Topicuk k&c sept 52pp

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C A LD E R DA LE

F R E E

B U S I N E S S

CO M M U N IT Y

M AG A ZI N E

ISSUE 9 SEPTEMBER 2016

K I R K LE E S

W W W.TO PI CU K .CO.U K

HOLLYWOOD ACTOR chairs Judging panel p13 GRAMMAR SCHOOL wins Prestigious Award p15

AFTER BREXIT What Next for Business p31 TopicUK_K&C_Sept_44pp.indd 1

LOCAL HEROES From Banking to Charity p28

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At Orchard FM, we stand for facilities management. We like to make things easier for businesses. Taking the hassle out of the daily grind, we look after a huge variety of needs; whatever the sector, with everything fully managed under one roof in the heart of Yorkshire.

Facilities Management WASTE MANAGEMENT

PEST CONTROL

I.T. MANAGED SERVICES

- Complete service - One stop shop - Compliance

- Effective pest control - Elimination from premises - Implement measures

- Electronic point of sale (EPOS) - Telecoms, data lines and IT systems - Hosted cloud solutions

BUILDING SERVICES

DATA MANAGEMENT & BACKUP

- Data cabling and infrastructure - Security alarms and fire protection - PAT Testing

- Yorkshire data centre - Antivirus protection - Managed IT services package

CLEANING & MAINTENANCE - Window cleaning - Washroom services - Spill response kits & disposal - Temporary toilets - Grounds maintenance

See what Orchard FM can do for you - let us take care of business.

Visit www.orchard-fm.com Call 01422 880 180

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Raise awareness of your brand, put faith in your PR and marketing We can get the people that you want to talk about you...to say the things that you want them to say.

Whether your product is the hottest gear in town and it needs to stay that way or you want to create a buzz from thin air, we have the creativity, guts and contacts to get the story out there. Our team also includes experts in social media, copywriting and graphic design to cover your every communications and marketing need.

@faith_pr www.faith-pr.co.uk Tel: 01484 599 886 Email: stefanie@faith-pr.co.uk

Stefanie Hopkins Founder Faith PR

Placing brands into hearts, minds & hands

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Contents & Comments Details of this Month‘s TopicUK, your Local Business Community Magazine

Pick Up Your Copy The John Smith's Stadium Stafflex Recruitment Costa Coffee Sainsburys Market Street Heritage Business Centre Ramsdens Solicitors Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors Holiday Inn Brighouse Cedar Court Hotel Huddersfield Elsie Whiteley Business Centre National Coal Mining Museum Yorkshire Sculpture Park

08 15 22 SHORT, SHARP, SHOCK Economy slow down

PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

DESINATION BRIGHOUSE

for local Grammar School

Bucking the trend

Leeds Bradford Airport Big Shots Cafe - Brighouse

Official charity partner of the year For Advertising Sales

Tel: 01484 599886

28 40 50 BANKING TO CHARITY

An unusual career path

HUDDERSFIELD

Full of eastern spice

WIN A PAMPER PACKAGE For two

Tel: 01484 599886 - stefanie@topicuk.co.uk - www.topicuk.co.uk - Ghost Publishing Ltd - Suite 6 Unity Works Westgate Wakefield WF1 1EP Law pages are written by Chadwick Lawrence LLP and TopicUK is not responsible for any advice given



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our first winner is on page 34.

We’re continuing to grow our reach and have added on several new distribution points including Todmorden Post Office and Sainsbury’s in Brighouse – who also kindly donated a bottle of wine for our new wine tasting column on page 44.

W

elcome to the latest issue of TopicUK. We are continually trying to improve our offering and have not only tweaked the design and format of the magazine, but have also added some new sections into the mix this issue.

We now have a dedicated section for both awards news and CSR stories to make it easier to locate specific stories within the magazine and have expanded the education section, which features contributions from both Kirklees College and Calderdale Council.

We’ve also introduced a new feature called ‘How it’s made’, to showcase some of the fantastic manufacturing companies within the region and what they make. Our first issue lifts the lid on Provalve, a company based in Elland leading the way in nationwide industrial valve service and repair. Turn to page 26 to find out more.

Last issue we launched #MyTopic – your chance to tell the Kirklees and Calderdale business community a little more about what your business does.

All you need to do is tweet us @TopicUK using the #MyTopic and tell us in 140 characters or less about what your business does. As well as retweeting your entries, we pick a winner each issue to feature in the magazine. Find out who

In a bid to reach business owners in the upper Calder Valley we are pleased to announce a partnership with UCVR (the Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Project), who will help distribute copies to micro businesses and SMEs across Walsden, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Sowerby Bridge as well as Hebden Bridge Town Hall.

The (UCVR) Business recovery team, whose aim is to help regenerate the above towns, has recently launched a mentoring scheme to offer one-to-one support for any local businesses affected directly or indirectly by last year’s Boxing Day floods. The scheme, funded by Calderdale and Todmorden Councils, will match businesses with mentors who they see at least once a month for a minimum of six months to work together to tackle challenges and come up with action plans. Plans can cover anything from making premises more flood-proof to improving marketing and publicity to win customers. To find out more about the scheme call 01422 417286 or email info@ucvr.org.uk.

TopicUK GROUP EDITOR GILL LAIDLER EDITOR STEFANIE HOPKINS CREATIVE DIRECTOR ROB BLACKWELL LOCAL HEROES ALEX MASON THE ARTS SHANE GOUGH LEGAL MATTERS SARAH CROWTHER, CHADWICK LAWRENCE BEAUTY & WELLBEING ALEXANDER HOUSE FOOD & RESTAURANT REVIEW ANTHONY HEGNEY, ASPARAGUS GREEN RECRUITMENT NADIO GRANATA, STAFFLEX SOCIAL MEDIA JUDITH WRIGHT SPORT SEAN JARVIS - HUDDERSFIELD TOWN FC COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MARK HANSON, HANSON CHARTERED SURVEYORS

As always, we look forward to receiving your news stories and contributions.

Please email Stefanie@topicuk.co.uk if you’d like to submit content for consideration.

Hope you enjoy this copy,

Stefanie Hopkins

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

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NewsUpdate

FacilitiesManagement

Sleigh & Story expands team Brighouse-based accountancy firm Sleigh & Story has continued its expansion with the appointment of a new accountant.

Ifat Iqbal joins the ten-strong team as an ACCA qualified accountant and will help the company fulfil its ongoing commitment to customer service.

Managing Director Peter Sleigh said: “Ifat has risen to the challenges of her new role with lots of enthusiasm. She will always go the extra mile to ensure that her clients’ business needs are taken care of in the best possible way, both financially and practically.

“Her extensive knowledge allows her to work out clear solutions to clients’ business issues and assures them that everything is being taken care of in the very best possible way.”

Peter continues: “Despite the uncertainty of many businesses in this current commercial climate, we have continued to flourish and grow the business further. We will always base our ethos around making clients feel welcome and supported in our approach to their business needs.”

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PAT TESTING-ESSENTIAL FACTS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

By Mike Pogmore technical manager at Orchard Facilities Management in Elland.

The electrical equipment around your premises should be checked regularly so that your business is fully compliant and you are doing everything possible to keep your business and staff safe.

As a responsible employer, you will be expected to have a system in place that checks equipment at reasonable intervals to safeguard the welfare of your employees or service users.

Why is PAT testing important to small businesses?

PAT testing is used to verify the safety of all sorts of portable electrical appliances such as kettles, vacuum cleaners, fans, photocopiers, desktop computers and vending machines.

Faulty electrical equipment can cause shocks, burns or fires and employers are responsible for maintaining any appliances that are in use on their premises.

How to draw up a testing plan When we set up a PAT testing regime with a business we review each appliance, its level of use and environment to decide which

items should be tested most frequently.

Computers and printers, for example, will need less frequent testing than more portable appliances such as drills because they are rarely moved and therefore have less stress placed on their leads and plugs.

The first step is to carry out a risk assessment of each piece of electrical equipment. Factors such as whether the appliance is earthed or double insulated, hand-held or static, its age and frequency of use will all be important to note.

Once the risk assessment is complete, an action plan can be drawn up detailing which appliances are most hazardous and require more frequent testing.

The testing regime should set out timings for frequent checks by those using the equipment, formal visual inspection by a specified person at an agreed time interval and regular PAT testing by an electrical specialist.

Encourage your employees to use appliances correctly and underline to them the importance of making any faults known to you, making sure you remove faulty or damaged equipment immediately.

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Photo www.northern-exposure.co.uk

Manrochem committed to improving green credentials A Calderdale-based process engineering and project management company is leading the way in delivering UK climate change targets in the region that aim to reduce CO2 emissions and increase the use of renewable energy by 20%.

Manrochem, based in Brighouse, has been selected to form part of a European project known as ‘SteamBio’, and together with ten other European partners, is pioneering research into technology that can convert discarded woody materials including tree branches and agricultural waste into energy and ‘green’ chemicals.

Dave Wakefield, technical director at Manrochem, said: “As chemical engineers we recognise more than most where and

Firm to supply ‘prismatic explosion’ to trampoline parks A growing audio visual systems and equipment firm has secured an exclusive contract to supply a US-designed trampoline product into new and existing trampoline parks in the UK and Europe.

Brighouse based Fired Up Technologies will be the sole supplier of Prismatic Explosion products, which the company says has allowed it to forecast “seven figures on

how fossil carbon is used in everything that surrounds us. The world is changing and we all need to find new sources of carbon that are renewable.

“Green or Bio Chemicals are now being actively sought out by the chemical industry worldwide to replace more polluting fossil based chemicals. One of the targeted outputs of the SteamBio project is to try to rearrange the fundamental molecules of the biomass material so that gases and liquids can be

these products over the next five years.”

Prismatic Explosion turns each trampoline bed into an interactive touch sensor; with each jump a sensor is activated and the overhead lighting changes colour and pattern. The lighting can also be programmed to change with the beat of music Fired Up Technologies directors Gary Holmes and David Wolfenden travelled to the US last year to finalise the deal.

David commented: “The UK trampoline market is a growing industry with new parks opening every week in the UK alone. As soon as we saw this product we wanted it and we are delighted to have secured the deal with the manufacturers.

We have been working in the leisure industry for many years and have worked on large projects like the new

produced replicating those already in use, to enable us to develop methods of producing the chemicals that we all still need.”

SteamBio is an industry-research partnership supported by the EC Horizon 2020 Programme and SPIRE public private partnership. SteamBio will focus on representing a viable business model and, towards the end of 2016, will look to demonstrate economic viability in different rural locations, starting with demonstration facilities in Spain over Q4 2016 and Q1 2017.

Huddersfield leisure centre. Based on our experience, the manufacturers were happy to announce us as the UK and European resellers for their products.

“The first two UK Prismatic Explosion sites are already up and running and the word is spreading fast. As such, we are now dealing with Prismatic Explosion enquiries from all over the UK as well as France, Spain and Dubai.”

Prismatic Explosion games have been specially developed for use in trampoline parks. They enable teams of players to compete against each other to turn the whole court into their team colour, sensing each team member’s bounce and changing the colour of their square.

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NewsReport

SHORT, SHARP SHOCK! Slowdown for UK Economy but exports offer silver lining, says EY ITEM Club The post-referendum UK economy will take a very different path to the one expected three months ago, according to a new summer forecast from the EY ITEM Club.

EY says that while fundamentals will not change in the short term, there are likely to be severe confidence effects on spending and business investment, resulting in anaemic GDP growth for at least the next three years.

The forecast suggests that the post-referendum fall in the pound should cushion the economy against some of the adverse effects of uncertainty by boosting UK exports, but by the end of the year is expecting sterling’s trade-weighted value to be 15% down on its level in Q4 of 2015.

The EY ITEM Club is forecasting GDP growth of 1.9% this year (down from the 2.3% predicted in April) and expects growth of just 0.4% in 2017 (down from 2.6%) and 1.4% in 2018 (down from 2.4%). Business investment is expected to see a larger relative hit, falling by 0.9% in 2016 and by 2% in 2017 – down from April’s forecast of growth of 3.2% and 7.8% respectively.

Longer-term, EY believes that the outlook for the economy will be determined both by domestic policies in areas like regulation and by the UK’s ability to secure trade deals with the EU and other markets. Its forecast assumes that post2019, the UK will be able to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU similar to the recent EU-Canada deal, which keeps trade between the UK and the EU free of tariffs.

Peter Spencer, chief economic advisor to the EY ITEM Club, comments: “The economy is set to suffer a severe loss of momentum in the second half of this year. Heightened uncertainty is likely to hold back business investment, while consumer

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spending will be restrained by a weaker jobs market and higher inflation.

Longer-term, the UK may have to adjust to a permanent reduction in the size of the economy, compared to the trend that seemed possible prior to the vote. But amongst the gloom, the weaker pound provides one silver lining to exporters, particularly those selling to the US and emerging markets.”

Stuart Watson, Yorkshire & Humberside Senior Partner at EY, adds: “Undoubtedly the next couple of years will be challenging for the UK economy. The UK government will need to quickly introduce measures to help offset Brexit blues, support the economy and continue to attract foreign investment.

“While investors value the UK’s access to the single market, we shouldn’t lose sight that they also rate the UK’s quality of life, diversity and culture, education, stability of social climate, telecommunications, and labour skills highly.

These underlying fundamentals have not changed.

