http://www.nwda.co.uk/pdf/315%20MAG%20ISSUE%2018

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315째 THE RDA MAGAZINE JUNE 2009 ISSUE 18

GRANT AID Agency acts to prepare businesses for the upturn

College life Investment in education is the catalyst for Pennine revival Green spaces Regeneration continues to heal the scars of industrial past Show time The Manchester International Festival returns

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THE RDA MAGAZINE JUNE 2009 ISSUE 18

HIGHLIGHTS

CONTENTS THE THIRD DEGREE 4

Peter Salmon

12

COLLEGE LIFE

22

GREEN SPACES

24

SHOW TIME

BUSINESS 6

New fund to ease cash flow problems

7

Business Angels offer growing

The second phase of a master plan to redevelop Blackburn College will open its doors to over 600 pupils in September.

investment opportunities 8

Pump priming the regional economy

10 Fund lays the foundations for a low carbon future 11 Taking the lead on a burning issue

SKILLS AND EDUCATION 12 College to help bridge Pennine skills gap 14 Nurturing talent, building loyalty

A host of innovative land regeneration projects across the Northwest are bringing new life to some of the region's brownfield land.

15 University to aid creative fortunes

PEOPLE AND JOBS 16 Pennine towns set to embrace a high-tech future 18 Rapid response to the downturn 19 Warrington’s renaissance

INFRASTRUCTURE 20 Keeping the region moving 22 England’s green and pleasant land

QUALITY OF LIFE

The Manchester International Festival returns to the city this summer with another impressive line-up of world premieres and a bold new emphasis on free events.

24 Festival forges Manchester’s cultural links 26 Success story that’s full of regional charm 27 ‘Cultural dynamite’ brings the

OUR VISION:

315° CONTACTS

Lakes to life

NOTEBOOK 28 People in the region 29 Agency provides massive boost to regional economy 30 Event highlights 31 Getting in touch

‘A dynamic, sustainable international economy which competes on the basis of knowledge, advanced technology and an excellent quality of life for all.’

NWDA Erica Boardman email: erica.boardman@nwda.co.uk tel: 01925 400 217 visit www.nwda.co.uk & www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com

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CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

ADDING VALUE As the tough economic climate continues to create challenges for the Northwest economy, the NWDA remains committed to focusing its resources and leadership on supporting our businesses and communities through the downturn.

We reacted quickly to the changing economic conditions, and our support package of over £200 million for Northwest businesses is making a real difference in improving access to finance for the region’s companies. This issue of 315° highlights some of the support available and how it is benefiting the region’s businesses.

The RDA’s strategic leadership role continues to be vital in the current challenging economic conditions and it is essential for us to learn lessons and ensure the best value for money for our future investments. The Agency welcomes the findings of the PricewaterhouseCoopers report into the economic impact of RDAs, commissioned by the Government, which shows that for every £1 invested by the RDAs, an average of £4.50 of economic output was put back into the regional economies.

This means that the RDAs have quadrupled their £5.1 billion of evaluated expenditure during this time, with an overall return on investment of over £23 billion. Sixty-five of the NWDA’s programmes and projects were assessed, which showed that the Agency performed better than the national average. It also highlighted a number of Agency-invested projects which made a significant return on their initial investment.

Examples included Agenda for Change, the manufacturing support service which has contributed £45 million to the region’s GVA against an investment of £10 million, and Project Unity, the creation of a world-class university for Manchester which has achieved £54 million in GVA against a £20 million investment and levered in £145 million of third party investment into the university’s spin-out companies.

This is solid evidence of the NWDA’s ability to deliver real economic change on the ground. Importantly, these results only demonstrate part of our impact and we know there will be more value to come.

Ten years on from its inception, the Agency’s role continues to evolve, and the Sub-National Review (SNR) has highlighted new responsibilities for RDAs, including developing single integrated regional strategies, bringing together economic, spatial and housing strategies. In the Northwest, this will mean an enhanced and changing role for the Agency and new ways of partnership working via a joint planning and investment business model.

The Northwest is once again leading the way and we are the first region to begin working on this. Consultation on the Principles and Issues Paper is now complete and the Agency and 4NW will now begin work on the draft strategy, which we will be consulting on later this year.

It is vital to ensure that we don’t lose sight of our long-term aims, whilst making sure we respond robustly to the current economic climate. The development of the Regional Strategy will ensure that, working in partnership, we are in the strongest position possible to realise our long-term goals for the Northwest.

Bryan Gray CBE, Chairman, June 2009

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THE THIRD DEGREE

“WHAT IS FANTASTIC IS TO BE ABLE TO CREATE THE KIND OF JOBS AND THE KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL YOUNGSTERS THAT WEREN’T AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE LIKE ME. I LIKE THAT – THAT’S PART OF THE MISSION.” PETER SALMON DIRECTOR BBC NORTH

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PETER SALMON This month Peter Salmon becomes the first director of BBC North, a post that will be based at MediaCityUK in Salford. A Burnley lad born and bred, Salmon has been a key figure in broadcasting over the last 20 years, with previous stints at the BBC book-ending successful spells at both Granada and Channel Four. His new wide-ranging role will see him head up several departments including BBC Sport, 5 Live, and BBC Children.

What was the appeal of becoming the first director of BBC North?

It was the scale of the job - there’s nothing else that’s quite like it. To be honest, if it had been in Penzance on this scale, or Aberdeen, I probably would have fancied it.

The bonus was that it was back here in the North of England.

So your roots are still very much in the North?

I lived in Burnley for my first 20 years – in fact I hardly left! Manchester was my first window on the big wide world. It was an edgy city; it wasn’t as pretty then, it was rough and tough. Now it’s a really sophisticated and energetic place.

What’s the thinking behind BBC North?

The BBC seemed quite remote to me when I was a kid. It had a very small operation in the North of England, and Granada was king.

I love Northern stories, the Northern landscape and the Northern media tradition.

This was the diet I grew up on, these were the stories that nourished me.

I’m interested in the whole of the North, from Crewe to Newcastle, and seeing whether we can change the dynamics between the BBC and the licence fee payers right across the whole region. It’s a formidable challenge.

So why Manchester?

Manchester is one of the two or three biggest cultural destinations in the UK and that seems to me to be a good place to site the BBC’s second biggest broadcasting centre.

Manchester hasn’t just been entrepreneurial, energetic and inventive, it’s also been a place which has opened its doors.

Manchester has an open mind, an open

culture and if you’re going to be one of the leading city’s in Europe, then you’ve got to be that way. You close your mind, and you lose your opportunities.

MediaCityUK has been dubbed ‘the world’s most advanced broadcasting centre’ – what’s so special about it?

Everything at the BBC is rapidly becoming digitised, where people access all the content they need on their desktops. Equally, a lot of the people we serve are accessing BBC content through the internet; they’re not switching on the telly as much, they’re consuming it when they want to and that’s part of the challenge.

We have to build a centre that can service that proposition. We’re creating a place which allows our programme makers to share visual and audio material more easily and we’re working with partners to provide us with cutting edge technology.

That suggests there will be opportunities for regional companies to become involved?

If you’re ambitious you need to work with a range of partners from a lot of different sectors. They all bring different skills, they all bring different contacts.

There are a lot of things beginning to happen already because our programme makers want to start to prepare the ground before they move here in large numbers.

We’re going to need independent television and radio companies, technology firms, and we want to work with learning organisations across the North of England too.

What is fantastic is to be able to create the kind of jobs and the kind of opportunities for local youngsters that weren’t available to people like me. I like that – that’s part of the mission.

How has the current downturn affected things?

There’s a really lively media scene across the whole of the North of England and it’s finding the current economic downturn really difficult. It’s tough for everybody, but most of all for small and medium sized businesses.

I think we have an obligation to talk to them, find out what their needs are and how we can support each other. We’ve got to help people to survive as much as we can so that we can meet up at the other end of the recession.

Will the BBC maintain a presence in places like Blackburn and Carlisle?

The regional and local network that we’ve got is really important. They speak with a tone of voice, they have a personality and they have the contacts that the rest of us don’t have.

I want to build on that. They are already doing great things in the field, the interesting thing for me now is connecting all that up within BBC North.

Will you miss the old BBC site on Oxford Road in Manchester?

It’s served its time… we’ve worn the building out! I love the location, the foot fall of all the students, the chip papers, the cafes, the late night scene… but times have changed.

So in a nutshell, what are you looking forward to most now you’re back in the Northwest?

I’m looking forward to the warmth of the people, the hills and the chance to see Burnley play football a bit more! But most of all it’s the energy of the North I love – it’s a dynamic place, a colourful place and, most of all, a fun place.

For further information: www.mediacityuk.co.uk

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BUSINESS NEWS Galanz, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of home electrical appliances, is to set up its UK HQ in Manchester. The NWDA has been working closely with the Chinese company to secure the move, which will create at least ten new jobs as well as spearheading the company’s expansion into UK markets.

Farming across Cumbria is at the centre of a new scheme aimed at improving efficiency and supporting initiatives with new capital grants. The four year, £18 million Northwest Livestock Programme will be managed by the NWDA, and will place a strong emphasis on helping farms to operate on a more sustainable footing.

Businesses from Ellesmere Port and the surrounding area are joining forces with the Borough Council to fund a unique marketing proposal for the town. The initiative has been set up to promote the quality commercial space available in the area.

Northwest Vision and Media is now the sole agency for all creative and digital industries in the region, after receiving an additional £3 million in funding from the NWDA. It’s estimated that the sector generates £18.5 billion of gross value added, which is 16% of the Northwest’s total output.

Sixteen Northwest companies won a prestigious Queen's Awards for Enterprise this year – twice as many as were honoured in 2008. Eleven of the companies won awards for International Trade, four for Innovation and one for Sustainable Development.

Manchester Airport has unveiled plans to develop a 'mini-city' on a 30 acre site adjacent to the airport.

The development will see a huge expansion of retail, leisure, conferencing and commercial activities across the complex and in the surrounding area.

NEW FUND TO EASE CASH FLOW PROBLEMS

Appetite for growth – Laila's Foods is preparing for the upturn

The Agency has further responded to the current cash flow problems facing small and medium size companies (SMEs) by setting up a £10 million Transitional Loan Fund (TLF).

