unLTD. Connecting business across Sheffield City Region #50

● CLEAR

AND UNDERSTANDABLE ADVICE FOR BUSINESSES ACROSS ALL SECTORS

● EXPERTS

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Specialist support to future proof your workforce.

As a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses across Barnsley face new challenges affecting workforce productivity.

The Future Proof Workforce programme will work with 250 Barnsley-based businesses to aid recovery from February to September 2022. This support is funded by Barnsley Council and will come at no cost to the business.

What support is provided?

Eligible businesses will undergo a diagnostic assessment with a consultant to work through the key issues affecting their workforce. Following the assessment, each business will have its own action plan with priorities for further work, designed against one or more of the five areas.

A second consultant will then work with the businesses on their identified priorities to deliver a range of training workshops or meetings to enable the businesses to reassess and improve their workforce productivity.

Under each area below is a list of examples that demonstrate the type of support the programme can offer after the diagnostic is completed.

Organisational Human Resources • • •

Hybrid and flexible working strategies Effective workforce communication Recruitment

Employee Mental Health • • •

Strategic support for organisational health and wellbeing Mental health First Aid training Mental health awareness for the workforce

Leadership and Management

Eligibility check:

•

All businesses need to demonstrate that they: • have been facing issues and challenged caused by COVID • have been trading for more than 12 months • are based in Barnsley • are a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME)

• •

Targeted one-to-one coaching for people managers Effective management training of hybrid and remote workers Managing poor performance and behaviours

Workforce Mapping •

•

Re-optimisation of people management processes to accommodate hybrid working Re-optimisation of internal processes - reassessing “how it’s done” or value stream mapping new processes

Workforce Development and Culture • • •

Reviewing and refreshing organisational values and behaviours Team building Motivation and engagement support

Complete the application form at EnterprisingBarnsley.co.uk/FPW.

This opportunity is open to SMEs within all sectors.

For more information: If you have any questions or want to find out more, please email ENShub@barnsley.gov.uk.

This project is one of seven Prioritised Recovery Projects, part of a £2 million economic investment, funded by Barnsley Council and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. As part of Barnsley’s Economic Recovery Action Plan, these projects will help the local economy bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme aims to support people, businesses, traders, charities or community organisations to safeguard existing jobs while creating new jobs and business opportunities.

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CONTENTS

STORY: HARVEY MORTON ON GIVING BACK TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION 38 COVER

UNLTD SOCIAL: ROUND-UP SHEFFIELD OF THE BESTBUSINESS BITS 54 2021 26 AWARDS

GUEST EDITOR: MARTIN SHEFFIELD ROSS ON THEBUSINESS UNLTD STORY 50 2021 26 AWARDS 6

SUPPORT YOUR HIGH STREET: SHEFFIELD SHEFFIELD BUSINESS BUSINESSES ON SHOPPING LOCAL 73 2021 26 AWARDS

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

CONTENTS

INSIDE...

8-13: News A round-up of the latest news from our region including updates from Forgemasters, Sheffield Hallam University and Hentons.

15-17: Appointments Appointments and promotions at HRM PR & Creative plus the latest career moves. @UNLTDBUSINESS

37: Equality in Stem Sue Roberts, operations lead at Brandon Medical, answers our questions.

UNLTD BUSINESS UNLTDBUSINESS

MARTIN ROSS RETURNS

FOR OUR 50TH ISSUE

57-59: The return of the business lunch unLTD’s Matt Holmes gives us the lowdown on the best South Yorkshire business lunch venues.

60-61: Apprenticeship level up Sheffield Hallam University explains how higher and degreelevel apprenticeships are helping employees across the region.

63: #RebuildUkraine Details on the campaign led by Fletchers Waste Management to provide aid for the reconstruction effort in Ukraine.

EVERYTHING ELSE: 22: Entrepreneur Support 25: Logica 29: Highlander 31: The Source 49: unLTD Podcast 78: Launchpad 89-90: Charity

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

unLTD is feeling quite proud of itself this month.

As one of the founders of this publication I am delighted to have been invited to guest edit the 50th edition of the magazine which has become essential reading for the regional business community in the last few years.

In establishing itself, the magazine has regularly provided a valuable insight into the business successes and achievements of people and organisations across the Sheffield City Region.

Over the years, unLTD has been lucky enough to have great working relationships with the region’s Chambers, Business Sheffield, Launchpad and many of South Yorkshire’s universities, colleges and institutions.

In this edition we put the spotlight on some remarkable stories which further reflect the strengths of our community.

Our cover story features 24-year-old entrepreneur and digital marketing consultant Harvey Morton, who shares his inspiring story of the challenges he has overcome being a young person in business.

Elsewhere, we report on: *Steel giant Forgemasters beginning a drive to recruit nearly a score of apprentices by September *The return this month of the Sheffield Digital Festival *Sheffield Hallam University becoming the 2022 University of the Year for its positive impact on the region.

So, well done to all, and to all at unLTD who work so hard to provide a platform to ‘read all about it’.

Happy birthday unLTD.

