Closeup k&c april2016

ISSUE7 APRIL 2016

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF MID YORKSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - KIRKLEES & CALDERDALE EDITION

IN ASSOCIATION WITH TOPICUK

FOR BUSINESS

The Big Interview

Tim Welton Wakefield Business week

Save the date World Events

Affecting Business

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WELCOME

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”

Welcome to the April edition of Close Up for Business, from all here at the Chamber and our associates on the magazine, TopicUK.

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ince our last edition of Close Up we have been very busy at the Chamber, never more so than on Wednesday 16th March when the Chamber’s MY Conference Kirklees event took place at the same time as the UK’s 2016 Budget was announced.

I am pleased confirm that over 480 people attended MY Conference Kirklees. I would like to thank everyone who was involved in making this event a success, our partners and sponsors: Brand Yorkshire, The John Smith’s Stadium, TopicUK, KirkleesCORE, our exhibitors and speakers, and all the delegates who attended during the course of the day.

We are now busy preparing for our next Conference, MY Conference Wakefield, which will take place on Wednesday 15th June during Wakefield Business Week (13th to 17th June).

The Chamber are delighted to be delivering this focal point event during business week, working together with Wakefield first as a result of our recent Collaboration Agreement with Wakefield Council. In organising and promoting these conferences and business weeks, the Chamber sits at the very heart of our local business communities.

In his Budget Speech the Chancellor supported our Chamber’s calls to avoid higher business taxes and costs – and he managed to lower them in some areas, such Corporation Tax. He also responded to our calls to reduce Business Rates, particularly for smaller SME’s. Further, he announced extra incentives for entrepreneurship and investment. We are pleased with his commitments to Northern infrastructure

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projects, and we just hope that they now move rapidly to the construction phase. The extra £700m raised by the increased tax on insurance premiums will be used for flood defences, and we are particularly pleased that the funding for projects in our Chamber area have been confirmed. We also wrote to the Chancellor asking for confirmation that a devolution deal for Leeds City Region could be progressed quickly.

Whilst our region dithers about choosing a geographical area for Devolution, there is a real danger that we will be unable to have a democratically elected mayor in place by May 2017 – on the same timescale to which Manchester, Sheffield and other major city regions of the North are working. From the evidence we have seen, the Leeds City Region deal seems to be the only option currently on the table that could be implemented in time. Businesses are blind to administrative boundaries: what matters to us is the continued development of our region’s economy. We cannot afford to be left behind on Devolution for our City Region.

We hope you enjoy reading this edition of Close Up and you may be assured that all of us in the Chamber team will be doing our utmost to serve our members to the highest levels of satisfaction. It is our privilege to connect, support and represent your very best interests throughout Calderdale, Kirklees, Wakefield and the wider City Region.

Martin Hathaway Chief Executive Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce

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"

SUMMARY & Contents

Rachel Dickie

08 16 20 WINNER

Director wins leadership award

Search for Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce

JAZZ FESTIVAL Search for a new sponsor

ALL ABOARD

First TransPennine Express

I VII XVI

CHAMBER BUSINESS AWARDS 2016

NEW APPOINTMENT for Sutcliffe Play

TRUST

To engage local commmunity

 PHOTOGRAPHER - Danny Gartside 07834 705736 www.dannygartside.com COVER - Danny Gartside 1

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light-hearted look at life outside of the office for our region’s business people. Get in touch if you would like to put someone forward for these features or take part yourself.

In and among creating content and spreading the word about the magazine, we attended the Kirklees Business Conference at John Smiths’ Stadium on 16 March which welcomed over 45 exhibitors and nine speakers as well as hundreds of delegates. It was great to welcome a variety of business from both within Kirklees and further afield to our stand and showcase the magazine – many were familiar with TopicUK but other who hadn’t come across us before were delighted to hear that there is a news outlet that champions the micro businesses across the area who often don’t get a share of voice in the traditional regional business media!

EDITOR'S NOTES

On that note, please continue to pass your copy of TopicUK magazine around the business community and get in touch if you have any relevant content – both news stories and features. If you struggle to get hold of a copy it’s possible to subscribe for just £20 a year to cover postage – see topicuk.co.uk for more information.

Stefanie Hopkins

Time has flown by since we put the last issue to bed and we have been busy growing and expanding TopicUK Kirklees Calderdale over the past six weeks.

GROUP EDITOR GILL LAIDLER EDITOR STEFANIE HOPKINS CREATIVE DIRECTOR ROB BLACKWELL LOCAL HEROES THE EDITOR THE ARTS LAWRENCE BATLEY THEATRE LEGAL MATTERS SARAH CROWTHER, CHADWICK LAWRENCE BEAUTY & WELLBEING TITANIC SPA FASHION KATIE PORTMAN FOOD & RESTAURANT REVIEW ANTHONY HEGNEY, ASPARAGUS GREEN RECRUITMENT NADIO GRANATA, STAFFLEX SOCIAL MEDIA SINEAD SOPALA, RAMSDENS SOLICITORS SPORT SEAN JARVIS - HUDDERSFIEL D TOWN FC COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MARK HANSON, HANSON CHARTERED SURVEYORS

We have introduced an additional six pick-up points for the magazine including Dean Clough and Sainsbury’s in Halifax plus Titanic Spa in Linthwaite. We have also increased the circulation by a further 500 copies due to growing demand for the magazine, which will see TopicUK being available via all 22 Calderdale Libraries, which will increase our reach across the Calder Valley.

On the content side, we have introduced two new regular features; our CSR Showcase, which will allow businesses in the region to share their various charity and community initiatives (read about Eaton Smith’s CSR work on page 42) and Out of Office, a

TopicUK

LEGAL MATTERS CHADWICK LAWRENCE

TopicUK is published under licence from Ghost Publishing Limited by Yorkshire Publications Limited.

Tel: 01484 599886 - stefanie@topicuk.co.uk - www.topicuk.co.uk - Ghost Publishing Ltd - Suite 6 Unity Works Westgate Wakefield WF1 1EP

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NewsUpdate

Utilise free business support says Kirklees Libraries

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irklees Council is reminding users of its support services for local businesses in a bid to increase the number of people that use its suite of electronic business resources.

The council’s Complete Business Reference Advisor (COBRA) service is available at libraries across Kirklees, and offers free, unlimited access to business start-up advice – such as writing a business plan and raising finance – to marketing and legal advice for more established companies.

Jane Rose of Kirklees Libraries commented: “Accessing the right information when starting a business is crucial to its future success, and with the COBRA service, library members can gain access to this information at any time on any device.”

Kirklees Libraries also offers a Research Monitor service, providing access to market research data from over 80 countries via market intelligence provider, Euromonitor.

Jane continued: “Our Research Monitor service can be accessed at Dewsbury Library and Huddersfield Reference Library, the latter of which also provides access to FAME – a database with access to over two million UK companies and their company reports.”

“We have always had a very strong offer for the local business community and with the advent of the economic recession and the tough times being faced by businesses everywhere, we are keen to spread the word about the support we can offer, most of which is free.”

To find out more about the services available: jane.rose@kirklees.gov.uk

MyersGroup builds partnership withYorkshire Air Ambulance Huddersfield-based building materials supplier The Myers Group has announced a major new charity partnership with Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The concrete and natural stone manufacturer and building materials supplier is providing storage and logistical support as well as raising vital funds for the rapid response emergency service.

Myers vehicles will be branded with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance logo and employees will wear the charity’s logo on their hi-vis safety clothing.

The company, which has 14 branches throughout the region, employs around 350 people.

Managing director James Berry said: “As a Yorkshirebased business employing local people, we

are delighted to be able to help such a vital service as Yorkshire Air Ambulance, which is close to the hearts of many of our team members.

“Our teams throughout the Yorkshire region will be undertaking a range of fundraising activities throughout the year as well as promoting awareness of the charity and we will be encouraging our customers to get involved with fundraising activities at their local branch.

“The charity relies on donations and we’re sure that our customers will want to join with us in supporting and raising vital funds for

this very worthwhile cause in Yorkshire” Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent charity providing a life-saving rapid response emergency service to 5 million people across the whole of Yorkshire seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The charity, which currently flies around 1,000 missions

KACCL announces headline sponsor The Kirklees & Calderdale Annual Christmas Lunch (KACCL) has announced the headline sponsor for its inaugural event this December.

Huddersfield's Crowther's accountants will support the charity event in raising funds to support the activity at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, based at Russell House in Huddersfield. The hospice was hit by a devastating fire in January and lost £140,000 in funding.

The lunch – which takes place on Thursday 15 December at the Cedar Court Hotel in Huddersfield – will be hosted by well-loved magician John Danbury, who will also provide entertainment and act as the event’s auctioneer on the afternoon.

The KACCL organising committee

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MYnetwork welcomes a very social new partner Networking group MYnetwork has announced a new partnership with Honley-based social media training consultancy Social Progress.

a year, needs to raise £12,000 a day and has just placed an order for two, state-of-the-art replacements for its current ageing aircraft – G-SASH and G-CEMS - that will take to the skies over Yorkshire later this year and in Spring 2017.

Paul Gowland, fundraising manager for Yorkshire Air Ambulance said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have

The social media specialists will help the monthly networking group to reach more businesses across Mid Yorkshire both in person and online.

the support of a family-run business in the heart of our community whose company values match those of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“We look forward to working with the teams across the region to raise the vital funds needed to enable the continuation of this lifesaving service.”

represents figures from local businesses including James Robinson Fibres Ltd, Chadwick Lawrence, Stafflex, TopicUK and Faith PR.

Sinéad Sopala, Director of Marketing at Ramsdens Solicitors said: Pictured: Yorkshire Air Ambulance Fundraising Director Paul Gowland with Myers Group Directors Katie Berry and James Berry.

tables of ten to 12 people including a Champagne reception and a three course lunch from 12.30pm. For more info:

Gill Laidler of TopicUK said: “We’re delighted to welcome Crowther as our headline sponsor, and look forward to a great afternoon of fundraising with magic tricks galore from John Danbury.”

KACCL

Tickets are priced at £50 per person, for

01484 509 900

Business supporting Kirklees District’s Children & Young People

Stefanie@topicuk.co.uk

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“Social Progress is a wonderful addition to the supporting partners of MYnetwork.

We are excited to have Janet and her team on board to help us reach even more businesses across the county.”

Janet Bebb, Managing Director at Social Progress added: “The Social Progress team have always been made to feel welcome at the MYnetworkHUD events and are excited to be coming on board. It’s about the collaborations and relationships we build that help to grow and move any business forward.”

The monthly MynetworkHUD meetups are usually on the third Wednesday of every month at the Media Centre, Huddersfield.

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NewsUpdate

Winner of the Leadership Award Colette Costello, operations director at Orchard Energy, has been crowned winner of the ‘Leadership Award’ at the annual Network She Foundation International Women’s Day Awards 2016.

Held in Llandudno, North Wales on Friday 4 March, this year’s event was the biggest ever, at Venue Cymru with an audience well in excess of 200 business leaders and dignitaries, featuring winners across 14 awards categories.

Colette had been identified by the board of the fast-growing company, as the ideal leader to drive forward the operations department and continue its growth.

She also impressed the judges of Network She with her commitment to the business by driving sales and being an advocate for equal opportunities in the workplace, especially recognising the needs of women returning from maternity leave.

Initially joining Orchard Energy as a pricing analyst, Colette was promoted to associate director in 2013 where she was instrumental in building the operations

department and growing it three-fold to a 35+ team.

Colette joined the board of directors in October 2015 when she was promoted to operations director.

Colette said of her win: “I had such an amazing time at the awards and it was great to see businesswomen from across the UK being awarded for their hard work.

“For me, to have been recognised for my leadership skills by Network She and the board of directors at Orchard, has made all my hard work worthwhile and I am relishing the challenge of working to drive the operations department forward to ensure continued growth for the business and showing that women can be just as effective as men in the board room.”

Network She Foundation is a registered charity supporting women and young people from across the country, giving them

The glittering gala dinner included a hilarious turn from comedian Suzy Bennett, singer Chris James, emerging pop girl band Office Girls, and was hosted by leading business guru Kate Hardcastle.

“Colette thoroughly deserved her award and I’m absolutely delighted for her. The judges said it was one of the toughest years they’ve faced in terms of deciding winners. Like Colette, every one of the winners and finalists and the many more who entered had such inspirational stories to tell.

The foundation’s founder Ruth Lloyd-Williams said the event had been a resounding success and she congratulated all the winners and shortlisted finalists, including Colette.

“I’m just so pleased that Network She can shine a spotlight on these women and young people whose amazing achievements might otherwise go unnoticed by many.”

access to skills, confidence and networks that they need to become successful individuals.

Green Win for PPGCanalside Huddersfield Town’s PPG Canalside complex has boosted its green credentials by introducing more recycling and taking measures to reduce its impact on the environment.

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he home of Town’s First Team and Academy has developed its waste and recycling strategy with the help of Orchard Facilities Management and has worked with the Elland-based business to streamline its operations and reduce costs.

Justin Holley of Orchard

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Historic naming deal for non-league team AFC Emley’s Welfare Ground will be renamed the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground in an historic naming rights deal between the club and the Birstall-based integrated marketing agency.

The naming rights come into effect on 5 March for AFC Emley’s home game against Yorkshire Amateur in the Toolstation Northern Counties East Football League Division One. The deal is a rolling contract between the club and the marketing agency and the fee for the naming rights remains undisclosed.

The agreement came after a chance meeting between AFC Emley President, Dan Brownhill, and Fantastic Media Managing Director, Andy Hobson who was at the Welfare Ground watching his relative and AFC Emley Under 19 goalkeeper, George Kitchen.

It is the first time in AFC Emley’s history

Facilities Management said: “We have worked with PPG Canalside to plan a more efficient and cost effective way to dispose of waste and increase recycling and as well as resulting in a greener site it has also helped reduce running costs.

“We continually monitor their waste management to ensure we have the most environmentally beneficial and economically sound solution

that they have had a ground sponsor.

Very few clubs at the non-League level have brokered ground sponsorships with prominent local companies and the move is indicative of the professionalism that the commitee that runs AFC Emley has injected into the club in recent years.

“Yes it helps the bank balance but it also shows we’re on the right path with how we play and how we do things at Emley. We’re also hopeful the tie-up with Fantastic will also encourage other businesses to see what we’re about and look to get involved.”

It is hoped that in attracting a business with the profile of Fantastic Media, other local businesses will follow suit as President, Dan Brownhill, explains: “To sign up such a well-known and well-regarded company is a huge boost to the club.”

Andy Hobson from Fantastic Media said: “I knew from coming to watch Emley and from speaking to people that it is a terrific club and one that is very well run by the club officials, so for us, it was an opportunity to get involved in with a great club at a grass roots level.

in place, and look for ways to help PPG Canalside reduce landfill waste, improve recycling rates and introduce operational efficiencies.”

Sean Jarvis of Huddersfield Town said: “Our partnership with Orchard FM has brought tangible benefits to the complex. We are making genuine savings thanks to the new systems that have been implemented across the site

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and we are continuing to work together to see how we can further improve things in the future.

“PPG Canalside is always evolving and Orchard FM is playing an important part in our development, making sure we start as we mean to go on, operating as efficiently as we can and with as little impact as possible on our environment.”

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NewsUpdate

The Media Centre’s ‘Aye! Creative’ triples client base in two years Aye! Creative, a branding communications company based at The Media Centre, Huddersfield, has tripled its client base after just two years of trading leading to an upgraded office space and the appointment of a freelance copywriter.

Aye Creative was established in May 2014 by ex-Batley Art School students Oli and Andy in a garden shed, and the founders sub-let a desk in The Media Centre four months later. But with swift expansion came the need for more space, which prompted the move into a co-working environment in September 2014.

Oli Smith said: “We knew we had a real opportunity to get this venture off the ground, but we had to look the part too and be centrally located. The Media Centre offered us a monthly rolling contract which gave us a flexible route to take our business to the next level, with minimal risk.

Client wins have since included Creative Scene – an arts organisation run by Batley Festival, Kirklees Council and

the Lawrence Batley Theatre, as well as Slaithwaite-based Empire Brewing and renowned cake company Patisserie Valerie.

The company plans to double its turnover in 2016, and is soon to move into its own dedicated office in The Media Centre’s Lord Street building – and with projects in the pipeline including work with Huddersfield solicitors Austin Kemp and Leeds-based architects Ellis Healey, the future looks bright for the company.

In the past 12 months The Media Centre has recorded its highest ever occupancy in its 20 year history, a sign that the local business climate is confident and buoyant.

A recent survey of The Media Centre’s businesses also revealed that 80% expect turnover to grow in the next two years.

Oxfam’s Batley hub launches volunteering initiative for local businesses The UK’s biggest online charity shop, Oxfam online, has launched an employee volunteering initiative aimed at encouraging businesses across Kirklees and Calderdale to get involved in charity work as part of a team volunteering day.

The online charity shop – which distributes internationally and operates from a warehouse hub in the heart of Batley – is giving local businesses the opportunity to bring a team of up to 15 people to its warehouse and volunteer for a day.

Volunteers will be able to take part in tasks including sorting, steaming and distributing clothing to customers across the globe, as well as exercise their creative skills by photographing and listing items for the Oxfam online website.

Jo Thackwray, E-Commerce and Festivals Manager said: “Volunteering as a team at our hub in Batley is different from other team days. We’ve had really positive feedback following this initiative last year, and we’re looking to grow it and get more

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Huddersfield beauty brand expands A boutique hair and beauty salon in Huddersfield has expanded, following a strong period of growth.

Pure Bliss has expanded through into a second unit at their premises on Wakefield Road, to transform what was once a popular soft furnishings shop into a day spa.

The move comes after a busy nine months for salon owner Sarah Southwell, who opened Pure Bliss in May 2015.

Since then, she has built a nine-strong team who now offer clients a complete range of hair and beauty treatments.

local companies on board for 2016.

“It’s a great way for businesses to demonstrate excellent CSR activity, and is also ideal for increasing levels of employee engagement and teambuilding. We’ve even got a large conference room available to accommodate our visitors’ team meetings.”

Oxfam online was launched in 2007 and remains the biggest online charity shop in the UK. As well as the charity’s work globally, Batley online hub also supports local communities by providing meaningful volunteering opportunities as a step into employment, confidence boost or simply a way to make new friends.

Sarah said: “It has always been my dream to own my own salon, but I couldn’t ever have imagined it would be this popular.

