Topicuk issue 9

Issue 9 August 2014

WAKEFIELd & district FREE BUSINESS COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

TopicUK Swing it!

International artists Morag rag Myerscough and Luke Morgan, rgan, offer a unique experiencee at the orangery-page11

DARE to bare Exclusive offer from chill Beauty & topicUK

-page 24

LOCALbobHERO lawson brews a yorkshire winner!

-page 34

Fit24

The twenty four HOUR GYM-page18

New TopicAL Lunch! jOIN US FOR wAKEFIELD'S EXCLUSIVE LUNCH DEBATE - page 9

SUPERFAST BROADBAND good news for our region -page 37

Travelling in Style kevin Trickett blows the whistle on the orient express

-page 40

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THE TOPICUK TEAM

GILL LAIDLER EDITOR ROB BLACKWELL CREATIVE DIRECTOR LOCAL HEROES/CHARITY SAM GRUNDY, KIDS.ORG THE ARTS MURRAY EDWARDS, THEATRE ROYAL FASHION EMMA LELLIOTT, TRINITY WALK LEGAL MATTERS CHADWICK LAWRENCE SOLICITORS BEAUTY & WELLBEING CHLL BEAUTY SALON HEALTH HELEN LAIRD, PUBLIC HEALTH DEPT FOOD & RESTAURANT REVIEW KEVIN TRICKETT, WAKEFIELD CIVIC SOCIETY RECRUITMENT ANDY TURNER, FIRST CHOICE RECRUITMENT PROPERTY JONATHON KIDD, HOLROYD MILLER SOCIAL MEDIA SINEAD SOPALA, RAMSDENS SOLICITORS BANKING JONATHAN ROSTRON, SANTANDER IT PAUL HEIGHAM, BELLINGHAM IT

TopicUK

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06 Bulletin ..............................................

10 Swing It..................................................

12 The Art Business .............................

20 banking ..................................................

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36 Council News .....................................

40 Travel .....................................................

43 Recruitment .......................................

45 information technology ...........

Whats been happening

Interactive Artwork For

Rebalancing our cultura Tour de France to boost

Ossett Brewery - A Bobby

Broadband boost for wak The Orient Express the perfect employee Data Disasters!

regular copy, you can subscribe and receive your own copy direct by post for just £20 per annum. To subscribe email your details to gill@ghost-communications.com

Front Cover and SWING IT images by Bob Collier . Thanks to Danny Gartside for Ossett Bre

Tel: 07711 539047 Email - topicuk@ ghost-communications.com - www.topicuk.co.uk

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 misin this magazine, the publisher/editor cannot accept any responsibility for errors in articles, advertisements or programme schedules. To subscribe to this magaz Limited. Law pages are written by Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors and TopicUK is not responsible for any advice given 4

EDITORS NOTES

MMARY Contents siness Community Magazine

Half page: £160;Fullpage: £295

Welcome to issue 9 of TopicUK. This issue, we are proud to announce three new sponsors: Featherstone Rovers RLFU, Diamond Bondholders and Theatre Royal Wakefield. We are equally delighted to welcome a new Board Director, Andy Turner, Managing Director from First Choice Recruitment.

Our Local Hero this issue is Bob Lawson, founder of the very successful Ossett Brewery. This feature is proving so popular, we now have a waiting list of people wanting to tell us their story. This tells us that Wakefield has some very successful entrepreneurs! If you have an inspirational story to tell us, why not give us a call?

As well as demand growing for our printed magazine, we are delighted that traffic to our website is equally in demand with 10,000 monthly visitors. Because of this, we have decided to launch advertising web banners at just £50 per week, so give us a call if you would like to reserve one of the limited spaces.

r All To Enjoy

Also due to demand, we are now to launch an interim digital version of TopicUK which will run alternate months when the magazine is not produced. This will start from September. Once again, there will be limited advertising space available so let us know quickly if you would like to take advantage of reaching up to 10,000 local businesses.

al capital Yorkshire economy

y Dazzler

Also starting in September is a new event TopicAL Lunch. Every other month TopicUK will host a lunch to specially invited guests to discuss issues currently in the news and how this news will affect our businesses and city. If you are interested in taking part, please drop us an email at editorial@topicuk.co.uk

kefield

As our circulation grows, so does the demand for advertising. Rates have been held for a second year but due to demand will increase next year. All advertisers who support us now will have current rates frozen, so make sure you get your booking in now.

Gill

ewery & Fit 24 images @topic_uk

facebook.com/ topicuk

topicukgallery

www.topicuk.co.uk

nterpretation. Reproduction of this magazine without the express permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Whilst every care is taken in the production of zine, submit an article or press release please contact Gill Laidler on: 07711 539047 or email topicuk@ghost-communications.com Published by Ghost Publishing Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 5

BULLETIN Local bus company Arriva wowed guests with a light and sound extravaganza, playing music of Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’ when it unveiled 31 new, state of the art buses to guests from across the Wakefield and Castleford business community, at the prestigious LS-Live arena on 18 June, which is more famously known for hosting the world’s biggest names in music.

WI-FI ARRIVES AT ARRIVA

Guests were invited to climb eight floors to the ceiling gantry where they would walk across the ceiling and see the buses from above, showing the wi-fi logo. Even Mayor of Wakefield Cllr Sandra Picken braved the heights!

The ‘Little Arriva Buses Big in Wakefield’ have a striking new design, free wi-fi as standard, luxury seating and live journey information which can be accessed through the latest Arriva bus app.

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connections in the city to get to other towns and cities in West Yorkshire.

After all, Wakefield is an exciting place to be, with fantastic things like the Hepworth Gallery, Merchant Gate, Unity Works and Trinity Walk, and Arriva want to be part of Wakefield being a great city in which to live, work and play. So they have plans!

If you live in places like Eastmoor and Wrenthorpe, and around the city centre,

AFTER ALL, WAKEFIELD IS AN EXCITING PLACE TO BE, WITH FANTASTIC THINGS LIKE THE HEPWORTH GALLERY, MERCHANT GATE, UNITY WORKS AND TRINITY WALK...

As the main bus operator in Wakefield, Arriva want to make going by bus a better choice for everyone, whether that’s for getting to and from work, to catch a train, out shopping, or making

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from 18th June many of you will now be able to travel on their little Arriva buses big in Wakefield. Not only are they much nippier at getting around estate roads, they also use the latest technology to

make them far more fuel-efficient with reduced exhaust emissions; now that has to be good for Wakefield.

And talking of being kinder to the environment, the company are investing heavily on green technologies, so they’ll have more buses that will improve air quality in Wakefield next year.

Arriva are also looking at ways to improve frequencies and reliability on key bus routes out of the city, so you’ll be able to rely on their services for more and more of your everyday travel needs.

Arriva believe you should be looked after.

That’s why they train all their employees to understand your frustrations when you have them and try and make sure they leave you with a smile on your face and feeling good about your local bus company, because that’s exactly what they are . . . your local bus company.

RAMSDENS ARE STEP PRIVATE CLIENT AWARDS 2014/15 FINALISTS Ramsdens are delighted to announce that their Private Client team have been named finalists in the Legal Team of the Year (midsize) in the upcoming STEP Private Client Awards 2014/15.

More than 73 firms and 10 individuals have been shortlisted from a record number of entries – with 240 nominations received from more than 21 countries across the 19 Award categories.

STEP’s Private Client Awards are the premier international industry awards celebrating excellence across the private wealth sector. The Awards include categories for private client lawyers, accountants, private bankers, financial advisors and trust managers worldwide. They offer an unrivalled opportunity for private wealth professionals to demonstrate excellence in their field and to their peer group.

Nigel Featham, regional managing director said: “This is an exciting time for Wakefield, we are delighted to be making this £4m investment into the city. We want to make bus travel a better choice for everyone and we’re confident that jumping aboard the new ‘little buses’ will soon be the best way to get around. Buses are an essential part of our local economy and we are committed to providing a service that our customers enjoy using and one that they can rely on.”

Chairman of the Presiding Judges Paul Stibbard said: ‘The presiding judges now face the challenge of assessing the shortlisted entries to recognise the truly top-tier work of practitioners and firms in the private wealth industry. We were greatly impressed by the number of jurisdictions

represented in the nominations we received, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements with them at the Private Client Awards in September.’

STEP’s Chief Executive David Harvey said: ‘The Private Client Awards, like STEP as a whole, are about excellence.

STEP strives for industryleading education and works towards shaping best policy in the field. The panel of judges represents some of the most accomplished people in the industry who are intrinsically involved in our education and policy initiatives, so you know that just to be shortlisted for a Private Client Award is a mark of distinction.’

Chris Reynolds, Head of the Private Client team at Ramsdens comments: ‘We are delighted to be finalists….the STEP Awards are the Oscars for our field of work and to have been recognised is a fantastic team achievement.”

You can view the complete list of 2014/15 finalists online at http://www.steppca.org/ Finalists and this year’s award winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel on Wednesday 17 September 2014.

For further information contact Michelle Cooper: cooperm.yorkbus@arriva.co.uk

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 7

BULLETIN DAVID CAMERON VISITS WAKEFIELD WAKEFIELD BUSINESS LADY IS THE FIRST WOMAN OF BUSINESS SERVICE

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THE PRIME MINISTER David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne visited a local business early last month. Firstly they toured the Coca Cola factory then, accompanied by Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Andrea Jenkyns, met with three local apprentices who have undertaken a programme with Coca Cola.

yearseinss busin

Wakefield business woman and serial entrepreneur Jo Haigh has once again achieved national recognition for her 25 years in business, winning the First Woman Award 2014 in the Business Service Category.

The awards were co-founded by Real Business and the CBI and recognised some of the UK’s most ground-breaking women in areas of finance, retail and manufacturing amongst others. Held at the London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, the awards were hosted by journalist and broadcaster Mishal Husain.

Jo was in esteemed company with other winners including Vidhya Karthikeyan, the 26-year-old senior researcher at BT who has already filed for 16 different patents, Annemiek Hoogenboom, the country director for the People’s Postcode Lottery which has raised £38.4 million for charity so far and Tanni Grey Thompson who was named as 2014’s Lifetime Achievement Award Winner.

On winning her award, Jo thanked her family and supporting team who have helped her achieve great things in the field of business support, mentoring, consultancy, sales and mergers over her career.

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The First Women Awards is the UK’s premium awards programme focused on senior-level business women and professionals. Founded by Real Business and the CBI, and held in association with Lloyds Banking Group.

Since conception in 2005, the awards have grown in influence and impact, and now enjoy the support of many of the UK’s leading businesses, business bodies and business leaders.

These awards highlight the great things that can be achieved by women in business and to be recognised as a trailblazer was a wonderful moment for Jo who said: “the promotion of women in business, manufacturing, finance, research and development is essential for the continued growth of our country, but more importantly, we must help women believe they can achieve great things, as Tanni Grey Thompson said, “we must pay it forward.”

TOPICUK WELCOMES ANDY TURNER TO OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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TopicUK are delighted to announce that Andy Turner, Managing Director of First Choice Recruitment has joined our Board of directors with immediate effect.

Andy will bring with him a wealth of experience having run his successful recruitment business for 25 years in the city, alongside his business partner Anne Lockwood.

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ndrea Jenkyns said; "I am pleased that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have visited our constituency of Morley & Outwood; personally speaking to them both, I am confident that they are seriously committed to investment in the north, they understand that Yorkshire and Humber are important for our countries economy. Investment is clearly long overdue and has been neglected by consecutive governments for decades so I welcome today’s news.