EDITORIAL News & features editor Brogan Maguire Editoral editorial@unltdbusiness.com General hello@unltdbusiness.com 0114 252 7760 ADVERTISING Dan Laver dan@unltdbusiness.com 07867 313995 Phil Turner phil@unltdbusiness.com 07979 498034 General advertising@unltdbusiness.com FINANCE Lis Ellis accounts@exposedmagazine.co.uk DESIGN Marc Barker CONTRIBUTORS Andrew Rowley Beth Burley Chris Coates Jackie Cook Jo Davison Matt Holmes Ryan Kennedy Georgina Kerr

Dan Laver Sam Leeder Brogan Maguire Jade March James Marriott Rachel Measures Martin Ross Wendy Ward

unLTD is published monthly by Blind Mice Media Ltd Unit 1B Rialto, 2 Kelham Island Sq., Kelham Riverside, Sheffield S3 8SD and HRM PR | Creative Unit 1A Speedwell Works, Sidney Street, Sheffield S1 4RG The views contained herein are not necessarily those of Blind Mice Media Ltd and HRM and while every effort is made to ensure information throughout unLTD is correct, changes prior to distribution may take place which can affect the accuracy of copy, therefore Blind Mice Media Ltd and HRM cannot take responsibility for contributors’ views or specific listings.

7

AGENDA NEWS

RISE OR SHINE… OR IF YOU WANT, RISE AND SHINE! Gravitate Accounting Announces New Shareholder Gravitate Accounting have a new shareholder - client finance director Jonathan Carr.

Jonathan is now a shareholder in Gravitate Accounting at just 28 after proving himself as an integral part of the business.

Since joining the company in February 2021, Jonathan has helped Gravitate grow its client base, perfect the onboarding system, and supported his team to ensure they are growing as accountants and individuals.

Sam Newton, co-founder at Gravitate Accounting, said: "Jonathan offers the full package to not iust his clients but also his colleagues.

"We are thrilled Jonathan has finally signed on the dotted line to become a shareholder.

Fellow co-founder Mike Crocker added: "Jonathan has been an up-and-coming accountant for a while now, fostering an appreciation for the human side of accountancy. His ability to develop relationships from the get-go allows him to really understand the clients he meets.

"The entire team is thrilled to have him on board for the long term" Mike and Sam continue to support the team at Gravitate Accounting so they can carve their own career path at the company and everyone who becomes indispensable through the work they do is rewarded with the option of shares.

8

Andy Hanselman Consulting are a husband-and-wife duo, helping businesses and leaders to grow and develop.

Both are passionate about bringing people together and this year are celebrating their 27th anniversary in business.

Back in February 2020, they had plans for a party on May 1 to celebrate their 25 years in business, however, this was postponed due to COVID-19.

Now in 2022, they’re ready to celebrate.

During their 27 years in business, Andy Hanselman Consulting have taken part in some fantastic fundraising events, including camping out for the British Heart Foundation, cycling through Vietnam for MIND, and performing stand-up comedy for Weston Park Cancer Charity.

This year they have decided to climb Snowdon for a second time while carrying someone in a wheelchair (they previously did it 25 years

ago for the MS Society). They have set an ambitious target of raising £25k for PACES School through the support of 25 organisations.

In September, all are

invited to shine at their ‘3D Connect has Talent’ with their very own Ant and Dec (aka Jill and Andy!). Everyone is welcome to attend to support the team in raising money for The Cavendish Cancer Care Charity as part of the 2022 Master Cutler Challenge.

Get involved by contacting Andy Hanselman Consulting: jill@ andyhanselmanconsulting.com

SIMODA CELEBRATES THIRD ANNIVERSARY Simoda is celebrating its third year in business after a fantastic year of growth.

Since May 2021, Simoda have seen a 250 per cent increase in clients, plus a phenomenal 135 per cent rise in revenue. To keep up with their client demand the company have welcomed more than 10 new members of staff across all departments from commercial services to tech solutions.

Daniel Bumby, director at Simoda, said: “I am really proud of the unique culture we have created. During the last year, the entire team has pulled together, and we’ve

come out stronger."

Alongside their client growth, Simoda has launched a brand-new networking event, and hosted multiple online events for CTOs, with guests ranging from local business owners to the head of BP. Located in Kelham Island,

Simoda are a local Sheffield company dedicated to helping businesses and IT teams address and solve the challenges of their business through technology.

Looking for support with your IT solutions? Get in touch with Simoda on 0114 553 3600.

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

AGENDA South Yorkshire’s mayoral candidates take part in an online culture hustings

LEFT TO RIGHT IS MANDY GUEST, PARTNER OF VOICE & CO, HUGH VOICE, PARTNER AND FOUNDER OF VOICE & CO, PETER WATSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HENTONS AND TIM BAUM DIXON, PARTNER OF HENTONS WHO HEADS THE FIRM’S SHEFFIELD OFFICE.

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANCY FIRM MAKES ANOTHER MAJOR ACQUISITION Yorkshire based chartered accountancy and business advisory firm, Hentons, is further strengthening its position in South Yorkshire after acquiring Voice & Co, which has offices in Sheffield and Doncaster. The deal follows Hentons’ recent acquisition of London based Clayton Stark.

Voice & Co was established in 1990 by Hugh Voice, and Mandy Guest became a partner

in the business in 2002. Both Hugh and Mandy, along with Voice & Co’s eight employees, will now join Hentons, which employs a team of 125 across offices in Sheffield, Leeds, York, Thirsk and London, and is ranked as one of the UK’s top 100 accountancy firms by fee income by industry bible Accountancy Age. Managing director at Hentons, Peter Watson, said:

“Voice & Co is a very reputable and longstanding firm, with an experienced team and approximately 500 established clients of all sizes and across every sector.”

Hentons has a significant presence in Sheffield with an 11-strong team and this acquisition is the second major development for the firm in South Yorkshire in recent months.