We have grown significantly as a result of our location and word of mouth.

When the shop next door became available, I began thinking about the wider range of wellbeing treatments we could provide.”

Resultantly, a two month project took

place to transform the empty retail unit into new Pure Bliss space.

Local firm AJC Joinery and electrical specialist Ti Installations have managed the rip out and re-fit, and the property has been fully rewired. Mood lighting also features, with a colour changing panel in the salon’s ceiling.

Sarah continues: “We now have a further three treatment rooms, and I can’t thank the team enough for completing this project on time, to budget, and to such a great standard.

“Our VIP opening night was a huge success, so we look forward to what the next few months will bring for our team.”

Sarah continues: “We now have a further three treatment rooms, and I can’t thank the team enough for completing this project on time, to budget, and to such a great standard.

Jo added: “Our Batley hub is a really interesting and creative space and people are always surprised by what they find. With the continued support of local businesses through initiatives such as this, we can raise vital funds for Oxfam to help tackle poverty across the globe.”

For more information on the project and getting your team involved, contact Holly or Jo :

01924 351892 hrothwell@oxfam.org.uk or jthackwray1@oxfam.org.uk

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NewsUpdate

Asparagus Green to head up events at National Coal Mining Museum West Yorkshire catering company Asparagus Green has taken over the sales and coordination for conferences and events at the National Coal Mining Museum for England (NCM).

The announcement follows a successful year that has seen the company provide the catering facilities for all events at the museum as contractors.

NCM HR and commercial manager Katherine Morley commented: “Anthony and his team already provide a high quality service for such events and have already made a tremendous impact on the visitor offer at the museum.

It makes sense for Asparagus Green to take on the overall responsibility and I believe that this decision will only enhance the conference and events arm of our offering.”

Anthony Hegney, managing

director of Asparagus Green Catering Limited added: “We have thoroughly enjoyed our first year working with the NCM but the opportunity to take on the sales of conference and events was a no-brainer for me. The potential of what can be achieved is exciting and we have already appointed a new sales manager to help us grow.”

Asparagus Green recently celebrated its first birthday, and the company provide complete party solutions using “the best Yorkshire produce the region can offer.”

For information on holding an event at the National Coal Mining Museum for England contact :

01924 844581

Estate agent recruits new manager to support growth Holmfirth based estate agents Applegate Properties has recruited a new office manager to support the company’s rapid growth, following an awardwinning year in 2015.

The company, which was founded in 2008, has recruited Lisa Blackburn who joins the team as office manager to oversee all office responsibilities in order for managing director Amy Wray to maintain her role as head valuer.

jaine.binns@ncm.org.uk The company has enjoyed

considerable success since establishing eight years ago, and has recently been recognised in the property industry after winning the Bronze Award for Best Agency in Yorkshire and The Humber at the inaugural 2015 Negotiator Awards.

Amy said: “I am delighted that we now have Lisa on board and after only a short period of time she has fitted in really well. She has already brought value and support to the company and will be a vital cog moving forward.”

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Orchard steps in with waste deal for Pavers

3M BIC leads the way in ‘Big Data’ intelligence Businesses have been making sense of their ‘Big Data’ following a successful event at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC), in partnership with Leeds City Region and sponsored by Barclays and the University of Huddersfield.

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ignificant advances in technology, increasing use of social media, the growth in consumer behaviour intelligence, use of smart phones, networked sensors and open government data, are all transforming the world of business. However, many businesses are unaware of what their data is, its importance, or how to use it to their best advantage.

Key speakers at the ‘Informed decision making with big data’ event included Prof Bob Cryan OBE, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Huddersfield, Roger Marsh, Chair of the Leeds City Region LEP, Andy Kirk, an internationally renowned “data visualiser” and editor of visualisingdata. com, as well as Professor Liz Towns Andrews, CEO of the 3M BIC. Professor

Graham Leslie, Huddersfield University’s Resident Professor of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship and a highly successful entrepreneur, was unable to attend the event, but recorded a video in which he addressed the importance of how using data helps him make critical business decisions.

To support local and regional businesses, the 3M BIC has plans to become a centre of excellence for data visualisation in the region, initially focusing on market opportunities and supply chains.

James Devitt, business development manager at the 3M BIC and Huddersfield University, said: “Despite its prominence in the digital world, many businesses don’t fully understand the

power of the data they have access to, how to visualise it, analyse it, and ultimately turn it into something that can help grow their businesses, find new markets and help to understand supply chains.”

Caroline Pullich, Barclays Head of Business and Corporate Banking for West Yorkshire said: “At Barclays we generate and have access to a large amount of data so it’s not surprising that we understand the importance of Big Data and data visualisation and see the huge opportunity for our business customers. Data provides stronger business cases and more informed decisions and we’re delighted to be working with the University of Huddersfield to make businesses aware of the benefits of good quality data visualisation.”

York-headquartered shoe retailer Pavers has teamed up with fellow Yorkshire business Orchard Facilities Management to streamline its waste management operations.

The deal has seen the introduction of new hygiene waste services at over 60 of the retailer’s UK sites.

Elland-based Orchard Facilities Management took over hygiene waste management towards the end of last year. Operations director Justin Holley said the move had simplified administration and improved efficiency.

“Hygiene waste services are highly regulated in the UK and firms have an obligation to comply with complex legislation,” said Mr Holley.

“As well as supplying bins and managing waste collections, our teams make thorough checks to ensure all legal requirements are being met.”

Daniel Tanner, facilities assistant at Pavers, said: “As a business we take operational efficiency and compliance very seriously and Orchard’s support has been invaluable in helping us meet our targets and introduce even greater efficiency in our waste management processes.”

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NewsUpdate

Missing banana helps towards uk blog awards

that they preferred doing this, but only spent 38% of their time actually carrying it out.

Local Social Media Marketing Company, Social Progress has won a place in the National Finals at the UK Blog Awards 2016 to be held at The Park Plaza Hotel, Westminster in London. They are one of the 10 finalists shortlisted for the PR, Media & Communications category.

Answering emails and web browsing was revealed as one of the tasks that respondents spent most of their time doing, with 32% naming this as their most time consuming task. This compared to just 25% of time being spent interacting with employees and 21% of time actually interacting with customers.

Managing Director, Janet Bebb and Social Media Account Manager, Esther Orridge were amazed to get to the finals.

Janet explained “We never envisaged getting this far.

It’s thanks to all our friends, family and online social media community that we’ll be venturing on a road trip to Westminster, London in April 2016.”

Respondents were most frustrated with wasting time on unscheduled communications (33%), waiting for information (22%) and personality issues (16%).

In the first round, the public were asked to vote by choosing their favourite blogs from a list of entries. Honley based Social Progress showcased two blog posts: The first blog submitted for the award was all about a 5ft inflatable banana which went missing during Fairtrade Fortnight 2015.

Survey reveals where small business owners want to spend their time

Social Progress launched the MISSING BANANA Campaign across social media (as well as putting fun posters up around the area) which subsequently received local social media, TV and press attention. The banana was miraculously found by local Honley High School students less than 48 hours of the campaign being launched.

Small business owners are spending significantly A second blog post was also submitted about Esther’s more time working ‘in’ journey from a three month Internship into her two their business as opposed year-long contract at Social Progress. This success story was through the University of Huddersfield Internship to working ‘on’ it through Programme which is financially supported by Santander activities that lead to growth UK. and improved profitability, Janet went on to say “We’re not usually very shout-y about our work or the clients we work with. So this was a first for Team SoPro and we really didn’t expect to get much from it. But like the classic saying goes: ‘if you never try, then you’ll never know’.

“We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who did vote for us and has supported us. We feel the SoPro love and we’re really excited to be going to the UK Blog Awards at the end of April!”

according to a recent survey from small business support organisation The Alternative Board (TAB).

The survey, which was completed by more than 300 people in the last quarter of 2015, reveals where small business owners struggle with managing their time, and insights into how this can be more effectively managed.

According to results, small business owners average 49.7 hours of work per week – consistently more than they think they should – with 50% of owners working 50 hours or more.

When it came to working ‘on’ their business through strategic type activities, 73% of respondents said

The survey also asked what areas business owners felt they could improve on in order to gain more productive time, with ‘completing truly urgent tasks’, ‘holding employees accountable for results’ and ‘spending time improving skills as a business owner’ coming out on top.

32% of respondents stated that they would spend their additional free time on strategic marketing, PR and sales projects, with 33% stating ‘creating new opportunities’ resulting in the greatest benefits if they spent more time working strategically on their business.

Chris Buckley, Managing Director for TAB Kirklees and Calderdale commented: “It’s not rocket science that if small business owners are able to spend more time working strategically ‘on’ their business rather than ‘in’ it, new opportunities are created that can lead to increased revenue growth.

“TAB helps business owners by assisting them to spend more time thinking strategically with other like-minded business owners which in turn increases interaction with employees and leads to a more strategic business plan.”

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Lattitude7 chosen to deliver training on behalf of industry body Brighouse based personal development and training firm Lattitude7 has been chosen by the British Valve and Actuator Association (BVAA) to deliver a series of personal development programmes to a number of its high profile valve manufacturer members.

The sessions, which were attended by high profile valve service organisations from around the UK including Severn Unival, form part of the BVAA’s drive to develop a new group of senior leaders within industry who have the potential to become future BVAA board members.

Hospice relaunches 99er Business Club Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice has relaunched its business networking club for 2016, aiming to increase the effectiveness of the scheme both for the charity and its members.

“For a number of years organisations have supported us by signing up to the 99er Business Club and we are determined to really increase the effectiveness of the club this year, giving members real value for their money.

The hospice, which delivers care and support to local children with lifeshortening conditions and their families across West Yorkshire, will be hosting their first 99er Business Club event of the year on Monday 25 April at the hospice in Huddersfield.

“We hope to see as many 99er Business Club members at our upcoming event in April as possible, and would love to invite any other organisations who are interested in joining our club to come along and find out more about the work Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice does within the local community.

The 99ers club was launched as an initiative designed to provide a valuable and sustainable source of income for the hospice, with members donating 99p a day (£30 a month) and receiving access to benefits including quarterly networking meetings.

The re-launch of the club has been designed to help local businesses achieve important CSR objectives in addition to the usual networking benefits, and the hospice has also launched a new 99er Business Club LinkedIn group exclusively for members.

Samantha Loucas, Corporate Fundraiser at the charity said: “We are delighted to be relaunching our 99er business scheme for 2016.

“It costs £3.8 million each year to fund the charity and with just 6% of this coming from government funding, the support of local organisations is vital.”

Attendees will be given the opportunity to network with other like-minded businesses, have a tour of the hospice building and receive an update on the charity and the 99er Business Club.

The firm has also been asked to deliver a training session covering leadership and emotional intelligence in to the BVAA senior leaders in May. Martin Haigh commented: “The members of the Future Leaders cohort spent two days in Brighouse working on new product introduction processes and attending our training programme. They were a pleasure to work with and we look forward to seeing them again for further development in May.”

To register for the event or to find out more about being part of the 99er Business Club, please call 01484 411040 or visit bit.ly/99eraprilevent.

Anyone who registers via the online page will also be entered into a draw to be chauffeured to the event in a purple Rolls Royce kindly supplied by Together For Short Lives.

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Following the successful delivery of a presentation skills programme in November 2015, Lattitude7 founder Martin Haigh was invited by the BVAA to deliver the interpersonal skills and employee engagement sessions to the future leaders at Severn Unival’s Birds Royd Lane site last month.

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NewsUpdate

Marsden Jazz Festival launches sponsor search for 25th anniversary Marsden Jazz Festival is calling for support from businesses across Kirklees and Calderdale as it prepares to stage its 25th anniversary festival this year.

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he festival, which attracts thousands of visitors every year and was named ‘Outstanding Established Festival’ at last year’s Yorkshire Gig Guide Grassroots Awards, showcases a wide range of jazz musicians from internationally-acclaimed artists to local school bands and rising talent.

And this year, the festival’s organisers are calling for local businesses to support the festival – which is also a registered charity – by sponsoring one of the ticketed gigs or sponsoring a stand.

Festival Producer Barney Stevenson said “Anyone who’s been to Marsden during

Leading Brighouse agency shortlisted in prestigious PR awards One of West Yorkshire’s leading PR and communications agencies has been shortlisted for a prestigious creative and media industry award.

Faith PR, which is based in Brighouse and services regional, national and international clients across both B2C and B2B sectors, is one of the finalists in the Small PR Agency of the Year category at the 2016 Prolific North Awards.

The awards, now in their fourth year, recognise and reward outstanding campaigns and exceptional talent in the creative and media industries across the North of England. This year, Faith PR will compete against seven other agencies from across the North in a bid to take home the prestigious title.

Faith PR’s nine-strong team – headed by renowned public relations strategist Stefanie Hopkins - delivers a wide range of PR services from media relations and social media to content marketing and integrated communications campaigns.

Over the last three years, the company has grown its turnover threefold, and has recently enjoyed a plethora of new account wins including national

commercial nursery supplier Johnsons of Whixley and Fairway Travel, the UK’s leading professional golf travel services provider.

Faith PR owners Stefanie and Carl Hopkins have also recently taken over the running of the Kirklees Calderdale issue of TopicUK. Speaking about the shortlisting, Stefanie said: “Being on the shortlist for these awards is testament to the hard work and dedication of all the team at Faith PR who have supported me in growing the business from a one person consultancy run from a back bedroom to one of West Yorkshire’s leading agencies.

the festival weekend will know what a fantastic atmosphere it brings to the village.

“We’re looking for local businesses to become sponsors for our ticketed gigs as well as the main festival strands, including the Saturday street parade, our New Stream gigs which support new and experimental artists, and our Youth Jazz gigs.

Last year’s festival saw over 130 hours of live music take place at 26 venues in one weekend, including over 70 free events, making Marsden the biggest jazz festival in the North.

Digby Fairweather’s Half Dozen featuring BBC Radio 2’s Paul Jones, multi-awardwinning group The Impossible Gentlemen and BBC Introducing artists Nérija have already been booked for this year’s festival, which takes place between Friday 7 and Sunday 9 October.

To enquire about Marsden Jazz Festival sponsorship opportunities and also a range of advertising options, contact June Rock: 01484 846969 office@marsdenjazzfestival.com.uk

“Our profile has grown significantly over the last twelve months and we have won various accounts that see us delivering communications campaigns and strategies for clients across the UK and beyond.”

The 2016 Prolific North Award winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony at Lancashire County Cricket Club on Thursday 28 April that will see over 700 of the North’s leading creative and media professionals in attendance.

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Top Safety Accreditation for Manrochem Limited Brighouse based Manrochem has been awarded accreditation from Safecontractor for its commitment to achieving excellence in health and safety.

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afecontractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management amongst UK contractors.

Employing 26 staff in its UK head office, Manrochem is principally involved in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical sector, specialising in Process Design and Project Management. Working across a broad spectrum of industries and with a £3 million turnover, Manrochem’s clients include major Blue Chip organisations such as Airbus, Rolls Royce, Coopervision, Finlays, Unilever, and many more situated along the M62 corridor.

The company’s application for Safecontractor accreditation was driven by the need for a uniform standard across the business.

Edward Jennings, business director at Manrochem said: “Being totally

committed to the health and safety aspect of our business and with a plethora of different safety qualifications and schemes on offer, the Safecontractor scheme appears to unify the needs of both ourselves and also our clients and it also adds professional credibility to the Health and Safety side of our business dealings.”

Safecontractor accreditation will enhance the company’s ability to attract new contracts and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers.

John Kinge, Technical Director of Safecontractor said, “Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.”

“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Manrochem

has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.”

Under the Safecontractor scheme, businesses undergo a vetting process which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice.

Client-organisations who sign up to the scheme can access the database, enabling them to vet potential contractors before they even set foot on site.

Over 210 major nation-wide businesses from several key sectors have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services such as process design, construction, project management, maintenance, refurbishment or electrical and mechanical work.

Manrochem Limited Hastings House Birds Royd Lane Brighouse West Yorkshire HD6 1LQ. T:

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RestaurantUpdate

By Anthony Hegney, Director at Asparagus Green

Packing a‘punch’ in Honley village Honley village, located just outside of Huddersfield, has a great range of small, independent restaurants that the villagers should be proud of.

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ne of my long-standing favourites is Mustard & Punch on Westgate which is a great little bistro that is definitely worth a try if you’re in the area. At the back end of 2015, the owners opened a sister restaurant just across the road named Punch Tapas.

For our review, we chose to go to Punch Tapas with some friends whom we haven’t seen for some time. Oliver and Kate who live local to Honley and run a small business - Oliver James Sugar Craft - in Denby Dale.

With convenient off-street parking, Punch is easily accessible from the roadside. The open plan kitchen with the catering team busy preparing the food for the evening’s diners is situated at the back of the restaurant headed up by co-owner Wayne.

We were greeted by a very pleasant chap who took us to our booth just off to the right of the restaurant and close to the kitchen. This was ideal for me as I like to be nosy! The décor in the restaurant is rustic with old fashioned lighting hung on the brick-style tiled walls, and the feature metal trunking around the walls gives it modern yet contemporary feel.

After we’d spent some time chatting, the waiter returned to our table to take our order. It didn’t take me long to choose as I love tapas style dining, so would have been happy to have one of everything off the menu! However, I refrained and ordered a few dishes to start with. Kate was adamant that she wanted some of the sweet potato fries, and for my first choice I ordered the prawns Pil Pil with crusty bread to mop up the garlic & chili infused oil. I then went for Mussels Da Galicia served on sour-dough, as well as paprika spiced jumbo chicken wings and a side of patatas bravas.

Glen, Oliver and Kate went for a selection of tapas including grilled black pudding, piquillo peppers, spicy mini chorizo, Iberico ham pate, smoked Brie croquettes, Iberico fat roast potatoes and of course, Kate’s sweet potato fries!

Our dishes arrived promptly after we’d ordered, with the prawn Pil Pil the first one up for me. The flavours were stunning and the prawns were a good size. I then had my jumbo chicken wings and patatas bravas. The chicken wings were full of flavour and well cooked, and were served in traditional pot dishes. I had to try Katie’s sweet potato fries just to see if they lived up to her hype and I have to say that they were pretty impressive.

Glen had ordered grilled black pudding which was served with a crisp hen’s egg and cauliflower puree; the egg was bright orange in the middle as you would expect from a good quality egg, and I did try the black pudding and its peppery taste really stood out.