I would also like to encourage politicians of all political persuasion to get behind Yorkshire’s bid to have Britain’s first rail college at Doncaster which will teach 3000 students per year. They also aim to address the imbalance of only 7% of engineers in rail industry are female. This was also highlighted by one of the apprentices we met; one particular young British lady was chosen from hundreds of European applicants to join the apprenticeship scheme and explained that today is National Women in Engineering Day and how we need to encourage more women into engineering."

Launching THE NEW TOPICAL LUNCH

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opicUK are to launch a brand new lunch networking event for invited entrepreneurs where there will be a Topical issue under discussion each time.

The lunch will take place at various venues around Wakefield and the five towns and will cost just £50 per head.

The findings from each debate will be published in the following month’s TopicUK so each business leader will have a mention with their views, great free PR for their business whilst enjoying networking with like-minded professionals.

There will also be a chance for your company to sponsor a lunch.

Sponsors will choose the subject for debate and will have the opportunity to invite attendees. Sponsors will receive free PR in TopicUK and on our website.

The first lunch will take place in September, so check your email for your invitation.

If you would like to be on our guest list, please email us at topicuk@ ghost-communications.com and topic’s for discussion are welcome.

WAKEFIELD CELEBRATES IT’S ANNUAL BUSINESS AWARDS Wakefield businesses from across the district celebrated on 26 June when they gathered for the annual Wakefield Business Awards.

Cedar Court Hotel hosted the prestigious ceremony which was sponsored by Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors.

By Sophie Mei Lan, reporter: Wakefield Express

HERE ARE THE WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP: New Business of the Year - sponsored by Haribo: Winner: Iris Restaurant Shortlisted: IndiaCoco, Ings Luxury Cat Hotel.

International Business of the Year - sponsored by Al Murad: Winner: Richard Alan Group Shortlisted: White Spider, M2R Business and the Environment: Winner: West Yorkshire Windows Shortlisted: Green Peas Solutions, Crompton Controls People Make Performance - Sponsored by YPO: Winner: Airedale Computers Shortlisted: En Route Hair & Beauty, Richard Alan Group Employee of the Year - sponsored by First Choice Recruitment: Winner: Nicola Thornton of Room 97 Shortlisted: Karen Jordan of Spectrum Community Health, Amy Anderson of M2R, Jason Kent of Richard Kendall Estate Agents, Francesca Ellis of En Route Hair & Beauty, James Spaul of Airedale Computer Recycling, Julia Blackstone of Border Cottage Care Limited, Tom Smith of Statement, Sabrina Archbold of Kidz Aware.

Small to Medium-sized Business of the Year - sponsored

by Thornton Jones: Winners: Small Business: Statement Medium Business: Softsols Group Shortlisted: Novus Health, Ashtree Roofing, Copiserv, FDS Community Enterprise Award - sponsored by The Wakefield Express: Winner: Backstage Academy Shortlisted: Spring Community Shop, Wood Street Market.

Innovation in Business Award - sponsored by Copiserv: Winner: Xamax Clothing Shortlisted: Group Rhodes, Created in Yorkshire.

Business of the Year - Sponsored by Mid-Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry: Winner: Harvard Engineering Shortlisted: Target Components, Beaumont Legal.

Business Person of the Year - sponsored by Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors: Winner: Sir Rodney Walker

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 9

The Art Business The Orangery is a Grade II listed building and grounds in the heart of the city, managed and programmed by Beam. Built in the late 1790s by the Dowager Viscountess of Galway, daughter of the original owner and builder of the main house, cloth merchant Pemberton Milnes. Since her death in 1835, The Orangery has had a wide range of uses, including a school and a Zoological Garden, complete with dancing bear!

For further information visit www.the-orangery. uk.net for more information and details about the artwork and Summer programme.

SWING IT! A DELIGHT FOR ALL THIS SUMMER IN WAKEFIELD AWARD WINNING ARTISTS CREATE A NEW INTERACTIVE ART INSTALLATION IN THE CENTRE OF WAKEFIELD, EXPLORING IDEAS AND MEMORIES OF ‘PLAY’ 10

VISITORS ARE INVITED TO EXPLORE THE RARELY SEEN MAGICAL AND HISTORIC GARDENS OF THE ORANGERY, A GRADE II LISTED BUILDING

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he back garden of The Orangery has been transformed this Summer

by Swing it! an interactive outdoor art installation commissioned by arts charity Beam. Open 11 July to 30 September, this exciting new artwork for Wakefield created by renowned artist Morag Myerscough and Luke Morgan, offers a unique experience in the heart of the city, encouraging play, creativity and inspiration.

Swing it! includes bespoke vividly coloured and patterned swings and moving seats at ground level. Their momentum, specially made mechanical handles and sheer wind power make signs and banners move brightly overhead. The eye-catching handpainted signs can be seen at street level and feature words and phrases, which recall people’s memories and experiences of ‘play’. Audiences and passers-by are invited to come and join in, recollect, create and be inspired.

Admission is free and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 4pm.

The artists behind Swing It! are London based Morag Myerscough and Luke Morgan who have recently won multiple awards for the creation of the Movement Cafe, Greenwich, London, part of a series of artist commissions to coincide with the 2012 Olympic Games. The artists have created a unique interactive art space in the heart of Wakefield and have been working with young people from locally-based Yew Tree Youth Theatre to compose poems exploring memories of ‘play’ which will form part of the artwork.

Described by the artists as a place where ‘imaginations can run away’, the artwork is a light hearted, immersive experience providing a space to share memories, have fun and enjoy the freedom of playfulness.

Beam’s Creative Director, Robert Powell commented: “It’s fantastic to welcome artists of Morag and Luke’s international reputation to Wakefield and The Orangery as part of Beam’s ‘Playful City’ arts commissioning and learning programme.

We’re looking forward to welcoming Wakefield residents and visitors alike to The Orangery this summer to enjoy the Swing It! installation alongside a host of other creative events and activities and our great cafe.”

Morag and Luke added: “We believe in the power of play, so when we were asked to look at this project in The Orangery garden, it brought back memories of long Summer days of freedom and joy.

We wanted to create a place that enabled people’s imaginations to run away....”

Throughout the Summer, visitors can enjoy the tranquil green space of The Orangery gardens, including the licensed

Orangery cafe as part of an exciting programme of cultural and family events.

Programme highlights include the Secret Garden Outdoor Cinema showing a series of classics and modern classics, Families Together Art Club and regular Friday night Music and Food Collisions, with guest appearances by musicians and invited street food vendors from the region.

Swing It! is supported by Arts Council England and Wakefield Council and is part of ‘Playful City’, a year long programme of artistic commissioning and learning activities for creatives, local communities, families and young people. Beam is an arts, architecture and education charity which programmes the Grade II listed Orangery, a historic hidden gem and cultural facility with a fascinating and varied history next to the mainline Wakefield Westgate train station.

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 11

The Art Business

REBALANCING OUR CULTURAL CAPITAL Murray Edwards Executive Director Theatre Royal Wakefield

There is now an increasing debate about how the Arts Council distributes funding with growing pressure to rectify the north/south divide.

15% of the population of England lives in London. In 2012/13 Arts Council England (ACE) distributed £320 million of taxpayers’ money to the arts, with £20 per head of population (php) allocated to London against £3.60 php in the rest of England.

Thus 82% of the funding went to 15% of the population and only 18% went to 85% of the population.

In 2012/13 the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) distributed £450 million of public funds directly to major national cultural institutions with £49 php in London against £1 php in the rest of the country.

Thus 98% of the funding went to 15% of the population and 2% to the remaining 85% of the population.

The Government and ACE have acknowledged the imbalance, but argue that it is because the major national institutions are based in London and that significant

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new and additional funds, which currently aren’t available, would be needed to redress the imbalance.

However, since 1995 ACE has also had responsibility for distributing a further £3.5 billion of new and additional funds for good causes in the arts from the National Lottery. A recent report entitled Rebalancing our Cultural Capital argues that funds from the National Lottery are derived disproportionately from the less well off in society. However London has the smallest percentage of households playing the Lottery in England, and thus benefits disproportionately.

The report suggests that ethically there is therefore a need to review their policy to ensure geographically proportionate distribution related to the size of the population.

In fact the opposite has happened over the eighteen years that the Lottery has been in operation. During this time ACE has distributed £3.5 billion of new National Lottery funding with £165 php in London against £47 php in the whole of the rest of England. This equates to only 28% of the funding

going to 85% of the population with the balance (72%) going to London.

Indeed between 1980/1 and 2012/13 ACE funding outside London has decreased from 19.6% to 17.8%. This is a much greater imbalance than that of any of the other Lottery Distributors.

Another factor is worthy of mention - engagement in the arts. 24% of Londoners stated that they never engaged with the arts as against 22% in the rest of England. But for those outside London to enjoy its offer involves incurring heavy transport and accommodation costs and is really only affordable for those within day commuting distance of London or who can afford it. The report also points out that had Londoners won a comparably disproportionate number of Lottery prizes compared to people in the rest of England, equivalent to the quantity of Lottery funding awards made to the capital city, there would have been a national outcry and swift Government action to redress the situation. It is becoming increasingly obvious that far from rectifying the north/south divide, current arts funding policy simply exacerbates it.

The key recommendations in the report are that: •

London should be allocated its fair per capita share of ACE Lottery Funding for an initial five-year period, which can be done without decreasing the amount of core revenue funding received by the London institutions, so that overall funding to London would reduce by just over 10%.

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A fund of £600 million could then be distributed outside London in new cultural production. All regions require stronger and more sustainable production resources for cultural production and across all forms of organisations – music and the performing arts, museums, visual arts and crafts, media and digital, and literature.

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There should be a particular focus on those regions unable to access London for either evening performances or extended daytime museum/gallery visits without requiring overnight accommodation or peak-time fares, i.e. the North, the Midlands and the South-West.

I’m not sure that this has gone down at all well in the corridors of the Arts Council, but there can be no doubt that unless something is done, the regions will continue to suffer a paucity of opportunities for creative engagement which will ultimately impact on audiences for the arts which, as we all know, have to be stimulated locally before they can play out on the national stage.

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 13

fashion

Bank Red or Dead - £18

Bank New Balance - £50

Debenhams

Bank Puma wedge - £75

Burton Menswear - £12

Debenhams

Argos Sonyy MDR XB30EX in Ear headphones - Black

Burton Menswear - £18 14

Bank Red or Dead - £28

Time to get fit The Summer holidays are upon us and we all want to be beach ready. So now is the time to shed those few pounds

Argos Cross 28 Inch Road Bike - Unisex

gained over the winter months and

Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF1 1QS Phone : 01924 239413

get fit.

Having the correct attire is essential so TopicUK has teamed up with Trinity Walk and some of their retailers to see what’s on offer. So what aree you waiting for, with so many bargains ains on the high street just now, there is something affordable for everyone.

The Body Shop White Musk Sport Range

Bank Adidas BBhozer Mid £60 Summer Issue S I August A 2014 TopicUK T i UK 15

law

Each issue Chadwick Lawrence, Yorkshire's Legal People, share with TopicUK readers information to keep us al know about a particular subject, email topicuk@ghost-communications.com and we'll get Peter and Olivia to a

LEGAL MATTERS

OLIVIA ROBINSON & PETER HARLING

Employment

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he Flexible Working Regulations came into force on 30 June 2014, amending the right to make flexible working requests.

Simply put, the new regulations seek to simplify the existing process of making flexible working requests.

In order to examine the changes brought about by the new regulations, perhaps it would be helpful to first summarise the position prior to 30 June 2014.

