Yorkshire BusinessWoman December 2022 Edition

S u p p o r t i n g fe m a l e b u s i n e s s w o m e n a c ro s s t h e Yo r k s h i re re g i o n

Nº12 Bi-Monthly

A TopicUK Publication

December 2022

INTRODUCING RESTOCK LIFE

If you Believe, you will Achieve NEW BEGINNINGS FOR ENTREPRENEURS

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Contents

Group Editor Gill Laidler Design Rob Blackwell Administrator Charlotte Hall

Printed By: Charlesworth Press Wakefield

Official Photographers Roth Read Photography

Cover : Stephanie Hirst Images : Roth Read Photography 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 07711 539047 or email editor@yorkshirebusinesswoman.co.uk.

Published by Ghost Publishing who decline all responsibility for advice given.

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NEW BEGINNINGS FOR ENTREPRENEURS

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CHRISTMAS LIGHT SHOW C O M E S TO H A L I FA X

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A D AY I N T H E L I F E O F A D E T E C T I V E C O N S TA B L E

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POP UP SHOP FOR UKRAINIAN REFUGEE

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IF YOU BELIEVE,YOU WILL ACHIEVE

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M E M B E R S T R E AT E D TO F E S T I V E S PA R K L E S

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RUGBY LEAGUE ROLL OF HONOUR

A C U L I N A R Y F E S T I V E T R E AT WITH HARVEY NICHOLS

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INTRODUCING RESTOCK LIFE

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EditorsNotes by group editor Gill Laidler

Leeds centre and to my friend Poonam

We l c o m e t o i s s u e 1 2 o f Kaur who has become CEO of FDS finance 0,.77,0,.63-.44,1.13-1.06,1.23-.06,0-.12,.01-.17,.01-.51,0-1.03,0-1.54,0-.71,0-1.25-.55-1.25-1.2Yorkshire Businesswoman, I in Leeds. can hardly believe it has been 1.52,0-.71,.55-1.26,1.26-1.26,.51,0,1.02,0,1.53,0,.68,0,1.23,.54,1.24,1.21,0,.27,0,.54,0,.8h0Zmtwo years since we launched.

31-.59,1.32-1.31,0-.73-.58-1.32-1.31-1.33-.73,0-1.32,.58-1.32,1.31,0,.73,.58,1.32,1.32,1.32Zm1.56As we went to press, our amazing More and more people are 3-.33-.34-.19,0-.34,.15-.34,.33,0,.18,.15,.34,.34,.34,.18,0,.33-.15,.33-.34Zm-1.55,.55c-.45,0-.8,.35photographers Roth Read rushed over to getting involved and our Halifax to capture the amazing Christmas .8,.79,.43,0,.78-.36,.78-.79,0-.43-.35-.79-.78-.79Z”/></svg> membership is growing fast.

Whilst we are in a cost-of-living crisis, it is more important than ever to ‘increase your marketing activity’ to make sure your business stays ahead of others, but this can be hard when cash is tight. We have decided not to increase our prices but increase our service where we can for our partners and members.

I was delighted to catch up with our new ambassador recently, Stephanie Hirst who features on our cover. Stephanie has had a fabulous career and in April she will be guest speaker at our event with her amazing talk ‘believe achieve’. You can read about Stephanie on page 30.

We also welcome Debbie Dobson, director of sales at Dakota Hotel as an ambassador.

Many of our readers and members will know Debbie from the events we have at the hotel. Debbie is very experienced in the hospitality and spa industry and in the New Year she will be reviewing some of the amazing spa facilities we have in our region.

We w o u l d l i ke to e x te n d o u r congratulations to partners at The Halston Group who are celebrating six years in business with a move nearer to

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lights they have on display this year.

The lights were organised by Discover Halifax, one of our valued partners. If you get the chance, do pop into the town to do some shopping and check out the festive displays.

Finally, from the new year we will be launching a new section within the magazine called Restock Life. This section edited by Freda Shafi will feature, food, drink, environmental issues, cost savings, gardening and so much more. You can read more about this and about Freda, a Yorkshire Businesswoman member on page 87.

I hope to see many of our members at the Christmas lunch on 2nd December or festive canapes on 9th December.

Gill x

You can email us at hello@ yorkshirebusinesswoman.co.uk or call us on 07711 539047 yorkshire_businesswoman yorkshirebusin2

Kevin Greene Photography

Heald becomes sponsor of Hull City Ladies FC player Yo r k s h i r e s e c u r i t y manufacturer, Heald Ltd has announced sponsorship with Hull City Ladies FC player Hope Knight for the 202223 season.

English football club, Hull City Ladies FC was formed in 2001 and is an English women’s football club currently playing in the FA Women’s National League North.

With a long history of supporting local charities and organisations, the hostile vehicle mitigation company, Heald, is passionate about supporting the underrepresented. This ethos is driven

by Heald’s managing director, Debbie Heald, who received an MBE for her

“Heald’s mission is to innovate and create high-quality, sustainable security solutions to contribute to a safer world. It’s fantastic to see Heald helping the Women’s game grow and supporting the Tigresses.

“Hull City Ladies provide opportunities for Women and Girls to develop, empower and achieve. We look forward to working collaboratively While manufacturing is generally a male- with Heald to inspire more people dominated sector, Heald continually in our region.” pushes to break through this stereotype, as evidenced by the 50/50 gender split in Debbie Heald MBE, commented: the business. Aligning with Heald’s values, “Following the recent success of the team is passionate about empowering England women’s football team women to chase their ambitions, break at the European Championships, conventional perceptions and inspire Women’s football teams across the UK have seen an immense amount others. of support. This is a very exciting Commenting on the recent sponsorship, time for female footballers and the Hull City Ladies managing director, wider community.

Danny Johnson said: “We’re delighted that Heald Ltd, the leading innovators “I look forward to supporting Hope of perimeter security technology, is knight in the upcoming season and sponsoring player Hope Knight this continuing to help inspire and support young women in their career paths!” season. services to export and the promotion of STEM careers for women.

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Employee-owned fds Director Services appoints new leadership Award-winning corporate finance boutique fds has appointed a new CEO and chairman as part of the company’s succession.

Founder Jo Haigh has transitioned from chief executive officer, to chairman, and former managing director Poonam Kaur is to become CEO. Poonam, who has been with fds since 2011, has officially taken the baton and leads the employeeowned corporate finance firm into

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its next chapter. She comments: “I am delighted to help take the business forward. We are a team, and through the support of all of our staff, we will endeavour to continue the success of the business that Jo has built to date, whilst she starts to embrace her new role.”

Jo, who founded the business in 1989 that has successfully conducted over 400 business transactions and has worked with countless businesses and directors, looks back at the phenomenal journey to date: “When I started the business

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over 30 years ago, I could never have imagined the success we would achieve.

The business has received numerous industry awards and acknowledgements over the years, in addition to working with some of the country’s leading and most-renowned organisations.

“The services fds offers have grown to fully support owner-managed businesses right throughout their journey, and I am very proud of what the business, alongside the help of the team and Poonam, has achieved.

“Now, as part of our successful succession planning following the sale of the business to an EOT in 2020, I am delighted to announce I will be moving to chairman and passing the CEO mantle to the superbly able Poonam Kaur. Without Poonam, fds wouldn’t be the company it is today, and I cannot wait to continue to support and guide the team throughout the next chapter.”

A new beginning for wellbeing entrepreneurs Two Leeds-based entrepreneurs with over 40 years’ combined experience in health and wellbeing have joined forces to host a series of wellness retreats in Yorkshire.

Co-founders of New Beginnings Retreats, Debbie Jacobs, a specialist in touch therapy and reflexology and Katie Taylor, reiki master and holistic therapist spotted a gap in the market for specialist wellness retreats in the North that provide a safe space for men and women to connect and heal through various therapies.

Debbie said, “Having worked closely with clients to help them overcome life challenges through various therapies, I realised that there was an opportunity and a

demand for like-minded people to be connected in a safe space.”

Through personal experience, the duo has designed four luxury retreats to run throughout 2023 at Rudding Park Hotel, including one for divorce, bereavement, menopause, and wellbeing. The two-day retreats, with limited spaces will welcome specially selected experts, including a divorce coach and a pharmacist with specialist knowledge surrounding menopause.

Debbie continued, “The pressures of modern-day life, from stresses at work and more personal issues have never been felt so much. Katie and I have created meaningful and unique retreats where people can come together to unwind, relax and re-charge.”

Katie added, “We’ve taken time to handpick appropriate and experienced experts to deliver workshops to our guests. From pe rsonal expe rie nces, we understand how important it is to have the right support available when faced with challenging situations. We’re really looking forward to sharing this knowledge experience at each retreat.”

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Trio of recruits for Ramsdens conveyancing practice Yorkshire-based law firm, Ramsdens Solicitors has recently appointed three new members of staff, strengthening its residential property practice and further developing their work in the niche area of Leasehold Enfranchisement.

The law firm, which has offices across West and North Yorkshire, has welcomed partner, Katrina Allen and solicitors, Elizabeth Kirk and Jennifer Crocker to Ramsdens’ York-based office.

Katrina Allen joins the team from Knights PLC, where she helped managed the day-to-day running of the department. Since qualifying as a solicitor in 2007, Katrina has specialised in residential property and has a broad range of experience

in dealing with all aspects of property transactions from sale, through to post-completion.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Kirk joins the team from Harrowells Limited, where she qualified in 2020 as a conveyancing solicitor and Jennifer Crocker joins the team from ODT Solicitors, having qualified in 2017 and specialising in statutory and voluntary lease extensions and freehold purchases, as well as other types of leasehold property matters.

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Lindsey Frith, partner and head of Ramsdens’ conveyancing department, said: “We are delighted to welcome Katrina, Elizabeth and Jennifer to our team in York. The trio bring with them a wealth of expertise in residential property, and will be key to the continued growth and success of our conveyancing offering in York, and across the region.

“At a time when demand for conveyancing remains exceptionally high, I have no doubt that the new recruits’ experience, commitment and understanding will ensure a continued delivery of highquality legal advice and service.”

Katrina Allen, partner, added: “I am excited to be joining Ramsdens as a partner in their conveyancing department and to start this next chapter with a firm that shares my commitment to delivering exceptional services, tailored to the client.”

Picture L-R Katrina Allen, partner; Jennifer Crocker, solicitor; Lindsey Frith, head of conveyancing; Elizabeth Kirk, solicitor.

New ambassador for YorkshireBusinesswoman Joining our prestigious group of ambassadors is Debbie Dobson, director of sales at Dakota Hotel Leeds.

D ebbie has worked with Yorkshire Businesswoman since its inception and provides event space for our meetings in the beautiful city centre hotel up to six times a year.

Debbie has a wealth of experience in the hospitality sector and has worked for a number of prestigious hotels in the region. From our next edition publishing at the end of January, Debbie will also be undertaking se ve ral re views on

our behalf of spa facilities across our region, ensuring wellbeing for the busy businesswoman.

Other Yorkshire Businesswoman ambassadors include Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen; former Calendar presenter Christine Talbot; author Milly Johnson; actress Natalie Anderson; BBC presenter Liz Green; Hits Radio DJ Stephanie Hirst and actress and writer Gaynor Faye. Not forgetting honorary ambassador, the late Mandy Taylor.

Karen Smith’s beauty and wellbeing enterprise offers a dynamic service for locals and corporates alike

Company of the Month

perseverance and passion saw her qualify as a fully-trained Beauty Therapist in 2020, and open up her own business in the local town of Holmfirth soon after.

A beauty salon and wellbeing sanctuary based in the heart of Holmfirth, Karen Smith Beauty has risen to prominence since its inception in 2018 – with a full suite of services including medical grade facials and pedicures, hot stone massages, waxing treatments, gel nails, and HD brows.

Despite marketing and sales in the leisure space dominating much of founder Karen Smith’s career to date, a yearning for greater control over her working life and a desire to hone in on her passion fuelled a rethink.

Leaving the corporate world behind her in a bid to build a new specialism, Karen learnt much of her craft with The White Rose School of Beauty in Huddersfield. And, despite contending with a combination of personal struggles,

Growing the organisation from the ground up, Karen has quickly and successfully built a loyal customer base in the area. And with a 50-50 split of male and female clients, it’s a real tonic to see such a diverse demographic making the most of the offering – whether for physical or mental wellness reasons, or for a spot of indulgent self-care.

Talking about her favourite aspect of the role, Karen commented: “There’s a lot to be said about the word ‘therapy’, and it’s a pleasure to sit and chew the fat with clients from all walks of life.”

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Yana with Yorkshire Businesswoman ambassador Natalie Anderson

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Pop-up shop helps launch new brand for Ukrainian refugee A pop-up shop in Victoria Gate in Leeds, gave Ukrainian refugee Yana Smaglo her first opportunity to launch her new brand Nenya, and to bring Ukrainian fashion to the UK.

Yana previously had a successful fashion and beauty business in Ukraine, but waking to explosions in February this year, she was forced to flee the country. With only 15 minutes to pack a few things, friends drove her to Lyiv, where along with thousands of other people she was able to make it across the border to Poland, through Germany and France and subsequently to the UK. S h e h a s b e e n d e te r m i n e d to create a new business for herself as she explains, “I lost literally everything, leaving behind my home, my business and my life. I wanted to do something to both support myself, but also support friends and businesses back in Ukraine.

With the support of a number of local businesses in Yorkshire, I have been able to create a new brand, and thanks to the pop-up shop I have been able to successfully trial Ukrainian designs and fashion in Leeds.”

John Hoyle, CEO & founder of Sook, who provided the pop-up unit in Victoria Gate commented: “I was delighted to welcome Yana to Sook, and to provide her with a platform to bring her brand to life in Leeds Victoria Gate. Yana has an important

her new brand, “I am delighted to be able to support Yana and help her launch Nenya in Yorkshire. I love the designs and think it is brilliant how so many people have supported her and are helping her launch her new brand.”

story to tell, and a brilliant business to bring to a brand-new market of customers. We love giving all brands the opportunity to grow their Antonia Kinlan, who has been a business and connect with their mentor and networker for Yana customers and know that nothing said the launch went extremely well, can beat the in-real-life experience “We can’t thank Sook enough for providing Yana with the space to that physical space provides.” launch her new brand, in such an exclusive and prestigious location.

It gave her a first opportunity to test the water with Ukrainian fashion, and it made her day when celebrity Natalie Anderson became her first customer. All of the companies involved have contributed for free, I am delighted to be from designing her brand to PR, able to support Yana videos and social media which is and help her launch so inspiring”.

Nenya in Yorkshire. I love the designs and think it is brilliant how so many people have supported her...

Natalie Anderson

T h e l a u n c h w a s a t te n d e d b y Actor, TV presenter and Yorkshire Businesswoman ambassador Natalie Anderson who is backing Yana and

As we go to print Yana will be appearing in Trinity Shopping Centre very shortly with another pop-up shop.

To see video of above story https://vimeo.com/757128604 Video documentary to date from James Mellor at Rainbow Trout Films: https://vimeo. com/753327774/e2d4c78e3c Instagram & Facebook: @ nenyafashion - www.nenya. online Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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Matalan partners with author and menopause expert Products, software development company Propel Tech, sustainable waste management organisation Envirovue and community interest company Fertility Matters At Work.

Based in Huddersfield, and founded in 2014, Wild PR works with clients in the e-commerce, professional services, travel and manufacturing sectors, including BPI Auctions, Specialist Glass Products, Heald Ltd, Fishtank Agency, Aventus Clinic and The Uniform Exchange, among others.

Wild PR works with businesses across the UK to raise brand profile, increase online visibility and drive growth through traditional and digital PR and marketing.

Laura Davies, founder of The Kid Collective said: “We’re so excited to appoint Wild as our PR team for.

Following such a successful relationship with our sister brand, we are confident of seeing some amazing results as we move into our peak season, and beyond. We’re passionate about the toys we sell, the growth they inspire in little people, and that play matters - Wild are absolutely the right team to understand our messaging and produce results”

Following a successful working relationship with sister brand The Nappy Gurus (a sustainable baby store), Wild PR will now support The Kid Collective with a range of PR activities ahead of their peak season over Christmas. The services Wild PR will deliver include both traditional and digital PR. The Kid Collective is a female-led team, proud to offer an amazing collection of brands that champion fun, imaginative and inclusive play for all. Not only does the brand boast a wide range of inclusive toys, they also offer sustainable choices

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for parents in the form of wooden and sustainable products.

This new appointment for Wild PR follows a flurry of new client wins including dog food brand Dragonfly

Katrina Cliffe, managing director of Wild PR, added: “We’re over the moon to strengthen our working relationship with the teams behind both The Nappy Gurus and The Kid Collective with this new appointment and we’re really looking forward to supporting the brand ahead of the festive season. The products they have on offer for parents are really great and we are confident we can help them showcase these to a wider audience and strengthen their market position in 2022.”

