TopicUK Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

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KIRKLEES & CALDER RDALE NO23

D i s t r i b u t e d

BUSINESS M A R C H 2 0 1 8 - W W W. TO P I C U K . C O. U K

BIG INTERVIEW

CLAIRE O’CONNOR ON TAKING BABYBALLET GLOBAL P30

STORIES OF SUCCESS: THE CHILDREN’S BOOKS THAT INSPIRED THE REGION'S BUSINESSPEOPLE P16

FOCUS ON APPRENTICESHIPS WE TALK TO THOSE IN THE KNOW P26

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PACKAGES TAILORED TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS 2 STARTER ANIMATION 2 STARTER LIVE ACTION 2 WANT SOMETHING SPECIAL ?

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TopicUK TopicUK is a free publication and available from a number of outlets across the region.

G RO U P

E D I TO R

Gill Laidler E D I TO R

Alex Mason C R E AT I V E

D I R EC TO R

Rob Blackwell B I G

I N T E RV I E W

ClaireO’Connor L EG A L

M AT T E R S

Chadwick Lawrence H OW

I T ’ S

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Stories Of Success World Book Day

Hall 22 Raithwaite A haven of tranquility

M A D E

Molly Bunce M A R K E T I N G

U P DAT E

KC Communications CO M M E RC I A L

P RO P E RT Y

Mark Hanson G O O D

FO O D

The Black Cat Holmfirth

Image:Nigel Parry

Cover: Claire O’connor It's Made 40 How High end hats

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Patrick Stewart 46 Sirheads for home

Contents &Comments DETAILS OF T HIS M ON T H‘S TOPIC UK, YOUR LOC AL B US IN ES S C OM M UN IT Y M AGAZIN E

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Editor’s Notes Pick Up Your Copy

by Alex Mason

Hi everyone. I can’t quite believe I’m welcoming you to the March edition of TopicUK already; it doesn’t seem five minutes since we were putting together our Christmas issue yet we’re already nearly a quarter of the way into 2018!

In line with National Apprenticeships Week, which falls this month, this issue takes a look at the benefits of apprenticeships versus traditional degrees, and on page 16 we catch up with business owners and apprentices from across Kirklees and Calderdale to get their views.

A big thanks to everyone who took the time to take part.If you read the feature and are considering recruiting an apprentice, page 29 contains some helpful insight and advice on how to go about doing so from The Apprentice Finder, Adrian Bird.

This month’s How It’s Made feature is a favourite of mine, as I got to catch up with Halifax-based milliner, Molly Bunce, who makes the most amazing bespoke hats and headwear for men and women. Molly’s hats have been featured everywhere from Emmerdale to OK! Magazine; find out how she makes them and how she got into the industry on page 40.

It was also great to catch up with babyballet founder, Halifax-born Claire O’Connnor, to find out more about how she has grown her business into a successful franchise model and is heading for global growth as part of our ‘Big Interview’ on page 30.

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The John Smith's Stadium

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Stafflex Recruitment

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Costa Coffee

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Sainsbury’s Market Street, Huddersfield and Brighouse store

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Heritage Business Centre

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Ramsdens Solicitors

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Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors

Have a read of Claire’s secret to success and her tips for growing your business.

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Holiday Inn Brighouse

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Cedar Court Hotel Huddersfield

Our latest update from our charity of the year, Goals4Hearts, sees them teaming up with the Huddersfield Town Foundation to place life-saving defibrillators into its Breakfast Club schools in the local and surrounding Huddersfield area. A great initiative that you can find out more about on page X.I hope you enjoy this edition, and thanks for picking up your copy of TopicUK Kirklees and Calderdale.

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Elsie Whiteley Business Centre

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National Coal Mining Museum

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Yorkshire Sculpture Park

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Leeds Bradford Airport

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Big Shots Cafe Brighouse

plus many more outlets see website for details

For Partnership opportunities

Tel: 07711 539047 The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those held by the publishers and therefore, no responsibility can be held by the publisher for misinterpretation. Reproduction of this magazine without the express permission of the publisher is prohibited. Whilst every care is taken in the production of this magazine, the publisher/ editor and staff cannot accept any responsibility for errors in articles, advertisements or programme schedules. To subscribe contact 07711 539047 or email editor@topicuk.co.uk. Published by Ghost Publishing Limited, Paragon Point, Paragon Business Village, Red Hall Crescent, Wakefield WF1 2DF. TopicUK is also not responsible for any advice given by contributors.

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NEWS

UPDATE

TopicUK Kirklees & Calderdale brings you a roundup of news and events and what’s been happening in our region recently

Ramsdens Solicitors launch p p new specialist department

The objective of the multi-disciplinary team is to support and advise clients that operate as a partnership, LLP or limited company from the point of creation through every stage of development, with clients ranging from legal and accountancy practices, to surveyors, architects, and medical and dental practitioners.

The specialist team will deliver expertise across a range of advice and representation services including core documentation, governance and change management, mergers and acquisitions and reward and progression structures and performance management.

In addition, it will cover succession planning and implementation, regulatory issues and liaison with governing bodies, sensitive investigations, and pre- dispute and dispute resolution support and litigation.

The new team is made up of experienced lawyers and 6

advisers, many of whom hold or have held senior management positions in their own successful firms.

David Bradley, Chairman of Ramsdens and member of the specialist team said: “By bringing together experienced professionals working across disciplines, we provide a focussed and highly relevant service to clients in the professional services firm sector.

The business dynamics within professional services firms often display unique characteristics which, as lawyers, partners, members and owners ourselves, we understand and tailor our advice to accordingly.

“We believe this sector of the market is not currently served particularly well and with our partner led service, we aim to improve upon that situation.”

Ramsdens other specialist team members are, Paul Joyce, Stephen Newman, Joanne Coen, Paul Booth and Richard Dean.

SME funding g up p for grabs to boost g Huddersfield broadband speeds Businesses in Huddersfield are being urged to apply for new vouchers worth £1,000 towards the costs of upgrading their broadband connection.

The new Connectivity Vouchers will be available to SMEs under the Digital Enterprise programme, which this year has invested £1.7m in digital projects that are set to deliver a £5m boost to the regional economy.

The vouchers are the newest initiative to be offered by the publicly funded programme, which

was set up in September 2016 to help businesses in the region grow by improving their connectivity and digital infrastructure.

More than 1,200 jobs are expected to be generated by Digital Enterprise funding that has been delivered to businesses in the region so far this year.

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Todmorden Market is one of Britain’s best

Digital Exchange programme manager, Muz Mumtaz, said: “Connectivity Vouchers are a really convincing offer to smaller businesses. They represent a straightforward one-off £1,000 contribution towards the cost of installing faster broadband.

“A growing number of broadband suppliers are now on board and the funding can also be used towards expenses such as construction costs, if a road or pavement needs to be dug up, as well as hardware such as a new router or firewall.”

SMEs in the Leeds City Region are eligible for the vouchers. Businesses

should first check their eligibility via the Digital Enterprise website, www. digitalenterprise.co.uk , where they can also find out more in-formation about the voucher scheme.

Mr Mumtaz said: “A rapid internet connection is a basic requirement for almost any business to succeed and grow these days. Superfast connectivity opens the door to a world of cloud-based resources which can be transformational, particularly to a small business, and Connectivity Vouchers are designed to provide that vital help many smaller firms need to progress their digital upgrade.

Todmorden Market has been named as one of Britain’s Best Markets at the Annual National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) awards.

The market scooped the title of Britain’s Best Small Indoor Market at the awards which celebrate excellence in retail and markets across the UK. Judges were impressed with Todmorden’s traditional market and commented on its fine heritage and customer service.

The Market Hall was built in 1879, and has a Tenants’ Association which regularly meets with the Council to continually improve the market offer.

Last year, the Council carried out

a £500k refurbishment programme of the Market Hall, including new roofing, insulation, repaired stonework and pipes and the provision of new toilet facilities.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, Cllr Barry Collins, said: “It’s wonderful news that Todmorden Market has been named Best Small Indoor Market of the Year. The market may be small compared to others around the country, but it certainly punches above its weight in terms of the quality of stalls and produce, and fantastic atmosphere, thanks to the great mix of traders.

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Partnership deal to deliver funding for global business

New Year,, new appointment Huddersfield accountancy practice, Sheards Accountants, has begun 2018 with the appointment of a Practice Manager.

Lucy Smith has been appointed for the new role which has been created to improve the overall operations of the practice, as the business gears up for growth in 2018.

Lucy joins from a Leeds-based charity where she worked as a finance officer and project co-ordinator. She will be responsible for implementing improvements of the practice’s systems and processes, while managing client on-boarding and satisfaction alongside marketing and event planning.

Commenting on the appointment, Kevin Winterburn - Director at Sheards, commented: “This is an exciting time for us; the new role will help us to expand our current offering while maintaining our service level standards with our client base. This year will see our momentum continue to be at the forefront of cloud accounting in the Huddersfield area.

We’re looking forward to Lucy coming on board and feel she has the right set of skills to help us mover forwards in 2018.”

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Yorkshire-based business consultancies ABL Business and Praesum Partners have agreed a partnership deal to provide a specialist commercial funding service to high worth entrepreneurs and their businesses across the globe.

The new operation can fund business activities even where banks or traditional funding sources are reticent or too slow to react to a changing market and opportunities that such changes present for early adopters.

The companies’ deep understanding of the commercial aspects of finance-raising, combined with a their knowledge of the issues facing family offices, trustees of family businesses, partnerships and investment companies, means they can get quick decisions for business projects.

Since joining forces, the two companies have already collaborated to source commercial funding for major UK and international projects in Dublin, Monaco, Dubai and the

Georgian capital, Tblisi. These range from property developments, such as hotels and luxury apartments to biotech businesses and technology innovations for export to developing countries.

Andy Redman, joint Managing Director of ABL Business, said: “The proposition naturally includes funding packages for high-value assets for time-constrained entrepreneurs - items such as private jets and helicopters as well as luxury cars and yachts. Yet we are equally at home with asset financing, from car fleets to specialised plant, project finance, development The firm was tasked with surveying the site, designing an aesthetically pleasing solution and installing flood prevention measures after the store was forced to close for several weeks as a result of flooding following Storm Desmond in 2015.

The supermarket chain was left with a multi-million pound insurance claim following the disaster, which also saw their insurers threaten to increase their premium or even withdraw flood cover altogether,

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Kirklees & Calderdale Praesum Partners, said: “Our clients and contacts have been asking us for some time to find a solution to the ever-widening “funding gap” - that is the gap between what commercial lenders will or will not do and what is then left for traditional equity providers. When it comes to raising finance, clients prefer to have all their transactions securely arranged through one dedicated advisor team who know them well and have worked closely with them to understand their specific needs”.

Photo (L to R): Joint MDs Alex Beardsley, (ABL Business) Neil Manaley, (Praesum Partners) Tim Thornton (Praesum Partners) and Andy Redman (ABL Business)

finance, invoice finance, commercial property finance and straight-forward business finance.

“One key distinction is that having over 120 lenders on our panel, including entrepreneurial groups of funders, means we are not reliant on one source to finance any particular transaction.

Factoring lending requirements in this way means we can get to “yes” on very commercial terms in most cases presented to us”.

ABL Business, based in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, provides asset and development finance to businesses and has been growing

rapidly and expanding out across the UK since launching nearly five years ago. This new deal will take the company to the next level, enabling them to reach an affluent and influential international market.

Praesum Partners, based in Wetherby, near Leeds, are advisors to HNWIs (High Net Worth Individuals) – people earning over £100,000 p/a, or having investable assets worth more than £250,000 - and Ultra HNWIs - those with assets of £20million or more.

Neil Manaley, joint Managing Director of

“By joining forces with ABL we are able to bring our clients some certainty in an uncertain market, bringing direct access to commercial finance when they need it, thus providing a seamless end-to-end service”.

Andy Redman added: “With access to 120 funding providers, we’ve been able to help thousands of businesses, mainly SMEs, to grow by finding them the funding they need.

We’ve been extending that support across the UK through a growing network of appointed representatives who are in a position to liaise with their local business communities.

“This relationship with Praesum Partners enables us to reach a completely new client group on a global level. We’re extremely excited to be sourcing funding for such major projects - some amounting to multi-million pound international developments - and helping them to come to fruition.”

For more information about Praesum Partners visit www.praesumpartners.co.uk For more information about ABL Business visit www.abl-business.co.uk

Flood solution for major retailer Flood protection expert, The Flood Company, has completed an installation of a heavy duty flood mitigation solution for nationwide supermarket Sainsbury’s at their store in Carlisle. should preventative measures not be implemented to protect from future flooding.

The Flood Company provided a Buffalo Panel System, which was retro-fitted to the building and creates an exterior flood proof seal. In addition they installed Buffalo Glass; an aesthetically pleasing barrier used in

public areas, as well as a Buffalo HD Barrier System around doors and loading bays.

Secondary pumps and control systems were also installed to control the flow of water and create a secondary line of defence for the store.

On the successful installation, James Ruddiman, Sales Director at The Flood

Company commented: “We know just how disastrous flooding can be to a business, not just in terms of loss in revenue, but also with the loss of assets as well as the cost of staff, and clearing up the aftermath. By installing flood mitigation products, businesses can ensure fast businesscontinuity once flooding has subsided.”

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3M BIC installs new state-of-the-art technology A local building contractor has won a tender to implement significant changes to the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC), as part of the Huddersfield Innovation and Incubation Project (HIIP).

HIIP has been funded through a £2.9m grant from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal – a £1bn package of government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region. It will see significant investment in equipment and facilities at the 3M BIC based on Firth Street.

Illingworth and Gregory Ltd (I&G), based in Milnsbridge, Huddersfield, has secured the work following a procurement

process, which saw 11 companies bid for the tender.

They will work alongside Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) that are providing architectural services.

Work will commence at the beginning of February and will include adjustments to internal and external doors to accommodate large equipment, fittings for gas and water in numerous rooms, and building internal walls.

Through the HIIP, businesses

will have access to state-ofthe-art technology at the 3M BIC to aid growth. Facilities will include, a self-serve digital “space” equipped with a range of 3D printers, virtual reality, 4K videography; a fully supported metal additive manufacturing (AM) centre of excellence; an imaging suite equipped with optical, laser and electron microscopy equipment; metrology grade X-Ray CT; a visualisation suite for product design, animation, and business data analytics and High Performance Computing, plus a fully equipped software training suite.

Michael Wilson, Centre Manager and HIIP Director at the 3M BIC, said: “Significant modifications to the centre have to be made to house the new facilities we are investing in as part of the HIIP. Some of the technology is quite big or require temperature-controlled

environments and gas and water supplies, so we’re having to widen doors and build specific internal spaces to accommodate them. It’s all hands-on deck to get the work complete before Spring.”