Launched in January by Lord Mandelson, so far it has helped 50 companies – many of which are in the region’s priority business sectors - with short-term loans totalling nearly £4 million.

David Read, Head of the NWDA’s Finance for Business team, reports a “significant demand for loans from companies that have had either their bank funding facilities reduced or withdrawn due to the banking crisis.”

One of the first beneficiaries of the TLF is Laila’s Fine Foods, a Blackpool-based producer of ready-made meals. The company expects a three-fold increase in turnover in 2009 largely on the strength of contracts to supply supermarket groups across the UK and Europe.

The business, which has secured a repayable loan of £250,000, began life in Laila Remtulla’s kitchen in Lytham and has since grown to the stage where is it is producing 35,000 meals a day across 200 different lines.

SUSTAINING GROWTH Sales and Technical Director Zera Remtulla, the founder’s daughter, says sustaining such rapid growth in the present economic climate, especially with the tightening of credit across the supply chain, was no easy feat and the loan would help reduce the negative effects of the recession on the business.

“We have to invest in raw materials and packaging before we can get our products out of the building and the loan will help our cash flow problems,“ she explained. The company expects to boost its workforce by 40 to 160 in the summer.

SAFEGUARDING JOBS Another business to have benefited is Leyland-based Norlec Engineering, which has received £250,000 from the fund, cash which will safeguard nearly 100 jobs as well as helping the sheet metal supplier prepare for future growth.

Martin Clifford, Finance Director at Norlec, says that since mid 2008 the company has been taking steps to bring new customers on board to replace a decline in sales from traditional markets.

“We have been very successful in doing this but, due to the timing of these new sales, we needed some new finance to support us during the transition,” he explains. “The NWDA provided this finance with a minimum of paperwork and within a short time scale, enabling us to safeguard jobs not only at Norlec but at our suppliers as well.”

For further information: www.nwda.co.uk/finance www.businesslinknw.co.uk

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BUSINESS ANGELS OFFER GROWING INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES As the recession continues to bite, and funding becomes harder to obtain, more Northwest companies are turning to the region’s network of Business Angels to help fund their business’s growth.

Northwest Business Angels is a 120-strong network of private investors that is enjoying a surge in popularity due to the current economic climate. Run by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), the Business Angels service looks to match fledgling companies seeking finance with private investors looking for investment opportunities.

“It’s a sort of marriage bureau with the Northwest Business Angels acting as the marriage broker,“ explains Business Angels Adviser John Christian, who helped host the March meeting of the Northwest Business Angels Investors. More than 50 Angels attended the meeting, which saw four companies pitching for investment.

HIGH REWARD “Companies are usually at a pre-trading stage or early stage development prior to commercialisation,” continues Christian.

“Average investment is about £100,000 but several Angels can come together to invest up to £500,000 in a single company. It’s high risk but there’s also the potential for high rewards”.

In the can – YoYo Media are also benefiting from the business skills of their Angels

The pitching concept is similar to the BBC’s ‘Dragon’s Den’ style of presentation with companies having ten minutes to ‘sell’ their products, services and ideas to an audience of investors, many of whom are successful entrepreneurs who, having sold a business, have money to invest.

BRIGHT FUTURE It is estimated that a third of companies pitching for investment strike deals with Business Angels, and a third get offers. A recent success story is regional independent TV production company YoYo Media, which secured £250,000 from two Angels.

Established by Jo Hallows, previously Head of Drama at Mersey Television, the company has assembled a top team of industry professionals to build a financially successful company with a projected turnover of £13 million by 2011.

She said the NWDA offered invaluable information and structured guidance on how to make a successful pitch and the company was now looking forward to a “very bright” future.

“The two Angels who have invested in the company not only helped YoYo Media financially, but they also brought a wealth of business acumen and contacts,” she says.

Other recent successes include a company

“THIS FREE SERVICE IS TRULY ONE OF THE UK’S BEST WAYS TO DEVELOP GOOD IDEAS INTO A STRONG, SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS VENTURE.” STEVEN BROOMHEAD CHIEF EXECUTIVE NWDA

that makes male grooming products, Ultra Skincare Ltd, which raised £340,000 from three investors, and a revolutionary plumbing product business that raised £60,000.

Investors tend to exit in four or five years, hopefully with a handsome profit.

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, is appealing for more potential investors to join the Business Angels network and welcomes companies from almost any industry sector and at any stage of development to make use of the service.

“This free service is truly one of the UK’s best ways to develop good ideas into a strong, successful business venture,” he explains.

“Investing in a growing company can be hugely rewarding – Business Angels unquestionably bring much more to a project than just financial assistance. They are able to offer expert guidance and support, best practice advice and a means to turn potential opportunities into tangible success.”

For further information: www.nwbusinessangels.co.uk

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BUSINESS Expanded grant schemes are giving companies a new found confidence to tackle the recession head-on.

PUMP PRIMING THE R NWDA award – the GBI scheme has helped create local jobs

Merseyside has received a timely boost to its industrial fortunes with the opening of a Northwest facility by Sulzer Pumps (UK) Ltd in Bootle, an investment that has helped reduce the impact caused by the closure of the nearby Rolls Royce site and the loss of 200 skilled jobs.

With its Leeds factory operating at full capacity, the company, part of Swiss-owned Sulzer AG, needed to find an alternative production location to cope with its fast growing order book and found the Atlantic Park facility offered an ideal solution.

Sulzer Pumps (UK) Ltd is a leading supplier of engineered pumps to the global oil and gas and power sectors. The expansion into the Northwest was made possible by a £550,000 award from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) under the Grants for Business Investment (GBI) scheme.

“The real attractions of Bootle were the skill sets and experience of the former Rolls Royce workers, not the facility itself,” explains Commercial Director Bob Foulkes. All but one of the 43 staff recruited for the Merseyside facility were redundant Rolls Royce workers.

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said the demise of the Rolls Royce operation was a significant blow to the stability of the local economy. “With 200 jobs lost it was important we worked quickly with

Sulzer to establish a similar operation to alleviate any further distress.”

GBI is one of a number of grants and loans currently being offered by the Agency to help companies counter the negative effects of the recession, most of which can be accessed through Business Link Northwest (BLNW).

Formerly known as Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFI), GBI is being deployed to drive up productivity, innovation and competitiveness among SMEs in the Northwest’s priority business sectors, but also provide support to large companies in certain areas of the region.

SUPPORT FOR SMES GBI is available in its new form to SMEs anywhere in the region through an arearelated tiered structure, whereas its predecessor could only be accessed in specific Assisted Areas. Grant support ranges from 10% to 45% of projects costs with an upper internal approval award limit of £250,000.

Another scheme which has also increased its scope is the Grant for Research and Development programme, which will continue to provide funds to help SMEs overcome the uncertainty created by technical and scientific risk which can stifle product and process innovation.

Carlisle-based Clark Door Ltd, for

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Sulzer Pumps – expansion to the Northwest has helped meet an increased demand in orders

REGIONAL ECONOMY example, will be using its £100,000 grant to work with computational experts to develop an innovative horizontal air curtain to reduce energy-loss in coldstores.

EASY TO ACCESS GRANTS A variety of research grants are also available, with up to £20,000 for small-scale projects to develop preproduction prototypes, to £500,000 for larger, more strategically important projects.

Enhancements to the scheme include the opportunity for SMEs to obtain support to investigate markets for new products. This proof of market funding offers 60% support, with grants of between £5,000 and £20,000, while support for exceptional research

projects is also available with awards of between £100,000 and £250,000.

Chris Greenhalgh, the Agency’s Grant Strategy Manager, reports a “high level of interest” in the two schemes.

“The message we are trying to get across is that small companies anywhere in the region can apply for these grant funds and by being proactive in the marketplace we may well help companies counter some of the negative effects of the economic slowdown.”

The NWDA is further broadening the scope of its support for industry by piloting a carbon reduction capital purchase awards scheme, which is part funded by the region’s ERDF programme. The aim is to create an

incentive for companies to invest in environmentally friendly equipment.

Launched in April with a funding pot of £4 million spread over three years, the scheme is aimed at reducing CO2 emissions and lowering a company’s operating costs.

BLNW is again the main contact point, with the Access to Finance team offering support in assessing the options.

Applicants will have to undergo environmental assessments carried out by Groundwork Trusts and if successful can secure up to 50% of the capital costs of equipment, with a limit of £200,000.

For further information: www.businesslinknw.co.uk

INVESTMENT THE KEY AS NORTHWEST COMPANIES BUCK THE TREND Hundreds of skilled jobs have been created or safeguarded as a result of financial aid being offered to local companies through the Grant for Business Investment (GBI) scheme.

Valueworks, a cutting edge webbased solutions business expects to double staff numbers to 123, increase turnover and expand into new public sector areas, starting with social and healthcare, as a result of receiving a

£500,000 GBI grant from the NWDA. Business prospects also look rosy at Lancaster-based G-T-P Group Ltd, UK market leader in the operation of business-to-business account card schemes, as a result of securing a GBI grant of £185,000.

The money will enable it to invest in new IT infrastructure and card processing equipment, while leasing new premises. It has a clear growth

strategy to become a major player in the card management market and if successful should see its workforce increase by 25 to 68 and turnover rise to £4.3 million.

Helen Child, Chief Executive at G-T-P, said: “Our strengths have been built on our heritage in the Northwest and the NWDA grant will allow us to continue our rapid growth, particularly in the pre-paid card market.”

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BUSINESS

Brighter future – Sundog Energy are installing 42 photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith

FUND LAYS THE FOUNDATIONS FOR A LOW CARBON FUTURE The Northwest has taken another important step towards a low carbon future with the launch of Foundation, the first regional climate fund, which is set to deliver over £1 million a year for local, community-based carbonreducing projects.

Foundation has been established to give individuals, businesses and other organisations the opportunity to donate to local community projects that are helping to combat climate change, while also tackling problems like fuel poverty.

Businesses can visibly benefit from investing in the local area where their customers and staff live and work, and their donations will allow them to compensate for unavoidable emissions, as well as fulfil corporate social responsibility goals.

