£2.6m teaching block complete at Nottinghamshire school
South Nottinghamshire Academy in Cropwell Road, Radcliffe on Trent, celebrated the official opening of its new teaching block named The Maple Building this month.
Midlands-based main contractor G F Tomlinson lead on the construction and design of the £2.6 million two-storey teaching block facility, which comprises new classrooms, a seminar room, independent study space, IT facilities, staff offices and welfare facilities. The building has been designed to provide enhanced learning areas for an additional 150 pupils.
The opening ceremony was attended by Dan Philpotts, executive headteacher at South Nottinghamshire Academy, and Andrew Burns, Chief Executive of Redhill Academy Trust. School staff, governors, G F Tomlinson colleagues, local dignitaries and other partner and community organisations were also in attendance.
The scheme has been completed on behalf of South Nottinghamshire Academy, which was rated ‘Good’ in its most recent Ofsted report, and currently offers 600 places for children aged 11-16 plus sixth form students, with plans to accommodate the increasing need for school places in the area.
Since 2016, following relocation into a brand-new school building, the academy has been an integral part of Redhill Academy Trust which has a proven track record of enhancing school improvement. South Nottinghamshire Academy has continued to invest in its facilities, to meet the educational needs of current and future students, including a 3G floodlit pitch.
As part of efforts to boost the environmental credentials on the project, heat recovery units were installed which enabled 100% of all warm air in the building to be reused, increasing energy efficiency. The site management team also created a “Zen Zone” which involved fencing off a dedicated area for growing vegetables with a small green house, raised bed and benches made from recycled site materials to support their mental health and wellbeing.
During construction, G F Tomlinson partnered with the academy generating social value through the provision of site tours, a careers fair and a mock interview day to enhance students’ understanding and awareness of the careers in construction.
Chris Flint, Managing Director of G F Tomlinson, said: “We’re pleased to see work has completed at South Nottinghamshire Academy. The expansion of the school means further school places can be provided for children within the area, which are currently in demand across the region.
“The new teaching block will help to enhance student’s learning and educational experience, and we look forward to seeing them make use of their new space.”
Dan Philpotts, executive headteacher at South Nottinghamshire Academy, said: “The new Maple building accommodation will provide our school community with a long-lasting, modern-day facility that will undoubtedly enhance students’ educational experience. We are so proud of our first-class facilities, and we look forward to a very exciting future.”
Andrew Burns, Chief Executive of Redhill Academy Trust, said: “We are all pleased to see the continued popularity and demand for places at the South Nottinghamshire Academy. These great new facilities will help our students achieve their very best.”
Freeths pays tribute to much-loved colleague and partner, Mukesh Patel
National law firm Freeths has paid tribute to a much-loved colleague and partner, Mukesh Patel, who died unexpectedly on Saturday, February 18th. Mukesh was the Managing Partner of the Leicester office.
A very popular member of both Freeths and the local community, Mukesh had been with the firm since 2009 and quickly established himself as a highly respected member of the business. He always regarded his colleagues at Freeths as his second family having led the dispute resolution team in Leicester and subsequently becoming Managing Partner of the Leicester office in 2014.
Regarded as a man of impeccable manners, courtesy and respect, Mukesh committed himself to doing everything he could to create a happy and inclusive team within the firm.
Mukesh leaves behind his wife and two sons.
In a statement, Julian Middleton, Chairman of Freeths, said: “This desperately sad, shocking, and heart-breaking news has come as a real blow to us all at Freeths. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his wife and their two boys.
“Mukesh was a trusted and valuable member of the Firm’s management team. He was an exemplary team player and would always place his personal interests second to those around him for the common good. Mukesh was very well known in the Leicester business community and was tireless in his efforts to raise the profile and reputation of the Firm and his office.
“We have lost a real force for good in the Freeths community, but we will ensure that his legacy lives on through our commitment to those shared principles that were so dear to him.”
Sanctuary for endangered animals set for Nottinghamshire following land deal
Licensed zoo keeper Reece Oliver is forging ahead with plans to build a world class sanctuary for endangered animals after securing a 23 acre plot of land in Broxtowe in a deal agreed by commercial property consultants OMEETO.
Plans have been submitted to Broxtowe Borough Council for the £10 million development on land near Station House in Trowell and, if approved, Mr Oliver is hoping to start the two-year construction project this spring.
Mr Oliver is best known for keeping rescued lions, a Canadian puma and 24 squirrel monkeys in specially-built enclosures in his back garden in Strelley. The African lions, Rock and Rora, were rescued from a circus in Eastern Europe and were joined by their cubs two years ago.
His plans for the sanctuary, named the Broxtowe Retreat, include reserves for rescued endangered animals as well as a tropical-themed spa complete with Rainforest inhabitants and an African water-hole themed restaurant and function venue. Visitors will be able to stay in 27 guest lodges, each with unique views into the expansive animal habitats.