Peak District conference set to encourage people to look after historic milestones People interested in looking after milestones are invited to participate in a one-day conference to learn more about historic waymarkers and how they can be cared for.

The conference is organised by the national Milestone Society and the Southwest Peak Landscape Partnership. The event will include presentations and talks from historians and milestone specialists.

Milestones are roadside waymarkers, the Romans first used stones to mark distances along their military roads, and centuries later, milestones and cast-iron mileposts were

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

installed to show distances on turnpike roads.

The conference will take place at Buxton Community School on May 21 2022. Doors open at 10.00 am for a 10.30 am start, and the event will end by 3.30 pm. The event is free to attend for Milestone Society members (annual membership is £12.50), and non-members are welcome at an admission charge of £3; places are limited and must be booked in advance.

To book or for more information about the conference, please email catherine.parkerheath@ peakdistrict.gov.uk.

Candidates hoping to be the next Mayor of South Yorkshire gathered for an online public event to set out their vision for the creative and cultural life of the region ahead of their election this month.

Organisers called on culture lovers, creative businesses, cultural organisations and the creative workforce across the region to join the session.

The creative and cultural sectors are an essential part of South Yorkshire’s economy, as well as bringing vibrancy to local places and social and wellbeing benefits to the people that live in the region.

The candidates invited were: Simon Biltcliffe (Yorkshire Party), Oliver Coppard (Labour Party), Joe Otten (Liberal Democrats), Clive Watkinson (Conservative Party), Bex Whyman (Green Party).

This event was facilitated

by Culture Commons in partnership with the Culture Collective and followed Electoral Commission guidelines.

Lord Kerslake, chair of Culture Collective, said: “We were delighted that a culture hustings event took place here in South Yorkshire.

This region’s cultural assets contribute to our economy through tourism, are essential to the well-being of our diverse and multicultural communities and are vital to the rounded education of our children and young people.

This was a great opportunity to raise a question or an issue that matters most to you.”

MILESTONES ARE HISTORICAL MONUMENTS AND DESERVE LOOKING.

9

AGENDA NEWS

Business tax cuts from April 2022

A number of business tax cuts came into effect from April 2022, including an increase in the Employment Allowance from £4,000 to £5,000.

Kevin Radford (above), director at C21 Chartered Accountants said: “The allowance enables eligible employers to reduce their National Insurance liability as they can claim less than the maximum if this covers their total Class 1 NIC bill.

This increase represents a tax boost for around 495,000 small businesses.”

HM Treasury highlighted several other measures on offer to spur business growth including a conditional 50% business rates relief worth almost £1.7 billion, a freeze to the business rates multiplier over the next five years, and a temporary 5p cut to fuel duty.

The super-deduction tax break that allows companies to deduct 130% of the cost of any qualifying investment on most new plant and machinery investments, plus Help to Grow programmes which support SMEs to adopt productivity-enhancing software and mini-MBAs were also emphasised by the Treasury.

It’s more important than ever for businesses to understand the tax allowances available to them.

C21 Chartered Accountants are offering free financial health checks to help businesses get on top of their taxes and you can too by emailing info@ c21accountants.co.uk

10

ONE OF THE NORTH’S BIGGEST DIGITAL MARKETING EVENTS ANNOUNCES SITEBULB AS NEW SPONSOR Sheffield DM, South Yorkshire’s premier marketing meet-up, is excited to announce that SEO software tool, Sitebulb, has become their new event sponsor just in time for the next stellar lineup at the end of April.

Run by Sheffield digital marketing agency, Evoluted, Sheffield DM hosts bimonthly events featuring top marketing talent from across the country to share their skills and knowledge with the local community.

The new partnership with Sitebulb will see the event make use of the company’s expertise as they share technical-focused talks and video footage with the audience.

Sitebulb will be the drinks sponsor at the upcoming Sheffield DM events, providing speakers and attendees with a great selection of draught beers, wines, soft drinks and more.

Giorgio Cassella, marketing director at Evoluted, said: “We are thrilled to have such a high

calibre sponsor in Sitebulb, an award-winning company that provides an innovative search software tool designed to meet today’s SEO challenges.”

The announcement comes the same week as Sheffield DM reveals its next marketing event. Taking place at Sheffield’s Workstation on April 28 2022, the event will return with a stellar line-up of marketing speakers.

Tickets for the upcoming Sheffield DM can be found here: tinyurl.com/2p95ywke

Roadshow celebrating Women’s EURO 2022 set to kick off in Sheffield UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 announced plans for its free national roadshow which will showcase the best of football, fitness, and music, providing families, fans and those that are yet to experience football with the opportunity to get involved in an unmissable tournament.

The family and local community-focused roadshow will travel 800 miles, making ten stops across 43 days. It will

start in Sheffield on May 21, and finish on July 2 in London – just a few days before the tournament’s opening match at Old Trafford.

As the Women’s EURO draws closer, organisers aim to inspire more communities, particularly young people and their families, to encourage them to get involved in the biggest European women’s sports event in history.

Chris Bryant, UEFA

Women’s EURO 2022 tournament director, said: “The UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 roadshow is a huge part of our commitment to ensuring that everyone can feel connected to this special tournament.”

Tickets are on sale now for fans to experience a historymaking tournament that aims to unite football and communities and amplify the growth of the women’s game.

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

AGENDA State-of-theart research centre to meet the needs of UK manufacturing

SHEFFIELD’S HARMONY MUSIC SCHOOL SIGNS THE CLIMATE PLEDGE! Harmony Music School announced its commitment to achieving net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040 as one of just over 300 companies to join The Climate Pledge.

