we look forward to helping more organisations in the coming year.”
EarthSense, the Leicester-based air quality expert, has announced a strategic partnership with Ganeca Environmental Services, bringing its bespoke solutions and services to the Indonesian government, local authorities, and industries to visualise and manage air quality issues, aligning with its shared goals to bring solutions to the world’s environmental challenges.
Following rapid population growth in Indonesia, accompanied by high levels of industrialisation and urbanisation, and with almost 23 million vehicles in the Jakarta metropolitan area alone, big cities in Indonesia face serious challenges in managing air quality.
EarthSense and Ganeca’s partnership will enable both government and commercial organisations to monitor ambient air pollutants in real-time and track and visualise data to implement change where necessary.
Founded in early 2014, Ganeca is one of the leading consultants and providers of environmental management technology in Indonesia. The partnership will provide accurate and reliable air quality monitoring solutions in the country, with EarthSense’s Zephyr® air quality sensors providing governments, local authorities, and industries with the ability to take real-time measurements of pollution.
The air quality data can then be analysed in EarthSense’s MyAir® web application, where it can be visualised, analysed, and downloaded, allowing for strategic changes to be planned.
Muhammad Sonny Abfertiawan, Senior Managing Director at Ganeca Environmental Services, said: “We are thrilled to partner with EarthSense and look forward to bringing its complete air quality monitoring solution to our customers.
“We believe this collaboration will provide reliable and accurate air quality monitoring technology to various sectors including the Indonesian Government, manufacturing, mining industries, and academic communities, facilitating scientific research endeavours.
“The air quality challenges in Indonesia are growing, but the innovative MyAir® app will allow its users to isolate areas of concern, enabling the authorities and industries to make changes to reduce pollution levels.”
Greg Lewis, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at EarthSense, said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Ganeca Environmental Services and bring our industry-leading suite of air quality solutions to Indonesia. The partnership will allow us to join our air quality expertise with Ganeca Environmental Services’ tailored approach to environmental challenges to improve air quality in Indonesia.”
The next phase of the regeneration of Chesterfield town centre is set to start in July – with experienced contractor, Thomas Bow, now appointed to take the project forward.
The multi-million pound Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project includes a range of improvement works to transform the look, feel and flow of the town’s key public spaces. The works are due to start on 1 July and will take eighteen months to complete.
The project will begin in Market Square, where improvements will create a new market layout with new stalls and enhancements to paving, seating and lighting, before moving on to New Square, where works will be carried out to create an attractive flexible space to support both traditional and speciality markets and a wider range of uses. The final phase will involve improvement works to Rykneld Square.
Separately, G F Tomlinson will carry out improvements to Corporation Street to create a new gateway to the refurbished Stephenson Memorial Hall.
A spokesperson for the council said: “We’re pleased to confirm Thomas Bow as our contractor and look forward to the project gathering pace over the coming weeks – with work due to start next month. The town centre will remain open for business, although inevitably the work will cause some short-term disruption and we thank people in advance for their patience.
“We have a detailed plan to support our market traders and town centre businesses throughout the improvement works, and we’ll also be making sure we keep members of the public up to date by sharing information as the work progresses.”
New Square – the plans will create an attractive and flexible space that will complement the main market and speciality markets, but can also be used to host festivals, events, cultural celebrations, and community gatherings – bringing the town centre to life.
Thomas Bow is an experienced civil engineering contractor having worked on major public realm regeneration projects in cities across the Midlands, including Lincoln, Nottingham and Leicester. They will be operating a site office from Low Pavement and from where members of the public will be able to view the plans and find out more about how the project is progressing.
John Allen, Construction Director from Thomas Bow, said: “We are delighted to secure this important scheme with Chesterfield Borough Council. As a local contractor with significant experience in successful public realm delivery across the Midlands, our teams are very much looking forward to embarking on this project in the coming months.”
Rykneld Square – this area will be transformed to create a more welcoming, green space from which to enjoy the much-loved Crooked Spire, and better connect this landmark to the town centre.