An on-site education centre with qualified teachers would provide ‘out of the classroom’ practical experiences for school children, college and university students, and apprentices. The planned facilities, which have been described as state-of-the-art, would make use of solar panels, heat-pumps, and rainwater capture and recycling, making it one of the first sustainable and carbon neutral visitor facilities in the UK according to its developer.
New ponds, water features, and a tree and hedgerow planting program are also planned. The development would be expected to create more than 60 jobs in hospitality, education, catering, customer service, site maintenance, and animal care, with local skills and suppliers prioritised.
The retreat would be operated by an experienced team of experts to the highest animal welfare standards according to Mr Oliver.
He continued: “With the purchase of the land complete, we have now submitted plans for consideration by the borough council which I am confident will be approved.
“Rescuing animals is something that is very close to my heart, and we intend to create a world class sanctuary for animals and a uniquely special experience for visitors to enjoy.
“From environmentalism and ecology to education and employment, we think this development will really put Broxtowe on the map, and I’m delighted to bring such exciting plans to the local area.”
Chris Wright, director of OMEETO, completed the deal on behalf of the landowners, William May Holdings.
He said: “Mr Oliver is an extremely driven and motivated individual with a very admirable cause, we wish him every success with his plans. This is a very exciting project which could be a major asset for the region.”
Payroll fraudster who stole more than £120,000 sentenced
A payroll administrator who stole more than £120,000 from her employer has been sentenced.
Sandra Komunska, aged 29, worked for a specialist payroll management company when she made dozens of payments to her own accounts by creating false emails, invoices and payee details.
Between June 2016 and January 2020 she embezzled around £123,000.
Komunska was exposed during an internal investigation into a missing client payment.
She later admitted that the money had been paid directly into a bank account controlled by her and was sacked by her employer.
Further investigations revealed multiple payments to two other accounts controlled by Komunska.
Komunska, of Lovesey Avenue, Hucknall, claimed the money had been stolen to support her children during a period of financial hardship.
She later pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.
She was given a two year jail sentence suspended for 18 months, ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation days and complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Detective Constable Christopher Underwood, a specialist fraud investigator at Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Komunska repeatedly stole a very large sum of money over a three-and-a-half-year period.
“She could have stopped this offending at any time but chose instead to keep stealing more and more from the employers who had put so much time and effort into training her. This was an appalling abuse of trust.”
Orders, revenue, profit and cash flow improve at Rolls-Royce
Orders, revenue, profit and cash flow all improved at Rolls-Royce in 2022, according to full year results, though its new CEO has said the company is “capable of much more.”
The Derby firm hailed strong new order wins during the year in Civil Aerospace and Defence and a record order book in Power Systems.
Meanwhile the business posted an underlying operating profit of £652m, £238m higher than the prior year with the increase driven by Civil Aerospace and Power Systems, and underlying revenues of £12.7bn, up from £10.9bn.
The firm also highlighted free cash flow from continuing operations of £505m, £2bn higher than the prior year, led by engine flying hour recovery.
Furthermore, net debt of £3.3bn was down from £5.2bn at end 2021, due to disposals and improved cash flow.
Looking ahead, Rolls-Royce is focusing on a transformation programme to deliver further performance improvements from 2023.
Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO, said: “It is an honour to lead Rolls-Royce, one of the world’s most trusted brands and a business with strong positions in growing markets. Our people take tremendous pride in our innovation and engineering solutions. Together, we must now move at pace and harness that pride to create a high-performing, growing and competitive business.
“While our performance improved in 2022, we are capable of much more. Our transformation programme will improve our efficiency and commercial outcomes, and deliver a sustainable reduction in working capital. This will require a winning culture, underpinned by more effective performance management and a shared determination to deliver cash and reduce debt. Our success will enable us to reward investors for their support and invest in future growth.
“Our transformation programme is already underway and is moving at pace. It will include a strategic review so that we can prioritise our investment towards the most profitable opportunities. We will report the findings together with our medium-term goals in the second half of this year.”
Rail hub consultation is “incomplete and inadequate”
Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council has submitted its first response after the application for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNFRI) was submitted.
The application, from developers Tritax Symmetry, was lodged with the Planning Inspectorate on 3 February 2023. The council had two weeks to comment on whether it believed consultation on the submission had been adequate.
The scheme, earmarked for 440 acres of land between the M69 and the Leicester to Birmingham railway line, is to the north-east of Hinckley – partially within the Hinckley and Bosworth Borough with the majority situated within the Blaby District – and would be based close to Junction 2 of the M69 to the north of Burbage Common.
Up to 268 hectares (equivalent to 662 acres) of land would be used for the construction of a rail terminal for the loading and unloading of freight trains under the proposals, providing 650,000 square metres of floorspace and up to 250,000 square metres of mezzanine space.
