Business

A new interactive outdoor escape experience is coming to Birmingham. The Big Escape sees teams move around the city centre’s streets solving puzzles, cracking codes and completing challenges to take down Big Al’s casino in a classic heist. The GPS activated game has already proved a success in Ireland following its launch by Dublin company, Creative Events. Director, Mark French said: “As the UK’s second biggest city, it makes perfect sense to bring the game to Birmingham.” THE BIG ESCAPE

NEWS BUSINESS

TRUE GRIT

A successful family firm has been recognised in regional business awards for its growth, customer service and environmental credentials. AA Salt, which helps hundreds of businesses keep their premises safe by gritting and snow ploughing their car parks in the winter, was shortlisted in the Federation of Small Businesses’ West Midlands Family Business of the Year award. The winter maintenance business is led by 24-year-old Ben Tanner, alongside his mum Nikki Rogers and her husband, Mark.

A staff member at the TK Maxx store at Castle Vale Retail Park won a cash boost for Birmingham’s John Taylor Hospice. Kelly Yarrington approached the company’s charity foundation for a donation – and the result was a £500 cheque which was presented to Isla Stroyan, community fund-raiser for the hospice, by Emma Wall, TK Maxx’s Castle Vale manager. Kelly said: “The hospice is a cause close to my heart and many members of staff here at the store.” KELLY’S MAXX FACTOR

OLYMPICS BOSS JOINS MUSEUM

The man who led British athletics to its best Olympics medal haul in 50 years at London 2012 has become the head of Birmingham Museums Trust, one of the UK’s largest independent museum trusts. Birmingham-born Niels de Vos, who was chief executive of UK Athletics for more than a decade, is the new chair of trustees at a time when Birmingham Museums has a growing reputation for its innovative approach to community engagement in major award-winning projects.

ELECTRIC CHARGE

A recruitment partnership has seen dozens of engineers begin new roles at a Birmingham automotive firm which is driving innovations in low carbon and electric vehicle technology. Around 50 specialist engineers have started with Sprint Power Technology after being signed up by Midlands-based recruitment partners, Consilium Recruit. A further 50 are expected to fill additional roles at the Birmingham company which has a multimillionpound partnership pioneering a new supercar with Gordon Murray Design.

HATS BETTER!

Lifesavers at Midlands Air Ambulance are getting ahead with new flight helmets, thanks to the HELP Appeal – the only charity in the country that funds hospital and air ambulance helipads. The appeal has paid for 54 aircrew bespoke flight helmets, replacing the previous, old and shared helmets. The new helmets cost £1,800 each, making a total spend of nearly £100,000, and are compatible with night vision goggles for use in night flying.

Financial and professional services firm Smith & Williamson has continued to grow its Birmingham office with the appointment of new partner David Yewdall, pictured, who joins the employment tax and incentives team from PwC. He is the latest in a series of new appointments which include Krista Woodman as director of private client tax services, Stephen Drew as professional services managing partner and fellow partner Matt Watts as head of Birmingham business tax services. TAX BOOST

Midlands PR agency Story Comms has added new talent to its team as part of ambitious plans to build on record growth achieved in 2019. The B2B specialist firm saw a 40 per cent revenue growth last year due to a range of regional, UK and global property and placemaking client wins. Two new account executives have joined – Jordan Lowe from the Institute of Directors and Dani Wiggins from the University of Sheffield. WINNING STORY

RECORD BUY

A unique, record-breaking Triumph TR2 prototype sports car has been acquired by the British Motor Museum. The car, which led to the renaissance of the Triumph marque and the start of the long and successful line of TR sports cars, will take pride of place at the Gaydon museum in Warwickshire after it was purchased for £280,000 – with £250,000 of the cost being met by the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

LEGAL MOVES

West Midlands law firm Enoch Evans LLP has made two new appointments following a year of growth in 2019. Emily Goode has joined as probate solicitor while Tracy Barnett takes on the role of legal assistant in residential conveyancing. David Evans, managing partner of Enoch Evans LLP, said: “Emily and Tracy bring a fresh perspective and different skills which we require to meet the needs of an ever-diversifying client base.”

JON’S STORY BOOK

The secret to being a successful entrepreneur lies in being a great storyteller – so says Birminghamborn author and journalist Jon Card. The former editor of Birmingham Living, who also worked as a business writer for national newspapers, makes the case in his new book, How to Make your Company Famous. “Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates… all propelled their businesses forward using storytelling and gained huge amounts of publicity,” he says. His book is available from Amazon and other online retailers.