“This is a massive privilege and responsibility, but we will make no excuses for our size; we may not have the resources that some of our signatory

counterparts have, but we are just as determined, we will honour our commitment, and we will achieve carbon netzero by 2040… 10 years ahead of The Paris Agreement.

“We have just begun this journey, and we know that we have a lot of work to do, but as a team we are very committed to making our footprint a positive one. We know that climate

change demands urgent and universal action. SMEs make up 52 pere cent of the employers in the UK, and whilst we know the challenge in front of us is huge, SMEs must join to achieve real impact. Harmony Music School is proud to sign The Climate Pledge; we stand with Amazon, Global Optimism, and the other 300+ worldwide signatories.”

Sheffield Hallam named 2022 University of the Year Sheffield Hallam University has been named the ‘University of the Year’ for its positive impact on South Yorkshire, the success of its graduates, and for making higher education more accessible.

The 2022 Educate North Awards, held in Manchester on April 7, celebrated outstanding work in the education sector across North England, where Sheffield Hallam University also won the ‘Social Mobility Award’ for the university sector.

Professor Sir Chris Husbands, vice-chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, said: “The University continues to lead the way in widening

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

access to higher education, improving graduate employability and shaping its community, and I am delighted that this has been recognised.”

The university has educated more students from underrepresented backgrounds than any other UK university for five consecutive years. Around 97 per cent of Sheffield Hallam’s 30,000 students are from state schools, and over half are the first in their family to attend university.

Sheffield Hallam University also leads South Yorkshire Futures, the country’s most extensive university social mobility programme, and works with local partners to ensure Sheffield’s communities benefit from having a worldclass university within their region.

The Royce Discovery Centre, part of the Henry Royce Institute at the University of Sheffield, will enable manufacturers to harness Sheffield’s R&D capabilities to develop new materials for new technologies and test them before investing further capital and implementing them into their operations.

The facility will address a gap in UK innovation by reducing both the cost and timescale of translating discoveries of advanced materials to new products and technologies.

Research at the Royce Discovery Centre is already using new materials to develop the next generation of medical implants, improve the lightweight structures needed for electric vehicle parts, develop the components needed to store green hydrogen energy and evolve nuclear fusion reactors.

The facility will become a leading national centre for advanced metals processing in the UK and can help manufacturers of all sizes nationally and throughout the South Yorkshire region.

It also will train the next generation of materials scientists at the University of Sheffield who are critical to ensuring the UK’s long-term innovation in materials discovery and closing the skills gap.

For more information on the Royce Discovery Centre, visit: www.sheffield.ac.uk/ royce-institute For more information on the Henry Royce Institute at the University of Sheffield, visit: www.royce.ac.uk/ partners/the-university-ofsheffield/

11

AGENDA NEWS Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has presented Nathan Geering with award for improving arts accessibility Nathan Geering, Sheffield Hallam University alumni, has been given an award for improving the arts’ accessibility.

He won the Community Contributor of the Year award at the National RNIB See Differently Awards on March 29 for enhancing audio descriptions in theatres by adding beatbox sounds to dance moves.

Nathan has also created audio descriptions in an Ipswich Museum that featured Marvel’s Black Panther costumes.

One of the judges at the ceremony, Rasheed Bello, said: “Nathan is a dynamic force in the creative arena.

“His innovative methods have helped and still help the blind and partially sighted audience to enjoy the full effect of performances.”

In recent years, Nathan has become a TEDx speaker, the creative director of the Theatre Deli, and the Sheffield Race Equality commissioner alongside collaborations with the Royal Opera House and the National Theatre. In 2017 he was also the Artistic Director of the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Nathan is currently partnered with a neuroscientist at The University of Sheffield to conduct MRI scans on visually impaired people watching people dance which will help choreographers and directors enhance accessibility on a global scale.

12

SHEFFIELD FORGEMASTERS CALLS FOR NEW APPRENTICES.

SHEFFIELD FORGEMASTERS OPENS APPRENTICES’ RECRUITMENT

Sheffield Forgemasters has started its latest drive to recruit 19 apprentices for September.

Following the historic company’s acquisition by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) last year, successful applicants will join one of the country’s most advanced manufacturing businesses during a hugely exciting period and become part of an award-winning apprenticeship scheme.

Applicants must be at least 16 years old, and those who are successful will receive

fully-funded training, working towards a professional qualification whilst getting paid.

The company will invest an incredible £400m over the next 10 years to support its defencecritical assets, including plans for a new heavy forge line and building, a flood alleviation scheme and major machine tool replacements, which will be unmatched outside of the UK. Details can be found on the Sheffield Forgemasters’ website and include a broad

variety of roles in the following disciplines: accountancy, foundry work, machining/ production fitting, electrical engineering, metallurgy, steelmaking, patternmaking, project management and business administration.

Sheffield Forgemasters specialises in the design and manufacture of high integrity forgings and castings, offering end-to-end manufacture for steel production from a single site in the UK. The closing date for applications is April 30 2022.

Sheffield Digital Festival returns Sheffield’s digital community will be celebrating the strength and innovation of the city’s technology industry in a week of events from May 9 to 13.

The theme of this year’s Sheffield Digital Festival is ‘Our Future City’, with events, talks and demonstrations looking at how technology can help improve health, tackle the challenge of decarbonisation and support our region’s culture and heritage.