Cllr David Sheard, West Yorkshire Combined Authority member and Leader of Kirklees Council, said: “By giving local businesses access to the tools and technology they need to modernise, invent and transform, the Huddersfield Innovation and Incubation Project (HIIP) is helping to boost our local economy and increase our innovation capacity.

Local Growth Deal funding is supporting Kirklees companies to compete on the national and international stage for digital, design and smart manufacturing as well as create jobs and grow the economy for the long-term.”

I

son Harrison, established for 40 years, opened its Huddersfield branch in January 2017.

After originally acquiring the firstfloor office of Lion Chambers on John William Street, 12 months on the firm will expand into the ground floor office this month, accommodating a team of six people.

James Smith, Huddersfield branch manager, commented on the expansion: “Huddersfield has always been a special place for me; I’ve lived here all my life so I was excited to get the opportunity to head up the new branch in my hometown. After pitching the idea of a new Huddersfield branch, the firm was really receptive and soon after we acquired an office location in 10

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Promotion at Stafflex Lawyer y for survivors of abuse joins Ramsdens Ramsdens solicitors has appointed Abuse and Personal Injury lawyer, Natalie Marrison to lead its new Abuse Team.

Natalie brings more than 15 years’ experience working on a number of high-profile cases in the UK and abroad.

Court of Protection Department within the firm, advising on all aspects of Abuse Law.

She will develop the existing client base of claims for survivors of both physical and sexual abuse against private institutions and establishments, working on substantial and already established group actions.

Joanne Coen, Partner and Head of Child Care at Ramsdens said: “We’re delighted to welcome

She will also work closely with the Child Care and

Natalie said: “I am thrilled to have joined Ramsdens.

Natalie to the team. She has a great deal of experience and we know she will be great with our clients.”

The opportunity to help build their Abuse department was one that I could not turn down. I am very much looking forward to playing a role in driving the business forward.”

Natalie is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and the Law Society Personal Injury Panel and she is recommended as a “Leading Individual” in the Legal 500.

Law firm expands p following excellent first year A Yorkshire law firm has announced its Huddersfield branch is expanding following a successful 12 months. the heart of the town, just opposite the train station. This has been a fantastic 12 months for us and our expansion is testament to that.”

The Huddersfield branch offers Residential Conveyancing, Family Law and Wills and Probate services at the heart of its business, with James himself specialising in residential and commercial property law. The team has recently been boosted with the addition of Chloe Jensen, Heather Ward and Rebecca Cronshaw, plus two new

conveyancing assistants to support the growing Huddersfield property market.

Ison Harrison managing partner, Jonathan Wearing, added: “Launching Huddersfield last year was a completely new area for us and it’s been interesting to see how it has performed over the last 12 months. As our expansion demonstrates, we’re proud of the achievements made so early on and James Smith has been integral in helping Ison Harrison put our stamp on Huddersfield.”

Recruitment firm, Stafflex, has promoted Abigail Stahelin-Hall, to Compliance and Operations Director.

Following completion of her degrees and qualifying as a teacher, Abigail worked as a history teacher before joining the Stafflex Education team in 2012.

After successfully reviewing a number of the company’s policies, she moved away from her consultant role and began managing the company’s compliance and operations procedures.

Recently, she has overseen the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Audit which required Stafflex to demonstrate industry best practice in areas such as education compliance, customer service, client management, staff development and diversity through a comprehensive audit scheme.

Abigail said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to take up this new role. I have been working for the company in a variety of ways for over 17 years. We have some fantastic plans for this year and I am looking forward to the challenge of my new director level role”.

Brian Stahelin, Managing Director said: “Abby has played a significant role in the continued success of Stafflex. Our clients, candidates and staff have all praised Abby’s expert conduct, professionalism and dedication.

She is an integral part of the team and this promotion recognises her achievements.”

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Business boost for consultancy following China visit

A Hebden Bridge business whose stock and machines were badly damaged by flooding is now thriving with the help of funding from Calderdale Council.

Flooded local business bounces back

The floods of Boxing Day 2015 left Print Bureau in Hebden Bridge unable to continue production in-house, with the business forced to temporarily outsource its services.

After applying for a series of grants from the Calderdale Council, the business received £2,500 to help recover the retail site, while the landlord received a £5,000 resilience grant to limit damage in the event of another flood.

The company also received a £10,000 Business Enhancement Grant earlier this year, which has paid for a latex printer, vinyl cutter and computer to run the machines and software.

The company is now once again providing 95% of requested products in-house, with limited outsourcing. Turnover has also increased by £70k and two new roles have been created within the company, plus a second site has opened.

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Managing Director Mike Dumbreck was delighted with the reassurance and support provided by Calderdale Council. He said: “I find it hard to ask for help for the business and it was liberating and gave me a lift to go through such a smooth and helpful process, for the staff and for the reputation of the business.”

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, Cllr Barry Collins, said: “Since Boxing Day 2015 we have approved flood grants for 590 Calderdale businesses, totalling almost £3 million, and it’s good to see just how valuable they’ve been in helping firms like Print Bureau get back on their feet”.

While flood grants closed to new applications last year, information and advice can be found at www.calderdale. gov.uk/flooding and on community website www.eyeoncalderdale.com.

Huddersfield-based international specialist business consultancy, ConnectChina, has reported a number of new leads following a recent threeday visit to China alongside the Prime Minister.

During the visit between 30 January and 2 February, Theresa May also announced around £9 billion of new deals for British companies.

With UK exports to China seeing a 60% growth since 2010, according to the Home Office, trade between the UK is already at record levels. The visit aimed to develop existing commercial partnerships while supporting the delegation to take advantage of the trade opportunities available in China.

ConnectChina was selected by the Department for International Trade to join the Prime Minister and a multi-sector delegation of more than 40 businesses from across the UK on the visit to China.

Their invitation was a direct result of a recent contract win with Yunnan Investment Bureau, which will see the firm work with UK companies on cooperation and investment opportunities in Yunnan Province in South West China.

The new contract has lead the company to expand its team to meet the requirements of its growing client base.

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Kirklees & Calderdale Joanna Lavan, Managing Director of ConnectChina, said: “Having been a part of the PM’s delegation to China, we are delighted with the opportunities that have arisen.

“During the visit, we attended high profile business events in Wuhan, Beijing and Shanghai, in which we were introduced to a number of CEOs from leading companies and has resulted in a number of new business leads.”

ConnectChina, which was established in 2004 and has offices in Huddersfield and Shanghai, specialise in providing business support services to help both public and private sectors in the UK & overseas develop trade and investment opportunities with China.

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BUSIN ESS

TALK

In each issue, businessman Mike Phillips shares insights into the learnings and experiences he and his wife Marina experienced in setting up – and later selling – a successful business in the IT/Telecoms industry.

Mike Phillips

the things you need to learn to achieve your ambition. You can’t get to where you want to go until you know how to get there. Map and compass; simple but not easy.

The tragedy is that so many people will set a big goal and then work twelve, sixteen or more hours a day, seven days a week, achieving little because they are doing the wrong things. I know that because it’s something I’ve done over and over. Learning through your own mistakes and experience can be cruel.

Whatever you want, whether in business or in life, you must decide what it is. It’s as simple as that! If you don’t know what you want, then you will float aimlessly through your time on this planet like a rudderless ship in the middle of the ocean.

But a rudder is no use on its own. If you’re in the middle of the Pacific you need a map, a compass and an engine - or one day you’re still going to sink. The map and compass provide the knowledge you need to navigate to your goal of survival, and the engine provides the effort required to physically move towards that goal.

The simple recipe for success First, define your goal. Then, commit to acquiring the information and skill you need to be able to get there, and finally, always provide the constant, consistent and persistent effort and energy that you know it will take.

It is a ‘universal law’ that you must learn 14

I had the engine, I had the rudder, but I didn’t know how to navigate to my destination. I was doomed to sail around in circles until the day I sank. And I sank many times.

who knew things that I didn’t, based on their experience.

Coaches and consultants generally have a bad image with entrepreneurs, and that’s because many lack experience. But find one that has it, and they can be worth their fee many, many times over.

For more information on how Mike can help with business turnaround, team building, or business planning please email michaelphps@gmail.com

Using coaching to learn So what changed? I discovered what I was doing wrong and learnt the right things to do. It took me fifteen very difficult years. I got hold of a map and a compass and then I sailed straight towards my goal.

The most effective way of learning, measured by input of effort and output of results is, for my money, coaching. You can benefit from ten years’ of experience in ten minutes.

I could have saved years of making and repeating simple mistakes. For a few grand I could have started a million-pound business many years earlier than I did. The return on investment would have been staggering.

I know coaching works. After I had learned enough to successfully start a business, I continued to use coaches in one form or another and our business went from strength to strength. I knew that I didn’t know everything that I needed to know to grow the business profitably or to sell it successfully, so I took advice from people

West Yorkshire’s largest independent recruitment specialists

Call us on

01484 35 10 10 Connect with us ! linkedin.com/company/stafflex-limited www.facebook.com/stafflexjobs @Stafflexjobs www.stafflex.co.uk

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Stafflex Recruitment to launch training division Huddersfield recruitment firm Stafflex has begun developing a training division using Team Teach training, a nationally recognised programme providing positive handling, restraint reduction, de-escalation and behaviour management courses to its teachers and support staff.

Stafflex’s education team is currently training to become licenced ‘Advanced Team Teach’ tutors, with a view to running courses in the next academic year.

Team Teach is the only training programme

in the UK which focuses on physical intervention techniques and has received a National Training Award – the highest level of award attainable in the UK, which is also supported by the Government.

Team Teach also rewards Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which is an important aspect in improving teachers’ skills and personal development.

Stafflex education team manager, Rosie Stahelin, said: “The course really empowers teachers with the knowledge and skills to help students and children learn how to better manage their feelings and improve their allround behaviour which is an issue at most schools and colleges.

He said; ‘’I’m really looking forward to joining up with the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust team again and helping raise funds in the fight against cancer in young people’’.

TV star Mark “The Beast” Labbett – from ITV’s ‘The Chase’ is set to appear in Elland at a charity quiz to raise funds for the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust.

The Huddersfield based youth cancer charity has organised the quiz, where teams of four can enter for £100 per team which includes a Bertie’s supper. The winning team through

The 12 hour ‘Basic Team Teach’ course will be spread over two days taking place at the Kirklees College in Huddersfield.

final round with the world renowned quizzer, but Labbett was the evening’s overall winner.

Labbett is a favourite on ITV game show The Chase in the UK and has also appeared on the American version as their sole ‘chaser’ and as one of five ‘chasers’ on the Australian version of the show.

TV ‘chaser’ to appear at Elland charity event

The ‘chaser’ will pit his general knowledge against a room full of quiz teams at Bertie’s, Elland on 17 March in a multi-round keypad quiz.

“We know that courses can have a negative impact on the organisation of a school day, so we have decided to run all of ours in the evenings, at weekends or during school holidays.

The event is being supported by Halifax based Sheena Doherty, a Principal Partner with Sovereign Wealth. Money raised from “A Beast of Quiz” will fund local projects supporting young cancer patients, run by The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust. the rounds will once again go head to head with “The Beast”.

At last year’s event, the top team from the floor went head to head in a closely contested

Tickets are available from The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust by emailing hello@ lauracraetrust.org or calling 01484 510013.

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Q: Why did this story inspire you?

Stories of Success The beginning of this month (1st March) saw thousands of schools, children, supermarkets and libraries across the globe take part in World Book Day. To mark the occasion, TopicUK asked business people from across the region which childhood stories inspired them, and why.

Natasha McCreesh Founder and Business Coach at PiP to Grow Strong Q: Which childhood story inspired you?

A Woman of Substance by -Barbara Taylor Bradford 16

During my teens, I was an avid reader soaking up anything I could get my hands on. My Mum was a fan of Danielle Steele, Catherine Cookson and Barbara Taylor Bradford and so I found myself drawn to predominantly female authors. I remember being inspired by the story of Emma Harte shared by Barbara Taylor Bradford in A Woman of Substance.

Being from Yorkshire, I enjoyed that the story was set against the backdrop of Yorkshire and I remember feeling a need to connect with the places mentioned in the story. I have always held a desire to remain connected to Yorkshire and local organisations and business leaders remain a core part of my business.

Q: What could others learn by reading this book if they haven’t already?

Seeing the choice in every situation is vital to the success and sustainable growth of any business, including mine.

Q: And what are you currently reading?

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson - because we are all crazy in some way!

Lauren Holden Freelance Copywriter

Q: Which particular character inspired you, and why?

Emma Harte and her strength as an independent woman and her entrepreneurial spirit; she made powerful choices for the benefit of herself and her daughter. I resonate with this even more now as a mother myself. I was inspired by how she worked hard, and then smart, to build her empire, not being afraid of making tough decisions along the way.

Q: How have you translated a theme/value/ethos from the book into your business life?

This clarity in decision making and resilience is important for me in my business and it is also something that I encourage and nurture in my clients.

Q: Which childhood story inspired you?

Enid Blyton’s The Folk of the Faraway Tree

Q: Why did this story inspire you?

Kids’ books can be as thoughtprovoking as the weightier tomes we get through as adults – and I’m not afraid to say that I dipped back into this childhood companion again more recently. Enid Blyton’s books were amongst my favourites – and they’re probably what piqued my interest in reading, and later knuckling down in English lessons.

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The author’s fantastical worlds – like the tree at the end of the Enchanted Forest – gave me an imagination for storytelling that I’ve carried through my life.

Q: Which particular character inspired you, and why?

There was a character called the Angry Pixie, who’d committed a bad deed. But in the book, he wasn’t punished like you’d expect. Instead, to right his wrong he had to commit ‘100 good deeds’ to outdo the bad one. This struck a chord with an eight-yearold me, and while I’m not a saint, I think being nice is key – in your personal life and outside of it.

Q: How have you translated a theme/value/ethos from the book into your business life?

I was never an introverted child, but I really came out of myself when I started working at the newspaper. It gave me social skills I never knew I had – and from then on, I loved interviewing people and finding out what made them tick. Maybe the Angry Pixie and his 100 good deeds inspired me to always be nice to people, even if they’re an awkward interviewee!

Q: What could others learn by reading this book if they haven’t already?

There’s a lot to be said for a little bit of escapism – and if you’re looking to switch off from a busy day or a stressful week, delve into a good book like this one. Enid Blyton weaves lots of

themes throughout her books – and generally, they have a lovely moral undertone or two, namely, if you’re a bad person, bad things happen to you. But above all, I think books should just take us away from our daily stresses.

Q: And what are you currently reading?

I’m re-reading a great book by Yorkshire-based business and life coach, Andrew Miller. I met Andrew a couple of years ago, when I was just kicking things off as a self-employed copywriter, and my session with him was really useful. He has a number of books out, but this one – ‘Successful Start-Ups: Get Going.