The previous system was subject to substantial criticism from both employers and employees alike. In particular,

the previous regime was thought to be too restrictive in limiting flexible working to carers and parents of children only. Furthermore, the statutory procedure was condemned for being cumbersome and needlessly complicated.

Accordingly, following a 3 month consultation, the government announced its attention to simplify flexible working requests and achieved this through the amendments made to the Children’s and Families Act 2014.

The Flexible Working Regulations introduced the following procedure: • •

•

• •

• • • •

• • •

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any employee with at least 26 weeks continuous service can make a flexible working request. a request should be made by the employee in writing.

The employer then has 3 months to consider the request and communicate their decision to the employee. employers must deal with a request in a reasonable manner and if it is to reject a request they must still rely on one or more of 8 specified reasons set out in legislation. only one request can be made within a 12 month period.

When making a request for flexible working an employee would usually be asking for one of the following: a change to working hours a change to the times that they are required to work a change to the place of work Therefore, when making a request an employee no longer has to comply with the statutory scheme. A request now should simply: be in writing be dated specify what change the employee wishes to make

If the employer agrees to the request the change will amount to a contractual variation. It is good practice for employers to obtain a new contract of employment signed by the employee confirming the new terms.

If the employer rejects the flexible working request, in doing so it must rely on one or more of the following reasons: · the burden of additional costs; · detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand; · inability to reorganise work among existing staff; · inability to recruit additional staff; · detrimental impact on quality; · detrimental impact on performance; · insufficiency of work during the periods the employee proposes to work; · planned structural changes.

Although employers are no longer required to give a detailed explanation to the employee as to why their request has not been authorised, it still recommend that employers at least confirm to the employee upon what ground the request is being rejected.

Finally, if a flexible working request is rejected by the employer, the employee must be given leave to appeal.

l within the law. If you have a legal question or need to answer it for you.

Commercial On 25 June 2014, the government introduced the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill to Parliament.

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he Bill includes, among other things, amendments to the Companies Act 2006 to:

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require companies to identify those persons with significant control over the company and keep a publicly available register of those persons.

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prevent the creation of new bearer shares and require existing bearer shareholders to surrender their shares to the company in exchange for registered shares.

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prohibit the use of corporate directors by UK companies, subject to limited exceptions.

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replace the current requirement for an annual return with an obligation to confirm at least once in a 12 month period that all requisite information has been delivered to Companies House.

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remove the requirement for the statement of capital to specify the paid up and unpaid amounts on each share and replace this with a requirement to state the aggregate amount unpaid on the total number of shares. give private companies the option of holding the information required by certain statutory registers (including the register of directors, directors’ residential addresses, members and secretaries) on a public register instead.

The Bill also amends the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 to expand the matters or behaviours a court must have regard to when determining whether a person is

unfit to act in management of a company, should be disqualified as a director and the period of any disqualification.

The measures in the Bill are largely reflective of the government’s intentions as outlined in its response to its 2013 consultations on enhancing transparency in the ownership of UK businesses and simplifying company filing requirements. Additional measures included in the Bill that were not confirmed in those responses include: · introducing a right for companies to impose restrictions on shares without a court order where a person with a relevant interest in the company has failed to comply with its disclosure obligations under the new significant control regime.

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applying the general duties of directors to shadow directors, where and to the extent they are capable of applying.

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introducing provisions dealing with the reduction of share capital arising from a cancellation order being made in respect of bearer shares and, in the case of a public company, the position where such cancellation results in a reduction of share capital below the authorised minimum.

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introducing the right for a company to amend its articles without a special resolution for the purpose of removing a provision allowing the issue of share warrants.

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 17

fitness

World champion takes on

Fit24 Many people in business are guilty of sitting behind a desk all day and not getting enough exercise.

In business, this is not good as it makes us lethargic and less productive, so why not do something about it this Autumn and join Wakefield’s newest gym?

Fit24 is open 24 hours a day and is conveniently based within Trinity Walk.

It was acquired from previous landlords Sovereign land by Chartered Surveyor and Business Consultant Ian Gibson.

Boasting 21,000 sq ft, Fit24 is fully air conditioned and open 24 hours a day.

There is a steam room and sauna, two state of the art dance studio’s, where Wakefield Academy Dancers train. In addition to state of the art equipment including exercise bikes, cross trainers, treadmills to a full range of resistance and strength equipment, there really is something for everyone. The Combat Zone is run by World Champion fighter Lisa Higo together with experienced coaches and representation from Gracie Barra. Lisa initially joined the team to teach Martial Arts and quickly found her niche. She has won over 30 titles including 3 World Championships, firstly at kick boxing then MMA. The television documentary ‘Cage Fighting Woman’ made Lisa a household name in Yorkshire she was rated as one of the best female pound for pound fighters in the world.

“We have a number of people fighting regularly now at MMA, kick boxing and boxing,” explained Ian who is also a fight

18

promoter “and the gym boasts a full size ABA approved boxing ring and cage wall and mats. We welcome everyone to come along and join us.” In addition the gym has over 30 other classes including street dance, zumba and pilates.

Lisa, who will soon be taking over the gym to allow Ian to look into the possibility of opening new ones, is a professional Martial Arts Instructor/Coach and trainer. She has been training in a variety of Martial Arts for over 20 years and holds a 4th Dan Black Belt in Kickboxing and a Blue Belt in Jiu Jitsu (under Victor Estima - Gracie Barra).

Lisa has competed in various styles and has World & European Titles in Kickboxing and MMA. She focused on providing Martial Arts services with the highest levels of customer satisfaction - Lisa will do everything she can to help you reach your personal goals.

Lisa works on a one-to-one basis with many different clients from professional fighters to people who want something different than the usual treadmill or gym instructor.

With a variety of disciplines, Fit 24 certainly has something to offer everyone and clients can be certain they will receive the best possible training from Lisa and the team.

Adding to the gym’s credibility is the fact that it is used by the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats with players using the gym on a daily basis.

After your workout, the relaxation area is the perfect place to de-stress and unwind then take a hot shower in the separate male and female changing rooms with secure lockers and non-slip floors.

There is a range of flexible and affordable membership packages with full membership just £19.99 per month for a 12 month slot or if you do not want to commit, short term memberships are available which include a 5 day pass, a weekend pass or a day pass.

For more information or to book a class contact 01924 361497 or email fit24_7@hotmail.co.uk. You can also sign up at the website www.fit24wakefield.yourclubuk. co.uk/signup

▶ MANAGED BY A TEAM OF HIGHLY-QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS ▶ OVER 100 STRENGTH, FITNESS AND CARDIO MACHINES ▶ COST-EFFECTIVE MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS TO SUIT EVERYONE

TEL : 01924 361497

www.fit24wakefield.yourclubuk.co.uk Trinity Walk/Teall Way, Wakefield WF1 1QSPhone:01924 694346 Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 19

BANKING

Tour De France to boost Yorkshire economy by an estimated £100m An estimated 2.5m people came to watch Le Tour on the streets of Leeds, Harrogate, York, Sheffield and everywhere in between.

I

nitial estimates of the economic impact suggested that hosting the Tour De France would boost the Yorkshire economy by around £100m. It was great to see such a reception in “God’s own county”, the sun shone and it was a really great event, hopefully we will see not only a jump in business over the event but also a lasting boost to tourism visits and spend into our region.

Reassuringly, alongside a good cuppa and beautiful scenery, Yorkshire remains an affordable place to live, certainly when compared against London prices. According to a recent PwC report, the cost of a UK home will jump by more than third nationwide before the end of the decade, while the average price in London is expected to soar past the £500,000 mark by the end of this year. The accountancy firm believes house prices will rise by 35% to £328,000 by 2020, from £242,000 at the end of 2013. This means the cost of an average UK home will remain around 10 times larger than the average salary of £27,000 over the next six years, even as income growth returns to its pre-crisis average of around 4% a year.

To carry on a little more about household spend,

20

Jonathan can be contacted on jonathan.rostron@santander.co.uk something dear to many of our hearts (or wallets), the Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe has warned that high household debt is a key risk to the UK’s economic recovery. In a speech at the International Festival for Business in Liverpool, Cunliffe said that the Bank of England’s measures last week to rein-in mortgage lending should be seen as an insurance against the possibility of a sustained housing market boom leading to more household debt that could make a major economic crash more likely. Cunliffe noted that UK household debt was equal to 135% of household earnings, compared with 110%

in 2000. He warned that the level was higher than in other European countries and on a par with the US. Thankfully then, British manufacturers enjoyed their strongest domestic sales growth in a quarter of a century in the three months to June, as optimism about future profits also touched a record high, according to the British Chambers of Commerce. The business lobby group’s survey of almost 7,000 companies in the manufacturing and services sectors showed a balance of 42% of manufacturers reporting a rise in domestic sales, compared with 38% in the first quarter. This represents the highest reading since records began in 1989.

On a broader outlook, British businesses are calling on the Bank of England not to rush into an interest rate rise, warning that the recovery is not yet secure as a closely watched report today shows a slowdown in exports. The British Chambers of Commerce says its latest quarterly poll of thousands of companies shows their performance slipped on key measures such as overseas sales and investment during the last three months when compared with a strong start to 2014. The business group said its findings still pointed to a solid pace of growth for the UK, but were a reminder that the recovery was not entrenched and rebalancing the economy still had a way to run. It warned against an early move to raise borrowing costs after recent comments from Bank of England policymakers have raised expectations that a hike could come before the end of the year.

Finally, it would appear that the firestorm of the recession will yield many green shoots in terms of business start-ups and this even applies to the banking sector. The Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority said five times as many businesses are currently applying for banking licences as were granted them last year, with 25 applications being considered in the year to March, of which six had been approved. It said that looser financial requirements for small banks that mean start-ups have to hold as little as £1m in capital (it was £5m), as well as a fasttrack licensing processes had made it easier for new entrants.

WWW.THE-PROJECT.COM

The-project is an online team collaboration platform to accelerate project delivery and provide a standardised audited way of sharing information.

By working more closely together teams can increase the benefits over the competition through early scrutiny and better collaboration. Additional benefits include: - Accelerated project delivery - Improved information control - Faster acceptance of deliverables - Less administrative burden - Transparent and audited way of working.

- Standardised project delivery - Resilient centralised information The-project was launched in 1998 and is used by a wide range of clients from small community groups to large blue-chip clients such as Asda-Walmart who have used it since 1999 help manage store development.

C A S E S T U D Y : 11 5 A C R E M I L K D A I R Y

Features include eTendering, contacts, event manager, project notice board, file commenting and revision retention.

The-project.com has recently been used to help develop and construct one of Europe's biggest fresh milk dairies producing one billion litres of fresh milk each day with a development cost of ÂŁ150m. It will create almost 700 jobs and around 1000 construction jobs were created during development.

Langham house, 148 Westgate, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF2 9SR Tel: 01924 580999 Email: info@sarcophagus.co.uk

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 21

Health

Happiness at work

Poor mental health and wellbeing can affect any one of us - with one in four people experiencing some kind of mental health problem

Offer flexible working hours So what can we do as employers to create a happier, healthier and more productive workplace?