“The focus now needs to be on making sure that the UK negotiates the right trade deals that will allow access to key markets. There are numerous opportunities for the economy to remain not only open for business but also attractive, competitive and connected.

As the world’s fifth largest economy, the UK will continue to be an integral piece of the global jigsaw.”

Reflecting the fall in the pound and the weakness in domestic demand, the EY ITEM Club predicts that exports will increase by 3.4% in 2017 while imports will fall by 0.3%.

Consequently, the forecast expects net exports to add 1.1% to GDP next year, the strongest contribution from this source in six years.

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Walker Barrier Systems adopts Extract Technology branding A well-known Huddersfield brand has been further strengthened following a ‘merger’.

US-based Wabash National Corporation has announced that subsidiary Extract Technology, based in Bradley, will be the new brand name for the marketing of products manufactured by Extract’s sister company Walker Barrier Systems.

The Extract Technology product range will now include aseptic solutions, containment solutions, restricted access barriers and mobile clean rooms for the pharmaceutical, healthcare, biotech and chemical markets.

The company has also named Alan Wainwright, who has more than 30 years’ experience with the company, as global managing director.

He will oversee manufacturing operations in Huddersfield and New Lisbon and will be responsible for leading product development to deliver categoryleading products to customers worldwide.

He said: “We see the bringing together of these leading brands as a great opportunity to further support our global customer base. We’ll continue to offer the same innovative high quality products, services and technologies that Extract Technology and Walker Barrier Systems are known for, designed and built by the same teams but now under one global brand.”

Dave Nick, vice president and general manager for process systems added: “Walker Barrier Systems and Extract Technology customers should not see any impact to their operations with this brand migration.

Essentially, we’re leveraging some synergies between these two leading brands to create value for our global customer base.”

Founded in 1981, Extract Technology has grown into a world-leading containment and aseptic manufacturer.

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NewsUpdate Solicitors celebrates first 1000 days in Brighouse One of Calderdale’s best known legal practices has celebrated its first 1000 days of trading in Brighouse.

Credit : Matt Roberts

Wilkinson Woodward Bearders has been trading from offices in King Street since the merger of Wilkinson Woodward and Bearders Solicitors on 1 October 2013.

PR specialists hired for tech event Huddersfield-based Scriba PR – a copywriting and public relations consultancy specialising in technical B2B briefs – has been appointed as the communications partner for a new event.

TechTrade Yorkshire (TY16) is a free one day conference and exhibition designed specifically for Yorkshire’s IT professionals.

Taking place on 8 September, at Elland Road Leeds, it will welcome around 50 exhibitors from the world of technology, with The Intellectual Property Office, Media Yorkshire, Blue Logic and Manchester-headquartered Godel Technologies among the names already confirmed.

A seminar programme will run alongside, with a number of high profile speakers in the line-up, including Microsoft’s James Akrigg, Head of Technology for Partners, who will advise how organisations can use technology – and people – to drive innovation and transformation.

Commenting on her reasons for

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choosing Scriba, event organiser Chrissie Gale said: “For our previous events including Manufactured Yorkshire and Educated Yorkshire, I selected PR specialists in their respective sectors.

“It was therefore important that I found a communications partner forw TY16 with proven expertise in the technology and digital space. Scriba came highly recommended and quickly demonstrated that they share my vision to ensure technology drives productivity, efficiency and innovation within our region.”

Commenting on the appointment, Scriba’s founder Katie Mallinson said: “The PR industry is crowded with lots of talented agencies vying for clients’ business. When we started out in 2013, we therefore strived to offer

Since then - and to meet the modern day legal needs of the town - the growing law firm has expanded its Brighouse practice, refurbishing the old Bearders premises and attracting a team of experienced lawyers with specialisms ranging from conveyancing and employment law to wills, trusts and estates.

The company employs eight staff at its Brighouse office and a further 80 people at its two additional offices in Halifax and Huddersfield, and is celebrating the recent qualification of paralegal Shelley McLachlan.

Shelley was offered a training contract with Wilkinson Woodward in early 2015 and has spent the past 18 months, gaining experience across all of the firm’s departments.

something a little different – services for organisations with a particularly ‘techy’ story to tell.

“Three years on this niche focus appears to be paying off, and we’re delighted to have been approached by Mooncas because of our reputation in the digital industry.”

Based at Heritage Exchange in Lindley, Huddersfield, Scriba celebrated its third anniversary earlier this month. Clients include The Media Centre, software vendor Cascade HR and marketing automation specialist Force24.

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As a qualified solicitor, she will now take on her own caseload in Children and Care Proceedings.

Managing Director Maureen Cawthorn said: “The Bearder name has been well known in Brighouse for almost a century and we’re delighted to be marking our first 1000 days of trading as Wilkinson Woodward Bearders. We are also celebrating Shelley’s admission to the roll of solicitors as we look forward to serving the people and businesses of Brighouse for many more years to come.”

KC Communications announced as partner for Educated Yorkshire Educated Yorkshire, the largest education conference in the North, has announced Huddersfield-based KC Communications as a partner for its November 2016 conference.

Mooncas, the events company behind the education conference and other large scale sector specific conferences, has also handed KC Communications its PR requirements for the second year as it seeks to grow the conference’s profile following a successful first event in 2015.

Educated Yorkshire will provide senior leaders with an insight into the changing world of education, as well as the chance to meet exhibitors showcasing the latest in innovations and services.

The event will take place on the 10th November at the Centenary Pavilion at Leeds United Football Club.

Chrissie Slater, Event Director at Mooncas commented: “After a tremendously successful first year for Educated Yorkshire, we had no doubt that we would enrol the help of KC Communications again for this year’s conference.

With a wealth of experience in the education sector, we are thrilled that KC

Orchard waste deal wins seal of approval Halifax-based Orchard Facilities Management has won a new contract to minimise waste at Approved Food, a business set up by entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den contestant Dan Cluderay.

Sheffield-based Approved Food is a cut-price online grocer, which specialises in surplus and out of date stock. Its business ethos is based on reducing waste.

Julian Watts, commercial manager at Approved Food, said: “Teaming up with Orchard is ideal as it will support our wider campaign to throw away less food, by practising what we preach. We want to minimise waste and keep operational costs low. Every saving we make gets passed onto our customers, and what we do ultimately prevents food being sent to landfill unnecessarily.”

The company is currently running a #PerfectlyGood campaign, designed to educate the public on Best Before dates and what they mean compared to use by and sell by dates. They aim to show that most of the

Communications have also become a partner of Educated Yorkshire. We are sure that with the help of Katrina and the team we can achieve real growth for 2016.”

Katrina Cliffe, Managing Director of KC Communications added: “We are delighted to be a partner for this year’s Educated Yorkshire and to have been appointed by Chrissie to promote the conference. Having supported a number of educational establishments with their marketing and PR requirements, we are really looking forward to helping make this year’s conference bigger and better.”

food we throw away is still suitable to eat.

Orchard Facilities Management specialises in delivering tailored facilities management solutions for business of all sizes, from small and medium sized enterprises to large multi-site organisations.

Justin Holley, operations director at Orchard, said: “The contract with Approved Food will see us working together to streamline waste management services. We will also be looking at other facilities management initiatives that will hopefully see us expanding our role with them to also manage pest control and fire safety.”

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NewsUpdate

Sanderson Associates acquired by civil engineering consultancy A Huddersfield-based specialist transportation and water engineering consultancy has been acquired by national civil and construction engineering firm Fairhurst.

Sanderson Associates, based at Grange Moor, has been established for over 30 years and is a highly respected niche Traffic, Transportation, Highway and Water Engineering Consultancy, employing 24 staff in its headquarters.

The acquisition by Fairhurst provides the opportunity for a significant expansion of its Traffic & Transportation engineering services to clients, whilst bolstering support to its existing Highways and Water Engineering services across the UK. Located in Huddersfield, Sanderson Associates is well positioned to support the significant opportunities emerging both in the North West and North East regions, whilst also expanding its impressive portfolio of work in London, the Home Counties and other areas of the country.

The acquisition increases the number of Fairhurst offices to 18 and staff numbers to 525, reinforcing its position as one of the largest privately owned Partnerships of Consulting Engineers in the UK. Importantly, both organisations will continue to retain their existing operations and brand identities.

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Alison France, managing director of Sanderson Associates said: “In combining the two companies, we are achieving a strong strategic fit which will enable us to expand both of our opportunities to work throughout the UK. Jointly, we will be able to achieve further growth and opportunity, driven by the UK government ‘Northern Powerhouse’ agenda.

Both companies have an extremely strong complementing ethos in terms of client focus and both benefit from a background of private ownership. Together we are far stronger and I am excited at the opportunities which lie ahead. “ Ron Bryson, Fairhurst Senior Partner said: “This acquisition creates fantastic opportunities for clients to benefit from the wide range of coordinated Engineering Design services and Planning & Development services which Fairhurst and Sanderson Associates are able to offer from a single Consultant source. I fully expect even stronger demand for our specialist and expanded range of skills, to drive projects of all sizes and complexity through from inception to completion in a market that is becoming increasingly buoyant.”

Momentum signs up former Bradford City footballer Huddersfield-based recruitment and training specialist Momentum Sales Solutions are hoping for a winning streak after signing up former Bradford City midfielder Joe Brennan to their construction division.

Joe, who recently left the club where he was a first year pro, will support the team in resourcing skilled trades and unskilled trades to the construction industry nationwide.

Speaking about his new role, Joe said: “Football is a huge part of my life and will still have a part to play in my future. However, injuries really hampered my development last season and right now I want to learn, develop and upskill myself as a worthy addition to the Momentum team.”

Momentum Director Billy Bingham added: “Joe has all the attributes we look for in an employee.

His time at Bradford has really matured Joe into a bright, hungry and competitive person. These are great attributes to have and I’m expecting Joe to develop and kick on in our industry like he did at Bradford City.”

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Huddersfield Town Football Club, will take place on Friday 11 November at the John Smith’s Stadium and will recognise sports teams in the area, as well as celebrate the often unseen work done by volunteers and those involved in clubs and societies.

Sir Patrick commented: “I’m honoured and delighted to be asked to chair the judging panel for the Kirklees Community Sports Awards again. Last year’s inaugural awards were a great success with a huge amount of deserving nominees and winners and I hear that this year is set to be bigger and better.”

Hollywood actor chairs judging panel Sir Patrick Stewart to head up Kirklees Community Sports Awards judging panel Hollywood actor and lifelong Huddersfield Town Football Club supporter Sir Patrick Stewart has been announced as chair of the judging panel for the 2016 Kirklees Community Sports Awards.

Alongside Sir Patrick, some of the biggest names in sport including international sports stars and ex-players - all with a link

to Kirklees - will be in attendance.

The judging panel will include Yorkshire Cricket Captain Andy Gale, Huddersfield Town legend Andy Booth, Huddersfield Giants Prop Eorl Crabtree and England Rugby Union Centre Luther Burrell.

The awards, run in conjunction with

Ramsdens team joins Race for Life A team of 23 staff from Huddersfieldbased Ramsdens solicitors joined the Cancer Research Race for Life in Huddersfield in July, which attracted over 1,000 runners.

Team member Katie Sharp was the second fastest woman to complete the race, securing a time of 22 minutes and 48 seconds.

Ramsdens employee Joanne Ellis commented on why she took part:

The panel will judge 10 categories including Kirklees Sports Legend, Sports Personality of The Year, Young Sports Personality, Sports Team of the Year, Sports Official of the Year, Sports Club and Sports Teacher of the Year, Outstanding Services to Sport, Most Improved Team and Disabled Athlete of the Year.

“I join Race for Life each year in aid of those we have lost, the fighters, their families, the carers, the nurses and of course ultimately the search for a cure.

The race was a challenge and I have to admit I had to stop every now and again to get my breath back, but it was a great feeling when I made it to the finish line.”

Nomination forms for the awards can be downloaded from www.htafccommercial. com/news/kirklees-sports-2016/.

The deadline for nominations is Friday 19th September. Completed forms should be emailed to kirsportsawards@htafc.com. taken part in Race for Life for quite a few years now, because everybody has been affected by cancer in some way.

The number of people who now survive cancer shows how important it is that we continue to show our support and raise money.”

The team raised a total of £400 and plan to repeat the event in 2017.

Rachael Sykes said: “There is always a great atmosphere and it’s a very moving event.”

Team member Stacy Carr added: “I have

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AwardsUpdate

Titanic Spa scoops two awards Huddersfield-based Titanic Spa has won two industry awards as part of the 2016 World Luxury Spa Awards The spa, which is set within a sympathetically restored textile mill in Linthwaite, took home the titles of ‘Best Luxury Eco Spa’ and ‘Best Luxury Destination Spa’ at the awards in Switzerland in July.

The awards also recognised Titanic Spa’s continual development to meet and exceed spa customer demands, following its development of an innovative social space complete with glamorous lounge and bar for after spa treats last year.

In addition, the trend for outdoor spa experiences saw Titanic create an al fresco spa experience complete with sunken spa pool and sensory garden.

The recognition comes as the spa celebrates its 10th anniversary, after launching in 2006 and incorporating sustainable technologies and practices into its build. Consequently, the spa became a benchmark for many new spa developments in the UK industry, and has previously been awarded the ‘Best Luxury Eco’ title at the World Luxury Spa Awards.

Warrick Burton, managing director at Titanic Spa said: “We are absolutely delighted and honoured to have picked up two awards in this year’s World Luxury Spa Awards. We were among such strong competition and it is fantastic to be recognised in these global awards. We thank all our customers who have voted for us.

