TopicUK Kirklees and Calderdale edition Oct 2016

ISSUE 10 NOVEMBER 2016

Kirklees & Calderdale free business community magazine

WWW.TOPICUK.CO.UK

WHERE THERE'S A WILSON THERE'S A WAY Business Profile-p28

CREATIVE BUSINESS SECURES LARGE CONTRACT Leach - p10

FIRM TURNS WEBSITE INTO PROFIT Orchard Facilities Management - p8

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

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

p7

COUNCIL LAUNCHES NEW BUSINESS SUPPORT

p16

p20

PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR YORKSHIRE SPECIALIST

MANUFACTURING HOW IT'S MADE

p32

SCHOOL SPEAKS FOR THE TREES

p34

BUSINESSES LEARN FROM OLYMPIC SUCCESS

P42

BULLS & BIKES IN HELICOPTER ER

p44

LEARN THE SKILL OF PAUSING

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Thousands turn out to celebrate fifth annual Batley Festival

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Huddersfield creative business secures largest ever contract in 125th year

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CSR Showcase

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Harrison Lord Gallery takes you on a journey

Photography Tips from John Steele

Contents & Comments

Details of this month‘s TopicUK, your Local Business Community Magazine

Group Editor Gill Laidler

HR Lynn Bradley

Recruitment Nadio Granata, Stafflex

Editor Stefanie Hopkins

Legal Matters Sarah Crowther, Chadwick Lawrence

Marketing Katrina Cliffe

Creative Director Rob Blackwell How its made Alex Mason

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Beauty & Wellbeing The potting shed spa Food & Restaurant Review Anthony Hegney

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

Sport Facilities Management-Justin Holley Commercial Property Mark Hanson Hanson - Chartered Surveyors

TopicUK

Editor’s Notes

Pick Up Your Copy

by Stefanie Hopkins

The John Smith's Stadium Stafflex Recruitment Costa Coffee

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s I type this issue’s editor’s notes, news reports are beginning to appear stating that Britain may finally be beginning to feel the effects of Brexit and that the challenging economic times we have been warned about, may finally begin to materialise over the coming months.

Since the EU Referendum vote it seems to have been ‘business as usual’ and the economy has not fallen off a cliff as predicted. But we are about to feel the effects both as business owners and consumers.

The UK is facing a period of relative low growth over the next few years due to higher inflation and falling business investment. Consumer spending is expected to slow with inflation forecast to accelerate to 2.6% in 2017.

We are likely to finally see and feel the impact of cost increases on imports which have until now been delayed. Add to this investment delays, rising labour costs due to the apprenticeship levy and living wage pay rates, and businesses will begin to feel the pressure. The only bright spot on the horizon is that exports are expected to increase.

With such challenges ahead, it’s more important than ever that we focus on strengthening our local economy and business community, something we have always championed at TopicUK;

Sainsbury’s Market Street, indeed it is at the very essence of the magazine and the reason it was created. Our aim is to offer a platform for businesses to collaborate on and forge a strong bond within our community, to strengthen not only our own individual businesses, but those of others. We believe that if business communities help one another, everyone will benefit and we will be stronger collectively.

Next month will see the launch of Topic Tapas, a collaborative networking event designed to support this approach. Held at the National Coal Mining Museum, the aim is to get to know other business leaders over an informal tapas lunch without the pressure of more structured networking sessions. The event is our way of supporting the local business community and encouraging face-toface engagement and collaboration.

What’s more, all proceeds from the event will be put towards a pot of cash which will be made available to one business at the end of the year to support their business growth. For further information and to book a place onto the event, email editor@ topicuk.co.uk. Tickets are priced at £25.

I hope you enjoy this issue of TopicUK. Please keep sharing your business success stories with us by emailing them to me at Stefanie@ topicuk.co.uk

Stefanie Hopkins

Huddersfield and Brighouse store

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 Leeds Bradford Airport Big Shots Cafe - Brighouse

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The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those held by the publishers and therefore, no responsibility can be held by the publisher for misinterpretation.

Reproduction of this magazine without the express permission of the publisher is prohibited. Whilst every care is taken in the production of this magazine, the publisher/editor and staff cannot accept any responsibility for errors in articles, advertisements or programme schedules. To subscribe to this magazine contact 01484 599886 or email editor@topicuk. co.uk. Published by Ghost Publishing Limited, 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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K&CUpdate www.huddersfieldsoup.com

Soup of the day

Micro-investment phenomenon comes to West Yorkshire

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t is a concept that has raised more than $120,000 to help kick-start new ideas, projects and businesses in Detroit. And now the international crowdfunding phenomenon SOUP is coming to Huddersfield.

Spearheaded by Brent Woods, Chief Executive of The Media Centre, Huddersfield SOUP will bring people from the community together to raise micro-investments that, collectively, will get exciting new projects off the ground.

The SOUP events started to sweep through the UK last year following the

success they generated in the USA. Attendees each pay a small donation in return for a bowl of soup and the chance to hear four local people pitch their four minute presentations.

There’s then time for questions before each audience member votes for their favourite pitch.

at The Media Centre’s Café Ollo this autumn.

Brent commented: “We will be announcing an open call for proposals in September, so we’re encouraging everyone to follow our Facebook page, Twitter feed and join our email list to be notified when submissions are open.

The winning idea will take home the money raised that evening and use it to fund their plans, with the promise they return three months later to report on their progress. Anyone from the area can apply.

The first Huddersfield SOUP is set to take place

“We’ll also be assembling a team of judges who will sift through the long-list of proposals before selecting the four that will pitch on the night.

Then the decision is in the audience’s hands at every quarterly event thereafter.”

New survey shows entrepreneurs could make better use of social media

A new survey from business advisory group The Alternative Board (TAB) has revealed that small business owners could make better use of social media for business development by dedicating more time to monitoring it.

The survey showed that 64% of small business owners are checking their social media accounts once a week or less, with 22% of entrepreneurs only checking their social channels a few times a year.

59% of those surveyed felt that social media was an accessory to their business as opposed to an essential function, with 18% of business owners reporting having no social media presence at all.

Calderdale & Kirklees TAB owner Chris Buckley commented: “More small business owners than not (59%) are managing their own social media channels, but are unable to devote enough time to it.

“This means that they aren’t observing the full value of social media, so hiring experts to take that task off their hands, they’re likely to see greater results and win back time for what they really should be focusing on – strategic planning.”

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November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

Council launches new Business Support Offer A new online business support website, complemented by a series of business advice seminars, has been launched to help Kirklees-based small to medium sized businesses.

Lightning success A Brighouse-based communications and strategy consultancy has expanded its portfolio of sporting clients after being appointed by Manchester Thunder and Netball UK. Waverley will work with Thunder, the North West’s Superleague Netball team - who were runners-up in this year’s competition, to develop their communications, marketing and sponsorship activity ahead of and through the 2017 season.

The firm will also develop the social media strategy of Netball UK, the UK’s leading online supplier of netball equipment and products, which sells across the country

and the world from its Oldham headquarters.

Stephen Naylor, Director of Waverley Consultancy, said: “We’re excited at the prospect of working with two of the leading names in the world of netball as Waverley continues to build our number of sporting clients.

“Manchester Thunder is one of this country’s most successful Superleague teams and at a time of huge growth in the sport, we look forward to working with them to build the club, and the sport, across Manchester, the North West and nationwide.

“Netball’s growing popularity will also be reflected in our work

with Netball UK. As the country’s leading online retailer for the sport, we’ll be working with the team to promote their products to new audiences and encourage existing customers to continue to shop and spend.”

Debbie Hallas, Director of Manchester Thunder, added: “Working with Waverley on Netball Manchester Live helped us realise the opportunities from partnering with Stephen and his team on an ongoing basis. At a time of growth for Thunder and netball, we look forward to building our profile, engaging with existing and new supporters and having a successful 2017 Superleague season.”

Business Hub Kirklees offers specialist support and assistance to local businesses.

It brings together the latest information on funding and contract opportunities, business news and events, and access to local experts who can answer your questions, all under one single web-based umbrella.

It is part of Kirklees Council’s strategy to support and encourage business growth in the area. The Business Hub offers Kirklees companies free advice from local experts in marketing, finance and legal services, lists contract and tender opportunities, includes a free business directory and helps businesses work out their eligibility and apply for the latest rounds of grants and funding.

Businesses can sign up for free by visiting www.kirkleesbusinesshub.com.

In addition, the launch of the Hub is also supported by a series of Business Hub Live events, at various venues across the district, where businesses get to meet advisors face-to-face, and hear a guest speaker focus on a particular topic.

You can register and find out more information about this and future Business Hub Live events which follow. www.kirklees.gov.uk/businesshub

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K&CUpdate

Lighting firm turns waste into profit

An Elland- based facilities management firm has helped a family-run lighting company in Cleckheaton to turn more of its packaging waste into profit.

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rchard Facilities Management worked with Status International (UK) to introduce new waste management practices which will help to reduce transport costs and increase revenue from cardboard recycling.

Status International, which is run by father and son team Peter and Nicholas McVeigh, supplies light bulbs and accessories to retail and trade customers across the UK and Europe.

Director Jonathan Sheard said the project had led to the installation of cardboard baling equipment on site following an audit of the company’s site and a review of current waste and recycling services.

He commented: “Orchard helped us analyse our operations and identify the need for a more progressive and cost-effective way of recycling the large volumes of cardboard waste generated on site.

“Baling the cardboard here has improved efficiency and eliminated recycling

transportation costs completely by enabling us to send bigger loads for processing.”

Status International, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary, has a warehouse, distribution centre and in-house design studio and employs more than 65 members of staff.

The company has earned its position as a trusted market leader in lighting and lighting accessory technology.

The company has identified cost-savings and streamlined operations as part of the initiative with Orchard Facilities Management, which supports businesses across the UK with data and IT managed services, pest control, building services and full waste management, including clinical, hazardous and washroom services.

James Holdsworth, of Orchard Facilities Management, said: “Baled material is a good source of revenue and compressing cardboard on site means more can be collected, delivering better.”

Variations in youth unemployment economic growth A new report from EY has revealed an alarming disparity in the level of young person employment across UK cities.

The report revealed that Yorkshire and the Humber has a youth unemployment rate of 15%, with Bradford identified as the city with the highest rate of youth unemployment in the region (26%).

According to the report, which was conducted in association with the EY Foundation (an independent UK charity), this could have an impact on the region and UK’s aspiration to achieve ‘inclusive growth’ at a time when the country’s future supply of labour and skills is at the forefront of many employers’ minds following the result of the recent referendum.

While the variations in youth unemployment between regions were significant, they were far exceeded by those between the UK’s cities. In each region, the majority of cities for which data is available had youth unemployment rates that were higher than their regional average.

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November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

In Yorkshire and the Humber, three of the five cities analysed had unemployment rates above the region’s average of 15%: Bradford (26%), Sheffield (19.4%) and Hull (17.1%).

Stuart Watson, Senior Partner at EY in Yorkshire and the Humber said: “Taking the region as a whole, what stands out is that overall levels of youth unemployment are improving but pockets are still reporting much higher rates than the average.

These regional differences underline the importance of a coordinated response from Government and business to tackle the issues locally.

This could potentially be accompanied by more devolution of skills and education programmes to allow them to be tailored for our local needs.”

TopicUK To find out how we can promote your business, call: 01484 599886 or email editor@topicuk.co.uk

Milestone Celebrations Accountancy practice celebrates double anniversary and new appointments

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uddersfield based Sheards Accountants, celebrated a successful August following two new appointments and two employees reaching milestone anniversaries at the firm.

Georgia Taylor joined the team as an apprentice, with Georgina Smallpage taking up a qualified accountant position.

Their appointments come following a number of new account wins for the firm.

Georgina joins from a Barnsley-based firm and is AAT (Association of Accountant Technicians) qualified with eight years’ practice experience. She will be directly responsible for all yearend accounts work for owner managed businesses.

Georgia joins as an apprentice accountant after leaving Shelley College. She will be

working across all aspects of the firm to gain practical experience and working towards studying for her AAT accounting qualifications.

In addition, Kevin Sanders celebrated 20 years at the firm and Rebecca Nicholas completed 10 years’ service. Both work as accountants for the company.

Kevin started at Sheards as an apprentice accountant after an interview on his 18th birthday and Rebecca joined after graduating from University.

Kevin Winterburn, director at Sheards Accountants commented: “It’s a really exciting time for Sheards with a number of recent new business wins. We are delighted to welcome Georgina and Georgia to the firm and look forward to contributing towards their future career development.”

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K&CUpdate

Huddersfield creative business secures largest ever contract in 125th year

Huddersfield-based graphic display structure specialist Leach has secured its largest ever contract, part of the world’s biggest heritage project in the year it celebrates its 125th anniversary.