Stay Going’ – has been valuable to kick-start 2018 and a new year in business.

Adam Watson Director at HollywoodMirrors. co.uk

coming from behind and scoring late goals to win the league and cup. Most young boys dream of scoring the winning goal and at Wembley lifting the FA Cup!

Q: Which particular character inspired you, and why?

Roy; he was a goal machine with over 300 goals and played for 40 years. Sadly it was not the same for me - I played right back in my footballing days and did not get anywhere near to shooting at goal!

Q: How have you translated a theme/value/ethos from the book into your business life?

I am pretty competitive in all aspects of my life. I love to win, and if I can’t, I have a never say die attitude. You have to be a bit like this in business. If you knew before you started what you’d have to go through, sometimes you would never start. The book typified the glory of winning.

and it has blown my mind, and is an entirely different outlook on any other book I have read on running and measuring results for a business. It goes against human nature and many of the business principles that are proven, hence why 98% of companies fail after ten years, and that does not mean the other 2% are profitable they are just about surviving. Every business problem you have had started out as a new ‘good idea’, so don’t have any more ideas and stick to what is working as dull as that is.

Jackie Griffiths Headteacher at Hipperholme Grammar School

Q: What could others learn by reading this book if they haven’t already?

Q: Which childhood story inspired you?

Roy of the Rovers

They have brought out a new version that I plan to read it to my kids in the future. It will hopefully show them to believe in fairy tales and life’s possibilities, but also understand life can be unpredictable, like when half of Roy’s teammates got gunned down in South Africa.

Q: Why did this story inspire you?

Q: And what are you currently reading?

It just shows that, no matter how unlikely, nothing is impossible to achieve. For example, Manchester Rovers

Keith Cunningham-How to Have An Insanely Successful Business.

The book is the work of a genius,

Q: Which childhood story inspired you?

I was a voracious reader as a child and found many a night under the bedclothes with a torch finishing a chapter in a book I found difficult to put down. Therefore it is very difficult to pick out one story in particular, however my favourite of all time was Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.

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STOR IES

O F

Q: Why did this story inspire you?

It inspired me because like many young girls I always wished to own a pony! I think the influence it had was in terms of tenacity and friendship, because although the story is told through the eyes and voice of Black Beauty, he is often personified and I found his journey through life an inspiration. Whichever adversity or challenge he faced he found support and encouragement and never gave up. He was also extremely loyal and hardworking and encouraged others to work to their strengths.

SU CCE S S In adulthood I have continued my love for books and enjoy a wide range of genres. At the moment I am reading The Crow Girl which is a gripping psychological thriller.

Lydia y Butterworth Kirklees College, Commercial and Enterprise Manager.

I think children would learn to value long and lasting friendships. They would experience a former era and the hardships encountered, and develop a sense of compassion. I hope they would also experience the thorough enjoyment of losing themselves in a wonderful story.

Q: And what are you reading currently?

18

LWW is chock-a-block full of moral principles such as honesty and integrity, forgiveness, courage and self-sacrifice. Working in education makes me a rolemodel for young people and I believe that it’s my professional responsibility to uphold these values.

As a child I loved the freedom of using my imagination and the idea that anything is possible if you have an adventurous outlook on life. The Hobbit took me on a whirlwind of possibilities that you can set out on a quest of a lifetime as long as you have optimism (and a few crazy friends).

by reading this book if they haven’t already?

inspired you?

It’s sold over 100 million copies across the world, been translated into 47 different languages and C.S. Lewis has been dead for over half a century and yet every time I read it – even as an adult, I pick up on something new. It wasn’t until I read it again in my late teens that I became aware of the Christian symbolism.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis

Q: And what are you reading currently?

Q: Why did this story inspire you?

Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff - a journalist offers an inside account of the first year of the Trump White House. It’s yet another tale of a creature with a yellow mane of hair, living in an imaginary world!

a theme/value/ethos from the book into your business life?

Q: What could others learn by reading this book if they haven’t already?

Q: Why did this story inspire

Q: What could others learn

Q: How have you translated

I would like to think that I have developed many of these qualities during my career and that they have helped me to always take on a challenge and persevere whilst maintaining an empathetic approach.

a theme/value/ethos from the book into your business life?

Q: Which childhood story

I was utterly captivated by the gloriously vivid descriptions of a magical fantasy world, mythical beasts and talking animals. It is an allegory of reading itself: the reader is absorbed into the tale, like Lucy into the Wardrobe.

Q: Which particular character inspired you and why?

Stephen p Forster Domiciliary Care Worker The Care Collection

As an 8-year-old I was totally obsessed with Aslan- a friendly, talking Lion. What’s not to love?

Q: Which childhood story inspired you?

Q: How have you translated

The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien

you?

Q: Which particular character inspired you and why?

Bilbo Baggins was somewhat of a hero of mine growing up.

I admired Bilbo’s courage, heroism and determination to seek his treasure. The nine-yearold in me learned a lot from Bilbo. Not only that it’s OK to be shorter than the average person (!), but throughout the book it was clear that his maturity and determination along his quest for adventure, allowed him to gain personal growth. To this day I try instil these traits in my personal and professional everyday life.

Q: How have you have translated a theme/value/eth os from the book into your business life?

As a child I was very active, adventurous and always interested in what made people happy and the psychology behind human decisions.

The Hobbit taught me many areas of friendship and team work, two huge areas that I have taken with me in my career as a

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STOR I ES home care worker. Working with people less fortunate than myself, some who have learning difficulties, disabilities and mental health issues, allows me to use my childhood experiences which have developed into people skills and putting others’ happiness before my own.

I’ve completed reading it.

Andy y Howarth Chairman, Howarths People & Safety Management

Q: What do you think other people could learn by reading this book if they haven’t already?

The Hobbit will open your mind up, make you think outside the box and allow you to use your imagination when living your everyday life. It will teach you its okay to be different and have a dream, no matter how unrealistic that dream may be. Go out and chase your ambitions.

Q: And what are you reading currently?

The Secrett by Rhonda Byrne.

I’m a big believer that things happen for a reason and we meet people by choice, not by accident. The Secret is based on the laws of attraction, put simply, the ability to attract things into our life that we really focus on. The Secret is a big reason I took on a career in care.

I think it’s important in everyday life to treat people as you wish to be treated, as cliché as that is. Help others and be kind. If you’re an optimist I would highly recommend buying this book, or contact me once

OF

S UC CES S

was a police officer for 30 years and it was often fairly easy to detect a motive for whatever situation, be it greed, anger, need, jealousy, revenge, or alcohol/ drug fuelled. In contrast, in business I learned very quickly that the only motivation is generally profit and loss. I decided very early on that honesty and integrity and simply trying to do the right thing meant much more to me than the bottom line.

Q: What do you think other people could learn by reading this book if they haven’t already?

Q: Which childhood story inspired you?

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The most amazing story of innocence versus bigotry.

Q: Which particular character inspired you and why?

The iconic figure in this amazing piece of literature is without doubt Atticus.

Atticus is a lawyer of some considerable integrity, and even though he is a fictional character he is revered in legal circles, particularly in America and is often referred to in law schools.

Any aspiring business person could learn valuable lessons from Atticus given that there is a real need for initially having your own vision of what you want to achieve and, more importantly, why.

Mine was to provide a legacy for my sons and to set up a charity with the proceeds of the profit to help others (The Howarth Foundation).

Q: How have you have

To achieve their goals, an ambitious entrepreneur will need all of the qualities demonstrated by Atticus Finch including determination, focus, stubbornness, and the ability to stand by your own principles irrespective of the views and opinions of others.

translated a theme/value/ ethos from the book into your business life?

I have been in business now for 15 years but prior to this

Like Atticus, in our business, I have tried to flatten my own grass and not follow the beaten track.

Business student among best in country A business and enterprise student from Kirklees College was judged to be among the best BTEC students in the country.

Haroon Mahmood was a finalist at the British Education Awards 2018, representing the North West, North East, Humberside and Yorkshire and West Midlands areas. Haroon, 19, from Heckmondwike, was nominated for achieving a Distinction in Level 2 BTEC Understanding Enterprise and Enterpreneurship at the college's Huddersfield Centre.

He has now progressed to the Level 3 course. Haroon is registered as severely sight impaired, but helps his mother to care for his sister who has additional needs. As well as helping at home, Haroon has been a course representative at college and a Super Rep at the Student Executive Council in 2016/17. He was also the Student Union's Disability Officer. Haroon's former tutor Lydia Butterworth, who made the nomination, said: "Haroon displays a unique level of determination and positivity which are utterly infectious. He grabs every opportunity with both hands.

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CHAR I T Y

U PDATE

Charity raises over £7,500 to get homeless back into employment

Local charities to make schools a safer place Goals 4 Hearts has teamed up with the Huddersfield Town Foundation to place life-saving defibrillators into its Breakfast Club schools in the local and surrounding Huddersfield area.

The initiative will be funded using the Town Foundation’s share of the funds raised by Huddersfield Town supporters from this year’s Pedal for Pounds 9 event, sponsored by Made

by Cooper. Both charities recognise the importance of schools being able to house their own defibrillators in case of sudden Cardiac Arrest, given that 270 children lose their lives whilst at school as a result each year in the UK. It’s advised by the government that the First 20

Aid kits in all schools are equipped with a defibrillator, but given the cost, many schools simply cannot afford to own one of these lifesaving pieces of equipment.

Founder of Goals 4 Hearts, Lee Orton commented: “It’s an honour and a privilege to be working alongside Julie Sheffield and all the team at the Huddersfield Town Foundation.

An annual fundraising event founded by a West Yorkshire HR and employment law company has raised more than £7,500 towards helping place homeless and recently homeless people across Leeds and Kirklees back into employment.

Howarths People and Safety Management raised £7,525.16 at its third annual Howarths Music Extravaganza in November at the Cedar Court Hotel in Huddersfield.

The funds will be used to support the work of The Howarth Foundation, the homelessness charity launched by Howarths in February 2017.

Its ‘Business Building Futures’ programme works with an network of regional homeless charities to identify individuals ready to reenter full or part-time employment across Leeds and Kirklees, before providing them with skills training or employment through local companies signed up to the scheme.

Andy Howarth, CEO said: “Once again, our annual music extravaganza was a huge success, with over 250 people attending in support of The Howarth Foundation.

“Events like this are vital in order to raise

“I have seen the amazing work they do for the Huddersfield Community and can’t wait for Goals 4 Hearts to be a part of that.”

“We are so grateful to the Huddersfield Town fans taking part in the Pedal for Pounds 9 event for raising the funds to enable this to happen.”

Business Development manager Natalie Wells with CEO of The Howarth Foundation, Andy Howarth

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Company of the Month

Sponsored by

the money we need to support homeless and recently homeless people through the Foundation, helping to get them off the streets, back on track and making a positive contribution to society. We sincerely thank every person who came along to help us raise over seven and a half thousand pounds.”

Guests at the event were treated to an evening of swing and soul music from Stirling Austin Band, as well as close-up magic from magician Darren Mac, a casino and a silent auction, and a three-course meal.

The Extravaganza follows a successful month for The Howarth Foundation, which saw the charity receive official backing from Leeds City Council and Leeds City Housing, and sign up its twentieth local business to provide skills training or employment as part of the programme.

Companies currently signed up to the Business Building Futures programme include Ringways Motor Group, Procter Bros Ltd, Leeds United Foundation and Vickers Laboratories Ltd.

G3 Remarketing g findings reveal which cars are performing well at auction Recent statistical findings from Leedsheadquartered G3 Remarketing suggest that the cars currently performing well at auction are bucking the industry trend for winter.

The company says that SUV and 4x4 sales are rising as expected, but the seasonal switch to these vehicles is not as sharp as in recent years. In fact G3 sales of other car types indicate that dealers are going against the grain. Bikes are holding up despite the changing season, and smaller petrol cars under the value of £5,000 are also performing well.

Conversion analysis reveals diesel stock has continued to prove popular too. This is perhaps surprising given

the Government’s plan to introduce a ‘toxic tax’ on such vehicles ahead of an initiative to ban them altogether by 2040. However, it would appear that, as yet, demand for these vehicles still exists, certainly in the North, with diesel estates continuing to be G3’s bestseller.

Commenting on the trends, G3’s buyer services manager Alex Miles said: “Of course buyers are reactionary to the market and environment, so, the recent flurry of snow aside, the milder weather perhaps explains the softened switch to 4x4s and SUVs. “But other statistics will appear surprising for this time of year.The mixture of vehicle types selling well suggests good growth

potential for remarketers and dealers alike.”

Business development manager, Adrian Maclauchlan added: “In an industry where new car sales have been popular for so long, it is encouraging to see vehicles under £5k performing well.”

G3’s findings support recent prediction figures revealed

by The Society of Motor Traders and Manufacturers.

The SMTM has suggested that there will be a 4.7% drop in new car registrations over the next two years, resulting in consumers looking towards the used car market to reduce their depreciation risk and overall financial exposure in times of economic uncertainty.

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TRAV E L

UPDATE

Raithwaite Estate a haven of tranquility

The North Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby has been popular with people from across the region for many years. With its charming cobbled streets, bustling harbour and quaint cottages, how could anyone not fall in love with it?

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It is believed author Bram Stoker drew inspiration from the town of Whitby for his legendary 1897 novel Dracula and of course everywhere you look there are reminders of Whitby’s famous son, Captain Cook.

A short drive out of the town, on the road to Sandsend, or a brisk walk along the beach for the more active, is the beautiful Raithwaite Estate, Luxury accommodation on every level and TopicUK Group Editor Gill Laidler was delighted to be asked to visit and review for our readers.

“We arrived at the estate around 6.30pm on a cold January Friday.

There are different types of accommodation on the estate: The Hall; The Keep; The Cottages and the Lake House. We were booked into The Hall and were told we could drive to the front door where the Conceirge would help with our bags and park our car. However, on reaching the bottom of the sweeping drive, The Hall car park was clearly signposted, so we parked ourselves took the short walk to reception.

Here, we were greeted by evening receptionist Keith who swiftly checked us into our Deluxe room and introduced us to the Conceirge who took our bags.

The room was bright, clean and spacious with a huge King size bed, plenty of storage and with that important full length mirror.

The en suite bathroom was very generous with a huge double walk in shower and a bath, as well as a good size wall mirror

and a smaller shavers mirror and quality toiletries. Bath robes and slippers are also provided.