“Our approach to Titanic has always been to create a sustainable business that puts the customer first. Our first ten years have been an amazing journey and we appreciate all the hard work our team has put into Titanic Spa in making it the best in the industry.”

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Audi Huddersfield drives home success of 99er Business Club Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice hosted a successful second 99ers Business Club meeting in July in association with Huddersfield Audi.

More than 50 current and prospective 99ers attended the meeting and were treated to entertainment from hypnotist and mind-reader Will James, as well as being given an update on the progress of the charity and an opportunity to network amongst likeminded organisations.

Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice is now caring for over 200 local children with life shortening conditions and their families in West Yorkshire and must raise £3.8 million each year to continue providing the care they give.

The 99er Business Club was established to provide the charity with a sustainable source of income, asking member businesses to donate from as little as 99p per day. In return, members have access to benefits including quarterly networking meetings, PR opportunities and help in achieving their CSR objectives.

Sammie Loucas, Corporate Fundraiser

at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice said: “It was great to see so many people coming together with the common goal of networking whilst supporting their local children’s hospice at the Audi Huddersfield event.”

Luke Simpson, Local Business Development Manager at Audi Huddersfield added: “It was great to welcome fellow 99ers to Huddersfield Audi and showcase our recently refurbished showroom.

“Being a 99er has been fantastic for us so far, as we have been able to meet with a diverse group of businesses and professionals within West Yorkshire as well as supporting families in our community.

We want to continue supporting the great work of Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice and continue our partnership as the 99er Business Club grows.”

To find out more about becoming a member of the 99er Business Club or for information on future meetings, please email 99er@forgetmenotchild. co.uk or call 01484 411040.

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Grammar School wins prestigious award Hipperholme Grammar School has won a prestigious award for excellence in school communications at the inaugural Examiner Schools Awards The 290 pupil independent school was announced as the winner of the ‘School Communication’ category at an award ceremony hosted by the Examiner and presented

by BBC Look North presenter Harry Gration at Kirklees College on 7 July.

The award win recognises how Hipperholme Grammar School – which takes in students aged three to 18 years from across Calderdale and Kirklees - has significantly modernised its whole school communications over the past twelve months.

Leading Brighouse PR agency shortlisted for four awards

Through active engagement with local media and a focussed social media strategy, more than 1.1million people have seen the school’s on and offline media coverage and read stories about the successes of its pupils and teachers over the past year.

A Brighouse PR and communications agency has been shortlisted for three prestigious public relations industry awards as well as a regional business award.

The school has also overhauled its termly newsletter to feature a digital edition so parents can stay up to speed on the go.

In line with the ongoing activity, the school is now expecting its largest intake of new pupils in ten years this September.

Jack Williams, headmaster, said: “We are very proud of the progress we’ve made with our communications strategy and we feel honoured to have won this award that recognises all out hard work.

“As a school, we feel that it is vital to celebrate and promote the successes of both individuals and the school as a whole, and an increased focus on strategic communications means we can do just that.”

The Examiner Schools Awards are designed to showcase the great work that goes on in schools across Kirklees and Calderdale and pay tribute to outstanding teachers.

Other categories at this year’s awards included Trainee Teacher of the Year, Inspirational Teacher of the Year and Class of the Year. http://www.hgsf.org.uk/

Faith PR is a finalist in the Outstanding Small Consultancy category at the 2016 Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards, and has been shortlisted in the Education Communications Campaign and Best Event categories for its work with Hipperholme Grammar School and the launch of national restaurant chain Turtle Bay’s Huddersfield restaurant.

The awards recognise outstanding work within the public relations industry that delivers impactful results for companies and organisations across the UK. Agency director Stefanie Hopkins has also been shortlisted in the SME Emerging category in the regional northern heats of

the Forward Ladies Women in Business Awards 2016.

Stefanie said: “Being shortlisted for these four awards is testament to the hard work and dedication of all the team at Faith PR who have supported me in growing the business from a one person consultancy run from a back bedroom to one of West Yorkshire’s leading agencies.

The agency’s communications campaigns with Hipperholme Grammar School have resulted in the school preparing to welcome its highest number of new admissions in ten years this September, having increased its open day attendance by 25%.

The Turtle Bay restaurant launch in in October 2015 was commended as “one of the best ever launch parties out of 20 UK openings” by Turtle Bay group founder and owner Ajith Jayawickrema.

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CharityUpdate

Fusion IT fight cancer with Laura Crane

Huddersfield based IT company, Fusion IT is supporting the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust (LCYCT) as it launches its new ‘Fight Club’.

The charity has launched the initiative to allow businesses to contribute regularly towards the Trust and benefit from a partnership approach which will increase their profile across the region.

As a founding member of the Fight Club, Managing Director of Fusion IT, Jamie Watson was confident in being one of the first business people to offer his support.

He said: “The team are really excited to be working with the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust.

It is a charity close to our hearts and we are looking forward to making a difference to some of the young people affected by cancer.”

Pam Thornes, LCYCT manager commented: “We are delighted to welcome Fusion IT as one of our Founder Members of Fight Club. We hope many more businesses will follow their lead and help us make a big difference to the lives of young cancer patients by joining the fight and becoming members of Fight Club.”

The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust provides support mechanisms to young adults and teenagers who are suffering with cancer and is the only charity in the UK dedicated to funding medical research into cancer affecting young adults and teenagers.

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SAINSBURY’S BRIGHOUSE name new Charity of the Year Sainsbury’s Brighouse has announced that BASH Local will be the store’s new Local Charity of the Year for 2016 - 2017 following an online and in-store customer vote.

BASH Local, based in Brighouse, supports local homeless and vulnerably housed people in the area through outreach and drop-in sessions at its headquarters, as well as using donations to provide food, drink, clothing and all round support.

This year’s local charity scheme began at the end of May, when Sainsbury’s colleagues shortlisted a maximum of three charities to be put forward to the customer vote. BASH Local received the most votes and will receive a year’s worth of fundraising and profile-raising from the Brighouse store.

To celebrate the announcement, a launch event took place at the Brighouse store at Mill lane between 5 -7 August, where customers got the chance to meet representatives from the charity and

learn more about the work they do.

The store team also held a raffle for a summer hamper.

Rebecca Snow, Food Bank Manager from BASH Local, said: “Becoming Sainsbury’s Brighouse Local Charity of the Year will make a huge difference to us. We’re looking forward to the partnership and working closely with the colleagues at the Brighouse store.”

Steve Brown, Store manager at Sainsbury’s Brighouse added: “I’d like to say congratulations to BASH Local. It’s great to be working with a new charity this year. My colleagues are really excited about the partnership.”

The Local Charity scheme is now in its eighth year. The nationwide scheme by Sainsbury’s has raised over £11 million to support local charities since 2009.

September 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

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Yorkshire’s Legal People support the Huddersfield Town Foundation

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Chadwick Lawrence solicitors has announced a new partnership with the Huddersfield Town Football Club Foundation to support the charity’s ‘Early Kick-Off ’ breakfast clubs.

To mark its new relationship, the firm attended the launch of the 19th breakfast club at Beech Primary School in Golcar, where Chadwick Lawrence staff Sarah Crowther, Nosheen Bukhari and Pete Harling served breakfast to the children.

Chadwick Lawrence will continue to support the school through donations and volunteering at the breakfast clubs and other events. The firm has recently been invited to join the foundation at Party in the Park at Hightown Junior, Infants & Nursery School later this year.

Sarah Crowther, Partner at Chadwick Lawrence in the Family Law team said: “We are proud to support this fantastic cause and we feel passionately about supporting local schools. It’s great to see the children benefitting from our donation and presence at the breakfast clubs. We will certainly be attending on a regular basis.”

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CSRShowcase

Sheards Accountants CSR has always been high on the agenda for Huddersfield based Sheards Accountants They pride themselves on their charity partnerships and other initiatives that they are involved in which benefit businesses and charities across the area.

Headed up by directors Kevin Winterburn and Carolyn Atkinson, Sheards Accountants carries out a range of events designed to benefit the local business community as well as organising fundraisers to support local charities such as Kirkwood Hospice, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice and, most recently, the Huddersfield Town Football Club Foundation.

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In 2015, Sheards announced their new partnership with the Town Foundation whose aim is to improve the lives of young people across Huddersfield and the West Yorkshire area through a variety of activities, namely the hugely successful ‘Early Kick Off ’ Breakfast Clubs.

Kevin Winterburn, Director of Sheards Accountancy commented: “After witnessing the impact that the Huddersfield Town Foundation has had on the local community over the past few years and the sheer determination of the people behind it, the Sheards team felt compelled to get involved

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to help with their continued success.”

From curries to quizzes Since announcing the partnerships, Sheards has organised a number of fundraising events including their ever popular annual Quiz Night and Curry Night, which not only contributed to their fundraising total, but have also helped to develop new business relationships. Both events bring together local businesses, including current clients and suppliers, and provide fantastic networking opportunities.

“In the last 18 months, we’ve raised over £3,500 for the Town Foundation which has guaranteed nearly 7,000 breakfasts for children that attend the ‘Early Kick Off ’ Breakfast Clubs”, says Kevin.

“These clubs are now run across 19 schools and provide pupils with some well needed fuel to start their day.

Fundraising has always been a team effort at Sheards, and the company encourages its team to get involved.

Kevin continues: “We recently took part in the 2016 ‘It’s a Knockout’ challenge at Town’s PPG Canalside complex and raised £1,000 and it was a great day out for the team. Fundraising shouldn’t be a task; it should be something fun that your team is excited to get involved with.”

Enhancing the business community In addition to supporting the Town Foundation, Sheards

has both joined and led several initiatives to help to enhance the local business community including networking and seminar events.

The company’s ‘Connection’ events - which are run regularly throughout the year across the area - provide a practical insight into key issues that may be affecting local businesses.

Says Kevin: “We also host free start-up business workshops and peer group workshop in association with Challenging Leaders, which give business owners and managers the opportunity to meet with similar sized businesses and discuss current issues they may be facing.”

On top of all this, directors Kevin and Carolyn are both involved in further activity on a personal level that gives back to the local business community. Kevin regularly volunteers his own time and expertise to assist startup businesses via the MYCCI Mentor Scheme, whilst Carolyn

is a prominent member of the BNI Giants networking group.

Gaining team support When it comes to businesses starting their own CSR activity, team work is key, says Kevin: “When working with charities, it’s really important to get buy-in from your team. Encourage them to discuss the causes close to their hearts and what kind of events they’d like to organise to raise money. That way, fundraising becomes a fantastic opportunity for your team to bond.

Fundraising has always been a team effort at Sheards...

“I’d also recommend looking at other opportunities, as CSR activity doesn’t just have to involve charity work or fundraising. Look at the services your business provides and explore different ways in which you can use your expertise to support other businesses in the community. It’s a great way to give back but also gives you a platform to build and nurture future relationships.”

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CSRShowcase

I ♥ BS

It’s about creating brands that resonate and communicate with your customers in a clear, consistent and charismatic way.

The size of the brand really doesn’t matter; big or small, the same principles apply.

Every single stakeholder and every single person that touches and interacts with the brand needs to ‘get it’, and quickly.

The way we consume information has changed beyond all recognition since the dawn of the interweb, and today, brands must be simple or they simply won’t work.

Competition to win the hearts and minds of the customer has never been stiffer; they have a million choices and much less time in which to make them. It’s also worth mentioning that people use brands as short-cuts to make a purchase decision, and a short-cut - by its very definition - is short and easy.

- you have the taken the first step to brand simple. If you get it right, you might just find things will never be the same again. I’ll leave you with this quote from Einstein: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler”.

Jill Peel co-founder and creative director at 10 Associates Brand & Design Agency Need a tax expert who could save you tax?

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Simples?! No. There is a vast difference between being ‘simple’ and being ‘simplistic’. ‘Simple’ is not easy to create. To really strip back your thinking and create that differentiated promise - and one that hasn’t been claimed before - is probably one of the most difficult things you will ever do.

Apple uses this ‘brand simple’ thinking in everything they do. Steve Jobs introduced ‘The Picasso Way’ to train future employees into his way of thinking. He used 11 Picasso lithographs to explain the company’s design process. Simply genius.

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The Fag Packet Challenge Barnum, of circus fame, once told a business person trying to sell him something to write his whole sales pitch on the back of a business card (how refreshing - I’ve seen 300 page brand strategy reports trying to explain a differentiated brand platform). Even Coca-Cola’s brand promise can be summed up in one sentence, and their entire brand DNA can be mapped out on a single page.

So, to use a phrase that was popular back in the day, try and write your brand promise and the reason why it exists on the back of a fag packet; this is where many great ideas have started life.

However, you may find it harder than you think!

Now, go one step further. Try and think of one word that you would love your brand to be associated with. Congratulations

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Free initial consultation

0800 542 0839 www.sleighandstory.co.uk info@sleighandstory.co.uk

Thornhill Brigg Mills Thornhill Beck Lane Brighouse West Yorkshire HD6 4AH

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Peter Sleigh FCCA, Debbie Story FCA

September 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

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Thinking of slashing the marketing budget?

THINK AGAIN

By Katrine CLIFFE Managing Director - KC Communications

In a world post-Brexit, the daunting question many business leaders are asking themselves is, “how will the EU referendum results affect my business?”