READY TO WEAR RAISING THE BAR Top lawyer Katherine Ellis, a senior associate solicitor in the charities and communities sector at Thursfields Solicitors’ Kidderminster office, has joined the West Midlands committee of the Institute of Fundraising. The institute aims to provide support, inspiration and professional development opportunities to fund-raisers across the UK, with the West Midlands committee supporting those working within the region.

BUSINESSBITES

TOLL HELP As part of the M6toll’s Drive for Charity ‘In the Community’ funding, road operator Midland Expressway Ltd has given a £1,500 donation to Acorns Children’s Hospice. The cash will pay for essential care and support of one child for two days.

BANK BONUS HSBC UK has strengthened its commercial banking team with the appointment of Suzy Verma as area director of corporate banking, Birmingham, Warwickshire and Coventry. In her new role, Suzy will be supporting a 30-strong team.

BELFRY PICK The Belfry Hotel and Resort has named LoveBrum as its charity of the year after the organisation – which gives much-needed support to ‘hidden gem’ community projects – won a poll among staff.

More than 800 items of work clothing were donated by Jewellery Quarter businesses as part of the JQ Suit Drive, organised by the Jewellery Quarter Business Improvement District. The clothing and accessories which included ties, shoes, handbags, three-piece suits and smart blouses and dresses, were delivered by volunteers – including a team from GoodGym Birmingham – to Suited for Success, a charity that provides free interview clothes to the unemployed.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens has launched a fund-raising appeal to raise £75,000 towards restoring its historic bandstand. The Taking A Stand! campaign aims to return the bandstand to its original 1874 glory so that it can be used as an all-weather space for school groups and be a platform for music and other events. The project is part of an ambitious ‘master plan’ to update historic and horticultural buildings, develop award-winning education and learning programmes and conserve the plant collection. TAKING A STAND

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LAW FIRM HOSTS KEY ENVIRONMENT EVENT

Planners, developers and landowners discuss new Bill at inaugural seminar M ore than 100 landowners, farmers, planners, commercial developers, land agents and environmentalists from across the Midlands discussed the Government’s far-reaching Environment Bill at law firm Lodders’ inaugural planning event. The Development and Nature seminar, held at Warwickshire’s Mallory Court, was designed to help tackle the confusion and uncertainty surrounding the Bill and specifically the bio-diversity net gain elements of it. Delegates voted the event a ‘timely forum’, given the concern about the status of the key piece of implementing legislation. ■

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1 David Lowe, Ed Green, Jon Dearsley, Tom Docker, Gemma Jerome, Rod Bird. 2 Reuben Bellamy, Tom Pike, Richard Burke. 3 Jackie Ostocke, Edward Bird, Brian Hawker, Jane Hawker. 4 Ian Flavell, Philip Blackman. 5 James Millard, Gary Stockley. 6 Tom Docker, Thaddeus Rasbash, Jon Dearsley. 7 Imogen Booth, Kate Drewett, Rebecca Lock. 8 Edward Matthews, Stephen Holloway, John Rouse, Stephanie Edmondson. 8 David Thomas, Rachel Best, David Hawes, Peter Deeley.

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HIPPODROME PROJECTS GIVEN BIG CASH BOOST 3 2

Networking evening raises money for

theatre community work programme A n evening of delicious street food, music from DJ Mazzy Snape and plenty of laughs from comedian Rob Beckett was enjoyed by 100 guests at a networking event at Birmingham Hippodrome. Sponsored by Molson Coors and hosted by Martin Guest, the evening raised more than £1,500 for Hippodrome Projects – the theatre’s curated programme of indoor and outdoor live performance, community work and transformational learning projects. ■

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1 Mazzy Snape. 2 Cherry Elliott, Zahir Ahmed, Andrew Stokes, Nick Oakley. 3 Paul Reade, Dean Gray, Georgina Petrou, Simon Baines, Lisa Birch, Matt Westwood, Mike Slattery, Rowanne Dicker, Lucy Clarke, Karen Potts. 4 Brieze Reid, Mike Reid, Sharon Brooks, Christine Brookes, Harry Brooks, Matt Gamsom. 5 Ashika Patel, Jasmine King, Nisa Patel, Rhian Banks, Olivia Mellow. 6 Alison Heathcote, Rachel Clements, Kirsty Gallagher, Lucy Jackson, Nikki Guest. 7 Lucy Howard, Hannah Reid, Hannah Beardmore, Aasha Choudhary, Douglas Houghton, Terry Michael. Photography by Vivienne Bailey