•

small things can make a big difference – like being there to listen, keeping in touch and reminding people that your work with that you care http://www.time-to-change. org.uk/. Creating an environment where people talk about mental health will mean that staff are reluctant to inform their managers if they have a mental health problem and will help make staff feel more supported

•

encourage your workforce to connect with others, be active, keep learning, take notice of their feelings / surroundings and give (this could be something small like saying thanks or doing something positive for the local community) – all of these things promote positive wellbeing http://www.neweconomics.org/projects/ entry/five-ways-to-well-being

•

90% of people who have a mental health problem experience stigma - raising awareness of mental health amongst employees at all levels will help to work towards tackling this (e.g. through training or campaigns)

•

offer flexible working hours

•

give employees opportunities for lifelong learning and career development

•

provide opportunities for employees to socialise

•

enable employees to participate in the improvement of their work organisation and their work environment

•

develop a mental health policy so that staff are clear on how to deal with mental health problems, which could be part of a wider health and wellbeing policy

•

O

ne of the most common of these is work related stress, where a person feels unable to cope with the demands being placed upon them. This can lead to illness, and is known to be linked with high levels of sickness absence, staff turnover and low productivity.

If our employees feel happier or have a good mental wellbeing they are more likely to perform well. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimate that workplace stress costs the British economy over £3.5 billion each year. This is as a result of people being off work with stress or being stressed at work, which can cause difficulty concentrating, indecisiveness and forgetfulness, hindering their performance in the workplace.

be supportive of people who apply for jobs at your business who have a mental health problem – getting them into work may be part of the solution! One of the priorities for the Wakefield District is to increase the employment levels of people who have a long term physical or mental health problem https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/employing-disabled-peopleand-people-with-health-conditions/employing-disabledpeople-and-people-with-health-conditions#why-recruitdisabled-people We’d love to hear how you promote mental health and wellbeing in your workplace – What’s working well?

What are you struggling with? Drop us an email: health improvement@wakefield.uk

Other sources of advice - information: http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/ http://www.mind.org.uk/for-business/mental-health-at-work/ 22

Community Foundation for Wakefield District

Make

a Difference Locally 01924 239181 w

atter m t tha Connecting those with the Wakefield district at heart s e At Community Foundation Wakefield, we connect those who care us a c passionately about the district and it’s people. al c lo Helping you to help your clients h We can work with you to meet your clients’ charitable needs it

Connecting peo ple wh oc ar e

and exceed their expectations.

We can add our expertise to yours to provide added value to your clients.

Why work with us?

• We work closely with local community groups & charities • We are experts in philanthropy • We take the hassle out of charitable giving • We are specialist independent grant makers • We can help you give tax effectively • Match funding may be available

Find out how you can make a difference locally: Contact the Community Foundation for Wakefield District Call: 01924 239181 Email: info@communityfoundationwakefield.co.uk

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 23

BEAUTY & WELLBEING

DARE

TO BARE THIS SUMMER?

Welcome to new guest beauty editors Chill Beauty of Lofthouse As the Summer holidays are here, do you choose the all-in-one swimwear over a bikini or wear a sarong to cover up your body? This issue, we take a look at the different beauty treatments that are available to boost your body confidence as you head for the beach Finding time to visit a gym or squeeze in an extra aerobics class can be difficult, but there are many treatments available in salons that give instant results without taking up too much time.

▶ Introducing the i-lipo fat reduction machine This treatment uses low level lasers for fat reduction, cellulite smoothing and body shaping treatments, achieving inch loss safely and painlessly.

So how does it work? i-lipo uses a clinically proven technique that stimulates the body’s natural response to fat burning using low-level laser energy, targeting particular areas of the body where excess fat has built up. The laser treatment stimulates fat cells in the body to begin the process in a controlled way, making this a great way to target stubborn areas.

A course of 8 treatments is recommended taken twice a week on one area. This will ensure that maximum results are achieved. The treatment only takes 20 minutes, so great even to squeeze into a lunch break!

The cost is just £80 per session but Chill have special offers at the moment, so check out their advert!

▶ Want to loose inches?

If you’re looking to lose a few extra inches, but need instant results, you could try a Universal Contour Wrap. With this treatment you are guaranteed an inch loss of at least 6” in just two hours or your money back! You even have the peace of mind knowing that the inch loss guarantee lasts for 30 days so you continue to benefit long after leaving the salon. To extend your inch loss effect, a course of 3 treatments will often be enough for most women to lose a complete dress size.

So how does it work? A unique blend of mineral rich clay and specialist body wrapping techniques help cleanse and detoxify your body whilst actively compressing the soft fatty tissues, to create instant and lasting inch loss.

Once the warm clay-soaked bandages are applied, you can relax for an hour whilst the treatment gets to work. And why not use this time to indulge in a facial or manicure? When your wrap is removed and you will be amazed with the before and after measurements. This is not a water loss treatment however, in fact the therapist would recommend you drink water regularly after your treatment to enhance detoxification.

Further benefits include: Reduces appearance of cellulite & stretch marks Gently exfoliates leaving the skin smooth and conditioned Removes harmful toxins from the body A single wrap costs £62 but a special offer on a course of 3 wraps during August is just £150 saving £36.00, but hurry as the offer ends on 31 August.

Want to lose inches in the comfort of our own home? You could purchase the Universal Contour Wrap Self Slim Kit for just £45.95.

24

The intelligent alternative to liposuction Experience fat reduction and a slimmer, tighter shape – all with no pain, no needles and no down time A course of 8 sessions is recommended to achieve the best results, having 2 sessions a week for 4 weeks – treatment time only 20mins!

Exclusive offer for Topic Uk readers – Book a course of 8 sessions and receive £50.00 off (offer ends 31/08/14) Quote Topic-ilipo when booking The Old Co-op Building, Co-Operative St, Lofthouse, Wakefield WF3 3NQ Phone:01924 873000

www.chillbeauty.co.uk

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 25

SPONSORS

over TO OUR SPONSORS...

Trinity Walk

Cafe Nero to join Trinity Walk Cafe Nero has become the first new tenant to sign up for a unit at Trinity Walk Shopping Centre since the 550,000sq ft shopping centre was purchased by Orion in March 2014.

The high street coffee house chain is relocating from elsewhere in the city to take on a higher-profile 1,461sq ft unit in Grammar Square, the centre’s main cafe and restaurant area. The prime spot in the centre also features Pizza Express, Handmade Burger Co, The Chinese Buffet and Burger King.

The letting marks the start of a new phase of evolution for Trinity Walk, with Orion building on the success of late 2013/early 2014, which saw weekly footfall figures pass 200,000 with shoppers visiting the centre, including Debenhams, Sainsbury’s, ASDA Living and Next.

Orion is already in advanced negotiations with major retailers on a number of other units, totalling over 10,000sq ft.

For more information, please visit www.trinitywalk.com

26

wakefield wildcats

Season tickets now on sale The Wildcats will launch season tickets for 2015 on September 1st with anticipation already building for what the next campaign can hold.

After a year where Trinity’s main ambition was to avoid relegation following a turbulent season, head coach James Webster is overseeing a strong end to the current First Utility Super League campaign and with some new signings already announced, supporters are looking ahead to 2015 with renewed optimism.

The Wildcats are offering fans the chance to pay for their season ticket over six monthly instalments and with a guaranteed 14 Super League games, it’s the best value way to support the club.

Prices start at £220 for adults, £150 concessions, £70 for 13-16 year old’s and £50 for ages 12 and under. See the Wildcats website for more information.

the ridings

Fun free events at the Ridings Over the next few months The Ridings have some fun, free events planned.

Their monthly craft market continues on the first Sunday of every month and on Sunday 7th September, the market will have a special Antiques and Collectables twist, with stalls and special visits from TV experts, Eric Knowles and Tom Pearce who will be giving free valuations!

They also have the return of our Grand Boot Bazaar when it is back in the Green Car Park Sunday 28th September. Please see the lovely ladies on customer services for more details on both events and to book your valuation slot, stall or space.

On top of the events, they also continue to offer a great mix of fab independent stores and high street favourites over three floors. including Created in Yorkshire, Artworld, Present Days, Pretty Reckless, TK Maxx, F.Hinds, Ann Summers and Primark.

new dock hall

chamber of commerce

Book your christmas party now

Showcase your business at KBW14

Join our best ever parties, open to all - there is nowhere better to celebrate the festivities than at Leeds’ premier party destinations - Royal Armouries Museum where your themed party room will be ‘imagineered; into a gigantic ice palace, freshly made cocktails await you and on band nights get danced off your feet by the high energy Tzars and our resident DJ Simon Asquith.

MY Conferences run in partnership by the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce; encompasses conferences and business weeks in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. The Chamber has ambitious plans to take the conferences to the next level. Increased resource, greater connections and a wider reach will help to achieve more exhibitors, delegates, partners, fresh speakers and seminars.

And the result of this will see further growth into the local economy.

Or why not see the full production Legends show with Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Robbie Williams in NEW DOCK hall, both venues on the magnificent waterfront in Leeds. ....At Christmas parties in Leeds, we do the best parties ever!!

RAI was incorporated in 1993 and owns and operates NEW DOCK Hall. RAI is also the sole and exclusive provider of corporate entertainment, event management and catering under concession at the ROYAL ARMOURIES MUSEUM, Leeds.

RAI has no other contractual relationship with the Board of Trustees of Royal Armouries or Royal Armouries Museum.

ramsdens solicitors

Fun free events at the Ridings Ramsdens, an award winning and leading legal firm in Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield.

With its principal office in Edgerton and nine branch offices in Dewsbury, Elland, Huddersfield, Halifax, Holmfirth, Leeds, Mirfield, Slaithwaite and Wakefield, Ramsdens is perfectly placed to build on its 140 years heritage in the area.

With 170 staff, working in 12 different practice areas, across nine offices, with solicitors and support staff fluent in 4 languages, Ramsdens offers the full spectrum of legal services to organisations and to the individual.

Our shared values guide how we conduct our relationships with one another and our clients…we are a local team…… supporting local people and businesses. (Ramsdens were Highly Commended in the Law Firm of the Year, 2013.)

Ramsdens are supporting Topic magazine and Sinéad Sopala Director of Marketing at Ramsdens comments: “Ramsdens are delighted to support Topic. The magazine is published independently and is driven by Gill and her teams passion for the community’s they are in and we’re delighted with the announcement that the magazine in now a social enterprise.

Here’s to a fabulous summer and good luck to everyone with their #TopicUKontour selfies...and let's see how far we can get the magazine. Don't forget about #TopicPaparazzi, they could be at event near you this summer!

Get involved in Kirklees Business Week 2014 (KWB14) from 13 - 17 October with the conference held on 15 October at The John Smith’s Stadium.

The first Calderdale Business Summit will take place on 12 November 2014, a leadership panel event with business leaders debating the state of the district and a Q&A discussion.

For more information and to book your place contact myconferences@mycci.co.uk.

wakefield business centre

quality serviced offices in Wakefield and Ossett. Established in 2003, they provide tenants with flexible terms to suit their business. They believe in helping tenants, providing a professional environment with a service that goes beyond expectations.

A wide range of workspace provisions allow tenants to grow and include: virtual office, hot desks, dedicated workspace and dedicated office suites. Comprehensive facilities such as a manned reception, conference facilities, secretarial duties, virtual PA, fax to email and mentoring, provide an unrivalled quality service. These are at three locations: Langham House, Westgate and Merchant House, Cheapside in Wakefield and Prospect House in Ossett town centre.

Included services are ultra-fast internet, heating, electricity, water, cleaning, 24 hour access, CCTV, personal intercom and waste disposal. Options include telephones, IT support and on-site parking. Short terms leases from 3 months are available as is financial assistance for new start-up companies.

For details, contact: info@wakefieldbusinesscentre.co.uk or call 01924 58095

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 27

theatre royal

Wakefield Youth Music Theatre Presents: Oliver!