Whilst nobody seems to have a definitive answer to this question, what we do know is that businesses really must continue to position themselves above the competition in order to stay afloat in an uncertain marketplace.

Often viewed by some as an unnecessary expenditure or a ‘luxury’, marketing has long been subjected to unqualified criticism with many marketing professionals working tirelessly to persuade business owners to allocate ample budgets to their department.

Yet marketing has never been more vital. With the post-Brexit era looming, we are yet to feel the full effects of the referendum; all the more reason to put contingency plans in place to prepare for the unknown.

Through the strategic use of marketing, a business can build on brand awareness, grow their customer base and instil loyalty whilst reaping bottom-line benefits.

Slashing marketing budgets is certainly not the answer right now and if this is something you have considered, I would urge you to err on the side of caution and read on.

Have a think about something you want to buy.

Why do you want to buy it and who do you want to buy it from? Dig a little deeper and ask

yourself why you want to buy it from that particular business. Is it price, quality? Or perhaps you’ve personally bought into the brand and its values so much so that you wouldn’t even consider switching to an alternative brand, product or service.

Little did you know, your buyer behaviour is hugely influenced by an organisation’s dedicated marketing activity. A successful business will pro-actively market their offer and remind you of this through various touchpoints.

Whether in-house or outsourced, a dedicated marketing strategy will provide direction across all departments including branding, operations, advertising, customer service, sales, visual merchandising… the list goes on.

With a little investigation into your personal and professional buying habits, it’s clear that there’s no time like the present to shout louder than your competitors about the products and services you have to offer.

Getting creative with your marketing and finding better ways to reach your audience will deliver real ROI and maximise budgets, enabling your business to combat any EU referendum repercussions in the months and years ahead.

Factfile What year was KC Comms founded?

August 2014

How many staff do you have?

4 including myself

What inspired you to start your own business?

I wanted variety

Would you do anything different if starting again?

No. We’ve achieved a lot!

Ambition for growth?

Definitely… It’s underway!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

Catching up on holidays!

Whether in-house or outsourced, a dedicated marketing strategy will provide direction...

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Feature As Steven says, there were then demands for more and more events and activities – the most common question, ‘what next’: “It does require a big commitment but the most important thing to emphasise is that it actually works. You will find that everybody’s takings will increase over festival weekends and that continues afterwards - we’re bringing people in that wouldn’t normally shop, and they’re exposed to the independent shops in Brighouse and then they come back.”

Destination

BRIGHOUSE Stephen Naylor reports for Topic UK on how Brighouse is bucking the national trend for high street decline, receiving a multi-million pound economic boost and putting itself on the map.

The past few years has been a challenging one for our high streets.

A 2013 taskforce, set up in the wake of Mary Portas’ review of town centres, said that they were in ‘terminal decline’. For business leaders and shop owners in Brighouse the question was simple – how do we stop that from happening to our town, to our high street. The question may have been simple; the answer was not.

In 2009 the town’s retail hub had over 30 empty shop units. The recession meant that people were spending less money, less often and, when they did, they were choosing to do so in out of town shopping centres and supermarkets. Prospects looked bleak but a determined group of businessmen and women came together, including Steven Lord: “We realised that unless we were very careful, the town would degenerate into empty shops.

And once you get empty shops, you don’t get shoppers. And once you don’t get shoppers you get graffiti, vandalism - and it just goes down the pan.”

The Brighouse Business Initiative was formed - a not-for-profit group comprising mostly

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retailers who entirely self-fund their work, giving up their time and expertise. They decided that in order to bring people into the town centre, you couldn’t rely on chance, you had to make Brighouse a destination - to put it on the map. They set about that effort. And it worked.

“We had a look around and said what can we do? We tried various concepts that didn’t work. And then we hit on the idea of a street market. And much to our surprise at half past 8 on the Sunday morning, people were coming down and buying things. And it was hugely popular.”

The first market was held at the beginning of 2010 with just 25 stalls. It proved so successful the concept was rolled out across several other weekends throughout the year. Now the biggest markets have 90 stalls.

Events also played their part in putting Brighouse on the map – in 2012, the Olympic Torch passed through the town as part of its journey to London and the team had the idea of grassing over the main street and having a mini-Olympics. Supported by stalls, events and activities, it was phenomenally successful and put the national spotlight on what was happening in Brighouse.

There are now special themed weekends throughout the year – the 1940s Weekend, 1960s Weekend, Canal and Music Festival and Victorian Christmas Festival. Each have a street market, activities and events to bring people into the town.

The team estimate the economy of Brighouse is boosted by up to two million pounds a year by the events thanks to hundreds of thousands of visitors flocking to the area – an incredible amount for a volunteer team who run their own businesses by day and organise complex and growing events by night.

The success of Brighouse has not gone unnoticed – the town and its team have won awards and they frequently get asked ‘how do you do it’ by other areas. Steven tries to help but he says, “the problem is, there is no secret formula, it is hard work by a committed team.

Who basically go towards the same end. They don’t fall out, they don’t argue - they just crack on and do it. And you can’t teach that.”

Just as businesses cannot survive without customers and shops cannot survive without shoppers, a town cannot survive without a heart and Brighouse’s greatest achievement is, perhaps, creating a sense of community and pride. “We didn’t even think about the impact on community spirit when we started but it’s raised our profile so much that people are proud to be from Brighouse, want to live here and be part of what’s happening.”

Brighouse has proved that town centres don’t have to be in terminal decline. By making itself a destination, it has proved that with innovative thinking, and admittedly an awful lot of work, it is still possible for them to thrive, to attract people and get them to shop – and spend.

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WELCOME TO THE EMPIRE Numerous new and well established local businesses have decided to relocate to Empire House, in the heart of Dewsbury Town Centre. The prominent retail space, good footfall and close proximity to the market place and shops have been key attractions.

The Electronic Village Dewsbury, an independent organisation providing computer education and training for disabled and disadvantaged people within West Yorkshire has moved into the prominent corner unit adjacent to the Post Office. They work to help people improve their lifestyles, education and employment prospects through teaching them how to use computers for enjoyment, employment and information along with encouraging them to strive for their own personal goals.

In September local people and tenants alike will be able to enjoy lunch or a coffee overlooking the historic architecture of the Town Hall as Empire House welcomes a local well established coffee shop.

Other new tenants include local people starting their own organisations including an IT company, tax consultancy and a charity providing support to families who have children with autism.

Empire House provides contemporary, stylish, DDA compliant office accommodation tailored to your specification, requirements and budget as well as additional services including car parking, cleaning and low cost storage space. You can be accommodated whether you are starting your own business and need a small serviced office or are looking to expand or operate a larger business with open plan office space and meeting rooms.

With the support of a dedicated in-house management team all you will need to focus on is your own business.

Having completed nearly 4,000 sq. ft. of lettings in the last three months, we encourage you to contact us without delay to register your interest, discuss your requirements and arrange a viewing.

RETAIL AND FLEXIBLE OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE 51 SQFT TO 5,000+ SQFT

EMPIRE HOUSE, WAKEFIELD OLD ROAD, DEWSBURY, WF12 8DJ FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT PAUL BURNETT: 01603 767616 HANSON CHARTERED SURVEYORS: 01484 432043 OR VICKERS CARNLEY: 01924 291500

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TheArts

Bringing the Arts to Brighouse

By Stephen Lord

A dedicated team of professional individuals who share one thing in common, ‘the arts’, has recently formed a new charitable organisation; ‘Arts for Brighouse’.

I

ts aim is to make a difference to the lives of the general public of Brighouse and surrounding areas through artistic opportunity. These aims will be achieved through festivals, performances and workshops which offer the opportunity for people of all ages to engage in all aspects of art, writes Stephen Lord, chairman of Arts for Brighouse and owner of Harrison Lord Photography.

Artistic opportunity in Brighouse is minimal and the aim of Arts for Brighouse is to change that by making it easily accessible, making a positive impact on local communities. Through the organisation, groups will be encouraged to engage with, and work alongside, professional artistic practitioners to help us to unearth hidden talents in young people, nurture them and develop their confidence in their own ability. If they chose to do so, we’ll also offer guidance to help them take that ability forward and into further education.

One of our first projects will be to take over the reigns for the Brighouse Arts Festival

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that has been running successfully in the town for the last five years. There is a huge gap in the artistic life of the area and we feel that the new Festival will be well received.

With the emphasis very firmly on entertainment, highlights of the Festival will include local singer Roger Davies in a special concert with the Drighlington Brass Band, Queen tribute band ‘Majesty Queen’, Lucky Dog Theatre Company with ‘Hats off to Laurel & Hardy’ and ‘John Merrick the Elephant Man’.

World music also plays a part and renowned singer Ahmed Harfoush from Egypt’s Capital will perfume, along with Yorkshire’s popular Red Ladder Theatre Company that will bring three one man shows, one of which stars Coronation Street’s William Fox. Other highlights will include string quartets, classical song recitals, children’s entertainment, street theatre, organ recitals, workshops, talks, cinema shows, comedy nights, fringe festival and walks, with the full programme available from early September.

Image:

Dade Freeman

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With our new team of highly experienced trustees in place, two of whom are instrumental in delivering the Brighouse 1940’s weekend and other high profile events, I am confident that the future of the Festival looks bright and is set to build on the foundation of the previous team and act as a catalyst for producing future artistic events in Brighouse.

If you would like to find out how you or your business can get involved with Arts for Brighouse please email: shane@ artsforbrighouse.co.uk

Roger Davies

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How it’s made- Feature Designed to showcase the diverse manufacturing companies operating across our region, our regular new ‘How It’s Made’ feature seeks to lift the lid on some of the hidden skills and trades that exist right on our doorstep.

PROVALVE This issue, TopicUK catches up with Elland-based valve service and repair specialists, Provalve, to uncover what goes on behind its factory doors.

By Alex Mason Unless you’re a regular visitor to Elland’s Lowfields Business Park, you’d be forgiven for not knowing that it plays home to the UK’s leading, independent industrial valve repair specialists.

Tucked away in the back corner of this industrial estate, Provalve employs over 30 people at its UK headquarters, where it specialises in the overhaul, retrofit and upgrade of control valve products for some of the UK’s best known oil refineries, power stations, petrochemical and chemical manufacturers.

True Yorkshire heritage Established in 2000, the company has built a proud reputation for quality and the ability to service a wide range of industrial valves using a passionate and customer centric approach.

“We’re a proud Yorkshire company”, chuckles Lancashire-born sales and marketing director Paul Griffith, ironically.

“The ethos of Yorkshire people centres around delivering good service for a fair price and being transparent to boot, and that’s the basis of what we do at Provalve.”

Paul joined Provalve in 2015 having previously worked closely with the company as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) supplier, and believes that the company’s focus on close working relationships with such suppliers is what has helped the company to achieve its status as the leading independent industrial valve repair specialist in the UK. Says Paul: “As a business, we have concentrated our efforts on continuing to partner with quality OEM

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(Original Equipment Manufacturer) suppliers that include companies such as Emerson Fisher in the UK. We also represent Flowserve from a service and supply point of view.

“This means that we are now in what I believe is quite an enviable and advantageous position to supply growth

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opportunities for both ourselves and customers using a supply and support model.

Going back to the main business of Provalve, Paul makes a comparison to that of getting a vehicle serviced.

“If you compare what we do with getting your car serviced it can make understanding our world that little bit easier.

“We’re here to help our clients with planned or unplanned maintenance and repair. So, with your car, the planned repair is when you take your car in for its MOT, and the unplanned repair is when it blows a gasket on the M62 and you need it fixing, fast!”

Developing technology, developing business Paul has also helped to launch Provalve’s new cloud-based support system, Prolog, which now forms the centrepiece of the company’s total valve management support function.

Its development has played a major part in moving the company’s bank of paper records and valve service history online, and is allowing the company to extend the level of service that it offers to its current clients, whilst appealing more to potential customers.

Paul continues: “Prolog has taken the company around two years to develop, and there’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears to make sure that its right. The product enables us to better service our customers as they can quickly and easily access their full valve service background all in one place.

“It has also created the opportunity for us

to maximise sales opportunities, as we are now able to log any ‘advisory’ information ascertained from a planned repair and send the customer an electronic report with the work carried out, along with our recommendations.

“Going back to the MOT analogy, similarly to when a mechanic might tell you that you’ll need new shock absorbers in six months, we can advise our customers on work we think will need completing fairly soon, and ask them if they want to give us the order for that work there and then and have it taken care of.”

As a company, Provalve also prides itself on housing a dynamic and highly skilled workforce; something which Paul believes comes as a result of the company’s Yorkshire roots and location.

He says: “Being based in Elland has meant that we have been able to work closely with Kirklees College to recruit some fantastic apprentices into the business. We have a number of employees who attend college one day a week and work with us for the

rest of the time to learn on the job, and this has been an essential part of our business model.

A growing business As it looks to the future, Provalve has its heart set on expansion into other markets to help develop its portfolio further.

And - despite the uncertainty around Brexit - Paul feels that the UK repair industry is in a positive place.

“We’re a local and global company that has embraced the opportunities of European Union membership. During workload peaks we’ve had workforce team members join us from a partner Croatian company.

I’m not sure how or if this can work with Brexit, but it’s just another challenge we’ll just have to work around.

“We’ll continue to invest in our team and pro-actively develop their skillsets so that they are a major part of this new journey for Provalve, and will always tackle change positively to ensure we uphold our position at the forefront of valve repair and servicing across the UK.”