While all the projects must realise a reduction in carbon, they must also deliver a wider range of additional benefits, including supporting families struggling to pay their energy bills, assisting local schools and community groups, investing in ‘green collar’ jobs, and ultimately developing the region’s low carbon economy. Foundation will also help to support projects that struggle to find support elsewhere, as well as bringing in finance from other funding streams.

Managed by Groundwork Northwest and with an initial investment of £1.6 million from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Foundation has a target to raise an additional £3 million in donations over the next two years.

The fund is already helping to support a diverse range of projects across the region, from installing photovoltaic panels in schools, to introducing home owners in fuel poverty to the benefits of wood burning stoves.

CARBON SINK At the Astley Moss nature reserve, near Leigh, a Foundation grant of £25,000 is helping to restore and protect mossland which is a superb natural carbon sink. And over the life of the project, it could help save over 620 tonnes of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.

Another grant of over £15,000 is being used to encourage employees at Birchwood Business Park in Warrington to ditch their cars in favour of two wheels. Social enterprise Bikeright! is providing cycle training and maintenance so that commuters who live locally can start cycling to work, helping to reduce emissions and cut congestion.

And the breadth of the projects is further illustrated by the £35,000 awarded to Pendle Borough Council to help alleviate fuel poverty. The grant is being used to buy ultra-efficient boilers, as well as pay for insulation in vulnerable households across the borough.

HIGH PRIORITY Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive at the NWDA, said: “The launch of Foundation comes at a time when the issues of energy and climate change are becoming increasingly high profile priorities on a national and international level. During these challenging economic times, it is more important than ever that we employ innovative financing mechanisms to secure investment and encourage business support to tackle climate change.

“Through innovation and resourcefulness, England’s Northwest will remain a leading exemplar of effective action, preparing it for the challenges of climate change and ensuring a sound infrastructure to support a low-carbon global economy.”

To find out more visit: www.climatefund.org.uk or call the Foundation team on 0161 237 3200.

Extra layer – simple loft insulation can make a huge impact when it comes to cutting energy bills

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TAKING THE LEAD ON A BURNING ISSUE The Northwest is on the verge of a biomass revolution, and regional companies are being urged to investigate the huge possibilities of a fuel source that is produced in massive quantities right on their doorstep.

Biomass involves using waste wood such as old pallets and off cuts from the construction industry, which is turned into pellets and woodchip. The Northwest now produces some two million tonnes of the fuel a year, making it a central hub for biomass supply throughout the UK. Biomass can replace traditional fossils fuels and lead to huge savings on annual fuel bills, especially for companies with high energy needs operating in sectors such as chemicals, food and drink and textiles.

However, a recent survey by Envirolink Northwest, the sector development organisation for environmental technology and services, has shown that the majority of companies have yet to consider biomass as a viable alternative.

To change this, Envirolink is running a £750,000 project on behalf of the Northwest Regional Development Agency

(NWDA) to increase the uptake of biomass energy systems.

The programme will work with energy intensive industries, particularly those that are already engaged with the Carbon Trust, and which are subject to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Assistance will include technology appraisals, emissions modelling and environmental assessments.

CUTTING OVERHEADS Nigel Blandford, Senior Sector Development Manager at Envirolink, explains that recent biomass projects have mainly concentrated on smaller schemes in rural areas. “This project in the Northwest is unique in that it concentrates on large scale industrial process heat users - companies whose energy bills from heat may be one of their largest overheads.”

The Northwest has the highest demand for process heat in the UK, with manufacturers consuming over 13,000 GWh a year, the equivalent of the total annual energy use of Manchester.

“We believe that there is the potential for

as much of a third of that to be supplied by biomass,” continues Blandford, who says that at around 0.5 pence per kWh, biomass undercuts gas by a long way, and can also help companies meet their commitments, or even make money, under regulatory schemes such Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs).

RICH RESOURCES Joe Flanagan, the NWDA’s sector leader on Energy and Environmental Technologies, agrees: “Recent price rises have focused industrial minds on energy costs, and wood is potentially a cheaper source of energy.

“Biomass can help cut businesses’ reliance on fossil fuels, while also allowing them to take advantage of the region’s rich biomass resources and reduce CO2 emissions.”

There are now around 250 commercial biomass installations in the Northwest, with grants available to install what have become reliable and technologically advanced systems.

For further information: www.envirolinknorthwest.co.uk

Perfect pellets – the Northwest produces 2 million tonnes of biomass in a year

BIOMASS GRANTS For general information on Biomass contact Nigel Blandford at Envirolink Northwest on 01925 856052.

For details about Bio-energy Capital Grants Scheme, which can cover up to 40% installation costs, visit: www.bioenergycapitalgrants.org.uk SMES may also be able to apply for an interest free loans from Carbon Trust: www.carbontrust.co.uk

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SKILLS AND EDUCATION NEWS Training in the region’s key automotive sector has received a £1.5 million boost from the NWDA. The Coaching and Leadership Solutions Project is to be extended as a way of helping to develop higher levels skills and position companies for growth once the economy starts to recover.

Linking up retired people with companies that could still benefit from their expertise is the idea behind a new Emeritus College. With initial funding of £240,000 over three years provided by the NWDA, the college is seen as a major boost to the region’s skills base.

A new £8.3 million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to the University of Manchester is the biggest ever made to an institution as part of the Knowledge Transfer Accounts.

The award is designed to help the University enhance its relationships with industrial partners, fund research and ultimately strengthen business and economic growth in the UK.

COLLEGE HELPS TO BRIDGE PENNINE SKILLS GAP From the NHS to BAE Systems, the new University Centre at Blackburn College is set to provide local employers with the graduates they need.

An Enterprise Delivery Hub is being created at Reaseheath College in Nantwich thanks to a £4.7 million grant from the NWDA. The Hub will provide a pool of specialist knowledge and state-of-the-art resources to help rural businesses to grow through better use of information and new technology.

Read to Succeed is a unique programme in Lancashire that is funding extra teaching assistants to help children improve their reading skills. Schools are already reporting that the initiative, which is backed by the NWDA, has helped some pupils improve their reading ability by as much as two years after just ten weeks.

Master Plan – the new Blackburn College

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The second phase of a master plan to redevelop Blackburn College is to open its doors to over 600 extra pupils in September.

The college’s new University Centre is being built at a cost of nearly £14 million, and will have a strong emphasis on offering courses that are relevant to the needs of local employers.

And crucially, explains college principal Ian Clinton, this will help to ensure that more graduates start to find work locally rather than migrating away from the area.

“We can train people but we’ve got to do more than that”, he says. “We’ve got to make sure that those (students) that come out with qualifications can actually develop their careers in Pennine Lancashire.”

Currently just a small percentage of the 1,000 or so students who leave the college each year with an HE qualification actually find work in Blackburn.

“We need to do a lot more to link them up with local employers and with companies moving into the area,” says Clinton.

Dr. Michele Lawty-Jones, Head of Skills and Education at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), explains that this is a key reason why the Agency has offered the college so much support. “Through providing new skills and learning opportunities for the local community in fit-for-purpose facilities, the new Blackburn University Centre, together with the nearby Burnley campus development, will make a real difference in tackling the issue of low skills levels in Pennine Lancashire, helping to provide a skilled workforce that meets the needs of local employers,” she says.

BESPOKE TRAINING The University Centre has been built with funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the college itself, and a £3.2 million investment from the NWDA. And there are already plans to develop a new engineering academy within the centre, as well as forging stronger links with the local NHS Trust, who are looking to set up new teaching

Degree status – students can now enjoy a host of HE courses

facilities in the region.

“We’re keen to work with companies such as BAE to develop bespoke training,” explains Clinton, “and this will be made possible by the new build.”

Mike Hollows, Senior Development Executive at the NWDA, believes that given the town’s engineering background, and with hi-tech engineering companies such as BAE Systems on its doorstep, an engineering academy makes perfect sense.

“There is already an employment base in the advanced engineering sector in and around Blackburn,” he explains. “The college is looking towards the future employment supply chain and giving local people the skills they need to be the engineers of the future, rather than companies like BAE having to import them from other areas of the country.”

Elsewhere, the Agency is supporting the £70 million Cathedral Quarter project, one of the aims of which is to make Blackburn town centre more attractive to new businesses by offering improved office accommodation.

Plans to encourage more companies into Blackburn are also being boosted by a £100,000 project linking the college and the Pennine Lancashire Chief Executive Group (PLACE), which is designed to raise skill levels and link well-qualified local people with local jobs.

GREEN CAMPUS Local jobs – the new college will help link students with local companies

The stunning new University Centre building has been built on just over an acre of brownfield land and will cover some 7000 square metres. However, its environmental footprint will be considerably reduced thanks to a number of energy efficient measures built into the fabric of the building.

Photovoltaic panels on the roof are expected to generate some 50,000 kWhr a year, and save over 20,000 kg of CO2, while ground source heat pumps will use thermal energy from below ground to heat the centre, and further reduce annual C02 emissions by 5,000 kg.

Rain water will also be collected and used to

flush the toilets and there will be new secure cycle storage, encouraging more people to leave the car at home.

Clinton says staff and students were the impetus behind the new sustainable campus.

“It’s one of the things that students take very seriously… the whole issue of recycling and energy efficiency. We often criticise young people but what we’ve got here is students being concerned not only about their future but the future of other parts of the world, too.”

Over 15,000 students attend the college, and the new University Centre is the second part of a masterplan which has already seen the completion of the St Paul’s Centre in 2007, comprising a new Sixth Form and Computing Centre.

Phase three will see the building of a new Motor Vehicle Workshop, while the fourth phase will involve a new Core Building, providing teaching space, a learning resource centre and refectory. The final phase will focus on refurbishing the remaining buildings, including the Grade II listed Victoria Building.

The centre will also reinforce links with Lancaster University, which validates many of the HE courses, and ensure that the college offers a full range of higher education qualifications, from foundation degrees up to post graduate diplomas.

The modern 21st century campus is also seen as a much needed fillip for the area.

Twenty percent of residents in Blackburn with Darwen have no qualifications, compared to a Northwest average of 15.8%, while just 13.8% have an HE qualification, against a national average of 20.4%.

“University education is extremely important, especially in a borough like Blackburn with Darwen where there is a lot of deprivation,” adds Sir Bill Taylor, Chair of Blackburn College’s Corporation Board.