Jonny Briggs, creative

director of digital design agency Field, said: “The festival is the result of a city-wide collaboration of businesses and organisations involved in the technology industry. They create their own events to take place during the week, which ensures there is a huge variety of different things going on.

“There is also a half-day conference on May 12, which brings the themes of the week together with some expert speakers. It makes for a week-long celebration of

how creativity and technical excellence meet in Sheffield.”

The Sheffield Digital Festival is organised through a partnership between Field and Sheffield Digital. This year’s festival is supported by premier sponsor EyUp. For full details of the events during the festival, plus information on how to register for tickets for the half day conference on May 12, visit the Sheffield Digital Festival website: www. sheffielddigitalfestival.com.

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

AGENDA PROPERTY NEWS

ADDING STYLE TO A BUILDING SITE – HOW RETHYNC ARE CHANGING THE IMAGE FOR HOUSEBUILDERS Yorkshire based Multisite Hoarding company, Rethync Ltd, are helping housebuilders and construction companies achieve a professional image on their construction sites through their reusable, recyclable and brandable compound fencing.

While there is a legal requirement to display selected safety signage in and around sites, Rethync utilises signage across site hoardings to convey a professional, bespoke image on building sites.

Phil Chadwick, managing director of Rethync LTD, said: “While security is critical when installing a site hoarding system, one of the first things our customers talk to us about is conveying a professional appearance to their site.

“Achieving that professional image can be easily achieved when you work with a site hoarding supplier, like ourselves, that can give you

BRANDING MULTISITE HOARDING SUPPLIED AND INSTALLED BY RETHYNC

that specialised fitting service to ensure that every angle and turn in the hoarding line appears smooth and continuous. Whilst it might look easy, there’s a fine art to installing site hoarding, especially where different ground conditions are

concerned.

“We can provide a bespoke powder coating to our steel hoarding. Having panels powder coated to match corporate colours certainly sets off a company’s brand.”

Rethync supplies and installs Multisite Hoarding across

the UK. They work across the UK with housebuilders, construction companies and large corporate businesses to create a professional site image.

If you need a professional site hoarding system, contact Rethync on 03300 535 898 or info@rehtync.co.uk.

Redbrik Partner with Street.co.uk Redbrik has partnered with Street.co.uk, the nextgeneration estate agency software and CRM. Redbrik is focused on delivering an enhanced service and creating more meaningful connections with clients and the partnership with Street.co.uk is another strategic move towards achieving this goal.

In a little over six months, Redbrik has had a 12 oer cent uplift in viewings confirmed online and has seen a 44 per cent increase in applicant feedback.

Mark Ross, managing director of Redbrik, said: “At Redbrik, we’re committed to delivering the best and most relevant service for our clients and looking for tools to solve

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

FROM L-R – MARK ROSS, REDBRIK MANAGING DIRECTOR, HEATHER STAFF, STREET GROUP COFOUNDER AND TOM STAFF, STREET GROUP CO-FOUNDER.

problems within the industry, both now and in the future.

Evolving our practices and the software we use is critical to the success of Redbrik and our

clients.

“The Street platform allows us to significantly improve our customer experience and enhancing our service offering

into the digital, on-demand age.

“We feel like Street is giving us a significant competitive advantage. Our team loves the new system, which is intuitive and light-years ahead of what we were using.”

Heather Staff, co-founder of the Street Group added: “We are really excited to have Redbrik onboard. Working with agents as innovative as Redbrik means the platform is advancing at an incredible speed.”

Street.co.uk was built to give agents a modern, digital platform that makes their jobs easier. Their new partnership with Redbrik is key for enabling independently owned agencies to offer a unique and modern moving experience.

13

AGENDA

APPOINTMENTS ARE YOU READY TO RECRUIT? SPONSORED BY

The job market has changed a lot over the past couple of years. Of course, it’s still vitally important to get the right person for the job, but the recruitment process is much quicker than it has been, as Rob Shaw, managing director of Rotherham based recruitment consultancy, Glu Recruit explains.

Start at the end The candidate market is moving fast. There are fewer active jobseekers on the market at present, which creates a greater demand from employers who are making employment offers soon after the first interview.

Before you release that job advert, pick a desired start date for your new recruit and work back by six weeks – this will enable you to act fast when you find the right person.

But don’t jump the gun – you will need to make sure you have everything in place in the background. Are your offer letters and employment contracts up to date? Have you decided on the work model?

Hybrid or remote working is here to stay.

Back to the beginning It’s just as important for you as an employer to sell your organisation to a job seeker as it is for them to impress you. Today’s candidates are not simply all about salary, they want to know about your culture, flexibility, fit and progression opportunities.

So, don’t just re-use an old job spec. Take a fresh look at it and improve it. In today’s digital world, you could include video or image led content to give applicants a behind the scenes look at your organisation. Consider using employee quotes or testimonials on how much they love working there, tell them about any awards you have won, and don’t forget the all-important benefits package. Whatever makes you

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stand out as an employer, be proud and shout about it.

Salary Job seekers are more likely to apply for a job if it states the salary as they don’t want to waste their time (or yours) applying for something significantly below, or too far above their current pay grade.

As an employer you also need to make sure you are compliant with all the latest wage laws.

The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage both went up in April, so if you are offering at this level make sure you are up to speed with these changes.

If you are unsure where to

pitch your salary, we have a useful ‘value your vacancy’ tool on our website to help provide an accurate valuation for over 150 jobs across our specialist areas of recruitment.

The interview process Are you considering internal applicants as well as external?

If so, why not open the vacancy to existing staff first – your ideal candidate might be right under your nose.