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ork has begun on the £2.5m assignment, which will see a 20-strong Leach team spend 18 months producing a new visitor experience for the National Museum of Kuwait. Whilst Leach is no stranger to international success, particularly in the Middle East, the project signifies the company’s most lucrative contract win to date.

Specialising in creating graphic displays that transform brand and visitor environments, the business has grown from a one-man photographic studio established in

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November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

1891, to a 92-strong, £10m turnover organisation.

Commenting on the milestone, managing director Richard Leach said: “The past 12 months have been incredibly significant for us. We’ve recruited an additional 23 members of staff, formed a new management team, invested over £250,000 in new product development and ploughed a further £750,000 into new technology.

“This has coincided with a company rebrand which has brought greater clarity to our three sub-divisions – Leach Impact which creates wow

factor environments for brands, retailers and trade shows; Leach Inspire which brings stories to life in global museums, heritage sites and visitor attractions; and Leach Studio which provides creative interpretation plus 3D and graphic design for UK heritage projects.”

Originally located in Brighouse, Leach moved to new purposebuilt premises in Bradley, just two miles from the company’s first site, in 2005. Client names include BMW, Topshop, The National Trust, English Heritage, the British Museum and the National Museum of Oman.

99er Business Club continues growth Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice has welcomed two new members to its 99 Business Club as it continues to grow.

High street solicitors, CM Law and web design company Cool Hand Studios have recently signed up, and will benefit from quarterly networking meetings, PR opportunities and help with meeting CSR objectives.

College donates mini laptops for Scouts’ Project Nepal Kirklees College has helped Huddersfield Scouts to rebuild a school in an area of Nepal devastated by earthquakes with the donation of computer equipment Kirklees College IT director Alan Riley presented the group with 10 HTC Shift tablet devices, which they took with them on their trip in October.

He said: “It was great to be able to help the Scouts with their trip to Nepal where they helped to rebuild a village school following last year’s devastation.

“I’m sure the mini laptop devices, which are no longer needed by the college after many years of service, will be put to good use by the children of Nepal in their new school. We are always pleased to support our local community and worthy causes whenever we can.”

The link between the Scouts and the college was made by Adam Swallow, whose company, Olympus Technologies, has partnered with the college’s new Process Manufacturing Centre and provided specialist equipment for it.

Adam said: “I have been working with the college on the Process Manufacturing Centre project and mentioned to them that a friend of mine at the Scouts was in need of computer equipment for this appeal.

“The college has been very kind in providing what they can for this excellent cause. It’s been a real success.”

Erika Maybury of Cool Hand Studios said: “We are proud to support Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice by being a part of the 99 business club.

“Not only does the 99 business club give us the opportunity to give back to the local community, but it also allows us to meet other businesses with similar values at quarterly networking meetings.”

Luke Underhill of CM Law added: “We decided to join the 99 Business Club as we know of local residents in our area and have members of staff whose friends have been aided by the charity.

“We recognised and appreciated how much they did for the families and children who needed their support and we wanted to help support the charity continue to be there for others in the future.”

Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice cares for local children with life shortening conditions and their families in West Yorkshire.

It costs £3.8 million each year to run the charity and with just 6% of this coming from government sources the support of local organisations is vital.

To find out more about the 99 Business Club or becoming a member, email 99er@ forgetmenotchild.co.uk or call 01484 411040.

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K&CUpdate

Local print firm scores hat-trick of new deals A family-run print management company in Elland has scored a hattrick of contracts with local sporting organisations across Huddersfield.

Huddersfield Rugby Union Football Club (HRUFC), Huddersfield Community Trust and Huddersfield Town Football Club, have all signed on to work with ABS UK Ltd in a bid to cut costs.

Established in 1989, ABS UK Ltd provides document production and print and document management to organisations across the north of England.

Inspiring business woman achieves pinnacle qualification in the finance industry A local businesswoman and owner of a Holmfirthbased wealth management company, is celebrating success after achieving Fellowship of the Personal Finance Society and Chartered Insurance Institute.

Faye Formisano, owner of Pennine Wealth Management established in 2007, has earned her stripes in the world of finance, having spent almost 20 years working in the industry and was awarded the fellowship qualification following the completion of her exams late last year.

Pennine Wealth Management, a partner practice to St James’ Place Wealth Management one of the UK’s leading wealth management organisations offers a client-centric, holistic approach to financial planning, consulting on issues such as retirement planning, investments and tax efficiency

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and inheritance succession, planning to preserve and transition wealth down generations.

Faye commented: “Being one of only a select few women and amongst the younger advisors in my field to achieve this prestigious qualification makes me incredibly proud.”

Almost 10 years down the line, Faye now employs two full-time members of staff who manage the day-to-day running of the office, plus additional part-time marketing, paraplanning and support staff to cope with the additional administration and client requirements.

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

ABS has recently secured a 40% annual saving for HRUFC by carrying out a free print consultancy. ABS was also hired by Huddersfield Community Trust to assess its printing systems. By installing a more cost-effective, efficient and environmentally-friendly device, the Trust received an annual saving of 33%.

This will go a long way towards helping the charity provide more community sports and educational activities on behalf of Huddersfield Town Football Club, which has also signed a new deal with the print specialist.

This new deal will see ABS join forces with DEVELOP to provide the club’s printing equipment. In addition to this, ABS will provide all maintenance, technical support and consumable deliveries to manage the club’s office printing.

Sales director at ABS UK Brett Abson said of the new contract wins: “Since we relocated the business to Elland from Bradford last year, the business has gone from strength-to-strength. The move was part of our focus to become more engaged in our local business community and it seems to have paid off.

“We are excited about the opportunities each of these new partnerships will bring and are proud to be supporting local organisations.”

Business start-up scheme helps thousands of budding entrepreneurs

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thriving entrepreneurial culture.

“We receive enquiries from all ages, abilities and backgrounds. The oldest person to contact us for advice was 84 years old, proving it’s never too late to think about starting your own business.

Many initial enquiries have progressed to become very successful businesses and lots of those have also created jobs locally.”

alderdale Council’s business start-up scheme has helped nearly 5,000 local people since its launch in 2009.

The scheme, which was set up during the recession, offers free advice to anyone thinking about becoming self-employed and starting their own business in Calderdale.

Support includes monthly dropin information sessions, as well as free and confidential one-to-one advice meetings, help with business planning, business networking opportunities and factsheets.

In the last seven years, Calderdale has consistently been above the UK average for business start-ups, and is regularly in the top three performers in the Leeds City Region and Yorkshire and Humber region.

According to Banksearch Information Consultancy, which collects data from the main UK banks, in June 2016 there were 9.3 start-ups for every 10,000 people of working age in Calderdale, while the rate for the whole of

Eaton Smith strengthens property team with new appointments Eaton Smith Solicitors has recently strengthened both its commercial and residential property teams with three key appointments.

Brandon Titterington joined Eaton Smith in June and has a wealth of experience in a broad range of

Eric Binns Yorkshire and The Humber was just 7.2.

The start-up scheme has so far dealt with around 4,700 enquiries, held over 2,600 one-to-one meetings, and over 900 people have visited the monthly drop-in sessions.

In July 2014, Calderdale Council’s Business Enterprise Officer Eric Binns, who spearheads the sessions, was one of just eight people in the UK to receive the prestigious annual Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion in recognition of 10 years of supporting businesses.

He says: “Based on the constant high demand for the start-up service over the years, it is clear that Calderdale has a

commercial property transactions gained over 25 years of advising both in the private client and in-house corporate sectors. The team has been further strengthened by the arrival of John Woodhead, an experienced commercial property solicitor who joined the firm in August. John has 20 years’ experience in commercial property gained within the banking sector.

Michelle Riordan, a conveyancing executive, joined Eaton Smith’s residential property team in June to look after residential property matters including unregistered titles,

Cllr Barry Collins, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “Seven years on, our business start-up scheme is going from strength-to-strength. It’s making a difference to thousands of people’s lives and boosting our local economy by creating even more great businesses. If you have a business idea but aren’t sure how to get it off the ground, we encourage you to contact us.”

For details of the free monthly ‘Start your own business’ drop-in sessions in locations across Calderdale, head to www.calderdale.gov.uk/business/ businesssupport/advice, or if you would prefer a one-to-one discussion please get in touch with Eric at eric.binns@ calderdale.gov.uk or on 01422 392222.

sales, purchases, leasehold/freehold titles, re-mortgages and transfer of equity transactions.

Vicky Heywood, Partner and Head of Eaton Smith’s Property team said: “It is fantastic to welcome talented individuals such as Brandon, John and Michelle to our team. The momentum in the property market means we are seeing high levels of activity amongst our clients and the growth in our team will enable us to augment our offering further while continuing to provide excellent client service.”

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K&CUpdate Offploy Community Interest Company

Businesses hold the key to ex-offender rehabilitation Businesses can contribute to the successful rehabilitation of thousands of people with a criminal record – that’s the viewpoint of entrepreneur and ex-offender Jacob Hill.

“My brain began buzzing with ideas, so I wrote to my family, asking them to research and print things for me, from the internet. They’d post their findings, and my concept for Offploy gradually took shape.”

In fact, Jacob feels so strongly about the potential for businesses to drive the UK’s rehabilitation revolution, that he’s established an organisation focusing on this very plight.

Offploy is a new Community Interest Company (CIC) purposefully established to help firms navigate the potential ethical, legal and HR minefield that is ex-offender employment.

Brighouse-born Jacob has created a pathway to connect businesses, training providers, funding institutions and leading advisors within this niche field, with the people the service is designed to help – those with a prior conviction.

And already the venture has attracted significant attention, with Sir Richard Branson praising Jacob’s entrepreneurial efforts, for example, in a Virgin blog entitled ‘Everyone deserves a second chance’. Jacob has also been awarded grant

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society. I was determined to make this time worthwhile - not least to help it pass as quickly as possible,” he continues. “I spent time working as a peer advisor for the St. Giles Trust, for instance, supporting exoffenders as they prepared for their release, so that they could secure accommodation and benefits when back in society. But the missing link was always a job.

When released from prison, Jacob quickly put his 52-page business plan into action.

funding and support from charity UnLtd, which will help cement Offploy as the ‘go to’ brand for organisations looking to tackle this complex area of HR, and successful businessman Nigel Stabler, an entrepreneur from Hull, is on board as Chairman.

Explaining where the idea for Offploy came from, Jacob commented: “I’m no stranger to business start ups.

Many people will recognise

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

my name – and face – as associated with The Lazy Camper brand for example.

But too much happened too soon and, when faced with debts I couldn’t repay, I made the foolish decision to sell drugs at a music festival. I had no prior convictions and knew immediately what a stupid, regretful mistake I’d made but the judge, quite rightly, sent me to prison.

“I spent 294 long days of my life there, to pay my debt to

“We’ve amassed a team of experts that can guide businesses through the entire ex-offender employment process from start to finish,” he explains. “Our focus is to break down the barriers that prevent organisations from recruiting this untapped talent.

“61% of people with a criminal conviction reportedly reoffend within two years of release, if they don’t have a job. But, if they secure employment, the figure falls to only 19%.

Collectively, we have to do more.”

New appointment for Halifax legal practice Halifax law firm Wilkinson Woodward has announced the appointment of criminal law specialist Erica Topham.

Erica brings with her more than a decade’s experience in criminal defence work on cases ranging from criminal damage, to murder and theft, to conspiracy.

New Commercial Director for local children’s hospice Simon Brook

end of the day is a great feeling.”

Before joining Forget Me Not… “I read Business Studies at Bradford University before getting my first job selling to independent pharmacies for Reckitt & Colman. From there I went to L’Oréal, HP Sauce, a number of wine companies and a dairy yoghurt organisation before joining Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice at the start of August 2016.

People should support Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice because… “There are over 1,300 children and families who could benefit from our services and we need the support of the community to continue to grow and enable us to give more families the care they need and deserve.”

“In my roles I have been in charge of managing customers, account managers, executives and sales teams ranging from small independents to big supermarket grocery chains.”

I joined Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice… “Because I got to the stage in my life where I wanted to do something beneficial and rewarding.

I didn’t initially think my skills were suited to working in the charity sector until I saw the advert for this role and I’m really glad I went for it; having a sense of doing something good at the

At Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice my aim is to… “Help the charity deliver its strategy by doubling the number of families we support and in turn doubling our income streams sustainably to be able to offer care.

“We have a great team and it is a truly inspirational cause with amazing supporters, without whom we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”

If you want to contact me… “I would love to hear from anyone who wants to support us, be it giving time, money, or offering their skills or donating to our shops. Any support is gratefully received.

After graduating from the University of Huddersfield, Erica worked within the prosecutions team at Calderdale Council before moving on to gain specialist criminal defence experience at several West Yorkshire law firms.