“A new University Centre in the area will provide high quality education and ultimately, a better standard of living.”

For further in formation: www.blackburn.ac.uk

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SKILLS AND EDUCATION

NURTURING TALENT, BUILDING LOYALTY

Well trained – staff development can help ensure the future success of a business

The Train to Gain skills brokerage service is offering businesses the chance to beat the economic downturn with free practical advice on how to develop a highly skilled and innovative workforce.

The service is part of the Solutions for Business portfolio, the Government’s simplified package of business support products. It is being delivered regionally by Business Link Northwest (BLNW), whose advisers are working with businesses to diagnose their skills requirements and identify suitable training opportunities.

Earlier this year the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) announced a £20 million investment into leadership and management skills for the region’s SMEs, with £6.5 million earmarked to support the national Train to Gain leadership and management initiative.

MAXIMUM SUPPORT Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive at the NWDA, explains: “The move to further align access to the Train to Gain skills support package through the Business Link service is good news for companies in the region and their employees. It will make it easier for businesses to identify the learning and development requirements of their staff, alongside the wider business needs.

“We believe that the development of employees is a vital part in ensuring the future of businesses in these challenging times.”

BLNW has already helped nearly 4,500 companies identify training and development solutions for their staff, as well as supporting 830 managers and leaders as they undertook personal development plans to sustain, manage and grow their businesses.

As BLNW Managing Director Peter Watson explains: “The provision includes training that is fully funded, through to bespoke programmes that companies pay for.

“This helps to ensure that businesses are maximising the public support that is available to them, giving them more time to focus on other key areas of their business, and prepare for the economic upturn.”

DEVELOPING SKILLS One company which has already made use of the service is the Haydock-based electrical systems specialists Switch Gear & Controls.

“We have had a clear policy from the very beginning that you have to train your own people if you want to develop the skills you need,” explains the company’s owner Marc Shaw. “I believe very strongly that you can nurture both talent and loyalty if you give people the right opportunities.”

The company is now working with two

BLNW advisers to identify training needs, forge relationships with training providers and ensure it reaps the benefits of subsidised training through the Train to Gain service.

BLNW adviser Frances Moulding says: “The company is very progressive in its attitude to training and is not only encouraging employees to develop their skills with NVQs through Train to Gain but also supporting apprentices that have just completed their course with assertiveness and people management training.”

Having doubled its turnover in 2008, Switch Gear & Controls has recently invested in new equipment to enable it to complete more manufacturing processes in house, as well as implementing a new management structure. And this means that Shaw is also working with Business Link to identify management and leadership training for his senior team.

“Business Link Northwest is an important partner for our business,” Shaw adds. “Our relationship with them means that there is always someone we can contact for support and advice, which will be invaluable as we continue to grow.”

For further information: www.businesslinknw.co.uk

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Liverpool has barely had time to draw breath since its year as European Capital of Culture, with early figures revealing that 15 million visitors were attracted to the city during 2008.

But while the celebrations may be over, one organisation believes Liverpool’s time in the cultural spotlight has only just begun.

Liverpool Hope University, together with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), are investing £6.5 million into a new arts centre that promises to transform the creative fortunes of North Liverpool.

“Being Capital of Culture was fantastic for the city and the university,” says Professor Bill Chambers, the University’s Pro ViceChancellor. “It gave us the opportunity to develop partnerships with organisations across Europe. But it also gave us the chance to focus on our future. People now see the creative industries as having a role to play in the economy rather than just being about lifestyle.”

The evidence is compelling: an extra £800 million flowed into Merseyside during 2008, while the city’s cultural status was a catalyst for big budget regeneration schemes including Liverpool One, Europe’s biggest shopping development.

“PEOPLE NOW SEE THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AS HAVING A ROLE TO PLAY IN THE ECONOMY RATHER THAN JUST BEING ABOUT LIFESTYLE.” BILL CHAMBERS PRO VICE-CHANCELLOR LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY TO AID CREATIVE FORTUNES Culture club – the centre will form a new creative hub in Everton

It is for this reason that Liverpool Hope is investing further in the creative industries. But its new arts centre isn’t simply a case of jumping on the cultural bandwagon. It is the last stage of a decade-long development that already includes an art gallery, recording studios and theatres, and is part of a plan to bring investment, skills and new business to North Liverpool. “The project will aid the regeneration of the Everton area,” says Chambers. “This is an area with a lot of need and, together with the local community, we aim to make the campus the gateway to the north of the city.”

A CREATIVE BUSINESS Scheduled for completion in late 2009, the centre includes practice rooms, music labs, a double-height performance hall and library.

At its heart is a garden, complete with amphitheatre – Chambers refers to it as ‘an oasis in the urban desert’.

But what sets the centre apart is its focus on new business - it comes kitted out with specialist facilities, incubation space and tailored business support for

creative start-ups. “We want to develop a leading centre of the creative and performing arts,” says Chambers. “We hope to build on our history of widening participation and get the local community involved. And we want to work with business. If we succeed in engaging industry, we will create more jobs and encourage entrepreneurship, giving graduates the choice of joining local employers or going into business themselves.”

If the Northwest is to weather the economic storm, tackling skills development and graduate retention is crucial. The region’s creative and digital industries sector is already the second largest in Europe, with MediaCityUK likely to lead an upsurge in demand for highly skilled workers. “The sector is very strong – it’s why the BBC decided to move up here,” says NWDA Development Manager Ron Pelleymounter: “By developing the skills that employers actually need, and by improving the skills base within the local community, the university will strengthen what the region already has.”

For further information: www.hope.ac.uk

Full of hope – the University now offers state-of-the-art facilities for the city's creative industries

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PEOPLE AND JOBS NEWS Nearly 1,000 jobs have been created and safeguarded as part of the multi-million regeneration at Liverpool’s Pier Head and Mann Island. Key areas of employment are the new ferry terminal, the canal link between Stanley Dock and Albert Dock, and the new Museum of Liverpool.

Northwest e-Health is a groundbreaking project that’s set to support the region’s public health and biohealth sector. Established with a £4.9 million grant from the NWDA, the initiative will use the latest computer technology to gain new insights into the way in which individual treatments as well as whole healthcare services are working.

Preston’s new Minerva Health Centre is being billed as ‘a new concept in healthcare’. Established at Preston North End football club, the centre is a collaboration between the club, NHS and NWDA, and brings together a range of services for treating long-term conditions into a single, purpose-built facility.

Raising skill levels and encouraging young people to take a fresh look at engineering are just two ways in which a corner of Pennine Lancashire is being transformed.

Over recent years, parts of the Pennine Lancashire economy have thrived, most notably the cluster of businesses involved in advanced engineering, such as aviation specialists Aircelle and Euravia.

But paradoxically, many of the local communities in which these companies are based have slipped backwards, as levels of educational attainment have dropped and worklessness increased.

“Over the last few years these companies have been crying out for apprentices and have been offering to take on young people, but they’ve had little response locally,” explains Ian Whittaker, Policy and Partnerships Manager at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

Whittaker believes a combination of low aspirations among local young people, and the fact that manufacturing isn’t seen as a ‘sexy’ career, were behind the missed opportunities. “But the companies themselves, with public sector help, are trying

RAISING ASPIRATIONS Mike Cook, Director of Regeneration at Burnley Council, agrees: “We know we have the right ingredients, from new education facilities, to businesses willing to work in partnership – what the public sector must do is bring these strands together.”

It is for this reason that investing in skills, and raising awareness of the opportunities offered by local, high-tech engineering companies are the two issues at the top of the agenda for the organisations working to improve the prospects of the area.

Central to this push is the new combined FE/HE campus at Burnley College that opens in September and includes a new centre for the University of Central Lancashire. “Putting something like an £83 million facility in the middle of the town shouts at people; it’s a real statement of intent with regards to education in Burnley,” says Cook.

There has also been considerable investment in new FE buildings at Nelson and Colne College, and together both projects

PENNINE TOWNS SET TO

Indian food specialist Deliz Ltd from Bolton, and Rochdale’s Castlemere Community Centre, which provides a range of opportunities for the town’s diverse population, were two of the winners at the 2009 Northwest Ethnic Minority Awards. The awards are supported by the NWDA as part of its commitment to encouraging greater entrepreneurship among the region’s black and minority ethic communities.

Murray Easton CBE, former BAE Systems Submarines Managing Director, has been appointed Chair of the newly-created Barrow Vision and will oversee the delivery of Barrow’s multi-million pound regeneration programme.

Barrow Vision has become the single decision-making body for all regeneration activity across Cumbria’s second largest urban centre.

to overcome this and get the message across that these can be well paid, highly-skilled jobs, with excellent prospects,” he explains.

Riding high – youngsters in Pennine Lancashire are being encouraged to take a fresh look at careers with local firms

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have received £13.5 million from the NWDA. The new colleges are working with local industry to develop courses linked to the needs of the local economy, while at the same time improving perceptions about jobs in engineering which, says Whittaker, now have much more in common with computers than they do with oily rags.

Raising aspirations is also crucial to helping the Pennine towns retain their most talented young people, and alongside plans to open an enterprise park next to Burnley College, young people are also being encouraged to consider enterprise as a career option.

LOCAL DELIVERY Other projects, especially regeneration initiatives, are also taking shape. The new Multi Area Agreement (MAA), signed by the Pennine Lancashire local authorities and the Government in January, will support more local delivery of this type of activity, much of it through the newly established Pennine Lancashire Development Company.

Brian Cookson, Executive Director (Regeneration) at Pendle Council, and a member of the Pendle Vision Board, believes

Statement of intent – the new look Burnley College

O EMBRACE A HIGH-TECH FUTURE that the MAA will allow much greater “local determination of regeneration funding.”

“We’ve got a real needs agenda here,” he says. “We’ve got to do much more…. and that’s why we’re getting together with the other local authorities to try and address the needs, and make the most of the opportunities.”

“Pennine Lancashire as a whole is a regional priority for us,” says Whittaker, “(and) there are opportunities which we can exploit in Burnley and Pendle.”

One of these opportunities is the old Michelin factory in Burnley. Now owned by the Agency, over £3 million has been spent refurbishing the old tyre warehouse. This has enabled Aircelle, which employs over 700 people locally, to expand on to the site from its neighbouring premises, rather than having to move elsewhere.