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NEW DRINKING DEN OPENS AT GAUCHO

Bigger bar launches as guests enjoy evening of cocktails and canapes A cocktail and canapes party celebrated the unveiling of a new, bigger bar at Gaucho restaurant, Church Street. The event in the new Drinking Den was hosted by general manager Luca Bottazi for guests from the Colmore BID area. As well as great food and drink, the bar features a live DJ every Friday and Saturday night. ■

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1 James Bovill, Asha Ghosh, Anita Chamaneri, Gov Singh. 2 Sophie Howell, Jonathan Bryce. 3 Olia Humpreys, Jenna Bromage. 4 Jonathan Wilcox, Satpal and Barry Sherwin. 5 Dave Roberts, Navneet Mangat. 6 Rosa Pericu, Luca Bottazi. 7 Marc Reeves, Tony Elvin, Corabeth Pearsall, Matt Shaw. 8 Mark O'Sullivan, Elizabeth Mee, Abby Golding, Matthew Southall. Photography by Jas Sansi

UNVEILING HONOURS HOSPICE’S FOUNDER 1

Special event marks awarding of

Blue Plaque to Monica Pearce B irmingham St Mary’s Hospice hosted a special event at the Lost and Found to commemorate the charity’s founder receiving a prestigious Blue Plaque. Professionals from some of Birmingham’s leading businesses and healthcare organisations joined the charity to mark the unveiling of the plaque awarded by Birmingham Civic Society to celebrate the life and work of the hospice’s founder, Monica Pearce. The honour comes as the hospice – which cares for 500 people every day – marks its 40th anniversary. ■

To find out more about the hospice, visit: www.birminghamhospice.org.uk

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1 Tina Swani, Judi Millward, Candy Passmore. 2 Richard Morris, Charlotte Dowling, Lucy Watkins. 3 Paul Cadman, Paul Jennings. 4 Colin Graham, Gabrielle Stanley, Clare Tooth. 5 Nick Venning, Lucy Watkins, Clive Stone. 6 Rita McLean, Tina Swani.

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HATTON ARMS UNVEILS NEW LOOK AND MENU

More than 100 special guests enjoy exclusive launch party V IP guests experienced the Hatton Arms’ new look and menu at a launch party in Warwick. The exclusive event, hosted by owners Johnnie and Arabella Arkwright, included a showcase of food and drinks from the new spring menu, plus entertainment from BBC CWR presenter Kirsty Leahy whose DJ set of funk, soul, disco and house classics maintained the party vibe. More than 100 special guests included former England cricketer Ian Bell who lives in Dorridge and Warwick mayor Cllr Neale Murphy. ■

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1 Verity Chapman, Arabella Arkwright, Sophie Sutton, Harry Arkwright, Sophie Jennings, Toni Lucas. 2 Jessica and Kerry Field. 3 Harry Arkwright and friend. 4 BBC CWR Radio presenter Kirsty Leahy. 5 Cllr Neale Murphy with his wife Sarah. 6 Richard Cornfield, Sam Fraser. 7 Arabella and Johnnie Arkwright. 8 Rachel MalloyIan, Chantal and Ian Bell. Photography by David Fawbert Photography

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LEADING LADIES PUT ON THEIR RED SHOES 3 2

Network evening celebrates in style

Matthew Bourne’s stunning ballet B irmingham Hippodrome treated its Leading Ladies social networking group to a very special evening to celebrate Matthew Bourne’s production of the Red Shoes. Guests heard from keynote speaker Martin Green, chief creative officer of Birmingham 2022, followed by a delicious supper created in partnership with the Oyster Club by Adam Stokes head chef, Rosanna Mosely, who also shared her experiences of training in a Michelin-starred kitchen and being at the helm of one of the city’s most regarded restaurants. ■

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1 Martin Green. 2 Amy Mclean, Mary Montgomery. 3 Justine Coglan, Jackie Banks, Sally Gill, Olivia Newell, Katie Driscoll, Rowan Jones. 4 Karen Williams, Alison Weaver. 5 Rebecca Parys, Kerry Morgan. 6 Martin Green, Roseanna Moseley, Judith Greeburgh. 7 Jayne Surman, Lara Ratnarajara, Suzi Nortonl. Photography by Vivienne Bailey