Business News
The first Telford-based Specialist Defence and Security Convention UK is a runaway success The Specialist Defence and Security Convention UK (SDSC-UK), formerly the Three Counties Defence and Security Expo (3CDSE), held its sixth show with great success on the 1st and 2nd of November. This year, as the event grows internationally, creating increasing demands in terms of proximity to airports, the event moved from its original home of the Three Counties Showground, Malvern to the Telford International Centre (TIC). Remaining in the West Midlands was key to the organisers, the Three Counties Regional Defence and Security Cluster whose base remains in Hereford, and TIC provided the excellent transport links, exhibition space and facilities necessary to accommodate SDSC-UK in this next stage of its evolution as the UK’s premier specialist defence and security event. SDSC-UK welcomed over 1200 delegates, and 100 exhibitors who came together to network and collaborate in this conducive setting.
The event showcased innovations in communications, cyber, protective equipment and autonomy from companies across the security and defence tech and innovation space, as well as other digital transformation sectors, including Agritech, Fintech and Automotive. Building on the exceptional level of support provided by both UK and US governments in
previous years, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and US Department of Defence (US DOD) utilised SDSC-UK as a platform to launch the US Special Operations Forces Command (USSOCOM) Innovation Foundry. The Foundry is a collaborative initiative intended to bring together Special Operations Forces (SOF), industry, academia, national labs, government and futurists in an exploration, design-thinking, facilitated event to assist USSOCOM in decomposing future scenarios and missions. Exhibitors were also given the opportunity to pitch themselves and their innovations to the US DOD’S U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (U.S DEVCOM) team. Keeping TIC as its chosen venue, SDSC-UK is due to take place on November 2024.
Leading accountancy firm raises thousands for children’s mental health charity at annual golf event Worcestershire-based accountancy firm, Hayward Wright, held its Annual Charity Golf Day last week in partnership with YoungMinds - a leading charity that fights for young people’s mental health by providing a range of support to children, young adults, parents, and those who work with children. The event, which was held at Olton Golf Club in Solihull, brought together more than 100 individuals from a range of businesses in the West Midlands and Worcestershire and raised an incredible £7,824 for the charity. Despite some challenging weather conditions, guests enjoyed a day of
networking and golf which was kicked off by Hayward Wright’s Managing Director, Alistair Hayward-Wright, and Practice Manager Sam Paice as they presented the format of the day and a short series of videos on the important role that YoungMinds plays. The event received incredible support from the local business community including a wide range of sponsors with commercial property consultancy, Siddall Jones, Blackstar Mortgages, Bagworld, F8, Xero, and Bold IT all supporting the day.
Commenting on the success of the event, Alistair Hayward-Wright said: “We cannot thank all those that attended and our sponsors enough for helping us deliver a great event and for their generosity which has helped us raise a significant amount of money for YoungMinds - an organisation that plays a critical role in supporting children and young people with mental health issues. It was a great day, and we were delighted to see so many businesses from across the region taking part and look forward to building on the success next year at our 2024 event.”
Lifting the lid on carbon capture Carbon capture and storage (CCS) can accelerate efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Carbon capture prevents CO2 entering the atmosphere as a result of industrial processes, i.e., burning fossil fuels, oil, gas and coal. It involves separating CO2 from other gases released by industrial processes and transporting it via pipelines, road transport or ships to be stored within rock formations deep underground. There are 27 CCS projects in the UK but none are in operation. Carbon capture power plants – power stations equipped with carbon capture
technology - form part of the Government’s plans to remove carbon from UK electricity production by 2035. CCS infrastructure is expensive. Some believe renewables and power storage would be better investments, as none of the Government’s proposed plants claim to capture more than 2m tonnes a year. For guidance on reducing carbon emissions in your organisation, please contact our Client Relationship Managers.
Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce
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