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Bibby Financial Services pledges £1bn to help SMEs International SME financier, Bibby Financial Services (BFS),has renewed its UK securitisation arrangement for a further three years to boost its support for businesses during a period of ongoing economic turbulence.

The refinance deal led by Lloyds Bank alongside HSBC, Barclays Bank PLC, BayernLB and with participation from funds under the management of Insight Investment, sees BFS’s total funding capacity increase to more than £1bn.

Theo Chatha, chief financial officer said: “more than ever, UK SMEs need cashflow support to help them overcome challenges associated with an economic downturn, and to grow and thrive.

“Our refinanced securitisation facility provides us with a significant opportunity to grow our funding support for these businesses, combining our SME specialism with greater financing capacity to help new and existing clients.”

Formed in 1982, BFS supports almost 9,000 SMEs worldwide through its invoice finance, asset finance and FX solutions, with 1,000 employees in operations spanning Europe and in Asia.

Theo added: “With economic and political instability throughout the world, businesses today face a series of significant challenges.

This announcement signifies our dedication and commitment to supporting SMEs at a time when they most need it.

“Furthermore as part of our global portfolio, this is a key milestone in our own growth trajectory as we look to expand the support we provide to SMEs in the UK and around the world.”

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Lauren with hands-on experience and academic study, as well as paying their salaries and course fees, for a five-year period.

Law firm celebrates double graduation Law firm Gordons is celebrating the latest two graduates of its pioneering law apprenticeship.

Eleanor Tordoff and Lauren Wurzal have both qualified as chartered legal executives within the firm’s property litigation and corporate specialisms respectively.

Gordons partner and member of the firm’s executive board, Victoria Davey, said: “Eleanor and Lauren should be very proud of their achievements, and we are enjoying celebrating their success. We’re really pleased for them as they are both talented colleagues and great people to know.

Launched in September 2011, Gordons was the first in the legal sector to offer an apprenticeship taking its chartered legal executive lawyers to an honours degree equivalent.

“Our clients feel the same way about Eleanor and Lauren and they both now can further grow their careers with Gordons.

Gordons created its multi-awardwinning law apprenticeship to enable social mobility by providing an alternative route into the profession for school leavers without them needing to attend university. Since its inception, the firm has recruited 30 apprentices straight from school.

“We remain fully committed to our law apprenticeship as it has been a big differentiator for the firm. It shows our continued dedication to enabling social mobility within the legal profession and reflects our belief that attitude is more important than background. It is something our clients tell us they admire.”

As part of their apprenticeship, Gordons provided Eleanor and

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Halston B2B celebrates sixth birthday at new Halston Group HQ Fresh from its recent rebrand, Halston Group has moved into new premises closer to Leeds city centre to accommodate its growing team – and coincide with the sixth birthday of Halston B2B, the marketing agency at its core.

The umbrella brand that also manages Sustainability Partnerships, Tech Origin, and Mercury is now proud to unite all four businesses

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under one roof in the Leeds-suburb of Chapel Allerton.

The move to the larger office

space is a testament to Halston Group’s established and growing international client base. Provider o f r e u s a b l e m e d i c a l te x t i l e s , Revolution-ZERO, and corrugated cardboard packaging specialist, Greyhound Box, are among recent client wins for the Group whose team expansion has mirrored

its annual ambition to double in size.

A full renovation of the 1,500 square foot workspace was completed in October and kept firmly within the Halston Group family. Group senior marketing manager, Antonia Gifford, worked with fellow Leeds-business and client, Imageco, to bring the Group’s vision for an immersive workspace to life.

She comments, “We’re used to producing content that raves about Imageco’s work for their clients, so it’s been a really cool process to become a client ourselves! Synchronising the move to a larger office with a full-blown brand refresh means we’re now working from an environment that perfectly

Celebrating another 12 months of Halston B2B in a brand-new office with a group of staff that’s hit double figures felt like a pipe dream six years ago...

Halston B2B. Something Group CEO, Georgia Halston, marks as a happy coincidence. She says, “Celebrating another 12 months of Halston B2B in a brand-new office with a group of staff that’s hit double figures felt like a pipe dream six years ago when I was working at a homemade desk as the agency’s sole employee!”

“We chose this office and location for its scope to support both our numerous business ventures and headcount.

The latter of which is something we’ve celebrated doubling year on reflects the energy of our brand’s four year thus far!”“The combination of a rebrand we’re very proud of, a bank main initiatives.” of new client wins, and now an idyllic The relocation also coincides with workplace is super-charging a real the sixth birthday of the marketing sense of energy among the Halston agency at the core of the Group, Group.”

Kirklees College Celebrates Higher Education Graduation treated to another song from Boothroyd Primary Academy later in the ceremony.

Claire Paxman from Paxman Coolers was the guest speaker and gave an inspirational speech, highlighting how Further Education has helped her own personal and professional development. We were also joined by special guests from the Skills and Education Group, and TQUK. On Wednesday 19 in October, Kirklees College recognised the achievements of their Higher Education and Higher Skills students by hosting a Graduation Ceremony at Dewsbury Town Hall. sixty five students from the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 came together to celebrate their successes. Principal & chief executive Palvinder Singh gave a poignant speech, and assistant

principal Pauline Hughes compered the event. Both highlighted how impressed they were by the students’ perseverance studying through the pandemic.

There were also a number of guest appearances during the ceremony.

The event started with a wonderful performance by students from Eastborough Junior Infant and Nursery School, and guests were

After the ceremony, graduates and their guests enjoyed drinks and canapes at a Town Hall reception, and graduates had the chance to capture a group photograph to commemorate the day.

If you see yourself as a future Kirklees College graduate, you can find out more about our Higher Skills and Higher Education provision by visiting the college website.

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Now’s the time to get to grips with some easy wins As we emerge from a two-year hiatus of being able to get ‘out there’ socially, yet another economic crisis looms on the horizon. It’s looking likely to be a pretty bleak and cold winter ahead.

Now’s the time to get to grips with some ‘easy wins’ you can do to improve your business profile and generate more business.

Owner & founder of The Thinking Cap, Lisa East has developed a training programme, LINGO, in order to help businesses, get sales cut-through in these highly uncertain times. She asks, “Have you adapted your sales strategy to meet the seismic shift of the last few years. More importantly, are you ready for what’s yet to come?

The fact is, most SMEs don’t have a sales strategy at all, never mind being prepared to navigate the financial, political and social chaos that lays ahead. So, if ‘Social Selling’ isn’t part

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On its own, LinkedIn is just a vehicle. With LINGO, you get the keys, the fuel and satellite navigation to guide you to your desired destination...

of your sales strategy, it needs to be before it’s too late.”

LINGO was designed to generate business and sales using social selling principles. A fusion of her many years’ marketing, sales and business thinking that is boiled- down into bite-size chunks that are easy to understand and digest. Lisa selfproclaims, “I’ve lived in the sales and marketing trenches and have many (well-earned) t-shirts to prove it. LINGO is the distillation of all my

experience, proven methods and sales know-how.”

From start-ups to larger corporate business training, LINGO gives you the direction, momentum and vision to achieve your desired outcomes. A strategic plan of action, tailored guidance and imaginative content creation that is bespoke to your business needs and goals. This isn’t LinkedIn training, it’s LinkedIn 2.0.

LINGO has even been effectively used in Australia to generate new business when other, locally ‘proven’ methods had failed. Lisa also used it to train sales teams in replicating the same methodology that helped her surpass her targets in a completely unfamiliar territory.

So, forget everything you think you already know about using LinkedIn to generate business leads. On its own, LinkedIn is just a vehicle. With LINGO, you get the keys, the fuel and satellite navigation to guide you to your desired destination. Don’t wait for the economic downturn to happen to you. Pivot, adapt and make life easier for yourself and your sales team.

Contact lisa@thethinkingcap. co.uk to find out more

This Christmas in Halifax it’s all about community, and we’ve got a tantalising variety of free events to help everyone celebrate together with heaps of seasonal atmosphere!

Highlights include: All-New Christmas Lights Charity Gifting Trees Street Performers

A Local Christmas Story

Advent Calendar Competition

Visit us online to see what’s on, and plan your visit today!

halifaxchristmas.co.uk

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All new Christmas light show coming early to Halifax

All Images: Roth Read Photographyy

Halifax’s eagerly awaited new Christmas lights are due to be installed any day now. sooner than expected and providing even more time for the town to get excited about the switch-on.

This new set-up is specially designed to illuminate the town’s fine historic buildings. The overall effect will be a stunning festive celebration of our town, and the chance to see Halifax as it’s never been seen before.

The lights have been organised and paid for by Discover Halifax; the nonprofit initiative behind the town’s busy Christmas programme of free events and performances. A significant financial investment, the money has originally come from an annual levy collected by Discover Halifax from more than 700 town centre businesses. It’s expected that the new lights will encourage many more visits to the town centre over the festive period, which in turn will generate extra business for local traders and help

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to offset the lights’ initial cost. The lights themselves will be switched on in midNovember, but even before they are illuminated, visitors to the town will be able to see their beautiful configuration.

To save money and help reduce their environmental impact, eco-friendly LED lights have been used throughout the display.

Other upcoming Christmas events arranged by Discover Halifax include gifting trees, costumed characters, and the now legendary painted window trail, this year complete with amazing animatronics. A festive children’s storybook has been specially written too, referencing familiar local places and supporting a general theme of community and togetherness. There will

be free musical street performances, plus a miniature winter wonderland recreated in Discover Halifax’s HUB information centre at Woolshops. Visitors are invited to call there to enjoy the festive scene, and to grab a free Christmas magazine featuring a useful What’s On section.

Discover Halifax’s Project Manager, Chloe McNeill, explained, “This year we’ve properly gone to town with a stunning design that cleverly captures the beauty of its surrounding historic buildings.

There will be real wow-factor with this display, and we’re confident it’s going to entice more people into the town centre, which is great for local businesses and the town’s economy in general. Of course, it’s great for individuals and families too, because they’ll see a breath-taking new side of Halifax, creating a wonderful backdrop to the whole festive season!”

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LRPR celebrate two years of successful business our clients and the agency, but also allow me to juggle parenthood and two young children alongside the business too.”

“Being a working mum of two means I cannot shy away from the fact that some days I am spinning a lot of plates, and yes at times it feels overwhelming, but what drives me is knowing that we are in the early stages of something truly magnificent.”

Laura Robinson.

It ’s safe to say it ’s been a tumultuous couple of years, for large enterprises and SMEs alike. For many prospective entrepreneurs, the reality of launching a business whilst many others were seeking government funding just to stay afloat, was enough to turn them off the idea completely.

But the case against launching your own business in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, wasn’t quite strong enough to deter PR expert, Laura Robinson.

In November 2020, when the odds were quite frankly stacked against most businesses, Laura launched PR, social media and Events agency, LRPR. Fast forward two years, and the agency has built up an impressive roster of luxury lifestyle clients, executed numerous campaigns, coordinated countless launches and events, created a wealth of varied social content, and made somewhat

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of a name for itself in the north of England.

With countless successes and testimonials behind them, it’s safe to say that LRPR has managed to not just survive but thrive during their first two years of business.

Founder, Laura Robinson, said, “Reaching another landmark and celebrating the second birthday of LRPR fills me with so much pride. The success of the business isn’t just down to me it’s down to the hard work put in by the most amazing team - who not only give everything to

PR & social media senior executive, Holly Harper, said, “People are often surprised at the speed of LRPR’s growth but it’s down to the pace that we work at, and the quality of work that we can execute at that pace. Our results speak for themselves, and that’s what makes our agency attractive to other businesses with a similar work ethic and drive for success.”

LRPR’s latest hire, PR assistant Georgia Stead, said, “We like to label ourselves as a small agency with a big heart, and I think that’s led us to a lot of our successes. This industry is all about leaving lasting impressions, with not just the work that you do, but on the people that you meet. Our team, with our positive, no limits to success attitude, do exactly that.”

Make some magical memories at

The Piece Hall this Christmas Throughout December, the iconic courtyard will become a wintry oasis as it plays host to a glice-skating rink. The season continues with the return of the ever-popular Spiegeltent with shows to entertain all the family from DJ sets to live gigs, classical performances to comedy shows, brass bands to mini raves.

Visitors can evoke the spirit of Christmases past with a ride on the beautiful vintage carousel or snuggle up with a mulled wine or hot chocolate in one of our resident bars or restaurants.

Our independent traders include an unrivalled selection of gift

shops and have everything you need for underneath the tree. From original artworks to toys, books and games, unique keepsakes, stylish homeware and the finest current and vintage fashion, plus jewellery, crystals, handmade chocolates and sweet treats.

So, whether it’s festive family fun, gifts galore, DJs and dancing or sophisticated soirees with friends, The Piece Hall has Christmas all wrapped up!

Find out more and book tickets online at thepiecehall.co.uk The Piece Hall, Halifax, HX1 1RE +44 (0)1422 525200

Freight company celebrates exponential growth HD Group, a freight forwarding company based in Doncaster, with an exponential growth strategy has recently celebrated its third anniversary in business and a projected turnover of £3.5m.

Established by CEO, Kerry Dusi in 2019 from her kitchen table with just her laptop, industry knowledge and a drive to succeed, the business continues to prosper and expand.

Kerry commented; “It’s been an exhilarating three years and to celebrate with my amazing team has been real high point in that time. We have a robust growth and diversification plan in place for 2023 and look forward to driving the business forward and continuing on our trajectory.”

The business, which won Start Up Business of the Year Award at the Doncaster Business Awards just two years ago, now employs over twenty people with ambitious plans to increase this further in 2023.

The HD Group, which already has

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Amazon Platinum Status, has also been accepted as a member of the UK Warehousing Association. This underpins the company’s commitment to operating at exceptionally high standards and delivering its range of freight forwarding, customs and fulfilment services to facilitate global

solutions and playing a key part in the UK supply chain.

Kerry continued; “The last three years have been about establishing a strong business with good people so that we were able to develop a robust five-year plan. Now that I have an experienced and motivated team, I look forward to seeing what we can achieve as HD Group continues to expand both in terms of turnover, team members and services.”

Representing death row:

www.law.ac.uk

An interview with Niall Carlin

Academic Practice Manger, Niall Carlin joined The University of Law in 2016. Prior to this, he travelled to the USA to represent defendants on death row with the charity Amicus. We caught up with Niall to discuss his experiences of practising law in America and how this has influenced his opinions on the death penalty.

pertinent to the work Amicus does for those of us living in the UK:

Houston where I was an intern and my role was like a bit like a UK paralegal – I did a lot of administrative type work in the office but I also went on trips to death row to meet with clients and conducted home visits around Texas with family members of clients to try and gather helpful information for ongoing cases.

The most surprising thing I’ve learnt from Amicus is that so many people in the UK seem to share similar views that I have in relation to these issues, such that they continue to turn out in large numbers for Amicus training twice a year, in addition to actually travelling to the United States to do this work.

It was a brilliant experience, living and working on capital cases in Texas.

I don’t think that the end of the death penalty is guaranteed in our lifetime.

I think a lot of people in the UK may be surprised at how popular capital punishment is among the US public. For example, California is considered to be one of the more liberal States in the US, politically speaking. In 2016, there was a public referendum in California on whether to abolish the death penalty or not (Proposition 62). On a 75% turnout of over 14 million votes, 53% of the electorate voted in favour of retaining capital punishment (46% against).

I decided on a legal career as I was interested in politics and human rights from a young age. The idea of working in law seemed like a practical way of being involved in those areas as a job.

I grew up in Belfast in Northern Ireland, studied undergraduate law at The University of Liverpool, worked as a paralegal for a year after university, and took a year out to do a round-the-world trip. During this time I worked for a law firm representing indigent defendants on death row in Houston in the USA through Amicus. I subsequently lived and worked in New Zealand as a criminal barrister, before returning to the UK to do the bar postgraduate course and qualifying as a barrister. I practised criminal and regulatory law including Crown Court jury trials for 6 years before moving to ULaw in 2016.

When I worked for Amicus, I was based at the Texas Defender Service in

The US is perhaps the most powerful, wealthy and developed country in history.

As such, I would suggest that it has a responsibility to lead by example in issues like criminal law, human rights and politics. At the moment, the death penalty is legal in 28 US states and the US Government and US Military also retain the death penalty. Even aside from the debate as to whether the death penalty should exist at all, there are serious problems with the way it is administered in the United States.

Surprising To name but a few, there are issues in relation to race and arbitrariness of imposition depending on the geographical location of where offences are committed. Also, since 1973, so far, 170 people who have been sent to death row to be executed have been subsequently exonerated.

There is also a quote I like and think is

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

There are lots of ways students can get involved with Amicus. For example, you can start official Amicus groups at university campuses that raise awareness and funding for Amicus (which is a small, independent charity). Students are eligible to attend Amicus training and even go to the United States to do one of their internships.