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Booking for Punch is essential as they do get booked up very fast, so if you can’t wait to get your hands on some great Spanish tapas, don’t leave it too late.

Wayne and the team at Punch are there to please from arrival to departure. If I haven’t convinced you, then take a look at Trip Advisor; one of the entries speaks for itself with one headline stating “Holme Valley’s finest.”I whole-heartedly agree.

Well done Wayne and team.

My crispy salt & chilli squid was then delivered to the table and it certainly didn’t disappoint; a nice crunchy coleslaw on the side with a small pot of piquillo ketchup complimented the dish well. I also couldn’t resist in sticking my fork into Oliver’s chorizo just to sample the flavours and again wasn’t disappointed.

The spices really got my tastebuds going.

with rich chocolate sauce that were spot on, and Glen opting for the baked cheesecake which he enjoyed.

Punch is open Wednesday to Sunday from 12 noon till after dinner. To book a table contact:

Punch also benefits from its own bar which is on the small side due to space restrictions, but is ideal for enjoying a predinner drink.

01484 662359 www.punchhonley.co.uk.

My mussels arrived sat in a small bowl with the sourdough to the side, along with the salad garnish. The mussels were a great size with lots of sauce, but this dish is served cold which might not be for everyone.

After all this food, I was pretty much complete. We were offered the dessert menu, but we questioned whether we could really manage a dessert after the amazing selection of dishes. However, we couldn’t complete the review if we didn’t finish the meal off with a pudding, right?

I left it to the rest of the guys to order desserts, with Katie ordering the churros

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NewsUpdate

Credit Image:Mike Frisbee Photography

Beating landfill price rises and keeping business costs low Over recent months the waste management team at Orchard Facilities Management has been preparing for spring price changes in the waste and recycling markets, including an increase in landfill tax.

April landfill tax increase

How to keep waste costs low

The Government has set out plans to gradually increase the levy paid by businesses for sending waste to landfill year on year and this is set to rise to £84.40 per tonne from April 2016.

By anticipating changes in legislation and prices, it is possible for organisations to evaluate the options and come up with a plan that minimises the impact on their overheads.

Changes to the recycling market At the same time, the recyclates market is experiencing challenging times and the value of many recovered materials has dropped.

The used plastics market in particular has seen prices fall as a consequence of lower oil prices and decreasing demand from the Far East, where much of the UK’s plastic is exported to.

A further change, which could potentially have a damaging impact on businesses, is the introduction of tighter testing on materials qualifying for a lower rate of Landfill tax.

The overall cost of waste servicing has gone up and, unsurprisingly, mixed recycling services have been particularly badly hit.

For us, this has meant negotiating with suppliers on behalf of customers to secure the best prices.

Another effective way of reducing operating costs is to review current waste and recycling strategies across the business. Recycling is still cheaper than sending waste to landfill and a review of current waste practices and procedures can be a good way to identify new opportunities for increasing the amount of recycling that goes on in your organisation.

April is traditionally the time of year when the waste industry reviews its pricing and the Government has already published its planned landfill price rises for April 2017. Simply being aware of this can help businesses plan ahead.

L-R Film makers Alistair Macdonald, Tim Copsey

Creative Scene gets ‘on board’ with First TransPennine Express Creative Scene, the Dewsbury based Creative People and Places project for West Yorkshire, has partnered with Intercity train operator First TransPennine Express to produce a series of short films sharing an insight into the passengers and staff behind the Kirklees train network The films, titled ‘Train of Thought’ and ‘Riding West Riding’ take a behind-the-scenes look at the daily lives of the train operator’s staff and customers travelling its routes, as part of an ongoing community engagement programme from First TransPennine Express designed to promote creativity through the arts, and engage the local

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Will Be...’, follows a run of successful arts engagement collaborations between Creative Scene and First TransPennine Express that have taken place over the last year across West Yorkshire train stations including Dewsbury and Batley.

Funded by Arts Council England, the Creative People and Places programme is an arts and social change initiative designed to engage new audiences and participants in the arts in parts of the UK where existing involvement is significantly below the national average.

Nancy Barrett, Director at Creative Scene, said:

and Kevin Threlfall with First TransPennine Express Fleet Manager Paul Staples communities in which it operates.

Focusing on FTPE’s Huddersfield to Leeds route, which is used by more than 350,000 customers every year, Creative Scene, funded by Arts Council England, commissioned four professional film makers to travel along the line over four weeks in Autumn, capturing behind-thescenes dialogue and interaction with staff and customers after being given an open ‘ticket to ride’ by the train operator.

“We have supported local communities in various ways since the start of our franchise in 2004. This project provides a unique perspective on the journey of one of our key commuter routes, and working alongside Creative Scene to involve our customers and employees with the project allows us to inspire and promote creativity and encourage more people to become involved with future projects.”

The project , titled ‘The Next Station

“We started the Creative People and Places project in 2014 with an investment of £2m and are aiming to develop a cultural infrastructure locally that is responsive to the current economic climate, finds new ways to be sustainableand takes risks in the ways we present work, commissioning a whole range of arts activities from performance to digital arts that is relevant to audiences in our area.

“Partnering with like-minded organisations such as First TransPennine Express gives us the platforms that have enabled us to present high quality arts events to over 10,000 new arts audiences in the places where they live, work and socialise- whilst helping First TransPennine Express to deliver an engaging, creative and successful ongoing stakeholder relations strategy.”

The resulting short films feature an insight into the expressive thoughts of commuters and demonstrate the complexities of maintaining FTPE’s daily train network across Kirklees and beyond.

The films – which Creative Scene plans to share at additional commuter hotspots and festivals across Kirklees over the coming months - were premiered to stakeholders at a private screening at the First TransPennine Express training and development centre, ‘The Hub’, in Huddersfield on 17 March.

Kate Lamb, Community and Business Improvement Manager at First TransPennine Express, commented:

A still from Train of Thought shows Huddersfield train station from above

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EducationUpdate

Students learn job skills at Employability Week Students at Kirklees College were given the chance to improve their job skills during the college’s Employability Week.

Workshops on CV writing, social media and mock interviews.

The college engaged full time students across all centres in a dedicated week of activities to ensure the young people will be ready for work when they leave college.

There were various activities through the week including: A HR and Payroll session to inform students what to expect when they get into work

The event was organised by the college’s Careers team and KC Works, a scheme the college runs in partnership with recruitment company Stafflex, to help young people to boost their work skills through work experience, work placements and potential opportunities to progress into Apprenticeships or work.

Lloyds Bank came to present a range of employability programmes to the students.

KC Works provides a vital link between the college and employers from across the area.

Employers came in to talk to the students about preparing for work and employer expectations these included Buy It Direct, Disposables UK, Applegate Properties, KLTV, Pepamint, Fantastic Media, Easy Endeavour and Talk Direct.

KC Works’ project manager for Kirklees College said: “We’re always working with employers to develop the employability skills of our students through work placements and other activities.

Careers Conventions in Huddersfield and Dewsbury featuring a large number of local employers and organisations.

“But we thought having a

Careers Convention Dewsbury

focused week of activities would help to engage the students more and give them access esol interview to help with everything from writing their CV and doing job applications, to how to perform at interview and what to expect once they get the role.

“It has been a fantastic event and we are extremely grateful to all the employers who gave their time and offered their support Applegate Huddersfield. and expertise to make it such a massive success.”

Curriculum areas also organised talks and workshops specific to careers in their field of industry including engineering, construction, IT and childcare while BAE Systems ran a Buy It Direct Huddersfield mock assessment centre to support students with their apprenticeship application process.

Practical demonstrations were delivered at Dewsbury Construction Academy by BG, Italia Paints and Plasters and Keith Langton.

Lloyds Dewsbury paper chains

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Kirklees Apprentices reach great heights at awards ceremony The second Kirklees Apprenticeship Hub Awards took place on Wednesday 23 March 2016 at the John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield.

The awards mark the achievement of apprentices working or living in Kirklees. The apprentices have been nominated by their employer or learning provider because of their commitment, hard work and achievements whilst being an apprentice.

The awards also recognise businesses that have demonstrated a commitment to their apprenticeship programme and the young people they employ.

Apprenticeships are essential to the Kirklees economy and can be found in businesses both large and small. They provide an immediate solution to staff shortages, bringing enthusiasm, new skills and commitment to their employer’s business. They are proven to help businesses grow and be invaluable to succession planning.

This year’s awards covered a wide range of the over 1200 apprenticeship frameworks on offer, with business support, law, engineering, IT, manufacturing and horticulture all being represented. The overarching message of the evening was that there is an apprenticeship for every business and that being an apprentice is a fantastic alternative to attending c ollege or university full time.

The event included speeches from Kirklees Council’s Assistant Director of learning Gill Ellis and Deputy Assistant Director Martin Green.

The awards were presented by the Director of Huddersfield Town Football Club Sean Jarvis

Chadwick Lawrence LLP apprentice receives award The categories and winners were as follows: • 16-24 Trainee of the Year Award is Connor Peckett from Norwood Interiors •

16-18 Intermediate Apprentice of the Year is Suki Singh from Kirklees College

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16-18 Advanced Apprentice of the Year is Mary Wroe from Kirklees Active Leisure

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19+ Intermediate Apprentice of the Year is Lauren Ruscoe from Chadwick Lawrence LLP

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19+ Advanced Apprentice of the Year is Maariyah Rawat from Syngenta

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Higher Apprentice of the Year is Asif Zamir from C&K Careers

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Apprentice Achievement of the Year is James Dickenson from Paxman Landscapes

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SME Apprentice Employer of the Year is Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors LLP

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Apprentice Employer of the Year is Syngenta

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Apprentice Mentor of the Year is Ian Jackson who works for Brighter Connections

There were also awards for the hub’s ambassadors; apprentices or young people who have recently completed their apprenticeship. They have volunteered to talk to other young people about the apprentice experience at open days, careers events and assemblies over the last 12 months.

The awards are organised by Kirklees Apprenticeship Hub, in partnership with the LEP, any business that is interested in apprenticeships is encouraged to contact the hub by calling 01484 221000 and asking for ‘apprenticeships’.

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NewsUpdate

The EU Referendum: Why it matters for business

By Stephen Naylor - Director of Waverley Consultancy

On Thursday 23 June, the United Kingdom will vote on whether it should remain or leave the European Union. It is 41 years since there was a nationwide vote on Europe and the outcome this time is unpredictable.

With strong views and plenty of rhetoric on either side, it is easy to see this as an issue obsessing the Westminster bubble and no-one else, yet the implications for businesses are clear and the potential impact significant.

Many rules and regulations that businesses have to abide by are determined by the European Union.

While this is a source of irritation for many abdicating ‘Brexit’, the reality is that should the UK decide to leave these would not simply be abolished overnight. Yes, there

may be changes over time but anyone hoping for a full scaling back of employment laws and regulations are likely to be disappointed whatever the outcome.

More significant, the questions about what happens to the ability to trade with other EU member states, what happens about securing the skills needed for the growth of the business and what happens to the access of financial support for research and development or infrastructure.

Depending on the business, and depending on the viewpoint, this would either restrict the ability to do business, and increase costs, or provide greater freedom, and reduce costs.

We have heard a lot from big businesses in the debate so far as politicians try and get them

Sheards Accountancy aiming to ‘knockout’ the competition

to endorse their opposing viewpoints. What has been too absent so far is the voice of small businesses – and that inevitably means that it is harder for them to get the facts about what remain or leave would mean for them.

The Federation of Small Business’s recent survey bears out this concern – it found half of their members did not feel informed about the EU Referendum. Half said they wanted more information on the economic impact on the UK, 38 per cent wanted more detail on the administrative impact of regulation and a

Sheards Accountancy is limbering up to take part in The Town Foundation’s “It’s a Knockout” fundraiser in May, as part of an event that will see teams from some of Huddersfield’s leading businesses compete to become “It’s a knockout” champions.

third on the detailed costs of membership.

While it is vital that businesses do their research, it is vital that politicians and the media talk honestly and openly about the impact on business. But with such strong ideological divisions on the issue, getting hard and fast facts and reasoned argument is proving difficult.

The way UK plc does business could change significantly as a result of the verdict we wake up to on Friday 24 June – that’s a fact we all need to wake up to now.

clubs, The Town Foundation provides over 5000 free breakfasts every week to local school children in 18 schools - many of whom may not have eaten a healthy hot meal since lunchtime the previous day.

The Town Foundation - which was launched in July 2012 by Huddersfield Town Chairman Dean Hoyle - is Sheards Accountancy’s Charity of the Year.

The Sheards team is made up of members of Sheards Accountancy including directors Carolyn Atkinson and Kevin Winterburn, along with their marketing agency, KC Communications making up the numbers.

Through its “Early Kick-Off” breakfast

Each team is expected to raise a

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The value of mobile printing for SMEs In today’s mobile age, SMEs need a more efficient way to print.

Multifunctional printing devices with air printing capabilities make it easy for office users to print directly from their mobile phone or tablet device with just the tap of an app.

experience, including adopting the familiar ‘tablet style’ display.

As well as manufacturers changing in line with technological advances, BYOD which stands for ‘bring your own device’ is becoming increasingly popular in the workplace. It refers to the practice of allowing employees in an organisation to use their own devices for work purposes.

In fact, mobile printing, coupled with BYOD can lead to a more attractive work environment as employees expect the same integrated, connected and barrierfree environment for their mobile devices at work as they do anywhere else.

So what are the pros and cons of mobile printing?

The enhanced technology of mobile printing will especially benefit you if a number of your employees telecommute, or travel frequently for work. As easy as traditional desktop printing, mobile printing allows you to print on-thego and from any device to your work printer. What many business owners and managers don’t realise is this enhanced connectivity is not a further expense – it is affordable and offers staff reliable and quality solutions. In the long run, it saves you money on time, maintenance, paper and ink.

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No longer need individual printers on every desk

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Complements most Managed Print Software and can still be monitored similarly to PC printing

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Apple AirPrint allows you to print directly from your Apple device to an AirPrint-enabled printer through WIFI

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Google Cloud print-enabled wireless printers allow staff working off-site to securely print documents back at the office

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There are some complex choices regarding which outside devices to integrate within your business

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IT departments may be tasked with maintaining employee devices

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Security can be an issue with BYOD.

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IT departments should implement antivirus programs and password protections that separate techs’ work deck and apps from their personal information.

Brett Abson is sales director at ABS UK Ltd. An award-winning print management company with over 25 years’ experience in helping SMEs manage their printing costs and services.

In line with the ‘touch’ trend, mobile and tablet users in the workplace want to be able to connect to their printers with ease and printer technology is changing at a fast pace to enhance the customer he vital minimum of £1000 to help support the ertakes. work that The Town Foundation undertakes. ng To support Sheards in their fundraising efforts visit: www.justgiving.com/sheards/

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FashionUpdate

EFFORTLESS WEDDING SEASON FASHION Regular TopicUK Fashion editor Katie Portman is a freelance journalist and an award winning lifestyle and fashion blogger at Pouting in Heels. Katie has been a magazine cover girl (just the once!) and is the owner of an award winning pout (don’t ask!) and as a great fondness for all things that are glamorous – especially when it comes to heels and frocks.

You can follow Katie on our website www.topicuk.co.uk or on Twitter @KateLPortman The wedding season is fast approaching and as a guest, it’s important that your outfit does the happy couple proud. Katie Portman explains how to get it right.

Weddings are becoming ever more personal and varied so it can be tricky to find the right guest outfit for the big day. And even trickier, if you’ve got a number of weddings to attend within a few months.

But fret not it’s easier than you think, if you follow just a few golden rules.

Do not overshadow the bride It’s never okay to steal the limelight away from the blushing bride, consciously or not. So to be safe, stay well clear of bridal white or anything too revealing or ‘showy’. Keep things classy and feminine and you won’t go wrong.

Dress appropriately Before you go shopping, think about the type of wedding you are attending. A black-tie affair will

require something very different than for a relaxed church wedding or barbecue reception for example.

When in doubt veer more towards elegance and if you’re attending a number of weddings this year but only have the budget for one outfit, spend wisely.

Buy a simple sheath dress and revamp it’s look a couple of times over with different accessories.

Think style and comfort Weddings are wonderful occasions but they’re also very long days, so your outfit, to some extent, needs to be as comfortable as it is stylish.

Steer clear of anything that is too tight or fitted as it will only make you feel miserable and opt for softer fabrics like jersey or silk indeed Also remember that happy feet are pain free! So if you must wear heels, try opting for a medium height, block heel or pair of wedges.

Alternatively you could always

wear heels for the day and swap them later in the evening for a pair of comfy, fold up ballet pumps that you can easily stash in your clutch bag.

Go all out and dress up!

There aren’t many occasions today when you can dress up, like you can for a wedding, so enjoy it and make the most of it.

If your budget is limited, use accessories to turn an ordinary or simple dress into something incredible. (Bold and beautiful accessories are also great talking points for guests. ) Or think about wearing something altogether a little different, like a smart trouser suit or skirt and blouse combination instead of a dress.

Be bold, keep it classy, give your favourite occasion pieces an outing and the bride will love you forever.

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By Judith Wright - Wright Angle Marketing

Facebook Live: What's it all about?

There’s a new Facebook tool available which has the potential to connect your business and your customers in a new, personal and exciting way.

For years, companies have searched for ways to unlock two tough questions: How do you reach people on their mobile devices? And how do you get more out of Facebook’s 1.6 billion users?

A feature called Facebook Live could well provide the key. It has largely lived under the radar so far and only been available to a few chosen public figures and celebrities. In the coming months, Live will roll out to more Facebook profiles and pages and eventually be available to Facebook users with a message to share and an iPhone or Android to share it on.

Live streaming couldn’t be simpler. With the App loaded you simply point your iPhone and start streaming. Think of the

possibilities. Anyone in your Facebook contacts has access to your live stream – and can share with their friends and family – who can share with theirs, and so on and so on. Launch a product on Facebook Live and, providing it is relevant and appealing (and your camera worwk is up to the job) – you can watch it spread globally within hours.

We tested it recently during a Ladies 4 Networking meeting and were amazed how within no time we went from 0 to 700 views.

Even if you don’t have access yet, it’s worth planning your Facebook Live strategy and thinking through how it can work for your business.

Here are our top tips for effective live streaming:

1

Be focused.

