Huntingdonshire area news

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OBE for Services to International Trade

Stuart Gibbons, Managing Director of Le Mark Group Ltd, share his OBE story that he received by HRH The Princess Royal on October at Windsor Castle. On 2 December 2020, I was first advised that I had been ‘approved’ for an OBE by the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood based in St James Palace London. I was also informed that my name and nomination would be passed to HM The Queen for final Royal approval and confirmation! You can imagine my absolute shock to have received this information by an email! Apparently 2020, due to Covid-19, was the first year ever that emails had been used for official correspondence of this type. At first, there was total disbelief as I had never sought any recognition for doing the job I have loved and enjoyed for nearly 40 years. I have always been a passionate exporter, knowing that the UK must export to survive and flourish. As a committed DIT Export Ambassador, I enjoy encouraging new and existing SME exporters to take the international challenge. After sharing my shock and talking to my export team, it started to dawn on me the amount of work that had been done behind the scenes. Karolina Wlodarczyk, Head of Export had been approached in strictest confidence by the Chancery office back in March 2020. Being ‘sworn to secrecy’ she had been asked to provide a history of my exporting career alongside my community roles by researching Le Mark records. The nomination had in fact been submitted by the Department of International Trade who had set the official wheels in motion. I must pay tribute to Karolina Wlodarczyk who kept the secret and did all that the Chancery asked her to do over a period of months, completely without me knowing! David Earp – International Trade Advisor for DIT was also a part of the ‘conspiracy of secrets’ acting as liaison for the DIT when they sought more information regarding my career. In all honesty, I do not believe my OBE nomination would have progressed without their commitment, professionalism, and diligence, and I am exceedingly grateful for all they did.

Award wins for Wyboston Lakes Resort

Wyboston Lakes Resort’s team have been recognised in the Meetings Industry Association’s (mia) highly sought-after miaList 2021, which recognises inspiring and exceptional individuals in the business meetings and events industry. Simon McMahon, General Manager for Venues, and Linden Beattie, Hotel General Manager, both members of the resort’s senior management team, were recognised as the Best Events and Operations Team. The pair were key to getting the business ready for reopening after lockdown, launching the resort’s comprehensive Covid Policy, running a Government Pilot event, and engaging and training staff to bring them back from furlough. Rachel Bradshaw, the Resort’s Front of House Manager, was also recognised in the list. The judges said that Bradshaw was an “unbelievable asset to the business particularly during the pandemic. She has shown resilience, adaptability, kindness, ceaseless energy and enthusiasm for her role and for her venue. Her maturity, integrity, and capability in making decisions shone through for the judges; she has without a doubt showcased her future potential within the sector.” Wyboston Lakes Resort has also won an important award at the IACC’s annual Europe Festival of Knowledge, a major international event for the meetings and events industry across the continent. The Bedfordshire resort won the IACC Better Tomorrow Service Week Award of Achievement. Steve Jones, Managing Director of Wyboston Lakes Resort, commented: “To gain this high recognition from IACC, a prestigious international organisation, in the company of events professionals and venues across Europe is a wonderful honour and a superb testament to the skills and commitment of our team.”

HUNTINGDONSHIRE AREA Living Sport’s new chairperson brings wealth of experience to the charity

Sports and physical activity charity, Living Sport, has appointed prominent Cambridgeshire businessperson Frazer Bennett as its new chairperson. Frazer is the Chief Innovation Officer at PA Consulting, a Cambridge-based innovation and transformation consultancy, and he will provide advice and expertise to support Living Sport, building on the work of outgoing chairperson Simon Morris. Speaking about his appointment, Frazer said: “Living Sport is one of the most dynamic and busiest Active Partnerships in the Eastern region. “I have been inspired by the people working within Living Sport and the purpose they have to improve the health, happiness and wellbeing of people across Cambridgeshire. “The charity has had considerable impact over the course of the pandemic working with some superb delivery partners. I want to make sure Living Sport complements that strength of partnerships by opening up relationships with other organisations.” Living Sport provide support to people and organisations across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough that deliver, influence, and inspire others to be active. The charity received significant funding support from Sport England to the network of Active Partnerships, to help them to deliver their strategy ‘Uniting the Movement’. Additional partners include local authorities, educational institutions, and the health, voluntary and private sectors. As an expert in the fields of technology and innovation, Frazer was at the forefront of the UK Government’s Ventilator Challenge – a response to the Covid-19 pandemic by rapidly building and delivering the much-needed equipment to the NHS frontline. Chief Executive at Living Sport, Simon Fairhall, said: “We are delighted that Frazer is Living Sport’s new chairperson. “Frazer is a hugely experienced businessperson with very strong ties to the Cambridgeshire area. His knowledge and strategic expertise will be of tremendous value as we both maintain and develop our work to improve the health and wellbeing of people across the county.”

Local business beating the Christmas rush

St Ives-based company CBS Group has been helping its customers breathe new life into their homes in time for Christmas. The firm and its sister companies offer a wide range of services including cleaning (CBS Cleaning), waste management (CBS Waste) and removals (CBS Removals). Gutter cleaning has been a popular autumn service while many customers are expecting visitors this Christmas and have been booking in carpet and upholstery cleans. Customers having pre-Christmas clearouts or moving house prior to 25 December have been also been calling on the teams from CBS Waste and CBS Removals to help them. CBS Group is expecting a busy year ahead helping commercial clients with office fit outs, refurbishments and dilapidations. For more information visit cbs-group. org where you can find links to all the businesses under the CBS umbrella.