As for the interview, plan for who is going to be involved in the process. What structure will the interviews take? What type of interview do you plan to hold?

First stage interviews could

be done via Teams or Zoom to cleanse your shortlist, with a more formal in-person interview to follow. Will you be asking for tasks to be completed? If so, make sure you give your candidates clear instructions and time to prepare.

Working with a recruitment consultancy like Glu Recruit can help speed up the process.

We can take away all the leg work to make sure you only see the right candidates, as well as handling offers and further negotiations on your behalf.

Drop us a line on 0114 321 1873 or eyup@glurecruit.co.uk and we will be available at every step of the process!

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AGENDA APPOINTMENTS

CURRENT VACANCIES

ABOUT GLU RECRUIT Glu Recruit are a full-service recruitment agency established in 2016.

We specialise in temporary, permanent, contract and graduate recruitment – offering a tailored solution from entry level to senior management and board level spanning your entire organisation.

As an independent recruitment agency, we focus on the long-term stick of the placement. Whether you’re a candidate looking to make a career move, or an employer looking to add to your team, our thorough and proactive recruitment and retention service ensures you are well looked after!

Call: 0114 321 1873 Email: hello@glurecruit.co.uk www.glurecruit.co.uk

Role: Recruitment Consultant Salary: £22,000-£25,000 per annum plus uncapped commission Sector: Recruitment Agency Location: Rotherham Role: Marketing and Communications Services Manager Salary: Up to £38,000 per annum Sector: Marketing agency Location: Sheffield Role: Refrigeration Engineer Salary: Up to £40,000 per annum Sector: Air Conditioning/Refrigeration specialist Location: Rotherham

NEW RECRUITMENT RESOURCER JOINS THE MULTITASK PERSONNEL TEAM New recruitment resourcer joins the Multitask Personnel team as the South Yorkshire company continues its year of personal growth Chris Wilson-Crumbie joins Rotherham based specialist recruitment consultancy, Multitask Personnel, after working in schools supporting children with learning difficulties. In his new position as recruitment resourcer, he will focus on candidate attraction within the M&E team.

Chris said: “Moving to Multitask is a new challenge

CHRISTOPHER WILSON-CRUMBIE – NEW RECRUITMENT RESOURCER FOR MULTITASK PERSONNEL

for me as I learn something new and grow my skill set. At present, I am working with Trades and M&E roles which I love because I speak to a variety of candidates throughout the UK.” Claire Lee, managing director at Multitask Personnel, said: “We have strategically aligned our business focus and our staff to make sure we can provide an all-around service to businesses and candidates.

Having Chris on board with us allows us to further enhance the support that we provide candidates and clients.”

Harris+Co appoint 2 Associate Partners Barnsley-based chartered accountants and chartered tax advisers, Harris+Co, have promoted Tom Garner and Elspeth Fielding to associate partners.

According to partner Steve Watson, this comes after the business has seen “good progress with an active and growing client-base”, despite lockdown’s challenges.

He said: “This reflects our

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confidence in the future and is great news for Yorkshire businesses and the local economy”.

Elspeth joined Harris+Co as an apprentice in 2010, and Tom joined in 2018 after working as a chartered accountant with a ‘Big 4 firm’. Since their promotions, Elspeth is improving the firm’s tax advisory practice, and Tom is growing their audit and assurance client base.

ELSPETH FIELDING AND TOM GARNER

LoudCrowd welcomes Ewan into marketing assistant role Doncaster based Digital Marketing and Web Design agency LoudCrowd has welcomed a new face to the team.

Ewan is a former psychology student who decided on a career change and joined the Kickstart programme as a marketing assistant for Doncaster Council before taking up his new post with LoudCrowd.

David Johnson, managing director, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ewan to the team. We met him at the Doncaster Business Showcase and felt that he had so much to offer.

“We look forward to taking those skills and helping him to develop into a key member of the LoudCrowd family.”

LoudCrowd specialises in search engine optimisation, web design and development, branding, strategy and graphic design.

The past two years have seen its team expand as LoudCrowd assists local and national businesses to grow through best use of SEO.

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

AGENDA SPONSORED BY

HRM APPOINTS CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND THREE NEW PROMOTIONS After five successful years working for their parent company, the Redbrik Group, Jen Beal has been appointed as HRM PR & Creative’s brand-new chief executive. She has a superb record for creating and leading motivated teams in communications, marketing, brand creation and relationship management.

Looking after and understanding HRM’s clients’ needs is her top priority. Since the company is celebrating 25 years in business this year, Jen is passionate about enhancing HRM’s range of PR, marketing, and creative services.

Jen said: “I am delighted to begin the next chapter of my career at HRM. The company has a fantastic reputation in the local and regional business community, and I am very excited to start working with our clients.”

HRM has also promoted three members of their team.

Jade March who has worked in the PR industry for ten years and HRM for three, has been promoted to key client manager, and Chris Coates and Matt Holmes, who have been at the company for approximately two years, have been promoted to senior account executives.

Shorts announces Radius promotions and team expansion

JEN BEAL, HRM'S NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE

LEFT; CHRIS COATES, RIGHT; MATT HOLMES

JADE MARCH; KEY CLIENT MANAGER

BHP unveils 43 firm promotions BHP has promoted 43 staff members at all levels in their Sheffield, Chesterfield, York, Leeds and Cleckheaton offices to recognise their achievements over lockdown.

Lisa Leighton, joint managing partner, said that throughout the pandemic, their team found innovative ways to excel and add value for their clients.