She specialises in the defence of serious and general crime, drugs fraud and confiscation, historic sexual offences, rape, kidnap, grievous bodily harm, fraud and money laundering.

Erica said: “I am delighted to be joining Wilkinson Woodward – a long established and trusted legal name in Calderdale.”

Managing Director Maureen Cawthorn extended a warm welcome to Erica, commenting: “Wilkinson Woodward continues to attract legal professionals of the highest calibre and Erica’s appointment will strengthen our busy criminal representation department.”

“We have huge ambitions and have a great platform to build on but we know we are still only scratching the surface.”

To contact Simon about supporting Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice please call 01484 411040 or email simon. brook@forgetmenotchild.co.uk. To find out more about the charity visit forgetmenotchild.co.uk.

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K&CUpdate

Prestigious awards for Yorkshire process engineering specialist

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leading West Yorkshire process engineering specialist has had its work recognised by winning two prestigious industry awards.

Manrochem, based in Brighouse, took the titles in the 2016 Construction and Engineering Awards, including being named as having the ‘Best Mechanical and Electric Project Engineering Department in the UK’.

The firm, which was founded in 1990 and has a team of 26 based at its Birds Royd Lane headquarters, delivers specialist design, build and commission projects across the chemical, pharmaceutical, nuclear, coatings, food and allied industries in the UK and internationally.

The Construction and Engineering Awards are aimed at recognising the hidden heroes of the sector and were judged by a panel of industry experts who collectively spent 320 hours deciding on the winners.

Manrochem’s second award was for the ‘Best Industrial Installation and Construction Management Project’ for a scheme that saw them undertake engineering design, procurement, management and construction of a new reactor building at an active major chemical plant in Stalybridge.

Business Director Edward Jennings said: “These awards are recognition of the hard work put in by our entire team both on individual projects and across all our work and we are delighted to have been judged to have one of the best specialist engineering departments in the country.

“We take on unique projects, deliver them with a personal touch and care about the client and success of the project. In an industry where attention to detail matters, we believe that is why many of the 1500 projects we have delivered over 26 years have been for clients who repeatedly choose to work with Manrochem.”

Brighouse PR agency recognised as one of the north’s ‘Inspired Spaces’ Leading local PR agency Faith PR has been nominated in a list of the most inspired workspaces in the north’s creative sector

opened in 2015 with four business partners.

Brighouse-based Faith PR joins names including the BBC, MediaCity UK and McCann in a 45-strong shortlist which was compiled

by Prolific North and Active Profile UK.

Speaking about the nomination Faith PR managing director Stefanie Hopkins said: “The judges’

The agency’s workspace has been profiled on the Prolific North website alongside other nominees and the teams behind the shortlisted spaces will be invited to a party in the autumn.

Alongside the agency’s office, which is located in a recently converted textile mill next to a park, Faith PR’s entry included the mill’s co-operative café, Big Shots, which Faith PR owners Stefanie and Carl Hopkins

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November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

The café provides a muchneeded lunchtime offering for staff as well as a creative space for team meetings and brainstorming sessions.

remit was to find the most inspiring workspaces across the north’s digital, creative and media industries. Places that are interesting and innovative in their approach to collaborative working; spaces that inspire creativity and have a daily impact on the people and businesses using them.

Holmfirth HR consultancy wins hat-trick of new clients

“We’re delighted that Faith PR ticks those boxes. We’re located next to a beck which offers a peaceful and creative setting.

A Holmfirth HR consultancy has won a hat-trick of new clients.

There is also the added benefit of our onsite café, Big Shots, which has had a huge impact on staff wellbeing and productivity. We’re proud to sit alongside some big businesses and brands in the Inspired Spaces North shortlist.”

The Personnel Partnership, based in Honley, will deliver HR support and services for Leeds-based businesses maiden-voyage.com and HWL Windows Group, as well as Bradford-based property company Trajan Estates.

Faith PR services regional, national and international clients across both B2C and B2B sectors. Its nine-strong team delivers a wide range of PR services from media relations and social media to content marketing and integrated communications campaigns.

Working with maiden-voyage.com, The Personnel Partnership will advise the business on contract and employment documentation throughout its continued growth, in addition to shaping an employee reward, recognition and retention strategy.

Over the last three years, the company has grown its turnover threefold, adding national brands to its portfolio such as Turtle Bay Restaurants, Country Baskets and global household appliance manufacturer, Vorwerk.

Maiden-voyage.com, which was established to help lone female business travellers connect with other women on business trips, now operates in 80 countries across the world.

Helen Straw, founder and managing director of The Personnel Partnership said: “I met Carolyn Pearson, Founder and CEO of maiden-voyage.com, years ago and she always said that when she was ready for HR support she would come to The Personnel Partnership.

“True to her word, I helped Carolyn establish some HR principles and best practices for maiden-voyage.com, along with developing various contract of employment templates to ensure that as her business grows, she can roll out the necessary documentation for different levels of employees.”

Advising Trajan Estates, The Personnel Partnership will work with the business on recruitment best practice, employment contracts and bespoke employee handbooks, having had a relationship with the company since it recruited its first employee earlier this year.

Completing the hat-trick, The Personnel Partnership will support the HWL Windows Group incorporating Ilkley Windows and Conservatories, National Window Systems Ltd, Wharfedale Glass Ltd, Bespoke Glazing Ltd and Nordic Aluminium Ltd, with operational support covering recruitment, employee relations and employment law. It will also deliver a bespoke training programme for managers with the prospective support of LEP funding.

The Personnel Partnership, which is an accredited Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) growth skills provider, was established in 2001 by Helen Straw to deliver bespoke operational and strategic HR solutions for businesses across the UK.

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CSRShowcase

Looking after more than just documents ABS UK Ltd, a family-run business based in Elland, is no ordinary print management company. It prides itself on excellence in CSR, colleague and customer care.

T

he firm specialises in document production and print and document management, supporting a network of thousands of modern print/scan/copy devices to schools, businesses, charities and churches across the north of England.

But ABS looks after much more than just documents.

In 2013, the company’s founder, John Lees, set up The ABS Foundation to support community projects in Sri Lanka, the U.K and other countries to help improve the lives of those less fortunate. John has always loved to travel and decided to establish the charity to give back to the communities which he’d visited.

As a trustee of the foundation, John spends six months of the year volunteering in the Far East researching community projects where ABS can help. The team helping John run the charity have a wealth of experience in overseas projects. John’s son David has experienced disaster relief while volunteering in Costa Rica, Thailand and Haiti and trustee Alison Dodson has previous experience working for the NHS. The team work hard to research projects where they can provide support. In 2013 they established a partnership with the Eliya’s Children’s Home in Sri Lanka which provides shelter to children in need of a dignified home after losing relatives in the war and suffering from mental and physical disabilities.

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The project at the home involved funding materials for the construction of a new infirmary building and volunteer block. The foundation donated £18,000 to the cause, including the installation of solar panels.

Opportunity In 2015, the foundation commenced support of East Coast primary school in India, donating £1,500 for a new roof to cover three classrooms for approximately 90 children. The school relies solely on donations to provide education to Dalit children aged 3 to 11 years old who wouldn’t normally have access to education because of their caste. Following construction of the roof, David visited the school to evaluate the

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

project and also handed over used laptops and school books.

Earlier this year, John spent a week volunteering at the school where he took part in reading and pronunciation sessions with the older children and teachers. The visit also offered John the opportunity to see where else the foundation could help in the upkeep of the school. Unfortunately, there was significant damage caused by the monsoon in December 2015. To rebuild the school, ABS pledged a further £2,000.

John said: “We hope to continue our legacy and provide a valuable contribution to the continued development and upkeep of the orphanage and East Coast primary school.

been working hard to get involved in the local business community and will soon be revealing a new partnership with a local charity.”

The workforce at ABS is involved with ABS’ CSR activities every step of the way.

The company’s ‘colleague care incentive’ is an annual employee recognition programme where staff are encouraged to nominate colleagues who have gone out of their way to help them. The best examples are chosen by a panel and rewarded with points, as well as monetary incentives. Six annual winners are then chosen.

In 2014 and 2015 consecutively, the winners of the incentive were flown to Sri Lanka on a volunteer mission at a children’s home where they took part in vegetable cultivation, water pipe repairs, IT literacy training and general maintenance of the home. They also delivered clothes donated by their colleagues and toys to the orphans and a nearby disabled charity. To enhance their personal development ABS treated the staff to a safari and surfing courses.

As part of this year’s colleague incentive, four employees will pledge 15 days’ volunteer work to support the foundation in the local community.

Making a difference

In particular, we will continue to support the school with funding for flood damage prevention projects after the devastating monsoon floods and we are currently researching future programmes and fundraising activities where we can help overseas charities and communities.”

Charity closer to home In December 2014, five employees from ABS slept on the streets of Bradford to raise awareness and funds for the local homeless charity. They raised £2,000 which went towards helping the charity to house homeless people over the Christmas period.

While the focus of the foundation over

recent years has been to provide grants to charities and community projects around the world, with a particular focus on disaster preparation and supporting education programmes, ABS has been busy working behind the scenes to develop a charity partnership closer to home following its fundraising efforts for Bradford Night Stop.

In 2017 the foundation plans to dedicate time to helping homeless people and will be pledging to support the local community to raise awareness and funds in any way it can.

John Lees said: “Since moving our head office from Bradford to Elland in May last year, we’ve

ABS UK commits 6% of its net profit every year to the foundation, plus £20 to the foundation for every new photocopier it sells. On average this works out at £700 a month.

John continues: “You don’t need to be a large corporate business to deliver effective CSR strategies – it’s just as important for SMEs to think about how they can do more.

“It doesn’t have to mean setting up a charity like we’ve done, but can just start with a few small steps, like involving staff in a fun charity bake off to raise money.

Don’t forget to share your CSR activities on your website and via social media so your customers can see what great work you’re doing.”

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K&CHow It’s Made

Exploria

Designed to showcase the diverse manufacturing companies operating across our region, our regular ‘How It’s Made’ feature seeks to lift the lid on some of the hidden skills and trades that exist right on our doorstep. This month, TopicUK catches up with Brighouse-based vehicle conversion specialists, Exploria Ltd, to discover how a camping revival is helping business to boom.

L

ast year, sales of new touring caravans, camper vans and motorhomes increased by 10.3% versus 2014, with new motorhome registrations increasing by over 20%, according to statistics from the National Caravan Council (thencc.org. uk).

These are impressive numbers for a country that spends the majority of its time longing for the sun. But, the numbers are providing a long-lasting bout of ‘good weather’ for Brighousebased vehicle conversion

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company, Exploria.

Established in 2002 by Graeme Hirst, Exploria offers a wide range of conversions from full camper vans to mobile offices, and everything in between including ‘day vans’ and fleet vehicles. Specialising in VW Transporter vans, Exploria offers a one stop shop for high-end van conversions that are reflective of the UK’s new-found love for all things outdoor-adventure.

After moving from Liversedge just under five years ago, the company now operates from

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

a 13,500 sq. ft. workshop opposite Brighouse train station. “But”, says Graeme, “it all started by chance”.

“I had a panel van that I wanted to use for camping, but I wasn’t able to get it insured.

So, I decided to turn it into a camper.

“One camper conversion led to another, and I was soon doing them for a few friends. It just grew and grew from there.”

Exploria is now home to a team of 14 staff who are fully immersed in all things camper

van conversion and are experiencing the resurgence in popularity of the Volkswagen Transporter first-hand.

Graeme’s wife Danielle says: “The Transporter has always had a cult following, but it is certainly back ‘in vogue’, and we are reaping the rewards.

Camping is popular again, but people want the luxury element that our conversions offer.

“Transporters are great as they have a low depreciation value, and are becoming increasingly like a car to drive, so owners

can use them practically during the weekly commute, but still have something special for getaways at the weekend.”

So just where do Graeme and Danielle start when helping clients invest in their hotel on wheels?

“We always start by sitting down and finding out exactly what our customer wants from their vehicle”, says Graeme.

“Do they just want it for weekend use? Will it be driven every day?

What specific styles do they like?

We ask all these questions and more.”

The couple also use their own love of camping holidays to help impart the best advice possible. “We have used camper vans for many years, so we have a wealth of knowledge to share with customers,” adds Danielle.

“We can advise from the very beginning of the process if needed; so what model of van to buy that will be the best fit for the customer’s conversion ideas.”

When it comes to trends and requests, after talking to Graeme and Danielle it seems that – with camper vans - anything goes.

Graeme says: “Many of our customers return to us van after van, with some customers now on their second and third Exploria camper vans! They’re spending their hard earned cash and want the best. Think teak floors, designer leather seats and one-off colour finishes!”

Danielle laughs: “We also get our fair share of more unusual requests. We’ve had requests for painted murals on the camper van ceiling for some people, and even fitted special cages so that one lady could take her guinea pigs on

holiday with her!”