Wed 27 Aug – Sat 6 Sept From the same team that brought you Les Miserables and Miss Saigon comes this stunning musical featuring all the songs you know and love including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two. Dickens’ classic tale of the poor street urchin Oliver Twist is brought to life in this famous musical which features Lionel Bart’s hugely successful score.

After Oliver is sold to an undertaker on the streets of London, he runs away and meets The Artful Dodger who takes him to join Fagin’s gang of pickpockets and thieves. He quickly gets arrested but salvation comes in the shape of Mr Brownlow who rescues Oliver and takes care of him. It soon becomes clear that Mr Brownlow is more to Oliver than just a mysterious benefactor.

Don’t miss your chance to catch this hugely talented company in action!

Box office: 01924 211311 Book Online: www.theatreroyalwakefield.co.uk

diamond bondholders

The Wakefield Bondholders scheme has now finished its important first year which has seen it complete a number of important activities.

Over the last 12 months a steering group has been created and expanded to include a diverse range of business people from across the Wakefield district.

A business plan for the first two years has been created and agreed with the Wakefield First board along with a formal constitution.

Similar bondholder schemes from around the country have been visited and/or evaluated and the best ideas incorporated into the vision and objectives for the Wakefield scheme.

Considerable discussion has been had with local businesses to understand how a bondholder scheme can be used to attract significant inward investment into the district and how they might be included in more of the bondholder debates, discussions and initiatives.

In June, Adrian Spawforth was appointed as the new chair of the scheme with Graham Howarth being appointed as vice chair.

In addition four working groups have been formed to develop and deliver many of the planned initiatives. Each group is chaired by a local business owner or senior business manager and there are considerable opportunities for more locally based firms to get involved and, working closely with Wakefield First and WMDC, to help shape the future promotional strategy for the district.

Incoming chair, Adrian Spawforth, confirmed at the first meeting of the new year that “ the intention of the Wakefield Bondholders scheme is to break down some of the myths and artificial barriers that have sometimes existed between the public and private sectors and to allow them to work much more closely together to create an exciting, bright, positive and aspirational outside impression of the district that differentiates it from other less well located, lower quality and less ambitious parts of the UK.

Richard Kendall opens fifth office Richard Kendall Estate Agent has opened a new office at 15 Cornmarket, Pontefract, confirming that the housing market is recovering.

Already established in Wakefield, Horbury, Ossett and Normanton for many years, Pontefract is the fifth office in the group.

28

The launch for the new office took place at Pontefract Racecourse on 6 August where the first race was sponsored by the company and many racegoers were given goodie bags to mark the occasion.

We will have a full round up of the official opening in our October issue.

Here to help you for all your legal needs, call your local solicitors, Ramsdens

Visit us in branch at:

19a Cheapside, WHRLĂ„LSK >- :+ VY call 01924 669510 @ramsdens

MHJLIVVR JVT 9HTZKLUZ :VSPJP[VYZ

01924 669510 www.ramsdens.co.uk Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 29

LitFest Willan& Maglorian

Wakefield Lit Fest is an emergent festival celebrating reading and writing, established and programmed by Beam since 2012. The festival runs annually for 10 days between 19 and 28 September Lit Fest aims to achieve a balance between quality and participation; learning opportunities and a diverse definition of ‘literature’. The festival has a strong sense of ‘places and spaces’ and the relationship between the written and performed word LitFest Roger McGough and the places we live in, walk through and imagine. For more information visit the website www.beam.uk.net Will_Wilkinson

Chris Close

WAKEFIELD LIT FEST: a festival of reading and writing Key achievements since 2012 •

• • •

• •

Jordans Solicitors partner Wakefield Lit Fest •

• • • • •

•

6,500 Lit Fest brochures printed and distributed; 1300 Twitter followers and over 400 people signed up to the Lit Fest mailing list.

18 venue partnerships developed across the city and district Lit Fest website developed Festival ‘Seed Fund’ programme developed to support community and ‘fringe’ festival programming.

Two festival paid internships created.

Media partnership with Wakefield Express; features in the Independent on Saturday, Yorkshire Post and on Radio Leeds, Sheffield and Ridings FM. 5000 people engaged in literature events and activities during the 2012 & 2013 festivals.

75 events delivered to date.

200 writers, performers and artists involved.

25 workshops delivered in Wakefield schools. £75k of Arts Council England investment secured to support delivery. £20k match funding generated to date to supportfestivals from local authority, business sponsorship and ticket sales.

Inkind support worth £25k generated to date

LitFest - Joanne Harris

Jason McLarnin

W 30

akefield’s third festival of reading and writing will take place between 18 and 30 September and Jordans are proud to be sponsoring the acclaimed Barnsley author, Joanne Harris.

At the event, Joanne will be speaking about ‘The Gospel of Loki’. The novel is told in the first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods

- retold from the point of view of the world’s ultimate trickster, Loki. It tells the story of Loki’s recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself.

The event will be held on Thursday 25 September from 8pm at Westgate Unitarian Chapel. To book tickets contact the Theatre Royal box office.

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 31

CHARITY ROUNDUP

FUNDRAISERS SADDLE-UP FOR CHARITY P

artners in MYnetwork launched their own charity cycle, #MYcycle in the year the Tour de France comes to Yorkshire.

The cycle was a 50 mile challenge with a grand depart from The Shay Stadium in Halifax.

The route ventured through Wakefield, Dewsbury and Huddersfield before returning to Halifax.

There was a celebratory lunch at The Shay welcoming all the riders back as part of a special Last Friday Club with event attendees invited to join in celebrations.

The group, consisted of Ramsdens Solicitors LLP, Barclays, Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Better Telecoms, Copiserv, 02 Dewsbury and Welcome to Yorkshire, who nominated four local charities to receive all money raised including the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, Wakefield Hospice, Age UK Kirklees & Calderdale and the Laura Crane Trust. Barclays match funded all monies raised.

Sinéad Sopala, Director of Marketing at Ramsdens and Director at TopicUK said “It was a tough challenge but worthwhile as we raised money for four fantastic local great charities.

Not content with just one event, eighteen fabulous Ramsdens ladies took part in this year’s Race for Life in Huddersfield, running alongside 2000 ladies in pink.

The team have raised over £1000 so far for Cancer Research, a charity very close to one of the runners, Karen James.

Karen, Head of Conveyancing comments: ‘If anyone had said to me 12 months’

32

ago, I would be running the Race for Life with my sisters, friends and workmates to raise money for Cancer Research UK, I would have been very cynical. At the time I was half way through chemo, having had two lots of surgery, and knew I still had a month of radiotherapy treatment ahead of me. Most days it was a huge effort just to walk from the front door to the car to get to work. What a difference a year makes and what a pleasure and privilege to be part of Sunday’s event with so many lovely people around me offering support. Everyone had a compassionate story to tell and I met some truly inspirational people along the route. This will definitely become an annual event in my calendar.’

Cancer touches so many people’s lives and #teamRamsdens were determined to do their bit to raise as much as they could.

There is still time to sponsor the team, every single penny counts, www. justgiving.com/ramsdensraceforlife.

KIDS BENEFIT FROM JORDANS FUN

On Saturday 12 July Jordans Solicitors took part in the 6th annual Dragon Boat Race held at Pugneys County Park which was organised by the Wakefield and Huddersfield Rotary Clubs.

Members of staff, together with their friends and family, from across our three offices gave up their Saturday for a day of fun on the water while enjoying the sunshine.

This was the second time Jordans had competed and managed to improve on their times from last year. They completed the first race in 1.13, the second in 0.59 and the

third in 1.01. Sadly they did not make the top six which would have seen them compete in the final but they did come a respectable 11th place out of the 34 teams entered.

The firm’s efforts raised £232.25 for a very deserving local charity KIDS, who support disabled children, young people and their families within the Wakefield District.

Jordans would like to extend a grateful thank you to everyone who kindly donated to this event and to everyone who came along and supported Jordans on the day.

GLENDINNING WEALTH WEALTH MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

A wealth of expertise on your doorstep We provide an experienced wealth management service and offer specialist advice in a wide range of areas including: • Investment planning • Retirement planning • Inheritance Tax planning For further details contact Glendinning Wealth on:

Tel: 01924 666263 Email: gareth.glendinning@sjpp.co.uk Website: www.glendinningwealth.co.uk

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 33

LOCAL HEROES It was back in 1997 when Bob Lawson and his former business partner founded Ossett ssett Brewery, from humble beginnings in the back room of an Ossett Pub. TopicUK caught up with th Bob recently to find out how this local success story all began.

How Ossett Brewery became such a

Bobby Dazzler

W

hen Bob left Wakefield Grammar School he spent the summer of 1966 looking for work, attending dozens of interviews before being offered a position with Beverley Brothers Brewery, Wakefield. Founded in 1861 and finally closing its doors in October 1968, following a takeover by Watney Mann. “I never really considered brewing,” he told us, “but found it was a job that suited me perfectly.”

After leaving Beverley’s, Bob moved to Matthew Browns in Blackburn, but in 1969 an opportunity to join Joshua Tetley Brewery in Leeds came up, enabling a return to his native Yorkshire. In the same year, Bob married his girlfriend Judith who was pleased to be able to settle closer to home.

Bob remained at Joshua Tetley for over 25 years, fulfilling a variety of brewing roles until the opportunity arose that would change the course of Bob’s future.

“I always had ambitions to start my own business and the opportunity came about, quite by accident.

Over a few beers in a local pub, The Brewers Pride,

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a chance conversation with the landlord started the whole thing off. He had ambitions to brew his own beer and had a suitable building at the rear of the pub. I was looking for a new direction and the rest they say is history,” said Bob. The first beer launched in August 1998 was aptly named Bobby Dazzler. “We never thought it would take off as quickly as it did, but very soon there was a demand to brew more and more. Many other pubs in the area wanted supplies and our range of beers began to grow as sales increased.”

However, the partnership wasn’t to last and soon Bob found himself buying out his partner and going it alone. In a short time, it was clear that the brewery would soon need new premises as sales continued to grow. “We wanted to stay in the area and were fortunate to find our current premises just around the corner from where we were” added Bob. The company continued to grow and so did staff numbers.

During a holiday to Japan to visit their son James, Bob proposed he might consider the idea of

returning to the UK and joining him in the business. James was working in investment banking at the time and after a short period considering his future, Ossett Brewery became a family business.

Since its inception and the very first few barrels of ‘Bobby Dazzler’ the range has grown considerably. There is the popular ‘core’ range of beers with the very popular Yorkshire Blonde the best seller. There are other regular brews with specials introduced such as World Cup of Hops including Rio de Ja Beer-O; Tour de Yorkshire and the popular Christmas brew, Nervous Turkey.

In addition to the expanded beer range over the years, three small micro breweries have been added to the family.

The Rat Brewery in Huddersfield

Images courtesy Danny Gartside

“Taking on pubs was never in my business plan, but on James return he persuaded me to buy The Black Bull in Liversedge. It was clear the pub would need a lot of attention but James convinced me he could do it and I was amazed when I saw the transformation. The pub is still one of our better performers,” said Bob.

produces over 9000 pints each week.

The brewers have created rodent themed beers to critical acclaim and have won a string of awards. Head brewer, Paul Spencer personally brews something a little special each month under the ‘Project Rat’ series of one-off brews.