Full details are available on the Amicus website and/or at the email address: admin@amicusalj.org Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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The Experience Economy Meet the Yorkshire Business Woman who says the festive focus this year needs to be on spending less, but gaining more…

As people’s spending power is tightly squeezed and a more frugal festive period is predicted from experts nationwide, shoppers from Yorkshire have confirmed they will be tightening the purse strings this Christmas compared to the more lavish post lockdown spending of last year, and say that it’s experiences that they want.

According to a national survey published by KPMG, a third of UK households are already trading down to cheaper products and making use of promotions, and a quarter said they were shopping at less expensive retailers.

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A survey of Christmas Spending Habits, conducted by Yorkshire-based experiential gifting company, Uniquely Local , shows that their customers are of the same mind with the majority saying they will only spend between £30-£50 on close friends and family

this year – with 24.5% saying their budget would be at the bottom end of this - £30, in comparison to last year’s Uniquely Local figures showing that the average order value was £86.90 last November/December.

Founder of Uniquely Local, NorthYorkshire-based Rachel Marshall said; “It’s clear that people want to spend less money, but what they do spend, they want it to be on experiences, so that we can enjoy life and moments, even as cost of living continues to rise.”

72% of those surveyed said that they would prefer to gift a food and drink experience with 50% saying they prefer a crafty or creative experience and 43% saying they would choose a health and wellbeing experience.

Leading positive psychologist, Niyc Pidgeon, explains that this all comes down to our inherent human desire to feel safe and that we have somewhere we belong: “When we are faced with change and uncertainty we can find grounding through connecting with ourselves and with other people. We spent so long in isolation during lockdowns we are now seeking more in person connection. This Christmas will be all about connection. Positive relationships allow us to feel supported, seen and heard, and through sharing experiences together we can build bonds, deepen relationships, and feel more secure and stable no matter what goes on in the wider world…

“When our attentions might be drawn to having to budget, we can often associate negativity with this because it suggests we are losing something, sacrificing, or missing out. Our opportunity lays in re-orienting our focus to what we can, in fact, gain through times of transition. Joy, gratitude, and love are always free - and there’s so much we can create that recognise the value in presence, simplicity, and working with what we’ve got.

“Mental health is both a challenge and an opportunity right now - and reminding ourselves of our power to take control and focus on what’s good is a great way of staying positive in difficult times” Following their survey results Uniquely local have taken on board what their customers are asking for and have published a round up of their budget friendly experiences in ‘Top 30 Yorkshire-based Experiential Gifts for

Under £30’); these include Vineyard and Brewery tours to Alpaca Morning Walks, Cosmetic Making Workshop to Clay DIY gift packs, Superhero Photoshoots to Bird of Prey flying experiences.

Rachel said: “We are all responding where we can – altering how much we buy, what we buy and where we buy it. The festive focus this year needs to be on spending less but gaining more.

I wanted to find quality alternatives to giving more ‘stuff’ and set out to find gift experiences that would create lasting memories...

People don’t want to spend as much money on gifting as they may have done previously, yet they are still craving

connection and experiences together for ‘life appreciation’.

Rachel adds: “Even the big name retailers are responding to the newly named ‘experience or moments economy’, with companies like John Lewis positioning themselves as being there “for all life’s moments”, as they too adapt to the shift in consumer spending habits.”

The idea for Uniquely Local came from Rachel’s desire to find interesting, memorable experience gifts that she’d be pleased to receive, she said; “I wanted to find quality alternatives to giving more ‘stuff ’ and set out to find gift experiences that would create lasting memories and this year we’ve gone even further with making these accessible to allan approach that sets us apart from other experiential gifting companies who promote more exclusive and expensive experiences.

Reining in your spending doesn’t have to mean terrible gifts… actually some of our experiential offers could make for a happier Christmas, with many moments to look forward to in 2023.”

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Stephanie knows if you ‘Believe’ you will ‘Achieve’

All images - Roth Read Photography - Outfits on location John Lewis Leeds

The latest ambassador to join the Yorkshire Businesswoman network is Broadcaster Stephanie Hirst who has already attended several our events.

Group editor Gill Laidler caught up with Stephanie recently to find out a little more about her.

Stephanie always wanted to work in radio, ringing her local radio station and bugging most DJs who were on air back then, so much they stopped answering the phone to her!

“Eventually one of the DJ’s, a wonderful guy called Paul Stead who went on to create award winning TV shows such as The Yorkshire Vet and This Week on The Farm,

30 Y o r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s W o m a n

gave in to my pleas for a visit to the station allowing me the golden opportunity to be a ‘helper’ on his show,” Steph explained. “This basically entailed making tea, filing records and CDs back into the record library and generally helping with anything he and the other DJs needed for their programmes. This was truly invaluable experience,” she continued, “as it gave me the tools, I needed to carve out the career I went on to build, oh and I still make a cracking cuppa” she laughed.

Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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Stephanie had one single goal, and nothing was going to stop her, despite being severely bullied at school, believing she was an easy target never fighting back, so her way of avoiding another beating at the school gates, she stayed behind an extra 10-15 minutes in the school library, reading anything she could get her hands on.

Incredible “One day in a particular book, I came across a paragraph which read something like ‘and she believed and achieved’. This spoke to me in the most powerful way, so I took those two words ‘Believe Achieve’ and made them into my daily motto. This helped guide me to my dream of getting my own show.”

Eventually Stephanie was in luck, at 16 years old one of the DJ’s was off one night and she got the call to stand in or him on the overnight show. “This was incredible and set me on the path to my career, hosting some of the biggest radio shows in the industry,” she said.

“I didn’t attend further education; I was average academically and had to work a lot harder than the other kids when it came to exams and academic learning, but I knew I wanted to work in radio from the age of 7 and I was dead set on achieving that goal. I learnt a whole lot more from being around well-educated people in the school of life once I left and honed the practical skills, I needed to develop my craft. There are many ways to achieve your goal if you know what you want and are prepared to put in the work, and that’s what I tell younger people when they tell me they are rubbish at school - don’t let poor exam results stop you!

I did do one of the first ever BTEC

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FACT FILE: Husband / partner name: Single again! WHERE ARE YOU???!!!

Children (if any): My Cat Kenny. He loves cuddles, so technically he’s, my baby!

What car do you drive?

Range Rover Velar, Aston M a r t i n Va n t a g e a n d a vintage 80s Vauxhall Nova (I still own my first car!)

What do you do in your leisure time? Relax, and try to switch off with extreme difficulty.

Where is your favourite restaurant? The Ivy honestly, I could eat their Shepherd’s Pie every day!

What is your favourite food and drink? Any fish dishes and a good curry. I’ve currently given up drinking as it sends my sinuses crazy!!

Where is your favourite holiday destination? Ibiza and The Maldives (can I have 2? Ha!) Where is your favourite place in Yorkshire? Emley Moor What is your favourite gadget? My Airpod Pro’s What couldn’t you live without? My friends. I don’t have a huge family, so my friends are my family…oh and music!!

media courses in the country at the wonderful Barnsley College too and now I am extremely fortunate to have been granted an Honorary Doctorate from Leeds Beckett University in 2016 for my services to public life & broadcasting.

So, what is a typical day like? “As I’d made the scary decision to stop broadcasting Monday to Friday, I don’t have the routine of which I’d become accustomed to, meaning each day is totally different.

“Some days I can be working with different companies arranging the next keynote which I am about to deliver, the next, I could be somewhere else in the country at business’s large and small or conferences delivering ‘Believe Achieve’.

“I’m also an occasional panellist on Jeremy Vine on 5, I even appeared on Loose Women earlier this year, TV is always fun to do. I can also be found on stage hosting and DJ’ing at events or festivals and then there’s being back in the radio studio working on my weekend shows along with mentoring/consulting for the next generation of broadcasters coming through, as I am a trustee and fellow of the Radio Academy which is the radio industries charity,” she continued, “I also got into property back in the 00’s, so troublesome tenants and boilers can keep me busy too!”

Ambitious The pandemic was a difficult period for everyone, we asked Stephanie how it affected her. “I was on the air at the BBC during the first 18 months of the pandemic and it’s only now I’m beginning to process that period. I guess looking back, one of the hardest things was to wrap my head around is when I

come across one of my old running orders from the show which I kept.

“These have my written notes on, along with any ideas I’ve had during the show, things to mention, doodles etc.

What’s different about the ones from the height of the pandemic, is there are numbers on them, usually which I’ve written in the bottom right-hand corner, from the daily briefings, so I could summarise what had just been delivered in my recap,” She continued.

“Those are the number of lives which were lost that day. With each running order, the numbers increase.

Those are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, peoples loved ones, truly heart-breaking.

“I lost my own father during the pandemic, which along with the times

I realised that if I could share my personal story of coming from a working-class council estate, to being in a studio with stars like Beyonce, then losing it all and finally clawing my way back to two National radio weekend shows...

we were living in, made me re-evaluate my life. I’d worked so hard to get my

career back on track after some rather big changes some years before and although I love radio with every fibre of my being, I felt that I needed to climb some other mountains in my life, plus there is only so much Ed Sheeran one can play!”

Achieve Stephanie had always enjoyed public speaking, helping to motivate, inspire and educate others, as this is something she’d been doing on and off for several years. “This led me to develop a powerful talk around those two words, ‘Believe Achieve’ I’d seen at school all those years before.

“I realised that if I could share my personal story of coming from a working-class council estate, to being in a studio with stars like Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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Beyonce, then losing it all and finally clawing my way back to two National radio weekend shows people will surely draw strength from that?

And hopefully use those two words like I did, to engage their minds into a state of belief, so that they can achieve their wildest dreams, personally and professionally. The doubters, someone in a position of power recently said to me, “that’s a bit ambitious’ when I threw my name forward for something. Maybe they were trying to be a dream crusher, but all they have done is fuelled the fire within. I’ve even written the words they said on my note pad on the fridge door to remind me that anything is achievable.

So, if she was starting over again, what would she do differently? “I’d be less of a geek! I was too obsessive about radio and the nerdy details about it all. I was just too hungry to succeed and wanted to know every single detail about how the ‘machine of radio’ worked. I know a lot of people didn’t take me seriously and doubted my ability, due to the fact I’d been working there since I was 12 and the turnover of staff was high. It took me until the age of 17 or 18 to step back, mature and grow up.

“I feel incredibly lucky to be involved in

“When we are young, we spend so

34 Y o r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s W o m a n

so many different aspects of creative work. It makes me feel alive.”

Privilege

much time worrying about the dramas of everyday life, that we get caught up in and lose track of the bigger picture.

I’ve also learnt to trust my gut instinct a whole lot more as I have got older.”

So, what are Stephanie’s plans? I want to grow my ‘Believe Achieve’ businesses internationally, speaking on the world’s biggest stages, along with continuing to broadcast nationally. I still love radio with all my heart and can never see a day where I will stop being on air. It’s an honour and a privilege to broadcast behind a live microphone and I never take it for granted that the listener invites me into their lives. I adore collaborations too and meeting new people to work on fun projects,” she concluded.

towards making grants for one of the priorities you choose. Plus, in the first year we will match fund your membership to double the amount going towards making grants. If you are a Foundation Club member, your membership fee is £600 so £1200 will go towards grants which we will give out to charities in Calderdale.

CFFC Events bring people who care about Calderdale together The Community Foundation for Calderdale have been hosting popular monthly networking events as part of their membership scheme. These events are for anyone who cares about making Calderdale a nicer place to live and welcome individuals, businesses as well as charities who want to connect with like minded people.

There are different levels of membership, you can choose the one that’s right for you. Not-for-Profit organisations can join for £10 per year, individuals or small businesses/ sole traders can join for £120 annually or £10 per month and larger businesses can join for £600 annually or £50 per month.

There will be monthly business networking events where you can meet like- minded local people who care about making a difference in Calderdale.

For more information and to join, visit https://cffc.co.uk/ foundation-club/

100% of your membership fee goes

Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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mistakes and become demotivated.

Ho w e v e r, w e c a n l e a r n f r o m mistakes and it’s crucial that we take the time to reflect whenever we make one. Learning different ways of doing things will help keep you motivated.

Raise self-awareness One of the most important skills in business is to be self-aware. It can be easy to blame external factors.

The fact is though that everything we say or do is a response to a thought we’ve had, and our thoughts come from ourselves. When we are aware of what impacts our thought patterns and our motivation, we can do something about it.

Eight ways to keep motivated in business

By Ros Jone s - Busin ess Co a ch

Growing a successful business can be great fun,exhilarating and highly rewarding. It is also hard work. There will be times when you may feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and demotivated.

How can you stay motivated to keep going to build a successful business? Here are 8 tips.

Set goals Once you’re clear about your reason for being in business, it’s time to set yourself some goals. Have a mix of long term and shorter-term goals.

If all your goals are long term, it’s easy to put off the action needed to achieve them till sometime in the future. Make sure they’re motivating goals that excite you!

Raise your energy Our energy levels will drop when we lose motivation. So, it’s important to keep your energy up. Easy ways to boost your energy are to take some exercise, eat nutritious food or get some fresh air.

Create the right environment Be sure your working environment is helping to support your motivation.

Maybe you need to change the space you work in or surround yourself with people who will help keep you motivated.

Accountability

Get clarity on the purpose of your business When you really believe in something, you’ll be inspired to take action, whatever stands in your way. Get really clear on the ultimate purpose of your business. If it’s not a big enough reason, it’s unlikely you’ll remain motivated when the inevitable tough times occur.

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Celebrate It’s important to reward yourself for all successes, however small they may seem. Anticipation of a reward will help keep you motivated to keep going.

Learn from mistakes It can be easy to blame ourselves for

Finally, if you find it difficult to keep yourself motivated, despite the steps above, then get yourself an accountability buddy who you get to report your progress to.

Ros Jones, Coaching & Personal Development rosjones@businesswellbeing. club

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Helmsley brings The Alchemist to York

Helmsley Group has announced that leading bar and restaurant The Alchemist is set to open at its The Coach House building in York.

and it is testament to the strength of The Coach House’s offer that it has chosen the location ahead of other venues in the city.

Street through its Coney Street Riverside masterplan and follows it securing other prominent leisure operators in the area, including Rosa’s Thai Café.

“When we acquired The Coach House, we said it offered a rare and exceptional leisure opportunity for a forward thinking and prominent leisure operator to open a significant bar and / or restaurant in the heart of York’s thriving retail core. The Alchemist fits both these criteria entirely and we are delighted to have them on board.

The property investment and development specialist has agreed a letting to The Alchemist. Subject to planning and licensing approvals, it will be The Alchemist’s first venue in the city.

Helmsley has also revealed that it is accelerating plans to redevelop the upper floors of the three-storey building, located on the corner of Nessgate and Ousegate, for residential use following planning approval.

The move comes as Helmsley finalises its vision for the regeneration of neighbouring Coney

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The Alchemist, which has more than 20 bar and restaurant venues in prime city centre locations across the UK, is set to take the ground and basement levels of The Coach House which offer “This is another positive addition almost 5,000 sq ft of open-plan to Coney Street and neighbouring areas and complements our exciting floor space. vision to revitalise this part of the To m R i d d o l l s , d e v e l o p m e n t city centre, including opening up surveyor said: “The Alchemist is a the riverfront for the enjoyment fantastic brand to welcome to York of all.”

Greenarc Ltd recognised as one of Britain’s fastest-growing companies Greenarc Ltd is a national supplier of residential and commercial fuels which includes: HVO, a 100 per cent renewable diesel alternative that reduces CO2e by up to ninety per cent.

Their latest division supports the decarbonisation of homes and businesses by providing customers with the knowledge and advice on their journey to achieving carbon neutrality.

Chairman Chris Bingham founded the West Yorkshire-based company following on from the success of fuel distributor Craggs Energy.

Greenarc is ranked fourteenth in the UK on the list, the company employs 10 people and achieved sales of £17.8 million in 2021.

Chris said: “We are so proud to be recognised on such a prestigious list alongside other fantastic growing businesses, especially to be ranking

We are so proud to be recognised on such a prestigious list alongside other fantastic growing businesses...

ever before. We are looking forward to the future opportunities and rewards Greenarc will bring to our Craggs Energy Group of businesses.”

The ranking of Gree narc Ltd in the top 20 of the fastest-growing private companies recognises the business for its sustained growth, creation of jobs and profitability.

The league table takes on the baton from The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 se ries, which celebrated the country’s leading entrepreneurs for 24 years. The 2022 league table is supported by Barclays Private Bank and DHL Express.

in the top 20. It’s been a difficult few years for many businesses, but luckily due to the dedication of our teams and sustained growth we’ve emerged bigger and stronger than Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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Emma commented: “I am delighted to be joining rradar at such an exciting time, particularly at a critical part of its growth . After meeting the leade rship team, it’s clear to me that the firm is committed to offering a different, smarter and competitive way of managing intellectual property issues for its clients.

Emma Yates joins rradar as head of intellectual property

“rradar has a fantastic reputation within the legal sector in the UK and it is a privilege to be joining such a well-respected firm. This is a tremendous opportunity for me and I look forward to establishing rradar as one of the leading and most-respected IP advisers in the north of England and beyond.”