And, adds Whittaker, as the rest of the site is developed, the Agency hopes to attract more advanced engineering businesses and private investment of over £30 million.

POSITIVE IMPACT The Agency has also funded the acquisition of buildings and land at the historic Weavers’ Triangle, giving control of the important Victorian heritage site to Burnley Council.

There are plans to bring in private investment to create jobs and transform the area into a

mixed use development combining commercial units and homes, and makes the most of the strong heritage connection.

Another crucial project is reinstating the Todmorden Curve, a stretch of railway line that will provide a direct service from Burnley and Pendle to Manchester. Re-opening it will halve the average journey, and so far the Agency has offered to invest £5 million into capital costs.

In Pendle, over £30 million has been invested in regeneration initiatives, much of which has been directly linked to the Housing Market Renewal Programme. Work has included improving the image of Pendle, and the NWDA has earmarked a further £5 million for major public realm works in Nelson town centre, while numerous other projects will see many of the area’s surviving mills refurbished.

Looking at the bigger picture, Whittaker is optimistic. “If you put all these things together, you’ve got a package that matches local needs and opportunities,” he says. “But what’s really important is that the package will bring more than just local benefits – it will have a positive impact on Pennine Lancashire and whole of the region.”

For further information: www.nwda.co.uk

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PEOPLE AND JOBS

RAPID RESPONSE TO THE DOWNTURN New measures to help individuals and companies deal with redundancy have been launched by the Joint Economic Commission (JEC), the body set up to spearhead the Northwest’s response to the economic downturn.

The JEC was established last year by local MP and Minister for the North West, Beverley Hughes, and brings together the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), business leaders, local authorities and public agencies including Jobcentre Plus, the Homes and Communities Agency and the Learning and Skills Council.

TAILORED SUPPORT A new framework for action has been established which aims to deliver a rapid and integrated public sector response for both businesses and employees affected by the economic conditions.

Damien Bourke, Policy and Partnership

“WHAT IS NEW AND SIGNIFICANT IS THE WAY SERVICES ARE TAILORED TO RESPOND TO REDUNDANCIES AND THE SPEED WITH WHICH THEY ARE DELIVERED.”

Manager at the NWDA, explains: “The framework has been established to gather information on redundancies, intervene early to help companies about to make people redundant, and help people facing unemployment. ”What is new and significant is the way services are tailored to respond to redundancies and the speed with which they are delivered. There is a clear process so that different agencies are not offering help on a piecemeal basis.”

JOINING FORCES Also under the new framework is an expanded database – the Northwest Business Performance Index – which is helping Jobcentre Plus, councils and other agencies to plan their short-term response to the economic downturn.

The database is maintained by Business Link Northwest, which captures and coordinates information on

DAMIEN BOURKE POLICY & PARTNERSHIP MANAGER NWDA

companies and redundancies from around the region, mapping the information by sector, geography and the risk of businesses failing.

And Bourke adds: “The Joint Economic Commission was set up to look at how the public, private and voluntary sectors can respond effectively to the recession.

As an economic development agency we are at the front line in helping people and businesses deal with the current economic situation.”

For more information: www.nwda.co.uk

REDUNDANCY SUPPORT The Rapid Response Service is run by Jobcentre Plus and offers people information on the job market, advice on retraining, job preparation and help claiming benefits. Advisors can also help identify transferable skills, and money is also available for extra costs such as travelling to interviews.

Since April, Jobcentre Plus has offered the expanded service to all employers that announce more than 20 redundancies – previously it was offered

only when 50 or more jobs were lost. It is also available to self-employed people for the first time.

Ian Marshall, Acting District Manager for Jobcentre Plus in Greater Manchester, says: “Many people now find themselves in a position they’ve never been in before and it’s important that our services change to reflect this, and that we have help available for everyone.”

For further details visit: www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

Swift support – extra help is now available to businesses and individuals dealing with redundancy

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Investment opportunity – the huge potential of Warrington town centre is set to be realised

WARRINGTON’S RENAISSANCE MASTERPLAN TO BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO TOWN CENTRE The first step towards a remodelled, revitalised Warrington Town Centre has been taken following the acquisition of the 1970s shopping plaza Time Square.

The purchase of the key site by Warrington Borough Council (WBC) was made possible by funding support from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). It forms part of the Warrington Bridge Street Quarter master plan, a long-term development strategy for one of the Borough’s priority regeneration areas.

The NWDA has been working closely with the Council and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to create the conditions for a major new mixed use development in the town. And with adjacent sites already owned by the council, the acquisition of Time Square will help create a sizeable area which they can offer to the market for redevelopment.

WARRINGTON WATERFRONT The Council envisage that the Bridge Street Quarter project will ultimately attract up to £80 million in private sector investment, and provide the town with a high-quality office, retail, leisure and hotel development.

The 1.2 ha Time Square site, which is next to Warrington Market, makes up approximately a quarter of the main Bridge Street area, a key location between the town’s retail heart and its main employment site at Centre Park.

Last year, architects Taylor Young were commissioned to develop a plan for the Quarter, which could create around 80,000 square metres of floorspace. The plans feature cafes and restaurants alongside a mix of office and residential developments, with a central plaza offering space for events and exhibitions, as well as an upgraded market.

The plans also reconnect the town centre with the nearby River Mersey.

The redevelopment work would also transform the area into a more attractive gateway into the town and provide the opportunity to enhance many of the important listed buildings within the town’s historic heart, which now fall within the Bridge Street Conservation Area.

“We’re effectively looking to remodel and redevelop the whole area,” explains Peter Taylor, Head of Regeneration and Development at WBC. “It’s also a fantastic opportunity to

bring back into the town centre things that we’ve lost, such as a cinema, as well as develop a whole new Warrington Waterfront.

“Revitalising this part of the town centre will give the whole of Warrington a lift. There will be a strong emphasis on ensuring that the area retains a distinctive feel, as well as making it a much better environment in which to live, work and relax.”

JOB CREATION Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, adds: “Warrington is a growth town, it has excellent transport links and plenty of outof-town development, but the huge potential of the town centre has so far been missed.

“The Golden Square shopping centre has proved town centre development in Warrington can be successful, but it is not matched by the office space, hotels and restaurants that a successful commercial district needs. Time Square is an opportunity on a scale which can support significant regeneration, creating new high-quality leisure and office space, new jobs and levering in a considerable amount of public and private sector funding.”

For more information: www.nwda.co.uk

Remodelled and revitalised – the centre of Warrington is set for a major revamp

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INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS The once neglected Medlock Valley has won two major awards from the British Urban Regeneration Association.

A £2 million project has successfully transformed the 225 acre site in east Manchester into a much needed new green space.

The dilapidated Grove Mill in Rochdale has been demolished as part of the Brighter Futures initiative. A number of sites along the Oldham Road corridor are to be cleared in order to prepare them for future private development as well as improving the natural environment for local people. The NWDA is contributing £2.2 million to the work.

Research by engineers at the University of Liverpool shows that building barrages across some of the region’s huge estuaries could provide the Northwest with up to 50% of its energy needs. The study was funded by the NWDA and investigated the different ways in which tidal sources in the Irish Sea could be used to generate electricity.

Super-fast broadband, offering connections up to ten times quicker than average speeds, will be arriving in parts of the region early next year as part of a £1.5 billion BT programme. The Northwest will become one of the first regions in the country to receive the new fibre-based system.

Planning Liverpool’s future transport needs will be helped by a new computer based modelling facility. The Liverpool Transport Model project, which will receive £250,000 from the NWDA, will help to reduce the potential impact of congestion that major new developments can create.

A masterplan for Accrington’s Peel Park is set to breathe new life into the historic green space. The NWDA will be helping to fund the project, which includes improvements to paths, gateways and recreation facilities, with Lancashire County Council’s REMADE team heading up the work.

KEEPING THE REGION New funding advice to drive improvements across the region’s transport network.

A series of major transport initiatives covering both roads and public transport are set to improve the region’s infrastructure, as well as signifying an important step towards a more sustainable transport network.

The projects have been submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) for approval by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and 4NW as part of the latest round of the Regional Funding Allocation (RFA) process.

RFA is a Government initiative designed to give the regions the opportunity to prioritise their own schemes and outline how funding can be most effectively spent over a ten year period. As well as transport, RFA also covers housing and regeneration, economic development and skills.

The transport element of the RFA involves major schemes that are primarily of regional importance, explains Dave Colbert, Regional Transport Advisor at 4NW. Projects are designed to help maximise the potential of the city regions, as well as connecting areas of opportunity and need, and, he explains, since the last RFA was submitted in 2006: “We’ve made good progress collectively as a region over the last two years.”

Work has now started on the Metrolink extensions in Greater Manchester, while emergency work on the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway is now complete. Other schemes from the 2006 submission which have been completed include bypasses on the A590 High and Low Newton and A66 at Temple Sowerby.

The iconic Freckleton St Bridge in Blackburn has also opened, as has the Blackbrook Diversion on the A58 in St Helens, where engineers had to produce a solution to congestion which also took into account environmental concerns about important natural habitats.

ACCESS ALL AREAS The region’s second submission, which runs until 2018/19, builds on RFA 1, with over £1 billion of funding earmarked for transport initiatives. Among the major schemes is an improved road link into the Port of Liverpool from the M57, which will support the development of the new Seaforth container terminal at the docks.

The Heysham M6 link has also been approved and the new road will provide a direct route into the Port of Heysham. There

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Tram lines – Manchester’s successful metrolink continues to expand

which will bring Oldham, Rochdale and areas of South Manchester into the system, now underway. These plans received a boost with the recent Government announcement of £1.4 billion for a package of transport projects in Greater Manchester, which include the extension of the Metrolink, along with a range of other schemes.

NATIONAL NETWORK Outside of the RFA 2 programme, the DfT has announced a series of highway improvements.

These include adding an extra lane to the M60 clockwise between J12 and J15, and the introduction of hard shoulder running on stretches of the M60 and M62 in the Northwest.

Network Rail has also carried out a number of major rail developments in the region, such as the new third platform at Manchester Airport, and various initiatives to improve the rail network’s capacity, such as the Olive Mount Chord near Liverpool, which has improved access to the West Coast Main Line from the Port of Liverpool.

SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

MOVING will also be major improvement to the A556, which links the M6 to the M56, and is a key access route to Manchester Airport. The development of the second Mersey Crossing, which is designed to relieve congestion and improve links within the Liverpool city region, as well as to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, is also included in the region’s advice too.

Maintenance also forms part of RFA 2, specifically work on key structures such as the Silver Jubilee Bridge linking Runcorn with Widnes, and the Bidston Moss Viaduct on the M53.

Public transport features strongly, with work on Phase 3a of the Metrolink extension,

Drive time – new lanes are planned for the M60

The work on the region’s rail network is a key part of the Agency’s drive for a more sustainable transport infrastructure, explains Dave Harrison, Director of Partnerships at the NWDA. “As a region we recognise that rail

Improved links – the ports of Liverpool and Heysham will benefit from the RFA programme

investment is crucial,” he says. “The whole concept of sustainability will be factored into all our future transport plans.”

All the projects put forward under RFA 2 have been assessed on an environmental and social basis, as well as an economic one, adds Colbert. “The RFA programme reflects a balance of spend across new roads, maintenance, and improvements to public transport. It’s important that we improve the transport network to make sure it’s fit for purpose and able to play an important role in supporting the regional economy.”

For further information: www.4nw.org.uk

Any more fares – public transport is expanding in Liverpool

LIVERPOOL GETS MOVING Public transport across Liverpool has received a major boost thanks to £6 million from the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The investment will help to fund the refurbishment of several underground stations, as well as improvements to four key bus corridors.

The station is earmarked for a face-lift including James Street, which is a key link to both the waterfront and Liverpool One. Improvements to city bus routes, including links to John Lennon Airport, St Helens and Kirkby, will involve upgrading bus lanes and improving access to the public transport network. The ultimate aim is to encourage

more people on to the buses by reducing the unpredictability of journey times.

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, says: “These investments will significantly improve access into Liverpool city centre and encourage greater use of public transport, which will both help to ease congestion in the city centre and support the Agency’s commitment to tackling the climate change agenda.

“Through driving up the quality, accessibility and frequency of public transport, I hope that these schemes will help to provide a real, affordable and convenient alternative to car use for local residents.”

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INFRASTRUCTURE

From old waste tips to former chemical works, disused railway lines to unloved pockets of scrubland, new life is returning to some of the region’s most neglected brownfield sites.

ENGLAND’S GREEN AND PLEASA A host of innovative land regeneration projects across the Northwest are beginning to heal some of the deep scars left by the region’s industrial past.

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has forged a number of key partnerships to fund the initiatives, which are improving the living conditions of hundreds of thousands of people, as well as the physical appearance of the whole region.

It has often been said that the Northwest has the largest share of England’s brownfield land, although according to Richard Tracey, Head of Environmental Quality at the Agency: “The absolute figures

change year on year, but we have been on a downward curve most recently… What matters more is the proportion of that land which can be made available for development, and that which we need to deal with in other ways.”

And it’s the ‘other ways’ that the Northwest is finding to regenerate land which is often unfit for hard-end developments such as housing or retail parks that has turned the region into one of the most forward thinking in the UK. “The Northwest has been very successful in finding ways to deal with those sites which have no development potential, but which

can be regenerated for soft-end use. And the answer has been to provide well-managed strategic open spaces with good public access,” explains Tracey, who says that on average the Agency is spending £15 million a year on this soft-end regeneration.

“The Newlands programme is a national exemplar of this,” he continues. “It selects its sites through rigorous scrutiny, designs them to address a wide range of partner interests, and then secures 99 years of first class maintenance to ensure their longevity.”

Newlands, which is run in partnership with the Forestry Commission, is by far the largest land regeneration programme in the Northwest, a unique venture that’s aiming to reclaim some 900 hectares of brownfield land, with a £59 million investment from the NWDA.

HEALING OLD WOUNDS

Unloved and unkempt – Moston Vale as it was

New lease of life – the site is now a much loved local green space

The first phase of the programme has already recorded significant successes within the Mersey Belt, while Newlands 2, which was launched in 2007, has seen the programme expand across the whole region.

Sites such as Moston Vale, at the heart of the North Manchester’s Housing Market Renewal Area, have been transformed into new ‘urban countryside’, together with much-needed sports and recreation facilities that have been welcomed by local people.

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Enjoying the view – huge progress has been made at sites such as Top O'Slate, healing the scars of the region's industrial past

create a visitor attraction that will leverage the economic benefits of the natural environment and promote the region as an attractive place to do business.”

Photograph courtesy of Jeremy Holland

NEW GREEN SPACES

SANT LAND Other projects, such as the huge LIVIA (Lower Irwell Valley Improvement Area), are longer term. Over 170 hectares of new community woodland has already been created adjacent to the business park in the Agecroft area of Salford, while the Agency has recently announced a £3.8 million investment to develop the site of a former bleach and dye works. The 73 hectares of land near Prestwich are known locally as Waterdale and Drinkwater Park, and will be redeveloped to include over 13km of new foot and cycle paths, as well as extensive new green spaces and woodland.

And as with all Newlands sites, long-term management plans will be put into place from the outset to ensure the initial benefits of the project are sustained.

The Agency is also investing £8 million into Brockholes, another Newlands site near Preston. The transformation of the 106 hectares of wetland is set to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors and give the local area an economic boost. But it will also dramatically improve an area of land currently classified as brownfield, on a high profile gateway to the region close to the M6.

As Tracey explains: “At Brockholes, tested land regeneration techniques will fuse with cutting edge eco-building standards to

In Cheshire, the Agency has signed a £17.3 million contract with REVIVE to reclaim 170 hectares of land, much of it sites privately owned by chemical industries.

Sue Begley, REVIVE’s Programme Delivery Officer, explains that a major part of their role is: “Convincing people that they can’t do anything else with that land because it isn’t just brownfield, it’s contaminated. The key for us is that they need to understand that there is no other economic development available to them, but that we can give some substance to economic growth by providing public open green spaces next to other economic developments.”

Other REVIVE sites include the 17 hectare Bewsey Tip, which is being transformed into new public open green space at a cost of £750,000. The work will take two years to complete and include sports pitches, a children’s play area and improved links to the Sankey Valley Park.

REVIVE has also been given the go-ahead to begin work on the £1.6 million extension of the Millennium Greenway in Chester. The route follows a former railway track and over 3km of new paths are planned, creating links through Chester and into North Wales.

In Lancashire, REMADE is being supported by £21.6 million from the NWDA, and is currently working on 25 separate projects in a bid to reclaim 330 hectares by 2012. According to Lancashire County Council's Programme Manager Nick Stafford, several sites have already been completed, including Fishwick in Preston, which has been redeveloped over three phases and now includes new recreation facilities, a national standard BMX track, and a local nature reserve.

And the breadth of what can be achieved is shown by another completed site at Top

O’Slate near Haslingden, with the former tip now reclaimed as the setting for the Halo, one of the region’s six stunning panopticans.

“I think in the future it will continue to be important to give people who live in areas of deprivation access to green space, because it can bring them benefits in so many ways,” explains Stafford, who also believes there is now a greater emphasis on ‘green infrastructure’, and the need to look at the wider issue of green assets in terms of tourism, sustainability and quality of place.

Tracey concedes that the current economic downturn could slow the scale of land regeneration across the Northwest.

“We need to ensure that we keep this work in perspective whilst we deal with the immediate direct pressing needs of business,” he explains. “But we should not lose sight of the value that quality environments and public spaces provide in drawing in and sustaining economic activity in the region.

“The private sector has a role to play here too, just look at the green infrastructure that has gone into Liverpool One. The new Chavasse Park is a stunning example of what can be achieved, and the added attraction this type of regeneration can provide.”

For further information: www.nwda.co.uk

Planting for the future – school children help out at Moston Vale

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QUALITY OF LIFE NEWS Celebrating the life of world a famous double-act, a bronze statue of Laurel and Hardy has been unveiled as the centrepiece of the new County Square in Ulverston. Stan Laurel was born in the town in 1890. The project was funded by the NWDA as part of its Market Towns Initiative.

The Beating Wing Orchestra – a unique musicians' collective made up of refugees from around the world

As part of Liverpool’s Year of the Environment 2009, businesses and communities are being asked to become Green Ambassadors to spread the word on good ‘green’ practices in the city. Building on the success of Capital of Culture, the Year of Environment aims to take Liverpool a step closer to becoming truly green and sustainable. For further information go to www.ourcityourplanet.com Chester Zoo has announced details of a £225 million plan that will see it transformed into the largest conservation, animal and leisure attraction of its kind in Europe.

Phase One, costing £90 million, will include a new Heart of Africa bio-dome, as well as a Conservation College and 90-room hotel.

Two of the Lakes District’s most popular visitor centres, at Bowness Bay and Ullswater, have reopened after major makeovers. Between them, the centres deal with over 400,000 visitors a year and the refurbishments were partly funded by the NWDA’s Visitor Information Infrastructure project, which is investing over £5 million across the region.

The Manchester Museums’ Consortium is a group of eight museums and galleries set up with funding from the NWDA. The group’s aim is to help cement Manchester’s position as one of the UK’s leading cultural destinations with an impressive two-year programme of international exhibitions.

FESTIVAL FORGES itself as apart from the rest,” explains Poots, who took on the MIF after stints at the Barbican and Tate Modern, among others.

“I tried to build on this idea of not simply copying other people and come up with an international festival that would be unique in the world, as well as reflect some of Manchester’s energy.”

The inaugural 2007 event successfully established itself as the world’s first international festival of original, new work.

Over 200,000 people attended, generating nearly £30 million for the regional economy, with around 15% of ticket buyers from outside the Northwest.

The Manchester International Festival returns to the city this summer with another impressive line-up of world premieres, and a bold new emphasis on free events.

When Alex Poots, the director of the Manchester International Festival (MIF), first arrived in the city, he was “amazed at the appetite” for the festival that he discovered.

It inspired him to set about creating an event “that would add to the value of the city both for its residents but also for visitors.