Exploria benefits from a local storage facility where it houses bespoke stock that is specially bought or made for each conversion, with materials sourced from a combination of local and regional companies as well as further afield from countries including Germany, Italy and China.

“Everything we buy, make and fit is high-end”, says Graeme. “There are a lot of companies out there that just build vans to a set template to sell on for a profit. Customers use us because we are precisely the opposite; we listen to exactly what they want and why they want it, and then make it happen.”

But bringing the ultimate ‘glamper’ to life is no easy feat, and Exploria employs a highly skilled team of upholsterers, joiners, electricians and mechanics to ensure that every customer demand is satisfied.

“All of our staff are skilled in a craft, whether it’s cutting and fitting leather or wiring LED interior lighting. They are all very good with their hands as it is a very intricate process”, says Danielle.

“Our latest recruit is a school leaver, who was unsure what career path he wanted to take, apart from that he wanted a hands-on job.

He is progressing very well and enjoying the variety of the job, whilst learning a range of skills within the workplace.”

When it comes to innovation, Graeme and Danielle certainly aren’t standing still. The company has just finished a fully functional prototype vehicle with an integrated fridge and 50” plasma

TV screen in the rear that it hopes will appeal to the likes of Red Bull for promotional events across the UK. Says Graeme: “The van can hold up to 4,000 cans of red bull and has a huge TV screen in the back for displaying promotional content. It is fully self-sufficient, so promotional teams can just turn up on site, open the doors and start selling, without needing to plug in separate fridges and mess around with power cables.”

Other recent projects have included the build of a driving simulator van that is currently being used by the West Yorkshire Fire Service to educate people on the dangers of drink driving, and the re-fit of a Volkswagen Crafter van to include a washing machine and tumble dryer for cycling team JLT Condor.

Growth areas for Exploria include the company’s mail order arm, from which it sells specialist parts to camper van enthusiasts across the UK. Danielle adds: “We stock hundreds of products from fridges to seating fabrics to stereo systems, and people come to us for dedicated advice on the best product to purchase. This side of the business is growing rapidly.”

“However”, laughs Graeme, “the conversion side of the business has grown massively over the last three to four years, and we are still trying to catch up!”

And with a full conversion taking up to six weeks from start to finish, and a workshop packed to the brim with up to six vans at any one time, Exploria seems set to play happy campers for a long time to come.

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K&CUpdate

Supporting flood recovery in Calderdale

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e’ve recently partnered with the Upper Calder Valley Renaissance company (UCVR) who are helping to distribute TopicUK Kirklees & Calderdale in the area. In the first of a regular column, the group discusses how it is championing business-to-business support to aid flood recovery.

Flooding? In the Calder Valley? You could be forgiven for thinking “all that was nine months ago, surely everything is back to normal?”

Well yes, many shops are open again and the visitor economy has picked up following the ‘Indian summer’. However, it was clear from the earlier floods in 2012 that many small businesses took up to 18 months to fully recover economically.

But on Boxing Day of 2015, many more businesses were affected directly and indirectly, meaning the process of drying out and repairing large numbers of premises took months longer than previous floods. The toll on many business owners was, and continues to be, more than economic.

The stress and worry about the future has also been part of many a story. We can celebrate the amazing fundraising and volunteering community spirit of the early days, and we can applaud

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the reflective approach on what the authorities and voluntary groups did well and learned about what wasn’t done so well, but we do have to recognise that the work towards full economic recovery will continue for several years.

Whilst all the work goes on with the infrastructure repairs and flood alleviation projects, little has been offered financially to support the economic recovery. So what does that mean for the Upper Calder Valley?

The economic impact was such that with a business community consisting of 99% SMEs and an 85% inter-trading economy, we need to focus on re-connecting those businesses and encouraging even more local trading. That means a focussed and long-term strategy is required. We simply can’t rely on shrinking and cash strapped local authorities alone to provide the resources to bring this about.

Businesses need to work together and support each other over the long-term.

The UCVR’s initiative has been to take on the task of supporting the growth of the valley’s three business networks in Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd.

We have established a business-tobusiness mentoring scheme and by doing this we aim to leave no business to struggle without peer

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

support. All year we have worked, and will continue to work, closely with the local authority business team, and we are hoping to follow up on our joint economic impact studies with further research into what else can be done to make businesses more resilient in the future.

Resilience is a fourfold concept; physical buildings resilience, economic resilience, community resilience and individual resilience.

All four have to be addressed with equal importance. Our mentoring scheme concerns the latter and we are looking to expand this voluntary service into 2017.

Do you need help?

Any affected businesses in the Upper Valley who feel the need for some specific support with marketing, business plans or financial advice should get in touch with us. Our mentors are here to help and they are businesses just like you.

Could you offer some help?

Could you volunteer some time as a mentor? You don’t have to be in the Calder Valley, and we can pay reasonable travel expenses.

For more information call Sarah Moss on 01422 417286, or email info@ucvr.org.uk

Thousands turn out to celebrate fifth annual Batley Festival Batley Town centre teamed with talent on Saturday 10 September as thousands of people visited various locations in the heart of the town to celebrate the fifth Batley Festival. It was fun, family-friendly and free.

The one-day annual event took place in key venues including the Marketplace, Library, Batley Memorial Gardens and Batley Town Hall; where the ‘Best of Batley’ showcased their talent including Kirklees Music School, Batley Community Choir and the West Yorkshire Drama Academy. Regional artists and companies also featured including giant puppet ‘Yeshe the Yak’ from Thingumajig, pavement artists Urban Canvas, Balkan brass band The Baghdaddies, quirky walkabouts from Kitch n Sync Collective and the slowest ride on earth in The Institute of Crazy Dancing’s Life Boat.

The annual volunteer-led festival has developed over the years with an on-going collaboration between Dewsbury based arts programme Creative Scene.

Established in 2011, the festival has always been a celebration of both local and professional talent, led by a dedicated group of volunteers who are passionate about their town.

ideal platform for them to showcase their talents.”

This year’s finale was The Batley Picture Show; a 40 minute, live evening outdoor spectacular at 8.30pm in Batley Memorial Gardens. It featured real home movies and archived footage of local people, celebrating Batley’s industrial, manufacturing, sporting and cultural heritage over the last 100 years. The evening included film, music, live performance and pyrotechnics delivered by international outdoor arts company, Periplum.

Rebecca Legg, Creative Producer at Creative Scene said: “Together with Batley Festival we commissioned Periplum to bring a unique outdoor event that has never been seen before in Batley.

Nancy Barrett, Director, Creative Scene said: “There is so much to celebrate in Batley - it's a beautiful, historic town with a vibrant local arts scene packed with talent. Batley Festival volunteers continue to grow the festival and bring some amazing arts experiences for all to enjoy - leading performers and artists love playing to the local crowds here. The quality of the Batley Festival is on a par with some of Yorkshire's finest events.”

Kimberley Thirkill, Chair of Batley Festival Committee added: “Every year, the Festival brings a day to celebrate all that is great about Batley, as well as providing local people opportunities to volunteer or get involved in creating the performances that put the Festival on the map.

“There are so many brilliant arts organisations that exist in Batley and across Kirklees, and this event provides the

“We asked local residents and businesses to send us their film footage of Batley over the years to incorporate into the performance. The fantastic response we received allowed us to create an outdoor spectacular to celebrate both the last 100 years in Batley and the fifth anniversary of the festival. It was extraordinary night that will stay in hearts and minds forever.’ www.batleyfestival.co.uk #BatleyFestival #BatleyPictureShow

23

TheArts

Harrison Lord Gallery takes you on a journey

A new art exhibition has opened at the Harrison Lord Gallery in Brighouse showcasing a wide range of contemporary artists.

The exhibition features work by over 20 artists, covering a wide range of styles and genres, with the theme being a ‘journey’. This could be documenting a journey from A to B, exploring and responding to places, or using historical or personal journeys in order to better understand identity.

The show features a mix of work by some popular favourites, such as Clare Haley, Stephen Todd, Rashna Hackett, Roger Simpson and Wendy Jones and some artists new to the gallery, including Fiona Walker, Rosalind Annis, Pauline Meade, Sam

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November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

Mortimer and Sara Stabb.

Gallery owner Steven Lord said: “We have brought together a wonderful range of work for this show. It’s a simple theme but one that will strike a chord with most people. We all have fond memories of journeys of one sort or another and these paintings will tap into those emotions. I believe people will be truly amazed at the quality and variety on show.”

Stephen Todd is showing 10 new works inspired by his journeys along the Humber, while Rashna Hackett’s abstract work is a journey exploring her feelings and emotions.

Sam Mortimer, whose day job is a bomb disposal expert in the army, has on show a dramatic painting of Florence, while Paddy Campbell has been inspired by his walks along the Pennines.

Steven commented further: “We are particularly pleased to be showing work by Liz Thompson from Sheffield. She has a large following in the art world and regularly shows in the top London galleries. You must see her wonderfully detailed watercolours.�

The exhibition will run until the end of November and is free to enter. For more details see www.harrisonlord.co.uk or ring 01484 722462

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TIPS

by John Steele

I’m amazed at how many companies try to do their own PR pictures with a mobile phone...

When it comes to good PR photography, it’s an old cliché but a picture really does paint a thousand words. Topic UK asked Meltham-based photographer John Steele to share his top tips for creating that perfect picture.

Tell the story

Ask yourself the question; if words didn’t exist, would the picture tell the story?

The main aim is to create the storyline in just one shot. As well as this, you want the picture to leap off the page and grab the viewer so they will want to read the accompanying text.

Don’t take the obvious route

This is the mistake that a lot of people fall into. You may have bought a fantastic pop-up banner but believe me, this doesn’t make a great PR photograph. Neither does holding a cheque and shaking hands. Be creative, be daring. If you’re going to swim with sharks, climb the three peaks, abseil off a large building then that should be the photograph, not you holding a cheque.

Get outside

Unless you have the most amazing interior in your building, go outside. Outside is the world’s largest studio and you will be amazed how fantastic a picture can look

using blue sky. Remember, be different and daring!

Less is more

Between one and three people is probably best for PR photography. Remember, it’s all about telling a story.

Also don’t be scared of leaving space. If you hire a good photographer, they will know all about leaving space in the shot where a headline could go. Keep it simple for the best results.

Hire a professional

This may seem obvious but I’m amazed at how many companies try to do their own PR pictures with a mobile phone camera. Good PR can be worth thousands, so think about hiring a professional to create a dramatic picture. Also give them time; I’m amazed at how many times I’ve been given five minutes to create a masterpiece. Also, trust the photographer. A good one will have a vision, and sometimes you just have to trust them.

Composition

This all depends on the story that you are telling, but there are loads of tricks that you can try to get a dramatic photograph. If it’s a story about a business person, photographing them from a low angle will emphasise power. Photographing someone from above can make someone appear friendly (it’s also a flattering angle). Don’t be scared to try something different.

Here’s a few examples to illustrate some of the points that I’ve mentioned: The main image on the opposite page was a piece about Oliver James Sugarcraft who is a fabulous Yorkshire cake maker. We decided to shoot this one at sunset so headed off to the moors to have some fun. Oliver was brilliant and came along in his best tweed suit. With a lot of help from his wife Katie we created this fun and dramatic image.

I’m sure TopicUK readers will recognise this one as it was the front cover of the last Wakefield edition! I was told the story and suggested that - as Asparagus Green are based at the National Coal Mining Museum - using the background of the winding gear. Anthony’s apprentice sat in the wheel barrow holding Asparagus.

Have a bit of fun, shoot from a low down angle with some lighting and hey presto!

This was a shot for Prestige Nursing Homes.

They wanted to illustrate that they had bought a brand new Landrover and so could get outdoors in all weather. Summer snow is hard to find, so we drove to Pickering and found a stream to splash about in.

I got soaking wet but we got some fab shots!

You can do all the planning you like but sometimes you just need luck on your side. This was shot for Baby Ballet and I’d just asked for this car to be brought round to the stairs where we were going to shoot.

Fortunately Wayne Sleep decided to fall into the car and start performing. This lasted about two seconds but I was ready and got this shot!

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LocalHero

Where there’s a Wilson...

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November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

there’s a way “Lead by example and show people that they can trust you,”

S

ays Neil Wilson with a smile, books on all disciplines of law adorning the shelves behind him. “You have to earn people’s respect first, then they will follow you.”

It’s a typically statesman-like response from the Managing Partner of Chadwick Lawrence, a regional law firm known as Yorkshire’s Legal People.

Neil lives his life by the adage that leading by example and empowering people is key. Despite being almost intimidatingly well-read, his leadership philosophy does not come out of text books, but is gleaned from years of experience.