Plan what you want to talk about and practice ahead of time. No one will tune in for long to a rambling discussion going nowhere and it won’t enhance your reputation.

2

Draw people in with a compelling title and make sure the content delivers.

The title is the only thing people will see when deciding to join you, so make it count.

3 4

Make it audible and make it interesting.

Acknowledge your audience.

One of the key features with Facebook K i r k l e e s

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Live is that you can see who is tuned in and they can post comments.

People like to be seen, heard and recognised.

Mention them, reply to them, build the connection.

5

Test different broadcast lengths and times.

Facebook recommends you go live for at least 5 minutes and under 20.

6

See what works best for you and your audience. See what time works best as well.

7

live, people will want to see what new thing you have to offer.

8

End with a call to action.

Live video can be an integral part of your social media marketing, so make the most of it by directing your audience to a specific place.

9

Include a simple call to action at the end of your video, such as to visit your website or private message you for more information on the topic.

Reply to anyone who has left a comment.

Be selective.

Don’t broadcast everything. Make your live videos special.

That way when you go &

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LocalHeroes

Professor accelerates local business Professor Liz Towns-Andrews, CEO of the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC), has helped transform Huddersfield into a thriving business community, linking together industry and academia.

Her days are jam-packed with meetings with industry and university leaders in her role as CEO of the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC), as well as jetting across the world to build relationships with international businesses. She is also 3M Professor of Innovation and Director of Research and Enterprise at the University of Huddersfield. But despite juggling hundreds of plates, Prof Liz Towns-Andrews isn’t fazed by her hectic schedule, seeing it as just part of ‘her job’.

Her vision to link business and academia led to the creation of the pioneering 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC), on Firth Street in Huddersfield, securing European funding (ERDF) to kick start its growth. Its ethos; to provide businesses with the tools they need to grow, through access to the University of Huddersfield’s research centres, signposting to funding streams, opening doors to international and national markets, and providing access to the latest technology that otherwise would have been out of reach to businesses, in particular SMEs.

Success Prof Towns-Andrews operates the 3M BIC as a business, supported by a management team that deals with the day to day running of the Centre. Her links, and those of her colleagues, with industry, government departments and regional agencies, have made the 3M BIC the success it is today – a growing community of local, regional, national and international businesses.

The 3M BIC is a prime example of how academia and business collaborations can work. “It’s all about bridging that gap between business and academia, dispelling the myth that Universities are impenetrable. Universities have the

knowledge and facilities that businesses need, but businesses have the commercial capabilities that Universities lack, so by working collaboratively the results can be ground breaking.” Liz says. “Tenants at the 3M BIC generally have a link with research bases across the road at the University.”

thought that I would stay at the Science and Technology Facilities Council until I retired, but when Huddersfield’s ViceChancellor Bob Cryan approached me about a role, it was too good to miss. His visions and ambitions for the University were a huge pull and I wanted to be a part of it.” Liz says.

Having ‘two hats’ means she is often approached by companies who want to pick both her business and academic brain.

Start-ups, SMEs and large corporates have spun in and out of the 3M BIC over the years, with many still seeking support from Liz and her team to help them move on to even greater things and tap into her evergrowing contacts book.

And she hasn’t looked back since and isn’t planning on retiring anytime soon.

Impact A trained chemist, originally from Chesterfield, Liz graduated from the University of Sheffield with a PhD in X-ray crystallography. After graduating, she spent a number of years working as a scientist at the UK’s first synchrotron radiation source at Daresbury in Cheshire working closely with UK academics, before joining the UK Research Council where she stayed for 25 years. She also has an MBA and is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.

Climbing up the career ladder, she became Director of Knowledge Exchange for the Science and Technology Facilities Council, part of the UK Research Council, developing the organisation’s strategy for Knowledge Exchange and Economic Impact and establishing the two national Science and Innovation Campuses at Harwell and Daresbury.

Prof Towns-Andrews joined the University of Huddersfield in September 2009. “I had no plans to move jobs and always

The success of the 3M BIC has attracted other Universities wanting to follow the same blueprint. But is Liz prepared to give away her secret? “I find it quite satisfying that peers see what we do at the 3M BIC as innovative. To be honest, it’s a very simple model, it’s just about understanding what businesses need to succeed and giving them access to it.”

She is currently playing an instrumental role in the development of The Globe at Slaithwaite, a sister business hub to the 3M BIC and partner of Huddersfield University.

Increasing Liz says, “As with the 3M BIC, The Globe is designed to support the ever increasing number of start-up businesses, however we want to attract smaller local businesses and independent and artisan shops, as well as support local produce with its food hall. It’s about creating a thriving business hub away from the town centre, whilst still maintaining its local charm.”

Liz was rewarded for her dedication to business in 2013 when she was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, which recognises individuals who have played an important role in promoting enterprise skills and supporting entrepreneurs.

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FACT FILE: •

Favourite food and drink: Anything with artichokes or fennel in it and definitely G&T for the drink!

•

Favourite team: Don’t really have one but if I had to choose it would probably be the Spireites from my home town of Chesterfield

•

Favourite Holiday: Norwegian fjords and Svalbard

•

Favourite motor: Mercedes SL

•

Guilty pleasure: Watching soaps midweek!

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CHAMBER

Close Up

News MY Conference Kirklees 2016 hailed a success MY Conference Kirklees, organised by the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, took place on Wednesday 16th March at the John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield. With over 480 attendants and exhibitors, the Stadium was alive with the buzz of local business.

Along with the exhibitor hall, the one-day conference, featured speaker sessions covering a wide range of topics giving delegates food for thought; from customer service to the digital landscape, and the importance of corporate social responsibility. Delegates were also inspired by a selection of motivational speakers. The conference also included an informative panel discussion, focusing on business within Kirklees, starring local leaders across various sectors.

Social networks were busy with references to the conference and the organisers have received great feedback regarding the day.

Janet Bebb from Chamber member Social Progress, who exhibited at the event commented: “Brilliant event. There was a real buzz about the whole day from when

Recognising and rewarding excellence in British business, the Chamber Business Awards are one of the UK’s most contested and prestigious business award programmes. Each year, from Aberdeen to Plymouth, organisations of

the doors opened to the last stands being dismantled”.

Rachel Dickie, Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce Events & Membership Co-ordinator said: “It was great to see so many local businesses connecting with each other. We are delighted to say that MY Conference Kirklees 2016 was a success and we are looking forward to

MY Conference Wakefield on 15th June.”

Did you attend MY Conference Kirklees?

View our photographs, taken by John Steel Photography, on the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.

For more information on MY Conference Wakefield which is part of Wakefield Business Week visit www. wakefieldbusinessweek.co.uk and follow @MYBizConfs on Twitter.

all sizes and from all sectors compete for the coveted titles and the national recognition they bring.

•

Export Business of the Year

•

Commitment to People Development

Last year, we were delighted that our Chamber members, Kirklees College and Brandon Medical, were named as regional finalists. Entry for the awards is free for members of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber and £195 + VAT for nonmembers.

•

Best use of Technology

•

Excellence in Customer Service

•

Education and Business Partnership Award

•

High Growth Business of the Year

The 2016 Chamber Business Award categories are:

The Chamber Business Awards are open for entry from 11th April 2016, please visit www.chamberawards.co.uk for further details.

•

Small Business of the Year

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Policy

World events are still affecting the Business outlook for many firms In the previous edition of Close Up which was published in February we examined the factors which lay beneath the disappointing levels of growth in the UK’s economy. Since then, the principal financial and economic forecasting organisations have all downgraded their economic Growth Forecasts for 2016 – these include the Bank of England (BOE), the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Office for Business Responsibility (OBR). The reasons cited for the downward revisions were similar in every case, and confirmed that the factors which we had identified had not gone away.

The fact is that world events are often completely beyond the UK’s ability to control - and they continue to have profound effects on the UK’s business outlook for the foreseeable future. The economic downturn in China continues to affect worldwide demand for commodities, and it was already obvious in January that the British steel industry was experiencing major difficulties. Now here we are in April, coming to terms with the hammer-blow announcement from Tata Steel of their decision to withdraw from steel production in the UK. As well as Tata’s steel-industry assets in Port Talbot, Durham and Northampton, the announcement also includes production facilities in South Yorkshire.

At the time of writing, arguments are raging about what should be best done to preserve Britain’s future interests for this essential industry which underpins so much of British manufacturing and construction. The UK’s participation in global supply chains brings us many benefits, but we can ill-afford to lose domestic production and skills in a strategically-important industry such as steelmaking, the loss of which would leave the UK even more vulnerable to further adverse world events and global shocks.

Since the government has declared our National aspirations for rebalancing the economy towards manufacturing, the construction industry, and exports, then it becomes vitally important to the

UK’s future growth prospects that we continue domestic production of steel – and let’s be realistic, whatever ‘rules’ might apply, our global competitors would not hesitate on an issue like this to safeguard their own national interests.

Similarly, the UK is largely a hostage to fortune for its future energy supplies due to the French ownership of our Nuclear Industry and our reliance on the Middle East and Russia for much of our oil and gas supplies. The mistakes made in the nuclear industry decades ago must not be repeated in the steel industry today. In view of the Prime Ministers assertion that “we are unequivocal in saying that steel is a vital industry”, surely now is the time for the Government to address the major issues arising from overseas ownership of strategically important industries?

The Business outlook is also being greatly influenced by the speculation about just what the economic situation will be in the UK in the aftermath of the EU Referendum. This is a decision which will be of huge national significance - for generations to come and until a conclusion has been reached, many businesses have deferred strategic plans and investment decisions. As has been widely reported, presently (at the time of writing) our Chamber position on the EU Referendum is in accord with the guidelines set by the BCC, which is that we will remain neutral on the issue, facilitate debate, conduct polls and

listen to our members’ views.

Positioned as we are at the very heart of our local communities we are endeavouring during April and June, through our Local Business Forums, to provide our members and the wider local business community with some hard facts and reliable information to support the In/Our arguments for the EU, and thereby help voters in our region to make logical and informed decisions. We also plan to take full account of the views which will be expressed in each of our surveys following each of the debates.

During these unsettled times, doubts and concerns surrounding the outlook for Business continue to have serious negative impacts on optimism and confidence. Since Business Confidence is a fundamental requirement for sustainable economic growth, it is easy to understand why the BOE, BCC and OBR have downgraded their growth forecasts.

Notwithstanding the difficulties, there is much that can be done. Our Chamber continues to provide a vital local voice of business and represent our members’ interests as part of the influential and co-ordinated Business Lobby Group which is the BCC. All our members, and the wider business community embraced by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) may be assured of our determination to support and assist them to achieve sustainable success so they can generate prosperity and economic growth - not only in the Leeds City Region, but throughout the UK. Steven Leigh Head of Policy and Representation Call: 07809 658 533 Email: steven.leigh@mycci.co.uk

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Member News

Yorkshire Friendly Society Strengthens Community Offer Independent Training Services Shortlisted For Prestigious Investors In People Awards New Chamber member, Independent Training Services (ITS) has been named as a leader in people management practice globally, having been shortlisted for Excellence in Leadership & Management (under 249 employees) category in the third annual Investors in People Awards. Finalists in this category have invested in their people to strengthen leadership capability at every level of their organization.

The Awards, which received over 300 entries internationally, celebrates the best people management practices amongst Investors in People accredited businesses. Winners are announced at a spectacular awards ceremony and dinner on 29 June 2016 at Old Billingsgate, London.

Finalists represent the best of the best worldwide.

The award categories recognise the accredited organisations that have achieved the highest standards. There are a range of

awards categories, focusing on the main elements of what it means to be an Investor in People, from Excellence in Leadership and Management to Excellence in Social Responsibility to Leader of the Year and Best Newcomer. The awards provide the opportunity to benchmark against high performing organisations globally.

Dr. Chris Payne, CEO, ITS said “We are delighted and privileged to be shortlisted for the IIP Excellence in Leadership & Management Award for the second consecutive year. We have been on a journey together and this accolade is for everyone within ITS Group.”

Wakefield-based Chamber member, Kingston Unity Friendly Society, has launched a new initiative to strengthen the organisation’s community relationships.

Kingston Community, a dedicated arm of the Society, enables members to be involved in organising local events, socials and meetings and take advantage of member benefits. As a friendly society, Kingston Unity’s roots are community based and it is keen to maintain these links.

Through the initiative, members can apply for sponsorship grants to help kick start or boost their own charitable and fundraising efforts. An initial list of local events, such as runs and cycle races, for which sponsorship is available has been drawn up and members are invited to suggest further events for which they would like sponsorship.

Kate Wright, direct channel manager at Kingston Unity said: “The launch of Kingston Community further strengthens our local connections and bonds the Society and its members.

“This is a great chance for members to have their say and become a local voice in the community. We’ve got a lot of great events and partnerships on the horizon and we’d really love for our members to be part of Kingston’s growth.”

For more information on how to become a member, or to apply for sponsorship grants contact community@ kingstonunity.co.uk.

Knowles, Director of Fundraising, on 01924 213900 or helen.knowles@wakefieldhospice.co.uk

2016 is the 25th year of Investors in People and are recognizing organisations that have achieved continuous accreditation with Investors in People. ITS Group will be awarded at the ceremony with a trophy and certificate for achieving 20 years of continuous accreditation.

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Member Member News News

A-safe take a ride on the wall of death Manufacturers play key role in live televised world speed record

Guy Martin reached a remarkable 78.15mph while travelling around a specially-built, barrel-shaped wooden cylinder at Mandy Airfield in Lincolnshire.

The wall measured 37.5 metres in diameter and was constructed from metal shipping containers and lined with timber.

During the record attempt on a custom-built Triumph motorcycle, Guy would have experienced forces of 5.2G – enough to push him close to blacking out.

A-SAFE were asked by production company North One TV to provide a protective circular barrier to contain the film crew, medics and engineers while Guy attempted the record. The bespoke construction of grey Traffic Double-Rail+ iFlex Barrier was installed directly in the middle of the vast Wall of Death arena, so literally took centre stage on the night.

A-SAFE’s design and installation team worked closely with North One TV, providing a barrier to suit the team’s very specific needs.

Producer Tom Norton said: “North One TV were looking for an aesthetically pleasing and secure 'safe zone' for the centre of our Guy Martin's Wall of Death Live set. After speaking to the team about our needs it was quickly apparent that A-SAFE could produce a tailormade barrier which would fit perfectly within our set.

The functionality, combined with the look was absolutely perfect for our needs.”

The installation process went smoothly and ontime, fitting in with the production company’s needs for rehearsals and health and safety. Tom added: “I honestly couldn't recommend a company more. From start to finish the whole team has been friendly, professional and there whenever we needed them.

We'd jump at the chance of working with you again.”

Guy is now the proud holder of three world records, having also achieved the fastest speeds in a soapbox motor-less vehicle and a gravity-powered snow sled.

The Howarths Musical Extravaganza is back!

In 2015 the team at Howarths People and Safety Management, organised the Howarths Music Extravaganza at the John Smith’s Stadium raising over £5000 for the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice and have decided to run it again on the 1st July 2016. Howarths are delighted to announce that RRG Toyota Huddersfield will be supporting the event as the main sponsor.

Clive Mattimoe, Centre Principal at RRG Toyota Huddersfield said "As an existing fellow supporter of the Forget Me Not Children's Hospice, RRG Toyota are delighted to join forces with the Howarths team and help to boost their magnificent fundraising efforts during this innovative and exciting event”.

We are looking forward to sharing a memorable evening with all the other local businesses that continue to

give so generously for such a wonderful cause".

Following the recent serious fire at the Hospice there couldn’t be a more urgent need to raise funds and this year’s event will see the return headline act, Peter Howarth lead singer of the 60’s iconic pop/rock band The Hollies and the amazing Tony Benedict, king of swing.

In addition to last year’s line-up, opening the show and comparing throughout, is the legendary comedian and magician Darren Mac who has achieved great success with two special titles in magic, 'British Magical Champion of General Magic' and 'The Ken Dodd Comedy Award' presented by his namesake in recognition of the most promising comedy magic talent.

For those of you who like a flutter there will be a fun Casino

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al !

Member Member News News

New senior partner at Eaton Smith Eaton Smith LLP has appointed Mike Webb, Head of Dispute Resolution and Employment Law, as their new Senior Partner.

The appointment follows the retirement of Andrew Sugden who stood down as Senior Partner as of 31 March 2016. Andrew will remain with the firm as a consultant.

and the person with the highest amount of chips from their free bet stands to win either a signed Huddersfield Giants rugby shirt, an authenticated signed rugby ball by the legendary Kevin Sinfield or a rally experience day provided by event sponsors, RRG Toyota Huddersfield.

Tracey Hopkins, Finance Director at Howarths said “It is brilliant that Clive and his team at RRG Toyota Huddersfield will be supporting the event as this year’s main sponsor. We’re extremely proud and grateful that many of the local business community will be attending on the night to show their support for the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, which does a remarkable job and so deservedly, needs help to raise funds”.

For more information on how you can support the hospice to continue the incredible work that it does whilst enjoying a fab night out with some fantastic acts please contact Tracey on 01274 864 999.

Mike Webb has been a Partner at Eaton Smith since 1985. He deals with and supervises all aspects of commercial litigation, matrimonial property and employment related disputes. Mike specialises in complex contractual disputes and, in relation to individual clients, he is also an experienced litigator in the field of inheritance, cohabitation and estate disputes.

Mike commented: “I am absolutely delighted to be appointed to the role of Senior Partner. I firmly believe this is an exciting time for Eaton Smith and our brand and profile sees continuous growth. The firm has great momentum and I believe we have a strong Management Board who will guide the firm to the next stage of development.

Andrew has been a fantastic Senior Partner, colleague and friend and we all wish him well in his retirement.”

Andrew joined Eaton Smith in 2000 and was appointed Senior Partner 2010. He studied law at Downing College, Cambridge and qualified as a solicitor in 1974. Well-known in the local community, Andrew was secretary of Huddersfield Incorporated Law Society for three years and its

president in 1998. Andrew’s particular area of legal expertise lies in childcare and criminal work. Commenting on his career, Andrew said “I have seen many changes in the legal profession over the last forty years and I feel privileged to have met, advised and assisted clients in all walks of life in that time.

I have very much enjoyed my time at Eaton Smith and I wish them well for the future.”