Gary Gallen, rradar’s founder and chief executive officer, added: “Emma’s significant appointment further demonstrates that rradar is always at the cutting edge of our sector and that we are in pole position to support our clients with whatever issues they face.

rradar, the leading UK litigation and commercial law firm which specialises in digital and insurance innovation, has announced the appointment of Emma Yates as its new head “As one of the fastest-growing of Intellectual Property.

Emma’s appointment sees the “ B e f o r e j o i n i n g, E m m a w a s a strengthening of the Intellectual senior associate (IP Litigation and Property practice area for the multi- Defamation) with Irwin Mitchell in awarding winning and fast-growing Leeds where she represented the full spectrum of clients from small law firm. owner-managed businesses, to large rradar’s head office is in Hull, with corporations in relation to IP and other UK offices in Leeds, Glasgow, defamation disputes and advisory Birmingham and Leicester, with the matters in the UK and EU (prior firm now employing over 160 staff to Brexit). across its locations.

“IP is a high value and fast growing Richard Crabb, rradar’s chief operating niche area in the legal landscape, and officer, commented: “I am delighted to represents a specialist growth area announce that Emma has joined rradar. for rradar that will contribute to the She brings a wealth of expertise, having continued expansion of the business established herself as an intellectual and support our vision within the property (IP) law specialist, with a insurance and non-insurance arenas.” particular focus on disputes.

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law firms in the country, we are very proud of what we are achieving – and what we have achieved at rradar in the 10 years since the company was founded. Our business growth, underpinned by increased turnover and an expanding workforce, is both swift and sustainable. We now have the potential and the expertise to scale-up to be a global player within the legal sector, as we strengthen our customer services and solutions as part of our five-year strategic plan.”

Before joining Irwin Mitchell in 2015 Emma trained in London and studied at University College London and the University of Pennsylvania.

www.chadwicklawrence.co.uk

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42 Y o r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s W o m a n

A day in the life of a detective constable:

Caroline Anderson, South Yorkshire Police Caroline Anderson joined South Yorkshire Police via Police Now’s National Detective Programme in January 2021. She was recently nominated for Student Officer of the Year in her force, for her proactive approach to training, her engagement with Police Now, and her work to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) alongside her force colleagues. Caroline shares with us what it’s like working as a detective constable and offers advice to others in the service or those considering a career in policing.

Why did you decide to train as a detective constable on Police Now’s National Detective Programme?

I have had a somewhat unusual journey into South Yorkshire Police (SYP), having specialised in music before coming across Police Now’s programme.

I grew up in Northern Ireland but moved to England to study music at the University of Huddersfield and ended up working as a secondary school music teacher. Working as a teacher in a relatively deprived

area was my first real experience of dealing with vulnerability and safeguarding children. I had students who were in the care system or often went missing from home, and I tried to support them and make a positive impact on their lives the best I could.

I wanted to take this further, and I was looking for a new role that would be challenging and allow me to make a difference in society. That’s when I came across Police Now’s programme, which would allow me to train as a detective and investigate serious criminality from the very start of my policing career. Police

Now’s mission and its emphasis on diversity and inclusion also spoke to my personal values; I was keen to be part of an organisation that actively drives positive social change.

What does a day in the life of a detective constable look like?

Every day in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is different, so it’s hard to describe an average day. It depends what investigation you’re working on and what new cases come in. Some days you may be interviewing a prisoner, collating crime scene evidence, or taking victim or witness statements.

Other days you might be working with partner agencies to implement safeguarding measures for vulnerable members of the community or working with the force’s domestic abuse team. Often, cases are not as clear cut as they might first appear.

You must look at all the sides of a story and be thorough in your investigation. FF Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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We work to secure justice for victims of crime, prevent repeat offences and support those who need us the most.

We do have to work hard to build trust and rapport with victims of crime and other members of the community.

For me, seeing someone go from not wanting to work with the police to fully supporting our investigation and getting a positive outcome in court is one of the best parts of the job.

Knowing I am making a positive impact On someone’s life and contributing to building public confidence in policing this way is incredible and very rewarding.

Can you tell us about a case you have worked on or a piece of work you are particularly proud of?

There are a lot of cases that I have worked on in the short time I have been in force. I recently worked on an intense investigation, which was prompted by a serious safeguarding issue that my colleagues from our Firearms and Response units attended. It was a very difficult case and we worked extremely hard to collate evidence in the immediate aftermath.

I can’t talk too much about it while proceedings are active but thanks to our work two people have been charged with two counts of kidnap, two counts of false imprisonment, two counts of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, and a charge of Section 18 wounding.

Working on something like that was physically and mentally exhausting but knowing that we were able to support the victim and progress the investigation makes it one of the proudest days of my career so far.

I’m also proud to have recently been nominated for Student Officer of the Year. I received the nomination for

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proactively seeking experiences within force (including in the Major Crime Unit, Neighbourhood Policing Teams, and Response team), working with Police Now’s leadership team as part of their national impact committee, and for volunteering my time to engage in SYP’s ‘No More’ media campaign - part of the national campaign to eradicate Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Though it’s not the reason I do the job, receiving the nomination and being recognised by my colleagues definitely put a smile on my face.

I have never felt that my team have treated me any differently for being a woman, and the respect that they show me definitely helps with my personal wellbeing...

How do you ensure you look after your wellbeing in such a demanding role?

That’s a tricky question! As a detective constable, we do see a lot of awful things.

In some ways you get used to it but there are always cases which stick with you.

Personally, I’ve benefited from working on great teams and being around colleagues who really support one another. In South Yorkshire Police we have a wide range of support available (my personal favourite being when the Oscar Kilo wellbeing dogs visit!). My advice to other officers would be to put aside time to reflect on what you’ve experienced that day and process how

you’re feeling. It’s important to recognise when you’re tired or when you do need that little bit of extra support and it’s okay to reach out to your colleagues or friends and family. Trying to prioritise quality time and ensuring you actually do rest on your days off is really important too.

When I first joined the force, I was sometimes conscious of being a woman in a predominantly male environment and I wanted to act tough and not show any vulnerability. But I have never felt that my team have treated me any differently for being a woman, and the respect that they show me definitely helps with my personal wellbeing. I’d encourage other officers to remember that when they’re working in a team, because your actions and the support you show one another does make a difference.

Do you have any other advice for someone considering a career in policing?

My advice would be to go for it. Joining Police Now’s National Detective Programme and working in South Yorkshire Police is the best decision I’ve ever made.

There is a lot of pressure as a detective constable and it’s a challenging role, but really putting in that hard work and seeing the positive results is what makes it one of the most rewarding careers in the world.

Police Now’s programme is very demanding but the academy training, the support in place and the opportunities that have been afforded to me have been brilliant. I don’t think people realise just how much variety there is within the policing sector until they join; I’ll definitely never be bored or lacking in opportunities and I can’t wait to see where my career takes me next.

Inspirational businesswomen in Wakefield We sat down with Karen Starkey, head of HR at Conservatory Outlet in Wakefield to talk all things business in Wakefield, overcoming challenges and advice to women in business. do well and progress and we have some great success stories from the apprenticeship programme we offer.

I am particularly proud of the number of apprentices we have supported in the business and the achievement of the Investor in People accreditation, which we are continuing and aim to “go for gold” standard.

Tell us about you and your role at Conservatory Outlet.

I joined Conservatory Outlet back in 2015, as head of HR. At that time, we had a team of 100 staff, one site, and a focus on growth, development, and investment in the innovation of new machinery. The business has experienced year-on-year growth from a turnover of £14.9m in 2015 to a turnover of £29m in 2021. As the business grew my role grew and I took on the responsibility as a Group Head of HR supporting our sister companies in Preston and Newcastle. We also provide HR support and advice when required to our network of dealers.

The sharing of best practises is embedded within our business model.

I work closely across all departments including operations, manufacturing, environment, and health and safety.

My role is varied and covers the full employee life cycle. I love seeing people

What have been the biggest challenges in your career to date and how did you overcome them?

I started my working life in office roles, eventually moving into finance departments. I progressed to Accounts Office Manager at a company based in Ossett. In 1998 I was allowed to move from working in a finance role to one in HR. I knew I needed to gain formal professional qualifications and studying HR was far more appealing to me than qualifying in finance, (although I now realise numbers are probably easier than people!) I undertook a four-year study to qualify as a Chartered Member of the CIPD. Working full time, undertaking a part-time degree, having two young children, and a husband who worked shifts down T’pit was not an easy challenge. I was super proud when I graduated in 2022 from the University of Huddersfield.

What is it about Wakefield district that works as a place to do business for you?

I am a born and bred, true Shakey Wakey girl and spent a lot of my younger years on the Westgate run. I strongly believe that Wakefield is a great place to work, live and play. The opportunities and diversity of businesses provide a great place to develop your career. The down-to-earth, honesty, and skills of the people, plus the infrastructure and the local support are huge assets to businesses. We have a fantastic team of people who we have recruited from the Wakefield District. I am involved with the Wakefield Manufacturing Forum, and we thrive on sharing best practises and supporting our businesses to develop. I am an Enterprise Advisor for Wakefield College and a Trustee on the Board of The Youth Association. I love sharing my experiences and knowledge to help others.

If you could give one piece of advice to other women in business, what would it be?

Work hard, play hard, stay strong, have buckets full of robustness and resilience, and treat people with respect. Believe in yourself and challenge the norm.

What is your favourite way to relax after work?

My two grandchildren are my favourite way to spend time, I also love going on walks with my black Labrador and enjoy a good book. I love all things music with the Motown era being my favourite.

And whilst not that relaxing I have thoroughly enjoyed updating my home, designing, and refurbishing each room has been great.

Follow us on social media: Twitter: @Wakefieldfirst LinkedIn: Wakefield First

Altrient Liposomal supplements.

The gold standard nutritional supplements turning heads in the health and beauty industry Altrient offers a very small range of gold standard products carefully selected that help create improved health from within at a cellular level.

Altrient has won numerous awards and accolades globally including most recently Best Vitamin C Supplement

by Woman & Home Beauty Awards 2022 and has been featured in many magazines and wellbeing platforms from Vogue, Top Sante, Sports nutrition, Marie Clare “I came across Altrient whilst researching the most effective Vitamin C and other supplements on the market, said YBW member Freda Shafi, what struck me was the science behind these supplements.

Some heavy hitting research and development by specialist doctors and clinicians who understand the complexity of the dosage, stability and absorption of vitamins in our bodies, as well as the most efficient delivery into our system at cellular level. This basically means that these supplements are not broken down in our gut through the digestive process because they are coated in a special liposomal layer that protects them and stops them being rendered inactive.”

What are liposomes?

Liposomes are clever sub-microscopic phospholipid bubbles with an outer membrane consisting of a double layer of phospholipids, very similar

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in structure to the phospholipid membrane that surrounds human ce l l s. L i p o s o m e s a re a bl e to encapsulate nutrients like vitamin C and transport them rapidly to the bloodstream and to the cells whilst protecting them from oxidation and degradation . The research that is written by doctors, professors, pharmacists back t his up giving this brand the gravitas it deserves.

Furthermore the supplements are tried and tested and used by athletes,

sports people and many high profile celebrities - the testimonials from them as shown below really do speak for themselves!

Why choose a liposomal form of vitamin C? D r L e v y w h o i s a p a s s i o n a te advocator of liposomal vitamin C summarises the advantages of this form of vitamin C supplementation.

One of the primary benefits of

iron as I know I am, vitamin C assists my absorption.

It can be used by the whole family including children.*

As with all supplements taken by children please do consult with a doctor paediatrician

Altrient’s liposomal vitamin C is a near complete absorption of the encapsulated ascorbate into the bloodstream. Dr Levy is not alone in his opinion, a substantial number of studies have already documented the versatile advantages of using liposomes for targeted site-specific delivery and efficient absorption through cells.

Vitamin C and premature ageing - Evidence suggests that oxidative damage to the energy producing mitochondria in our cells may be associated with premature ageing, it is a key nutrient for collagen synthesis.

The holy grail of skin care, research shows that vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation (the body’s major structural and building protein), which is important for the growth and health of bones, cartilage, teeth, gums, ligaments, skin and blood vessels

at the effects of liposomal Altrient C on skin health and collagen production.

Favourable results were seen in terms of skin tone, elasticity and hydration after taking just 3 sachets of Altrient C for 16 weeks.

Other vital reasons to take vitamin C include Immune system support Vitamin C is known to contribute to the normal function of the immune system so for those prone to picking up frequent infections, vitamin C is a key nutrient to focus on as well as skin benefits The top advantages of Altrient C • Immune system support • More efficient absorption • Convenient

“I invested in The Vitamin C, B Complex.

I was offered a skin test before starting on the vitamin C which amongst many other benefits, rejuvenates the skin elasticity by up to 61%. Of course I’m up for that! I’m currently on month 2 of taking the Vitamin C and already I see a massive difference in my skin texture, radiance, elasticity and more.

I’m impressed. Again, this is all backed up by clinical trials and research,”added Frieda.

Here are some facts we all need to know about the vital role of vitamin C and why we need it: Vitamin C plays a key role in contributing to the normal function of the nervous system, immune system, skin function and metabolism to supporting mind and mood.

It facilitates Immune system function – probably the most critical thing during the winter months to protect us from the dreaded lergies! Absorption and metabolism of iron; if you’re low on

How does vitamin C nourish skin from within?

Looking after supple healthy skin involves targeting the underlying skin cells responsible for collagen production and renewal. As we age, our ability to produce new collagen declines which tends to affect skin hydration, elasticity and tone resulting in the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and the visible signs of ageing. Diminished collagen levels could also mean that the skin becomes less able to provide an effective barrier to infection.

Maintaining adequate collagen as we grow older may be part of the youthful skin solution, but this requires the help of vitamin C. Studies have established that vitamin C is an essential nutrient that contributes to the formation of collagen for the normal function of skin.

The remarkable skin benefits of vitamin C were demonstrated recently in a clinical study, which looked specifically

• Two nutrients for the price of one! – Altrient C contains 1000mg of vitamin C plus 500mg of EFA rich phospholipids.

Some key Testimonials : Gwyneth Paltrow-I rely on these vitamin C packets. with 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C and essential phospholipids Rita Ora-It’s a vitamin C supplement that I’m super-strict with, because vitamins really help keep me together.

Suki Waterhouse-“I need to be healthy for Fashion Week. The best thing I have ever come across for my immune system is the Vitamin C sachets from Altrient.

Trinny Woodall-“ [b12 supplements for jet lag], Altrient for vitamic C, elderberry tincture for healing any bronchial infection.’”

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Members treated to festive sparkles at John Lewis All Images: Roth Read Photographyy

Many of our members and their guests joined us for bubbly and a styling masterclass at our last event at the beginning of November, held within the John Lewis Leeds store.

Members and guests were treated to a style demonstration by the professional style team, showing some of their lovely Christmas range, before being allowed to shop within the store whilst closed to the general public.

In October, our networking was in our usual home of Dakota Hotel Leeds, hosted by member Becky Hopwood from You Be Media, where we were joined by two fabulous guest speakers, Rachel

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Dilley from Town Hall Dental and Lubna Khan.

Our next event takes place on 3rd February at Dakota Leeds at the usual time of 3pm to 5pm. When we will share details of our Christmas party held as we went to print.

Members can head over to the members area of the website to reserve their place and guests can sign up on our website www.yorkshirebusinesswoman.co.uk

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50 Y o r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s W o m a n

WE HAVE IT COVERED! COMING MAY 2023

When it comes to beauty, you don’t have to be one size, one shape, one age, one colour, one ability... you just have to be you.

Join the Yorkshire beauty revolution

theisyorkshirebeauty www.thisisyorkshirebeauty.com

Promoting Yorkshire business news: Available by direct subscription, call for details.

For your personal copy email pr@topicuk.co.uk or call 07711 539047

Enjoy winter walks at YSP

Plan your visit ysp.org.uk

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG 1 mile from M1 J38

Sean Scully, Crate of Air, 2018. Photo © Jonty Wilde, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Registered charity 1067908.

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Supportive growth with Northern Max Accelerator is BACK!

The Northern Max Accelerator programme is returning in early 2023, providing a springboard for young, ambitious businesses that aspire to dynamic growth.

essential business skills. We sat down with Marketing and Communications manager, Daneile Moore from Leeds City Council (AD:VENTURE) to find out more about this hugely popular support programme.

Now in its 6th year, Northern Max Accelerator offers the optimal business support blend of mentoring, peer support and funding prospects. The scheme is also dedicated to providing great opportunities to strengthen

Daneile, can you explain the Northern Max Accelerator programme?

This is a fantastic opportunity for businesses in the Leeds City Region, with a particular focus on Bradford

based start-ups. Over a 10-week period, our participants will benefit from indepth training, support, and access to funding. We know that a business with strong roots will become ready for expansion and remain resilient in the face of future challenges. So this is a chance for us to work closely with a cohort of ambitious individuals, giving them training on finance and recruitment, plus an understanding of their value and importance of their customer profile. It’s an intensive 10week period of development and growth.