She said: “Our people’s talent and dedication are key to our success”.

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LISA LEIGHTON, JOINT MANAGING PARTNER

Louise Allen, head of HR at BHP, said: “Those appointed to new roles have gone above and beyond for our clients, and we’re delighted to be able to support them on their career journey.”

BHP was ranked the second-best accountancy firm to work for in the UK and the 35th best company to work for in Yorkshire and the Humber in the Best Companies Survey 2021.

For more information visit www.bhp.co.uk.

Shorts announces that Radius, a team that advises on R&D and Patient Box tax reliefs, has promoted Darryl Hoy to technical director within the Radius team, while Emily Hurdley has been promoted to manager.

Matthew Pierce has also joined the firm as manager. His appointment will augment the team’s continued growth and client service.

This news caps off a successful year for the Radius team. HMRC investigations into R&D tax relief claims are due to increase as the treasury seeks to bolster tax revenues. As such, it’s vital to offer expert advice to claimant companies.

Scott Burkinshaw, Tax Partner at Shorts and Head of Radius, said: “The talent and expertise of our team is central to our work, and the performance and contributions of Darryl, Emily and Matthew have been consistently excellent.”

DO YOU HAVE A NEW STARTER?

Tell us your news by emailing: editorial@ unltdbusiness.com

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PROPERTY

HLM ARCHITECTS DISCUSSES THE RADISSON BLU HOTEL, A CONTEMPORARY REINTERPRETATION OF SHEFFIELD’S LOCAL VICTORIAN BUILDING TYPOLOGIES. Part of the exciting Heart of the City development, the Radisson Blu hotel, located on Pinstone Street, promises to invigorate the cityscape and social scene of Sheffield, raising its profile as a major destination for business and travel.

As part of the Council and Strategic Development Partner Queensberry’s Heart of the City programme, the hotel will be positioned between Burgess Steet and Pinstone Street, behind the Victorian façade, and house 154 luxury bedrooms.

With the building’s importance to the city of Sheffield’s identity and the

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surrounding buildings, HLM have worked closely with heritage specialists, the council and consultants to respond to and enhance the unique social and architectural history of the site. While not listed building themselves, the Victorian structures Palatine Chambers and City Mews, which form the new Radisson Blu site, have been recognized as buildings of historical significance.

It was therefore decided that the façade would be retained, in line with the developers’ intention to rejuvenate the area while remaining sensitive to the locality and heritage. Located

within the City Centre Conservation Area, close to other historically significant buildings and spaces including the Peace Gardens, Barker’s Pool, City Hall, Town Hall and Laycock House, the block forms the gateway to the Heart of the City district from the east.

The new hotel development’s rooftop bar and restaurant will provide panoramic views across the area, allowing guests to appreciate the surrounding architectural grandeur while enjoying modern facilities.

Throughout the landscape and interior design, inspiration has been taken from a Sheffield

aesthetic and will use local suppliers, materials and products.

Further embracing the history of the site, the original coach entrance to the service yard will be opened up again, allowing glimpses from Pinstone Street and the Peace Gardens into a reimagined pocket courtyard which will provide a quiet area for guests to relax, in a small oasis from the busy Sheffield streets.

Upmarket ground-level retail and food and beverage units are another promising feature of the new development, set to enliven this prominent location.

Through careful concept

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PROPERTY

development and sensitive consideration of the historical significance of the area and the site, the Radisson Blu development will bring quality and prestige to the city, while preserving our urban heritage.

HLM Architects joined Councillor Mazher Iqbal of Sheffield City Council and representatives from Queensberry, Turner & Townsend, McLaughlin & Harvey for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Radisson Blu Hotel. Demolition of Baker’s Pool House has completed and work on the new hotel building has commenced.

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Gemma Wilson, project leader, said: “To walk past and see the original façade standing in its own glory on Pinstone Street is a sight to behold. To know that we are breathing new life into this structure is also a real privilege. We’re lucky that the site is so close to our Sheffield studio and that we can embrace the daily milestones that are happening on site.

The design team have worked tirelessly to carefully consider the new architectural intervention to the rear and above the retained façade working within the constraints of acoustics, fire and structural design to achieve a sympathetic solution.

We have looked to preserve the history of this important central site within the Heart of the City to retain the familiar streetscape of old to all those who visit.”

Jamie Wilson, director and hospitality, leisure & culture sponsor said: “We are excited to be involved with this important project for Sheffield. Our concept for the Radisson Blu is contemporary and modern, with bespoke design features giving a nod to Sheffield’s rich heritage. The rooftop bar and terrace will enhance the visitor experience and give unrivalled views over the Peace Gardens.”

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LEGAL MATTERS

BY DEMELZA WRIGLEY, PARTNER AND HEAD OF FAMILY LAW AT BELL&BUXTON Demelza explains the recent changes in divorce law and what they could mean for you.

gers

NO FAULT DIVORCE On April 6 of this year the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act came into effect. This represents the biggest change in divorce law since the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 and dispenses with the need for a couple to rely on a ‘fact’ to prove the breakdown of their marriage.

This is a most welcome change for family law practitioners, as the way these proceedings have been handled has evolved tremendously in the past almost 50 years. We were often finding that it was the divorce proceedings themselves that were derailing agreements reached about children and wider financial matters because one party had to cite a reason for divorce, most commonly the behaviour of the other party.

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We now try to resolve matters in a conciliatory manner and starting this process with fault and blame cannot be conducive to that approach.