Two major student accommodation schemes have been recommended for approval ahead of Nottingham City Council’s Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday 19 June.
The first development, on Norton Street, on part of the former John Player factory in Radford, would comprise two accommodation blocks of 7 storeys. Each block would accommodate a mix of studios and 3 to 10 bed cluster apartments, comprising 587 bedspaces in total.
The ground floor of ‘Block D’ would have extensive communal and ancillary areas including a lounge, study area, gym, spa, laundry room, and bike storage. A lounge area with roof garden is additionally included at level 7. ‘Block E’ would also have a lounge area at ground floor level. Landscaped outside space is to be provided within a ‘green heart’ area.
Hyson Green Developments are behind the plans for the site, currently a former car park.
The second development, which sits at the junction of Wilford Road and Traffic Street, involves the erection of an up to 17 storey building.
The site has historically been used for industrial and commercial purposes since the 1880’s and was latterly occupied by Sentinel House, used by Boots as offices and a laboratory. This was demolished and the site cleared in 2008. The site is currently hoarded and in use as a construction compound and parking area associated with the development of sites on Traffic Street.
The scheme comprises 396 bedrooms across a range of cluster flats and studios. The lower ground, ground and first floors would accommodate communal facilities such as a gym, cinema, private dining space, games area, amenity spaces, meeting rooms, a cycle store, laundry and waste storage facilities.
Externally, a sunken entrance space incorporates soft landscaping and tapering steps to provide informal seating, whilst a further courtyard space with soft landscaping and seating is also proposed. Jensco is behind the plans.
April rings alarm bells, according to the Federation of Small Businesses.
Latest figures from the ONS shows that GDP was flat in April, promoting the FSB’s Martin McTague to say the economy was not yet delivering the conditions that small businesses needed to flourish. He said: “Coming off the back of solid growth in the first quarter, it is especially disappointing. With the election just weeks away, no political party has yet set out a compelling vision for how it would achieve a steady increase of two to three per cent growth per year. To ensure that GDP climbs – and stays – at healthy levels, the next Government must prioritise this. It’s the only way we can rebuild the number of small businesses in the UK from 5.5 million to the pre-pandemic level of six million.
“Construction output fell for the third month in a row, underlining the need for a new Small Housebuilder Strategy, to ensure sufficient capacity to achieve ambitious housebuilding targets.
“Our latest Small Business Index shows that while small firms’ confidence score in the first quarter climbed to positive territory for the first time in two years, the domestic economy was still seen as the top barrier to growth, and today’s GDP result could contribute to a decline in the findings for the second quarter.
“Now that the National Living Wage (NLW) increase has kicked in, employment costs are a growing pressure. To help offset that, our election manifesto calls for the Employment Allowance to be raised to £6,500 and automatically go up each year with the NLW.
“Whoever takes office on July 5 should also see through a Small Business Act, establishing legislation to bolster small businesses on crucial issues. This does not require any extra spending but will bring a wealth of benefits to the economy. The Act would enshrine measures to clamp down on big businesses with poor payment practices, improve access to finance, and put in place a 33 per cent SME statutory public procurement target. Other measures could include reforming business rates and increasing the number of start-up loans.
“Small firms are the key to economic recovery – after all, they’re the ones who drive innovation and create jobs. Supporting them is a sure-fire way to strengthen our economy and ensure lasting growth. The next Government has its work cut out for it, but with the right focus, it will be able to make a substantial impact on the economy.”
The East Midlands region’s top 500 companies will be revealed at the East Midlands Chamber’s annual dinner next week.
East Midlands Chamber President Stuart Dawkins said: “I’m delighted to host the Annual Dinner once again, which is very much the jewel in the crown of the Chamber’s calendar. The most influential of the East Midlands business community will be able to reflect on the challenges of the year gone by and embrace the opportunities that lie ahead, while enjoying an excellent menu.
De Montfort University Professor David Rae, who compiled data for the Top 500 index, said: “East Midlands Chamber has been a partner of the East Midlands Top 500 Companies since its inception and we’re delighted this year to be sponsoring the presentation of the Top 500 at the East Midlands Chamber Annual Dinner. This rightly positions the Top 500 at a prestigious gathering of business leaders in the region.”