Complimentary bottled water, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and biscuits are provided with use of both a kettle and an espresso coffee machine. There is also complimentary wifi throughout the hotel. However, be warned if you are a mobile phone addict or staying there on business and need to stay in touch with the office, there is very little mobile reception, so the wifi is essential for making calls on WhatsApp. After a comfortable nights sleep, we headed downstairs to the large dining room for breakfast, where we were offered a choice of a table in the restaurant or in the bright conservatory overlooking the beautiful award winning grounds. Choosing the dining room, we were given menus with a large selection of hot breakfast options from a full English, porridge or eggs benedict to famous Whitby kippers. There was a also a large help yourself continental buffet of croissants, muffins, fruit, yoghurt, cereals,

cooked meats and cheeses. We both chose the full English with tea and toast which was brought to the table very swiftly. I have to say the food was perfectly cooked and piping hot.

After breakfast we decided to explore the grounds, even though it was quite bracing out. Across the courtyard from the main hall are small apartments that are

seating, that on such a cold day I can only imagine will be beautiful in Summer as these overlooked stunning gardens and an arbour which is used for wedding ceremonies. Moving up the hill, another pleasant surprise, a small waterfall that is an overflow from the lake that is situated in front of the Lake House, private for hire as a luxurious venue.

A vis visit to Whitby wouldn’t be complete without tasting thee com famous fish and chips... dedicated to guests who wish to bring their well behaved dogs.

Venturing around the rear of the buildings, we noticed many had private patio or balconies.

Adjacent to the apartments were enchanting stone cottages of varying sizes from one bedroom to three.

Following the path signposted for the gardens, this took us towards the rear of The Hall where we found a little stream with bridge over, leading back to the hotel’s conservatory area with outside

Turning back and walking in the opposite direction down the driveway and you arrive at The Keep, an unusual looking building, housing further accommodation in a woodland area of the grounds. From here it is just a short walk to the estate entrance with magnificent views of the sea, Sandsend down the hill to the left and Whitby with its stunning Abbey on the hill to the right.

A short ride into Whitby followed, just a few minutes by car.

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Kirklees & Calderdale For those who have never visited or not been for a long while, now is the time. We have been many times in recent years and it never disappoints. Quaint shops on cobbled streets, selling unique items, most notably famous Whitby Jet where many of the shops have workshops within the shops so you can see the craftsmen at work.

There are lots of pretty tea shops and the streets are awash with artist work both modern and traditional scenes of the old town and abbey. At the foot of the 199 steps that take you to the famous abbey is Whitby’s traditional smoke house where all the fresh herrings are brought and smoked. The famous Whitby Kippers are on sale here as well as at fishmongers across the town.

A visit to Whitby wouldn’t be complete without tasting the famous fish and chips from the many restaurants dotted along the harbour. The Magpie Cafe is world renowned but is currently closed due to a recent fire. I’m sure it won’t be long before it’s back in business.

Back to the hotel and a nap before changing and heading

down to the bar for pre-dinner drinks. Just off the reception, the bar area is both stylish with its baby grand piano and comfortable, with a welcoming log burner, perfect for the cold winter nights. Comfortable armchairs and low coffee tables welcome you as do the pleasant and friendly bar staff. Settling in, we enjoyed a glass or two of wine before dragging ourselves away from the comfort for our 7.15 dinner reservation in the Hall’s French Brasserie.

The Brasserie is the same location as the breakfast room, but transformed with white linen table cloths and napkins, you would be forgiven into thinking it was a different place. The only giveaway is the French caricature

artwork on the walls which is very entertaining.

The menu, although French in style is written in English and is quite extensive. I opted for the Pain de Yorkshire, a selection of breads and olive oils at a reasonable £4, the portion of which was huge and easily enough for two people. My partner opted for the East Coast Crab, mango and cucumber granita with toasted hazelnuts which he assured me was excellent. This was the most expensive starter at £12 but looking around the restaurant, it was popular amongst the other diners.

For the main course we both opted for the same, Sirloin steak served with watercress, mushrooms, confit tomato and hand cut chips. Sauces are available for a small extra cost and we opted for a mixed leaf side salad to share. The whole meal was perfect and for someone fussy about how their steak is cooked, my instructions were followed to the letter and it was cooked perfectly.

Both courses were served very quickly, so we asked for some

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time before deciding whether we could manage dessert. Once again, our server followed our request and left us a good 25 minutes before returning, by which point we thought we would try something light, Glaces - homemade ice cream cones. These were served in unusual ceramic holders and looked very stylish, tasting as good as they looked. Summing up, there was nothing at all we could fault and looking around at how busy the restaurant was, our fellow diners agreed with us.

The one thing we didn’t have time for was a visit to the lovely spa, but as we are hoping to return again in the late Summer, this is top of the list to try. There is a huge heated pool, sauna, steam room and of course the spa where there is a range of relaxing treatments on offer.

Visit the website for the full range of treatments that are available.

The spa is just one of the reasons why Raithwaite Estate is chosen for many weddings. In fact there were two weddings whilst we were there. Not surprising really when you look at the stunning surroundings. The estate also hosts corporate events, with lots of activities available in the grounds or indeed just outside on the beach and with all the conference facilities you would expect of a venue of this quality, it is the perfect place to hold your corporate away day(s).

Following another delicious breakfast of locally sourced bacon, sausage and eggs on the second morning, it was time to pack up and reluctantly leave for home, knowing that it was au revoir and not goodbye.

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K I R K L E ES

C OL L EGE

UP D ATE

Banding g together g for global enterprise challenge success A team of art and design students from Kirklees College reached the final of a global enterprise competition by creating an unusual product idea using rubber bands.

The team from Batley School of Art got down to the last four colleges and universities in the world in the DECA Idea Challenge 2017, alongside teams from the USA, Moldova and Saint Lucia.

The challenge asked participants to come up with an idea for a new

use for an every-day object, and record and submit a video of their plan.

George Dunn, Molly Cavell, Kirsty McEwen, and Kirsty Brien impressed judges with their product ‘CHED’ – a camping chair and bed combo. George said: “It took a while to come up with the design, but we wanted to find something really useful.”Molly added: “We thought this was a great idea because it is really simple yet practical and something everyone can use.”

Lydia Butterworth, Commercial and Enterprise Manager at

Kirklees College, said: “At Kirklees College we try and place enterprise at the heart of everything we do, from being employer responsive, supporting local skills gaps to running professional business networking events. “We robustly embed enterprise in our curriculum, ensuring that every one of our learners is taught entrepreneurial skills.

“We are absolutely delighted that one of our teams has had global success with their enterprising idea and reached the final four worldwide; it’s a fantastic achievement.

Stafflex forms strategic partnership with The Liberti Group Huddersfield recruitment firm Stafflex has announced a strategic g p partnership p with The Liberti Group p aimed at developing p g businesses in the Huddersfield and surrounding districts.

The companies will collaborate in a number of areas all aimed at adding value to their existing client base. The Liberti Group acts as the parent company to a number of sister

businesses across the world who operate under their own distinct brands, and across a range of commercial disciplines from finance, sales and marketing, to IT and human resources.

wealth of knowledge, expertise and support from experienced professional consultants across a range of different fields.”

Brian Stahelin, managing director at Stafflex said: “We are very excited to partner up with The Liberti Group as we recognize that many of our SME clients are not able to afford this kind of consultancy service, and this partnership allows them to access a

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NATION AL

APPR E NTICESH I PS

W E E K

A recent survey by careers advice service AllAboutSchoolLeavers found that more than 30% of parents in the North of England thought their child was ‘too smart’ to become an apprentice.

Focus on Apprenticeships

By Alex Mason - Editor

The results of the survey, which may come as a wakeup call for apprentice employers hoping to attract applications across the region, also found that 78.5% of students say their parents are the ones who help them make career decisions. But what do business owners across Huddersfield think of the findings and what are their experiences of working with apprentices?

“The perception of apprenticeships is that they are for manual, more menial jobs, which is probably what they were when current parents were at the age of considering their own career”, says Andy Earnshaw, operations director at Huddersfieldbased Trafficlear. “It’s not like that now; but there certainly isn’t enough information in colleges, businesses and homes for students, parents, businesses and employers to change ill-informed perceptions and make well informed decisions.”

“Apprenticeships are a credible alternative to A-levels and university, without the debt!”

The suggestion that an individual can be ‘too smart’ for an apprenticeship is one that Mark Auty, director at packaging and design firm, Cossgrove Associates Ltd, isn’t aligned with.

“Roles cannot be measured merely

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as an ‘apprenticeship’”, he says. An apprenticeship in a highly technical position with a multinational plc and phenomenal career prospects, is a different kettle of fish to a local manufacturer who needs someone to learn how to run a machine. To be “too smart” to be an apprentice is therefore an irrelevant statement.”

pathway. A dedicated student recruitment team, such as the one at Kirklees College, can help employers engage with parents and young people, through events such as regional recruitment fairs and open days. Career services are also available online or over the phone to answer any questions, and support parents and young people, as well as employers, in investigating the different options available to ensure they choose the right pathway.”

She adds: “Apprenticeships are not a backup option. Many companies are looking to recruit high achieving school leavers ready to go straight into work, meaning there can be a lot of competition for vacancies.

Employers want focused and motivated young people, while potential apprentices want the opportunity to kick-start their career and earn whilst they learn.

Apprenticeships are a credible alternative to A-levels and university, without the debt!”

Realising the business benefits Changing perceptions So, if the key to changing perceptions and successfully recruiting a schoolleaver apprentice lies in educating parents, what can Kirklees and Calderdale businesses do to give them a head start in doing so?

Lydia Butterworth, commercial and enterprise manager at Kirklees College, says equipping parents and students with knowledge is key.

“Parents and guardians play a key role in their child’s decision when it comes to choosing a progression

Once they’re on board, the advantages of employing an apprentice are being realised in different ways by company bossed across Kirklees and Calderdale.

“The key benefit for us is that we can ensure the apprentice is taught how to do the job ‘our way’”, adds Mark Auty of Cossgrove Associates. “They have no preconceptions or ‘at my old place we used to..’ traits, but in return we guarantee a full time role for successful completion of their apprenticeship, which gives them

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APPRENTICESHIPS AT A GLANCE Kirklees College are in the Top 5 in the UK for Apprenticeships*ö

I’m a huge advocate of Apprenticeships because if you can’t get the skills you need, you can grow your own Grant Hutchinson, Marshalls Mono

9 out of 10

There are approximately half a million apprentices across the UK, with the

apprentices

with their Apprenticeship overall +

Apprenticeship success rates

at Kirklees College are 8 % above the national average ö

Kirklees College are

number one

for Apprenticeships in Yorkshire ö

Apprenticeships are available We knew an Apprenticeship would give our son Isaac a solid grounding for the future and enable him to contribute and add value to the company he is working for

More than 2,600 employers were involved in creating the new Apprenticeship standards

Kirklees Colllege have

2,800 apprentices

Joanne Mallinson, parent

who work for around

9 out of 10 employers

1,000 different employers

said Apprenticeships deliver +

75% Employers gave Kirklees College an average score of 9 out of 10 for the professionalism of staff delivering Apprenticeship training^

of employers said Apprenticeships improved the quality of their service+

* For providers training 1000+ apprentices + Source; www.gov.uk

in 1,500 job roles covering more than

170 industries

71%

of Apprentices stay with the same employer on completion+

All our Apprentices have been conscientious, hard-working, very capable and well trained Peter Sleigh, Sleigh and Story Accountants

Employers scored Kirklees College 9/10 for the overall quality of Apprentice training^ ö - Õrce; National Achievement Rate Tables 2015/6 ^ Source; Skills Funding Agency Employer Satisfaction Survey 2016

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N ATIO N AL

APPR E NTICESH I PS

something tangible to aim for.”

Richard Fitton, managing director at Fitton & Co accountants in Hebden Bridge, explains: “Some jobs that we get in aren’t as financially viable as others, so tasking the apprentice with learning on those smaller jobs to start with helps the jobs to cost out.

Whilst we certainly do pay more than the minimum apprentice rate, this still allow us to be more cost effective for our clients whilst the apprentice is learning the ropes.”

“The advantages of employing an apprentice depends on a number of factors”, adds Katrina Cliffe, managing director of KC Communications. “In the early days of my business, working with apprentices enabled me to grow the business at a time when budget was tight, so they are great resource for SMEs to enable them to grow.

“While apprentices might provide a business with lower overheads, it’s important to monitor the progress of the apprentice, and if they are delivering results and demonstrating eagerness then look at rewarding them financially.

An extra £1 an hour can go a long way to the apprentice feeling valued and continuing to feel motivated. It really is like any other recruitment process though, you need to find the right person.”

Finding the right candidate So, when it comes to finding that right candidate, how are business owners finding the experience?

“We have recruited two

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apprentices over the last 18 months, and we have just started the process of recruiting our next new apprentice who will start around June or July this year”, explains Andy Earnshaw of Trafficlear.

“We were lucky in that soon after we’d decided that we needed our first apprentice, I bumped into of The Apprentice Finder at a networking event. Once Adrian was involved, the process was easy.

Before that, we had no idea how to find an apprentice, believing that we would have to advertise or visit lots of schools and colleges.”

Katrina adds: “My experience has certainly been hit and miss, as having been an apprentice myself, I do have high expectations. There is definitely a lack of soft skills, but apprentices are there to be developed and we certainly do our best to nurture the apprentices who come through our door.

“The biggest issue however is written skills and being able to engage face to face, this is something parents need to take an active role in by encouraging their children to read, sit down at the dinner table on an evening and engage in conversation. Only then can we really start to address the challenges we face in terms of the ‘skills gap’ which is often referred to.”

Working closely with an education establishment can also be beneficial to apprentice recruitment, Lydia Butterworth of Kirklees College continues. “We train around 2,800 apprentices each year in over 30 subjects, and work closely with employers

W E E K during the recruitment and selection of candidates and advertising vacancies both locally and nationally across a selection of platforms. This way, employers can set their own criteria for shortlisting and we’ll present them with a shortlist of desirable candidates to choose from.”

‘From the horse’s mouth’ But with the results of the AllAboutSchoolLeavers survey portraying a somewhat negative view from parents around apprenticeships, what do the apprentices themselves have to say?

Emma Duff is a marketing account executive at ABL Business in Cleckheaton, where she has worked for the past four years.

Emma dropped out of university part way through to join the company after deciding the career path she had chosen wasn’t right for her and an apprenticeship would better suit her aspirations.

She explains: “I knew one of the joint Directors of the company through a family connection and asked if I could gain some work experience at the company.

“From there, they suggested I do an apprenticeship in marketing to understand the reasoning behind the work that I was doing. After consulting friends and family, it sounded like an exciting idea and something that would really help me to progress, as well as getting some more qualifications under my belt.

“Apprenticeships are great at helping you to understand your

job. It’s very satisfying when you’ve been doing a task for a while, then one of the lessons in your apprenticeship explains the importance of that task and the reasoning behind it.”

Luke Rodgers, a commercial finance executive at ABL, joined after a year at college studying to be a PE teacher and deciding the career wasn’t for him.