He began his Law career at Chadwick Lawrence almost 20 years ago, becoming Managing Partner in April 2014 when he faced arguably the biggest challenge of his career.

He was charged with spearheading a fundamental change in how the firm, which employs over 200 people in seven offices across the region, operates and deals with people internally and outside the business.

It is called the Chadwick Lawrence Way – a vision and set of values for staff to uphold and live by.

“The Chadwick Lawrence Way is about treating everyone with respect, no matter what level they are at in the firm. Yes, the hierarchy still exists, but everyone is treated the same.

“You don’t have to go back many years and Partners were addressed as Mr, Mrs or Miss. We want to eradicate that,” he insists. “It’s not everyone’s way, but it is our way.”

“With the support of the firm’s

Partners, we have created an environment where clients want to come to us because we’re friendly and approachable. We don’t tie them up in knots with jargon, because the bulk of the clients we service would be put off by that.

“That goes for colleagues too. We’re creating an environment people want to be part of. I believe that if we get the atmosphere right and create mutual respect throughout the firm, then the rest will take care of itself.”

Leading this monumental change in culture is a welcome challenge for the 51-year-old who is driven by a desire to push his own boundaries both professionally and personally.

“I’ve done marathons, 10ks and I also play football every week. I enjoy the challenge. In another life I’d probably have followed sport as a career,” added Neil, who is a specialist in Employment Law and is one of the county’s top sports lawyers.

“I’m very lucky that my job enables me to be heavily involved in sport.

We act for a number of professional sports clubs, such as Huddersfield Town, Leeds Rhinos and many others.

We don’t act for players in an agency capacity but we do a lot of their legal work.

“Sports Law is not a legal discipline in itself. It’s every legal discipline in a sporting environment. Clubs are normal employers with normal employees, but these employees are highly paid professionals and there are different dynamics that go with it.

“If a player has been up to no good and I have to deal with them, it has to be managed carefully. If a team is in a

Play-Off the following week, how it’s handled can fundamentally affect the dynamics of the team.

“They are winners and they can be tough characters to deal with. You have to win their confidence and their respect. If you can give them confidence then they will work with you and you can break down that barrier.

“We deal with high profile managerial dismissals and inevitably there is a lot of intense media coverage – Sky Sports camping out in front of the club, for example. It’s not just about giving sound legal advice, but also instilling in the club that they’re alright. I tell them, ‘just because there is a lot of publicity that goes with this you’ll come out of the other side, so hold your ground’.”

It is this trust, reassurance and absolute confidence in Neil’s ability that has elevated him to his current position in Chadwick Lawrence.

“I’m in the role I am now because the Partners – the owners of this business – trust me. They wanted to do things differently and my mandate is to bring about that change. They have faith in me to take that forward, but I am accountable to them and I do it with their blessing, their support and the support of all colleagues at Chadwick Lawrence.”

Chadwick Lawrence’s ultimate aim is to be ‘recognised by clients and colleagues as the best law firm in this region.’ It is an ambition that with Neil at the helm they are likely to achieve.

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#MyTopic

DAVAL FURNITURE

In this issue, we catch up with Simon Bodsworth, managing director of Slaithwaite based Daval Furniture

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

Daval, leaders in the design and manufacture of quality British furniture, offer a complete interior solution for the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.

How many years’ experience does your company have?

Founded in 1978, the last 38 years has seen Daval establish itself as a market leading furniture designer and manufacturer, innovating in both design and technology. I have played a key part in the development of the family firm since officially joining in 2004. As managing director I have the support of my father David who remains chairman of the company, along with my two brothers: Paul who is operations director and James, a designer.

across our range. It also helps us to meet demand for bespoke and tailor-made fitted furniture without delay so we avoid the need to hold large stocks.

What makes your company different to others that offer the same/similar services? What is your USP? Our furniture is expertly crafted from our 100,000 ft2 facility in Huddersfield and our unique Option-I processing and delivery method means that our customers can specify a much wider range of colours, styles and finishes

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

It is fundamental that you’re able to present a unique offering to the marketplace that will not only compete, but inspire. Nothing is mass produced and instead, we concentrate on manufacturing individual handmade British products that our retailers can promote our personal qualities as a point of difference. We also pride ourselves on our British heritage and personal service.

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

Contract Philip Deakin or Jason Metcalfe

Unit 1 Ellis Hill, Leeds Road Huddersfield

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01484 432043

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FOR SALE 2,594 sq ft

TO LET 3,445 to 10,335 sq ft

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November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

CommercialProperty

Has the last 3 months been a phony war?

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

The ‘phony war’ is over so they say.

The Prime Minister has taken some of the uncertainty out of Brexit by confirming that Article 50 will be exercised by the end of March 2017.

Stormy waters ahead?

The Prime Minister’s declaration and the increasing rhetoric coming from Liam Fox and others suggesting a “hard Brexit” has had the immediate effect of another fall in the value of sterling against the dollar and the euro, with a prediction of parity soon to the euro not seen since 2008 - but with an all-time high on the FTSE 100 Index.

The point is that the financial markets will see significant turbulence as they seek to interpret each and every comment coming out of Downing Street and the three wise monkeys (sorry, men!), Messrs Johnson, Davis and Fox. A fall in the value of the pound makes everything from Europe more expensive without tariffs, which makes the suggestion of calling the EU’s bluff on tariffs all the more interesting and, I hope, likely.

The suggestion that the UK

unilaterally declares it to be tarifffree would put the onus right on the EU, either to reciprocate or to declare a tariff on our goods and services.

Any tariff that the EU imposes could be mirrored, of course, by the UK, but whilst such tariff monies received by the UK could be used to subsidise those industries affected, the same will not be possible for those affected companies in the EU. QED Tariffs could be more expensive to endure for the EU. This must surely be a tool which the PM can use to placate our manufacturing industries, the vanguard, or most vocal of which, appears to be the car manufacturers.

We heard recently that 35,000 jobs and £5 billion of revenue is likely to be lost from the City with the possibility of that number doubling, and so the scare stories continue.

The doom-sayers and soundbites not only from vested interest in the UK but coming out of Europe - are inevitable, with 27 countries having their own view for the future. But having negotiated more deals in 35 years as a commercial property

agent than I care to remember, I have yet to agree anything where I started from and have certainly never negotiated in public.

The heavy lifting is yet to come and will be behind closed doors.

Who knows how they will carry on with with the added complication of multiple elections in the EU countries. Bad news should come quickly and be faced. A long, fuzzy fudge (which I still fear is likely) will be far more damaging. We will no longer be part of the EU with that club’s rules, but as many of the EU regulations were adopted from UK Standards, it should not be difficult to repeal the 1972 Act (as the Prime Minister has said will happen) and then adopt those which suit our needs, most of which will be consistent with the EU anyway.

In the meantime, whilst the last three or four months has seen little to be concerned with following the Brexit vote, perhaps the next six may give an alternative flavour.

However, my guess is that the hiatus will continue well into the next decade, especially if we follow a timeline in Article 50 which ties up the financial details the way the EU want us to do.

Interestingly, we have yet to see any change in sentiment around commercial and industrial property in the provinces, although deals do seem to be taking longer to get across the line, and whilst end users are not fighting over current stocks, there remains a steady (and what would seem to be resilient) demand. Others are clearly optimistic and are taking the long view that we will emerge stronger.

We will just have to live with a degree of uncertainty…..no change there then.

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K&CUpdate

Springvale School speaks for the trees A year six pupil from Springvale School in Penistone has won the ‘Speak For The Trees’ competition run by Holmfirth-based community interest company fairandfunky.

10 year old Elysia Hobson received a fairandfunky SCRAPtastic art box filled with recycled arts and craft materials including buttons, fabric, stickers and a £25 gift voucher from Calder Graphics.

12 schools from across Kirklees took part in the competition to design an environmentally themed poster to raise awareness of the importance of looking after our local habitats.

Springvale School also received £100 worth of vouchers from Calder Graphics, a school recycling assembly delivered by fairandfunky and a display offer from co-sponsors MODU Exhibitions which specialises in supplying art display panels, temporary walling and modular exhibition stands to schools and colleges and the University of Huddersfield.

The judges were impressed by the innovative use of materials in the winning design which used recycled old cardboard tubes.

The prizes were presented to Springvale School in a celebration assembly on Thursday 15 September,

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led by fairandfunky. “Recycling is one way each of us can take little steps to change the world,” explained Sophie Bebb, director of fairandfunky.

She continued: “On average each family throws away six trees worth of paper every year.

This competition highlighted the importance of looking after our local habitats – speaking for the trees!”

The competition was sponsored by recruitment company Stafflex Limited and MODU exhibitions, which provided prizes for the winning artist and their school.

Andy Platt, Headteacher at Springvale School said: “We’re really excited about getting creative with the arts vouchers Elysia has won for her class and continuing to recycle!”

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

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K&CRecruitment

Is it wrong to go for drinks after work?

I

n a recent speech held at the Unison offices, in the early evening, Mr Corbyn claimed that “an after-work drinks culture benefits men who don’t feel the need to be at home looking after their children and it discriminates against women who will want to, obviously, look after the children that they have got”.

Hardly surprising, then, that this has caused a great deal of debate. Bearing in mind that this statement was made in the context of Jeremy Corbyn laying out his 10 pledges to advance gender equality for women, it seems somewhat paradoxical that the tea-time speech was immediately followed with a ‘drinks party’ at Unison offices!

So where do you stand on this?

Hundreds, if not thousands, of press articles and social media comments have flooded the airways with some pretty vitriolic opinions both for and against his point of view. What do you think?

My view, for what it is worth, is that Corbyn actually makes a good point, but very badly. As the father of three children (now adults), I have done my stint of childcare at varying times of day and night, and for whatever reason I am not happy at his insinuation that only a mother would feel the instinct to care for their child. Surely it’s both archaic

and insulting to the very men who are just as inclined to care for their offspring?

The point that I think he really wants to make (and was somewhat lost in his clumsy speech) is a good one. It is that cultures, of various kinds, can be, if not managed carefully, discriminatory in the workplace. One clear example is, as he pointed out, the after work drinking culture that tends to exist more in large city centres than rural districts, due mainly to the abysmal transport systems that deter anybody from trying to get away in a hurry (well, that’s often my excuse!).

Other, perhaps less obvious, cultures (but nonetheless can be deemed as ‘damaging’) include the smoking club. There

seems to me, as a lapsed smoker, to be little smoking clubs popping up all over the place. These too provide exclusive opportunities to ‘network’ and thereby gain professionally, at the cost of others.

Political correctness aside, it’s probably fair to say that any environment that is offpiste but cultivates unfair advantage (and therefore prejudice), should be avoided where possible.

What do you think?

SURVEY To complete our two minute survey on discrimination in the workplace, visit https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ FP8J7RX

33

K&CUpdate

1 HRUpdate

PR and Marketing firm makes Shrewdd appointment Halifax PR and marketing agency Shrewdd Marketing has appointed a new account manager.

Kate Wobschall joined the company on September 1, bringing a wealth of experience in PR and journalism.

Kate, who lives in Brighouse and is married with a nine-year-old son, will look after key clients in the logistics, manufacturing and engineering sectors.

A former newspaper group deputy editor, magazine editor and language tutor, Kate said she was delighted to join the team.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to join such a forwardthinking and dynamic company,” said Kate. “Our clients are all market leaders and are at the cutting edge of their industries, which makes my role both challenging and extremely exciting.”

Kate was a journalist at the Reporter Series of newspapers – part of the Yorkshire Post group – for more than 20 years, working as a reporter, sub editor, chief sub and deputy editor from its offices in Dewsbury.

She has worked as both a magazine editor and PR account manager, and until recently ran language classes in French and Spanish for children aged between two and 11.

training, development and innovation.

The report’s view on innovation included technology, production and interestingly, working practices and skills.

What can business owners learn from Team GB’s Olympic success?

We teamed up with Huddersfieldbased Pennine Business Partners to keep you up to date an all things HR. In this issue, Lynn Bradley discusses the benefits of staff training and development.

At the same time as Team GB was enjoying its most successful Olympics ever, the UKCES (UK Commission for Employment & Skills) published a report which shows how businesses can benefit from staff training and development.

Olympic success in 2016 stems from our dismal performance in the 1996 Atlanta games. The Government’s response to our solitary gold medal was to invest, via lottery funding, in disciplines with most chance of success. This focus on coaching, training and skills development resulted in the great performance we saw this summer,

Shrewdd Marketing’s new account manager, Kate Wobschall.

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In a similar vein, the UKCES report, entitled Tilting the Odds, highlights the business benefits of investment in

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

Our athletes improve by increasing fitness and ability; perhaps business owners should look for similar marginal gains within their team to make their company more profitable. What’s clear from the report is the strong correlation between skills development, employee engagement and improved business performance.