Fernandes Brewery Tap in Wakefield was purchased from Fernandes Brewery

and Pub in 2007 and continues to brew many of the original beers whilst devising many new brews. The plant now brews about 90 different beers a year. Finally, The Riverhead Brew Pub was purchased

by Ossett Brewery the year previously in 2006. The core range are named after local reservoirs with the height of the reservoir relating to the strength of the CONTINUED OVER ▶ beer.

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 35

With the addition of the shop at the Ossett Brewery and the tours arranged by prior arrangement, there is now a need for further expansion.

Images courtesy Danny Gartside

“We now have a need to grow further,” explained Bob, “as we are nearing fill capacity, but as we would like to remain in Ossett, finding the right premises at the right price is proving difficult.”

Bob, who’s favourite brew is Silver King, is not as involved in the day to day running these days, but is actively involved in finding a new home for the brewery, leaving much of the day to day running to James who is joint managing director with Mike Inman. In his spare time Bob enjoys a round of golf and spending time with his family, including his two daughters and grandchildren, enjoying as many well deserved holidays as he can.

Spawforth the Architects to go to!

Spawforth architects are a friendly Wakefield based practice who this year celebrate 25 years in business. ▶ Are you a business looking to redevelop, relocate or expand your premises? ▶ Do you have under utilised property and land that you want to enhance or sell? ▶ Are you wanting to develop new premises? ▶ Are you struggling to find a site for redevelopment?

Talk to the team at Spawforths.

We have extensive experience in the commercial market sector and supported by our in-house planning team, we can add significant value to your scheme through our knowledge and experience of local planning authority processes and procedures

For more information call us on 01924 873873 or visit our website www.spawforths.co.uk

ARCHITECTURE | PLANNING | MASTERPLANNING | LANDSCAPE | ENGAGEMENT

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Local solicitors for all your personal and business legal needs Company & Commercial Litigation, Disputes & Debt Recovery Residential & Commercial Conveyancing Employment Professional Negligence Family & Mediation Accident & Personal Injury Wills, Trusts, Probate & Estate Planning 18 King Street, Wakefield, WF1 2SQ 01924 387110 enquiries@jordanssolicitors.co.uk www.jordanssolicitors.co.uk Offices throughout Yorkshire Jordanssolicitor @JordanSolicitor

COUNCIL NEWS

SUPERFAST BROADBAND to be rolled out across Wakefield The Superfast West Yorkshire project has announced the next phase of its expansion of high-speed fibre broadband. By late summer fibre broadband will be available to more than 4,000 homes and businesses in Wakefield in six exchange areas.

They are included in a total of 12,000 homes and businesses to be enabled this year as part of the second phase of the multi-million pound programme, with engineers set to install many more new green fibre cabinets and lay hundreds of kilometres of cable.

This latest deployment phase will make fibre more widely available in parts of Wakefield which already have the high-speed technology including Crofton, Horbury, Ossett, Knottingley, Pontefract, Wakefield and Wentbridge. Work to connect new ‘spines’ of fibre optic cable between the telephone exchanges and new green fibre cabinets connecting people’s homes and businesses, is already well underway.

Just under 7,000 premises across West Yorkshire already have access to new high-speed broadband thanks to the Superfast West Yorkshire project. Once completed, this latest building phase will provide access to high speed fibre broadband to approximately a third of homes and businesses in the entire project area.

Wakefield Council’s Cabinet member

for Economic Growth and Skills, Cllr Denise Jeffery, said: “This is fantastic news for businesses and people across the district and will help improve service for residents.

“Every day the number of existing and new services delivered to us online is growing to meet our daily needs and improvements to this service will provide faster internet connections for people to work, learn and play.”

Superfast West Yorkshire builds on BT’s commercial investment of £2.5 billion to rollout fibre broadband to two-thirds of UK premises. Wakefield Council, Leeds City Council, Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Calderdale Council will work with BT to bring fibre broadband to premises in West Yorkshire, which are not currently included in the private sector’s commercial roll-out plans and would otherwise have missed out on this opportunity.

The programme will involve investing a total of £21.96 million to extend highspeed fibre broadband to 97 per cent of households and businesses across the majority of West Yorkshire by the end of 2015. The programme also aims to ensure all premises in this area have access to speeds of more than 2Mbps.

West Yorkshire local authorities.

Faster broadband will help local businesses find new customers and become more competitive and efficient, whilst for households the high-speed technology will offer new educational, training and leisure opportunities.

Bill Murphy, BT’s managing director of next generation access, said: “Fibre is no longer a nice to have for business. It is a need to have. To compete effectively in this world of technology we find ourselves in you need to be able to move, act and do business quickly and effectively. Faster broadband breaks down the barriers to doing business in the digital world like online trading, which helps to empower those small businesses to find new markets, sell new products, try new models and compete on an equal footing with larger businesses.”

BT’s network will be open to all communications providers on an equal wholesale basis and so consumers and businesses in Wakefield will benefit from a highly competitive market.

Residents and businesses across Wakefield who want to keep up to date with progress of the roll-out are encouraged to register their interest.

This will enable the Superfast West Yorkshire team to send out updates on the project and identify areas of high demand. More than 5,553 businesses and residents across West Yorkshire have already registered their interest through the website www.superfastwestyorkshire. co.uk , visit here and www.wakefieldfirst. com for further updates.

The investment is made up of Government funding from Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) combined with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), BT and four

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 37

Audi ultra - the future of lightweight automotive construction.

At Audi, we do not view lightweight construction as being the sum of individual components but as a highly-integrated overall concept: from innovative materials and intelligent design principles to resource-efficient production processes.

The result is greater agility with lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

With CO2 outputs of as little as 109g/km the three new A4 and A5 TDI ultra models undercut the already impressively low emissions figures achieved by the familiar TDIe versions in each range. They are available to order now priced from £28,320 OTR. Although it shares its 163PS output with the more powerful of the two TDIe engines, which until now was reserved for the A5 Coupé, the unit powering the latest ultra models is a completely new development engineered for even leaner burning with no impact on performance. It works with a highly efficient Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system that removes nitrogen oxides from the exhaust and ensures that the new models meet the stringent new Euro 6 emission standards.

To experience the Ultra models yourself, please contact us to arrange a test drive.

Wakefield Audi

Calder Park, Peel Avenue, Wakefield, WF2 7UA 01924 609 357

Follow, Like and Subscribe to Sytner Audi Official fuel consumption figures for the Audi A6 2.0TDI ultra S line S tronic in mpg (l/100km): Urban 55.4 (5.1), Extra Urban 72.4 (3.9), Combined 64.2 (4.4). CO2 emissions: 114g/km.

Standard EU Test figures for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. For more information please visit audi.co.uk/a6. Prices quoted and examples shown are correct at time of publication (May 2014).

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38

Acomeslittle bit of Paris in wakefield to Wakefield C

lémence Lormier is 21 and lives in Paris where she studies translations and communications, including three languages: French, Italian and English.

To complete her internship Clemence is spending the summer in Wakefield.

“It was quite difficult to find an internship.

At first I was looking for a job as a translator, but most of those companies want long internships, explained Clemence, “and I only have two months before I return to college in September. The reason I wanted to come to the UK was to practise the language by speaking to British people and to learn about British culture.

Clemence was interviewed by Sofie Luyckfasseel another student from Belgium currently working with TopicUK

Leave Christmas till the last minute?

You must be barking!

“I almost gave up on looking in England until I found a job through a friend of my mother who works for TopicUK.” Clemence continued.

“He suggested I contact Anne Lockwood, the Managing Partner of First Choice Recruitment. I work on reception which is great because I get to talk to both clients and

candidates, whether it be on the phone or faceto-face, so I get to improve my English and my communication skills. I also shadow the consultants to see how they select candidates.

“Once I arranged my internship I needed a place to stay. That was easier. I just looked on the internet for a shared flat. Two weeks later I arrived in Wakefield to find my accommodation is really nice and so are my housemates. We do things together, one of them took me to Liverpool for example and we took part in the pub quiz the other day. The house is close to the city centre of Wakefield and I like the fact that the city is quite small.

Everything is within walking distance and people are very friendly. I live in Paris where everyone is grumpy, busy and stressed. A huge difference!”We’ll print an update about Clemence in our October issue but in the meantime would like to thank First Choice Recruitment for giving Clemence this opportunity.

Thurs 4th Dec Olly Murs & Bruno Mars tribute Three course carvery, act & DJ £28pp

Thurs 11th Dec Only One Direction Three course carvery, act & DJ £28pp

Fri 5th Dec & Sat 6th Dec Christmas party Three course dinner & DJ £35.50pp

Fri 12th Dec & Sat 13th Dec OKTC Four course dinner, band & DJ £42.50pp

Fri 5th Dec & Sat 6th Dec The Beat Collective Four course dinner, band & DJ £42.50pp

Thurs 18th Dec Gary Barlow Tribute Three course carvery, act & DJ £28pp

Tues 9th & 16th Dec | Weds 10th & 17th Dec Carvery Party Two course carvery & DJ £21.50pp

Fri 19th Dec & Sat 20th Dec Groove Academy Four course dinner, band & DJ £42.50pp

Mon 22nd Dec Carvery Party Three course carvery & DJ £25.50pp Tues 23rd Dec Golden Years Lunch Two course lunch & music of the time £19.50pp Weds 24th Dec Christmas Eve Dinner Dance Glass of mulled wine, carols & 3 course dinner £39.50pp Thurs 25th Dec Christmas Day Lunch Four course Christmas Lunch £59.95 per adult/ 12 & under £39.95/ Under 2’s free

Thurs 25th Dec Christmas Day Carvery Lunch Four course carvery lunch & visit from Santa £49.50 per adult/ 12 & under £22.50/ Under 2’s free Fri 26th Dec Boxing Day Lunch Four course carvery lunch £28.50 per adult/ 12 & under £14.50/ Under 2’s free Weds 31st Dec New Year’s Eve Celebration Four course dinner, glass of fizz at midnight, Band & DJ £89.50pp New Year’s Dining Experience Six course dinner, glass of fizz at midnight £82.50pp

Telephone 01924 276310 or visit www.cedarcourthotels.co.uk/wakefield

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 39

Travelling in

Style Our resident restaurant critic Kevin Trickett has excelled himself this issue when he dined abord the prestigious Orient Express and shares his experience with us.

A few weeks ago, my partner and I were standing on platform 2 at Venice’s Santa Lucia railway station, along with 178 other people, admiring the shiny blue and white carriages of the Orient Express (or, more correctly, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express). The journey back to London on this iconic train was the culmination of a remarkable holiday to celebrate a rather special birthday.

Our allocated cabin was right at the end of the 17-coach train, in the very last

40

cabin. It did mean that we were very well placed for the loo – there is a shared toilet at each end of each coach but no showers anywhere on the train. However, worry not! There’s a washbasin with hot and cold running water in each cabin and it’s amazing what you can do with a flannel (and where it will reach!).

The cabins are a bit on the small side, consisting of a couch, fold-down table, the aforementioned washbasin and some coat hangers, and it’s true that experience

of caravanning would come in handy.

Fortunately, most of our luggage was stored in the baggage car and on taking our seats we could really appreciate the beauty of our surroundings. Lovingly and painstaking restored, with highly lacquered woods and polished brass fittings, this art deco masterpiece is redolent of an entirely different age when great craftsmanship and service were synonymous with luxury.

A discreet knock on our cabin door signalled the arrival of our liveried

cabin steward, Claudio, who offered us complimentary cocktails as the train pulled out of the station, bang on time at exactly 11.01 am. Our next visitor was the maître d’ who came to ask what time we would like lunch – with 180 passengers, they operate two-sittings for each meal. We chose the later sitting of 2.00 pm and were given a ticket with our restaurant car and table number.