Chamber members

CONTACT US WITH YOUR BUSINESS NEWS! marketing@mycci.co.uk

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Member News

Small business specialists celebrate successful start to the year Local small business specialist Nick Brook and the team at TaxAssist Accountants are celebrating a successful start to the year after seeing a 21% increase in business.

The Lockwood Road-based Chamber member has provided tax and accountancy advice and services to small businesses in the local area for more than ten years and has reported a 21% year-onyear increase in the number of local businesses coming to them for help filing their January tax returns.

This January saw the biggest increase yet of people opting to file online, rather than on paper, with 89 per cent (9.24million) using HMRC’s online service.

Nick Brook who owns

TaxAssist Accountants in Huddersfield said; “Small businesses face everincreasing financial and administration challenges, which add to a tough, competitive market place.

Over the years we’ve developed a reputation locally for our jargon-free advice and the support we give small businesses and start-ups, which helps free up their time to do what they do best – run their businesses. Our business grows through word of mouth recommendations and it’s great to see such a significant increase in referrals.”

Abzorb Supports Andrew Gale Benefit Year 2016 Chamber member and Huddersfield Examiner Business of the Year 2015, Abzorb, is proud to announce it is supporting Andrew Gale benefit year, extending its growing footprint of partnerships with local institutions and charities.

Captain Andrew Gale is rewarded with benefit year by the Yorkshire County Cricket Club after more than a decade of service to the county, including winning consecutive Championships in 2014 and 2015, with aspirations to make it

three title wins in a row in 2016.

Andrew will be holding a series of events to help raise money for the Professional Cricketers Association Benevolent Fund, the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation and the Yorkshire Children’s Trust - a small local children’s charity.

Andrew Gale commented: ‘Being awarded a benefit year

by Yorkshire CCC is a huge privilege and honour, and the icing on the cake after a few successful years. I have known about Abzorb for quite

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Member News

New appointment for Sutcliffe Play Chamber member, Sutcliffe Play, innovators in the design and manufacture of children’s outdoor playground equipment, has appointed a new regional contracts manager, John Souter.

John joins the company from his previous role as a contracts manager working for the Ministry of Justice and Home Office. His varied experience also includes serving in the military, in HM Forces Royal Engineers.

John, who recently joined Sutcliffe Play, is looking forward to his new role: “Having five daughters, the welfare and wellbeing of young people has always been close to my heart. It is a pleasure to be a part of such an innovative, dynamic and forward-thinking company who provide clients with play areas that children of all ages and abilities can enjoy.

“I am enthused by the team’s dedication to the company and to providing clients the best

possible solutions for children to play in safe and stimulating environments. Working to this ethos is what I am looking forward to most.”

As contracts manager, John is responsible for overseeing the whole installation process, liaising with internal departments, clients and contractors from initial meetings and site visits to post work inspections to ensure client satisfaction.

Andy Love of Sutcliffe Play comments: “We’re delighted to welcome John to Sutcliffe Play. He is a passionate and results-driven individual who brings a wealth of experience to the company from a variety of industries.

a while after seeing their generosity with the Huddersfield Town Foundation and I’m now excited to work alongside them throughout my benefit year.’

Steve Beeby, Director of Abzorb added: “We are honoured to be able to support Andrew who is truly gifted and respected by his peers. Through our partnership, we hope that we will be able to help Andrew achieve success for his benefit year and chosen charities.”

Chamber members

CONTACT US WITH YOUR BUSINESS NEWS! marketing@mycci.co.uk

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Member News

Synergos Helps Brighouse Firm Gain ISO 9001 Mid Yorkshire Chamber member Synergos Consultancy Ltd have been working with Brighouse engineering firm Projex Solutions for the last six months to help the business to achieve ISO 9001 certification.

Jenny Kilburn, process management specialist and founder of Synergos Consultancy was delighted to present Jamie Ashton, Managing Director of Projex Solutions, their well-deserved ISO 9001 certificate. This latest achievement reflects Projex Solutions continued drive to deliver the very best proactive engineering solutions and customer care.

Synergos Consultancy is based in Lepton and has recently celebrated its second anniversary. The business has achieved rapid growth and founder Jenny Kilburn is delighted with its success. The process management business implements ISO and AEO certifications and can also provide support with CHAS, Safe Contractor and Construction Line.

Projex Solutions, has over forty years experience offering a complete portfolio of project engineering and design and consultancy services. Jamie Ashton said;

“My initial thoughts were that it would add to the internal workload and create issues within our team. However, working with Jenny Kilburn and the British Assessment Bureau we were able to alleviate these fears. The process was fairly straight forward and easy enough to follow as it wasn’t as rigid a system as originally thought.”

Mr Ashton continued; “Our aim was to document, control and measure the business processes we use to help us satisfy the requirements and expectations of our customers. Achieving ISO 9001 accreditation allows us to continually improve the way Projex Solutions operates, using our quality management system monitoring tools and control processes.

We’ve found that the integration of a fully operational quality management system at Projex Solutions has allowed us to improve

and develop the services we offer and hope that it will improve the experience we provide to our customers.”

Mr Ashton added; “For a small business I personally found this process extremely useful for identifying improvements to existing quality processes and to become more efficient at developing systems and strategies that worked with our team and company processes. For those striving towards achieving the ISO 9001 I would recommend it is a very well worth while process to go through. We just need to prepare for the 2015 amendments now.”

Jenny Kilburn added “The team at Projex Solutions made me feel very welcome and were committed in making sure this project was a success. The business will now go from strength to strength as they continue to develop their quality management system”.

Chamber members

CONTACT US WITH YOUR BUSINESS NEWS! marketing@mycci.co.uk

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Patrons Update

Free legal helpline - Eaton Smith As Patrons of the Chamber, Eaton Smith has been providing free legal advice to Chamber members on all areas of business law. If you need some legal advice for your business, give us a call on 0800 158 3554. Have your Chamber membership number at the ready and you’ll benefit from free advice as part of your membership package.

What does the helpline cover? We are a full service law firm and so we are able to deal with a wide variety of legal queries including questions about commercial and employment contracts, business acquisitions, commercial property transactions and disputes, commercial

contract disputes, employee issues and debt collection.

Why call us? Acting without proper legal advice can lead to problems further down the line, for example if you want to get out or enforce a contract, if you face a claim against the business, or if you’re trying to sell your business. The helpline gives you access to legal advice to benefit your business that is impartial and practical and without charge. The helpline is available 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

For more information contact Kate Booth, Partner on 01484 821309 or email katebooth@eatonsmith.co.uk

Hospitality 2016 fixtures After three games won on the bounce over the Easter period against Huddersfield, Leeds and Salford, and Chris Chester taking over as Head Coach, Wakefield Trinity are in a very positive position. The First Utility Super League season is a marathon not a sprint and we have a long way to go, but confidence seems to have been restored within the team.

Come and join us in hospitality to be part of it and enjoy the build up to the big game, enjoy delicious food and rub shoulders with

first team players. We still have a number of games available for you to attend with either your key business clients or friends and family. We have exciting fixtures in May and June against the Warrington Wolves, Hull Kingston Rovers and the Leeds Rhinos.

For more details, please contact Verity Thomas on 01924 211 611 (option 2) or email verity.thomas@wakefieldwildcats. co.uk. We look forward to seeing you at a game soon.

The best MY Conference Kirklees to date!

MY Conference Kirklees, organised by the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, was held here at the Stadium on Wednesday 16th March.

The annual event is held for all Mid Yorkshire small and medium sized businesses, and has grown significantly over the years, becoming one of the our largest non-match day events.

Focusing on local business, we (Kirklees Stadium Development Ltd) who facilitate and operates The John Smith’s Stadium, we’re proud to support the event and named as a partner along with Brand Yorkshire and Topic UK. The event offered delegates access to a wide range of exciting seminars and clinics, as well as 48 different exhibitor stands. The conference was a resounding success and was extremely well attended, with around 480 people being involved on the day.

The team at the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of

Commerce, conference partners, exhibitors and speakers worked together to execute a hugely successful day, enjoyed by all who attended. The speaker sessions covered a wide range of topics and the State of the District – a panel discussion, which included myself, highlighted exciting new business developments in Huddersfield, including our very own HDOne development scheme.

On behalf of the Stadium, I would like to say a big thank you to the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, all of the conference partners, exhibitors and delegates who helped to make the conference an amazing success and the best one held to date!

Gareth Davies Managing Director Kirklees Stadium Development Ltd (KSDL) 01484 484100

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Events

WHAT? Enjoy a light breakfast and an opportunity to make some valuable new contacts. Delegates get the chance to introduce their business in a short elevator pitch and then follow-up new business leads. It’s a great way to make new contacts in a friendly, but focused way. You are also welcome to bring your company literature and banner stands.

WHEN?

MORE

First Thursday of the month 09:30–11:00

It’s FREE for members and just £20.00 plus VAT for non-members.

WHERE?

Book your place online at www.mycci.co.uk/events Tel: 01924 311605 Follow @ MidYorksChamber and #ConnectionsCount on Twitter

We rotate the location within the Mid Yorkshire region:

Thursday 05th May John Smith’s Stadium, Stadium Way, Huddersfield, HD1 6PG

INFO:

Thursday 02nd June Imperial Crown Hotel, 42-46 Horton Street, Halifax, HJX 1QE

WHAT?

WHEN?

MORE

A very informal networking opportunity, come along and make new contacts in a relaxed setting and enjoy a drink on us!

Second Friday of the month 12:30-13:30

No need to book, just turn up!

WHERE?

Follow @MidYorkshireNet and #MYNetworkWakey on Twitter.

Run in partnership with Barclays, CIM, Copiserv, First Choice, Ramsdens Solicitors LLP, Statement and the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

The Hop, Bank Street, Wakefield, WF1 1EH

INFO:

WHAT?

WHEN?

MORE

A fantastic opportunity to network in an informal environment, making some great new contacts for your business.

Third Wednesday of the month 09:00–11:00

No need to book, just turn up!

WHERE?

Run in partnership with CIM, Ramsdens Solicitors LLP, Better Telecoms, The Media Centre and Social Progress

The Media Centre, Northumberland Street, Huddersfield, HD1 1RL

WHAT? Monthly lunchtime business networking meeting: have a chat, mingle and make some new contacts.

Run in partnership with Barclays, CIM and Ramsdens Solicitors LLP.

WHEN? Last Friday of the Month 12:30–13:30 WHERE? Harrison Social, 11 Harrison Rd, Halifax, HX1 2AF

INFO:

Follow @MidYorkshireNet and #MYNetworkHud on Twitter.

MORE

INFO:

No need to book, just turn up and the first drink is on us.

Follow@LastFridayClub on Twitter

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Events EVENTS

Local Business Forums WHAT? Enjoy a light breakfast and the opportunity to have your say about pressing business topics which are facing the local business community.

Speakers for this meeting will include a senior member of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Policy team, as well as a representative from the local Council.

WHEN? Monthly 08:00 – 10:00

MORE

WHERE? We rotate the location within the Mid Yorkshire region, next meeting held: EU – are you in or out?

Wednesday 27th April Unity Works, Wakefield

Bank of England

The Bank of England’s view of the economy What?

In May the Bank of England will publish updated forecasts for growth and inflation. At this event, Will Holman, the Bank of England’s Deputy Agent for Yorkshire & Humber, will set out the forecasts and explain the Bank’s current thinking on the direction of the economy. There will also be a Q&A session with the opportunity to quiz Will.

Please note that this event is strictly off the record so we are unable to provide further information regarding the event content and local press will not be permitted to cover the meeting.It’s FREE for members and just £20.00 + VAT for non-members. Places are limited, book your place online at www.mcci.co.uk/events WHEN? Thursday 19th May 2016; 08.30 – 11.00 WHERE? National Coal Mining Museum, Caphouse Colliery, New Road, Overton, Wakefield, WF4 4R

chamber_april_2016.indd 11

www.mycci.co.uk/events or contact steven.leigh@mycci.co.uk Tel: 07809 658533

MY Conference Wakefield 2016 WHAT? MY Conference Wakefield will be held at Unity Works in the heart of the city and promises to be a date for businesses not to be missed.

Business Growth Courses in exporting The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) in Calderdale has ten nationally accredited core courses in exporting and international trade. Together Events the courses create an export curriculum, In partnership with Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Calderdale Council, we are running a series of FREE monthly events across Calderdale in 2016 to help promote business growth within the region.

For upcoming dates, please visit mycci.co.uk/events

INFO:

It’s FREE for members and just £20.00 plus VAT for non-members. Places are limited, book your place online at

WHEN? Wednesday 15th June 2016, 08:30 – 16:00 WHERE? Unity Works, Westgate, Wakefield, WF1 1EP MORE

INFO:

Visit www.wakefieldbusinessweek. co.uk for more information and follow @MYBizConfs on Twitter to stay up to date with all the latest news, speakers and exhibitiors.

The Next Courses Are As Follows: CUSTOMS PROCEDURES AND DOCUMENTATION Wednesday 27th April 9:30-16:30

providing invaluable basic exporting skills for DOCUMENTARY LETTERS OF CREDIT small and large companies alike.

Wednesday 8th June 2016 09:30 - 16:30 By completing six courses, candidates UNDERSTANDING IMPORT PROCEDURES achieve a nationally recognised foundation award in exporting. The courses are suitable Wednesday 15th June 2016 09:30 - 12:30 for both experienced and inexperienced PREFERENTIAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND exporters.

RULES OF ORIGIN

Wednesday 15th June 2016 09:30 - 12:30 Individual full day courses cost £175 (+VAT) For more information and to book, visit for members and £200 (+VAT) for nonmembers and individual half day courses cost www.myexporthub.co.uk/events £100 (+VAT) for members and £125 (+VAT) for non-members. Or book six courses (half and full courses) for £850 (+VAT) for members and £1000 (+VAT) for nonmembers to complete the foundation award in exporting. All of the courses will take place at The John Smith’s Stadium, Stadium Way, Huddersfield, HD1 6PG. Close Up for Business XI

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Business of the

Month

Business of the month winners

The Business of the Month Award is open to firms in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.

Each month a new winner is chosen and all 12 then go through to the annual Business of the Year award.

For your chance to win the Business of the Month award visit www. businessofthemonth. co.uk or contact Eleanor Cummings at Eaton Smith on 01484 821430

Pictured from L-R: Steven Pollitt – MYCCI, Helen Straw – Personnel Partnership, Gary Marshall – Marshall Wealth Management, Alison Palmer – Eaton Smith, Stefanie & Carl Hopkins – Faith PR

Faith PR - January Faith PR, one of the fastest growing PR agencies in West Yorkshire, was set up in 2007 by experienced PR consultant Stefanie Hopkins.

The company competes with and has won against some of the biggest agencies in the country and has grown from three people to nine people in two years.

Faith is keen to form links with neighbouring businesses and to that extent launched a co-operative coffee shop in the mill building where they are based. More recently Faith has taken steps into publishing by taking over the license for the

Kirklees/Calderdale edition of TopicUK magazine.

Alison Palmer, Partner at Eaton Smith and a member of the judging panel commented; “Faith PR has demonstrated consistent growth over the last few years and has, in fact, surpassed its own growth targets. We were particularly impressed with their diversified business streams which have grown out of demands from clients.

Alongside their own business, the team at Faith also support local businesses, particularly start-ups by offering a hotdesking service.”

Commenting on their award, Stefanie Hopkins said “We’re thrilled to have won Business of the Month - it’s nice to be on the other side of the fence for once as usually it’s our clients who have won this award! Faith PR’s growth is testament not only to our continued diversification but also down to the team who constantly strive to deliver the best for our portfolio of clients across the region.

We’re determined to not sit still and continue to grow into the leading PR and communications agency in the area.”

Business of the month award

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Business of the

Month

s Pennine Business Partners– February Pennine Business Partners, a Huddersfield-based business support services company, was set up by Steve and Lynn Bradley in February 2010 when they decided to use their skills to help other businesses in the area. The company offers outsourced business support services, specialising in marketing, human resources and health & safety.

Chris Taylor, Partner at Eaton Smith and a member of the judging panel commented; “Pennine Business Partners has demonstrated growth year

on year both in terms of profit and client numbers. They have supported the local business community through, amongst other things, their work with the New Enterprise Allowance where they matched start-ups with mentors.”

Commenting on their award, Lynn Bradley, HR Expert at Pennine Business Partners, said “We’re thrilled to receive the Business of the Month award and as a company we focus on supporting and promoting the local business community, so to receive that

support back feels fantastic.”

Lynn went on to add, “Our business portfolio spans a wide range of industries locally and nationally from manufacturing and engineering to retail and the leisure industry and it is a pleasure to work with such a wide variety of clients.

The award follows our most successful year to date and through being able to offer an extensive skill-set and fully inclusive service in HR, Marketing and Health and Safety, we have the confidence to keep expanding.”

Pictured from L-R: Chris Taylor – Eaton Smith, Steven Leigh – MYCCI, Andrew Sugden – Eaton Smith, Steve Bradley, Michelle Booth, Jo Kitterick, Lynn Bradley – Pennine Business Partners

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New Members

Finlay Beverages Ltd Bellingham IT www.bellinghamit.co.uk IT Support

www.finlay-beverages.co.uk Independent tea trader

www.firstcallhr.com HR Services

HRS Hevac Haines Watts

www.hrshevac.co.uk Manufacturer

www.hwca.com Chartered Accountants

Legacy Sport www.legacysport.co.uk Social enterprise

First Call HR Solutions (North) Ltd

Jane Walton

www.janewalton.org.uk Education, employability and enterprise consultant

Norwood Interiors UK Ltd www.norwood-interiors.co.uk Interior Design

JP Business Solutions Ltd www.jpbs.co.uk Business Services

Portel AV Limited www.portelav.co.uk Telecommunications & IT

Rosemont Pharmaceuticals Ltd Recognition Express West Yorkshire

www.perrigouk.com Healthcare (pharmaceutical manufacture)

www.re-wy.co.uk Promotional merchandise

Shrewdd Marketing www.shrewdd.com B2B marketing services

Vantage Technology www.vantage-tec.com IT Security Consultants

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Round Bank Engineering www.roundbank.co.uk Engineering

Solupak Ltd

Unity Gifts

www.solupak.com Manufacturer

www.unitygifts.co.uk Resin moulding giftware

Websters Insurance Brokers www.webstersinsurance.co.uk Insurance brokers

Williams & Co www.williamscleck.co.uk Solicitor

If you would like to join these companies in becoming part of the Mid Yorkshire business community, please contact our Membership team on 01924 311605 or email info@mycci.co.uk to find out more.