“The city is an original city, it’s one that, from an outsider’s perspective, is fiercely independent and single-minded… it sees

CULTURAL CENTRE The first festival also raised £3.6 million in sponsorship, a figure Poots hopes to match this time around, thanks to key sponsors such as the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). And he is keen to stress that other funding for the festival has been drawn from central pots of money and that “not one penny of Northwest dedicated Arts Council funding was encroached on.”

Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the NWDA, says that the Agency is keen to continue its support. “The first festival

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Amadou & Mariam and the Beating Wing Orchestra © Shaw & Shaw

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proved to be a significant event for the whole of the Northwest, showcasing Manchester as an internationally important centre of culture. And this year’s festival looks set to build on this legacy, with a high quality calendar of events that will appeal to a wide range of people, from within the city and much further afield.”

The second festival, which runs from July 2-19, will continue in a similar vein to the first. “We’ve tried to give our artists room to

Column, the original Factory Records band, present Paean to Wilson, their tribute to the late Anthony H Wilson.

On a related theme to Metzger’s work, The Manchester Report will feature a a series of prominent experts who will cross-examine advocates representing a wide range of often extraordinary carbon-reducing ideas, from giant solar-power stations in the Sahara, to light-reflecting white roofs.

FREE FOR ALL This year Poots has also striven to “firmly root the festival in the fabric of the city and the region”, and the decision to make 25% of the events free is one which he believes has been vindicated by the recent economic downturn.

“We’re glad we made that decision over a year ago, because there are people who might have thought twice about finding that little bit extra to come to attend a festival event – we’re glad there’s an open door for people who may be having a hard time at the moment,” he says.

Some of the free events have been created under the banner of MIF Creative,

a £750,000 programme that is combining a series of major community-based commissions with skills development opportunities for local people.

Events include Procession, which takes place along Deansgate on July 5 and will include an eclectic mix of people in what artist Jeremy Deller promises will be a truly surreal event.

“I love processions,” he explains. “As humans it’s almost part of our DNA to be instinctively attracted to big public events that bring us together. A good procession is in itself a public artwork, part self-portrait and part alternative reality.”

The Town Hall will also stage The Great Indoors, a free, interactive mix of events and acts for children and families from top international performers. The whole festival wraps up with the Festival Feast, when 2,000 members of the public will have a free lunch featuring five special dishes created by culinary experts from around the world.

For further information: www.mif.co.uk

S MANCHESTER’S CULTURAL LINKS breathe, encouraging them to explore new ways of working within their fields and beyond,” continues Poots. “Manchester has long thrived on invention, innovation and radical thought, and MIF aspires to be part of that tradition.”

RIGHT ON KEY Musical highlights include the world premiere of Prima Donna, the debut opera from Rufus Wainwright, as well as Mercury Prize winners Elbow performing with the Halle Orchestra at the Bridgewater Hall.

On stage, bingo comes to the Royal Exchange Theatre courtesy of Everybody Loves a Winner, a new production by acclaimed director Neil Bartlett. There’s more new theatre in ‘It Felt Like A Kiss’, created by documentary maker Adam Curtis and Punchdrunk’s artistic director Felix Barrett. The show also sees the return of Damon Albarn to the festival after his successful Monkey: Journey to the West opera in 2007. This time he has composed the music for this unique piece that investigates the unravelling of the American dream.

Among other attractions are Gustav Metzger’s Flailing Trees, provocative public art in the form of 21 inverted willow trees in Manchester city centre, while Durutti

“A HIGH QUALITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS THAT WILL APPEAL TO A WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE, FROM WITHIN THE CITY AND MUCH FURTHER AFIELD.” PETER MEARNS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS NWDA

Double act – award winning Manchester band Elbow will be teaming up with the Halle Orchestra

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QUALITY OF LIFE such as Stuart, as well as the simple ‘low down’ approach on each destination has certainly helped deliver a campaign that people have related to.”

The region’s strong image has been further boosted by research commissioned by the Agency to benchmark perceptions of the Northwest. It shows that perceptions of the region have held steady despite the difficult economic conditions, while also highlighting that Liverpool’s image has risen dramatically since its successful stint as the European Capital of Culture 2008.

VALUE FOR MONEY And in a separate report evaluating the effectiveness of the Agency’s tourism marketing, it was revealed that every £1 invested by the NWDA yields a £78 return.

Mearns adds: “The Agency’s work in promoting tourism is now having a major effect across the whole region, and across the whole range of businesses that serve the tourism sector. From five star city centre hotels to small seaside B&Bs, we’re helping tourism businesses to tap into peoples’ desire to discover what the Northwest has to offer.”

Northern exposure – Stuart Maconie has helped the Agency to showcase the best of the region

For further information: www.stuartsstories.co.uk

SUCCESS STORY THAT’S FULL OF REGIONAL CHARM Perceptions of the Northwest as a place of outstanding natural beauty, world-class culture and superb local heritage have been reinforced by a tourism campaign fronted by award-winning author and broadcaster Stuart Maconie.

Designed to showcase how much the region has to offer and to position the Northwest as a leading destination for short breaks, it is estimated that the Stuart‘s Stories campaign has now reached more than 13 million people from its target audience.

The campaign has run in a host of national publications and uses Wigan-born Maconie as the ‘storyteller’, taking readers with him on his travels around the region. The stories feature tips on some of the best places to visit, where to eat and drink and where to get the best night’s sleep – all weaved into an engaging narrative about his short break.

Launched last September with a series of seven stories that were largely cultural and city based, the campaign included tales centred around Manchester’s Northern

Honeypot – the Lake District remains the jewel in the Northwest's crown

Quarter, Liverpool Art, Liverpool Music, Roman Chester and Lancaster, as well as a special on Cumbrian Culture.

This spring the campaign continued with eight new stories with a rural theme, and featuring top Northwest attractions such as the North Lakes, Sefton Coast and the Forest of Bowland. A separate story also focussed on the historic Halls and Gardens of Cheshire.

Throughout the campaign, people have been encouraged to visit a dedicated website where they can download podcasts, order a free book and visit the sub-regional tourist board sites for further information. So far the Agency has received over 7,000 book requests, while more than 50,000 people have visited the site.

STRONG IMAGE Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the NWDA says: “The aim of the campaign was to enhance the image of the region by showcasing some of its best attractions in an engaging way. Using a well-known voice

Waterfront wonders – Liverpool has proved to be an enduring favourite with visitors

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‘CULTURAL DYNAMITE’ BRINGS THE LAKES TO LIFE Played out against a backdrop of some of the most dramatic scenery in the world, Lakes Alive is bringing a fascinating range of arts events to Cumbria.

From high flyers to circus skills and street theatre to fire gardens, organisers are confident this year’s programme will build on the legacy of 2008, which brought over £1.25 million into the local economy.

Lakes Alive will be launched at the end of May with Reach for the Sky, a series of six spectacular aerial performances taking place across Cumbria. This will be followed by further events over the summer, culminating in the flagship street arts festival Mintfest, held in Kendal at the end of August.

NIGHT LIGHTS And once the nights draw in, the full length of Hadrian’s Wall will be lit up in a move which could dramatically increase visitor numbers to the world famous monument during a traditionally quiet time.

The project is a collaboration between Hadrian’s Wall Heritage and Culture 10/ Northumberland Lights from the North East.

Lakes Alive is being organised by Kendal

Transe Express – international street art from France

Arts International (KAI), which has secured over £2 million of new money up to 2012, including a contribution of £250,000 from the NWDA. Event organiser Julie Tait explains: “We’ve piloted a number of events over the last few years which have demonstrated the pivotal role that outdoor arts events and festivals can play in boosting the economy and cultural participation, as well as giving the area a more contemporary image.

LAKELAND LEGACY “We believe that combining our varied and spectacular landscapes with the highest quality outdoor arts experiences is cultural dynamite and will put Cumbria at the forefront of this vibrant area of the arts.”

Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the NWDA, explains that the arts and culture are now increasingly recognised as playing a key role in driving economic growth.

“Lakes Alive is expected to generate over £13 million and attract over 800,000 additional visitors, and so not only will it help to enhance the visitor experience and boost

Up, up and away – ariel high-jinks from Argentina's Voala

the area’s reputation for hosting major cultural events, but it will also provide a huge lift to the local economy,” he says.

Lakes Alive is part of WE PLAY, a £3 million Legacy Trust UK project led by the Arts Council England Northwest.

The programme will support a range of innovative cultural and sporting initiatives which celebrate the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, and leave a lasting legacy in communities throughout the UK. As well as Lakes Alive, WE PLAY will include Abandon Normal Devices, a regional festival of new cinema and digital culture, and New Cultural Journeys, a major youthled culture and sport participation programme based around the Fylde Coast and Lancashire.

The Arts Council’s Aileen McEvoy believes WE PLAY will work as a catalyst to drive a step change in the region’s creative and cultural sectors. “Cumbria is leading the way in presenting excellent arts performances in outdoor locations across the whole county.

The fantastic Lakes Alive programme will encourage many more people to enjoy and participate in the arts. It also includes vital training and development opportunities for local people and for budding artists, thus building skills and talent for the future.”

For further information: www.lakesalive.org

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NOTEBOOK

PEOPLE IN THE REGION Star trio join ReBlackpool ReBlackpool has strengthened its team by appointing three new board members who boast 75 years of collective experience in their chosen fields of local government, destination marketing and regeneration.

The recruitment of planning and regeneration expert Mike Appleton, Andrew Stokes, Chief Executive of Marketing Manchester, and Ged Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Lancashire County Council, will give fresh impetus to the drive to revive the famous resort.

They join Sir Howard Bernstein, who became Chairman of ReBlackpool in July 2008, and ten other board members.

The urban regeneration company, which works closely with the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), is focused on delivering a series of world-class facilities that will support a year-round economy and improve the resort’s attractiveness.

NWDA BOARD MEMBER REAPPOINTED Joe Dwek has been reappointed to the Board of the NWDA until December 2010.

Joe was Executive Chairman and Chief Executive of Bodycote International Plc from 1972 until his retirement in 1998. Among his many roles, he is currently a director of Jerome Group Plc, Opal Property Group Ltd and Mercury Recyling Ltd. He is also Chairman and Chief Executive of Worthington Group Plc. He also co-chairs Newlands.

New campus Enterprising mum awards challenge triumph for iTeddy winner Business high-flyer and former winner on BBC2’s Dragon Den, Imran Hakim, has taken up a new challenge as Director of Entrepreneurship at the University of Manchester’s technology transfer company.