The council responded to the consultation on 21 February and advised the Planning Inspectorate:
- Time available for consultation was inadequate given the scale of the proposal and the information that had to be absorbed
- Some of the information available during consultation was incomplete, for example, highway modelling
- The baseline information used was incomplete in parts
- This rendered the consultation ineffective which falls short of the government guidance and case law on what constitutes effective consultation
Second phase of Unity Square office development approved
The next phase of Nottingham’s Unity Square office development is set to move ahead after securing approval from the council.
Peveril Securities and Sladen Estates are behind the major scheme on Queens Bridge Road, for which the original hybrid application was approved in January 2019.
Phase 1 of Unity Square is now complete and occupied by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Phase 2 would provide a 12 storey office development with 235,000 sq ft of space.
The reserved matters planning application was approved at a planning committee meeting yesterday.
Go ahead given to extend Nottingham building for student scheme
Plans to extend a Nottingham City Centre building to provide 104 student bedspaces have been approved.
Maven Property (Nottingham) LP are behind the proposals for the two storey building on Lower Parliament Street, whose ground floor is occupied by two retail units for Poundland and Bonmarche.
The plans for the site involve an upward extension of between one and three stories to create a building three to five stories in height.
The ground floor would be retained as retail use, with the upper floors used as 104 student bedspaces with a mixture of cluster and studio flats.
The development also includes communal lounges, a gym, a laundry room and cycle store with two small roof gardens.
The development would be three stories at the northern end facing Lower Parliament Street, stepping up to five stories facing Thurland Street.
Derby businesses go flat out to win flipping fantastic fundraising pancake race
Businesses across Derby went head-to-head in an annual Shrove Tuesday pancake race raising money for city children in the process.
Public relations agency Penguin PR battered the competition to lift the trophy, beating teams from doughnut makers Project D, sportswear giant HUUB and digital marketeers Alphageek.
The annual event was organised by staff at carbon composite company Pentaxia, in Alfreton Road, and was designed to raise money for YMCA Derbyshire’s new nursery provision, Derwent Stepping Stones.
Each firm taking part donated to the registered charity which will allow nursery staff to purchase a new water wall for the children’s outdoor play area, replacing a broken one.
Penguin PR director Sarah Newton said: “We’ve taken part in a few fundraising activities for the YMCA including the annual sleep easy event and the community meal; it’s such a brilliant cause.“We thoroughly enjoyed the race and, even though the combined age of our team was significantly higher than most of the others, it was flipping brilliant to win.”
It is the fourth time the annual race has taken place and other businesses taking part included Natwest, two teams from Pentaxia and a team from YMCA Derbyshire.The 25m relay was held over three heats, with each team member required to flip the pancake at the start, the middle and the end.
The winners received a carbon trophy and medals, while every competitor received a pot of honey made by Pentaxia’s own bees, who live in five hives at the Alfreton Road site.
Pentaxia Managing Director Tim Ollier said: “As a company we are very keen to give back to the local community and if we can have some fun and rope in some other local businesses then all the better.
“This year’s pancake day challenge was absolutely brilliant, and we’d like to thank everyone involved. We can’t wait for next year to try and win the trophy back.”
New report reveals recommendations to manufacture a digital future for industry
A major new report that seeks to future-proof the UK’s manufacturing sector, helping it adapt to, and benefit from, digital technologies has been published.
The Digital World 2050 report marks the conclusion of a six-year study funded by Connected Everything – an ESPRC-funded network led by the University of Nottingham comprising circular economists, digital manufacturing experts, and more. It has identified five key recommendations that will support the longevity of UK manufacturing.
Co-authored by researchers from the Universities of Nottingham, Exeter, Liverpool, and Cambridge, the study draws together evidence from a plethora of areas, such as policy literature and government documents, as well as conversations with leaders from academia, industry and policy that took the form of conferences, surveys and roundtables.
Dr Oliver Fisher, co-author and former research fellow at the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Engineering, said: “When we started this horizon scanning work, imagining what manufacturing in 2050 would look like was a daunting prospect. But by bringing together of expertise from across disciplines we were able to gain new insights and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that may emerge as digital technologies are embedded within manufacturing processes and workforces.
“I hope the knowledge generated within this report will help accelerate the transition towards a sustainable manufacturing future.”
To establish the recommendations, researchers identified four themes: industrial digital technologies in 2050; digitisation and the manufacturing workforce of the future; digital support for achieving net zero by 2050; and digitally enabled manufacturing excellence – from which five recommendations emerged strongly:
- Connect technology to manufacturers: To create opportunities, increase productivity and solve industry challenges.
- Reduce digital manufacturing knowledge barriers: To make solutions simple and intuitive for all users.
- Consolidate digital manufacturing guidance: So that manufacturers can access the relevant expertise to implement solutions.
- Support employee wellbeing during transition: To help them engage with digital transformation and not be left behind.
- Transparency of value chain data: To greater understand environmental and social impacts of manufacturing decisions and drive more sustainable choices.