There’s really nothing else like this for businesses in our region.

Can any type of business apply?

We would love to hear from young, digital and technology-focused businesses – this covers a range of different industries! In many ways, this diversity is what makes the programme so great, because we assemble a dynamic group of people that will really add value to the conversations in the room and

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look to support one another. We ask that the business works predominantly B2B and is within the first 3 years of trading.

What kind of peer support can the applicants expect?

We often find that the peer support aspect of this programme generates the best feedback. It’s all about forming a group of professional peers that comes together to discuss the workshops, offering advice and supporting one another through challenges they may encounter as young businesses. It’s not unusual for delegates to look to recruit for the very first time while on Northern Max. Others will be at the crucial stage of preparing their business for investment. These are exciting but nerve-wracking times! The workshops that the 10x10 model offers delve into all the vital textbook stuff businesses need to know – but it’s the conversations that happen in the room that really give the group a chance to unpick and learn from each other. It’s fantastic to see.

So, as the programme is now in its 6th – it must be doing something right?

Absolutely! We’re really lucky to have the chance to run this programme again. The team at Greenborough are marvellous at understanding the businesses, what they need in workshops and identifying the right kind of mentors for the individuals.

What do the workshops cover?

You can expect to create a business plan, set goals, understand your audience and your route to market, consider future business growth strategies - and more!

This is absolutely something that will stay with you for years to come, so it’s invaluable. Everything comes together when the delegates deliver their live pitch in the final event. This is when we get to see what the delegates have learned over the 10-week programme, and how they’re applying it to their own unique business requirements.

Northern Max delegates. The mentors assigned in the programme are also there to provide long term support, if needed.

The best thing though, has to be the peer support and the friendships that form in the room. This sense of being part of a close-knit business community stays with the group. We hope that these delegates will continue to support each other through the challenges of growth, as they develop their businesses in tandem.

You can learn more about the Northern Max Accelerator programme and register your interest, here https://www.ad-venture.org.uk/ northernmaxaccelerator/Youcanlearn moreabouttheNorthernMaxAccelerator programme and register your interest, here-https://www.ad-venture.org.uk/ northernmaxaccelerator/

Is there support available for businesses after the programme?

AD:VENTURE supports new businesses for up to 3 years, so the journey certainly doesn’t stop when the 10 weeks end. We ensure that access to grants, funding and further workshops are all open to Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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A love of the countryside leads to artistic career Eleanor Tomlinson is an award-winning artist and illustrator based near South Cave, East Yorkshire.

She has always been inspired by her home amongst the Yorkshire countryside, due to there forever being the odd field mouse dashing around the kitchen or a family of squirrels living in the attic. So, this is what she started to draw and paint, always fascinated by the wildlife she found herself surrounded by.

Eleanor prides herself, as a professional artist, on creating beautifully personal pieces. Eleanor has developed these into greetings cards, stationery, print and homeware ranges. All products are produced with leading British manufacturers and suppliers and are currently stocked in various independent galleries and retailers across the UK.

Yorkshire Businesswoman editor Gill Laidler caught up with Eleanor recently to find out more about this talented artist.

Eleanor studied illustration at degree level, initially at Cambridge School of Art for a year before transferring back to York St John university to continue years two and three. “My first year at university was a learning curve in so many ways, both personally and professionally,” she said. “Within weeks of moving to a different city I quickly realised this was not best suited to me. I wanted to be self-employed, creating my own work with no ‘house-style’ and the course didn’t seem to support this. I found this by moving to St John in York.”

Leaving university, Eleanor made the decision to become a full-time businesswoman, working from the comfort of her own home, being her own boss. “Many of the decisions I made were because of having Asperger’s. I was diagnosed at 17 whilst studying for my A levels,” she explained. “By being my own boss, I could exploit certain traits Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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being in a role where no one can really advise you or tell you what the best decision is, I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure I am doing not only is what right for me, but also the business. It’s getting easier and I just make sure, wherever possible, I am putting myself out there (not something that comes naturally as an introvert but is crucial having your own business).

“I am so proud of everything I have achieved at the age of 24 and know that there isn’t anything I would have done differently, I’ve given everything my best.”

of my condition, mainly the obsessional ‘all or nothing’ nature I have towards my passions.”

Like so many other businesses, the global pandemic brought big changes to how Eleanor works, particularly how she shows her artwork and meeting existing and new customers with so many events and shows cancelled.

“Everything moved online but I’m excited to be back in person at more events this year. Things were put on hold for a while, but I am excited to be starting new group workshops later this year,” she explained.

So, what is the best part of Eleanor’s role? “That must be variability and how no two days are ever the same.

For example, each commission is so FACT FILE:Husband / partner name: None Children: None, I have a couple of fur babies instead!

What car do you drive?

Navy Skoda Karoq What do you do in your leisure time?

Baking, walking, running and bootcamp (to feel less guilty about the baking)

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different and gives me a better focus if I am procrastinating or deliberating. I have a set brief with most of the creative decisions made for me by the client and/ or due to the subject or nature of the piece. My own work can be absolutely anything I want. Other days I like the control and ability to make every design decision on a piece. All I want is all the freedom in the world and that’s what my own work gives me. Even a single day in the studio can include both these creative extremes.

“There have been quite a few challenges along the way, however confidence has always been my biggest hurdle.

My business has forced me out of my comfort zones again and again, enabling me to achieve things both big and small that I never thought I’d be able to. It’s Where is your favourite restaurant? The Wellington Inn, Lund What is your favourite food and drink?

Anything of Italian influence pretty much!

Where is your favourite holiday destination?

Skiing in the Portes du Soleil

So, what does the future look like? “I honestly don’t know,” she said. “I love setting goals, but I try and focus on short- and medium-term ones, as the last two years has shown us, we just don’t have a clue what the future has in store.

“I dream about the idea of having a premises large enough to not only have studio, storage and packing workspaces but also to have a gallery and shop space along with somewhere to host group workshops. Somewhere ideally idyllic and in the countryside where I can work from home and be inspired everyday but separate from my living space so, when needed, I can close the door on work and fully relax. That’s the problem running a business, you can never switch off and ‘leave’ work for the evening or weekend, it’s always there in the back of your mind.”

Where is your favourite place in Yorkshire?

Simon’s Seat in Wharfedale, Yorkshire Dales What is your favourite gadget?

Unfortunately, my iPhone I am sad to say, feel like I permanently glued to the thing!

What couldn’t you live without?

My pens, brushes and paints.

Directors Loans-what are they?

Unpopular Opinion: Company money is not a “personal” pot.

By Samantha Seni or - M D Aesthetics Accountant ™

When you are a sole trader, taking money out of your business, is easy, mainly because the business is yours and you are taxed on the profits the business makes.

The businesses money is your money. Simple.

Whe n ope rating as a limited company, taking money out becomes more complicated. Which feels unfair if you are a sole director running the business on your own.

A limited company is a separate entity to its owner. The money the business makes does not belong to the Director – it belongs to the limited company.

Unfortunately, some business owners do not consider that money in the company belongs to the company and treat it like a “personal” pot of money to be drawn on at will. There are tax implications from taking money from a limited company.

Some business owners withdraw

funds without seeking advice, or they class the withdrawals as “salary” – without anything going through a PAYE scheme, or as a “dividend” and this is where the complexities lay.

For example, if a company is making a loss, then the company cannot legally pay a dividend to its owner.

This then results in a director’s loan.

If these conditions are met, it is necessary to report this to HMRC and pay taxes on the benefit in kind.

The loan amount is £10,000 or more at any time in the year

If director loan accounts remain outstanding after a set amount of time a S455 charge will apply. This is charged at 32.5% of the outstanding loan. This is why we recommend using online accounting software. It is easier to “keep an eye” on the profit in the business vs the amount taken as a director’s loan - on a regular basis, and hopefully nip any issues in the bud before the year ends.

Need more advice? Our specialist team of advisors can help you navigate the field of Directors Loans to ensure you are considering Tax implications and HMRC Guidelines.

Interest is not being paid on the loan or the interest being paid falls below HMRC’s average official rates for beneficial loan arrangements for the relevant tax year.

https://www. theaestheticsaccountant. co.uk/ York Office: Blake House, 18 Blake Street, York, YO1 8QG

A director’s loan is considered to give rise to a benefit in kind if the following conditions apply:

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IT’S PARTY SEASON! What’s on your wish list? by lisa darwin - fashion STYLIST & life coach

n o i h s a F e v i t s e F 58 Y o r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s W o m a n

Ladies it’s time to make your wish list for the most wonderful time of the year, CHRISTMAS, let’s look at presents for you, your family and friends with Fashion & Fragrances for this festive season.

Your search for the perfect Christmas party dress begins now, so there’s no time like the present to start thinking about those Christmas and New Year party outfits. Thankfully, the joy of attending social events has very much returned, so let’s look ultra glamourous and have a sensational aroma!

Come December, who can resist a flash of red, a touch of velvet or the sparkle of glitter? I would opt to look like a sparkly Christmas tree 365 days of the year, but that’s me, I LOVE SPARKLE! There are sequin dresses everywhere and a sparkly dress never goes a miss, there’s just something perfectly simplistic yet wonderfully decadent about them, and there’s

nothing more essential for your party wardrobe than the addition of one as we approach party season. Don’t believe me? Just look to the catwalks with Valentino and Oscar de la Renta although with an eye watering price tag, so turn to the high street designers like Reiss, Ted Baker and Jigsaw with out of this world Hollywood glamour dresses, tuxedo jumpsuits and the ultimate finishing piece a fur jacket (not real fur!), so the designers have truly declared that sequins are a must for AW/22!

Christmas is the season for all things sparkly, from over-the-top decorations to fairy lights, so it’s only right to match the vibe with what you wear.

Be it through sporting embellishments

like diamanté’s or fabrics like satin, silk and velvet, we’re all for OTT dressing this time of year and this is heaven to me!

The best part? You can keep said outfits and wear them all over again for New Year’s Eve or use it for your wedding guest attire, a party dress is not just for wearing the once. You should look to restyle your outfits by changing your accessories, footwear, hair and make-up, transforming your looks throughout this party season!

Ladies, December weekends get booked up like there’s no tomorrow and invites to beautiful restaurants, networking brunches, Christmas and cocktails parties come flooding in, so it’s time to grab those heels, your chic winter coats and pick out an ensemble for them all.

There’s no Naughty or Nice list for your outfits this season, you can get away with just about anything!

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Reiss

Harvey Nichols (Needle & Thread)

Reiss

Jigsaw

Ted Baker

John Lewis & Partners

Reiss

My Favourite Festive Fashion Looks If you are looking to turn heads, wear sparkle, velvet, silk, sheer see-through, feathers and fur in eye catching colours too, so hot pink, emerald green, blood red and electric blue. While shimmering dresses and feather trims are courtesy of every designer in AW/22, so there’s no reason not to look sensational!

LBD-lovers, look to Harvey Nichols, Needle & Thread, Jigsaw, Reiss, Zara, Ted Baker, John Lewis & Partners, 16 Arlington, Lavish Alice and Nadine Marabi.

There’s nothing smarter, in all senses of the word than a single black dress that can see you through the entire festive period and beyond! Add lashings of sparkly accessories, lush clutch bag, high heels and you’re sorted.

My personal top tips for getting into the festive vibe is to stop stressing and just

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enjoy, put on your crazy Christmas jumper, matching family PJ’s and have fun! Dressing up for a party? wear a glam dress, two piece or jumpsuit in velvet, sequins or sheer, use accessories to restyle your outfits and if you don’t want to go all an out with a head-to-toe sequin look, then wear sparkly heels, metallic ankle boots, embellished headband or glitzy jewellery!

Nadine Merabie

If you feel your personal style or your life plan would benefit from a refresh, rebuild oryou wish to reinvent yourself with 2023 approaching, I would love to help you.Why not get in touch for a chat I’d love to hear from you E:lisa@ lisadarwin.com www.lisadarwin. com @lisadarwin1111

Festive Fragrance Ladies, it’s important to look and feel good, but your personal scent is just as influential, as you enter and leave a room your personality and the fragrance of you lingers and touches everyone you meet! Your aroma is powerful, people can identify you through your personal scent alone, just like a hotel or spa you’ve visited has a certain bouquet, for example I have this experience every time I visit Grantley Hall, the unique fragrance throughout the hotel remains with me and creates a memory. So, as we

focus on our look and selecting the perfect outfit, we must select our perfect fragrance too. I had the pleasure of accepting a kind invitation to a wonderful press lunch with Harvey Nichols in Leeds, to discover the art of fragrance layering with Fragrance Du Bois! We were treated to a 3-course lunch with a fragrance paired cocktail menu and I wasn’t disappointed! There were 12 fragrances to experience for both male and female, with the highest priced Sahraa at £695 and the starting price tag of £229 for New York 5th

Avenue, one of my favourites. The fragrances were sensational, each one offering unique notes and the art of layering was a revelation. The fragrance bottles and branding were bold, classic and beautiful, a show stopping collection and a perfect gift for Christmas or any occasion.

Look at the Du Bois collection www.harveynichols.com/brand/ fragrance-du-bois Experience my Harvey Nichols Fragrance Du Bois Lunch with me

Join us at GLAMOUR ROCKS in collaboration with GRANTLEY HALL on 10 DECEMBER 8pm-2am, enjoy a glizty Champagne & Canapes Reception, Fashion Show and Dancing until late with live band Six15, only a few tickets remain £95pp To book: www.glamourrocks.events

Let the Party Begin! Lisa x

A f

D b s

M i A 2 l p n I l t s

P I a k

Y s

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Ukrainian women escaping war being supported into local hospitality jobs by The Source Four Ukrainian women who arrived in Sheffield to escape the war are being helped into hospitality jobs by The Source Skills Academy.

The young women, one a mother of two young children, are staying with local families under the Homes

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For Ukraine government scheme.

They hope to find work in South Yorkshire’s hospitality and visitor

sector, which is suffering a skills shortage.

Alla Shkvarun, 32, was an events management, marketing and communications specialist in Kyiv.

Anastasiia Kaprenko, 36,was a HR manager, Kateryna Pryhoda, 34, a

Paul Deehan, who has cooked aboard super-yachts for Royalty, Presidents and A-list celebrities including Christiano Ronaldo, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Moss, showed them how to make pasta from scratch and a healthy threecourse meal.

Course at te ndees we re give n workforce preparation and brushed up on their CVs and interview skills at The Source’s Meadowhall Way base.

Said Gareth Urwin, The Source’s head of partnerships and external funding: “The Sector Routeways course we are leading on has been developed in response to the needs of local employers in the hospitality and visitor economy sector.

“Employers need new staff to ‘hit the ground running’, yet often people coming from a period of unemployment lack the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes. The transition from jobless to hospitality worker is largely unsupported.

travel agent and Liliia Sholohon, 22, a qualified teacher.

engineering, digital and hospitality - launched 12 months ago.

They are among seven people on a Sector Routeways course for the unemployed, organised by Opportunity Sheffield, the employment and skills service at Sheffield City Council. Sector Routeways is part funded by the European Social Fund.

Royalty

The programme, which prepares people for work in sectors experiencing labour shortages - construction, social care,

Course attendees are found twoweek work placements with local hotels, pubs, cafes and restaurants after attending a two-week ‘skills boot camp’, which included Baristatraining at Sheffield coffee specialists Cafeology and sessions on food hygiene, kitchen safety and cookery skills with a top South Yorkshire chef.

“We see our ‘bootcamp’ model as an exciting pilot to better prepare and educate jobseekers going into the sector and give employers a wider pool of people to recruit from. We were very pleased that our first course included four women whose lives had been shattered by the war in Ukraine.

Added Gareth: “They all had valuable transferable skills and a great worth ethic and in addition to learning more about working in hospitality training, they formed friendships and shared their experiences and fears for relatives still in Ukraine.”

Alla Shkvarun said: “My family in Kyiv are still safe but I worry for Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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them every day. I came to the UK in July. The war had ended my career and life plans. I hoped to start again here and I am so thankful to my host family. They are like second parents.

“I want to find work, use my skills to gain independence, meet new people in the community and hopefully earn enough to go back to see my parents.

“I took the hospitality course because I am looking for a job in the events sector, perhaps as an event manager at a hotel.

the bomb blasts on the first day, we decided to leave immediately and move further west,” she says.

There were sirens every day and we were in a bomb shelter every night.

Schools and parks closed. The children were frightened and confused...

“It has helped with many things, given me training, more confidence in my English and improved my team skills and soft skills and my interview technique.”

Kateryna told us “When war started, my husband Evgen and our two children

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were living in Poltava, 100 miles from the Russian border, which were the first targets. When we heard

But Russian troops moved west too.

“There were sirens every day and we were in a bomb shelter every night. Schools and parks closed.