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Local Heroes - Feature

FROM BANKING TO CHARITYan unusual career path

Peter Branson is chief executive of Huddersfield’s Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice. Here he tells TopicUK about his varied career and plans for the future.

By Alex Mason

Y

ou wouldn’t call Peter Branson’s career path to becoming chief executive of Huddersfield-based Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice a typical one.

Born in the UK but moving to Kenya at the age of six months, Peter lived in the country for almost the first decade of his life before his family moved back to the UK in the early 70s. After attending school in Birmingham, he then went on to read economics at the University of Exeter.

In 1988, Peter began his career working in investment banking in The City. “Coming

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from a banking background, you wouldn’t expect me to be where I am now”, he chuckles.

“I spent the majority of the early part of my career trading currency options at four different banks through the late 80s and 90s, which isn’t really much use when it comes to charity work.”

A desire to make a difference However, what was of use was Peter’s deep-rooted passion for making a difference, and whilst working in London he began volunteering for the homeless charity, Shelter. “It was around the end of the 80s and a time when there were

thousands of young people living on the streets of the capital, and across the UK. volunteered at Shelter and experienced first-hand the difference that the work we did made to those people’s lives. “I decided then that I needed to gain more experience so that I could eventually move into charity work full-time, and so joined Mars where I spent five, of the seven years I worked there, running one of their UK businesses.”

In 2004, Peter got the opportunity to join the Prince’s Trust and fulfil his ambition of working within a charity that would

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make a difference to the lives of young people.

He says: “I decided from my time working with Shelter that I wanted to work with young people and children, so when the role of regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber came up at the Prince’s Trust, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to commit full time to charity work.”

Involved in overseeing the strategic activity for the charity across the region, Peter worked for seven years with young people who had been exposed to “a difficult start in life” and were without qualifications or had a criminal record.

He was involved in overseeing training programmes and schemes encouraging youngsters to get back into work, and developing the skills to enable them to do so. “What was most rewarding was the impact that we had on the lives of the people that we worked with, and being able to show them that they still had the opportunity to take back control of their own lives.”

A glimpse of the hard times But it would be a personal loss followed by the birth of his son that cemented Peter’s decision to join Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice. “Between my daughter and son being born, we lost a child which was an extremely difficult time for me and my wife. We experienced first-hand what the loss of a child felt like, and the support we needed to move forward.”

Then, in 2010, Peter’s son Aslan was born and was suddenly taken ill. “Everything was fine, and then one day we ended up rushing Aslan to Calderdale Infirmary. He was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary for three months where we were told he had Hirschsprung Disease that causes severe intestinal obstruction due to part of the bowel not working properly. “We cared for him at home for three months and then a third of his large intestine was removed. Thankfully, he is fine now

but there are still occasions where he can become very poorly.”

At the same time, Forget Me Not was looking out for its first chief executive and approached Peter about taking on the challenge. “The charity had spent ten years raising funds to enable it to bring on board someone to drive forward its promise to the community of opening a children’s hospice. They needed someone to turn that vision into a reality. “Funnily enough, if I had been approached a year earlier I would have said no, but experiencing what we just had as a family gave me just a glimpse of what the families we now care for have to go through every day. For me, that was the trigger to say yes.”

On joining Forget Me Not, Peter immediately put in place a strategy to grow the charity as quickly as possible.

“We needed to be able to respond to the needs of our families and to do this meant the charity had to grow. “With this came the challenges of fundraising and income generation, and so I worked hard to diversify our income streams so that we weren’t reliant on just one channel.”

The charity now has five main sources of income that include community, corporate, lottery, major donors and retail. Says Peter: “All our income streams are now reasonably balanced in terms of the proportion of our income they generate, but we still only receive 6% of our funding through the Government and this hasn’t changed for five years now.” In the last five years, the charity has grown from half a dozen people to close to 100 employees and 350 volunteers and a fundraising effort of nearly £4million per year. “However”, adds Peter, “delivering a rock-solid foundation for care is still at the heart of our strategy, and we were delighted when our last Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection rated us as outstanding. “We now support over 200 children and families every

year and making sure we have the foundations to say yes to every family is vitally important.”

Plans to grow When it comes to the future of Forget Me Not, Peter certainly isn’t standing still.

“We have plans to expand our retail arm from our current 10 stores to 30 over the next two to three years. When I joined the charity, the stores were delivering around £70,000 net towards our income each year. That figure is now close to £360,000 and rising. “Our stores mean that we have the relative security of being able to forecast at least one form of consistent income across the year, and build in everything else around that. It’s much harder to forecast what we’ll generate from community fundraising activity or through corporate partnerships, and I make no bones about the fact that we have to run the charity like any other business.”

Peter is also in the process of developing a senior team that will assist with his drive to scale up the charity’s operations across the region, and has recently appointed a new director of care and Forget Me Not’s first commercial director.

“Yorkshire is a truly great place to be”, he says, “and it has meant that we have been able to attract both staff and volunteers that harness a remarkable sense of community and are so proud of what they do for us. Their support is truly humbling.”

When we ask Peter what he’s most proud of in his time so far at Forget Me Not, he struggles to praise himself. “I am just immensely grateful to have the privilege of working with people who are going through such difficult times and seeing the impact that the work we do makes on their lives.

“I am finally able to say that I’m doing a job that I love and, more importantly, one that makes such a huge difference.”

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KING OF THE CASTLE Catering firm wins contract to run café at Pontefract Castle Coal Mining Museum for England, was voted New Business of the Year 2016 in the Wakefield Business Awards in June and was a finalist in this year’s White Rose Awards covering the whole of Yorkshire.

Award winning Asparagus Green Catering, has won a second contract to run the new café at Pontefract Castle their second year of trading.

The company has a commitment to using locally sourced produce and employing locally based staff and is expected to start trading from the new visitor centre at the café in September.

Cllr Les Shaw, Wakefield Council’s portfolio holder for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: “The Council is delighted to have procured such a first class, local partner for the new café at Pontefract Castle.” The company, which runs the catering at the National

Director and founder, Anthony Hegney, said: “This is a great opportunity for us and we are delighted to be part of such a great project at Pontefract Castle which will see the opening of a purpose built café on site.

We will be focusing on the best of Yorkshire produce and of course with a hint of famous Pontefract liquorice wherever possible.”

Anthony, who has 27 year’s experience in the catering and hospitality industry, is currently working on the menu for the launch but is keeping it under wraps for the time being. However, he revealed it would have a very strong local theme using tried and tested local suppliers. “We don’t consider suppliers from outside the

Yorkshire region or large companies as we believe in staying local and supporting small businesses,” he added.

The café is part of the £3.5 million Key to the North project at Pontefract Castle, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic England, the Council, the Wolfson Foundation and EpaC. The work will result in the monument being removed from the At Risk register, new paths and landscaping around the site and a new visitor centre. The centre will include an activity zone for learning activities and conferences, toilets, a retail and visitor information area, a museum space with castle artefacts on display and the café, which has indoor seating for 24 people and outdoor for a further 60. The visitor centre will open in September and the rest of the capital works are due to be completed in spring 2017.

CO N TA C T

Of interest to owner occupiers, developers and investors

Abigail Hanson Hughes abigail@hanson-cs.co.uk Jason Metcalfe jason@hanson-cs.co.uk

Independence House Holly Bank Road/Halifax Road, Edgerton, Huddersfield

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FOR SALE 14,815 sq ft Headquarter offices, suitable for a variety of uses Grade A office space with 2no. passenger lifts Large car park with 72 no. marked spaces Allocated as residential on the UDP Suitable for residential conversion/redevelopment (subject to planning) Total overall site area of approximately 1.26 acres EPC Rating: C (68)

Joint agent Elsworth Commercial Property Consultants

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www.hanson-cs.co.uk

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AFTER THE BREXIT VOTE: WHAT NEXT FOR BUSINESS?

By Stephen Naylor - Director of Brighouse-based strategy and communications consultancy, Waverley

In the April edition of this magazine I wrote about the impact of the EU Referendum on business. Well, now we know the result and Britain will leave the European Union.

But, we still don’t know when, how or what it will mean.

open economy and ensure business has a voice in the negotiations.

Businesses are used to adapting to change but the pace of change in the UK in the past few weeks and months has been breathtaking. Strong leadership at every level – political and business will be required in the coming years to provide a strong, stable and

In order to work out the impact, it’s worth examining the potential models.

There are lots of options for how our trading relationship looks with Europe in the future – and that decision will be crucial, whether you trade overseas or not, as it will govern the state of the wider economy.

The Norway model would give membership of the European Economic Area and full access to the single market but it also requires the acceptance of free movement – something some of those who campaigned for Brexit suggested would be unacceptable.

The Switzerland model is being a member of the European Free Trade Association with access to EU markets governed by loser agreements on not all areas of business. Free movement also still applies.

The Turkey model gives a customs union with the EU, meaning no tariffs or quotas on exports to EU countries of industrial goods, but services – which If so….help keep your costs down by using our make up 78 per cent of the UK’s economy reliable temp staff as & when you need them – are not included. ke on We tdamin WE`RE IN IT the a en The Canada model is one that is most FOR THE urd LONG TERM b& yoyuus later often quoted by leave campaigners. It pa WITH YOU! would likely see most tariffs on goods disappear and preferential access to the CELEBRATING 15 YEARS IN BUSINESS EU single market without the obligation If you would like more information, or assistance, of free movement as in the Norway or Swiss options. One major issue though is call us on 01484 351010 email: staff@stafflex.co.uk it would unlikely cover financial services, crucial to this country’s economic fortunes.

Would the flexibility of reduced fixed costs be useful?

The Singapore and Hong Kong approach sees these two countries not impose import or export tariffs which provides for unilateral free trade but this could have a negative impact on some business areas, such as agriculture or manufacturing where importing goods would become cheaper than producing in this country.

At the moment we simply do not know which outcome we will end up with, which means it is impossible to know what the impact will be.

Uncertainty is never good for business, which is why we’ve seen warnings of a more negative outlook for the economy.

Calm heads and proper planning can mitigate the worst of what may be to come, but certainty about the future is still some way off.

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RecruitmentUpdate

Six Good Reasons to Hire a Temp this Summer

By Nadio Granata, head of marketing at Stafflex Recruitment On any given day, the UK recruitment industry places 1.1 million people into temporary work.

This equates to approximately 5% of the total UK workforce. Since the recession in 2008, the number of employers taking on temporary staff has increased by more than 20%.

The definition of a ‘temporary’ member of staff falls under several sub categories, including contractor, freelancer and temporary agency worker. At times, temp work has received negative press with claims that it is a reflection of the poor quality of jobs in the employment market, therefore leading to an insecure and vulnerable workforce.

However, research shows that this is far from the truth, and a significant percentage of temps choose to remain just that for a myriad of reasons. Similarly, employers are also choosing to offer more and temp roles as their business demands a more flexible and dynamic approach to business fluctuations.

Here are the top six arguments for employing a temp this summer: 1. Brexit - no article on recruitment would be complete without at least a small reference to Brexit. The consensus is that Brexit will cause some uncertainty in some sectors, therefore temporary labour may help with eliminating some of the longer term financial risks associated with permanent contracts 2. Seasons - summer is here, at last! It’s currently 28 degrees (whilst writing) and forecast to get warmer. Seasonal workforces are an important aspect of the tourism and hospitality sector as well as construction, education, farming and others. Being able to

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adjust staffing levels according to seasonality can make the difference between profit and loss.

3. Training – some industries require certain conditions for staff training such as a lull in demand, changes in climate or the cost of raw materials. Strategically hiring temp staff at certain points in the year frees up staff for vital training enabling them to compete against their rivals when the demand returns and the pressure is back on.

4. Rotation - Some managers like to ‘rest’ certain members of staff to enable them to recharge their batteries for what’s coming next. Often this will coincide with a shift in productivity whilst things like servicing and property repairs become the priority during downtime.

5. Universal tax credit - the introduction of the UTC allows employees to work more flexibly. Resultantly, they may be more interested in taking on summer jobs whilst the opportunity exists. Conversely, others are prepared to reduce their hours whilst its school holidays, preferring to spend more time with the children.

6. Try before you buy - often it requires more than one decision maker to recruit and employ staff. During summer holidays, decision-makers are not always available at the same time, so temporary staff can provide an interim solution until the decision makers return.

Nadio Granata is head of marketing at Stafflex Limited and Associate Lecturer at University of Leeds Business School.

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CommercialProperty

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

F

oreboding, turmoil, disenfranchisement, concerns, uncertainty and then came Theresa May. Whilst there will, and already has been a cost, the authority which Theresa May displayed in her first week was admired, perhaps begrudgingly by some, but universally within the Tory ranks as the best choice to lead the Country at this point.

Feelings of foreboding, turmoil and disenfranchisement fell away, leaving only concern and uncertainty, but she has, at least, given all the impression of being in control. Authority and control right now steadies the nerves. We can get on with our own jobs knowing that there is actually someone running the country and we do not have to second guess that anymore.

I do actually wonder whether the hand of fate is helping the new PM as the turmoil in the Labour Party renders that institution sterile and regrettably unelectable, (all governments need strong and electable opposition) but that very instability and weakness adds to the Prime Minister’s authority at a time when it is most needed with any change in Labour’s ability to be anything other than the ‘official’ opposition extremely unlikely. It is ironic that her biggest problem will continue to be the hard-line Brexiteers and with the slim majority of 12 she will have a fine line to tread. Maybe the advocates of a snap election have it right to give her what would surely be a much larger majority as stability and safe hands are valued right now.