A graduate of the company and optometrist by profession, with a string of successful practices in the Northwest, he will be working with UMIP to generate more intellectual property-driven companies. He has run a diverse portfolio of businesses and projects since the age of 16.

Hakim achieved national recognition after his innovative iTeddy product won investment backing from the programme’s Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis. The product is now available in 40 countries. His business exploits also earned him the accolade of the Institute of Directors’ 2008 ‘Young Director of the Year’.

Manchester-based mother of four Liz Clarke, whose passion and drive to teach her children how to ride a bike led to her setting up a successful cycle training company, has had her enterprise recognised at the second Northwest Women in Business Awards event.

She scooped both the Business of the Year and Growth Business of the Year awards, as her BikeRight venture has grown from humble beginnings into a company with an annual turnover of £750,000, which employs 23 full time staff and 25 freelance instructors.

A former community project, BikeRight is a leading UK training provider and works with 11,000 young people each year, as well as adults. The business started in a basement at Clarke’s home and has since moved to East Manchester, where it has grown to occupy three works units.

First Board announced at Business Link Northwest Business Link Northwest has appointed its first board of directors which will be chaired

by Vanda Murray OBE, who is currently deputy Chair of the NWDA. Vanda is joined on the Board by eight non executive board members from the Northwest business community, including Imran Hakim, founder of the iTeddy, Mark Blakemore, the managing partner of Baker Tilly, Manchester, Christine Gaskell, HR Director for Bentley Motors and David Roberts, a marketing and strategic consultant who runs his own business. NWDA Board members Joe Dwek, Robert Hough and Peter Hensman will complete the board.

TOP BROADCASTER FOR NORTH WEST BBC North West has a new senior executive to lead it through an era of broadcasting change, after the appointment of Aziz Rashid, a one-time trainee at the BBC World Service, as the new Head of Regional and Local Programmes.

During the 20 years he has worked for the BBC, Bradford-born Rashid has built up a wealth of experience across network news programming including spells as editor on the BBC News Channels. For the last three years he has been Head of Region in the East Midlands.

In his new post he will be responsible for the regional and local output of an area with three of the most listened-to local radio stations in England.

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AGENCY PROVIDES MASSIVE BOOST TO REGIONAL ECONOMY Twenty three billion pounds – that’s the figure the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), along with England’s eight other RDAs, have generated for UK plc, according to a new independent survey.

The report “Impact of RDA Spending” was produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers and covered the periods 2002-03 to 2006-07.

It showed that for every £1 spent by the RDAs, an average of £4.50 of economic output or Gross Value Added (GVA) was put back into the regional economies. In other words, the RDAs quadrupled their £5.1 billion of evaluated expenditure during this time, with an overall return on investment of over £23 billion.

As part of the report, which was commissioned by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), 65 programmes and projects led by the NWDA were evaluated. These represented 60% of the Agency’s total activity since it was established in 1999 and showed that it had equalled or exceeded the national RDA average in terms of return on investment.

Steven Broomhead, NWDA Chief Executive, explains: “The report provides the most comprehensive independent evaluation of our investments since our inception.

Even though these are conservative estimates, as many of the programmes are still running and still generating extra GVA, it’s very positive to see that many of the projects evaluated have had a real and significant impact on regional economies.”

The NWDA’s strategic leadership role and bringing partners together was also praised, and among those projects highlighted were the Ancoats Regeneration Programme in Manchester and Blackburn Town Centre Renaissance.

“I believe our approach in providing strategic leadership is our most important role and in the current challenging economic conditions, it will be essential for us to learn lessons and ensure the best value

for money for our future investments,” adds Broomhead.

Among the Agency projects highlighted in the report was Agenda for Change, the manufacturing support service designed to improve productivity and innovation, and raise the profile of the sector among young people. To date it has achieved £45 million GVA against a £10 million investment, and created or safeguarded 1,200 jobs.

Project ACCESS, the Agency’s £17 million broadband programme for Cumbria and North Lancashire, was also flagged up, having now provided access to broadband for 99.8% of businesses and residents in the area.

The NWDA also played a pivotal role in the success of Project Unity and the creation of a new world-class university for Manchester. The project has nearly tripled initial investment of £20 million, although even more impressive is the fact that it has levered in nearly £145 million of third party money into the University’s spin-out companies.

The Regional Marketing Programme, which promotes the region as a location to visit, live, work and invest in, was also singled out for praise. The initial £16 million investment has already achieved £119 million GVA, and it is likely to have a future potential impact of £100 million annually on tourism revenue in the region.

The report shows that over the last five years, of the projects evaluated, the NWDA has: Directly created or safeguarded 97,000 jobs from the investments it made Created 3,500 new businesses Helped 14,000 companies improve their business performance Regenerated 1,900 hectares of disused land Helped 97,000 people to gain new skills

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EVENTS

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS For further information www.nwda.co.uk/events JUNE 8

NORTHWEST RESEARCH JUNE CONFERENCE Annual Regional Intelligence Unit conference.

ACC Liverpool

10-12

B.TWEEN INTERACTIVE DIGITAL JUNE MEDIA FORUM Key event for creatives, influencers and visionaries from across the media industries.

FACT Liverpool & MOSI Manchester

16

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE NORTHWEST JUNE IN BUSINESS FOR GOOD All day event that will explore the opportunities that social enterprise can offer to help create a more sustainable economy.

Aintree Racecourse

18

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4NW ANNUAL CONFERENCE JULY AND AGM Keynote speaker: Regional Minister for the North West, Beverley Hughes.

Manchester Central

SURVIVE AND THRIVE EVENTS JUNE 2009 Run by Business Link Northwest these are a series of free events designed to help businesses through the economic downturn.

The events run from 8.30am-5pm and include the opportunity to hear from some of the UK's leading speakers on entrepreneurship.

For further details call 01772 790 154.

2

11 JUNE Crowne Plaza Hotel, Liverpool 16 JUNE The Dunkenhalgh Hotel, Blackburn

LIVERPOOL SUB-REGIONAL JUNE TOURISM AWARDS This year's awards will celebrate the city’s role as the European Capital of Culture 2008.

ACC Liverpool

24 JUNE Whitewater Hotel, Newby Bridge, Cumbria

25

30 JUNE The Marriott Hotel, Preston

BOLTON AND BURY BUSINESS JUNE AWARDS The awards are open to companies of all sizes and will honour those businesses or individuals who have made a vital contribution to the local economy.

Reebok Stadium, Bolton

18 JUNE Concorde Conference Centre, Manchester Airport

AUGUST IRONMAN UK AUG The event comes to the Northwest for the first time.

Various locations, Bolton

28-31

WORLD STREET DANCING AUG CHAMPIONSHIPS Bringing together the world’s top street dancers from USA, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Winter Gardens, Blackpool

28-30

MINTFEST AUG The very best of contemporary international arts.

Kendal

SEPTEMBER JULY 9 1

LEARNDIRECT AWARDS JULY The Learndirect Achievement Awards recognise the unique and outstanding learning achievements of everyday people.

Reebok Stadium, Bolton

2

CBI CELEBRATION DINNER JULY ON MERSEYSIDE Keynote speaker: Lord Melvin Bragg.

Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool

2-19 FACT – the Liverpool venue for the B.Tween Interactive Digital Medium Forum

10

BUSINESS FINANCE 09 JUNE This event will introduce businesses and advisers to the wide range of funds available from banks and other financiers in the current market.

The Lowry Hotel, Manchester

MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JULY FESTIVAL Two weeks of international events unfold across the city. (See feature on pages 24-25) Various locations, Manchester

BUSINESS OF SPORT SUMMIT 2009 SEP Bringing together leading figures from the growing business community surrounding sport.

Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

15

THE SCIENCE OF SUCCESS SEP An international management conference featuring two of the world’s most revered management thinkers, Daniel Goleman and Malcolm Gladwell.

University Place, Manchester

28

NORTHWEST TOURISM AWARDS SEP Celebrating the best of the region’s tourism industry.

BlackpoolTower

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GETTING IN TOUCH At the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), we value your views and feedback.

Visit www.nwda.co.uk & www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com

The NWDA’s Executive Team are based at its Headquarters in Warrington.

STEVEN BROOMHEAD Chief Executive Tel: 01925 400 133 Email: Steven.Broomhead@nwda.co.uk

PETER MEARNS Executive Director, Marketing and Communications Tel: 01925 400 212 Email: Peter.Mearns@nwda.co.uk

BERNICE LAW Chief Operating Officer,

SIMON NOKES Executive Director, Policy and Planning Tel: 01925 400 277 Email: Simon.Nokes@nwda.co.uk

(currently on secondment at the Liverpool Culture Company)

Tel: 01925 400 532 Email: Bernice.Law@nwda.co.uk IAN HAYTHORNTHWAITE Executive Director, Resources Tel: 01925 400 116 Email: Ian.Haythornthwaite@nwda.co.uk

JAMES BERRESFORD Director of Tourism Tel: 01925 400 472 Email: James.Berresford@nwda.co.uk

MARK HUGHES Executive Director, Economic Development Tel: 01925 400 531 Email: Mark.Hughes@nwda.co.uk

FIONA MILLS Director of Human Performance Tel: 01925 644 422 Email: Fiona.Mills@nwda.co.uk

HEAD OFFICE The NWDA manages all operations from its Headquarters at:

HEAD OFFICE PO Box 37, Renaissance House, Centre Park, Warrington WA1 1XB Tel: +44 (0)1925 400 100 Fax: +44 (0)1925 400 400 e-mail: information@nwda.co.uk

PRINT STOCK: Cover: Challenger Laser Matt is totally chlorine free and acquired only from suppliers operating sustainable forest reserves.

Text: Cyclus offset is manufactured using only 100% recycled post consumer waste.

Designed and produced by Kaleidoscope ADM, Liverpool. www.kadm.co.uk NWDA KADM 06/09 21512

KEY CONTACTS

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r ou y r y op de c Or ree f is your guide to all things cultural in England’s Northwest, including an insider guide to the second Manchester International Festival and the lowdown on where to eat, sleep and drink.

Order your free copy at

www.enw.co.uk/culture or call 0845 600 6040