“After completing my first year in sixth form I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back to full-time education”, says Luke. “I was taking four subjects and the only one that I enjoyed was maths.

“My dad suggested looking at apprenticeships in finance so that I’d be working in an industry where I could put my maths skills to good use. He had seen a job advert at ABL which was for an apprenticeship and that seemed perfect for what I wanted to do.

“Choosing my apprenticeship over sixth from and then university has given me the opportunity to gain invaluable on-the-job experience in my preferred field, and as a plus, earn some money while I’m learning.”

So, with this month’s National Apprenticeship Week doing its bit to promote the ever-growing popularity of ‘earning while you learn’, and the opinions of the featured Kirklees and Calderdale businesses and apprentices sitting in stark contrast with the results of the AllAboutSchoolLeavers survey, it seems that, across Kirklees and Calderdale at least, you’re never ‘too smart’ to be an apprentice.

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A P P R E N T ICES H I PS

W E EK

How to recruit an aw winning apprentice In March 2016, Chloe Gill of Trafficlear in Huddersfield won Apprentice of the Year with Baltic Training Services. She beat approximately 800 apprentices from all over the UK to the title.

But how did this come about? Adrian Bird of The Apprentice Finder explains.

Start with questioning the need for an apprentice Employers usually approach apprentice recruiters for help sourcing an apprentice when they identify either an immediate or future requirement for additional staff. In most scenarios, hiring an apprentice to fulfil an immediate need isn’t usually the best course of action (unless they are replacing an apprentice who has left and the support structures are in place).

As apprentices are usually short on knowledge, skills and experience, they require time to ‘bed in’ to an organisation, as well as employees with the time and skill to support and on-board them.

Where to look In January 2016, Andy Earnshaw at Trafficlear wanted to find an apprentice with the ability to co-ordinate office activity and look after general admin and social media updates. Andy was hoping for somebody to start in the summer of 2016.

Experienced apprentice recruiters will have several avenues open, including relationships built with

schools and colleges, accounts on jobs boards, regular business networking, their own websites on which they advertise vacancies and social media shout-outs.

Candidates for many apprenticeships are typically quite scarce and it’s often difficult to predict which particular avenue will bear fruit.

By April 2016, we had spoken to a variety of candidates who were interested in the Trafficlear vacancy and had whittled them down to a shortlist of three, who the Trafficlear team then met and invited in for short work experience trials.

There is a great deal of value in holding a work trial, as it provides employers with a chance to see how a candidate works, while giving the candidate a chance to experience the work and the environment before making a choice.

Once Trafficlear had decided they would like to offer Chloe their apprenticeship, they invited her parents in to see where she would be working. All of this took place prior to Chloe sitting her A Levels,

so the pressure was off when she sat them.

Top tips for successful apprentice recruitment:

Chloe started an Advanced Social Media & Digital Marketing Apprenticeship in August 2017, winning the national award in March 2017 and completing the apprenticeship in August 2017.

In September 2017 Chloe started the Chartered Management Institute Degree Apprenticeship with the support of Manchester Metropolitan University.

•

Be clear on your reasons and requirements for the apprentice

•

Cast the net wide in your candidate search

•

Don’t rely solely on an interview/meeting; offer a work trial too

•

Start the search early

Chloe said: “In theory, I’m 12 months behind my peers I left Greenhead College with, however in practice I’m years ahead because I get to put my education into practice as I go along.”

Chloe’s success has meant that Trafficlear is now ready to consider its next apprentice.

Adrian Bird is founder of The Apprentice Finder, recruiting apprentices for both apprentice levy and non-levy employers across Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. Call 01484 907080 or email adrian.bird@ theapprenticefinder.com.

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THE

BIG

I NTE R VIEW

Halifax-born entrepreneur, Claire O’Connor, established babyballet by herself in 2005 with no capital investment.

ClaireO’Connor

1 Over the past 13 years, she has grown the business to become one of the UK’s leading preschool dance concepts, and her company is a key player in the UK franchise market. All this, plus she’s a mum to four children. TopicUK editor Alex Mason spoke to Claire to find out just how she does it.

Claire O’Connor was born for ballet. Her mother, Barbara (who recently featured across national media after she passed a top exam with the Royal Academy of Dance aged 80), had her own successful ballet school and has worked across the world as a children's examiner for the Royal Academy of Dance. Despite starting dance at the age of three, as Claire reached her teens, her experiences of ballet were not always positive. So, she set to work to develop 'babyballet', a pre-school dance class where the main emphasis was on fun and building confidence. “I attended

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‘traditional’ ballet classes but gave up at 14 because I felt I was the wrong shape and not good enough,” Claire says. “It left me with a lack of self-confidence and poor body image. I didn’t want this to happen to others, and so because of my experience when I was younger, babyballet was born.

My company proves that shape and size shouldn’t be a barrier to ballet.

Investing blood, sweat and tears “Following several years of research, I launched babyballet

in 2005 in my home town of Halifax. The initial success and demand for babyballet in Halifax was astounding, and I wanted children further afield to enjoy the classes, so I developed it into a franchise model. I invested a huge amount of time, money, blood, sweat and tears to make sure the model would be successful for franchisees but maintain our exceptional standards of the syllabus and brand,” she adds. babyballet now operates across 74 franchisees in the UK, with 34 licencees in Australia and New Zealand, and more than 25,000 children (or ‘babyballet stars’, as Claire affectionately calls them) attending classes each week.

But what is it about the babyballet concept that Claire believes has made it so successful?

“I think it’s because we provide a happy and safe environment for children from six months to six years to learn to dance while simply having fun,” says Claire. “Babies develop through being active and exploring their environment, so moving and grooving activities like babyballet classes help them develop key skills such as coordination, balance, flexibility and strength.

She adds: “Ballet also teaches children discipline and confidence, which can help hugely with emotional

development. Lessons help expand vocabulary, improve memory through memorising new steps and improve social skills, while encouraging our children to form new friendships.”

Passion for the brand Claire also sings the praises of her franchisees, whom she credits with helping her enormously to grow the babyballet brand to where it’s at today. “All the franchisees are passionate about the brand and building their own business,” she adds. “For those with children, having a babyballet franchise gives them the opportunity to have a family and run their own company at the same time, which is something I am extremely proud of because I have four children (Harry, 21, Charlie, 14, Claudia, 11 and Kitty, 9) myself.

“The success of the company is definitely down to team work.

The head office team and every franchisee works hard because they love the brand and want to see it grow. We offer exceptional training and support, not only on how to run a business, but how to combine working to achieve a healthy work/life balance and working whilst bringing up a family too. That’s something I am extremely proud of.”

“The success of the company is definitely down to team work.

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T H E

BIG

Channel 4 reality show, Big Ballet, alongside Wayne Sleep and Monica Loughman. “The show received viewing figures well into the millions and got rave reviews,” says Claire. “I even brought Wayne and Monica to the babyballet HQ in Halifax to meet staff and class members, which was great!”

Meeting to share experiences and feedback The head office team and every franchisee works hard because they love the brand and want to see it grow. We offer exceptional training and support, not only on how to run a business, but how to combine working to achieve a healthy work/life balance and working whilst bringing up a family too. That’s something I am extremely proud of.”Claire is continuing to claim new

territories for the business, both in the UK and internationally, and in 2016, babyballet established its presence in Australia and New Zealand.With this success has come much recognition for Claire, who is no stranger to the stage (or TV screen!) herself. Her success story places her in high demand as a public speaker and she also appeared on the controversial

I ask Claire what she feels has helped her ensure the success of her franchising business model in particular.“Ensuring that all our franchisees get to meet and share their experiences and feedback has been a massive part of our success,” she tells me.“We have regional meetings and once a year we have our annual conference, provided by head office. It’s a chance

I N T E RVIEW for our franchisees to learn how to build their business, network with like-minded, friendly peers and listen to inspirational guest speakers to keep them motivated. She continues: “We recently had award-winning entrepreneur Clint Salter come all the way from Australia to be our main speaker. He’s a marketing genius who helps dance academy owners turn their passion into profit. “His talk was a huge hit and our franchisees left feeling motivated and determined to grow their businesses to the next level. By engaging them at the conference, we give them the chance to network, share ideas and make new friends.”Over the past 13 years, Claire's initial idea for babyballet has grown beyond recognition, and she has determined plans to expand the business even further across the globe.But, when it comes to the secret ingredient, she credits much of her success a lot closer to home."I am immensely privileged to work with such a brilliant team, including the amazing head office staff and fantastic franchisees and teachers across the country,” Claire says. “We all take huge pride in what we do, and it gives us great joy to give young children the opportunity to fall in love with ballet and dance from a young age. I thank them all greatly for their enthusiasm and energy in making babyballet the successful and happy place it is today.”

To find out more about babyballet, visit www. babyballet.co.uk or contact head office on 01422 329471.

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How to add pounds to the price of your pad Recent research from Halifax revealed that properties in Huddersfield saw a 9.3 per cent price increase during 2017, with the town securing a place in the top 10 in the bank’s house price growth chart.

For homeowners who want to reap the benefits of rising house prices by putting their property on the market, Michael Holmes, property expert for The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show (22-25 March 2018, NEC, Birmingham), shares his top tips on how to add the pounds to your pad.

Change the front door Although unlikely to completely transform the value of a property, a decent door is an important element in setting early impressions of the condition and quality of the whole house. If the existing door is either very run down or unsympathetic, improving the door can make a difference.

Security is an important consideration, too.

Add value by vaulting the ceiling into the roof.

A vaulted ceiling will add wow factor to a master bedroom or a living room. In itself it’s hard to put a value on such a feature as it adds volume rather than

floor area (which is usually the surefire was to add value).

However, giving a property wow factor can make all the difference in getting more interest in a property and this can drive up bids.

Create clever storage Storage is one of those features that buyers tend to forget to look for, and this is why volume housebuilders often forego storage space for more obvious features. However, clever storage ideas that make an attractive and standout feature – such as a bookcase staircase - can make the property stand out from the crowd, providing they are practical and functional.

Fit a freestanding bath For some people, a freestanding bath is the epitome of luxury

- a feature that adds boutique hotel chic. If that’s on a buyer’s wish list, then nothing else will do.

Install underfloor heating Running costs for under floor heating tend to be between 10-30 per cent cheaper than a radiator based system. The reason being, the emitter (the floor) has a larger surface area then the standard radiator, and so it requires the water to be heated to a lower temperature to achieve the same output.

It’s also very comfortable and space efficient, making it very popular with self-builders and extenders.

Installing under floor heating can cost around £2,000 more than conventional radiators.

However, many DIYers lay the piping themselves which helps to keep the cost down.

Contract Philip Deakin or Jason Metcalfe

Globe Innovation Centre Retail, Offices & Artisan Hall Slaithwaite Huddersfield

Elant House Lowfields Business Park Old Power Way Elland

2nd Floor Offices Queensgate House Queensgate Huddersfield

TO LET 250 to 14,013 ft²

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Newly refurbished accommodation Prominent central commercial location Suitable for sole traders, SME's and national operators Available Spring 2018

Modern, fully air-conditioned, B1 offices Excellent access to M62 Exceptional car parking allocation EPC Rating - D (97)

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Joint agent: Walker Singleton

01484 432043 83 Fitzwilliam Street Huddersfield HD1 5LG

www.hanson-cs.co.uk

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R ECRU I T M E N T

UP DATE

The role of recruitment agencies Business Development Executive, Lydia Yorke-Brown, from Stafflex’s Industrial and Engineering team, explains the role of recruitment agencies in this simple guide.

What is a recruitment agency?

A recruitment agency is a company that finds people looking for work (candidates) and matches these with job vacancies on behalf of an employer (client).

Agencies can either be national, regional or locally based and will specialise in a number of sectors such as industrial, retail, legal or education just to name a few.

There are three main types of employment; Temporary – Temp positions can be anything from a day’s work to full-time work for over a year. The candidate will fill in a timesheet each week which records the number of hours worked.

Temp-to-perm – This is an initial contract which after a confirmed time frame can lead into a permanent position. The employer/candidate can end the contract at any point or the employer can decide to offer a permanent placement.

Permanent – Perm positions do not have an end date, the person

considered becomes an employee of the client company.

What do they do?

Once a recruiter has a vacancy to fill they will look at their database to find candidates that match the job description as well as posting the job on job boards such as Reed, Monster or Indeed to source applicants with the relevant skills. There are a number of other methods including headhunting which involves approaching suitable people employed elsewhere to fill the position.

find jobs for them as well as providing advice on things like CV writing and interview tips.

Candidates should keep in touch with the agency to ensure they are kept in the loop on other potential jobs. This service is absolutely free to all candidates.

Retained or Contingency recruitment?

Contingency recruiters earn a fee only when the company has hired someone whereas retained recruiters are paid in advance often used in high level appointments such as directors.

Agency fees There are generally three types of agencies fees: Temporary worker fees – Basic salary plus a percentage on top which covers the agencies costs e.g. holiday pay, sick pay, pension, national insurance plus the agency mark-up.

This is only a brief overview into the role of recruiters which can often be overwhelming for many businesses, so it is always best to seek professional advice before starting the recruitment process.

Why use them?

For the employer, using a recruiter saves precious working time as it can be a long process for companies to advertise the role, screen candidates and arrange interviews. It can cost a lot of money to offset a bad hire and agencies will have expert knowledge of the recruitment process, the local market as well candidate availability, which employers will often not.

For candidates, an agency will

Temp to perm fees – Basic salary plus a percentage on top, similar to temp worker fees, but also charges a transfer fee once the worker has been made permanent which is determined by the agencies terms and conditions.

Perm fees – A percentage of annual salary with the fee being paid once the vacancy is filled.

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YO U N G

E NTR E PR E N EUR

Katie Mallinson: Scriba PR In this regular feature, TopicUK Kirklees & Calderdale editor Alex Mason catches up with some of our region’s most entrepreneurial young people to find out how they built their businesses. This month, we speak to Katie Mallinson, founder of Scriba PR based in Huddersfield.

TopicUK: Hi Katie. First up, can you tell us how old you are?

Katie: I’m 32 TopicUK: What inspired you to start your business?

Katie: Before starting Scriba, I’d spent six years working at a Leeds agency, and I always loved PR, but something there was missing for me. At the agency I’d always worked on more unusual, B2B clients, and it made me think that there must be a niche for providing PR support for more technical organisations.

QA &

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Also, my dad is an engineer, so without knowing it I grew up a geek and wanting to know why things work like they do, which fuelled my passion for technical PR even more. I’d love to say that I did loads of research – I actually did do quite a lot! - but starting the business literally came down ow to tossing a coin at dinner one n night!

I knew it was risky k focussing just on

technical PR, but rather than being an agency for all organisations, I wanted to focus on being something a bit different.