Our top tips to help you tilt the odds in your favour with an upskilled and more engaged workforce are: •

Plan long term. It took 20 years for Team GB to get where it is today through continual development and “marginal gains”

•

Act short term. What training, coaching and skills development will help your employers do a better job now?

•

Manage and motivate. Human beings strive to be better and they value the opportunity for personal growth

•

Work strategically. Envisage the skills and talent you will need in the future to fulfil your company goals and start developing them now

Kirklees Working Smarter Grants Up to £1,000 matched funding is still available from Kirklees Council for local businesses to spend on developing their workforce. Grant funding is from a ring-fenced and finite pot which is likely to be used up by the end of the year, so you may need to act quickly to secure funding – for more information visit the Kirklees Business Hub website http://www.kirkleesbusinesshub.com/

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• Ground Floor Retail Premises • 77.20m2 (831ft2) • Situated on the outskirts of Huddersfield town centre, fronting onto Manchester Road and facing the main entrance to Kirklees College, and adjoining a Costcutter convenience store.

• Suitable for a variety of retail uses • On street car parking to the front • EPC Asset Rating C

4 Queen Street, Huddersfield, HD1 2SQ

Industrial & Commercial Property Consultants To Let

• Town centre premises with A4 (drinking establishment) consent • 152.82m2 (1,645ft2) • Situated close to the main entrance of the Kingsgate shopping centre • Approximately 200 yards from Huddersfield University • Within the main quarter of the town centre accommodating all bars and restaurants • Immediately available • EPC Asset Rating TBC

72 & 74 New North Road, Huddersfield, HD1 5NW

• Prestigious headquarter office premises • 562.24m2 (6,052ft2) • Suitable for a variety of uses • Large car parking area for approx 43 cars • Situated on the outskirts of Huddersfield town centre within walking distance of the bus and train stations • Would Split into two independent office buildings of 3,769 & 2,283ft²

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

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20 Greenhead Road, Huddersfield, HD1 4EN

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• Characterful office building • 187.57m2 (2,019ft2) • Accessible location on the outskirts of Huddersfield Town Centre • Benefiting from on street car parking • Contemporary finish • Excellent security system • Suitable for a variety of office or clinical uses • EPC Asset Rating E

Offices also at Mirfield, Heckmondwike, Elland and Halifax

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06/10/2016 08:59

Legal Matters 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

Restrictive covenants & confidentiality in employment

By Nicholas Worsnop - Partner & Head of Litigation

What are restrictive covenants?

C

ovenants are provisions in the contract of employment between an employer and employee which limit or prevent what work can be done by the employee after the contract has ended. They usually relate to what clients or customers the employee can approach, deal or not deal with after they have left, which geographical location they can work in, and sometimes whether or not they can work in the same industry and for what period of time these provisions will apply.

Are these covenants binding?

These covenants must not be too restrictive or unreasonable. It depends very much upon the wording of the covenant, the extent of the restriction it seeks to impose, and whether it goes beyond protecting the employer’s legitimate business interest.

What about confidential information?

Most employment contracts contain a provision protecting the

36

employer’s confidential information. The issue here is whether the contractual clause actually seeks to protect information that is truly confidential. In addition, common law implies into the employer / employee relationship a duty of confidentiality. There are other means as well of protecting such information in the event you believe that a former employee has taken it.

How can Chadwick Lawrence help?

Our Dispute Resolution team has a great deal of experience that we have built over many years in both enforcing these covenants for employers and challenging their validity on behalf of employees.

Because we have acted countless times for employers and employees we can usually determine those covenants that are likely to be enforceable and those that are not.

We know what action can be justified.

Such covenants are usually enforced by way of an injunction application to prevent the covenants being breached.

But as an employer you should act quickly. Not only do you need to protect your business interests, your customers and your information but any delay in doing so may harm your business, and, also, any delay may affect what action you can legitimately take.

Disputes are a fact of business, costly resolutions don’t have to be Chadwick Lawrence understand the issues that you face in business and that you need lawyers who will act proactively to solve your problems in a way which will not only provide you with the right level of expertise but will deliver value.

Partner, Howard Willis

Experienced personal injury team at Chadwick Lawrence Unfortunately accidents do happen, and if this is the case, the experienced personal injury team at Chadwick Lawrence are ready to step in and help people receive the maximum compensation they are entitled to.

We have a highly qualified team with many years’ experience in dealing with all areas of personal injury on behalf of claimants. We deal with all types of claims including accidents at work, occupiers liability claims, road traffic accidents, slipping and tripping accidents and accidents abroad.

We pride ourselves in our proactive approach to cases and attention to detail.

We will give just the same level of care

and attention to both large and small injury claims. Our personal injury teams are based in our Huddersfield and Leeds offices but we act for clients across the country and where a case warrants it we are happy to travel to see our clients including out of hours and at weekends.

We have significant experience in complex, high value injury claims – particularly traumatic brain injury, spinal injury and all types of catastrophic injury claims. We also have experience in dealing with fatal accident claims and representation at inquests arising from fatal accidents. Our team are members of APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers) and members of our team are also on the Law Society Personal Injury Panel.

The department is headed up by Partner, Howard Willis, who has been with the practice for 28 years. Howard recently represented a client who suffered severe spinal cord and brain injuries in a road traffic accident in 2013 securing a £6.7 million settlement for him.

We offer flexibility within our charging models and can provide advice on a fixed fee basis as well as utilising more traditional hourly rates. Fees can be staged through the course of litigation, we can offer credit facilities or we may be able to build a model which incorporates payment on a contingency basis.

We have specialists who can help in the additional following areas: •

Contractual disputes

•

Terms and conditions

•

Company and partnership disputes

•

Intellectual property

•

Banking and finance

•

Construction

•

Debt recovery

37

K&CUpdate

WE ARE YORKSHIRE’S LEGAL PEOPLE

Working with businesses

Corporate & Contracts

Corporate Recovery & Insolvency

Employer Services

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November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

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1 Advertorial

Calderdale business tastes success with help from LEP funding A successful Yorkshire business has been given the opportunity to expand thanks to support from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The £9,654 grant from the LEP’s skills service has been used by Ellandbased New Ivory to train its existing staff, as it takes its next steps towards expansion.

New Ivory work with some of the leading supermarkets and retailers to develop and manufacture sauces, gravies and dressings designed to bring restaurant quality taste to home cooked food. They manufacture on an industrial scale as well as providing insight and advice to businesses.

The company has seen an increase in sales in the past year and has ambitious plans to expand, and therefore recognised a need to invest in its staffs’ capabilities. It approached the LEP looking for support to train existing staff and was successful in securing funding from the LEP to develop the leadership skills of its mid management team, thereby helping to shape the company’s strategy and define its culture.

In total, 10 staff undertook the training which has enabled them to develop their personal and practical skills such as time management, presentation and organisational strategy. New Ivory has previously struggled with recruiting the right calibre of staff, in particular graduates to its manufacturing plant in Elland, and the training undertaken has also provided current staff with recruiting and interviewing skills and

effective performance management, ensuring the company is able to continue its growth and invest in new current staff.

But this support is only available for a limited time and so we really would urge companies to get in touch now to see how the LEP can help them.”

Adam Jones, Managing Director at New Ivory, said: “The funding from the LEP has really motivated us to push our company even further, and we’re so excited about the doors that it’s going to open for us.

Through the LEP’s skills service businesses can apply for grants of between £500 and £50,000 to contribute towards their training.

Applications are assessed on a case by case basis and eligible businesses can get support to upskill staff, in some cases attracting funding for up to 50% of training costs.

“We’re committed to investing in our teams, and always ensure that we have the best possible people available to drive our customers’ agendas. The training that we’re putting in place following the funding will help to not only improve our team’s skills, but create opportunities for promotion.

“As an ambitious company looking to expand further, funding from the LEP has really helped us to reach our goals.”

Stephanie Burras CBE, Chair of the LEP’s Employment and Skills Panel said: “We’re delighted that New Ivory has benefitted from the LEP support meaning it can continue to reach its financial aims with funding from the skills service.

“The LEP service to business is comprehensive and we have a team of advisors on hand to support employers with the paperwork, source appropriate training provision and submit their application for funding.

As the programme continues, there will be an increased focus on both accredited and industry accredited training and on supporting SMEs to create and implement longer-term training plans in order to facilitate business growth and achieve the LEP’s skills plan for the region.

The skills service has already provided funding for over 4,500 courses for businesses across Leeds City Region and has been granted a 3 month extension which means that businesses can now submit funding applications until 31st March 2017, and training can be undertaken until 30th June 2017.

39

K&CUpdate which were previously spread far and wide across the region before taking up residence in Huddersfield. Brent says: “Resident businesses benefit from the collaborative approach to the growth of the creative and digital sector that we have worked hard to create. We encourage them to work closely with their neighbours and share skills and knowledge to reap the business benefits that this brings.”

So what is the secret to lasting for 21 successful years?

“There’s something in the water here”, says Brent. “There are a lot of really driven, creative people who want to start something and need somewhere to make it ‘happen’.

Media Centre anniversary celebrations August 2016 saw The Media Centre in Huddersfield celebrate its 21st birthday, with a party marking the not-for-profit as one of the North of England’s most prevalent creative and digital business hubs. TopicUK joined the celebrations.

In 1995, the year the internet exploded, the birth of Huddersfield’s one stop shop for the home of creative and digital businesses took place.

The Media Centre was opened among much anticipation by world renowned business owner and television personality Lord Alan Sugar, to provide a home for West Yorkshire’s flourishing creative businesses and help them to thrive in an environment they could call home.

With early years support from Kirklees Council, The Media Centre provided two major points of difference upon its opening that nowadays are somewhat taken as a given.

The Media Centre provided Huddersfield’s first cyber café allowing the public to get online, and more importantly provided a broadband connection for tenants unlike many other places at the time”, chuckles CEO Brent Woods as he reflects on the Centre’s early years.

With creative and digital sector businesses a main tenant focus, the Centre supports more than 200 businesses in the town, many of

40

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

“The Media Centre reduces the risk of starting up by providing a ‘home’ and access to a network of over 200 like-minded businesses, all of whom can mentor one another and act as a sounding board for advice, guidance and direction.”

In terms of the future of The Media Centre, projects are well underway to help shape the creative and digital stars of the next generation. Brent says: “We have big plans to focus more on the work we do in the community and beyond our four buildings, following on from the success of recent projects such as our ‘Code Club’ that saw us working with pupils across school holidays to introduce them to basic computer coding.

“Today’s school children are living in the midst of the digital revolution, and I want the Media Centre to continue to help prepare the next generation for the jobs that don’t even exist yet!”

Hipperholme property lawyer celebrates winning Small Conveyancing Firm for the North

Pest control: Compliance and best practice for businesses

A Hipperholme property lawyer has won a prestigious award as part of The Law Firm Services Awards held at the NEC in Birmingham.

by Justin Holley, operations director at Orchard Facilities Management, Elland.

Managing pest control is part of good business practice. It means making sure that your business premises are not only free from pests but are sufficiently maintained to prevent risk of infestation.

For food businesses, managing pest control is a legal requirement.

What responsibilities do businesses have?

Businesses are responsible for identifying, managing and dealing with potential risks. Employers could be in breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 if they fail to protect employees from pests while in the workplace.

Diseases caused by pests such as pigeons, slippery floors caused by bird droppings and food contamination by pests are all concerns for employers.

Here are five useful pest control checkpoints for all businesses: 1.

2.

Schedule regular inspections to check for infestations, particularly in vulnerable areas such as kitchens.

Identify any susceptibilities to specific pests associated with your line of business. Pests can be insects, birds, rodents and domestic animals. They can range from biting bugs in an office carpet to mice in a restaurant.

Valerie Holmes was announced as the winner of the Small Conveyancing Firm in the North Awards at the recent event.

3.

Draw up a pest control checklist to record inspection dates, incidents and action taken.

4. Focus on prevention by ensuring your building is properly maintained.

5.

Allocate responsibility for pest control to an employee, team or outside contractor.

A schedule of cleaning for your premises and equipment should be put in place and waste should be dealt with appropriately.

It is worth noting that inappropriate storage and use of pesticides can lead to chemical hazards, covered under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations, and that some species of pests, such as starlings, are protected from destruction.

In addition to the procedures outlined above, food businesses are required to take reasonable precautions to prevent pests entering food storage and preparation areas.

The judges report stated that “this firm puts their clients at the centre of everything they do. The team goes above and beyond for its clients, ensuring they provide the best quality service to all. They cater for individuals and offer a very personal touch, making them stand out from other small firms.”

Valerie said: “We work really hard so it’s brilliant to receive this recognition. Moving house can be emotional and stressful and I have to say a massive thank you to the team for consistently delivering brilliant service and reassurance to our clients.”