We then made ourselves comfortable to enjoy the passing scenery.

At around 1.50 pm, an announcement was made to summon us to lunch with the polite reminder to dress appropriately, which during that day meant smart casual (no jeans allowed).

The restaurant cars and bar car are located in the centre of the train, so we only had half a train length to travel but even then, it’s around an eighth of a mile from the back of the train to the middle!

The walk did, however, give us chance to inspect the other parts of the train.

No two carriages are exactly the same

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 41

having been built by different manufacturers in different countries (including England!) at different times. Similarly, each of the three restaurant cars is unique, with different colour schemes that extend to the matching china used in each car.

Lunch followed a set 3-course menu (including a set vegetarian menu), followed by coffee and petits fours. You can go à la carte if you wish but will need to be prepared to pay a supplement. Wine is not what you’d call cheap – we paid 50 euros for half a bottle and that was at the lower end of the price range. The food and presentation, I have to say, were exquisite and the service exemplary.

although it rather eluded me for a good while. Sometimes, it felt as if the train had taken wings, and the next thing we would be stopped somewhere while locomotives were changed. The blinds had been drawn shut and we left them that way, so it was pure guesswork as to where we were.

I awoke early, noticing that the train had stopped, washed (making good use of that flannel!), dressed and then stepped into the corridor to allow my partner to do likewise. Although it was only around 7am, Claudio was there to convert the cabin back to day use. Then he brought us our continental style breakfast. A tap on the door and it was our old friend the maître d’ again, this time asking what time we’d like brunch, 10.30 am or 12 noon? We chose the later one again.

On arrival at Calais, we climbed aboard luxury motor coaches to be offered drinks. A large glass of red wine? Well, it would have been rude to refuse. We drove onto the Euroshuttle and, once through the Channel Tunnel, it was on to Folkestone station where we boarded the British Pullman for the last leg of the journey to London.

After lunch, it was back to our cabin where Claudio served us our afternoon tea. The maître d’ whom we were getting to know quite well by now, made another appearance to see what time we would like dinner. We chose the later sitting at 9.30 pm, which gave us time to relax before changing into our tuxedos (there’s an art to this in a confined space, but we managed). By now, the train was moving through the spectacular snow-capped mountains of Austria.

Rigged out in our very best, we headed to the bar car. There is one bar car for all 180 passengers so it’s a bit of a crush, ameliorated to some extent by having two sittings for dinner.

Fortunately, we were right next to the bar so I was able to order my Cosmopolitan.

By the time we made it back to our cabin after dinner, it had been transformed into our rather cosy bedroom with two bunk beds. The train was travelling at full tilt (the maximum speed is around 90 mph), so I was glad of the straps to grab hold of as I climbed the ladder into bed. Sleep is possible

42

The British train is also made up of individually designed and decorated 1920s art deco coaches, this time in a livery of brown and cream. Each passenger has an allocated carriage and seat number. No sooner had we taken our seats than a waiter asked if we would like a glass of sparkling Rosé to accompany our afternoon tea of finger sandwiches, scones, cakes and lashings of tea. By the time that had been consumed, we were approaching London’s Victoria station. On arrival, we were reunited with our luggage and then it was into a taxi for an overnight stay in a London hotel. Reader, we slept well that night! The following morning, we checked out and caught a train back to Wakefield, the holiday truly over.

Was it worth it? Definitely! Having seen the train on TV and in films so many times, there was a slight sense of unreality about the whole expedition. I couldn’t help but expect to see David Suchet around every corner and even though he failed to make an appearance, the spirit of Poirot and Agatha Christie was almost tangible.There was no murder on the Orient Express while we were aboard, but it was murder to leave it!

For more information: The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and British Pullman are operated by Belmond. For more information about these and other trains and hotels in the group see www.vsoe.com For reservations telephone 0845 077 2222 or email reservations.uk@belmond.com Kevin booked his holiday as part of a package with Imagine Cruising. www. imaginecruising.co.uk For more information telephone 0800 840 5801

recruitment

What makes the perfect Employee?

We have to be so careful how we approach advertising for suitable candidates on behalf of our many clients, but is this the right way forward? Andy Turner managing director of First choice recruitment talks about mature employees.

We cannot talk or hint about so many things:gender and age being the most obvious, but what does make the perfect employee?

At the recent Wakefield Express Business Awards I was asked the very same question on stage at the Cedar Court Hotel, as I was about to present the Employee of the Year Award (Nicola Thornton of Room 97 was the winner).

Hopefully my answer wasn’t mumbled too much – “attitude” or perhaps more accurately ‘a good attitude’ is without doubt the most important characteristic for any new employee.

Obviously a certain level of skill is required for every job, but the desire to do the job to their best ability, someone who cares about their role is, in my opinion – certainly at least as important if not more so.

Being one of the founders of Wakefield Works, dedicated to helping improve the 16-24 year old local unemployment statistics, what I’m about to suggest might seem a little strange but we must look at the total employment

picture. I understand but don’t necessarily agree with the reason behind extending the retirement ages for all, but I do believe this alone will cause an employment blockage further down the age range as ‘retirees’ simply don’t, therefore their positions aren’t becoming available as early, denying a younger person that opportunity.

We are where we are however, so how do we embrace this and employ that perfect employee?

There is an argument that HR professionals/ companies should develop a strong business case to target ‘older* female workers’ and frame internal discussions about diversity in terms of workforce sustainability and inclusion.

Companies will potentially gain substantially from the greater involvement of older women but this is dependent on the same HR professionals being able to make the business case for harnessing the potential of this group or workers many reports say.

Some of the many benefits of ‘older’ workers are: •

Retention – Workers aged 55+ are five times less likely to change jobs than their peers in the 20-24 age group and companies are set to gain an average net benefit of £1200 per mature age employee per year through lower absenteeism, recruitment fees and lower attrition.

•

Productivity – Research suggests that workers aged 55+ perform at their best for 7 out of 8 hours daily, better than any other age group & workers 65+ have the highest productivity and motivation levels.

•

Market Share – companies that align workforce and customer demographics will better understand changing market needs and demand, and therefore customer service and product development

More and more of our clients are asking for more mature employees, clearly at First Choice Recruitment we always put forward the most compatible applicants best suited to the role regardless of gender or age etc but the question remains – who is correct, who is the perfect employee? *Older in this example suggests 45+

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 43

commercial property

The potential for development question

W Jonathan is the new guest editor for commercial property and will report on all property matters over coming months.

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44

ith the notable exception of larger residential sites there has been little speculative development locally over the recent past notwithstanding the continued positive economic indicators. Much of what you will see as you drive around is driven by owner occupier demand rather than developers building commercial property in the hope of attracting buyers or tenants, however, we are beginning to see a change in attitudes and enquiries, not just from established local property developers, but also from property owners who are looking at redevelopment and refurbishment of redundant buildings and sites rather than sale at knock down prices.

We are asked on a regular basis about potential for occupation following development and, with developers willing to accept lower rates of return coupled with improving market conditions, our advice is far more positive than it was 18 months ago.

The low rates of return available from other forms of investment are making property returns more and more attractive and with local land and building values far more tempting than those further south, particularly for redundant commercial sites and buildings, speculative development is starting to

return to the market. This coupled with the return of some lenders to the property redevelopment and investment sector, albeit on a limited basis, all bodes well for the future.

The redevelopment process remains a long one and while it might be sometime before we see the finished product, the process must begin somewhere and today’s enquiry may become next year’s retail park or terrace of industrial starter units. At Holroyd Miller they support and assist Owners and Developers as they look for the best returns on their commercial property assets.

Jonathan Kidd, Partner, Holroyd Miller M.R.I.C.S.

services are a secure and safe way of backing up data on remote storage. Even if all your offices computers are stolen or destroyed in a fire, with data stored in cloud technology you will be able to access essential company information anywhere.

Files can also be shared, so if hard disk failure did arise, essential files and data can be shared throughout the company.

With cloud technology and an efficient contingency plan in place, businesses can be up and running within 24 - 48 hours following a disaster.

Businesses should also be aware of EU data protection regulations.

What happens if there’s a data disaster in your office?

Welcome to our new guest editor, Paul Heigham from Bellingham IT who will be on hand to answer any IT related questions you may have whilst writing informative articles for us each issue.

Data is your business’s lifeline.

Without it, your company could go into unrecoverable shock. Paul explains the importance of a good business continuity plan.

Over 80% of businesses affected by a major incident either never reopen or subsequently fail within 18 months.

Quite simply, the ones that do survive the disaster have taken necessary precautions before disaster strikes.

So what are the options to safeguard your business if power failures, natural disasters, system crashes and more, raise their head?

Store it in cloud technology Backup is one of the most fundamental requirements of a computer’s existence. Cloud-based

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Data Protection Act states that ‘sensitive data’, such as information about employees, should not be transferred to a country outside of the EU. The ICO can now issue fines for companies not complying with EU data laws.

As Europe is on the brink of a multi-billion Euro investment in cloud computing, businesses should be aware that this is likely to be accompanied with huge increase in market regulation.

Act now and safeguard your businesses If Europe gets its cloud strategy wrong, the UKs appetite for access cloud data could be severely jeaopardised. And what happens if the UK comes out of the EU? Ensure your business is safe by putting a ‘belt and braces’ approach to your data. Use a UK cloud storage provider and keep data within the boundaries of the UK. If disaster strikes in your office, your data and company will be protected. If disaster strikes in Brussels, sensitive data will not be exposed to any threats.

If you have any questions about cloud computing contact paul@bellinghamit.co.uk or call 01924 253205. If you have any specific IT questions or would like to read a specific IT article within your TopicUK , email topicuk@ghostcommunications.com

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 45

Wakefield company is painting the town

Graffiti Artists2 Hire!

Graffiti Artists2 Hire is a unique artistic business formed in 2012

by Martin Hayhurst, a graffiti and urban artist from Wakefield.

Martin started his artistic career painting at legal graffiti events across the country, after realising a skill he held from art school.

His passion drove him around the UK painting alongside some notorious British graffiti artists from across Europe. Quickly realising that a business opportunity was within his grasp, graffitiartists2hire.co.uk was born and has been an instant success.

have been welcomed by the art work that my team and I provide. We work hard to show communities that graffiti is urban art and not a crime.”

If you would like to book Martin and his team, you can email him at martin@ graffitiartists2hire.co.uk or visit the website at www. graffitiartists2hire.co.uk

Commissioned by Republic of Ireland football player Pau

The first month of trading saw Martin taking bookings from camera giants NIKON, followed by premier football team Leeds United. The players booked Martin and his team to transform Pontefract based A1 Football Factory and this quickly progressed when Wakefield Council took an interest, commissioning Graffitiartists2hire to transform Kirkgate underpass near Kirkgate train station. Councils across the UK quickly saw the potential and bookings came in thick and fast.

“Graffiti is known most commonly as an illegal art form,” explained Martin, “but is now hugely recognised as a creative and talented art adored by many people of all ages.

“We tour the country providing murals for every occasion, for example, remembrance day and events such as the World Cup, Christmas and also memorials and other delicate issues that

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Jonny Rotten painted in Sheffield city centre

ul Green at A1 Football Factory

Painted for a youth project in Liverpool

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 47

Room 97 Creative Academy to open in September Building on the success of the award winning Room97 creative hairdressing salons, 2014 will see the launch of the Room97 Creative Academy. Their mission is to become Wakefield’s first choice in hairdressing training and education as well as a key provider for professional hairdressing development programmes in the North of England, working with industry, individuals and schools.