The children were frightened and confused and Eygen and I made a decision,” Her husband, an agricultural worker, needed to stay in Ukraine - and Kateryna, the children and her 65-year-old mother would go to find safety in Europe. They travelled to stay with friends in Hungary, but the language barriers made life difficult. Then Kateryna’s cousin, who has been living in Sheffield for 15 years, told her about the launch of the Homes For Ukraine hosting programme.

“My cousin became our sponsor and it took a few weeks for us to get visas. Now we live with her, and have found schools for the children.

Alla Shkvarun was living in an apartment in Kyiv with her parents and her brother’s family when war broke out.

Other family members and her best friend swiftly moved in and every night was spent huddled in an underground shelter.

They arrived in a small village near Lviv, considered a safe area.

For the first three months of the war she worked remotely, but after returning to Kyiv, she lost her job in late spring. When she heard the UK had launched the Homes For Ukraine sponsorship scheme she rushed to apply.

Hospitality

Alla found a host in Sheffield and came to the city on July 19. “I found a lovely family, the perfect match for me,” she says. They are like my second parents and I am so grateful to them.

Her family chose to remain in Kyiv but Alla and her friend decided to head to Western Ukraine, leaving their home city by train, a long with thousands terrified residents.

“I am happy to be in Sheffield but I worry for my family in Kyiv every day.

They are still safe but I don’t know what will happen next. Every day I read news of what’s happening in my country.”

Alla speaks English well and wants to rebuild her events career in the UK but, realistic about her chances, is looking at breaking in via the hospitality sector, which she knows is currently experiencing a staffing shortage.

She signed up for a four-week Sector Routeways hospitality course for the unemployed, organised by Opportunity Sheffield, the employment and skills service at Sheffield City Council, and The Source Skills Academy.

“It has helped with many things, given me training, more confidence in my English and improved my team skills and soft skills and my interview technique,” says Alla, who is now beginning two weeks of work experience at a Sheffield hotel.

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different regions, Michelle is ready to offer the benefit of her knowledge.

Michelle explains, “The Gilded Grape offers a bespoke experience, wine shopping with a personal touch.

There’s no wine snobbery here, and we don’t expect all our customers to be connoisseurs. We love to chat about where our wines come from, what makes them special and which foods compliment them”.

Discover new wines with The Gilded Grape The picturesque town of Ilkley is home to a wellloved array of independent shops, proving a popular destination for tourists and locals from surrounding areas. An exciting new shop has recently opened its doors, to the delight of Yorkshire wine drinkers.

The Gilded Grape is proud to offer something ‘distinctly different’, specialising in wines from around the world. Many are sourced from unexpected and intriguing regions, selected to expand customers’ horizons. Proprietor Michelle Jarvis notes “I’ve always enjoyed locating beautiful wines that you can’t find anywhere else”.

She favours independent vineyards and wines with an interesting heritage.

Michelle is dedicated to supporting small and family-run vineyards, and this is reflected in the range of wines she stocks.

Michelle quite literally goes the extra mile in her quest to discover new wines.

Whether you need advice on wine pairings or an insight into grapes from

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Michelle emphasises that great wines don’t have to be expensive. The Gilded Grape stocks products with a wide variety of price points. “We want to make our wines accessible. Whether you’re looking for something for a casual Friday evening or are after a bottle for a special occasion, The Gilded Grape can help you” continues Michelle.

Michelle is well-placed to make recommendations; with a background in hospitality, and family links in France, Jersey and the UK, she has a cross-cultural appreciation of both wine and food. During preLockdown travels, visiting vineyards and wine establishments, Michelle’s professional inte rest in wine flourished. Always an enthusiastic wine taster, Michelle is now proud to also be a qualified (WSET wine course) retailer, with a passion for the nuances of wine.

Ilkley proved to be the perfect location, offering ideally sized premises in a beautiful setting. Michelle praises the community spirit that helped her plans come together, and she looks forward to The Gilded Grape taking its place as a popular haunt for wineenthusiasts from near and far. Michelle is ready with a warm welcome, inviting customers to ‘Taste the thrill of something distinctly different’. Find and follow The Gilded Grape on social media to find out more.

Award winner Rachel Dilley insists on equal opportunities for her team Rachel Dilley, chief operating officer of Town Hall Group in Brighouse, has always refused to let serious health issues get in the way of her career.

She has lived with Trichorhinophalangeal Syndrome all her life, a rare inherited multisystem disorder that, among other things, causes bone and joint malformations, leading to joint pain and limited range of movement.

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But she has used her experience of living with and overcoming the condition and the negative response it can generate to fuel her dreams of a career in management that she sees as a way of giving back

and supporting other people with disabilities.

“I was 14 and still at school when I started being bullied terribly and from that point, I said I would always want to treat people with respect and empathy because I hated that terrible feeling of being worthless and not good enough,” she explains.

“The bullies I’ve faced have changed my views on life and actually helped me to plan my future and my aspirations in life and in work.

“I know what it is like to have been bullied and I don’t think anybody should ever have to experience that level of negativity in the workplace or society itself.

“I’m small in stature but by personality makes up for it and I’ve learnt to stand up to bullies - my nickname now is Pocket Rocket!”

Defying family expectations that she become a secretary, marry and then raise a family, Rachel trained as a dental nurse from the age of 18 and spent 30 years progressing along that professional route, achieving a BTEC Diploma Level 3, NVQ Level 3 and Advanced Level Apprenticeship in Management.

There has definitely been time for family too - sons Matthew and Nathan and adopted daughter Michaela, who will soon make Rachel a grandmother for the first time.

Once her family was firmly established, though, Rachel decided it was time to return to work, initially two nights per week in a care home.

But in 2002, she returned to dentistry, eventually becoming practice manager of Town Hall Dental, working alongside clinical director and Lead Dr Imran Rangzeb and she is now chief operating officer and director of Town Hall Dental Group.

In 2019, her passionate leadership efforts were recognised at the National Dentistry Awards, where

she received the Most Invaluable Team Member prize.

Rachel is responsible for running the day to day operations of the practice, as well as overseeing and coordinating all charitable efforts.

Social responsibility programmes can boost employee morale in the workplace and lead to greater productivity, which in turn has an impact on how profitable the company can be...

She is the founder of the Town Hall Foundation, the charity which was created specifically to promote dental hygiene, teach adults with disabilities correct dental hygiene, provide essential dental care to people in need and support support other local organisations working with the vulnerable.

“I had a vision,” she explains. “I wanted to help grow the businesses and empower the team and I also wanted to give back to those less fortunate and support our local dental community.

Investment “It may not be a financial reward, it may not be instant but the charitable work I do, for sure, has shaped me and shaped our business. “ In a d d i t i o n, e mbra ci n g C SR increases custome r rete ntion

and loyalty, increases employee e ngage me nt, impro ves brand i m a g i n g, a t t ra c t s i n v e s t m e n t opportunities, and makes a difference for bottom-line financials.

“Social responsibility programmes can boost employee morale in the workplace and lead to greater productivity, which in turn has an impact on how profitable the company can be.”

Rachel is also now the key point of contact for the players and manager at Leeds United, and is dedicated to maintaining a similarly positive and collaborative relationship with all Town Hall Dental partnerships.

She is a trustee for Community Foundation for Calderdale, focus4hope and SWF and she is also a director of Brighouse House Bid and CIC Focus4Success, reflecting her passion for promoting cooperate social responsibility and helping those in need.

Under her guidance and based very much on her own experience of living and working with a disability - son Nathan has also been diagnosed with a serious genetic condition and aphonia attacks - Rachel has also been instrumental in ensuring the organisation provides full and equal opportunities for all.

More than 70 per cent of the Town Hall Group team have disabilities that take many forms, including rare genetic conditions, cerebral palsy, autism, Fibromyalgia, OCD, and depressive illness and anxiety.

“It’s not that I go out to look for people with disabilities - it is more that they have found a company that recognises abilities, not disabilities,” Rachel says.

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of course, is that I don’t refer to myself as disabled.

“It’s just who I am and I would hate to think that anybody believed it defined me or held me back in any way.

“It’s the same with the team - what is important to me is their own personal development plan, we bring them into the Town Hall family and they grow, they shine!”

Building on Rachel’s experiences, Town Hall Group has incorporated policies such as flexible working, which helps employees stay as productive as possible without impacting their health.

It also has an in-house mental health counselling service, which is available to all staff, recognising the importance

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of offering resources to those who struggle with mental health challenges or illnesses.”

Rachel explains: “As an employer, recognising people’s abilities and helping to develop those skills is a gift you can give back to others and in return this brings loyalty and happiness in the workplace.

Enhance “ We e m b r a c e e v e r y t e a m member, giving them the tools and the support they need to succeed.”

And in doing so, Rachel believes she has built the foundations that will help her fulfil all her longterm ambitions within the dental industry.

“I want to enhance the treatments available to patients in the UK, offer preventative dentistry to children, educate the next generation on oral care, offer support to parents and children with special educational needs and autism, continue work with Town Hall Foundation focusing on supporting the less fortunate,” she says.

“I also want expand and develop the work we do with young people with special needs as this work is already having a significant impact.

“By promoting good oral health through school partnerships and delivering oral health cancer screening into the community for patients that cannot access a dentist, we really can make a massive difference in the places where support is most needed.”

Gift the Scent of Christmas

It is that time of the year again – the shops are filling up with the scent of Christmas – from Stolen Bites, to Florentines, Panettone, Mince Pies, Christmas Cake, and Mulled Wine – and that is just the food to start with, or at least my favourite part of the menu, the dessert...

By: Janet Milner-Walker - Founder of Bespoke Advantage

Added to this the scent of pine needles, cinnamon, cranberries, chocolate orange and roasted chestnuts and even if your eyes were closed, you would know that this encapsulates the scent of Christmas. You could bottle this up and sell this based on the notes alone. Ones we are all familiar with, regardless of where we celebrate this occasion.

fragrance from another – some you may be more drawn to than others. 2022 has not disappointed us, and we have seen some interesting notes entering the marketplace.

What’s new • Green Tea – This is usually associated with cosiness, relaxation, and comfort. Luxury fragrances including Bulgari Eau Parfumee au The Vert made their own perfume with green tea notes, the Jean-Claude Ellena.

Scents have a way of conjuring up memories, of times long past, birthdays, engagements, weddings, and favourite holidays that draw upon our emotions and nostalgia.

Not only are we taken on a trip down memory lane by the scent of our favourite foods, flowers, and candles, but also by something far more personal – our signature scent.

Many of us, have a select number of fragrances we wear, time and again, possibly over the years. It is like pulling out your favourite little black dress or sparkly evening gown or cashmere jumper. Fragrances that uplift us, inspire us, make us feel more confident and secure, because they are so familiar.

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•

Peach – whilst fruit notes are not new, there are several new fragrances that have launched that include rich and creamy or radiant and sheer peachy notes such as Tom Ford’s Bitter Peach or Jo Malone’s Nectarine, Blossom, and Honey.

•

Citrus – many of us love the refreshing scent of citrus - crisp, and zingy and bound to uplift us.

See Valentino Donna’s Born in Roman Yellow Dream and Atelier Cologne’s Lemon Island.

•

Hibiscus – food and fragrance trends go hand in hand with Hibiscus, a flower found in tropical regions, becoming a key ingredient in perfumes. Omnia Coral by Bvlgari contains Hibiscus paired with goji berries, bergamot, pomegranate, water lily, musk, and cedar for a soft and romantic effect.

•

Sage – Is also appearing in men’s fragrance. A strong, herbaceous plant that belongs to the mint family this is widely used in tea, incense, and essential oils. The fragrance oil is steam-distilled from the leaves and often contains a hint of peppery freshness.

Weaving a Story There is no better time to shop for a fragrance than at Christmas, when fragrance brands impress us with their showstopping advertising campaigns, advent calendars and gift sets. This is a category particularly good at storytelling.

Through blending distinctive ingredients, and fragrance notes, and packaging these into beautiful bottles, we can’t help but be mesmerised and the choice is endless.

Whilst we may have our all-time favourites, it is always interesting to explore, and each year brings a collection of new trends, and blends, that present the opportunity to experiment.

Fragrances are classified by ‘fragrance families’ – notes that clearly divide one

– blending and ageing the finest raw materials, to produce five fragrances.

Luxurious, and beautiful, this makes a great gift.

Wrapped up for Christmas If you leave shopping to the last minute, don’t panic, most fragrance brands do a great job of wrapping them up.

Penhaligons never fails to impress, not only are their fragrances long-lasting and distinctive but they are beautifully packaged. One of their best gift sets this Christmas looks like a doll’s house and is called the Portrait Collection. Containing eight individual 10ml vials, each aptly named, it is like gifting a drama series.

Another interesting new launch has arisen through a collaboration between fragrance house Firmenich and Remy Cointreau – introducing Maison Psyche.

There has always been a strong synergy between the marketing of fragrance brands and the marketing of spirits, particularly in certain channels like travel retail. Maison Psyche brings together the best of both worlds, with their beautiful bottles made from Baccarat crystal and adorned in gold, along with several limited-edition versions that have been encrusted with diamonds. To create the fragrance, they drew upon a technique that is specific to the world of spirits

client base includes well established beauty and wellness brands, retailers and trade bodies including embassies.

Do you or a loved one have a great idea for launching a brand in the beauty or wellness industry, and you are looking for support to make this happen? Enrolment is now open for a January 2023 start for Bespoke Advantage’s new beauty and wellness accelerator programme. Led by Janet Milner-Walker together with a team of expert businesses over 3 months, online as group masterclasses. Currently 20% off until 24th December 2022. Get in touch - www.beautytolife.co.uk

Diptyque are renowned for their long-lasting candles, which are a great investment and the perfect gift, their fragrances are equally enticing.

Tom Ford’s fragrances are well worth exploring, if you haven’t bought into them yet, with sensual notes of oud, sandalwood and amber. They have a beautiful hat box with one travel size fragrance, one full size fragrance and a body spray, perfectly presented to go. Jo Malone has a collection of very impressive looking Christmas crackers that contain a body wash, body cream and a cologne. For a change these will be Christmas crackers your friends and family want to take home with them.

ABOUT JANET MILNER-WALKER

If you are a loss of what to buy, gift the Scent of Christmas! From candles to fragrance crackers, gift sets and room diffusers. A gift that is sensual, decadent, an investment, and most important, memorable.

Bespoke Advantage is a brand management company, working with clients across the beauty, spa, and wellness industry to develop and launch brands to market. Their international

Janet Milner-Walker is the founder and managing director of Bespoke Advantage, and BeautytoLife. She is an international speaker, a trusted advisor, a coach, and a freelance writer. She is often invited to speak at industry events and she guest lectures at universities. Her expertise is built around her ability to support and shine a light on brands that are creating products to be talked about.– www.thebespokeadvantage.com.

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SPECIALIST DEGREES, SHORT COURSES & BESPOKE TRAINING FOR THE LIVE EVENTS INDUSTRY Based on Production Park near Wakefield, Backstage Academy is a specialist higher education and professional training provider with state-of-the-art facilities and industry expertise.

DEGREES UNDERGRADUATE • • •

BA (Hons) Live Events Production (FdA & Top Up also available BA (Hons) Live Visual Design & Production BA (Hons) Stage & Production Management

POSTGRADUATE STARTING SEPTEMBER 2022 - Brand new advanced level qualifications for progressing undergraduates or industry professionals looking to gain a competitive edge in the live events industry.

• • • • • •

MA Innovation & Entrepreneurship for Live Events MA Live Event Design MA Visual Effects For Live Events MA Immersive & Interactive Media Design MSc Virtual Production MSc Creative Technologies for Live Events

SHORT COURSES • • • • • • • •

Event Safety Passport Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Principles of Lighting Principles of Networking Stage Pyrotechnics Working with Electricity Rigging Sustainable Events Management

All courses can be delivered at Backstage Academy or at your premises, if suitable (minimum delegate number applies) Our industry training experts can also design bespoke training courses around your needs through our Backstage Bespoke service.

WWW.BACKSTAGE-ACADEMY.CO.UK

Why investing in an Apprentice can help future proof your workforce Do you believe your current workforce contains the necessary level of skilled professionals right now?

Consider this …

• • • •

What will your workforce look like five years from now?

Will your current team members still be within their roles?

If staff members reach retirement, or leave your organisation, what will happen to the knowledge and skills they have built over the years?

Are you currently investing in training and development of your workforce to maintain and improve this skillset?

Hiring an Apprentice is a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce - which is crucial to future-proofing your business.

An Apprenticeship is a great choice for anyone starting out in employment, however it can also help your existing staff to upskill and gain additional qualifications to progress within their current roles.

At Kirklees Apprenticeships for All we can help answer all your apprenticeship questions. Our team can help with workforce planning, qualification options and recruitment, funding options which may be available to you, plus we can support your HR team, managers and wider staff members when your Apprentice is in position.

You have the ability to shape and develop staff members in the areas your business demands the most, helping them develop the necessary

There are many Apprenticeship options available, and it isn’t always easy to navigate the information, to decide which are best suited to your needs.