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Member Offers

MemberOffers

CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP GIVES YOU ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE BUSINESS DISCOUNTS, OFFERS AND FREE PUBLICITY!

What?

A heavily discounted service offered exclusively by members for members. Benefit from free publicity as a host or gain huge savings by utilising our Member Offer of the Month benefits.

Why?

We understand that members have a business to run, through hosting a Member Offer of the Month, you can save time on marketing and benefit from free publicity. By using members offers, save money on valuable services for your business.

How?

To discuss how your company could take advantage of the Member Offer of the Month and other publicity opportunities:

CONTACT REBECCA ON - 01484 483 678

Current Member Offer of the Month For details on our current Member Offer of the Month, please visit our website www.mycci.co.uk/get-connected/member-offers

Chamber Connect Card ENJOY EXCLUSIVE LONG TERM BUSINESS DISCOUNTS! What?

Access a range of long term discounted offers, negotiated for your business as part of your membership package. You can also participate by offering your own discounted products and services to fellow members.

Avanti Corporate Solutions

Why?

Your Connect Card is a value added service that could represent significant savings for your business. By participating as an offer provider you can gain increased brand exposure and create new business opportunities.

Eureka is offering Chamber members 10% off all corporate event bookings including; Teambuilding & Away Days, Function and Room Hire, Product Launches and Promotions and Event Sponsorship.

HD Lettings One hour landlord consultation for only ÂŁ40.00 a 20% discount for Chamber members, ensuring you are up to speed on your requirements and doing everything correctly.

Did you know a saving of up to 90% can be achieved by applying the latest lighting technology J.G. Harrison & Sons, are offering all Chamber members a free site and home visit service.

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How?

Log into the MY Chamber at www.mycci. co.uk/my-chamber to redeem and view all Connect Card offers. To discuss how your company could participate in a connect card offer, contact Rebecca on 01484 483 678.

Maze Is offering a 20% discount to Chamber members on their consulting and training services.

Purple Dog Training Purple Dog is offering Chamber members 20% off all their online training courses.

Wren Sterling

Through their associate, Countrywide Tax & Trust, Clive Barwell, a Registered Trust & Estate Practitioner, are offering a comprehensive willwriting service to fellow Chamber members at a discount of 20%.

04/05/16 21:47

Member News

Huddersfield Community Trust to engage local community through NEW brand identity

Chamber member Huddersfield Community Trust (HCT) is delighted to announce a fresh rebrand, following the successful launch of its new identity at MY Conference Kirklees; a renowned Huddersfield-based event, which took place on 16th March at the John Smiths Stadium, Huddersfield.

The rebrand follows intensive internal and external research into public perceptions of the not-for-profit organisation, which has typically been known as ‘The Zone’.

Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield.

With the support of marketing consultancy and fellow Chamber member KC Communications, Huddersfield Community Trust performed a full rebrand in the hope that the local community would engage with the range of services it has to offer throughout 2016 and beyond.

Working closely with the CEO, Heads of Departments and Trustees, KC Communications executed the rebrand in just 6 weeks, in time for the MY Conference Kirklees event held in March.

Huddersfield Community Trust, based at in-door venue ‘The Zone’, hosts a variety of initiatives including the Dance Zone, Elite Sports Education Academy and the National Citizenship Service.

The trust is also home to a number of 3G pitches, a café and Yorkshire’s largest play gym structure.

The registered charity’s new look distinguishes HCT from it’s home venue, The Zone and aims to raise awareness of each individual opportunity the trust has to offer.

As a registered charity (1117768), Huddersfield Community Trust is responsible for all community sports and educational activities on behalf of Huddersfield Town Football Club and Huddersfield Giants Rugby League Football Club. The organisation aims to improve community cohesion and raise the hopes and aspirations of people in

With an identity of its own, Huddersfield Community Trust hopes to connect with the local community and inspire citizens of all ages to participate in its sport, educational and health focused facilities. With a key emphasis on social inclusion, HCT’s new branding demonstrates the variety of activities undertaken by the not-for-

profit trust and its efforts to engage members of the community in fitness and well-being activities.

Commenting on the rebrand, Lisa Hewitt, CEO of Huddersfield Community Trust said: “Connecting with and supporting the development and aspirations of our communities is incredibly important to us – and our new brand has been designed to help us make more connections, more easily.

I am thrilled with the final look that Katrina and her team have developed and excited about our partnership as we move into the next phase of marketing.”

Katrina Cliffe, MD of KC Communications added: “It’s a pleasure to work with such a passionate organisation. Their commitment to such a tight deadline is a testament to their passion to make a difference to the lives of the local community. We look forward to the next steps in our working relationship”.

Further steps in appealing to the local community include the delivery of a new website for Huddersfield Community Trust and an overhaul of all existing collateral.

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SpecialFeature

Bringing Feng Shui to Fashion Huddersfield image consultant gains international accreditation to help women dress with intent.

How do the worlds of feng shui and fashion come together? And how can this help your image in the world of business? TopicUK spoke to image consultant Jacqui Cooper to find out more.

Described as a ‘holistic personal design system’, the practice of Fashion Feng Shui focuses on dressing the mind and spirit as well as the physical form.

When she left her role as operations director of Coopers Coffee following its sale in 2011, Jacqui Cooper realised that her wardrobe was a sea of black and corporate clothing and she no longer knew how to dress.

After re-training as an image consultant and life coach, Jacqui recently turned her attention to the art of Fashion Feng Shui, and became the North of England’s only licensed Fashion Feng Shui facilitator.

She’s now helping others get out of the corporate dressing rut, and in this month’s issue she shares some of her top tips for dressing to look and feel great.

Consider your values and use them to set goals Fashion Feng Shui is intrinsically linked to living a more authentic life through dressing with intent. At the start of a new month, take some time to consider what is really important to you and what you want to achieve in your life. Freedom, adventure, or fun might be what you want to achieve – so what is it you need to be, do or have in order to achieve it?

When it comes to dressing, consider if your clothes and how you feel about them reflect your values and aspirations and if they’ll help you to achieve them consistently. Do you feel comfortable?

Are you really dressing to look your best?

If not, perhaps your wardrobe needs to evolve with you and it could be time for a change.

Cherry pick at trends – don’t be a fashion follower Individuality is key with Fashion Feng Shui, and ensuring you dress for yourself and no one else will mean you’re always going to feel great.

It’s fine to channel trends; we all like to look up to date.

However, cherry picking elements of seasonal styles is likely to work much better for you, and will stop you looking (and feeling) like an uncomfortable fashion victim.

It’s also important to consider what will work well when it comes to your everyday lifestyle and the tasks you have to complete. If you’re a busy mum on the run, a comfortable and loose fitting maxi-dress will see you through the spring/summer transition and might be much more comfortable than a fitted knee length style when it comes to picking up the kids and ferrying them around in a hurry. That said, it all depends on your ‘essence’ and style profile.

Harmonise your colours and know which ones suit you It’s important to remember that not every colour will flatter you. Fashion Feng Shui incorporates revisiting the colours, textures and shapes of the clothes you choose to wear, and explores whether they are reflected in which of the five elements - water, wood, fire, earth and metal – that you channel.

For example, if you have red hair and a ‘warm’ skin tone, you will naturally channel a lot of red (Fire energy) which can generate fun and excitement in

addition to love and romance, and so depending on your intentions you might need to limit the amount of red that you wear. Similarly, if you have a ‘cool’ skin tone and are quite fair, avoid wearing neutral tones too close to your face or they will make you look too pale and put you into the background when your intention might be to bring a little more fun into your life.

It’s important to remember that by balancing the colour, shape and fabric of your clothes and learning how they can help you to achieve your goals and values by increasing your confidence levels, you’ll notice a dramatic difference that runs from the inside, out For more information on Jacqui Cooper and to book a consultation

01484 664 264 www.jacquicooper.co.uk

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Hanson Chartered Surveyors was established in October 1989, by Mark Hanson BSc FRICS to service the needs of clients expecting direct and uncomplicated advice

Know What You Are Buying…

My tennis partner recently reminded me of John Keats’ often quoted opening line from his poem Endymion after I played a particularly good backhand; ‘a thing of beauty is a joy forever’, he said.

H

e may have been exaggerating a touch and was actually referring to something other than tennis, but it did go to show that descriptions of one thing can be used to describe something else so long as they are accurate.

Misdescription can be expensive. I bought an old car recently. It was described as having a rebuilt engine.

It didn’t but it has now because the seller knew that if he wanted to get his price – it needed a full engine rebuilding not a partial rebuild.

This is certainly the case when it comes to estate agents’ descriptions of houses but they, and we their commercial cousins are constrained by the Property Misdescriptions Act and must be very careful.

We look for honesty and those with a reputation for honesty will, or should, flourish. There will always be differences of opinion but differences of fact are irreconcilable if left. But how do we know who is telling

Out Of Office

the truth? How do we know what is fact and what is fiction?

We either have knowledge and experience of our own to call upon or we pay for it.

In the case of my car, I took along an experienced mechanic familiar with the marque. It cost me several hundreds of pounds and a full day to inspect and ultimately reject the car. The seller and I had a difference of opinion of what had been described but, due to the superior knowledge of the mechanic, he was able

What is your idea of the perfect day out in Yorkshire?

My partner and I love a trip out to the coast, with a walk on the beach and some fish and chips.

What is your number one holiday destination and why?

In winter I love skiing in Val D’Isere, but for summer it’s harder to choose one place in particular; a special place to us is Portugal though.

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Ultimately the seller had to accept that the additional work was needed to get his price. Frankly, had I not had the mechanic I might have bought the pretty, shiny blue car but the specialist saved me thousands.

Enough said?

Have you ever wondered what people you work alongside get up to in their spare time? In our new feature, Out of Office, we share with you some of those burning questions!

What is your first ever memory?

I have no distinct memory to be honest, but overall it’s memories of my mum, who was an incredibly special lady.

Name and age: Richard Paxman, 33 Job title and company: Managing Director, Paxman Coolers Ltd Lives: Huddersfield

to prove that the engine did indeed need rebuilding despite work which had undoubtedly been done on it.

If you were stranded on a desert island with one item, what would you take and why?

A satellite phone!

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love to ski (but this is limited to once a year) and occasionally horse riding.

I also really enjoy the gym.

This allows me to clear my mind after a long and hard day. We also try and get away at weekend for good food and wine.

Tell us your best party trick.

It would be better to ask my friends &

C a l d e rd a l e

If you could invite anyone to the party, who would it be and why?

A little romantic but it would always be my other half. I’m not overly star-struck and my best times are with my partner.

And finally, what is your best piece of advice for switching off outside of the office?

I would be lying if I said I ever switched off but probably the closest I get is the gym, especially when I have a personal training session.

Ed i t i o n

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NewsUpdate

Mirfield business owner mentors young ‘entrepreneurs’ to success

The managing director of a Mirfield based brand and design consultancy has mentored a group of young students to win the Yorkshire regional final of the national 2016 Enterprise Challenge.

D

avid Worthington of 10 Associates led a team of young students from Bradford based Dixons Kings Academy to victory, beating over 170 other teams from across Yorkshire with their business idea for recycling school stationery and electrical gadgets to sell on to students who are from less privileged backgrounds.

‘Team Hands Up’ pitched their idea against the other teams in

a Dragon’s Den style event to a panel of judges including Saker Nusseibeh, CEO of Hermes Investment Management and Griselda Togobo of Forward Ladies.

for the chance to become national champions.

Team Hands Up will now progress to the Enterprise Challenge Grand Final in London on 4th May where they will compete against winning schools from the North West, South East, West Midlands, London and Glasgow

I really enjoyed helping the students and was amazed how advanced their entrepreneurial skills were and how confident they became during the challenge. Let’s go to London now and show them how amazing we are up in Yorkshire!”

David commented: “The Enterprise Challenge has been an awesome experience for the students and for me personally.

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Brexit and the recruitment industry

By Nadio Granata, head of marketing at Stafflex Recruitment “David Cameron has negotiated the best terms possible. We should stay in and not rock the boat” … says Paul Balderstone, Director, Stafflex Recruitment Ltd. “Intellectualising … is not always the best way to decide these matters” … says Brian Stahelin, founder of Stafflex and President of Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

“Better the devil you know” … says Nadio Granata, Stafflex, Head of Marketing.

Our poll carried out across our own team has resulted in: •

14% say leave Europe

•

33% say stay in Europe

•

53% don’t know

Our poll carried out across the internet via askwhich1.com has suggested that 80% of our audience (very random users of the app), would vote to stay in and 20% would exit.

Our considered opinion is … we are undecided!

destabilise the global economy if we leave and therefore our economy will also be harmed, particularly in the short term.

Other reasons for staying include the advantages ex-pats continue to enjoy in countries that otherwise would become anti UK. Our exporting clients, of which we have far more than we ever had in the past, are understandably nervous at the moment. Given that 51% of the UK’s manufactured exports are exported to the European Union, many of our clients are likely to be affected by whatever decision is made.

From a purely recruitment point of view, the issues are no less complicated. Certainly it would appear that leaving Europe would return more legislative control, though, ironically, this is likely to spark even more turmoil as the UK recruitment industry is left to implement whatever changes this might incur.

What do you think?

Those in favour of leaving Europe cite reasons such as "it’s slowed down our progress due to all the red tape;" "immigration issues are worsened by us being in Europe" and "it's not right to have faceless bureaucrats make our decisions for us."

Those in favour of staying in Europe suggest that it will

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&

C a l d e rd a l e

Ed i t i o n

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Lawrence Batley Theatre

Rose Condo Topic UK sat down with Huddersfield-based, Canadian-born performance poet Rose Condo, to find out more about her interesting career in the arts.

“I don’t think there is a single definition of a ‘performance poet”, says Rose, “for me, it’s someone who can, in a few short lines and carefully crafted rhymes, reach in and grab the heart of the human experience and in sharing it with an audience they shape it into something bold and beautiful”.

Originally from Winnipeg, Rose moved to the UK in 2011 and currently lives in West Yorkshire.

For the last four years she has been working as the Head of Community Engagement at the Lawrence Batley Theatre (LBT).

It’s Rose’s team’s responsibility to ensure that as many people as possible are able to access the LBT and the arts in general, with particular focus on those that might struggle to afford to access art, or don’t think it’s for them.

Increasingly a focus of Rose’s job has been developing artists.

It’s an idea close to her own heart; over the last three years Rose has been performing her poetry all over the UK – a career development she says would never have happened without

the LBT’s commitment to supporting new artists.

In September 2013 the LBT and their resident company Chol Theatre started Queenie’s Coffee House Nights, a regular spoken word and acoustic performance evening that allows a platform for artists to try out new work in front of an audience.

“The Director of Chol had seen a presentation I did at their Pecha Kucha event and asked me to perform. I had a little bit of poetry but had never tied it together into a solo show, and this gave me the incentive to try.

It was terrifying but gave me both a deadline to work to and a platform to perform from, and in the end a show, The Geography of Me”.

Since its original outing in Huddersfield, Rose has performed The Geography of Me all over the country, including taking it to Edinburgh Festival in 2014. Rose has also become a regular on the UK poetry slam contest circuit, winning many prizes.

however, was a homecoming of sorts, after being asked to perform at the LBT’s 21st Birthday Gala last September – a night she feels marked just how far she’d come as a performance poet from first standing up at the Coffee House Night.

“I was terrified to play to such a big audience, a lot of whom I think had never encountered spoken word before, but I really felt it took my performance poetry to another level.

And being able to share the stage with such highly acclaimed artists as Birmingham Royal Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre was thrilling.”

For more information on Rose, and to see dates of her upcoming performances, go to www.rose condo.net For more information on the Lawrence Batley Theatre, go to www.thelbt.org

Her biggest gig to date,

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K i r k l e e s

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Health&Wellbeing

LegalMatters

Collaborative law: a better way to separate Going through separation and divorce is stressful enough without throwing the uncertainty and at times the unpleasantness of court proceedings into the mix.

Each issue Chadwick Lawrence – Yorkshires Legal People, share with our readers information to keep us all within the law. If you have a legal question, or need to know about a particular subject, email editor@ topicuk.co.uk

That’s why Collaborative Law is often seen as an attractive alternative to couples who want to deal with matters arising out of their separation as amicably as possible. Collaborative Law is relatively well established in North America and first came to the UK in 2003.

So what are the benefits?

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The process is flexible, allowing parties to meet as many times as it takes to reach an agreement

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Positive and open communication is encouraged which can be beneficial in the long run, particularly if there are children involved

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Negotiating in meetings is quicker than toing and fro-ing with letters and emails

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Court proceedings and the stress that often comes with them are avoided

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Couples can find solutions which work for themselves and their family

How does it work?

Both parties will instruct their own collaborative lawyer, this is someone who is specially trained in this practice. Rather than trying to resolve matters through letters, emails and calls, the parties and their lawyers attend a series of ‘fourway’ meetings to negotiate matters face to face.

The collaborative lawyers play an active role in the discussions and are there to give the parties support and advice throughout the process.

Is it for everyone?

At the first four-way meeting everyone signs a Participation Agreement agreeing to resolve matters without going to court. If for any reason the process breaks down and one party then issues a court application, the collaborative lawyers cannot represent the parties in those subsequent proceedings. This added twist gives both parties a genuine incentive to make the most of the process and find a way to make it work for them.

The four-way meetings provide an opportunity for separated couples to discuss their priorities and concerns in a positive and constructive way. The emphasis is on openness and both parties must come to the process aiming to achieve a settlement which they both believe to be fair. The process also allows for other professionals to be involved where necessary, for example, pensions experts or IFAs.

In short, no its not. Sarah Crowther, Partner and collaborative lawyer comments that “Sometimes, the way in which the marriage has ended means that collaborative law is not always the best option.

For example, if one party has committed adultery, the other can often find it emotionally challenging to be open-minded enough to put that to one side and make the most of the process.”

Also, if a party feels that the other is likely to pressure them into a settlement they are not entirely happy with then this is not the right process for them. Collaborative law relies upon individuals coming to the process in an open and honest way.

All in all there are many benefits to collaborative law if parties come to the process seeking a fair settlement and one which works for their family.

It is our experience that couples who choose collaborative law speak very highly of the process and its benefits. There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to dealing with separation and divorce, but collaborative law offers a different and unique process.