So we are living through exceptional times and in the next five years, perhaps sooner than that, we will discover whether Brexit was the biggest ‘own goal’, an act of folly and hubris or an inspired decision by a country

eager and hungry to take back control of decisions which affect its citizens (Queen’s Subjects actually), rather than being told by a Frenchman or German or for that matter unelected Luxemburgish bureaucrat, how we can carry on. Our islander character has flared up and enough is enough.

Of course, I expect most of what has come out of the EU will be adopted as our own and will be legislated on but that task is enormous and will keep our own Whitehall civil servants in jobs for years to come, but that is not the point. The country has decided that rather than arguing our corner from within, we would take back our destiny and stuff the cost.

There will be a cost, the success of our own negotiations on tariffs and trade will have a direct bearing on income, tax revenues and therefore public spending. The very thing which aggrieved many voters was the totally disingenuous £380million per week figure quoted. When netted down to around £120 per week, this produced an annual figure of around £6billion. Okay, a lot, but our GDP, as the fifth largest economy in the world, was $2.85trillion in 2015 or £2.175trillion ($1.31 in the £), our net contribution was around 0.3% of our GDP. Or putting it bluntly, easily lost in rounding up or down. Our financial contribution was always a red herring and not an automatically transferable amount to other public expenditure on a Brexit vote.

Commercial property has been affected but when we look more closely, this has been, so far a London centric problem and London had become overheated before Brexit. The provinces do not experience the same degree of turmoil and with interest rates likely to stay very

low indefinitely, and with inflationary pressures already building (due to the drop in the value of sterling), well-let and secure property investment and particularly those with Index Linked income remain much in demand.

Well located property should always be a good long term investment but too many expect their property investments to perform giving growth immediately.

Property, as an investment, should never be considered unless one is happy to have funds tied up. Those institutions which have called a halt to pay outs, have found that the illiquid nature of property brings with it its own problems but a run on commercial property funds should not affect commercial property values other than at the margin and not indefinitely.

Real value comes not just from investment yield but from demand from occupiers and it is business confidence generally that will have the greatest say in where property values go in the short and medium terms.

The PMI survey reported today (22 July 2016), tells us that Composite Output and New Orders registered their steepest ever recorded falls in June. Nothing has changed other than confidence and a fall in the value of sterling. A recession threatens, despite an increase in manufacturing exports so we’re told and this is all the more reason to have the steady hand and proper authority at No 10.

But we are in a different place to that of September 2008. The banks are in reasonable shape and we remain well placed to take advantage of the best deals which Messrs Johnson, Davies and Fox can produce.

Game on.

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#MyTopic

HRUpdate

6 WAYS

to improve your performance appraisals TopicUK has teamed up with Huddersfield-based Pennine Business Partners to keep you up to date an all things HR. In this issue, Lynn Bradley discusses the value of performance appraisals.

A Charmed Life This edition, TopicUK caught up with Bernadette Gledhill of Morton Gledhill Fashion Show Production and Model Training to find out more about the company.

Tell us in no more than 20 words what your company specialises in?

Fashion Show organisation from in - store events to large productions. Confidence, model and styling courses to enhance personal development.

How many years’ experience do you have in your industry?

We formed in the mid-50s as The Louise Morton Charm School. I joined the company as a pupil in the mid-70s aged 14, and quickly realised that my passion in life was for the fashion & beauty industry. This means that I now have over 40 years’ experience!

What is the most challenging part of what the company does?

Taking the initial concept all the way through to a finished event.

We have staging, lighting, music, choreography, model selections,

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styling, hair and makeup all to consider.

What makes the company different to others that offer the same or similar services?

Many years of experience and attention to detail. Our unique selling point is commitment and passion for the services we provide.

What words of advice would you give to somebody looking to make it in your industry?

Be extremely careful if you are looking to enter modelling.

It’s not necessary to have an expensive portfolio session in advance. A snapshot, face and full length picture from your mobile phone, is all you need, and a reputable company can tell immediately if you would be suitable for modelling.

For your chance to feature, tweet @topicuk using #myTopic and what you do.

Performance appraisals are an integral part of the management systems in many businesses, but now and then their value is called into question. They can be time-consuming, take people away from their productive role in the business and are sometimes seen as a management headache.

However, recent research suggests that companies that do away with appraisals experience a drop in productivity. Clearly there is value in the appraisal process, but how can we make it work better?

Here are a few tips: 1. Make it fit your business Generic appraisal forms are readily available but they may not be right for your business.

Instead, work out what your business goals are and how each member of staff will help you achieve them. What are the key tasks, projects and activities that will make your business successful? This will form the basis for your performance management system.

2. Measure it to manage it If each member of staff understands their part in achieving the company’s goals they are more likely to be motivated to achieve it. Set specific goals for each staff member, measure achievement against those goals and

provide regular feedback and encouragement.

3. Keep it simple There are many variations of 4. performance management systems but the more complex they are, the more time they take and the less likely they are to be carried out properly.

Better to keep it simple and to the point.

5. Be prepared Thorough preparation by both parties before the appraisal meeting will make it much more productive and will enable you to focus on the things that are really important.

6. Look forward An important part of the appraisal process is reviewing past performance. However, the past can’t be changed so looking ahead is even more important.

How can performance be even better in the future and what will help the individual to achieve more?

7. Keep it going Appraisals have little value when they are “once and done”.

An ongoing cycle, starting with objective setting and following up with regular informal reviews, will maintain focus on the main priorities, as well as providing an opportunity for positive feedback and motivation.

Lynn Bradley is HR Business Partner at Pennine Business Partners. Tel 01484 841776.

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

I AM CONSIDERING DIVORCING WHAT SHOULD I KNOW?

By Angela Thorpe Can I have a Divorce/Dissolution of Civil Partnership?

What happens next, how long will it take?

You will need to have been married or in a Civil Partnership for a period of 12 months.

Once the Court has received the Petition and your fee, the papers will then be posted to your husband/wife/civil partner. They are requested to confirm they have received the papers and they must indicate at this time whether they agree to the Divorce proceeding. Once they have returned this document back to the Court then it is possible for you at this time to apply for your Decree Nisi if there has been no objection to the Divorce at this time.

Am I considered a common law wife/ husband if we have lived together for more than two years?

There is no such thing as a common law wife/husband. However, there may be separate proceedings that can be considered to deal with finances in certain situations where parties are unmarried.

How do I go about getting a Divorce/ Dissolution of Civil Partnership?

You will need the original or a certified copy of your Marriage Certificate or Civil Partnership Certificate, and unless you can be partially or fully exempted from the Court fee due to being in receipt of certain benefits or low income, then you will also be required to pay a £550 fee to start the proceedings. There are also other documents that need to be completed and forwarded to the Family Court.

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The Court will provide you with a date as to when your Decree Nisi will be pronounced by the Court and then six weeks and one day thereafter, you are in a position to apply for your Decree Absolute which will bring your marriage to an end.

This whole process can on average take as little as four months if all works smoothly, but often can take longer.

With regard to costs, as the Petitioner you would initially be responsible for your costs, but you can place a claim for costs in the Petition for your husband/

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Pensions on divorce - your options By Sarah Crowther If pensions are an issue in your divorce then there are three ways to deal with them: Pension Attachment Orders This option results in the court ordering that a pension company pays out a percentage of the lump sum/income to the other spouse. This takes effect when the pension holder starts to draw the benefits.

The drawback of this option is that if the pension holder dies before drawing the benefit then the whole pension is lost. It is for this reason that this is not a popular option for divorcing couples.

Pension Sharing Orders This option results in a percentage of a pension scheme being transferred to the other spouse. This provides each party with their own pension pot and independence over when this is accessed.

If this is a preferable option for you then you need to be sure that the pension scheme has been properly valued to

guarantee that you are receiving the correct percentage. Certain schemes, generally public sector and final salary ones often do not take account of all of the pension benefits. It is often advisable to seek help from a specialist pensions actuary.

Offsetting This can sometimes be an attractive option for a spouse whose priority is to secure a higher capital settlement in lieu of pension sharing or pension attachment orders.

The value of a claim against a pension is offset against other capital assets meaning that a spouse can immediately benefit from those funds, rather than waiting to reach the appropriate age to draw down the pension. As with the pension sharing order, it is imperative that the value of the pension is correct.

Arrangements for Children when separating

By Joanne Jones When a couple separate, meeting the needs of any children of the relations ip is key. The vast majority of parents are able to agree all or most matters relating to the children, including the arrangements for their day to day care, between themselves. In these cases, even if the couple go through the divorce process, there is no need for the Court or even Solicitors to be involved in that aspect of the separation.

For those parents who cannot agree, Solicitors can help negotiate suitable arrangements or the parents may opt to attend mediation. Ultimately an application can be made to the Court for a Child Arrangements Order. The law states that when determining any question relating to a child, the welfare of that child is ‘paramount’. Any delay in resolving matters is regarded as potentially detrimental to the child.

There is as yet no statutory presumption in English law of ‘equal’ parenting, although there has been a move towards regarding shared parenting of children on separation as very much a starting point. However what is considered to be in the best interests of any particular child will very much depend on the unique circumstances of that family. The Court will take into account the factors set out in a ‘welfare checklist’, such as the age of the children and the effect on them of any change resulting from the Orders made by the Court.

Where older children are involved, very often their wishes and feelings will also be taken into account.

The same principles, based on the children’s welfare will also apply in the event that parents cannot agree more specific issues relating to a child’s upbringing, for example relating to their education or religion.

Should you find yourself in a situation on separation where you are unable to agree matters relating to your children or your finances, or if you just want to find out where you stand the specialist family law team here at Chadwick Lawrence are here to help. We offer an initial free half hour appointment to discuss your options and the best approach in your particular circumstances. To arrange to see Angela, Joanne or Sarah please call 0800 015 0340

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LegalMatters

WE ARE YORKSHIRE’S LEGAL PEOPLE

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Advertorial

LEP FUNDING helps Yorkshire business raise its profile worldwide

Norvap, a Yorkshire-based business has been given the chance to increase its offering in worldwide markets, with the help of funding from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The £3,210 grant from the LEP’s skills service is being used by Skipton company Norvap to enhance its customer service, develop its marketing strategy, and expand its internal management capabilities, as it expands into new markets.

Norvap, which was established in 2011, designs and manufactures veterinary and medical equipment such as vaporisers and anaesthesia machines.

The company already supplies a number of companies across the globe, but has taken the next step in its expansion plan which has raised its profile further.

Responding to market needs With companies requesting specialist and complex products, Norvap has recognised a need to invest in its staff ’s knowledge and customer service skills, as well as the business’s overall

marketing strategy to respond to these requests.

Specialist advice Claire Hodgson, HR and office manager at Norvap, said: “As our business is constantly expanding, we realised that the most important step for us to take is to invest in our staff, to ensure that we can provide specialist advice to new customers.

“The grant from the LEP’s skills service will allow us to reach our full potential, as we’ll have the opportunity to train our staff to the highest level of customer service, and we’ll also be able to implement an internal management scheme that supports our workforce.”

Stephanie Burras CBE, Chair of the LEP’s Employment and Skills Panel and Chief Executive of Ahead Partnership said: “We’re really pleased that we’ve been able to help Norvap reach the next stage of its expansion plan through funding from the Skills Service.

£50,000 available to businesses with a budget to put towards training, employers have the opportunity to work with a team of expert skills advisors, discuss their long term growth plans and skills needs, and put together a robust training plan for their staff. The Skills Service is part of a wider LEP offering that helps businesses to reach their growth targets.

“Offering a comprehensive service to businesses, the team of advisors support employers to complete paperwork, source appropriate training provision and submit an application for funding. The LEP is dedicated to ensuring local businesses primed for growth have the skills to succeed.” www.the-lep.com/skillsservice 0113 386 1910 or email skills@the-lep.com

“With grants of between £500 and

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RestaurantReview

A little bit of Eastern spice in Huddersfield Lala’s Indian restaurant is set in the stunning St George’s square in central Huddersfield. With a grand entrance overlooking the square itself, you can certainly feel the plush surroundings as you walk on the carpet when entering.

By Anthony Hegney - Director at Asparagus Green I visited on a Wednesday night with Glen, and when we entered the building through the double doors we were met by the manager, Umar, who greeted us and made us feel very welcome.

Umar showed us to our table and handed us over to the waiter for the evening, who brought the menu for us to peruse. Whilst we were looking over the menu, Glen enjoyed a sparkling water with fresh lime while I opted for a gin and tonic with ice and a slice.

Soon after, the waiter came and took our order, where I opted for seekh kebab while Glen went for onion bhaji. The staff on duty were very attentive, smart and chatty.

For main course I ordered the traditional king prawn karahi and Glen, the chicken rogan josh. We also opted to share the pilau rice and family garlic naan bread.

We were seated on a side table in the restaurant so we could see across the whole place. For a Wednesday night it was pretty full, with a few people waiting in the bar area to be seated when tables became free.

Whilst waiting for our starters to arrive,

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we received crisp and freshly made poppadoms and a pickle tray to enjoy. My favourite was the coriander and chilli, along with the mango chutney.

It wasn’t long until our starters arrived and my kebab was dressed with a small amount of salad on the side, as was Glen’s onion bhaji. What I particularly liked about the starters was that there was something on the menu to satisfy everyone’s palate.