Their portfolio includes: • A range of private tutorials for the commercial hairdresser as well as providing hairdressing educationalists training for continued professional development.

•

A regional training centre facility for leading hairdressing business.

With a bank of learners ready to start, they are set to launch their Level 2 and Level 3 NVQ and VRQ Hairdressing Diploma programmes.

Their schools partnership programmes commence September 2014 and they are looking forward to working with secondary schools as well as the Wakefield council’s 1419 Alternative Provision.

“The aim of the creative academy is to raise the standards in hairdressing training by creating exceptional stylists and professionals, utilising the talents of our award winning team, Tracey Amer, Academy Director told TopicUK For more information about the academy contact Tracey on 01924 339172 or email academy@room97.com. To find out more visit www.room97.com or www.topicuk. co.uk

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Getting Wakefield Working Wakefield Works, the campaign to help young people aged 16-25 to get ‘real life’ work experience, advice and job opportunities from local businesses, is back for the third year next month.

On Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd September local businesses will open their doors to individuals who have a genuine desire and interest in finding work placements, seeking career guidance and exploring job opportunities. With the potential of at least one week’s work experience or the possibility of permanent employment, this is an opportunity for prospective job applicants and businesses to come together.

New for 2014 is the Wakefield Works jobs fair, in association with Wakefield Council, that will take place at Trinity Walk Shopping Centre. On Thursday 4th September the districts businesses will come together under one roof to meet candidates, with the offer of apprenticeships and job placements. There is no booking required for candidates they simply turn up to meet with potential employers.

Andy Turner, Managing Director of First Choice Recruitment comments: “It’s great to see so many local businesses involved in Wakefield Works. From legal services to manufacturing, retail and creative industries, we’ve got a wide selection of sectors and businesses for young people to choose from.”

“Our campaign to get young people signed up is currently underway. Having two easy ways for young people to meet employers is making a huge difference and it’s looking like this is going to be a biggest and best year to date.

“We have seen first-hand what a difference this campaign makes and we’re really looking forward to helping young people get into work.”

For more information about Wakefield Works, please visit www.wakefieldworks.co.uk

TopicUK delighted to announce two new sponsors The Board at TopicUK would like to welcome two new sponsors.

We are delighted to now be partners with Theatre Royal Wakefield, who have been fantastic supporters of TopicUK since our launch last year and the Diamond Bond Holder scheme which is a partnership set up joining private enterprise and local authority to promote Wakefield to a wider audience and attract inward investment.

The appointment of these two new partners now bring our total to 10. If you are interested in becoming a partner, where you will receive fantastic benefits and great local PR, contact Gill on 07711 539047 or email topicuk@ghost-communications.com

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WAKEFIELD HAS A PROUDD MANUFACTURING HISTORY, RY, WITH COMPANIES SUCH AS BURBERRY RBERRY AND GROUP RHODES HAVING VING OPERATED IN THE DISTRICT CT FOR DECADES IN A SECTOR THAT HAT EMPLOYS SOME 15,500 PEOPLE

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LOCATED AT THEE LEEDS – 12 MILES SHEFFIELD – 27 MILES YORK – 33 MILES MANCHESTER – 43 MILES HULL – 55 MILES LIVERPOOL – 71 MILES

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HIGH PEO EST NU WAR PLE EM MBER EHO PLOY OF USIN ED I G IN N GB

Y O R KSHI R

YORK – 333 MILES M S MANCHESTER TER – 43 MILES M HULL – 55 MILES LIVERPOOL – 711 M MILES LONDON – 187 18 MILESS EDINBURGH URGH RGH – 216 MILES

ENOUGH COKE SOLD GVA GROWTH EVERY YEAR TO FILL BETWEEN 2011–2012

880 SWIMMING POOLS POPULAR ROCK BAND THE CRIBS MUSIC WITH A PAVEMENT PLAQUE IN THEIR HOMETOWN OF WAKEFIELD

ES

SHEFFIELD SHEFFIE FIEL IELD – 277 MIL M MILES

WAKEFIELD DISTRICT IS ONE OF THE

UK’S MOST ACCESSIBLE LE PLACES

AR K h a s o v C U L T U RE P er P 3 0 0 , 000 visitors

per

[2.2 BILLION LITRES] Coca-Cola can produce 6,000 cans of soft drink every minute – that's 100 per second. They can also produce 3,200 PET* bottles every minute. Since 2007, they’ve invested over £60m to make Wakefield one of the fastest producers of soft drinks in the world.

4 3 2 1

(GVA = Gross Value Added)

yea

r.

Become part of the Wakefield Wallpaper

HEA

LEEDS ED – 12 MIL MILES MILE

WAKEFIELD 3.7%

EDINBURGH – 216 MILES

UK 1.6%

LONDON – 187 MILES

LO

A ROLL

HEART OF THE UKK

WAKEFIELD D

UK’S MOST A

2ND

HIGH PEO EST NU WAR PLE EM MBER EHO PLOY OF USIN ED I G IN N GB

Y O R KSHI R

P MUS TH

ES

AR K h a s o v C U L T U RE P P

THE NATIONWIDE IS THE WORLD’S

LARGEST

BUILDING SOCIETY

£300m INVESTMENT FUND

PART OF SOMETHING BIG. BEBE PART OF SOMETHING BIG – BE A BONDHOLDER To find out more information on how to become a Bondholder www.wakefieldfirst.com

Call 01924 306498

Email info@wakefieldfirst.com

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 49

GlennanWealth Management Limited Email: info@gwmfinancial.co.uk

¢

Offices now in Wakefield!

FINANCIAL PLANNING AND INVESTMENT PLANNING SERVICES FOR PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS, COMPANIES, TRUSTS AND CHARITIES.

¢ WE PROVIDE AN INDEPENDENT ADVICE SERVICE, DELIVERED IN PLAIN ENGLISH

BY HIGHLY QUALIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS. ¢ WE ALSO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SERVICES FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

The Grainstore Woolpacks Yard Wakefield WF1 2SG Telephone: 01924 377607 Fax: 0333 3449425

THROUGH OUR TRADING STYLE GWM CORPORATE FINANCIAL SERVICES COVERING: • • • • • • • • •

Director Pension Planning and Profit Extraction Business Protection Shareholder and Partnership Protection Keyperson Cover Workplace Pension Reform - Auto Enrolment Employee Pension Planning Employee Benefit Schemes Health Insurance Capital Raising and Restructuring

A unique green space in the heart of Wakefield right next to Westgate Station, The Orangery is a grade II*listed building and grounds available to hire for business or social purposes. We can host meetings, conferences, arts events, wedding receptions and parties why not contact us to discuss your particular requirements.

What’s On - Summer 2014

Als

o

at The Orangery this summer visit ‘Swing It!’ outdoor art installation commissioned by Beam, drop into our licensed Orangery Cafe or attend one of our regular events including outdoor film screenings, music and food ‘collisions’ and much more.

The Orangery --- Where Else?

www.the-orangery.uk.net

The Orangery, Back Lane, Wakefield, WF1 2TG 01924 215 550

50

Offices also in Leeds at: West One 114 Wellington Street Leeds LS1 1BA Telephone: 0113 388 4885 Fax: 0113 203 1429

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 51

GET INVOLVED WITH KIRKLEES BUSINESS WEEK 2014:

Conference This years Kirklees Business Conference speaker line-up is the best yet. Presenting are a number of familiar faces including Channel 4's hit TV show - Educating Yorkshire's Michael Steer.

He is joined by SuperJam entrepreneur Fraser Doherty who started his journey at just 16 years old and Green and Blacks founder, Jo Fairley. The conference, run by Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, will take place on the 15 October at The John Smith's Stadium and also introduces the International Trade Festival, clinics to cure your business ills and over 50 exhibitors showcasing what they can offer.

Exhibition stands

First ever business summit

Stands are nearly gone, so don’t delay in showcasing your business to hundreds of delegates at the conference on Wednesday 15 October.

Members of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce can also benefit from £100 discount on 2m and 3m stands.

Taking place on Wednesday 12 November, we bring together leaders from various sectors to debate the state of the Calderdale district and a Q&A session with the audience.

This event will highlight the opportunities in the district as well as looking at what can be changed, with a review panel to be held at the Calderdale Business Conference on Wednesday 15 April 2015.

Here to help your business

grow

in Calderdale, Kirklees and WDNHðHOG

Contact Chrissie Slater or Lucy Blackburn myconferences@mycci.co.uk 01924 311 606 Twitter: @MYBizConfs Facebook: MY Business Conferences

52

GrandBoot Sunday

28th September

10.30am - 2.30pm Green Car Park Onl

at customer service desk

y

ÂŁ7.50

-

r per ca

www.ridingscentre.com

Stall holders email ridingsmarkets@yahoo.co.uk

C

Book your

free valuation

f ra t

with TV experts

Eric Knowles & Tom Keane

THE

m

a

t

Pre-bookable appointments only see customer ustomer service cee for c fo details

rk

e

Joi n

us at the Craft Market and Antique & Collectables Fair

l Day Al

g

0p 5 P n a

upper mall - 10.30am - 4.30pm

rki

www.ridingscentre.com

Follow us on twitter @RIDINGSMARKETS Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 53

54

COALFIELDS CALL OPEN FOR PR SUPPORT

TopicUK announce partnership with Featherstone Rovers TopicUK are delighted to announce our latest partner, Featherstone Rovers Rugby League Club.

T

he Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the organisation dedicated to providing support, guidance and funding for 5.5 million people living within former mining towns and villages, has appointed Open Communications as its preferred PR and marketing communications agency.

Working closely with the team at Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Open Communications is tasked with raising their profile, both within communities and to a national audience, securing coverage in relevant regional, national and trade media and supporting with social media activity and marketing communications.

Following a trial period of three months, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust has already experienced the results that Open Communications can achieve when working as an extension of its team. Achieving an audience reach of more than 8 million with a recent story, the agency now looks forward to building on successes to date and its productive relationship with the charity.

Head of Social Investment at Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Andy Lock said: “We had been in need of effective PR support for some time and approached Open for an informal discussion as we had heard good things about them.

It was clear from this meeting that their philosophy and no nonsense approach to PR matched our aspirations and objectives.

Open has very quickly established itself as an extended part of the operation, getting to know us and what makes us tick and translating this into impactful PR which is delivering great results. Their input has challenged our preconceptions about what works. We are always impressed with their hard working ethic and commitment to go the extra mile to get the job done.”

Director of Open Communications, Lindsey Davies said: “We always work with our clients as opposed to for them, this means that we can add extra value to the service we offer. The Coalfields Regeneration Trust is a fantastic organisation and we are very much looking forward to developing our relationship further.

Established in 1921 TopicUK are proud to be associated with the club who have fantastic corporate hospitality facilities and cater for all events including meetings, corporate events and weddings.

The club boasts two new supporter stands that were recently acquired from Scarborough football club which have been built from scratch by local volunteers and supporters. In addition, these stands are to include small business units which will be rented out to small start-up businesses in the area. TopicUK is delighted to be part of this community.

Over the coming months we will be bringing you news from the club and inviting some of our supporters, sponsors and advertisers along to corporate hospitality games during the 2015 season.

In the meantime, if you want any information about the club or would like to view their facilities, contact Paul Taylor by email paul.taylor@ featherstonerovers.net

TopicUK are also proud to be appointed official media partners for the April 2015 Wakefield District Health & Community Support Gala Dinner as well as once again supporting the WACCL Christmas Lunch.

Summer Issue August 2014 TopicUK 55

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