Valerie Holmes formed her own company in 2007 and has been practicing in conveyancing for nearly 30 years. The company deals with the sale and purchase of residential and commercial property, offering advice on the legal aspect of re-mortgaging, equity transfers and land/ property advice relating to boundaries.

This includes ensuring windows and other openings are fitted with cleanable insect-proof screens and that full records are kept relating to risk assessments, pest sightings and identification, recommendations, action taken, details of pest control contractors, pesticides used and evidence of control.

41

K&CUpdate

Social media company launches creative Twitter wall product Huddersfield-based social media training company Social Progress has launched a new product to enable businesses to amplify their social media presence at corporate events and exhibitions.

She continued: “There are a few Twitter wall platforms currently available, however, we found that they were mainly text based. So, I decided we should create our own and make it heavily visual, creative and engaging”.

Big Screen Social had its debut screening at Techtrade Yorkshire on 8th September at Elland Road, Leeds, where its success helped the event hashtag #TY16 begin to trend in the city on Twitter.

The company has launched Big Screen Social, designed to visually display social media posts and images using a dedicated hashtag on a large ‘Twitter wall’ at conferences, exhibitions and celebrations.

The product was created out of frustration by managing director Janet Bebb after she struggled to find a suitable visually engaging solution to support the company’s customer base.

Janet said: “Big Screen Social is designed to take an event to the next level by creating a digital buzz through the power of social media. Having

Bulls and bikes feature in first episode of Helicopter ER

B

ulls, bikes and tractors featured in the first episode of a new prime time television series following the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA).

Helicopter ER which will be broadcast on UKTV’s reality channel Really at 10pm on Monday nights for 12 weeks started on 26 September.

The programme follows the flying doctors and paramedics of the rapid response

42

a live Twitter wall encourages event attendees to join in the conversation in the build up to, during and after an event using a specific event hashtag.”

emergency charity, who cover five million acres of Yorkshire’s rugged landscapes, dramatic dales and bleak moors.

The first episode featured the dramatic rescue of a man trapped under a tractor that had plunged off a bridge and a motorcyclist who suffered serious injuries after hitting a deer.

Janet added: "We were thrilled with all the positive feedback about Big Screen Social at Techtrade Yorkshire and it was great to see how people actually interacted with it too”.

For more information please contact Kim d’Arcy from Pivot PR on 0114 209 6222 or email kim@pivotpr.co.uk or Abby McClymont at Yorkshire Air Ambulance on 01422 237900.

The new series is being made by many of the team behind the popular BBC programme Helicopter Heroes, who have been flying with Yorkshire pilots, paramedics and doctors for the new show.

YAA serves five million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity needs to raise £12,000 every day and is currently replacing its two ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedic Matt Syrat, Pilot Capt - Chris Attrill and paramedic Kit von Mickwitz.

MarketingUpdate

Tackling the skills gap

By Katrine Cliffe Managing Director - KC Communications

With businesses often reporting that the current workforce - and those looking to enter the market - does not have the relevant skills they require, we need to ask the question; are we, as business leaders, really doing enough to change this?

Soft skills are also high on the agenda and I hear regularly from associates (and have had first-hand experience) that those entering the job market simply don’t have the required level of communication skills to be able to do their job effectively.

As I sat down to write some insight on the latest trends in marketing, it occurred to me that instead of feeding our infobesity (it’s a real word, honestly!), we should in fact get to the heart of the matter of improving industry expertise if we want Yorkshire - and more specifically Kirklees and Calderdale - to stand out at the heart of the Northern Power House.

H

aving attended a number of events recently, the topic always dominating the conversation is the skills gap. Since founding KC Communications I have come across content on an almost daily basis that discusses various aspects of the skills gap and the reasons for it. I therefore decided a long time ago that this couldn’t continue, and it is something I have sought to address as part of our corporate social responsibility policy.

So what are we going to do about it?

We have hovered around the skills gap issue for a long time. The digital space in particular was raised as an issue for marketers a good few years back, and was the reason why I sought to complete a CIM Diploma in Digital Marketing.

However, the issue is still prevalent, and in light of the result of the Brexit vote, now really is the time to address this to ensure we are not only a step ahead of our immediate competition, but that we have a workforce that can compete on the world stage.

At the heart of the debate are businesses blaming education for providing courses which don’t cover the latest industry requirements and trends, through to the lack of awareness students have about the importance of work experience and placements.

Whilst that is a debate that could go on forever, we really need to be asking ourselves what businesses

could be doing to better target this demographic directly and promote the importance of gaining hands on experience.

As our profile has grown, we now regularly see enquiries from aspiring professionals looking to get their foot on the career ladder. We also actively promote the fact that we are open to enquiries through social media, meaning the step to enquiring is a little less daunting.

Providing work experience and placement opportunities has two benefits. Firstly, it gives those about to embark on their careers the “experience” that all business owners state they want, as well as helping to develop ‘soft skills’ build confidence and improve levels of communication. Ultimately, this enables us as business owners to develop the skills we want to see in the workplace. Why, therefore, wouldn’t we do more to ensure this happens?

However, continued professional development is a must, so we need to ensure our existing workforce is equipped to deal with ongoing changes. The marketing industry in particular is fast paced, and we need to ensure those we employ continue to have the opportunities to develop their understanding and expertise if we want our businesses to thrive.

Whilst it might have an initial hit on the profits, as the saying goes; “you have to invest money to make money”.

If investing in both my existing and future workforce is going to do that, then sign me up!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue, so tweet me @KatrinaCliffe.

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Health&Beauty

K&CUpdate

Learn the skill of pausing “In an all too frenetic world where we are time poor, pressured and exhausted we need to learn the skill of pausing”, says Sam Pearce, founder of the multi-award winning The Potting Shed Spa.

College Choir and String Quartet to perform at charity Christmas lunch A local college choir and string quartet are set to perform at an annual business charity Christmas lunch that will make its debut in Huddersfield this December.

H

uddersfield New College’s Performing Arts Group will be performing along with Musica Kirklees’ String Quartet at the first Kirklees and Calderdale Annual Charity Christmas Lunch (KACCL).

The 15 strong choir will be accompanied by Thornhill Infant and Junior School student Olivia, and will sing an array of songs including Billy Joel’s Lullabye and When Christmas Comes to Town from Polar Express, which includes a solo by eight year old Olivia.

The String Quartet from Musica Kirklees (formerly Kirklees Music

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School) will perform a range of music from classic to modern. The School was formed in 1992 and delivers tuition to over 9000 pupils in Kirklees.

The KACCL charity Christmas lunch will be held on December 15 at Cedar Court Hotel, Ainley Top in aid of Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, a charity supporting local children with life shortening conditions and their families in West Yorkshire.

The event is based on the successful Wakefield Annual Charity Christmas Lunch (WACCL) which was established three years ago. Last year the event raised around £28,000 to support activities. For young people across the district Tickets for the event are priced at £50 per person, for tables of ten to 12 people. There will be a Champagne reception and a three course lunch from 12.30pm.

For ticket sales and enquiries please contact kaccl@crowther.accountants

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

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owadays, we are so accessible. Smart phones are ruling our lives, and with apps, reminders and constant goals to achieve, it is hardly surprising we are digitally overloaded.

The pressures of day to day life mean we have very little time for ourselves. Guilt plays a big part, especially for women, and everyone else tends to come first. We are all so driven to achieve, whether personally or through business, that we fail to focus on the now, with chasing that dream, promotion,

and filling our time and our minds always on the agenda.

avoid constant rumination and dwelling. Mindfulness is proven to reduce anxiety, physical pain, mental fatigue; the list really is endless. My focus through my teaching is children and teenagers, as they are a new breed living entirely being drip fed by social media anxiety. It feeds their insecurities which is a dangerous practice, and we need to teach the skills so they realise that social media is all so temporary.

Living in the moment - or ‘mindfulness’ as it is now known - is an essential part of living a balanced, less mentally cluttered life. I like to call it ‘kindfulness’, as that makes it easier to understand.

Thoughts are everything.

They control your past, present and future, but what we fail to acknowledge when dealing with these thoughts is that they are just that; a concoction of words we have collated that form an opinion, feeling, emotion, and more often than not, what you think and what you become.

Trust me this isn’t sandal and sock wearing, tree hugging hippie stuff - this is a way of re-tuning our own brains, to take back some control.

Internal dialogues - the conversations you have with yourself - are just that.

Invite the thoughts in, and then let them out again with minimal fuss or time - they will soon get used to it. It is really very simple in theory,

but in practise it can feel an almost impossible task. How hard must it be to just stop, take stock, pause, wait and observe - without thought?

It isn’t meditation as such, but it is a mental exercise that gives you the skills to

We can’t ignore the power of thought, but we can harness it so that it is positive. At the moment, seeing a child have a ‘physical’ reaction to not being allowed access to a smart phone is deeply concerning and something we all need to be mindful of.

Food for thought?

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Register your interest at cityfibre.com/huddersfield 45

RestaurantReview

HARVEY’S

just what Huddersfield has been waiting for!

By Anthony Hegney - Director at Asparagus Green

In this issue, Anthony Hegney of Asparagus Green checks out Harvey’s Bar & Kitchen in Fenay Bridge.

I

t’s just what Huddersfield has been waiting for. The well-lit frontage of Harvey’s Bar & Kitchen really stands out in Fenay Bridge, where it is located on the main Penistone Road into Huddersfield.

There’s a small car park to the side of the building and the main entrance to the front, with decking and an outside seating area with patio heaters for those cooler evenings.

there was a real buzz as we entered created by low background music and the bustle of customers drinking and eating. We approached the bar area and ordered our drinks, where I went for my all-time favourite Long Island Iced Tea and Glen opted for the non-alcoholic J20 Spritz. Both were promptly delivered.

When you enter the bar and restaurant, it has a rustic yet classic feel to it, created by a mix of high tables and separate low seating to the window areas at the front. The tables are unclothed with rustic, ‘plank looking’ tops and steel frames. The steel chairs and tall seats to match give the place a really warm feel.

A young lady showed us to our table and presented us with the menus. I liked that fact that you can order small tapas dishes individually, or mix and match three to share for a set price of £12.00.

Glen has just turned vegetarian, so we went for these options; we opted for the wild & field mushrooms on toast, patatas bravas and roasted red peppers stuffed with cheese. All were served on a board, and we had a small bowl each to eat from.

We went on a Wednesday evening, and

The mushrooms were served on a thick

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November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

cut piece of bread and full of flavour, and a generous portion of roasted bell peppers was chilled and stuffed to the brim with cream cheese. The patatas bravas were also delicious; the perfect dishes to accompany a beer or glass of wine.

After a short break, our mains were delivered, where Glen opted for the grilled courgette, red onion & halloumi hanging kebab and I went for the daily special; Surf & Turf which was executed very well.

Glen’s hanging kebab was served with hand cut chips drizzled with truffle oil and sprinkled with parmesan cheese,

If you enjoy live music, then on Friday & Saturday evenings they have an ‘under the stairs’ event, where local artists perform for diners.

The feedback for Harvey’s on social media is exceptional and I have to say I second all the comments they are getting. Keep up the good work guys; the whole experience gets 10 out of 10 from us.

and the smell of the truffle oil was amazing! A small bowl of rocket accompanied.

My Surf & Turf arrived; rib-eye steak cooked medium rare just as I requested, topped with prawns, baby vine tomatoes and drizzled with garlic olive oil. It was served on a board with hand cut chips, a small bowl of mixed roast root vegetables and a bowl of ‘slaw. I liked how the chef had sliced the steak into pieces and the flavours of the meat and garlic oil really complemented each other. It was 10 out of 10 for me.

For dessert, we opted to share one

lemon posset served in a kilner jar with a piece of homemade butter shortbread topped with homemade jam. It was perfectly smooth in texture, and the tang from the lemons refreshed the palate.

We didn’t have any wine with our meal as we stuck with the bar drinks. Glen enjoyed a bottle of mineral water with freshly squeezed lime and I opted for my (second!) Long Island Iced Tea, which went down a treat.

The staff were very attentive and as the evening went along the bar and restaurant filled up with other drinkers and diners.

Bookings at Harvey’s Bar & Kitchen can be made by calling

01484 309827

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K&CUpdate

Gimbals treacle tart with clotted cream Here at Gimbals, we love a good tart! This recipe is a fine example - Serves 6-8

Method for the filling

1. Whisk the egg and cream together in a bowl big enough to mix the rest of the ingredients.

Just warm the golden syrup and honey together in a small pan till just runny.

Take off the heat.

2. Whisk the warmed golden syrup, honey, lemon juice and zest into the egg mixture, stir in the breadcrumbs and toasted ground almonds. Cover, leave in the fridge over night.

The next day preheat oven to 160/gas 3. Line a 6inch, lightly buttered, loose bottomed flan tin with the pastry (2mm thick if you're rolling out your homemade sweet short crust pastry), leaving it to rest for 10 mins in the fridge.