TopicUK: Tell us a bit about how the business has grown.

Katie: Scriba started out as just me for the first couple of years.

I was always wary about being responsible for someone else’s livelihood and recruiting too early, but that soon meant I was working ridiculously long days.

So, I bit the bullet and recruited, but I wanted to provide a certain type of employment opportunity as that was part of my vision.

Although it sounds cheesy, I wanted Scriba to be somewhere that my team would love coming to, as I wanted them to live and breathe the business as much as me. Ultimately those values are what’s grown us to where we are today; the team have it covered and it’s great knowing they care about the business like I do. But, it didn’t happen overnight and it took a long time to for people to see that Scriba PR wasn’t just me anymore.

all seems really simple but I don’t think enough companies work like that, and many companies try to reverse engineer wellbeing into their strategy. If you really believe in it, you can make it part of your strategy, but if you’re just doing it because you think it’s something you need to tick off, it doesn’t seem authentic.

TopicUK: What’s been the toughest part of your business journey so far?

Katie: I think it was at that start, when it’s easy to start to feel quite isolated. I’d gone from working very much in a team environment to almost having ‘freelancer syndrome’.

But, I’m a people person, so was always conscious that I didn’t want that to happen. I forced myself out of my comfort zone and invested in office space - probably quicker than I could afford it - but for me, it was a vital part of Scriba being a ‘proper business’, and allowed me to see people every day and have much more face time with clients.

TopicUK: What’s your approach to making decisions in business?

TopicUK: And what has been the best part of your business journey so far?

Katie: We make them as a team. I don’t make decisions on my own about the business, because my view is that if it affects the team, their day to day lives, what we deliver for clients and how they do their job, they should have a say in that decision. To me, that

From a purely commercial perspective, I tried to set the business up to run really efficiently from day one. Doing so meant I was probably spending more money than I would have liked early on, but as we’ve grown quite quickly, I haven’t had to

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YOUN G

spend that much more during that time.

From profitability perspective, that gives us some longevity, meaning I can spend money on wellbeing, treats and the ongoing development of the team, which I’m really proud of.

From a personal perspective, growing our reputation via word of mouth has been great. We always try to do things that are beyond obvious commercial gain too, such as workshops for universities, because we really love it. But this has led to award recognition, which again reinforces to me that we’re doing a good job and exist for something beyond just making a ruthless buck!

TopicUK: Who has given you support as you’ve grown your business?

Katie: The Entrepreneur Centre at Huddersfield uni where I spent the first 12 months of the business was really important for me. Even

though I knew the answers to a lot of the questions they set, it was a safety net and provided reassurance and people to bounce ideas off.

Certain clients have also shown lots of respect and offered their expertise as a sounding board along the way, and it’s great when you’ve got that relationship with them. I don’t think you can succeed as a start up without a network of people around you; there are days where you go home grumpy or weekends when you can’t see your friends because you’re working, but you need that understanding from them.

TopicUK: What are you plans for the future of Scriba PR? I don’t necessarily want to grow into a huge PR agency, as I’ve seen others do this and lose sight of what they set out to achieve. I want us to grow organically and sensibly, and would love to become a team of ten to 12.

E N T R E P R E N EUR

I’d love to keep penetrating different technical sectors and draw on our existing expertise to do this. We get a real kick out of helping an organisation in a really weird and wonderful sector raise their presence to the point where people are saying “I didn’t even know that sector existed let alone that business”, and I think that’s really quite nice!

TopicUK: What advice would you give to your younger self starting out in business?

Don’t try to do everything yourself! You have to bite the bullet and pay someone to do the part you can’t do or don’t enjoy. For me, that’s bookkeeping!

Also, be brave and bold and recruit support, but recruit it carefully. And be firm with suppliers that repeatedly let you down. You can’t always see the good in people and it sometimes feels awful, but you have to do it and understanding that comes with experience.

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LEGAL

Each issue Chadwick Lawrence, Yorkshire’s Legal People, share with our

M A T T E R S readers information to keep us all within the law.

The New Year: time to organise your life Many of us will make new years resolutions, to eat or drink less, see more of our family and friends and the ever popular one of joining a gym. But as January wears on into cold and unpredictable February many of us will see these fall by the wayside.

However, you can make the decision to start your new year by getting your personal affairs in order by considering your Wills, Powers of Attorney and tax planning. It is the best way to ensure that your loved ones are taken care of in the event that you

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fall ill or pass away, and once you have put the relevant measures in place you can rest easy in the knowledge that it is a resolution you have stuck to.

Did you know that if you were to pass away without leaving a valid Will then your estate would be distributed as per the Rules of Intestacy which means that the people you intend to receive your estate may not benefit. If you have minor children there is a risk that they could be placed in the care system until such time as an agreement can be reached as to where they would live.

Furthermore, if you were to fall ill and suffer from loss of capacity then your family would be unable

to deal with your financial affairs such as paying bills and operating your bank accounts unless you have a Power of Attorney in place.

These are just some of the points you should consider when you think about protecting your loved ones from unnecessary stress during difficult times.

To speak with someone in our dedicated Wills team or to arrange an appointment at any of our offices in Halifax, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Horbury, Leeds, Morley or Pudsey please contact us on 0800 015 0340

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Social Media And Family Law We commonly hear about people whose prospects for a new job have been scuppered as a result of their social media antics but employment law is not the only area where social media has an impact.

We are now seeing quite routinely the negative impact which social media can have in family law cases.

Simple online searches can be very revealing and give away a lot of personal information about someone. Its important that our clients understand the potential pitfalls of what might seem to be to them an innocuous post or tweet. For example, someone’s lifestyle can be very relevant when dealing with the financial settlement of a divorcing couple. If one party’s case is that they need some ongoing financial support from their spouse after separation it is not going to help their case if they litter their social media accounts with photographs of extravagant shopping trips, expensive clothes, new cars and holidays.

The same obviously applies to the spouse

pleading poverty and suggesting that they cannot continue to provide that ongoing financial support. Many cases can turn on what one party’s financial needs are to enable them to move on. Bragging about their means on social media can be detrimental to their case.

Another frequent issue can be whether one party has started to live with a new partner as this can understandably impact upon their financial situation. Not only can announcing this on social media affect an ongoing divorce case, it could also be used in a future case should that relationship end. Evidence of an engagement or of sharing a home and how this is referred to could be relevant.

Sarah Power is a Partner at Chadwick Lawrence and oversees their team of specialist family lawyers based at their offices across West Yorkshire. The team offers flexible appointments and an initial free half hour appointment. If you need to find out where you stand contact us on 0800 015 0340.

The other obvious area where social media can play a part in family law is when one party openly uses this as a platform to bully or threaten their ex-partner or ex-spouse.

This behaviour is never acceptable and can be used as evidence within injunction proceedings.

Essentially our advice to clients is to think very carefully about what they post on social media and how this could be perceived by the other party or even a Judge. An ill-judged post or comment could have wider ramifications for their case overall.

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WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS

From moving home to claiming an inheritance, debt to divorce, injuries resulting from accidents and medical negligence, we are on hand to help and make sure that the process runs as smoothly as possible.

Dispute Resolution

Employee Services

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chadwicklawrence.co.uk

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Home & Property

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Personal Injury

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01484 519 999

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Hebden Bridge Business Forum Building on the Great British High Street Prize In 2016, as the town was in both physical and economic recovery mode following the flooding, we worked with Hebden Bridge Business Forum (HBBF) on a potential morale booster by a-plying for the Great British High Street (GBHS) competition.

This was a great opportunity to demonstrate the resilience of the town’s retail community.

We provided some seed money to support the application and raise the competition profile locally.

What was amazing about the relatively new HBBF is that they showed no hesitation in rising to the challenge; new enthusiastic committee members came forward and set about galvanising the whole town behind them. It did help to have a town where business and residents engage prolifically on Twitter and Facebook. This phenomenon not only garnered enough votes to blow the competition away and win the Small Market Town category but also to win the ‘people’s choice’ award with the most votes ever recorded in any category. The competition produced a cohesive HBBF team which has consolidated its success and led to a number of other benefits for the town’s economy.

The leadership and growth in reputation of the HBBF has ensured it has representation on the new Town Development Board and has been able to attract matched funding from Calderdale Council to their £5,000 winnings from the GBHS award.

Geoff Matthews, Chair of HBBF, says “The creation of a task group in preparation for the visit of the judges of the Great British High Street competition, gave us an excellent base

for a strong and positive committee. Our team of ten local business people are all volunteers who are constantly looking for ways to help the local business community thrive and promote our town to a wider geographical area”. “Being able to obtain match funding, so effectively returning a 100% profit on the Great British High Street prize money, has enabled us to offer finan-cial support for the hugely popular Festive Fandango incentive, where local shops offer loyalty based discount vouchers”. Geoff added “We are also really excited about the pending launch of a brand new website, being developed by a team of creative Hebden Bridge people, that will promote local businesses within the town and show any potential visitors exactly why they should add the Upper Calder Valley to their ‘must go to’ list”.

The other complementary network activity in the town is the monthly FSB supported business breakfasts, hosted by Hebden Bridge Community Association (HBCA) at the flagship community owned Town Hall. This is always well attended and provides interesting speakers on a wide range of relevant business and local topics.

For more information, contact: HBBF Meetings & Events – Geoff Matthews, Chair, hebdenbridgebusiness@gmail.com HBCA – Graham Mynott, Business Breakfasts - hello@ hebdenbridgetownhall.org.uk UCVR Business Network Facilitator Sarah Moss: Sarah@ucvr.org.uk

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Molly Bunce is a milliner based in Halifax, and has been producing bespoke hats for men and women, establishing her own brand – Good Golly Miss Molly – having completed a fashion degree in Liverpool and working as a travelling tailor down in London.

The high-end hats that hail from Halifax

TopicUK spoke to her to find out more about her passion for hat-making and her new range of men’s hats she’s hoping will take the world of headwear by storm.

“King Pin hats (Molly’s recently launched men’s range) are about quality, cutting edge design and are based around popular culture and concepts including everything from ‘taboo’ to Peaky Blinders”, Molly says with infectious enthusiasm when she starts to tell me about her new range.

“The hat has been re-born and is definitely becoming the norm in mainstream men’s fashion, worn in many ways from casual to more formal looks we’re starting to see much more of’.”

She’s right; you only need to look at a picture of celebrities including David Beckham and model David Gandy who are leading the return of the ‘baker boy’ style hat to see that men’s headwear is firmly back on the fashion radar.

“My mum is a milliner too, so I guess it’s sort of in the genes”

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Molly’s enthusiasm for what she does is infectious, and she tells me about how she came to persuing a career in millinery.

“I studied fashion in Liverpool and then moved back down South to London where I worked as a travelling tailor, before discovering millinery some years later,” she says. “My mum is a milliner too, so I guess it’s sort of in the genes. When I got disenchanted with working as a tailor in London, she encouraged me to move back up North and pursue millinery as a full-time career, and it’s grown from there really!”

has won awards for her work.

Her ladies creations have most recently been seen on the heads of TV starts including presenter, Laura Whitmore (who was pictured in OK! Magazine wearing one of Molly’s bespoke creations), and the fictional ‘Dingle’ family from Yorkshire-based ITV soap, Emmerdale, who wore a number of Molly’s hats in recent episodes of the programme.

Molly has been making women’s hats for a number of years under her brand, Good Golly Miss Molly (check them out at goodgollymissmolly.net), and

“I was delighted when, shortly after the launch of King Pin, some of my designs featured on Emmerdale, and I’ve recently sent a hat to actor Tom Hardy after speaking with his agent – so watch

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produced, but created as one-offs for the owner while also oozing quality and having a presence about them”, Molly explains.

this space for more celebrities in King Pin!”, she enthuses.

“I felt it was about time that there was more choice in men’s hat design”Molly’s King Pin range is made from rabbit fur, “which”, she says, “is a by-product and processed in a number of different ways to achieve different finishes depending on a client’s preference.

Options could include a smooth peach bloom finish, suede effect or a mohair look, but there are many more different processes and felt finishes available.”

Molly continues: “My ‘Pablo’ hat is made from a melusine fur felt, which is textured and brushed to give a luxurious finish and feel.

Some hat designers use wool felt which is a fraction of the cost, but in my opinion lacks the superior look and finish when you see and touch it.”

With headwear making a resurgence in men’s fashion, what drove Molly to launch her own King Pin brand?

“I just felt it was about time that there was more choice in men’s hat design, but hats that are not made for the purpose of being mass

“The King Pin website does offer an off-the-peg option, but I also work closely with clients to create bespoke hats where they can choose what they want, right down to the trim and finish.”

“It sounds easy, but it’s not that straightforward!”

The process of actually making the hat once an order is places is somewhat a work-of-art, as Molly explains.

“First off, I’ll work with the client to measure their head size, and then, once they’ve chosen their felt, it’s then heated over a wooden block where I can stretch and manipulate it into the shape of that hat the client wants. This part of the process can take as little as half an hour upwards, depending on what’s required.

“It’s then left to dry thoroughly, before it gets edged and finished with the chosen trims. That is a very basic overview of how it works and makes it sound easy, but it’s not that straightforward”, Molly laughs.

When she’s not busy creating hats and sourcing new outlets to retail through (Molly’s off-the-peg King Pin range is now available to buy through Owen Scott tailors in Huddersfield), Molly teaches a millinery course at the Artworks in Halifax.

“It’s great to be able to pass on my knowledge to other budding milliners,” says Molly. “Whether they’re doing it for a hobby or want to pursue it full-time, the course

is a great way to learn the required techniques and get creative at the same time. I’d encourage anyone to give it a go!”

So, with King Pin hats running fullsteam ahead, what does the future look like for Molly’s millinery masterpieces?

“My aim now is to continue to grow both the Good Golly Miss Molly and King Pin brands, and capitalise on the famous faces that have worn my creations previously by getting my hats onto the heads of even more well-known faces to help spread the word.

“I’ll continue to create new designs and work with clients to ensure that all my hats stand out from the crowd while being instantly recognisable as my designs, but one thing’s for certain, I’ll never let King Pin become mainstream; I’m far too crazily creative for that!”

To find out more about Molly’s hats, visit goodgollymissmolly. net or kingpinhats.co.uk.

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Apprenticeship Week is upon us as we start to distribute this, our latest edition and we are delighted to publish the result of a project we have worked on over the last few weeks with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority/ Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) that has engaged with schools across the region who were tasked with writing articles for publication.

The schools who took part were Cockburn High in Leeds; Honley High, Huddersfield; Leeds City Academy and Westborough High in Dewsbury, students from years eight and nine.

TopicUK tasked students with writing an article for publication, highlighting a business sector then drill down into a specific company. They were asked to identify careers and job roles available, entry routes and qualification requirements, but particularly the soft/key/employability skills the company would be looking for from its employees.