Contact the team to access this fully funded support service, and learn why investing in an Apprentice can help future proof your workforce.

In order to ensure you have the correct skills within your business long term, you need to be planning now.

knowledge they, and you, need to fill potential future skills gaps.

Contact the team today and find out more!

Web: www.kirkleesapprenticeshipsforall.co.uk Tel: 01484 221000 and ask for “Apprenticeships” E-mail: apprenticeshipsforall@kirklees.gov.uk

Kirklees Apprenticeships for All is part funded by the European Social Fund and managed by Kirklees Council. It is delivered across the Kirklees District alongside our delivery partners; The University of Huddersfield, Kirklees College, Kirklees Active Leisure, Thornton & Ross Ltd and Connect Housing Association.

Lincoln & Perrin from TopicUK officially appointed agency Roth Read Photography, contine to share their advice with us:

6 tips for a family photoshoot! special occasions and cultural celebrations throughout the year.

Is it too early to mention Christmas?

4.Choose your clothes

Choose clothes of a similar style with colours that complement one another.

However, if your child decides to wear blue sparkly wellies, a pink tutu and an orange bobble hat on the day, that’s awesome.

This is your wonderful family: wellies, tutu, bobble hat an’ all!

5.Plan your day

A little bit of planning goes a long way to a stress-free photoshoot.

Do you think about having a family photoshoot but it just doesn’t happen?

Choose a date for your photoshoot, and check everyone has it in their calendar.

1. Collaboration is the key

Do you need a trip to the hairdressers, manicurist or tanning studio? Get them booked in.

Ask everyone being photographed for their input, especially the kids. You’ll be surprised how invested they become in the process and how quickly they get on board.

Go with the flow, take all the ideas on board, and bring them to the PreShoot Consultation. We’ll explored them together, offer up suggestions and add in some creativity!

2. Go on-location

castle ruins; cricket and rugby grounds; restaurants and hotels; everywhere from remote moorland right into the heart of a city.

Who cares if the kids get muddy, wet or messy . . . you’ll get a unique picture and a treasured memory.

3. Do what you love to do

Don’t miss an opportunity to be photographed doing something you love to do as a family:

Step out of the photography studio into a location that resonates with your family.

Ten pin bowling, crazy golf, board games, baking, camping, swimming . . . the list is truly endless!

We’ve photographed people in abbey and

Likewise, don’t forget all those

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Plan your journey and prepare as much as you can the night before so you’re not racing around on the day.

6. have fun!

Don’t overthink it or worry about the shoot itself . . . we’ve got you.

Treat your photoshoot like a fun filled day out with the family, and we’ll capture the memory.

Lincoln & Perrin Roth Read Photography www.rothreadphotography.com

A culinary festive treat with Harvey Nichols

Yorkshire Businesswoman editor Gill Laidler was lucky enough to be invited to try the new Christmas menu at Harvey Nichols Fourth Floor Brasserie. Her guest, director of sales from Dakota Hotel Leeds Debbie Dobson is no stranger to serving delicious food, so what did we think?

I arrived a little early, the host showed me to a table in the very elegant bar area where I was quickly served with a delicious, chilled glass of sauvignon Blanc. It was a Friday evening and very busy, so booking is recommended. Looking around, I had the chance to admire the beautiful Christmas decorations and noted a group on the next table also admiring and asking one another if they were

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over the terrace but asked if we could be moved to a more central area, this was no trouble at all.

The friendly waitress brought table water at our request and a lovely bottle of Rose Prosecco, whilst we looked over the new Christmas menu. The price is set at £35 for three courses and a glass of Harvey Nichols Prosecco or upgrade to a glass of Harvey Nichols Champagne at £45.

available to buy instore. I would guess they are.

Debbie arrived and we were taken through to the dining area. We were shown to a table in the corner looking

There is a choice of three starters: Butternut squash velouté, potato and parmesan brandade with roasted pumpkin seeds and oil; chicken and herb terrine, piccalilli, chicken liver parfait tart with crispy kale or beetroot cured salmon, horseradish cream, beetroot waffle, orange gel, fennel pollen and beetroot compote. I chose the chicken and herb terrine, which was delicious,

Time for dessert. Debbie decided on the Harvey Nichols Christmas pudding crispy roll, apple compote with vanilla anglaise, well it is almost Christmas and Christmas pudding is a must! A little different to the usual pudding served this time of year, but delicious all the same she declared. I opted for the whipped chocolate ganache with cranberry, orange and amaretti crumb.

This was a light chocolate dessert and not too heavy to finish off what was a lovely meal and dining experience.

Would we book again? Absolutely!

sauce which wasn’t a problem. Before serving the waitress returned to ask if I would like chef to prepare a champagne sauce instead which was delicious. The seabass had a crispy skin and cooked perfectly the sauce made it quite special.

The vegetarian option was leek and goats cheese tart, roasted cauliflower, charred spring onions and herb emulsion.

the only think I thought was missing was a piece of crusty bread or melba toast. Debbie’s choice was the beetroot cured salmon which she said she would order again.

What’s nice about the restaurant is the open kitchen. I love watching the chefs and work, there is something honest about a kitchen on display. It was a cold wet night so nobody was out on the terrace which overlooks the rooftops of the city, but I would imagine in the summer months, this will be the place to dine.

As well as a large selection of wines and spirits, diners can choose from a good selection of Christmas cocktails.

Traditional mulled wine using Hennessey VS cognac or a Christmopolitan, vodka, Cointreau liqueur, cranberry juice, lime juice and gingerbread syrup, very festive.

My choice would have been the salted caramel martini, but I did resist on this occasion.

The restaurant is open Sunday 11am to 5pm, Monday to Wednesday 10am to 6pm and Thursday to Saturday 10am to 11pm with booking recommended, especially over the festive period.

107-111 Briggate, Leeds LS1 6AZ. Bookings by email leeds.reservations@harveynichols.com or call 0113 204 8000. Parking is close by in either Victoria Leeds or The Light.

Starters cleared away and glasses topped up, it was time for the main event. Again, a choice of three. Roast turkey breast, dauphinoise potato, Brussel sprouts, chestnut and confit turkey leg ragout, cranberry and orange gel with a red wine jus. This was Debbie’s choice. She described the turkey as succulent and the portion size just right. My choice was pan fried sea bass, pak choi, herb hash brown with curried mussel broth. I don’t eat shellfish so asked for it without the Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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West Yorkshire ‘sweeps the board’ in Rugby League Roll of Honour Women’s contribution to Rugby League finally recognised The county of West Yorkshire has ‘swept the board’ in terms of candidates who have all been recognised by the Rugby Football League (RFL) for their outstanding contribution to the game.

The RFL is celebrating half a century of members of the sport’s Roll of Honour – which was introduced in 2003 to recognise individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the game across both playing and offfield service.

The total of four women, and one man, reflects a deliberate attempt to correct a previous lack of

Former Rugby League Referee, Julia Lee

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recognition of women’s contribution to Rugby League over the last 127 years.

Julia Lee a former Rugby League referee from Hull, now living in Huddersfield; Jackie Sheldon, a former coach and women’s Ruby League development officer from Castleford; trailblazing sports journalist Julie Stott, originally from Morley in Leeds, who cut her teeth at the Rothwell Advertiser and Dewsbury Reporter; and Sue Taylor, from Huddersfield, an unsung hero of Community Rugby League, have all been recognised for their pioneering contribution across Rugby League through recent decades – whether in refereeing, campaigning, coaching, journalism or administration and volunteering with a specific focus on the community game.

Chair of the RFL, broadcaster Clare Balding CBE, said: “I’m delighted that these wonderful women are being recognised by being inducted into the Roll of Honours. It is hugely important to recognise the contribution of various individuals to the growth and improvement of our great sport and I hope it will encourage more women to get involved both on and off the pitch.”

Julia Lee, who began refereeing at the age of 17, was the first woman to referee men’s Rugby League in the 1980s in either code in UK and Australia and had fifteen years’ experience as a Match Official reaching professional and International honours. She became the RFL’s director of community projects and events, and has more recently moved into consultancy, advocating for women’s involvement in Rugby League, and documenting its history through a Heritage Lottery project, ‘Life with the Lionesses’.

Relished Jackie Sheldon was the first woman to gain the RFL’s Level 4 Coaching Ce rtificate in the mid-1990s, and a driving force behind the groundbreaking Ashes tour of 1996 - in terms of fund-raising in her role as secretary of the Women’s Amateur Rugby League Association, and then as assistant coach of the team who claimed a stunning 2-1 series win. She became head coach the following year, and then the sport’s first Women’s Rugby League Development Officer, and led Great Britain on a number of southern hemisphere tours, including the 2000 World Series and the 2003 World Cup. Julie Stott first covered Rugby League for the Dewsbury Reporter. She relished the opportunity of covering the Seoul Olympics for Athletics Weekly, was the first woman editor of football’s Match magazine and, over the years established herself as a Rugby League specialist for The Sport, The Sun, the

Ralph Rimmer, the RFL chief executive, said: “As Rugby League celebrates a World Cup which will set new standards for inclusion, with the Women’s tournament to kick off in a matter of days, it is fitting that we provide overdue recognition of the contribution women have made to the sport, on and off the field.

News of the World, and the Daily Star and its sister publications the Mirror, the Express, their Sunday titles and the Sunday People. She will sign off this autumn after covering her sixth Rugby League World Cup having joined every southern hemisphere tour since 2006.

After being brought up on Rugby League in Huddersfield, Sue Taylor has remained closely involved in

and dedicated to the sport, largely through the community game. She became Treasurer and Secretary of the Huddersfield Amateur League and the first female Chair of the British Amateur Rugby League Association ( BARLA) in 2013. Earlier this year she was appointed as Vice President of the RFL, working alongside Clare Balding CBE – an honorary position she will hold for 18 months, until December 2023.

“The addition of four more women to the RFL Roll of Honour, all of whom have been trailblazers in making an immense contribution to Rugby League without receiving the recognition they deserved, follows the announcement last month of Brenda Dobek, Lisa McIntosh and Sally Milburn as the first three women to join the Rugby League Hall of Fame.

“It is a pleasure and an honour to congratulate Julia, Jackie, Julie and Sue – who has covered the sport with diligence, wisdom and care for almost five decades, and joins Julie Stott with the other outstanding journalists on the Roll of Honour.”

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‘If it wasn’t for Rugby League I’d probably have gone to prison’ A police Chief Inspector from Leeds, who played Rugby League for Great Britain in the 1990s and 2000s, has admitted that she might well have ended up in prison if it wasn’t for the sport.

Chantel Patrick, aged 46, was brought up in foster care in Bramley and received encouragement from a local policeman to channel her interests into rugby.

“I’ve got PC Webb to thank for both my sporting and police careers,” she said. “A lot of the young people at that time ended up shop-lifting or pinching cars, and he suggested sport to give me something to focus on.”

“Rugby League gives you courage, strength, and a team ethos. This moves in to policing in the same way. It gives you that humility as well, especially when you lose. It’s character building and, without it, I probably wouldn’t be the person I am now.”

Trailblazer Chantel joined Stanningley ladies where she met Rugby League

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Rugby League gives you courage, strength, and a team ethos. This moves in to policing in the same way. It gives you that humility as well, especially when you lose...

trailblazer Mandy Green, whilst representing Yorkshire under13’s, who gave her a lot of encouragement.

Mandy could immediately see how

quick Chantel was and persuaded her to join Dudley Hill in Bradford at the age of 13.

Six members of the Dudley Hill team were eventually picked to play for Great Britain, including Chantel: “We were 17 or 18 and had just left school,” said Chantel. “Women of that age normally drop out of sports and start going out drinking.

“But we were all into our sports and we trained really hard. Whilst training for Great Britain, before games on a Sunday morning we would go on a run and then play a game. We got to the peak of our fitness and we absolutely loved it and, because we had played together for so long, we worked well as a team.”

All the members of the GB team also had to fundraise to pay for their trips abroad, by going around different clubs doing bucket collections.

Proud 1996 was Chantel’s first visit to Australia. “We were the last team to actually bring back the Ashes and I’m so proud of that.”

After that Chantel began working for Bradford Bulls Rugby League as a Development Officer, where she coached young girls and boys within the community. She and Mandy Green were supported by New Zealander Darrell Shelford, a coach at Bradford Bulls. Chantel became an ambassador for Rugby League and women’s sport in general and went back out to play in the 2002 tour against Australia.

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A mindfulness coach and public health expert has launched an innovative online platform designed to reduce stress by connecting people with nature from the comfort of their own homes.

Rachel Massey, of Holmfirth, has launched Nature Fix, an online membership platform which features a series of resources to help people alleviate anxiety and stress.

Underpinned by science, the platform shares the latest evidence from academics and researchers; guided meditation videos in nature; updates on what’s happening in the natural world; and techniques to help people connect with nature regularly.

The launch of Nature Fix comes as a recent survey published by the World Economic Forum found that four in ten people worldwide report feeling regularly stressed and that 12 billion workdays annually are lost due to stress, depression and anxiety.

Studies by Harvard Medical School also found that mindfulness meditation helps to alleviate stress and that spending time in nature is a recommended way of tackling stress.

Connected Rachel has an extensive background in developing arts and wellbeing programmes, having held senior roles at organisations including the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and spanning national public health initiatives. The inspiration for Nature Fix builds on her experience as a qualified mindfulness coach and also draws on her own health experiences in recent years. Nature Fix uses techniques proven to lower stress, boost the immune system and increase a sense of purpose in an ever-hectic world.

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Expert launches platform to help people reduce stress During 2021, Rachel was diagnosed with a neurological condition which stopped her from accessing the outdoors. Rachel said: “I started to feel I had lost my place in the world and wanted to understand, see and hear what was happening outside to support my mental health. At that point, I looked for podcasts and videos online but I could only find resources that featured sounds of faraway lands, like rainforests. Nothing sounded like what I would experience if I walked outside of my own front door.

“I needed my nature fix, the soundscapes which made me feel connected to the world, to make me feel like I am part of something much bigger. That’s where the idea of Nature Fix came from.”

Nature Fix is a monthly membership platform, which is open to anybody who would benefit from investing in

their mental health. Health and social care professionals are also signposting patients to the platform via social prescribing. Rachel is also delivering workshops as part of a national programme to ‘test and learn’ about how nature can improve mental health, in conjunction with South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System.

Rachel, who also delivers workshops for businesses and charities, including the national Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance, added: “When people feel stressed and anxious, they can sometimes feel like they’ve lost perspective. The natural world can ground them. People often come to the Nature Fix platform to help set boundaries, find time and space for themselves and re-engage with their own sense of purpose.

Making Tax Digital for sole traders and landlords – what you need to know

By Mark Stanton

If you’re one of the 4.2m people running a business earning more than £10,000, you need to know about the upcoming requirements for submitting electronic tax information, known as Making Tax Digital (MTD). You might also see it described as Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. The changes apply to freelancers, sole traders and landlords who aren’t yet covered by the MTD rules because they are VAT registered.

Practically, this means that from 6 April 2024 you’ll need to be using MTD-compliant software to submit tax information on at least a quarterly basis. The changes will mean the end of paper Self-Assessment Tax Returns, and could mean quite a lot of changes for people who still like to file paper expenses and use spreadsheets to keep on top of their accounts.

reasonably or practically use computers, software or the internet.

This might be about your age, a disability, or running your business from a remote geographical location, for example. If you think you fall into this category you’ll need to apply to HMRC for an exemption.

Things you need to do to prepare for MTD for sole traders

partnership or through a company or other legal structure. You need to have notified HMRC if you work this way, as you’ll be responsible for paying any tax on your earnings.

1. Explore your options for MTDcompliant accounting software. It doesn’t have to be expensive and there are plenty of options. Parsons uses Xero, which clients tell us makes looking after their book-keeping and accounts a lot easier.

2. Understand your accounting periods.

Quarterly updates will be due three months after your financial year begins.

What’s the point of Making Tax Previously, sole traders completed a This could be on 6 April, or you could Self Assessment Tax Return once a year. have chosen another date, for example Digital?

The MTD changes, and the move to the date on which you started trading.

The government’s intention is to make compatible software, reduce the need people’s tax estimates more accurate. for this as information is sent to HMRC 3. Align your accounting periods if you Submitting quarterly instead of annual quarterly, there may still be a requirement have different businesses. This will make information means people will have for individuals to file a tax return if they it a lot easier to submit information for all of them. The simplest way to do this a more regular view of what their tax have other sources of income. is to have 5 April as your year-end date. liability will be, which should mean there is less of a nasty shock when the If you want to know more about how much tax liability you have, you can Read a more detailed version of final bill is calculated. choose to send updates to HMRC more this article on our website or to talk Eventually tax liabilities will be collected often. Some people might find this helps through how Making Tax Digital for more often too, meaning the government with cashflow. sole traders and landlords will apply has more cashflow. to you, give one of our team a call on

Am I a sole trader for the purposes of MTD? A sole trader is someone who runs a business as an individual, not as a

Exemptions from the digital tax process

Wakefield 01924 669500 or York 01904 925300.