Sarah Crowther at Chadwick Lawrence is a qualified collaborative lawyer with many years' experience. For more information about this process or to arrange a Sarah Crowther

free half hour appointment, please contact us on

0800 015 0340

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A HELPING HAND FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

Should you experience difficulties in your family life it is highly likely that you will need to seek legal advice and support. At Chadwick Lawrence our team of family law specialists is one of the most experienced in the region and we are recognised for the high quality, bespoke service we provide with much of our work coming from the recommendations of former clients.

We are specialists in all areas of divorce and family law. Our team also has the advantage of including specialists in the area of public children law who can help you should the local authority become involved with your family.

Wherever possible we try to resolve cases outside of court to try to reach amicable and cost effective agreements. However, when Court Proceedings are unavoidable our broad range of experience will ensure that you have high quality and robust representation, no matter what area of family law you require help with.

Our services cover all areas of:

Dispute Resolution

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Adoption Civil Partnerships

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Divorce Financial Provision for children

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Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements

• •

Cohabitation agreements Collaborative law

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Grandparents rights Mediation

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Private Children Law Disputes Separation agreements

Employee Services

Family Law

Home & Property

Medical Negligence

Personal Injury

Residential Property Disputes

Wills & Probate

Get in touch to see how we can advise you today, email family@chadwicklawrence.co.uk or call 0800 015 0340 today

chadwicklawrence.co.uk

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LegalMatters

A Guide to Statutory Wills Statutory Wills are made by the Court of Protection on behalf of an individual (‘P’) who has lost capacity. When considering whether a Statutory Will can be made on behalf of an individual, their lack of capacity in respect of the making of a Will must be addressed.

When should a Statutory Will be considered?

A Statutory Will may be considered where 'P' has lost capacity and: •

A property has been left as a specific legacy and the property has to be sold for nursing home fees.

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The estate has reduced in value.

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'P' is a young adult who have never made a Will, and he has received an inheritance or personal injury award

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An existing Will names beneficiaries who have died.

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An existing Will makes no provision for events that were not anticipated, for instance, a couple has left their estate to one another without providing for a gift on the second death.

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A beneficiary under an existing Will has already received substantial gifts and it would be inequitable for the Will not to be adjusted to reflect those gifts.

A Statutory Will does not apply to immovable property outside England and Wales.

The Application Process An application for a Statutory Will must be dealt with as a formal application to the Court of Protection. The Court must have medical evidence to support the lack of capacity and it has to consider a number of factors and all the relevant circumstances. The Court must take 'P' as it finds him at the present moment, and then act in his best interests, in the same way as any other decision made on behalf of a person without capacity.

Evidence of 'P’s' wishes are extremely

important, and the Court will be unwilling to impose a new decision when there is clear evidence of an earlier decision.

At the same time, the Court is not bound by that earlier decision.The Court will know nothing about 'P' or 'P’s' circumstances. This needs to be explained in sufficient detail, so that the Court can be persuaded that a Will should be made, and that the proposed Will is in 'P’s' best interests.

The applicant must not only show the value of the estate, income and expenditure (as well as any future expenses) and provide a testamentary history, but also explain why the application has been made, and why the proposed Will is in 'P’s' best interests.

Beneficiaries or other witnesses should be asked to provide witness statements, containing a statement of truth.

If the application is unopposed the terms of the proposed Will may be agreed with the Official Solicitor. The Official Solicitor will then write to the Court providing details of the consents obtained, and giving his own consent.

The Court will then determine the application on the papers, if necessary without a hearing. The Order is then prepared and sealed without an attended hearing.

Execution A Statutory Will is executed in the same way as any other Will, except that the authorised person signs twice, once in 'P’s' name and then once in his own name, and the will must be sealed by the Court.

The Statutory Will is sent to the person authorised to hold the Will, usually the applicant’s solicitor.

Emergency applications Where the application relates to a Statutory Will and 'P' is in danger of dying before the application can be heard within the usual timescale, the Court will try to assist. In extreme cases, the application may be heard within a matter of days, and the Court will authorise the applicant’s solicitor or the Official Solicitor to execute the Statutory Will.

The Order is effective immediately it is made, and there is no need to wait for a sealed copy to be issued.

Costs The usual rule is that the estate will bear the costs of the parties however, this cannot be taken for granted. The applicant must also consider whether the estate will bear the considerable costs that are likely. If the estate is small, then however desirable a Statutory Will might be the question of whether it is essential needs to be considered carefully.

For advice on any matter relating to a Will, or to review your Will contact Nosheen Bukhari on 01484 519999

The Hearing If the application cannot be dealt with on the papers, further directions may be given for the service of evidence, preparation of trial bundles, exchange of skeleton arguments and set a hearing date. The Judge will make the Order at the hearing, which will authorise the applicant or some other person to execute the Statutory Will in the form approved by the court.

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Meet the fundraisers: The Forget Me Not Hospice Corporate Fundraising team

As part of its ongoing work to support local children with life shortening conditions and their families across West Yorkshire, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice must raise £3.8 million every year to continue offering its services across the district.

With just 6% of Name: Emma Kovaleski this coming from government funding, the support of the local community is vital. Tasked with fundraising towards the annual figure is the charity’s Corporate Fundraising team: Emma Kovaleski, Name: Sammie Loucas Sammie Loucas and Sharon Ennis.

TopicUK caught up with them to find out a little more about what they love most about working with the charity.

Name: Sharon Ennis

Previously I was: a Development Manager for a national Community Interest Company within the energy efficiency industry.

I love my job because: every day I am inspired by the amazing team at the hospice and the outstanding care we provide.

I managed local and national energy efficiency programmes, and along the way had the opportunity to work in the US and review a commercial lighting programme for the State of Minnesota.

I have the pleasure of developing mutually beneficial partnerships with businesses across West Yorkshire and supporting both their CSR and business strategies.

Previously I was: a Post Graduate student in Biological Sciences at University of Leeds. I worked in retail for eight years and was a part-time fundraiser for several years. After graduating I spent a year working in the financial sector before taking a full time job in fundraising.

I love my job because: I’m from West Yorkshire and supporting families in my local area really motivates me each and every day in my role.

Previously I was: UK Sales Manager for a health company and an Area Sales Manager for a large international manufacturing company.

To get involved or for more information, contact the fundraising team today on 01484 411040 or at fundraising@forgetmenotchild.co.uk

for the whole family to get involved in! Run, jog, walk or dance your way through the 3km rainbow.

PLUS…The Forget Me Not Colour Run is back!

The event takes place on Saturday 21st May 2016 at Farnley Estates, Farnley Tyas.

Take part in the most colourful event of the year!

The Forget Me Not Colour Run is the perfect event

Find out more and how to sign up today at bit.ly/ fmncolourrun

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I love my job because: I get to work for an organisation making a real difference within the local community and I am able to see the difference we are making to the lives of local families in West Yorkshire.

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NewsUpdate

Rose scented meringue kisses

Gimbals restaurant is run by Janet and Simon Baker, who opened their doors more than 10 years ago, with the aim of bringing simple but sumptuous seasonal food to the quaint Yorkshire village of Sowerby Bridge.

They create modern, honest dishes inspired by both classic and more unusual flavour combinations, brought together by their talented chefs.

Janet’s flair for design has helped to create a seductively decadent restaurant with a fantastic atmosphere.

Whilst waiting to dine, guests can anjoy artisan cocktails, whilst relaxing on comfy sofas in the upstairs lounge area.

Whatever the occasion, Gimbals promises to create a truly special evening for you.

This issue, the chef has created beautiful meringue kisses for you to try and as usual, we have asked a member of the business community to make the dish and let us know how they got on.

For those who would like to have a go at making the dish, we have listed the full recipe and all the ingredients you will need.

If you would like to book a table at Gimbals, visit the website www.gimbals. co.uk or call 01422 839329

These lovely, pink meringues really are the most gorgeous ever, so get whisking, scooping and piping.

Here at Gimbals, we serve them with a whole manner of sides and toppings, but for this month’s recipe we’ll be making the most of the bright pink, wondrous rhubarb from our great county of Yorkshire!

On these dull, damp days (did somebody say spring?), cooking with the rhubarb’s

fabulous colour is like bringing the sun into your kitchen.

To get it just right, we chop our rhubarb and then poach it with golden caster sugar, a packet of orange jelly and a da sh of rose syrup. The jelly helps to thicken the juice from the rhubarb whilst it stews.

So, onto the main event; the meringues.

Ingredients 150g of free range egg white (the freshest you can get) 300g caster sugar 2 teaspoons of rose syrup

Method Preheat the oven to 200 degrees/gas mark 6. Pour the caster sugar into a baking tin and put it into the oven for around five minutes until the sugar is hot.

Next, whisk the egg whites in a clean, grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed. Then, take the sugar from the oven and turn the temperature down to 100degrees/gas mark 1-4, leaving the oven door open to cool it down.

Now, with the whisker on full power, add one spoon of the sugar at a time to the egg whites. When it has all been folded in, add the rose syrup and whisk on full power for five to seven minutes until all the sugar has dissolved.

Once done, put the meringue mixture into

a piping bag and cut the end off with a sharp pair of scissors leaving a hole the size of a 10p coin.

Now line an oven tray with non-stick baking paper. Pipe the meringue mixture on to the paper in dollops around 5cm in diameter with a peak on the top. (This can take a bit of practice but don’t worry about being too neat!)

Finally, bake in the cooled oven for about 30 to 40 mins. When cooked, you should be able to lift the meringues off the baking paper easily with the bottom intact.

Serve with your poached rhubarb and a lovely dollop of whipped double cream and enjoy!

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Meringue Kisses for Peter and Sky-Blue Tackling the beautiful Rose Scented Meringue Kisses, a recipe provided by Gimbals Restaurant of Sowerby Bridge, is Peter Branson, Chief Executive of Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice and his daughter Sky-Blue. Here’s how they got on...

My approach to cooking, which I do frequently, is not dissimilar to my approach to everything else – give it a try, view instructions as very rough guidelines, adjust as I go along, and enjoy the adventure!

This means that baking is not usually my thing as it involves too many rules and not enough latitude for freestyling.

With this in mind, when I was asked to road test the recipe for Rose Scented Meringue Kisses I immediately decided to enlist someone who is much more capable when it comes to baking – my 9 year old daughter, Sky-Blue.

The first challenge was finding Rose Syrup, having been surprised to find it missing from our kitchen cupboards! Phoning round local shops and supermarkets drew a blank, so I resorted to the answer to all questions – Amazon Prime. I was also advised by a close friend that my plan to make meringues without an electric whisk was doomed to failure (or exhaustion) so I invested in one of those as well.

Armed with whisk, Rose Syrup, eggs and sugar, Sky-Blue and I got started. It was all going swimmingly: egg whites separated and whisked into a frenzy of froth and peaks; sugar heated then added, carefully; Rose Syrup spooned into the mixture; so far so good.

Next on the list was piping the mixture onto a baking sheet with a piping bag. The instructions said “They should be about 5cm in diameter with a peak on the top”.

I should have spotted the next bit which read “It takes a bit of practice”….no kidding.

It was at this point that everything went downhill in scenes reminiscent of the Generation Game at its most embarrassing.

More of the mixture came out of the top of the bag than the bottom, and Sky-Blue helpfully observed that the resultant blobs looked more like “white doggy doos” than meringue kisses.

However, we persevered, and after much hysterical laugher, 40 minutes later we

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ended up with some delicious (if slightly less than perfectly shaped) Rose Scented Meringue Kisses, which we served with stewed rhubarb and clotted cream.

My verdict? If you want to spend a precious hour laughing with your child and end up with something which tastes delicious then this is perfect.

If you want to have something which looks great for a dinner party then pay heed to the carefully concealed warning: “It takes a bit of practice”!

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Feature : CSR Showcase

EatonSmith Law firm making a difference right across the globe

Huddersfield based Eaton Smith Solicitors is well known across Kirklees and Calderdale for its partnerships and involvement with other local businesses that aid it in delivering a comprehensive and well-regarded corporate social responsibility programme.

In the first of our CSR showcases, TopicUK explores the activity that is making a difference both locally and across the globe.

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“It can take a long time to gain the trust of the person you are trying to help, but the charity and the people who work for it have endless patience with people who many others ignore…”

W

hen it comes to CSR activity, Eaton Smith certainly isn’t a company that shies away from getting stuck in. The business, which is based in the centre of Huddersfield, has an ongoing programme of employer-led initiatives designed to extend the reach of the company and showcase its commitment to giving something back to the local community and beyond.

Starting further afield than its hometown of Huddersfield, one such initiative that the company has championed for more than 14 years is the Huddersfield & Dewsbury Law Society Uganda Twinning project.

Eleanor Cummings, marketing manager at Eaton Smith explains: “Since 2002, solicitors from the firm have travelled to Uganda to provide legal advice and guidance for Ugandan lawyers that has helped the Ugandan Law Society to establish its main legal resource centre in Kampala, plus an additional ten regional resource centres.

“So far, the project has provided over 5,000 text books and training DVDs in an initiative that one of our Partners, Anne Pendlebury, has been at the forefront of.

It also helps to promote good governance and respect for rights and the rule of law, whilst also providing legal representation and advice for children who are in conflict with

the law in Patongo, Northern Uganda.”

SUPPORTING LOCAL CAUSES Somewhat closer to home, Eaton Smith’s relationship with the University of Huddersfield is enabling fledgling businesses to access to legal advice that helps them grow.

“We’re Partners in Law with the University of Huddersfield and have recently set up a facility whereby fledgling businesses that are part of the University’s ‘business incubator’ can access legal advice from us on a pro bono basis. We also regularly get involved as legal advisors as part of the University’s ‘Ask the Expert’ events that see us working alongside graduate entrepreneurs on a consultancy basis.”

Supporting those living on the streets on Huddersfield is also close to the heart of the business, with Partner Kate Booth a regular volunteer for West Yorkshire based homeless charity, Simon on the Streets.

Kate said: “Every Monday I go out with a support worker from the charity, looking for people who may be sleeping rough or who are begging for food or money because of difficult circumstances. We offer them a hot drink or some soup to give us a reason to chat to them and see if we can help them in any way. It can take a long time to gain the trust of the person you are trying to help, but the charity and the people

who work for it have endless patience with people who many others ignore. I find it both eye-opening and extremely rewarding.”

And when it comes to involving its employees in deciding what charities and projects to support, Eaton Smith is open to all suggestions, says Eleanor.

“We’re very democratic when shaping our CSR activity, and if someone would like to put forward an activity or has a charity that they particularly want to support, we encourage them to put their idea forward and then take a majority view on it.

“An extremely important aspect of our CSR policy involves caring for the people in our business, and by getting them involved in shaping our CSR strategy, they can directly see the impact of the suggestions they have made.

Our staff appreciate this, and – in line with our strong encouragement of a healthy work life balance through flexible working – it contributes to high staff retention rates and overall job satisfaction.”

BUILDING BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS Other long standing initiatives such as the company’s wellknown Business of the Month Awards have helped it to bring business leaders from across Kirklees and Calderdale together and build relationships

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with people whom it may otherwise not have known about, adds Eleanor.

“Initiatives such as the Business of the Month awards involve local business leaders meeting to judge the entries, and reaching out to companies that may wish to enter – all the while extending our reach and promoting our brand.”

The company’s work with the University of Huddersfield has also seen it develop strong business relationships and establish a new network of contacts in both horizontal and vertical sectors, and its work on the Uganda Twinning project is a prime example of leaving competitiveness at the door and working intensively on a good cause for change.

So what advice would Eleanor give to other local businesses looking to develop a more structured CSR strategy?

“It’s really important that the most senior people in the business fully understand and support the activity, and then you need to ensure teams throughout the business are engaged. Consult and involve people at all levels and make it easy for them to get on board. I would also recommend building links with other businesses as much more can be achieved if you work together. Finally, consider CSR as a cultural change project and make it part of your company values – but overall, have fun with it!”

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NewsUpdate

Women’s Sport

The Best Buy for Business

The business of sport is big business. And it’s growing. More and more companies see the value in having their brand associated with events, matches and, they hope, success and that is why it has become an industry worth £20 billion to the UK. One of the growth areas is women’s sport – it is receiving more attention than ever with exposure in the media and growing crowds at events. That’s providing new opportunities for companies to get their message across to important, and hard to reach, demographics.

Broadcasters, newspapers and online sites are all expanding their coverage of women’s sport – and it’s happening here in Calderdale and Kirklees.

In the past year Sky Sports covered Superleague netball in Huddersfield, the England international netball team played in the town and Huddersfield’s Lydia Walker and Elland’s Imogen Allison made their Superleague debuts.

Taken alongside London 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, many businesses are starting to study the return on investment for sponsorship and are concluding it makes sense. Recent research found that sponsorship in women’s sport cost around a thirtieth of the equivalent in men’s sport and less than half of one per cent of sport sponsorship is invested in women’s sport.

But, it is an emerging market and offers such great potential that this is changing.

At Yorkshire Jets, one of only

eight franchises in netball’s pinnacle UK competition, businesses and organisations are waking up to the opportunities.

Matches are covered live on Sky Sports to sellout crowds at venues up and down the country – it’s audience made up of enthusiastic youngsters, their mums and dads and professionals who still play netball in their spare time.

You have to go to a game to realise the passion for the sport, the captured attentions and potential audience for a brand’s messages. Many of those who come to games and watch on TV don’t engage with much other sport and so reaching them through netball is good value marketing – it’s why we are seeing more interest in partnering with us, more partnerships from national and Yorkshire brands and, with the sport growing, that is only going to increase.

Many businesses already engage with sports clubs and organisations – from grassroots to professional – and see the benefits it can bring. Now engagement with women’s sport is on the rise and its potential clear, it is an opportunity too great to ignore.

Stephen Naylor is Director of Waverley Consultancy and Communications & Partnerships Manager for Yorkshire Jets.

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Blown away by ticket sales!

Sean Jarvis - Director of Huddersfield Town Football Club

It’s getting to the business end of the football season and as I write, plans are in full swing around developing our plans for the 2016/17 season.

Box Holders, White Rose Club members and Ever Group Suite visitors. We like to think that taking pride in Yorkshire in our food is the way forward, and without giving too much away, the catering offerings next season may well give a nod to our wonderful county.

Our season cards went on sale in March and we were blown away by the speed at which the first 11,000 were sold (within 4 days of going on sale) due to our new pricing structure of £179 for adults and seniors, £69 for Under 18s and £23 for U8s.