“When the LEP approached us, we were more than happy to run this competition to coincide with Apprenticeship week,” said TopicUK Group Editor Gill Laidler.

“It is important that students at this age start to think about what they want to do when they leave education and more importantly how they get there.

“We received a huge response, many moret than we expected and all entries were of excellent standards. We found it difficult to choose winners as the standard of work was very good, but we managed to choose a winner from each of the schools and an overall winner.

Whatsmore, the students were so keen on this project, they have requested that we run this as a regular feature within TopicUK.” 42

Students consider careers during Apprenticeship Week

Ruby Baxter,Cockburn High School (Year 9)

Why I want to be a midwife: Hey my name is Ruby Baxter I’m 14 years old, I have been asked many times in my life what I want to be when I grow up.

If I’m being totally honest with you I’m not completely sure.

All of my life I’ve been told by multiple people that I’m a very indecisive person. However after years and years I have decided that I would like to be a midwife when I’m older. Here are just a few reasons for why I want to be a midwife.

Firstly I’ve always wanted to help others; a few years ago my mother put one born every minute on the television I was inspired by how hard the midwives work. From that day on I knew I wanted to be

a midwife. Another reason for why I want to be a midwife is that Midwives have a passion for women’s healthcare and want to extend their knowledge with their patients. A caring and compassionate person present at the time of such a scary moment is most certainly welcome. You get to be there when their child is born. Your care and advice will be the reason their baby is born healthy. You will also be able to advocate for them for issues that are important to them after their birth, for example breast feeding.

Life can get boring when you have to be in the same place day in and day out.

With midwifery, your location changes constantly. You are able to bounce around from house

Rebecca O’Connor, Honley High (Year 8)

Stories come quite naturally to me, it might only be one intriguing item and another world unfolds in my head. I used

of the lives of the people you work with. You get a better understanding of the people that you get to share these intimate moments. You also get to work in several different hospitals, maintaining friendships, without getting caught up in workplace politics.

There is also the possibility of a few days of without working, or a 3 AM wake-up call to deliver twins. There is such a thrill in not knowing the particular details of the everyday schedule. The unpredictability of not knowing what is going to happen at any given moment prevents the monotonous feeling most people get in their careers, and you can be sure that will never happen as a midwife. These are just the few reasons for why I would love to be a midwife.

to want to be a teacher, then I found my passion of writing.

I really like English and art lessons at school, but not everyone in my art group would consider weaving it into their career. I think I am a great artist and my

style of art in my books.

A good thing for me is that my friends mum is an author (Chris L Longden) so I asked her a few questions. I asked: Was it hard becoming an author?

Chris answered: “Yes it was so hard. You have to make a really good book because otherwise a publisher might not want to publish it. There are

art teachers think so too, I might even be able to use some of my

a lot of writers nowadays and if they write another book, it

I am interested in pursuing my dreams in becoming an author.

I currently live in Slaithwaite, a small town in West Yorkshire and I am in Year 8 and go to Honley High School.

to house, catching a glimpse

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own books the matter was a lot harder.

Approximately, how long does it take you to write a book? “If you are determined, patient and write flat out, then it may only take a month or two. But when you come to editing, it can be at least a year or so before you think about getting it published.”

Was finding someone to publish your first book hard? “Yes, the first books that I did publish were ones that people had asked me to write. Once I started to write my

If you self publish and people start to by your books then sometimes professional publishers want to publish for you, and that means proper publicity.”

Hannah Yeboah, Leeds Academy Leeds is the financial capital outside of London so In this region, we have many jobs, however not all of them are popular; Leeds is the financial capital outside of London so In this region, we have many jobs, however not all of them are popular; furthermore in the region we have four key developing sectors, which are Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, Digital, Infrastructure and Construction.

However, I decided to look into law because law is an interesting sector to look at and when I grow up, I hope to become a barrister or solicitor.

Can it get frustrating?

“Very, with my other jobs and my family, getting time to write is sometimes hard, and if you are working to a deadline you might start to get annoyed.

act for clients on other legal matters).

There is a great deal of studying involved in becoming a lawyer.

The criteria required to enter the universities is typically a range of A levels from A*AA to AAB. Universities also require good GCSE grades in English, maths and possibly a foreign language. The journey to become a lawyer is a long one. Before someone is able to fully practice law, completion of a qualifying Law Degree (LLB) is required at undergraduate level or if in another subject then the oneyear GDL conversion course, also known as the Common Professional Examination (CPE), must be taken. This process provides the non-law students with a basic foundation in legal theory.

Additionally, a (LNAT) Law National Admission Test is required. Other skills that are required include verbal and written skills, ability to interpret and ability to analyse information and draw conclusions accurately.

Law encompasses the rules that help people remain safe and helps them to be good citizens. Laws are regulations people need to follow and if a law is broken the person will have to pay the consequences for their action. However, we are here to talk about a person whose

There are two types of lawyers: a

profession is to defend the freedom of another individual or to enter into various legal proceedings (advice or

barrister and a solicitor. A solicitor provides legal support to clients however, a barrister represents

During my research I found out that Dame Jacqueline Wilson, one of my favourite authors, has written over 100 books! I also discovered that it is very hard to get a book published and that if you want to be an author, have a main job and the writing the side work. This has not made my dreams less stable, in fact, more confident even though I might not get a book published. Jacqueline Wilson has published at least 60 books, and sold over 36,000,000 copies!

I found this on a publishers website:

individuals and organisations in court. To qualify as a solicitor, I will have to complete the vocational Legal Practice Course (LPC), which helps one to complete the academic knowledge and practical skills. Subsequently, a training contract is required with a law firm.

Once this process is complete a professional skills course must written. I will then be able to apply for the role of a solicitor. However, if I prefer to become a barrister I will have to undertake another process.

I will commence my journey by taking a Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), followed by a practical experience in a barristers’ chamber followed by an application for tenancy as a self-employed barrister.

The law sector requires an immense amount of commitment but it also offers financial reward. An average annual salary for a lawyer is of £138,880. A Corporate lawyer’s salary is from £30’000 to £100,000 and an average annual Criminal lawyer’s salary is around £115,000.

The reason why I want to become a lawyer is not because of the financial

“Writing is a craft that requires skill, experience, and passion.

Even the creation of a single manuscript takes a lot of patience.

With the tremendous amount of effort put into weaving words into sentences, it is only fitting that the right publisher takes this collection of ideas and turns it into a book that will last generations.”

So all this research is making me realize that writing is a talent that you could develop over time, but something that if I work hard and I am determined, which I am, I could achieve.

reward but because I want to help those people without a voice to get what is entitled to them. I want to make sure I make an impact on the future and future generations.

I already have experience of this because I am currently in the White Rose Academies Student Leadership group which has reinforced my dream of becoming a lawyer. The student leadership group was formed to represent the student voice and we are the link between the students and the senior leadership team. We meet regularly and recommend changes in the Academy and we recently visited the Houses of Parliament in London.

The main reason why I want to become a lawyer is that I want peace to reign and reinforce some legislations such as Human rights.

I want to make sure everyone is treated justly and equally because that is what the majority of us want.

That is also what most of our great late leaders wanted like: Nelson Mandela in South Africa, Martin Luther King Jr in America, Mahatma Gandhi in India and currently what Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan is still campaigning for.

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COR R ESPON D A NC E

Hannah Younas and Jumana Patel, Westborough High School (Year 8) We have decided to look into careers in construction exploring many job industries in business and enterprise. The reason we chose construction is because we were interested in how the majority of jobs in this industry are taken by men.

During our research we found that there are over 150 professions which can involve anything from planning, design, financing, project management through to bricklaying and joinery. The construction sector in West Yorkshire employs around 45,000, 4% of all employment and a key sector in the Leeds City Region.

Civil Engineer who has an average salary of £42,233; Electrician who earns up to an average of £31,648; Quantity Surveyor who earns £42,965 and a Construction Manager who earns £51,082.

There is a perception; females in the construction industry are a minority although the further we

looked into it we found many females in West Yorkshire have chosen construction as their profession.

The profession we have chosen to study is civil engineer.

We have chosen this career because this stood out from all the rest of the careers as we were interested at looking into design and to build things that people use If you want to become a civil engineer then you can go to university and get a degree. For this you will need A-levels or equivalent. The entry requirements vary, but usually the subjects you study should include maths and physics.

You can also apply for an Apprenticeship at Level 2 and move on to Level 3 and even a Degree Apprenticeship.

We live in Dewsbury and found a local civil engineering company called Peter Duffy Ltd is a privately owned civil engineering, utility and Construction Company based

in Wakefield. We contacted them to enquire what subjects were needed to apply for an apprenticeship. They responded with “Well, firstly we are looking for someone with the potential and should have attained high GCSE grades in subjects such as maths, physics and English.”

We think that it is important to consider looking at careers at this stage of life because it helps shape your future decisions.

To end this article we would like to summarise the key reasons we chose this particular topic and emphasise the importance of why people should go into the profession of civil engineering.

This is a key sector and there are many job roles available.

Females are in a minority but there are many interesting and well paid careers to go for.

We would like to thank Mr Patel and Miss Sissons for helping us to form this article.

Gill Laidler, Group Editor TopicUK “We thought long and hard of who to chose from these four entries for our overall winner,” continued Gill. “We finally settled on Hannah Younas and Jumana Patel as these students had

followed the criteria more closely than all the others. The girls will now be invited to be junior reporters for TopicUK until the end of 2018, writing articles for our TopicTomorrow section that

focusses on young people and education. I would however, like to congratulate all the students who took part.”

A Colne Valley festival which was set up over 25 years ago has been awarded a national arts grant to help it raise its profile and secure new income from private donors.

Marsden Jazz Festival is set to receive £30,000 from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Funded Catalyst Small Grants scheme to develop new fundraising opportunities for the annual event, which costs up to £150,000 to stage each year.

The festival was set up in 1992 to support local businesses and bring visitors to Marsden and it still does that today, with around 10,000 gig attendances every year.

Over 150 hours of live music takes place in the village during the second weekend of October each year, including over 70 free gigs, with local school bands performing alongside international jazz superstars.

The festival recently received national recognition on BBC Radio 3 when Jazz Now presenter Soweto Kinch described it as ‘one of the UK’s most adventurous jazz festivals’ during the broadcast of a 2017 gig.

Barney Stevenson, Artistic Director at Marsden Jazz Festival, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected for this Catalyst grant by Arts Council England and hope it will help spread the word about what we think is the country’s best jazz festival.

“Marsden comes alive with the sound jazz every October and the village’s location in the heart of the Pennines, along with its historic community buildings, makes it the perfect location for live jazz.

“We’ve been really grateful for the support Kirklees Council has given to the festival over the years, but the current economic situation means we need to find new private funders to

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M A R K E T I NG

UPD ATE

Measuring your Marketing Efforts

By Katrina Cliffe - Managing Director – KC Communications

Marsden Jazz Festival awarded national arts grant ensure the festival’s future.”

Over 60 volunteers give up their time to put on Marsden Jazz Festival every year and its Saturday street parade, free gigs and children’s events help to attract a wide audience, with one in three visitors only experiencing live jazz at the festival.

“Marsden Jazz Festival has gone from strength to strength in recent years, Arts Council England has awarded Marsden Jazz Festival money from its Catalyst Small Grants programme, funded by the National Lottery, to build fundraising capacity and attract more private giving.

The festival is one of 117 successful applicants from across England which will

receive a share of £2.8 million to help create a more sustainable and resilient arts and culture sector.

Pete Massey, Director North at Arts Council England, said: “Marsden Jazz Festival has gone from strength to strength in recent years, showcasing some of the very best UK and international jazz talent in the wonderful Pennine Hills.

“I am therefore delighted to see them benefiting from our Catalyst programme which will help them to transform their fundraising capabilities by working with new sponsors and developing individual giving. I hope that this helps to secure the long term future of this great festival.”

Any businesses or individuals interested in helping to fund Marsden Jazz Festival are encouraged to email office@ marsdenjazzfestival.com.

Setting realistic KPIs at the offset of a marketing strategy and regularly reviewing them will enable you to understand if you are spending money in the right areas.

If the results show specific activity is working well then great. If not, identify what the issue is and how you can mitigate that to get the best ROI. Before you get started Understand what you want to achieve. Having a clear understanding of your business objectives will enable you to understand what you need to do from a marketing perspective to help you achieve your overall business goals.

Review historical marketing efforts, what worked and what didn’t? It’s all too easy to say you tried something but you didn’t get results from it if you weren’t measuring it or indeed know what you should measure for.

The main thing to consider is how you are going to measure the success of the activity. For example, if you measure PR activity solely by the number of press clippings achieved versus the quality of coverage and other measurable such as website referral traffic, enquiries etc. then

perhaps you need to question that approach.

Access your analytics If you’re undertaking digital marketing activity such as social media, blogging, newsletters and even PR, then Google Analytics (GA) should be your first port of call for insight.

If you work with an agency, they should, on a regular basis provide you with some form of reporting.

Ultimately, this reporting should link back into the marketing objectives to effectively measure the performance.

If you’re unfamiliar with GA, they have free online tutorials and courses to guide you through the process, and whether or not you use an agency, it’s a good idea to get to grips with the basics so that you can challenge your ROI. Look at your acquisition Understanding where visitors to your website are coming from is one of the key steps in identifying where you should be focusing your marketing efforts and of course allowing you to measure performance.

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Sir Patrick Stewart heads home!

With an A-list movie star as headliner, free family events, performance poetry and comedy, a range of workshops, LGBT events and Indian dance, this year’s HuddersďŹ eld Literature Festival will have you reaching for the booking button, says Festival Director Michelle Hodgson

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Dig out your diary, block off the dates and get booking – March has just become a lot more interesting!

Having welcomed guests as diverse as Kate Adie, Alan Johnson, Dame Jenni Murray, Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh in previous years, we set the bar high for this year’s Huddersfield Literature Festival (HLF2018), which runs from 8-18 March (plus a few pre-Festival events), with a theme of ‘Time’.

From Star Trek to Strictly It’s not often a literature festival boasts an A-list movie star as headliner, and we were thrilled when our Patron, Sir Patrick Stewart, agreed to an In Conversation in his home town, with local broadcaster and playwright Nick Ahad (Huddersfield Town Hall, 16 March).

Radio 2 broadcaster, BBC1 Eggheads presenter and unforgettable contestant on Strictly Come Dancing 2015, Jeremy Vine will be at the same venue (13 March) talking about his new book: What I Learnt: What My Listeners Say – and Why We Should Take Notice.

feature Guardian columnist Tim Dowling, whose parenting skills have been described as somewhere between Atticus Finch and Homer Simpson. He will be talking about his new book Dad You Suck, along with entertaining crime writer Vaseem Khan, whose detective’s sidekick is a baby elephant!