There are limited exemptions from Making Tax Digital, which only apply to businesses and people who cannot Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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Image: Roth Read Photography

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Welcome to a brand-new section, Restock Life, and our new editor for the section Freda Shafi.

Introduction by the editor Gill Laidler We will be talking about food and drink from across our fabulous county of Yorkshire, and Freda will be sharing with fabulous recipes using local ingredients.

There will be news from local farms and growers, allotment owners and keen home growers, features from

people making their other delicious goodies from the region. With the economy in crisis, there is so much more we can do not only to protect our planet, but to help ourselves with good local produce, batch cooking and how to save time when working full time.

We will also focus on the environment.

We have been shocked at images of

the huge number of plastics in our oceans and we will talk about what we can all do to help. This will include your news of what you are doing to protect our planet.

We are looking for people who would like to contribute on general health, nutrition and how everyone can help themselves to feel their very best Let’s introduce you to Freda:

Freda Shafi

encouraged me to start a food blog, Cookery School and demonstrations at North Leeds Food Festival and more. which I did, for fun. I started my social media journey for “Spice I write for several online publications it up” - a blog, recipe channel and which include The Feedfeed, The Instagram account over 8 years ago, Capsule and more recently have been which grew over several platforms and given my own monthly food column I’ve never looked back since. Social in The Yorkshire Business Woman media is extremely important to me Magazine. I was also welcomed into as an artist, a food stylist and blogger, The prestigious guild of food writers To this day, I recreate the dishes she I spend a lot of time on social media – GFW earlier this year. taught me back then. We learnt a lot sharing my recipes daily. about spices; not just their flavours I am passionate about community but also their specific health benefits I’m an advocate for using fresh, engagement and bringing together and for this reason, I call my spice box ethically sourced and sustainable people from all backgrounds and “nature’s medicine cabinet” Nowadays, produce wherever possible, as well as level of ability through food. I am I love to experiment with interesting supporting local farmers and producers. working with Leeds Church Institute ingredients adding a modern twist and I strongly believe in buying local and on a project entitled Food Faith and inventive “hacks” to recreate age old ‘in season’ wherever possible, using Unity which does exactly this. I am traditional recipes. as many herbs and spices for flavour, always keen to bring new audiences as well as their purported health to established venues through Indian fusion supper clubs which I’ve held Having gained a first class honours properties . at Harvey Nichols, both Yorkshire degree in fine art then a Masters degree at Central St Martins London, I had Having returned to my beloved and Manchester and other local and a successful career in the creative Yorkshire a few years ago, my culinary regional venues. I strongly believe industries up until 2009. Then a life journey really gained traction. Amongst that creating and sharing food is a changing move to live in Melbourne my varied work in the food industry, natural conduit to connect people of Australia, bought a change in career. I’ve delivered guest chef supper clubs all backgrounds and cultures, as well Australians were intrigued by my at venues which have included Harvey as a way of inspiring creativity and the cooking and use of spices and Nichols, cookery classes at Leeds chef in everyone.

Born and raised in Yorkshire to parents from the Indian subcontinent, in the 1970’s I learnt to cook a variety of regional Indian dishes from an early age in my mum’s kitchen.

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Winter warmers & festive bakes With food columnist - Freda Shafi

“Dive in” winter stew

Hi Everyone, I hope you’re well….

The run up to the festive period is an exciting and also busy time for many of us. With so many changes going on around us, from new PMs to the economy; don’t you just want to face-plant a lovely bowl of food at the end of a busy day?

I’m also turning the spotlight on women’s health with the focus on Menopause nutrition and how we can support our health and well-being with the right foods and vital nutritional supplements too. This month’s recipes include the nutritional elements that are important during this transformative time to stay healthy and happy – they help our mental health too!

I have a couple of “dive in” dishes for you that should see you through the colder months and the festive period too. Whatever you do, have fun and enjoy!

Hope you enjoy!

With love, Freda x

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Nutritional information

•

Calories per serve (500g) 380 cals approx.

•

This is such an easy week night meal made with a marinade that’s also easy to prepare and adapt if needs be with your own ingredients if you don’t have everything to hand. It’s also a great time-saver if you prepare it earlier in the day and leave it in the fridge until it’s time to cook. It’s a regular meal at our house.

Ingredients • •

• • • • • • • • • • •

800g beef (any boneless cut will do) You can use other meats such as lamb, chicken or vegetarian alternatives 1 large onion finely chopped 1 tbsp fresh ginger crushes / grated 6 cloves garlic crushed 1 cup pearl barely and lentil mix also known as soup broth mix Spices 1 tsp sweet paprika 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp turmeric (optional) 1/2 tsp whole black pepper corns 1 Bay leaf 3 cloves

Vegetables • • • • • •

1 whole butternut squash or 3 sweet potatoes diced 3-4 carrots chopped 1 whole swede chopped Salt to taste Oil to stir fry onions and beef Salt to taste

1 tbsp plain flour to dust over the beef Serve with mashed potatoes - 3 Potatoes, boiled and mashed with butter

Method Heat some oil / ghee in a large saucepan, then add the chopped onions and cumin seeds and sauté on a medium/ high heat for a few minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic and continue to sauté for a further five minutes until all ingredients are translucent and turn golden brown.

Remove the onions from the pan Coat the beef with plain flour and add to the pan; stir fry for a few minutes until the outer edges become sealed.

Throw in the rest of spices and continue to stir for a further 2-3 minutes. Add 500ml of water and the fried onions and vegetables.

Add the salt to taste and check the seasoning.

Once it starts to bubble, turn down the heat and allow it to cook or simmer on a low heat on the hob.

You can use a slow cooker too and set it to your own specifications. Let it cook until the butternut squash is soft and the beef is tender.

Garnish with fresh herbs of your choice, I used rosemary.

Serve with mashed potatoes or a crusty loaf.

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• • •

• • • •

Add the flour and mix through Add the orange juice and candied ginger and stir through Carefully place mixture into the baking tin. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean Place onto a wire rack to cool.

Pour over the thin layer of icing sugar mixture Garnish with oranges, ginger and rosemary Serve immediately

Other fabulous ideas to support Menopause nutrition include these beautiful salads below

Orange and poppy seed cake with candied ginger Nutritional information Calories per serve 280

Ingredients • • • • • •

•

200g unsalted butter 200g caster sugar 200g self-raising flour 3 large free range eggs 1 tbsp poppy seeds 2 tbsp candied ginger which you can buy in most supermarket baking sections 4-5 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

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• •

Sliced oranges and to serve (as shown) Icing sugar mixture : 2 tbsp icing sugar and ½ tsp water

Method • • • •

Preheat oven to 175°C fan forced Line a 6cm-deep, 19cm square cake pan with baking paper Cream together the butter and sugar Add the eggs and whisk together

•

Classic Nicoise salad with boiled jammy eggs, Tuna or makarel (more omegas in makarel) green beans, Olives, potatoes and a sprinkling of mixed seeds. Dressing of Olive oil, apple cider vinegar and seasoning

•

W i n te r v e g e t a b l e s a l a d with hazel nuts / soy nuts and Pomegranate

•

Purple potatoes are in season and packed with some brilliant nutrition and antioxidants. Boil them and toss into this winter salad with broccoli florets

• • • •

the immune system during and after intense physical exercise normal functioning of the nervous system normal psychological function the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E Vitamin C supplements can increase iron absorption

Altrient Vitimin B.

• •

(blanched or raw) hazel nuts, savoy cabbage and pomegranate A brilliant way to get vitamin B from broccoli and nuts which is vital around peri- and menopause

Essential nutritional supplements I highly recommend : Altrient Vitimin C Why is it one of the best •

•

•

•

• •

•

Liposomal Vitamin C has far higher absorption rates than nonliposomal forms of vitamin C. A immune defence essential in many homes across the globe and popular with frontline healthcare workers Clinically tested to show 61% increase in skin elasticity when taking three sachets daily for three days.

Cutting-edge, clinically researched liposomal technology for maximised absorption Convenient and easy way to top-up your daily vitamin C 1000mg of vitamin C and extra 500mg phosphatidylcholine per sachet Recent awards: Winner of Best

Vitamin C Supplement Woman & Home 2022, Best Skincare Supplement Marie Claire 2021, Best Immunity Product Rude Health 2021 and Vogue Beauty Awards runner up 2020.

Vitamin C contributes to: • • • •

• •

Altrient B and Mineral Complex delivers an impressive range of health benefits: • Vitamin B5 contributes to normal mental performance • Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, folate and B12 contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

• Vitamins B3, B6, B12 and folate contribute to normal psychological function • Vitamins B1, B3, B6, B12, biotin and folate support normal psychological function and normal functioning of the nervous system.

• Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12 and biotin contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism.

• Plus Zinc, selenium, chromium and cinnamon to support immune function, blood sugar levels, cognitive function and normal hair, skin, nails and vision.

the normal function of the immune system the protection of cells from oxidative stress the reduction of tiredness and fatigue normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin, cartilage, gums, teeth, bones, blood vessel normal energy-yielding metabolism maintain the normal function of Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s Wo m a n

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Dastaan

A Michelin guide restaurant that delivers a superb and authentic Northern India menu arrives in Leeds

By Freda Shafi

evident how much time and effort is

The flagship restaurant originates in Epsom Surrey and diligently invested in presentation here. has won numerous awards and is Michelin recommended.

With modern twists on old classics; I’m so glad our city was chosen as a home for this wonderful who’d have thought a spinach and place to dine.

We needed it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; it’s a breath of fresh air on the Indian restaurant scene here in Yorkshire. With a polished modern and adventurous menu by talented avant-garde chefs Sanjay Gour and Nand Kishore, it really does hit all the right optic and flavour notes.And you will not be overwhelmed by too many faffy choices which can happen in some restaurants.

Dastaan delivers a concise, punchy set of dishes that taste exactly as they should; authentic to their culinary regions of India, the dishes are both visually exciting and an absolute delight

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on the palette. A brilliant mix of both regional and classics that make this a stand out menu.

I was invited to the launch of the new bottomless brunch menu and I arrived with much excitement (and an empty stomach) as I knew I would leave happily and fully replete, having had the pleasure of eating here before.

Whilst already familiar with the evening menu, I was curious about what a lunch menu would look like and how indeed it differs from their regular menu.

I sat and waited patiently as each dish was delivered to the table, each and every one displayed beautifully; it is

kale bhajiya could not just look this incredible, but taste delectable too.

Much like the evening menu, the lunch menu is concise, to the point and not overloaded to the point of confusion.

If I were to dine on Indian food during the daytime, this couldn’t be a more ideal and fun menu– there are fries (!) and fabulous spicy shrimp hakka noodles on this lunch time menu too.

If you want to bring the kids along, they most certainly will be catered for here. Perfect portion sizes too which avoid you from overloading and falling asleep at your desk in the afternoon (which can happen when I overdo lunch)

Here are my top 5 favourite dishes: Bottomless Brunch The tandoori chicken served with tandoori roast potato and salad. The flavours are complex and sophisticated in this punchy dish.

A brilliant combination and a good one to share.

The drinks are impressive too with bottomless Prosecco, cocktails, beer, IPA & Wines on the menu!

I’ll only ever recommend a place I love and visit time and time again; this is one of many visits here in the short time it’s been in Leeds.

Prices are very reasonable too, at a time when we all are tightening our belts to save up for a good night out. Be assured that you will not be disappointed with either the food or the kind, caring and extremely amenable staff here who do not hesitate to take time to help you with choosing and recommending

the right dishes. The ambience here is perfect for both date night and a fun night with a party of however many friends you can pull together – there is even a private dining suite upstairs. We are incredibly lucky that it’s literally a stone’s throw away from home, so no need to travel all the way down the M62 for Indian food outside of Leeds.

A great experience all round; I picked up their cook book too.

Please do make sure you try it out for yourselves, I’m pretty sure it will become one of your favourites.

Cheese and onion Dosa with sambhar and coconut chutney.

At first I had my reservations – cheese dosa?. But they were soon dispelled. A beautiful crispy dosa batter and a subtle hit of cheese which marries well with the sambhar and chutney.

A fabulous twist on a classic which could quite easily not work. Be assured this spicy little cheesy number works!

Aloo Tikki Chaat with sweet peas, tamarind and mint chutney Star ter f r o m evening m e n u

Spinach and kale bhajiya is a must – spicy tangy and crunchy, these kale bites are incredibly moreish

M a i n f r o m evening menu

L a m b biryani served with cucumber and pomegranate raita . A sensational dish with tender, succulent lamb pieces cooked in a rich masala embedded in basmati rice.

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Taking a different career path Eight years ago, Dalia Hawley’s life felt stagnant, trapped in the 9-5 and wanted something more. She had always been interested in holistic therapies so began looking at what evening courses were available. “I came across a free massage course and decided to give it a go, since then I’ve never looked back working through courses and gaining my sports massage qualifications.

“Around the same time, I started running and cycling and with my business building up a really good client base working out of my city centre clinic and a yoga studio, I decided to take a gamble and go part-time in my salaried role to concentrate on the business. Thankfully I worked for a wonderful company who supported me and agreed to some flexibility.

“I had been recommended by clients to two large well-known companies in Leeds and they invited me in once

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a week to offer workplace massage to staff. I was seeing several clients a week in clinic and then working once a week in either office or onsite sports event massage. I knew I had made the right decision.

Through my massage course I learnt about aromatherapy, so began researching massage oils and blends.

I worked with a local aromatherapist who helped put some blends together then I tested them on willing clients. I had always had an interest in making

my own skincare products, so this naturally appealed to me. Soon clients were asking to buy my blends for their own use at home.

“A friend of mine has a high street indie shop and asked if I would like her to stock my products. I didn’t need much convincing and soon I built up a regular customer base.

During lockdown I began working on my partner’s garden that was overgrown, planting different herbs and botanicals. It felt like a very natural progression to start formulating skincare products inspired by gardens and meadows and I began working with the botanicals I had discovered growing in the UK. You can now find my business Dalia Botanique in several retail spaces.

An SUV with added Spanish flair By: Graham Courtney - Motoring Correspondent

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SEAT began life as a Spanish firm which, for the majority it its early years, assembled Fiat cars and then stuck a SEAT badge onto them. The turning point came in 1986 when Volkswagen bought a 51per cent share of the company. Within two years, SEAT was in profit and they’ve never looked back.

SEAT say they put a bit of Spanish flair into their cars, which is fine, but most people also fancy a bit of Germanic quality and reliability…. which of course you also now get with SEAT. The Volkswagen group also contains Audi, SKODA, Lamborghini, CUPRA, Bentley and Porsche,…they all tend to share bits and pieces and a lot of technology.

Something that SEAT has been particularly successful with is SUVs,

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and one of our favourites is this one, the SEAT Arona. If you want a really good family car that will doubleup as transport for the school run, shopping, going to the tip, family holidays as well as the mundane day to day commute, the Arona will become part of the family.

We’d recommend the 3-cylinder 1.0 litre TSI petrol engine which develops 108bhp. You can get a smaller 94bhp engine which is a tad more economical but not such good fun to drive or a 1.5 litre version which would be useful

if you regularly travel fully laden.

If you mainly do town driving, the smaller 1.0 litre unit will be fine, but the more powerful 1.0 litre engine is the best all-rounder. Everything goes to the front wheels via either a manual gearbox or 7-speed auto.

0-60mph comes up in a shade over 10 seconds. Avoid using all of the power and you’ll manage up to 47.8 mpg. Sounds good too.

The mid-range FR Sport trim is the pick of the bunch because it makes the Arona look and feel really special.

You get satellite navigation, FR sports seats, rear parking sensors, cruise control, bigger wheels, powered windows and mirrors, dual zone climate control, LED headlights, smart alloys, 10.25-inch digital screen, dark tinted windows and a DAB radio. The sat nav comes with traffic alerts which

means if there’s a hold-up ahead of you, it’ll send you around a diversion to avoid the queues.

The raised seating position is terrific for driving in town traffic. You really can see more of what’s around you.

The light steering helps too, as does the supple suspension which keeps things comfy at low speeds but, because it’s an FR Sport model, the damper settings are slightly firmer to maintain poise when you decide to

push on. If you prefer a softer ride, skip the Sport model.

If you are the sort of person who enjoys driving, you’ll love the Arona.

It’s good fun. You’ll also appreciate how in recent years SEAT has upped the quality of the interior. It looks and feel seriously smart.

And it’s surprisingly roomy. Adults will be perfectly happy in the back. Kids will love it. The boot is spacious too.

The SEAT Arona is an excellent car.

Well equipped, roomy and good to drive. SEAT were late arrivals at the SUV party….they’ve been able to choose the best ideas and put them all into the Arona.

Prices for the SEAT Arona range start at £20,960 which represents great value for money. It should hang onto its value too because SEAT and the Arona have a great reputation.

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