My kebab was succulent and very flavoursome with a great ‘bite’, with the piping hot chilli coming through at the same time. Glen’s onion bhaji was golden brown on the outside and crispy yet soft on the inside and full of Asian spices.

Image: ACD Systems Digital Imaging

The waiting staff returned to the table to collect our finished starters and asked how everything had been (which I am sure they could answer for themselves when they picked up the clean plates!).

It wasn’t long before our main course came to the table delivered by the chefs who explained each dish as they brought it to the table. The chef then returned with the family garlic naan (when they say made for sharing for the whole family I really think they mean that and not just for the two of us!)

I also noticed that the chefs frequently came out of the kitchen in their whites to serve the curries that the kitchen team had worked hard to prepare, which I personally thought was a great touch.

My prawn dish was a tasty blend of curry seasoning and onion and peppers mixed in with the oil to keep the moisture in the dish. The King prawns were a great size and very juicy and meaty with great

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flavours - just as you would expect from a kharahi dish.

Glen’s rogan josh was another tasty, rich and moist dish that he said was full of flavour and plenty of chicken!

We did manage to finish the whole of the family garlic naan as I expected, but couldn’t fit in a dessert (be warned; if you like desserts go easy on the family naan!).

Lala’s is open 7 days a week from 5pm till 11.30pm and on a Friday & Saturday

till 12.30am. The company has five restaurants across West Yorkshire and has a take-away option, too.

It does get busy so I would recommend booking beforehand. If it’s for a birthday celebration, let them know and they will make a fuss of the birthday boy/girl Trip Advisor speaks for itself with some great reviews. One reviewer said “Best value curry ever” while another wrote “Opulent surroundings and good food”.

I agree with both and will certainly be returning.

To Book A Table

01484 426205 41

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Wining&Dining Gimbals restaurant, creating simple but sumptuous seasonal dishes

Hot and sour pickled seafood and samphire salad

Ingredients •

•

•

•

Here at Gimbals we love to use wondrously wild ingredients and one of the most exciting things about cooking with foraged ingredients is the adventure of finding it and the surprising nature you can experience on the way.

This recipe is simply summer on a plate! It needs to be prepared 48 hours before serving so that the full flavours can develop. This is a dream starter for a dinner party as it’s quite easy to make and all the preparation is done two days before.

The added samphire gives the salad a lovely crunch, and at this time of year it can be foraged on the Norfolk shores.

Don’t worry though, most supermarkets sell it too.

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

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•

½ medium yellow pepper, finely sliced

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½ medium red pepper, very finely sliced

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50g red onion very finely sliced

200g skinless, diced monkfish fillet (50p size chunks)

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1 tablespoon of capers

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100g samphire

200g squid rings

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Coriander and ½ lime for garnish

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2 dessert spoons of sweet smoked paprika (not hot paprika)

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1 dessert spoons of Tabasco

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1 teaspoon of Malvern salt

8 large Mediterranean peeled, cooked prawns 200g skinless, diced salmon fillet (50p size chunks)

Ingredients for the pickle •

7fl oz olive oil

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5fl oz apple cider vinegar

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Juice of 3 limes and 1 lemon

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2 level teaspoons of mustard powder

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2 dessert spoons of fish sauce

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2 dessert spoons of Worcestershire

•

2 level teaspoons of palm sugar or golden caster sugar

sauce

Method 1) Start by bringing a pan of salted water with a splash of white wine and the juice of the lemon to the boil.

2) Next, add the monkfish and bring the water back to just before a boil.

3) Then, add the salmon and again bring the water back to just before a boil, and add the squid for a minute or two.

4) Now pour the contents of the pan into a colander.

5) Place the fish onto a tray to cool as quickly as possible. When it’s nearly cold pour on the marinade, the rest of the ingredients and add the prawns.

6) Gently stir, being careful not to break up the salmon too much. Place into an airtight box in the fridge for 48 hours.

7) To serve, spoon into a shallow bowl placing a prawn or two on the top and plenty of juice with some coriander leaves and ½ a lime.

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Chris Buckley of The Alternative Board reviews this issue’s recipe

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ou can tell where Samphire comes from. Named after Saint Pierre, patron saint of the Sea, Samphire - more than any other wild vegetable - is perfect with fish.

So, when I was given a recipe that was all about Samphire it immediately got me thinking; until we use our imaginations, recipes are simply text on a piece of paper.

The description was enough to get me plotting; ‘Hot and Sour Pickled Seafood and Samphire Salad’.

Here’s how my excuse to make it played out. First off, I had to have people around to share this, secondly it had to be outside and thirdly, I wanted some theatre.

speciality teas and gin was ordered for the theatre and craft beers were selected for the accompaniment. Stocks of charcoal were confirmed, and the weather forecast consulted. Warm and cloudy; a perfect BBQ Saturday.

To me, the recipe is a guide; it’s never about the finished dish. The ingredients when translated from the page to the chopping board were sublime; King Prawns, Salmon, Monkfish and Sampkin (what the Welsh call Samphire). The recipe guides you not just to a finished dish but to a whole occasion, and you just fill in the missing bits.

Mysterious ingredients including fish sauce, sweet smoked paprika and apple cider vinegar were located in Sainsbury’s.

The fish was supplied by Rick Stein’s favourite shop (outside Padstein!), Holmfirth Fresh Fish. The most exquisite teas containing Clanwilliam rooibos, apple, orange, and red berries were infused and chilled and finally a few cans of Magic Rock Salty Kiss were put in a bucket of iced water.

Invites were quickly sent to family;

The rain threatened but never got hold,

and family members turned up. Crushed ice was plonked into the chilled tea with a healthy glug of gin which effortlessly led us into the afternoon’s eating. The BBQ smoked and coughed into life (I decided to stray from the written recipe a bit and barbecued the squid, prawns and salmon) and after a couple of hours we sat down in hazy sunshine to a feast of fishy loveliness.

The Salty Kiss coupled with some heavy fisherman’s jumpers helped us cope with the pre-heatwave chill late into the moonlit evening.

The finished dish is just a catalyst. It’s the anticipation, the preparation, the sharing the conversation and some real laughs.

A huge thanks to Gimbals Restaurant for suggesting the dish - we need to go taste the real thing now!

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Food&Drink

Wine tasting with…

In this edition, Mandy Taylor of Louise Woollard Financial tries out Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Casablanca Chilean Sauvignon, priced at £6.00.

If you could choose any meal to drink this wine with, what would it be?

It would be a perfect accompaniment to any fish dish.

I would opt for tuna loin with a fresh green salad.

Would you be proud to display this wine in your home?

I’d be more than happy to display and the packaging is great. It will stand out from any others.

If you could choose anywhere to be sipping this wine, where would it be?

I would love to drink this wine on holiday on my balcony overlooking the sea.

Does the flavour evoke anything in particular?

Flavour, I’m not sure on this - I would have to taste it again! But seriously, it was refreshing and crisp with an intense aroma of gooseberry.

On a scale of 1 to 10, where would you rate this wine?

I would give this wine 9 out of 10.

The wine is available at Sainsbury's Brighouse and all other Sainsbury's stores nationwide. Please remember to drink responsibly and purchases made by over 18's only.

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

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01484

715781

E:

sales@manrochem.co.uk

W:

www.manrochem.co.uk

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Health&Wellbeing

SELF HEALING Boost your body’s ability, banish headaches, cellulite, IBS and more with Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)

ankles and legs, ME, regular colds/flu and sinus problems.

Several sessions of MLD are usually carried out to help with the specific condition, and the therapy generally focuses on one area of the body depending on the area of concern.

One client who had MLD at Alexandra House Spa to help with swollen ankles said that the fluid on her legs and ankles reduced after the first treatment and reduced again after the second treatment to the point that her shoes were slipping off! She said that her ankles had more shape to them and that she would definitely recommend the treatment to others.

TopicUK asked Dr Maxine Stead, the founder of Alexandra Health Spa to give readers the low-down on one of their newest treatments, Manual Lymphatic Drainage.

The lymphatic system helps remove toxins, excess fluid and waste from our bodies and is an important part of our immune system.

system, cleansing the body of dead cells, bacteria and other waste products that are a result of illness, infection and everyday life.

Medical research has shown that there are many benefits of MLD to our health:

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a specialised technique that uses slow, light, rhythmical movements that stimulate the lymphatic vessels so that they contract in a more organised and effective way.

Chronic tension headaches – MLD has been shown to reduce the frequency, pain and intensity of chronic headaches Wrist fracture – MLD has been shown to reduce hand/arm swelling and to improve daily functioning in people with wrist fractures Cellulite – MLD has been shown to reduce fat thickness and the circumference of the thighs in people with cellulite Fibromyalgia – MLD has been shown to reduce pain, reduce morning tiredness, reduce anxiety and depression, reduce stiffness and improve overall quality of life in people with fibromyalgia.

The subtle movements activate lymph flow and encourage the drainage of fluid from the tissues into the lymphatic

MLD can also help with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation and digestive problems, lymphedema, swollen

If your lymphatic system is not working effectively, it can lead to ill-health. Our modern lifestyles tend to be quite sluggish as we struggle to make time for exercise and physical activity and often eat poor diets.

Another client had MLD for IBS and felt less bloated and had more energy after the first treatment. Her bowel movements had also improved. This continued over the next two weeks when she had another treatment which further helped the bloating and bowel movements. The client was delighted with the results.

MLD is a very relaxing therapy as well as having a host of health benefits.

Boosting the lymphatic system can help to strengthen the immune system, helping to minimise illness and helping to keep your body strong and healthy as part of your overall health and wellbeing management.

For further information about MLD, visit the Manual Lymphatic Drainage UK website at www.mlduk.org.uk or Alexandra House Spa’s web site at www. alexandrahouse.org.uk/treatments/bodytreatments.

Dr Maxine Stead, Alexandra House Spa

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EducationUpdate

Former Kirklees College principal celebrates success The former principal and chief executive of Kirklees College is celebrating the progress the College has made over the last five years, after stepping down from his role in this month.

Peter McCann joined the college in May 2011, and over the last five years has helped the College to dramatically improve its facilities, including the opening of new buildings such as the Huddersfield Centre, Engineering Centre and the Process Manufacturing Centre, due to open this summer.

Plans and funding for two new centres in Dewsbury for 2017/18 have also been agreed with the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership.

The college has also seen a significant growth in Apprenticeships, increased partnerships with local business and

organisations, and improved its Ofsted rating.

In addition, it has received national recognition in the form of a National Beacon Award for its Aspiring Managers training programme in 2014, and a Beacon Award runner-up commendation for application of technology in learning in 2015.

Most recently in 2016 the college was awarded the national silver award from Apprenticeships 4 England for the quality of the appenticeship provision offered through the college.

Peter said: “When I joined in 2011, the college was faced with a £7.6m operating deficit, so my first 18 months were very

difficult as we began to get the college on an even keel financially whilst still improving teaching and learning and student success.

“We had lots of further challenges since the original deficit with year on year cuts in adult funding up until 2015, which made the financial journey even more difficult.

It’s very positive that student success rates across all areas have improved out of recognition from where the college was five years ago, but you are only as good as your last set of results so the team is currently working with this year’s graduates to ensure achievement and progression are as high as possible for every student.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING AGENCY ANNOUNCES REBRAND A Huddersfield based social media and marketing agency has re-branded to coincide with a year of record growth.

Hellomint, formerly Pepamint, has rebranded as part of a new strategy that will see the company steer towards a broader range of marketing services including email marketing, search marketing and public relations.

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The firm, which was founded in 2013, has doubled its client base over the last 12 months, and the re-brand reflects the agency’s fresh vision, innovative mindset and larger reach.

Managing director Nicola Mellor commented: “We are very excited for the future of hellomint. The company’s new focus is already generating strong results and we hope this drive will continue as we move forward.”

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So what next?

Following the vote to leave the EU, Robin Tuddenham, Director of Communities and Service Support at Calderdale Council, considers what’s next for young people and the skills challenge.

What next? It’s the question everyone is asking since the outcome of the referendum vote, and it is clear there are going to be no immediate answers. The referendum result has sent shockwaves through the country, with immediate impacts across our public life and the economy. As the dust starts to settle, what will it mean for the future for young people, many of whom have expressed concern that they will miss out on opportunities enjoyed by previous generations?

Skills Plan which offers new impetus to those undertaking technical education, setting out how young people can combine work with high quality vocational training. Secondly, be bold on our ambitions for growth, shifting resources into areas such as research, science, technology, and clean energy, calming the fears of our Universities faced with loss of European funding and consolidating our status as a world leader for science and innovation that fosters wealth creation.

What we do know is that the new world we are moving towards will not happen overnight. There is time to create a future which sends out a clear signal to young people moving into higher education, or entering the labour market, that the machinery of government both centrally and locally is going to shift its focus to the task of making Britain the most productive, innovative and enterprising country on the planet.

So what does this mean in practice?

The new government has re-located higher education and skills in the Department of Education, which creates strong, real opportunities - if also some risks.

Finally, push harder and further on devolution of infrastructure and skills funding to realise the Northern Powerhouse. We must not be afraid of a commitment to invest for the long term, but we also should deliver this investment in a way which realises inclusive growth.

The Royal Society of Arts Inclusive Growth Commission is seeking to identify bold and practical ways for local economies to be more inclusive so that all in our towns and cities experience the benefits of economic growth. In Halifax, Huddersfield and beyond, one of our greatest assets is our young people, their hopes and aspirations. Let us make a commitment to them and to a brighter future for the North.