Vaseem Khan

Food lovers can also head down to Cocktails at Café Ollo, with Marty Jopson (9 March), where you can enjoy a complimentary cocktail and canapés while listening to a talk on The Science of Food with the resident science expert from BBC1’s The One Show.

Celebrating women and words…

If you’re thinking of taking Mum out for Mother’s Day (11 March), why not book

Jeremy Vine

Afternoon Tea – with baby elephants!

Our ever-popular Literary Afternoon Tea (18 March) will

Pitcher, and Emily Drabble from the reading for pleasure charity BookTrust.

Memories of Childhood Reading at Marsden Mechanics Hall?

Guardian writer and Stylist magazine columnist Lucy Mangan will be discussing her new book, Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading with awardwinning YA writer Annabel

Lucy Mangan

There are a range of events taking place on International Women’s Day (8 March), including Yorkshire-based writers who won a competition to perform at Ms Shakespeare Through Time, organised by Festival partners, Magic Rock. We’re also thrilled to have the great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and leading campaigner in her own right, Helen Pankhurst, who will be in conversation with bestelling novelist Joanne Harris (17 March) .

Joanne Harris

Family time – all for free It’s not often that you get a free day out for the kids, which is why our Stafflex Free Family Day (3 March) held at North Huddersfield Trust School is so popular. Along with stalls and activities such as maskmaking with The Children’s Art School, there will be Bollywood

Dance and Storytelling with Salma Zaman, and merriment, magic and balloon modelling with Michaelmas Twist, plus a showing of the 2006 film Charlotte’s Web. Did we mention it’s all free?

Other free events include a Children’s Sculpture Workshop, and pre-match children’s activities at PPG Canalside in partnership with Huddersfield Town Football Club (both 10 March).

Hone your skills – and perform For those who want to hone their own writing and performance skills, there are a range of creative writing workshops focusing on everything from dialogue and voice-driven fiction to creating suspense and street poetry. If this inspires you to perform, you can apply for a slot at our Poetry Slam (10 March) or turn up to the Open Mic Night (15 March).

Poetry will also be on offer at Festival favourite Polari Up North (14 March) – a hugely enjoyable evening hosted by writer and journalist Paul Burston, and this year featuring VG Lee, Sarah Stovell, Dean Wilson and the gifted writer and vocalist David McAlmont, best known for 90s hit, ‘Yes’ with Bernard Butler.

David McAlmont

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Kirklees & Calderdale DJs, dance and Mr Darcy As a Festival Director, I’m addicted to innovative events and this year’s excitement comes from Annapurna Indian Dance: Soldiers of the Empire (10 March). This dance, music and storytelling event celebrates the contribution of the forgotten soldiers from undivided India who fought alongside the Allies in WWI.

and how being brought up in a family of 16 siblings meant he had to queue for breakfast!

Other dance-related events include our first Fables & Fiction Cosplay Ball (17 March) and a Dance/Write workshop (10 March). For art lovers, celebrated watercolour artist Ashley Jackson will be holding an open evening at his gallery (15 March) and signing copies of his new book.

Our HLF2018 Launch (7 March) combines the launch of a new exhibition about Ted Hughes with a performance from awardwinning stand-up, actor and poet Owen O’Neill, with stories about working with Liam Neeson

Owen O’Neill

Simon Armitage

We’re also excited to find out why Mr Darcy Loses the Plot at the Lawrence Batley Theatre (6 & 7 March), and what happens when poet Simon Armitage and 6 Music DJ Stuart Maconie spin the discs at our Wrap Party (18 March) at the Magic Rock Taproom.

Also new for 2018, our ‘Events Around Autism Strand’ comprises a talk by Susan Dunne, who has Asperger’s, and a Children’s Books Sensory Exhibition at Huddersfield Library inspired by children’s book characters and specially created by users of Special Autism Services.

In with the new Every year we try to introduce new elements: this year they include Dine With Crime, a lunchtime talk by crime writers

Awards and accessibility The Festival has been running since 2006, but 2017 was a stand-out year as we won our first award, the Examiner Community

Linda Green, Liz Mistry and Cath Staincliffe, and the 10 x 10 Poetry Cabaret (both 17 March) with all Yorkshire-based poets.

Award for Arts, and were nominated for the second year in a row for a prestigious Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Award.

Accessibility is at the heart of what we do. There are many free and low-cost events, the majority in accessible venues across the town. To help you plan your visit, we have commissioned DisabledGo to produce Access Guides to key venues, which can be found on our website, and Stagetext will be providing live subtitling to make key events accessible to those who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing.

Sign up now We are planning a special exclusive event for our supporters later this year, so make sure you sign up to our mailing list to gain access.

You can sign up for this on our home page.

See you in March!

Revell Ward grows Financial Controller Assist team with appointment of business services manager Huddersfield chartered accountants, Revell Ward, has expanded its Financial Controller (FC) Assist team with the appointment of Karen Armitage as business services manager.

Armitage joins the firm from Gildersomebased Mazars, where she held a similar role.

Her appointment will bolster Revell Ward’s growing ‘Financial Controller (FC) Assist’

service, which sees the firm provide projectbased, on-site support to clients who require assistance with accounting areas including year-end and management accounts in the absence of an employed financial controller.

Commenting on Armitage’s appointment, Revell Ward director and audit team lead, Karen Borowski, said:“Over the past twelve months, we have experienced a marked increase in the number of clients who require on-site accounting support through FC Assist.

“We are also working more frequently with clients who typically use the ‘big four’ audit firms, but require independent accounting support to produce statutory accounts and audit working papers due to strict independence regulations.

“Karen’s appointment will therefore be a valuable addition to the team and enable us to facilitate this work while also providing ongoing guidance and mentoring to our own business support team.”

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Kirklees & Calderdale

G OOD

FOOD

The Black Cat Bistro - Holmfirth One of The Black Cat Bistro’s signature desserts is its ‘Fairtrade Vanilla Crème Brûlée', which is also a French classic!

Customers regularly ask for the Crème Brûlée recipe, and sharing is caring, so here's a little treat from them to you!

The Black Cat Bistro chefs recommend the following recipe for four Fairtrade Vanilla Crème Brûlées:

Vanilla Crème Brûlées: Ingredients •

1 Fairtrade Vanilla Pod

•

100g Fairtrade Caster Sugar

•

5 Egg Yolks (again, sourced as locally as possible)

•

500ml of Double Cream (sourced as locally as possible)

Method • Pour cream and sugar into a pan.

• Split the vanilla pod, and scrape the seeds out, then add both pod and seeds to the cream and sugar mixture.

• Bring the vanilla and cream mixture to the boil.

• Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks until they reach ribbon stage.

• Take cream mixture off the heat, and whisk in the egg yolks, making sure the mixture is evenly dispersed.

• Split mixture between 4-6 ramekins. 7. Place the ramekins in a large tray at least 3cm deep, and fill the tray with water until it reaches half way up the ramekins.

• Cover tray with foil, and bake in the oven at 120c for 45-60mins until set.

Leave to cool.

•

•

Cover with a fine layer of sugar and finish under the grill. Alternatively, if you feel confident in doing so, use a catering blow-torch to caramelise the top.

Finally, tuck in to your Fairtrade Vanilla Crème Brûlée, and make sure you listen out for the satisfying crack of the sugar when you do so!

Enjoy!

We love to see and hear your recipe successes, so don't forget to tweet us!

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C OM M E R CI AL

PR O P E RT Y

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

The Moneyy Tree Brigade g from La La Land. Do they have a point?

So what were we frightened about? He may be “pig ignorant”, “kind of nuts”, “prone to childishness”, ”coarse mannered” or as one American commentator described him as “crazier than a shithouse rat”, but the fact remains that despite the politically correct liberal elite and the media generally enjoying having it in for him and even our own embarrassment at his tweets and gaffs, Mr Trump has softened his rhetoric and is presiding over an economy which is booming (I’m thinking about putting a tenner on his reelection). And that can only be good for the UK but it aint a bed of roses.

I heard a commentator on Radio 4 the other day using the phrase “grubby economic deals” referring to trade negotiations with the wider world following Brexit. I bet she has never put her house on the line in order to start a business and make a living or in order to employ people. I wish I could remember who she was as I would have named and shamed her. They come from the same place, the “money tree” brigade. La La Land.

As Bill Clinton put it; “it’s the economy stupid”.

Without a strong economy we do not have the ability to pay for what we want. I tried to explain this very simply to my children when they got their first holiday jobs by paraphrasing Mr Micawber. “Earn £1 spend 95p result happiness.

Earn £1 spend £1.05p result misery”.

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TopTen Tips for an e-commerce website

UP D ATE

Whilst both micro and macro-economics are, of course, more sophisticated than that, the point remains that the money either has to be earned before it is spent or there must be a genuine and sustainable way of repaying it if borrowed.

And that will depend in no small measure on the successful “grubby economic deals” we are able to do with the wider world following Brexit and the “grubby economic deals” we in business do every day. But the Micawber principle or prudent borrowing doesn’t always hold, and the money tree brigade have a point when shown the appalling example of the unacceptable face of capitalism in the form of Carillion and the directors there having their noses in the trough.

No accountability, no responsibility, no risk (no expertise as it turns out). Disgraceful.

Scott Brant, operations director at Vizulate Digital, on top tips for starting your ecommerce website 1.

Invest in a website that reflects where your business wants to be, not where it is today.

Setting up a basic ecommerce website is relatively inexpensive compared to how it was just a few years ago.

2.

Avoid the temptation to use an off-the-shelf provider. It may be cost effective now, but can mean compromising on functionality crucial to success, such as user experience (UX).

3.

Allocate a budget for customer acquisition.

Start-ups often underestimate the cost of actually getting people to the website once it’s live.

4.

Don’t rely solely on SEO work; even working with a specialist SEO agency can take months for your site to start ranking in search engines for key search terms.

5.

The top 500 UK companies are, I am sure, shining examples of propriety and the importance of business cannot be overstated but whilst the likes of Carillion are dreadful examples of when it goes wrong, we must not take our eye off the ball 6. as most people employed in the business sector are outside the top 500 companies in the UK.

Be prepared to spend money on some initial online advertising such as Google Ads or Facebook and Instagram ads. This will build awareness of your site and drive traffic to it as soon as it goes live.

The point is that there are so few of these fat cats that feed the prejudice against business and so many genuine company owners who should call the likes of Carillion to account. Actually, the fact is that genuine business owners are working too hard to find the time.

The UK economy has proved remarkably resilient despite Brexit uncertainties, but growth has slowed compared with Europe and the US but that improvement, nevertheless is bringing inflation which has crept up to 3% in the UK and now it looks likely that interest rates will rise earlier than expected.

Long-term, allocate a budget to invest in an ongoing search engine optimisation strategy.

Search engine optimisation is something that your website will always need.

7.

Use decent photography. A picture speaks a thousand words, and product pictures taken on your lounge floor never showcase your products in a professional light.

8.

If you’re working with a supplier and you’ll be selling their products, put the onus on them to provide you with professionally taken product photography.

With the cost of borrowing likely to rise and 9. the phoney war so far on Europe soon to hot up it has not been a great surprise to see greater concerns coming from international industry with bases in the UK and from commerce reliant on the European market. The public statements 10. of politicians are aimed at their own sides and I don’t blame Michel Barnier for talking tough as he has 27 countries to keep in line but sooner now rather than later, David Davies will have to find a way of minimising the damage and sustaining confidence where it is clearly beginning to creak.

Use a secure payment gateway. While setting up these gateways on your website is usually free of charge, there is an ongoing cost to account for, but they’re the safest way to take and receive payment.

Do your research. Plenty of companies provide e-commerce website services, but find one that ensures the security of your customers’ personal and financial data. Failure to gain your customers’ trust in this area is the difference between an abandoned basket and a sale, and ultimately the success of your e-commerce business.

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Kirklees & Calderdale

bramleys 87-89 WAKEFIELD ROAD, ASPLEY, HUDDERSFIELD HD5 9AB

UNITS 5 & 6 SHAW PARK INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, SILVER STREET, HUDDERSFIELD HD5 9AF

UNITS 6 & 7 BURLEY BUSINESS CENTRE, BURLEY STREET, ELLAND HX5 0AQ

TO LET

t High Profile Retail Premises t Sales Area 66.7 sqm (718 sqft) t Further Display and Storage of 73.58 sqm (792 sqft) t Further Storage and Office Accommodation of 140.19 sqm (1,509 sqft) is available t On street car parking available to the front t EPC Asset Rating F

Industrial & Commercial Property Consultants HUGH HOUSE, FOUNDRY STREET, BRIGHOUSE HD6 1LT

128 CROWTREES LANE, RASTRICK, BRIGHOUSE HD6 3NH

1A OSBOURNE ROAD, BIRKBY, HUDDERSFIELD HD1 5HB

TO LET

TO LET

TO LET

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

t Modern Industrial Premises t 258.91 sqm (2,787 sqft) t Situated in an accessible position for Huddersfield, Halifax and the M62 motorway network t 2 Loading doors, 3 Phase electricity and gas supply t 4.4m to the eaves t Good office content (1,254 sqft) t EPC Asset Rating C

t Single Storey Industrial Premises t 422.43 sqm (4,547 sqft) t Popular Industrial Location t Recently refurbished t 1 mile from Huddersfield town centre in an accessible location for the Wakefield Road (A629) and Leeds Road (A62) t Suitable for a variety of industrial uses t EPC Asset Rating TBC

t Industrial Unit/ Workshop t 662 sqm (7,126 sqft) t Single storey warehouse/workshop premises with good office content t Finished to a modern specification t In close proximity to Junctions 24 & 25 of the M62 motorway t 3 Phase electricity t 2 Loading doors t EPC Asset Rating D

t Former Sandwich Shop Premises t 73.14 sqm (787 sqft) t Inner terrace stone built freehold property situated 1.5 miles to the southwest of Brighouse town centre in a predominantly residential location t Good passing traffic t Suitable for ongoing use or conversion into residential subject to planning t EPC Asset Rating E

t Former Vicarage most recently been used as a Hostel Premises t Gross Internal Floor Area 307.25 sqm (3307 sqft) t Detached property set in 0.44 acres incorporating driveway, car parking and gardens to rear t Current use within planning C2 (Residential Institution), suitable for existing use, or development for other residential or commercial uses, subject to obtaining relevant planning consents. t EPC Asset Rating TBA

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

01484 530361

Offices also at Mirfield, Heckmondwike, Elland and Halifax

commercial@bramleys1.co.uk bramleys.com/commercial

Join the SXUH ÀEUH revolution Businesses in Huddersfield have acces ss to some of the fastest internet speeds in the world thanks to CityFibre’s new pure fibre ne etwork.

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Marc Marc Ma rchh 200188

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