The speed of sales was unprecedented and a record for the Club, and we are looking forward to welcoming gates of 20,000+ for many of our games next season.

Of course, this is just one strand of next season, and the football side of the Club looks very exciting under the new Wagner Revolution.

We had an excellent 4-1 victory at Elland Road against Leeds United recently in the West Yorkshire derby, and the plans on

the pitch with our player recruitment are coming together.

Another key development for next season is the relationship with our Catering partners, Sodexo Prestige. Ian and the team there are working closer with the Club than ever before, and we are keen to make the corporate experience at Huddersfield Town one of the best in the Football League.

This is throughout all of our hospitality areas which are available, including our

14 Byram Street Huddersfield

The Huddersfield Hundred gets ever nearer (the Club is targeting 100 partners to develop relationships with) and once this is reached, the door will close for businesses to be partners of the Club.

There are some wonderful opportunities for businesses who want to use football as a medium to generate business, and I’d encourage any business who wants to be involved to contact me at the Club.

Finally, can I wish you a great summer – enjoy the Euro Championship in June and July – and I hope to see you at one of our games soon.

West Site 2 Colne Bridge Road Huddersfield

CO N TA C T

Abigail Hanson Hughes abigail@hanson-cs.co.uk Philip Deakin phil@hanson-cs.co.uk

TO LET

FOR SALE

667 sq ft

1.2 acres (4,842 m)

Centrally located town centre retail unit within busy parade Nearby occupiers include Huddersfield Post Office, Café Society and Studio18 Additional connecting commercial accommodation potentially available EPC Rating: Listed Building Exemption

Corner plot with exceptional road connections Prime location just 1.5 miles south of junction 25 of the M62 Located alongside Mamas & Papas, VTL and CJ Antich

83 Fitzwilliam Street Huddersfield HD1 5LG

www.hanson-cs.co.uk

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NewsUpdate

Local business paints future for budding decorators Family-run business Ramsay Clay, which has worked on prestigious contracts including The London Savoy Hotel and Westminster Abbey, will continue developing the next generation of expert painters and decorators, thanks to funding from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Following the recruitment of two young apprentices, the business recognised the need to invest in further training, in order to maximise productivity and sustain the future growth of the business.

Caroline Clay at Ramsay Clay said: “Ramsay Clay was first established in 1946, and whilst we’ve come a long way since then, we want to continue to grow and innovate. We’d like to take on more specialist restoration work over the next few years, but in order to do this we need to increase capacity within the business to secure those projects.

The Huddersfield business has been awarded a grant from the LEP’s skills service. The £1,415 grant will allow Ramsay Clay to train the next generation on delivering the same high quality work that the business has been providing for more than 70 years.

Ramsay Clay offers both commercial and domestic decorating services nationwide, with particular expertise in working on heritage and listed buildings, conservation projects and ecclesiastical painting.

The business is dedicated to training its staff to the highest possible standard.

It currently employs a 30 strong team, as well as providing a continuing apprenticeship programme in partnership with The Entice Project and Kirklees College.

“A recent recruitment drive through Entice led sister company Enhance to identify the need to create a mentor position within the business, and we wanted to fill this position from our existing staff. We therefore approached the LEP for two pieces of support which included leadership training, and helping staff understand the skills needed to take on more of the day-to-day running of the business.

“Enhance identified and developed a bespoke piece of training to support our mentor. We enrolled a staff member on the ILM Certificate in Leadership & Management and then the LEP helped to cover the costs, which we are very grateful for. It’s already had a massive impact as we now have an apprenticeship mentor who has taken the extra responsibility in his stride.

“This is just the beginning of the next phase for Ramsay Clay, but we will

definitely return to the LEP for the next round of apprenticeship training.”

Mark Ridgway, LEP Board member and chair of the skills service management board, said: “We’re delighted that we could provide Ramsay Clay with the funding that the business needs.

As a business owner with 10% of our employees in apprenticeship schemes, I’m especially pleased we were able to help Ramsay Clay to support apprentices in order to grow their business.

“The LEP’s skills service offers the opportunity to work with a team of expert skills advisors who support employers to tackle paperwork and submit a robust application for funding. In particular, with Ramsay Clay, we offered additional support to help them find an appropriate training provider.

“The LEP is dedicated to ensuring local businesses, primed for growth, have the skills to succeed.”

As part of the LEP’s wider ambitions to invest in business growth, the skills service can support up to 50% of training costs for eligible businesses throughout the Leeds City Region through grants of between £500 and £50,000.

Funding is available for a limited time. To find out if your business is eligible and to apply, please visit: www.the-lep.com/ skillsservice or contact us on 0113 386 1910 and skills@the-lep.com.

Funding is available for a limited time, therefore businesses in Calderdale and Kirklees are encouraged to find out if they are eligible and to apply. Call 0113 386 1910 or visit: www.the-lep.com/ skillsservice to find out more.

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Stafflex announces major investment into Shelley FC Community Sports Sponsorship

Huddersfield based recruitment specialists, Stafflex, have signed a three year deal to sponsor one of the fastest growing sports foundations in the north of England.

The Leslie Foundation, located at Storthes Hall Park, was set up by local businessmen Graham and Craig Leslie in 2013 with the aim of providing affordable access to high quality training and coaching

facilities for amateur sports enthusiasts. Since taking over the 99 year lease from the University of Huddersfield, the multi-sports complex has more than trebled in size and has plans to grow even more.Stafflex has invested an undisclosed sum to enable the facility to continue its growth, and plans are underway for a name change to The Stafflex Arena as well as the road to the site being renamed The Stafflex Way. Brian Stahelin, managing director and founder at Stafflex said: “The facilities at Storthes Hall Park and the commitment shown to helping grassroots sports community groups and the disabled, is just breathtaking. We see a great fit between our values of ‘helping

t £70,000 per annum t Industrial Premises t 1,691 sqm (18,197 sqft) t 2 Storey Office t Secure Yard t Popular Industrial Location t EPC Asset Rating TBC

To Let

In addition to the 32 Shelley Football Club teams that reside at the Stafflex Arena, the University of Huddersfield will continue to run their football and hockey teams from the site and will soon be hosting Varsity matches against Bradford University.

Nadio Granata, head of marketing at Stafflex added: “Partnering with the Leslie Sports Foundation will give Stafflex access to a growing family of like-minded, local people who are as passionate about sport as they are about our community. We know that every penny of our investment will go in to making a real difference at this grassroots level”.

The site also plays host to other sporting events with Huddersfield Star Wheelers and Stadium Runners both holding events at the venue over the next few months. Easter Monday also saw the site play host

Stafflex is a family run recruitment agency based on Chapel Hill, Huddersfield. Now into its 16th year, it specialises in recruiting temporary and permanent staff for the industrial, education and commercial industries.

Industrial & Commercial Property Consultants

bramleys M4 Colneside Business Park, George Street, Milnsbridge

others’ and the values that drive the foundation forward.

It’s a major investment for us but we believe it to be the most exciting partnership we have ever signed up to.”

to the International Festival of Orienteering in which hundreds of world class orienteers competed for the first time in Huddersfield.

Unit 1 The New Mill, George Street, Milnsbridge

To Let

t £30,000 per annum t Warehouse/Factory Premises t 1,422.98 sqm (15,317 sqft) t Loading door t 3 Phase electricity t Popular industrial location t EPC Rating: TBC

18-20 Acre Street & 2 Thornhill Avenue, Lindley

For Sale

t Offers in excess of £195,000 t Retail Premises with Living Accommodation t Retail premises extending to 837ft with 3 display windows t 2 Bedroom living accommodation to the first floor t Prominent main road position within popular urban district

14 St. George’s Square, Huddersfield HD1 1JF

01484 530361

Highroyd Residential Care Home, Highroyd Lane, Huddersfield

For Sale

t £360,000 t Former Care Home with Development Potential t Net Internal Floor Area 392.89 sqm (4,229 sqft) t Site Area approx 0.3 acres t 19 Bed former residential care home with development potential

Offices also at Mirfield, Heckmondwike, Elland and Halifax

commercial@bramleys1.co.uk bramleys.com/commercial K i r k l e e s

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NewsUpdate

Meet you at The Piece Hall “The Piece Hall is the building that makes Halifax unique … perhaps Yorkshire’s most important secular building.” English Heritage, The Building of Halifax, 2010

T

his summer one of the most extraordinary buildings in Britain - The Piece Hall in Halifax - will reopen following a £19 million restoration and herald the most dynamic new era for Halifax and Calderdale in generations. There will be nowhere like it in the world.

The monumental Grade 1 Listed structure is the only surviving intact cloth hall in the UK and is an iconic symbol of the important role played by Georgian Halifax at the booming centre of the world’s wool trade. The transformation of its 315 rooms, classical golden colonnades and grand courtyard is central to the renaissance of the whole town, and when The Piece Hall opens for business, it will once again draw people from far and wide to experience the creative bustle of modern life in one of the most striking piazzas in Europe.

The entire Piece Hall will be transformed into a 21st Century town square, the princely architectural gem in the heart of town will be a truly unique destination: a place where people will

meet and all paths will cross for work, pleasure, business, leisure, arts and entertainment.

For the first time, office-based business leaders also have the chance to locate their companies to one of the most prestigious heritage sites in the UK. The building houses offices and flexible desk spaces alongside meeting rooms and conference facilities, as well as retail units and café bars. High speed broadband, lighting, heating and power are also pre-installed to entice

the creative and digital type companies that the Piece Hall hopes to attract.

And with a direct train line to London less than 500 metres away, this shouldn’t be a difficult building to fill.

The entire Piece Hall will be transformed into a 21st Century town square, in a bid to become the Halifax’s newest destination for work, pleasure, business, leisure, arts and entertainment. Specially created exhibition spaces that link to Square Chapel, the Minster, Orangebox and Eureka! will also help to create

a vibrant cultural quarter for a new generation.

For more information on The Piece Hall including office rental, email or call

01422 52520 lettings@thepiecehall.co.uk

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A ‘prickly’partnership for Burnhills pet supplies Smallholding supplies specialist Burnhills has announced a new charity partnership with Dewsbury-based hedgehog rescue centre Oggles. donate to Oggles in-store via dedicated collection tubs, and Vicky will make a personal appearance during Hedgehog Awareness Week between 1 – 7 May. Oggles was set up by Vicky in 2010 after she found an injured hedgehog in need of help. Unable to find anyone who could nurse it back to health, she took on the role herself and Oggles was formed.

The partnership will see Burnhills donate items including milk powder and cat biscuits to help feed rescued hedgehogs, as well as supporting Oggles founder Vicky Greenwood with raising her social media profile and donating prizes for raffles and competitions.

Burnhills customers will also be able to

Ben Burnhill commented: “Vicky is a loyal customer of ours who has bought her chicken feed from our Cleckheaton store for more than five years, so when she turned to us for help we jumped at the chance.

“Animal welfare is a subject that is close to our hearts and Oggles is doing an amazing job in trying circumstances.

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We’re looking forward to helping raise funds, increase product donations and promote awareness of the invaluable and dedicated service she provides to animals that don’t typically receive much attention.”

Vicky added: “It costs me over £100 a week in food for the hedgehogs alone, so I rely heavily on financial and product donations to cover expenses.

“Our hedgehog population is under serious threat, and is declining in the UK at the same rate as tigers in the wild.

Numbers have dropped by 95% since the 1950s, which might means that if we don’t look out for them, in ten years’ time the only place you will see one could be in a children’s book.”

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Beauty&Health

Relax with Titanic Spa These days it seems that we never have enough time, whether that be to complete work tasks, get the job done or simply take time out and focus on ourselves. Stress is almost accepted as part of everyday life, but does it really need to be this way?

We caught up with Natalie Hart, Spa Operations Manager at Titanic Spa in Huddersfield who gave us her top tips on how we can all control our stress levels a little more effectively.

Be kind to your body Caring for your body means that you are less likely to feel overworked, exhausted and unhappy. Eating and drinking well will ensure that you have more energy, better concentration, and an improved mood, brightening your outlook for the day ahead of you.

Natalie’s top tip: Aim to eat more than your five a day. The government’s latest recommendations suggest topping up your vegetable intake to five portions a day, and fruit to two portions.

Learn when you can say no We are all guilty of taking on too much at time, but understanding when you can say no may help you manage your time more effectively.

Doing less but doing it well can be just as satisfying, and will give you the momentum and confidence to complete your next task more efficiently.

Natalie’s top tip: Keeping a diary can help to organise your thoughts and manage the days ahead with more ease.

Relax muscles When our mind is stressed, our body follows suit - stiffening and tensing up, often without us noticing. Easing out this tension and realigning the body improves your posture and can help focus the mind better.

Natalie’s top tip: Slowly circle your ankles and shoulders, taking a few moments to breathe in and out deeply, opening up the chest.

Get some green air As long as you’re sheltered by an umbrella from the rain, or enjoying the feeling of sun or the breeze on your skin, taking a walk where there are trees or countryside gives you an often well-needed change of environment and mood boost.

Natalie’s top tip: Take a walk and breathe in and out deeply. The breathing alone helps to calm mind and rebalance the body.

Indulge yourself If you can’t see past the problems and stress, do something for yourself to

improve how you address any stressful issues later on.

Making time for yourself means you are prioritising your health and wellbeing, decreasing stress levels.

Natalie’s top tip: Regular spa treatments will give you an hour or two to concentrate purely on your wellbeing, allowing you to relax fully.

In 2015 stress accounted for 35% of all work related ill health cases and 43% of all working days lost due to ill health Titanic Spa Low Westwood Lane, Linthwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5UN www.titanicspa.com 01484 843544

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Build your own empire in the heart of Dewsbury Empire House is positioned in the centre of Dewsbury, opposite the Town Hall and close to Dewsbury station.

The building provides contemporary, stylish, DDA compliant office accommodation and prominent retail space with good footfall due to the close proximity of the Market Place and shops.

Empire House can accommodate you if you are starting your own business and need a small serviced office. Equally, if you are looking to expand or operate a larger business with open plan office space and meeting rooms then Empire House can meet your requirements.

We can offer you furnished offices tailored to your specification on allinclusive accommodation packages, flexible lease arrangements suited to your individual requirement and budget as well as additional services

including car parking, cleaning, low cost storage space and general maintenance. With the support of our dedicated in-house management team all you will need to focus on is your own business.

There is currently high demand for small offices and retail units with 3500 sq. ft. of lettings within the last three months. We encourage you to contact us without delay to register your interest, discuss your requirements and arrange a viewing.

EMPIRE HOUSE, WAKEFIELD OLD ROAD, DEWSBURY, WF12 8DJ FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT : PAUL BURNETT: 01603 767616 HANSON CHARTERED SURVEYORS: 01484 432043 OR VICKERS CARNLEY: 01924 291500

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Employee Management Skills Workshops

www.eatonsmith.co.uk

Eaton Smith and The Personnel Partnership are continuing their successful series of practical and interactive workshops aimed at all managers with responsibility for people management or HR staff who would welcome additional skills development. The trainers have received excellent feedback from all in attendance and the workshops have been described as “excellent”, “very useful”, “very informative and interactive” and “a great 3 hours!”

Each workshop will cost £75 plus VAT and will include refreshments and all training materials.

1. Recruiting the right way for your business!

17 May 2016 9.30am – 12.30pm The right staff can help your business to achieve its goals, but the wrong staff could put obstacles in your way. How can you make sure you get the best people for your business and how can you avoid pitfalls such as breach of contract or discrimination claims along the way? In this workshop we will look at how to identify what your business needs from a job role, how to tailor your recruitment process to fit your business and how to vet job candidates.

2. Staying within the law - managing people 5 July 2016 9.30am – 12.30pm The first few months of any relationship are crucial and staff are no different! In this workshop, we’ll take you through some of the basic but key processes in managing people effectively. You will find out how employment law works, what your most effective people management tools are and look at what you need to do in the early days of a new employment relationship to bring new staff up to speed with your policies and procedures. We’ll ensure you know what to do to make your business legally compliant and we’ll cover what you need to include in a contract of employment which will give you the most protection and flexibility.

3. Discrimination and dignity avoiding a toxic environment 20 September 2016 9.30am – 12.30pm Discrimination and bullying often rears its ugly head, with ACAS reporting a rise in telephone calls about bullying in the workplace from anxious

employees. In this workshop, we’ll look at how you tackle this to avoid a toxic environment impacting on productivity and performance and how to best defend yourself against potentially expensive discrimination claims. We’ll cover the tricky issue of “banter” and what’s acceptable and what’s not, along with the key elements of an equality and diversity policy that will work for your business.

4. Attendance Management – the Monday morning sickie 15 November 2016 9.30am – 12.30pm Most businesses have a small handful of employees who cannot seem to get out of bed on a Monday morning and have regular single days or short periods of sickness absence. Too much of this is damaging to productivity and bad for the morale of the employees who are doing their best to work through the coughs and colds! In this workshop we will look at how intermittent absence can be managed effectively to improve the health of your business and your employees! We will also look at what you might want in an attendance management policy and give you the tools to create this along with some tips on how you can incorporate some wellbeing initiatives in your business.

brings with her practical examples of what can and does go wrong in the workplace and how you might address this!

Helen Straw from The Personnel Partnership - Helen is the Managing Director of The Personnel Partnership and is also a Chartered corporate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Helen operates at a senior level, providing HR support and advice during times of company set up, business growth, major reorganisations and deals with complex employee issues. She has developed and implemented a range of HR policies and strategies as well as managed day to day operations and developed and delivered HR training programmes across the UK for many small to medium businesses and larger blue chip companies. Helen is both pragmatic and commercially savvy.

Group booking discount: if you book 3 or more workshops in one go or book 3 or more people into a particular workshop you will receive a discount of 10%.

The workshops are held at Eaton Smith’s offices in Huddersfield. To book or for more details contact Kate Booth at KateBooth@eatonsmith.co.uk

Who are your trainers?

Kate Booth from Eaton Smith – Kate is a Partner with Eaton Smith and an experienced solicitor specialising in employment law, with particular interest in business acquisitions (including the TUPE Regulations), restructures and discrimination issues.

Kate has been dealing with employment law issues for many businesses in and around Kirklees and nationally for the last eight years and

For details contact Kate or Eleanor at katebooth@eatonsmith.co.uk or eleanorcummings@eatonsmith.-

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