I would suggest there are three things that could be done to signal the scale of ambition for our young people. Firstly, adopt the recommendations from Lord Salisbury’s recently published Post 16

Robin Tuddenham FRSA (Fellow of Royal Society of Arts) is a member of Learning and Work Institute Strategy and Policy Forum

Partner promotions Huddersfield-based Ramsdens solicitors has announced the promotion of three new Partners.

Vikki Horspool and Laura Beevers have become Partners in the firm’s care team, and Lindsey Frith becomes a new Partner in its conveyancing team.

Vikki commented: “I feel both privileged and proud to have been made a Partner in such a supportive firm. I am looking forward to the new challenges being a Partner will bring and my aim is to continue to promote Ramsdens as one of the leading firms in the area.”

Laura Beevers joined the firm in April 2008 as a newly qualified solicitor having joined from a firm in Norwich.

She said: “I am thrilled to be joining such a well-respected, progressive and successful partnership”.

Lindsey Frith added: “Since I joined the firm in 2007, the superb leadership of the existing Partnership has ensured that the firm has achieved sustained growth through a difficult economic period. I am excited to be a more influential part of Ramsdens future success.”

Paul Joyce, Managing Partner at Ramsdens added: “The appointment of these partners reflects their excellence in client servicing along with their commitment to the firm. This brings the ratio of female lawyers in the partnership to 53 per cent.”

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EducationUpdate New centre to support the mental health needs of young people across Kirklees

Disused office gets new lease of life A successful local charity has breathed new life into vacant office space in Huddersfield town centre to create a therapeutic space to improve the emotional wellbeing of children and young people across Kirklees.

The Northorpe Centre has officially opened its doors in the Packhorse Centre in Huddersfield in a newly refurbished office space that has been empty for the last 10 years. The Trust will provide counselling, mentoring, group work and therapy emotional health support for local children and young people aged 5 – 18 years with mental and emotional issues.

The centre will provide a much-needed town centre venue for services currently offered by the charity at Northorpe Hall in Mirfield and at other community venues across Kirklees. The Trust has worked with other third sector organisations to provide appointments in Huddersfield for years, but this is the first time the charity has had its own Huddersfield base. Now it will have four dedicated rooms to support up to 60 children a week through afterschool appointments and activities.

Established over 50 years ago, the Trust has a long standing reputation of providing innovative and high-quality mental health services - supporting thousands of children and young people in recent years.

Director of Northorpe Hall, Tom Taylor,

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said: “Most young people experience periods of confusion, anxiety and distressing thoughts and feelings - it’s all part of growing up. Most feel better after talking about it with a friend or family member, someone at school or a youth worker. However, sometimes things don’t improve and begin to affect everyday life. When this happens it can be helpful to have some time with a trained, experienced support worker, who is able to help you work out what’s going on and find a way to deal with it.

We provide young people with highquality, responsive and easily accessible support, with appointments available evenings and weekends. 90% of young people taking up the charity’s support report feeling more positive, more able to

deal with challenges and more optimism about their future.”

Tom continues: “The refurbishment of the space wouldn’t have been possible without the generous donations we received. We would like to thank The Base for their donation of furniture and the Packhorse Centre for a very warm welcome.”

The Northorpe Centre will be open initially 4pm - 8pm, Monday to Thursday.

When rooms are not used by the charity earlier in the day, they may be available for therapists and other organisations to book.

To find out more, or to donate or volunteer, call 01924 492183 or see www.northorpehall.co.uk.

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Primary Engineering Thousands of children across Kirklees have benefitted from a new project which puts engineering at the heart of their learning. The programme brings together local schools and engineers, inspiring pupils with science, maths and technology by using engineering as the ‘wow factor’.

O

ver twenty Kirklees schools have taken part in the Primary Engineer programme since the start of the year. The Primary Engineer programme is a national initiative. It provides highquality training to teachers, who then make learning come alive by using engineering in the curriculum.

Primary Engineer has pioneered a range of programmes that has enabled teachers and young people to work on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) related projects in line with the national curriculum. Schools have been linked with practising engineers from local businesses who bringing real practical support to the classroom. This has helped raise the profile of engineering as a future career path for young people in Kirklees.

The initiative involved the council, local businesses, Primary Engineer, Kirklees College and a range of schools.

At a recent celebration event to mark the end of this year’s programme the participating schools had the chance to race the model cars they have designed as part of the scheme. They also pitched their designs to practising engineers and explained how they arrived at and built their cars.

The pupils all received a certificate for taking part and the runners-up and winners in each category were invited to the Northern Region Primary Engineer Celebration Event held in Burnley on 12 July. Lindley Junior School’s entry “The Mystery Machine” – was the runner-up in the Engineer Level 2 category. This a fantastic achievement for the school and the staff and pupils who took part.

Cllr Peter McBride, Cabinet member for Skills and Jobs, said: “Kirklees is a renowned centre of engineering and manufacturing and is home to many innovative and world class engineering businesses.

“We are delighted that our schools and businesses are coming together with the support of the Primary Engineer team to inspire a generation of young people and get them involved in real-life engineering projects.”

Cllr Masood Ahmed, Cabinet member for Schools and Learning, said: “I am delighted at the success of this scheme so far. Our schools already do a huge amount of great work in giving children the best possible start in life.

“This project makes science, maths, technology and engineering come alive for children and encourages them to gain the skills they need for their education and, ultimately, the world of work.”

Susan Scurlock, Primary Engineer chief

executive, said: “We give teachers the skills, confidence and opportunity to teach science, technology, engineering and maths through engaging and inspiring real-life projects.

“By linking each school with a practicing engineer from a local business, we also enable teachers and young people to draw on real expertise and enjoy the benefits of working with a local company.”

Alongside Kirklees Council other partners involved include the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Engineering Employers Federation, Kirklees College and local businesses. In future, more schools are being encouraged to get involved across all phases, with secondary schools providing the scope to continue the valuable learning and industry insight.

Any businesses that would be interested in getting involved in the project in future are encouraged to contact Martin Green, Deputy Assistant Director on 01484 22100 (ask for Martin Green).

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Food&Drink

Top Tips following Brexit

L4N UK

Chris Buckley, MD of The Alternative Board Kirklees, shares some practical tips on what businesses can do right now to make sense of the ramifications of Brexit •

Talk to your teams: many will be worried, in particular anyone not eligible for a British passport. Take time to talk to your team, listen to their concerns and do whatever you can to support them and give them confidence that they are not going to lose their jobs.

•

Teamwork and leadership: together, a small motivated team can achieve great things.

Leadership is also required, so dial up your positivity and provide the antidote for your team.

•

Map out your customer base and your customers’ customer base: anticipating how they will be affected will help you understand the risks they face and the potential impact on you.

•

Invest time with all key customers, suppliers and stakeholders: they are as uncertain as you, so engaging with them will give them confidence you are under control.

•

It is likely the financial markets will go “on holiday” for the summer: if you are raising funds, be prepared for a longer decision making process, more detailed questioning and prevarication.

•

Currency exposure: if you are exposed to the Euro, the US dollar or other currencies – think through your risks, your commercial/contractual mitigation strategies and of course your options regarding foreign exchange.

are holding their first conference, Just Balance, on Friday 23rd It is with great excitement that we look forward to the first ever L4N UK conference which takes place on Friday 23rd September 2016 and will feature fantastic guest speakers, including keynote speaker, Debra Searle MVO, MBE and Positive Impact and Presence speaker, Deborah Ogden.

Just Balance will take place at the Moorlands Inn, Halifax, in association with Croft Myl and will be addressed by L4N UK director Judith Wright who says, “When you’re a woman, balancing just comes naturally, from organising the household, the children, the social life to running a business, women just do it and this is what inspired us to call our very first conference, Just Balance.”

As well as Debra Searle MVO, MBE and Deborah Ogden, the conference will also feature guest speaker Nicky Pattinson, a legendary motivation speaker who is known for her indisputable and unmatched results with companies in the UK. L4N UK have partnered with the charity MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association) to raise both money and awareness of the disease. Amy Kilpartick, a regional

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fundraiser for the charity, will be on hand to provide details of how, without the incredible work of people like L4N UK, the MND association simply would not be able to provide its vital support services, fund research to find a cure and campaign and raise awareness of MND. Together we are making a real difference for people affected by this devastating disease.”

L4N UK have also partnered with Yorkshire Enterprise Network, Lambert Print & Design, Wright Angle Marketing and Topic UK amongst others. The conference will also feature a marketplace to allow enterprising ladies to showcase their products and services, and allow L4N UK ladies to get involved with a little shopping.

Exhibitors will include Pip & Doodle, Ramsdens Solicitors, Moo Boutique and many more who will be announced shortly.

Tickets for the event are available now from the L4N UK website, l4nuk.com with a limited number of VIP tickets also available. To follow the event on Twitter use the hashtag #L4NUKConf16.

In uncertain times it is comforting to be as financially strong as you can be. Consider not paying that dividend you had planned and retaining the cash in the business, renew the overdraft facility you never use and communicate with your funders so you are less likely to get the rug pulled on your working capital lines.

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Out of Office -Feature

This Issue - Adrien Bird What is your first ever memory?

I can entertain myself too.

When I was 2, my family moved from the Midlands to Wales. Just as we were setting off, the driver’s mate tipped a full cup of orange squash into his lap.

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

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

Playing my trombone in a variety of bands and orchestras and cycling which helps me keep fit and is a great way to escape in the countryside.

Tell us your best party trick.

Bike ride around the dales in glorious sunshine, with cafe and pub stops along the way.

Name and age: Adrian Bird, 44 Job title and company: Director, The Apprentice Finder Lives: Marsden, Huddersfield

What is your number one holiday destination and why?

Opening a bottle of wine with a cushion. If you’d like to know how, please get in touch!

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

I don’t really go back to the same place time after time as I prefer to go and explore new places and experience different areas and cultures.

Sir David Attenborough. I imagine by now he’s seen more of the world than most and must have some incredible stories to tell as a result.

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

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

My trombone. If the wind is blowing in the right direction, it can be heard for miles. Plus

Get active in the fresh air and make sure you forget your phone!

WIN Topic UK has teamed up with Huddersfield’s Alexandra House holistic health spa to give you the chance to win a pamper day for two.

Housed in a historic building that has been lovingly restored into a stunning wellness retreat, Alexandra House Spa offers a wide range of holistic therapies delivered by experienced professionals.

It’s the perfect escape if you’re looking for pure self-indulgence and relaxation.

The spa’s newly launched underground thermal treatment rooms offer an

a pamper package for two!

unrivalled spa experience designed to aid meditation, calm energy and create harmony – think exposed stone work, soft lighting, gentle music, calming aromas and relaxing loungers. The dry heat and air cleansing ability of the Himalayan salt wall, which uses the purest salt on earth, is also known for aiding the symptoms of respiratory issues such as asthma and seasonal allergies.

The prize includes 60 minute use of the new thermal rooms, plus a foot soak, paraffin wax hand treatment, use of relaxation rooms, a robe, slippers, drinks

and cakes at the beautiful Alexandra House Spa. To enter, simply email stefanie@ topicuk.co.uk with your name and contact details with ‘Spa Pamper Package’ in the subject headline before 23 September.

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LAW CHANGES - the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015

People with Significant Control Register

By Chris Taylor - Partner at Eaton Smith

Changes to the law in the UK under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (“the Act”) have meant that since 6th April 2016 companies and LLPs have been required to keep a register of “people with significant control” (“PSC Register”) which lists all individuals and legal entities who have significant control or influence in the company or LLP. All references to “company” below should be read as applying to LLPs who are also required to keep a PSC Register under The Limited Liability Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2016.

The PSC Register was introduced to try and provide more transparency within companies, acting as a deterrent to prevent illegal activity such as tax evasion. UK companies now have a responsibility under the Act to identify people with significant control and keep their PSC Registers up to date, as well as PSC’s themselves having a duty to disclose to the company if they are a PSC. An individual and/or legal entity (provided the legal entity is subject to its own disclosure requirements) will be a PSC if they meet one of the conditions below: 1. Holds, directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the company’s shares or voting rights; or 2. Has the power, directly or

indirectly, to appoint or remove a majority board; or 3. Has the right to exercise, or exercises significant influence and control over the Company.

Members and shareholders of the company are under an obligation to assist in these investigations until either a PSC is identified, or it has been discovered that there are no PSCs. If no PSCs are identified after reasonable investigations the company has to make a statement on the PSC Register to this effect – the PSC Register cannot be blank.

Once a PSC has been discovered the company must send notice to them, requesting them to give, or confirm the details to be written in the PSC Register.

In addition to holding the PSC Register in their company books, companies

must state on the annual confirmation statement (which replaces the annual return and will be filed at Companies House) whether or not there are any PSCs. If companies do not comply with the new rules under the Act, the company, its directors, secretary and PSCs can face criminal penalties.

As the shareholdings of companies and particular PSC Register requirements will differ from company to company, you may appreciate a discussion prior to completing the PSC Register.

If you wish us to assist with the preparation of your PSC Register please get in touch.

Chris Taylor can be contacted at christaylor@eatonsmith.co.uk or on 01484 821 300.

The information contained in this article is for information only, is not exhaustive and does not constitute legal advice. You should take specific legal advice before acting on any of the issues raised in this article.

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