4. Give the syrup mixture a good whisk and pore into the pastry case.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 mins. It should be golden with a slight wobble in the middle (no I'm not talking about me!) it will firm up once it's cooled. (Sadly I don’t!)

5. When it’s completely cooled remove from the tin and slice. We serve with clotted cream or vanilla ice cream.

GIMBALS RESTAURANT

creating simple but sumptuous seasonal dishes 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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Ingredients for the filling You need to make the filling the day before to rest in the fridge. The sour dough absorbs all the juices and gives a fuller flavour, yum!

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310g golden syrup

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1 egg

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100 grams breadcrumbs made with day old sourdough bread or bloomer

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with the crust removed before weighing. (do not use bought breadcrumbs as they are too dry)

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40g clear honey

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125 ml double cream

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1 small lemon, rind finely zested and juiced

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70g fine ground almonds toasted under the grill till light golden (don’t take your eyes off these as it only takes moments, worth doing as it brings out the nutty flavour)

For the sweet short crust pastry - 300g We make our own here at Gimbals but you can buy ready made and already rolled out at most supermarkets, to cut the mess and time •

7fl oz olive oil

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5fl oz apple cider vinegar

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1 dessert spoons of Tabasco

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Juice of 3 limes and 1 lemon

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1 teaspoon of Malvern salt

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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 sauce

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2 level teaspoons of palm sugar or

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

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

golden caster sugar

Recipe Challenge

Fantastic Bake-off Sally Willis and Beth Saville spend more time frequenting Huddersfield’s hip restaurants than preparing home meals.

A challenge, but one both ladies were determined to overcome.

S

ally, Operations and Client Services Director, Fantastic Media said: “Having recently moved from Huddersfield to Wooley Grange, Barnsley, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to flex the muscles of my new oven so when TopicUK approached me about the recipe review it was a no-brainer. Not one to turn down a challenge but conscious that I was still missing quite a few vital kitchen utensils, I enlisted the help of Account Manager and friend Bethany Saville to roll up our sleeves and get stuck in, as it were.

In all honesty, I don’t particularly enjoy cooking, and would ordinarily opt for eating out at the local tapas, pizzeria or brasserie to enjoy a delicious meal cooked by an expert, but I was pleasantly surprised by the sense of achievement that comes from baking a dish for others to enjoy.

More than this, I couldn’t believe how inexpensive the ingredients were – I’m sure there have been times that I have paid the same for a slice of pie in a restaurant than would cost to make a meal for 10.

The recipe could not have been

more straight forward and perfect for Beth and me to share the load. Day one, on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Yorkshire, it was the filling stage: golden syrup, honey, lemon, egg, almonds and breadcrumbs. Day two, following a day in the office, we loaded the filling into the pastry and enjoyed the sweet aromas spread around the house.”

Beth said; “as a keen cook of predominantly savoury dishes admittedly, I found the treacle tart recipe very easy to follow and enjoyable to make. The end result was a success, not only for myself and Sally, but the rest of the team

at Fantastic seemed to enjoy it too!

If you’re a novice baker, but feel inspired by the creations from The Great British Bake Off, the Gimbals treacle tart is a great recipe to whet your appetite and embrace your inner chef.

The recipe suggested serving the tart with clotted cream, however, a scoop of fresh vanilla ice cream or double cream would also complement the dish well.

Overall I’d say it was a success and Sally and I look forward to visiting Gimbals to sample the real thing!”

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Wine tasting with…

Nandishkumar Thippeswamy, Engineering Director, Manrochem Ltd sampled the Sainsburys Taste the Difference Conegliano Prosecco Superiore 2015 at £10 for a 75cl bottle.

This Italian wine is fresh and vibrant with delicious apricot and citrus flavours, fabulous with antipasti.

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

NT - I would love to have it with something simple like salted almonds/pistachios or canapés.

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

NT - Yes – definitely. The packaging is understated but ‘ceremonial’ enough to stand out from the others.

And based on its taste, one could no longer call it the ‘poor’ cousin of Champagne.

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

NT - Anywhere, really! I would love to drink this wine with family and friends to enjoy and celebrate the The Government and ACE have acknowledged the imbalance, but argue that it is because the major national institutions are based

occasion. Not fussy about location!

Does the flavour evoke anything in particular?

NT - The prosecco is not too fizzy or sweet - it is just right and well balanced with sweetness from fruits (including a subtle undertone of apricot flavour) and citrus acidity. It is easy on the palate and has a mellow and pleasant aftertaste. It evokes ‘celebration’ feelings no matter what the occasion!

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

NT - I would not hesitate to give it a 9 out of 10 for the taste, packaging and the accompanying ‘its celebration time’ feelings with friends and family!

TopicUK proud to be working with...

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or who can afford it. The report also points out that had Londoners won a comparably disproportionate number of Lottery prizes compared to people in the rest of England, equivalent to

November 2016 - Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

Competition winner heads to Wales In our January edition, we gave TopicUK Kirklees and Calderdale readers the chance to win a two night break for two at the Bryn Elltyd eco-hotel in Snowdonia National Park.

The lucky winners were at the duck pond.

Alan Hicks and his wife, and TopicUK invited them There’s good news also to tell us how they got on. for electric car drivers, as there is a charging point We were delighted to win there which is an added the competition to visit bonus and fits with the Bryn Elltyd near Blaenau carbon neutral ethos of the Festiniog in Wales, and hotel. soon packed up to get on our way.

Breakfast was served both mornings with freshlyWhen we arrived, we baked bread made by hotel received a warm welcome owner, John, and it really is complete with tea and straight from the oven - still cakes, and we were soon warm, and scrumptious. settled into our compact but cosy room in the main The views over the hotel building. There reservoir are not, perhaps, are also other rooms in as picturesque as they converted buildings in the might sound as the dam garden. is somewhat industriallooking, but there is no Bryn Elltyd is a carbon denying the beauty of the neutral guest house, with surrounding countryside lots of insulation so you will and a big bonus is that the certainly never be cold. It local station on the historic is, in fact, a Victorian slateFestiniog steam railway mine manager’s house, so line is only a 5 minute walk it’s no surprise that the away. If you ask John, he incline from the slate mine will give you a card which behind the house looks as gets you an extra 10% off though it is aimed directly the fare.

1 Out of Office -Feature

This Issue - Katie Mallinson What is your first ever memory?

I was about four, lying on the living room floor tapping away on my orange and red plastic typewriter. I think it was a sign – my device of choice may be different, but I’m still writing stories 26 years later.

Name and age: Katie Mallinson, 30 Job title and company: Founder, Scriba PR

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

I had a perfect day recently. The morning was pretty serene – we were up and off early, had breakfast at the local farm shop, then hired a boat on the river Ouse. We had a drink at a waterside bar, then a homely pub lunch at the other end of the river, before we went quad biking through the countryside (that bit wasn’t so serene!) That evening we stayed at a gorgeous country house in Harome, and enjoyed the last rays of sunshine with fizz in the garden before a Michelin starred meal at The Star.

Lives: What is your number one holiday destination Huddersfield and why?

My favourite place is Italy – great scenery, history, food and wine.

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

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

WIN T

itanic Spa is an awardwinning spa nestled deep within the natural landscape of the stunning Pennine Mountains. Offering state-of-theart health and wellbeing facilities, you can treat yourself and a friend to a little ‘me time’ at this celebrity favourite retreat. Slip into a fluffy

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

I love food (a theme is evolving here!) and when I have some time to myself, I really enjoy cooking.

It doesn’t have to be a specific cuisine, just something new, from scratch, which looks and tastes great when it’s done. I even enjoy hunting out the ingredients beforehand. My kitchen has always been my favourite room in every home I’ve owned.

Tell us your best party trick.

I’m hypermobile so it would probably be something bendy!

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

Oasis – I’ve never seen the Gallagher brothers play together, which I’m pretty gutted about.

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

My friends will tell me I’m useless at this! But, the only way I can switch off is to make sure I don’t leave anything unfinished. If I’ve delivered on everything I’ve promised, and done a good job, then I can relax (ideally over a delicious meal where someone else does the cooking and washing up!) But, if I need a quick fix, I’ll pop on some music, and won’t be shy with the volume!

Titanic Spa Reader Competition

robe and slippers and enjoy unique spa experiences at the UK’s first eco spa, including the Titanic Heat and Ice Experience and Titanic Mud Chamber with our prize! You’ll be treated to enjoy the Twilight Titanic Spa package which includes a delicious 1 course light lunch (excl. beverages), full

use of the spas incredible facilities, the Titanic Heat & Ice experience, a soothing Comfort Zone Expert Facial OR Comfort Zone Detox Wrap as well as a Private Mud Chamber Session! Both you and your loved one are sure to feel pampered and rejuvenated after visiting this beautiful spa..

‘To enter simply email your name and contact details including your telephone number and email to Stefanie@topicuk.co.uk with ‘Titanic Spa Competition’ in the subject headline before December 22’. T&C’s can be found at http://www.titanicspa. com/terms-and-conditions-of-bookings-p1869

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Employee Management Skills Workshops

www.eatonsmith.co.uk

Eaton Smith and The Personnel Partnership are continuing their successful series of practical and interactive workshops aimed at all managers with responsibility for people management or HR staff who would welcome additional skills development. The trainers have received excellent feedback from all in attendance and the workshops have been described as “excellent”, “very useful”, “very informative and interactive”.

Each workshop will cost £75 plus VAT and will include refreshments and all training materials.

Restructures and Redundancy:

Attendance Management the Monday Sickie:

24 January 2017 9.30am – 12.30pm

Most businesses have a small handful of employees who cannot seem to get out of bed on a Monday morning and have regular single days or short periods of sickness absence. Too much of this is damaging to productivity and bad for the morale of the employees who are doing their best to work through the coughs and colds! In this workshop we will look at how intermittent absence can be managed effectively to improve the health of your business. We will also look at what you might want in an attendance management policy and give you the tools to create this.

Over recent years many businesses have had to consider whether to restructure to save costs or to reduce their staff headcount due to a reduction in work or income. In this workshop we will take a strategic look at the factors to consider when re-structuring a department or a business, and how you might go about changing an employee’s job role and their terms and conditions. We will look at the selection and consultation process for ensuring a fair and legal redundancy procedure, and we will also look at alternatives to redundancy such as lay off and short time working, and redundancy procedures including the use of “bumping” and trial periods.

Redundancy is such an emotive issue, so we’ll also look at how to move forwards positively after a redundancy programme.

15 November 2016 9.30am – 12.30pm

Attendance Management Long Term Absence:

6 December 2016 9.30am – 12.30pm Unfortunately from time to time businesses experience the problem of managing a member of staff who is very unwell and has been off work for a period of time that is becoming unmanageable. Where sick leave lasts or is likely to last for four weeks or more it starts to fall into long term absence and the reality of getting that staff member back into work becomes harder to deal with. In this workshop we’ll look at strategies for coping with long term sickness, the new Fit For Work scheme and what steps you might take to dismiss a member of staff for capability. We’ll also discuss stress and mental illness in the work place, which is becoming an increasing challenge for many businesses.

Difficult Conversations “it’s not me, it’s you”:

21 March 2017 9.30am – 12.30pm We all dread that situation where we have to sit down across the table from someone and start an awkward conversation, but sometimes it just has to be done! Whether you’re dealing with an issue of personal hygiene or suspected alcohol abuse, mediating a personality clash between colleagues, tackling issues of poor performance with an employee who may view your attempts at management as bullying or discrimination, or dismissing a good egg who has lost their way, we can guide you through the process and give you the tools you need to confidently approach that difficult conversation and take action.

Who are your trainers?

Kate Booth from Eaton Smith - Kate is a Partner with Eaton Smith and shortlisted for the Yorkshire Legal Awards “Rising Star” award 2016. She is an experienced solicitor specialising in employment law, with particular interest in business acquisitions (including the TUPE Regulations), restructures and discrimination issues. Kate has been dealing with employment law issues for many businesses in and around Kirklees and nationally for the last eight years and was an advisor to the House of Commons’ Justice Committee on Employment Tribunal Fees. She brings with her practical examples of what can and does go wrong in the workplace and how you might address this!

Helen Straw from The Personnel Partnership - Helen is the Managing Director of The Personnel Partnership and is also a Chartered corporate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Helen operates at a senior level, providing HR support and advice during times of company set up, business growth, major reorganisations and deals with complex employee issues. She has developed and implemented a range of HR policies and strategies as well as managed day to day operations and developed and delivered HR training programmes across the UK for many small to medium businesses and larger blue chip companies. Helen is both pragmatic and commercially savvy.

Group booking discount: if you book 3 or more workshops in one go or book 3 or more people into a particular workshop you will receive a discount of 10%.

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