Mr Dawkins added: “The venue Goosedale is a stunning setting, and it’s tremendously exciting that we’ve not only secured a superb keynote speaker in Katie King, with her extensive knowledge on AI and its potential; we also have the Top 500 Companies being revealed at the event too. I’m very much looking forward to sharing my thoughts and to speaking with my fellow diners at what will be a memorable evening.” The event is on June 20th.
Derbyshire County Council’s former adult community education centre in New Mills town centre is to go up for auction this month with a £235,000 guide price.
The historic, two-storey, 15,000 sq ft building stands on a one-acre site on Spring Bank and was most recently the home of the High Peak Community Arts organisation. It is now being put up for sale by the council and will appear in the online auction being held by SDL Property Auctions on 27 June.
Built in 1891, the stone-built property was originally constructed by local philanthropists and business owners, the Mackie Family, as the Mackie Memorial Library.
Andrew Parker, auctioneer and managing director at SDL Property Auctions, said: “This imposing building, which has been an important presence in the town for over 130 years, would be well suited to a variety of alternative uses that would make a positive new addition for people in New Mills.
“Redeveloping the property to create apartments, a medical centre or some other community scheme, subject to obtaining the appropriate planning consents, are all options. It will be interesting to see what the next chapter holds for this characterful building.”
Energy engineering solutions provider BRUSH Group has acquired Rybka, the Scottish mechanical and electrical building services and sustainability consultancy.
The acquisition expands the Loughborough firm’s portfolio of services to include mechanical and electrical consulting engineering, BIM (Building Information Modelling), building physics, Passivhaus design and low carbon consulting.
It also gives BRUSH a foothold in the Scottish market whilst enabling Rybka to grow into England and Wales, supported by London-based building services consultancy Eta Projects Ltd – acquired by BRUSH in 2022 – which has a strong track record in healthcare and critical infrastructure.
Nicolas Pitrat, CEO of BRUSH Group, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Rybka on board as part of the BRUSH Group. We already share a lot in common and I see many of our values reflected in the way the team at Rybka works together to deliver outstanding results for their clients.
“I am impressed with their breadth of knowledge and expertise, and having Rybka as part of the Group will support our ESG ambitions and create decarbonisation opportunities with our customers.”
David MacLeod, Rybka chairman, said: “We are very excited to be joining the BRUSH Group. Our proven track record as a provider of outstanding consultancy services, along with BRUSH’s reputation for delivering engineering excellence, will ensure we continue to go from strength to strength.
“Working in partnership with BRUSH we will grow our geographical footprint and build on our existing expertise, while continuing to deliver an exceptional customer experience.”
Established in Scotland in the 1990s, Rybka has continued to grow, especially with the advent of the decarbonisation agenda and drive towards a low carbon economy. With more than 50 staff located in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, Rybka will become a key part of the BRUSH Engineering Solutions portfolio whilst operating independently with existing partners and clients.
Rybka is the latest in a series of acquisitions and ventures by the BRUSH Group. The company anticipates that this acquisition will give rise to career opportunities for both the teams at Rybka and BRUSH, with the creation of more job roles across the UK.
The UK economy showed no growth in April, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
It comes after GDP (gross domestic product), a key measure of economy growth, increased 0.4% in March, and reflects expectations that GDP would be flat.
Economic growth was held back by further contraction in the construction industry, with construction output falling by 1.4% in April, its third consecutive monthly fall, and weakness in the manufacturing sector, with production output dropping by 0.9% in April.
Meanwhile services output grew by just 0.2% in April, its fourth consecutive monthly growth.
The figures were in part impacted by wet weather, where rain was 155% of the long term April average.
Ben Jones, Lead Economist, CBI, said: “After one of the wettest Aprils since records began it’s no surprise that rain dampened consumer spending, with many households also feeling the pinch from higher prices and bills.
“But consumers and firms alike are going to start to feel the benefit of lower inflation, which in turn should boost confidence and support spending as we head into a summer packed with major entertainment and sports events, like the Euros.
“Lower inflation, rising real incomes and low unemployment mean household spending is set to drive a steady economic recovery in the year ahead, which should broaden out to stronger business investment next year.
“However, to ensure longer-term, sustainable growth we must tackle our ongoing productivity problem. Top of the in-tray for the next government should be a cutting-edge trade and investment strategy, a Net Zero Investment Plan and more support for firms to invest in automation and AI.
“At the same time, a focus on building momentum behind the ‘big three’ enablers of tax, planning and skills policies within the first 100 days can give firms a clear flightpath for growth.”
A company that helps organisations reduce their carbon footprint and energy costs has become the first to design a method of harnessing waste heat from MRI machines.
Viridis Building Services devised the ground-breaking innovation as part of its work to deliver the UK’s first fully net zero Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), in Scunthorpe town centre.
Not scheduled for completion until this autumn, the £19.4m Scunthorpe CDC new-build project is already on target to achieve net zero status, having been passed as such by Building Regulations and construction-stage EPC ratings.
Viridis was tasked to achieve as close as possible to net zero with the scheme but is confident that it will surpass expectations and create a building that will even be able to feed excess energy back into the National Grid.
The firm, based in Collingham, near Newark, has introduced a combination of natural and mechanical heating and ventilation, roof-mounted PV tiles and optimal lighting systems.
But as part of its problem-solving process, it has also pioneered a method for capturing the enormous amounts of rejected heat from the centre’s two MRI machines and feeding that energy back into the 2,000 sq. metre building.
This innovation alone could save the NHS millions of pounds in energy costs if the same method was introduced across its estate.
Lee Marshall, Managing Director of Viridis, said: “The knock-on benefits to this unique breakthrough could be huge.
“Not only have we delivered the UK’s first net zero Community Diagnostic Centre, we have also achieved a solution with the MRI heat recovery process that could save millions in energy bills and make a significant contribution to the reduction of the NHS’s carbon footprint.”
Scunthorpe CDC is one of the 160 Community Diagnostic Centres that the Government pledged to deliver before the end of 2024. The centres, which are being located in high-population areas close to public transport networks to provide easy patient access and encourage a reduction in car travel, will provide non-invasive treatments such as MRI scans, CT scans, ultrasounds and X-Rays.
Architect impression of the new Scunthorpe CDC
Due to its strong reputation for delivering net zero buildings, Viridis was given a completely open brief with Scunthorpe CDC by Northern Lincolnshire & Goole NHS Foundation Trust.
“We were told they wanted a ‘nearly’ net zero building, as part of the NHS Estate’s commitment towards eventually achieving net zero across its entire portfolio,” said Lee.
“How we achieved that was effectively up to us. So we employed our usual process of combining each team member’s individual expertise in various disciplines to ask how we can exceed the brief and actually deliver a fully net zero building – within budget.
“We do not stop short at only implementing what has gone before. We always challenge the norms – and, like here, it often pays off.”
The Viridis team working on this project comprised of experts in mechanical engineering and electrical design, renewable energy and the environment.
The team’s first ideas focused on the thermal efficiency of the building – ways to contain heat and recover waste heat. They then began to look at various energy systems within the building, such as lighting, and came up with ways to optimise them to create maximum efficiency and minimum carbon emissions.
But the major breakthrough came about when the team began to investigate the enormous quantities of heat that are traditionally rejected from MRI machines.
Architect impression of the new Scunthorpe CDC
The use of MRI machines as energy providers rather than energy wasters had never been done before. Heat produced by MRIs would normally be ‘disposed of’ through a fan to the outside atmosphere, whereas Viridis found a way to collect and re-use it with the use of heat pumps.
A building like Scunthorpe CDC would typically have expected to pay around £60k-£65k per year for its energy. But with the Viridis innovations, it is expected to have zero energy costs and figures indicate it may be able to sell around £1k of energy back to the Grid.
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