This was brought into the limelight by the case of Owens v Owens in 2018 when Mr Owens successfully prevented Mrs Owens from being able to obtain a divorce until the couple had been separated for five years by defending the proceedings, even though the marriage had obviously broken down. It is said that this case was the catalyst for change that family law practitioners had been seeking for many years.

the Applicant. The old terms of Decree Nisi and Decree Absolute have been replaced with Conditional Order and Final Order respectively. The application can now be made jointly or by one spouse, whereas previously only a sole application or petition was permitted.

The only ground for divorce is still an irretrievable breakdown of marriage, but instead of it having to be evidenced by one of the five facts, some of which apportioned blame, it is now to be evidenced simply by a statement that the marriage has broken down irretrievably.

What has changed?

Previously, the person who commenced proceedings was known as the Petitioner.

They are now to be known as

One of the bigger changes is the time divorce proceedings will now take.

You cannot now apply for a Conditional Order until 20

weeks after the application has been issued, and the 6 weeks between Conditional Order and Final Order remains.

Therefore, even the smoothest running application is unlikely to be concluded in less than seven to eight months, whereas previously under the online system cases could be concluded in four to six months.

Notwithstanding the increased timescales, designed to provide a ‘cooling off period’ for the parties, family law practitioners are very excited about these changes and are hopeful they represent a further step in the direction of achieving the best possible outcome for clients with a conciliatory approach.

For more information, email d.wrigley@bellbuxton.co.uk or call 0114 2202186.

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AGENDA

ENTREPRENEURSUPPORT

BY HELEN WILLIAMS, HELPING ENTREPRENEURS WIN

DEMAND MORE OF

YOURSELF Our columnist Helen Williams of Helping Entrepreneurs Win (HEW) asks if you are happy with your current performance at work – and shares her top tips on how you can make it better.

The majority of us are operating way under our potential and rarely get to appreciate what we can really achieve when we put our minds to it.

A common finding is that a lot of us want to be able to do more and achieve more but never get around to making it happen.

As the famous quote from Albert Einstein states: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different

result”.

As the focus of HEW is to push boundaries, achieve more and ensure healthy, happy and fulfilled individuals and business owners, we want to ask you if you are happy with your current performance?

Are you happy with the outcomes of your current choices and levels of application?

Be honest with yourself.

It’s not about being unkind and hard on yourself but it is about self-critiquing your

Even the simplest of challenges can help kickstart new habits.

performance and levels of excellence that are ready and waiting to be tapped in to.

Challenge Yourself What can you do? What would you like to achieve?

A challenge by default helps you think differently.

It forces you to evaluate your current situation and work out how to construct something different into your usual routine.

Even the simplest of challenges can help kickstart new habits.

Whether this is food /

For more info on how coaching with HEW can help you and your business please visit

HELPINGENTREPRENEURSWIN.COM

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AGENDA

movement / sleep / time management / structure related.

All positive new habits you form work like dominoes in your work and personal life.

If you find yourself saying or thinking the following ‘I wish I could ….’

Fill in the blanks for yourself (run, swim, walk, eat better, sleep more, stop smoking / drinking) then this is for you.

You can do it.

You are more than capable.

Yes it may be uncomfortable

or difficult at first but that’s because its new. Like bedding in a new pair of shoes or getting used to a new IT software programme in the office.

You firstly need to make the decision to and commit.

Then the rest follows from here in the form of consistent action.

Personal challenges I have undertaken: Half Marathon 10k Yorkshire Three Peaks

Wild Camping Trip West Highland Way No Alcohol for 30 / 60 / 90 day stints 5k a Day And leading up to the big one of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in September Why do I do this?

Because it helps keep me fresh, stretched, I learn new things about myself, it keeps me stimulated and accountable.

I feed my mind and body positively so that it helps me

perform better in a business capacity.

And it’s fun when you beat your inner critic that tells you that you can’t do something, that sense of personal achievement is undeniably good for inner confidence!

What are you going to choose to do that will challenge you?

For help, info or to book a consultation call please visit www. helpingentrepreneurswin.com

Or email

helen@helpingentrepreneurswin.com

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Getting you results

through online lead and sales generation.

Paid Search Paid Social Media Display Marketing Digital Marketing Reporting Local Marketing SEO Content Strategy Organic Social Media hello@logica-digital.co.uk 0114 551 1534

DIGITAL

DIGITAL MARKETING DYLAN BONSALL

Our columnist shares an insight into the importance of landing pages

ECOMMERCE LANDING PAGES Dylan Bonsall, digital marketing executive at Logica Digital, explains the crucial steps in developing a landing page to help your business stand out.

In 2022 more companies than ever before are taking their businesses online and making that switch to an online marketplace. In fact, there are estimated to be between 12 and 24 million ecommerce websites currently worldwide (Digital Commerce 360), meaning companies are competing to stay ahead of the competition day in, day out.

A key advertising strategy for most ecommerce businesses is currently paid ads, whether that’s on social media, search engines or another channel.

The only issue is this is just the first step to getting someone who sees your ad to visit your ecommerce site.

The next - and most crucial

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step - is your landing page, a key moment in the customer journey which could make or break the sale.

Here are a few elements you should be considering when building these pages:

1

Optimised imagery Potential customers will have already seen your branding through the ad they clicked on but, when they land on your site, they’re expecting to see more images of your product, and they need to impress. Whether it’s showing your product in use, or a deeper look into the features, the potential customer needs to be shown how great that product is and see how it could add value to them.

2

CTAs (Calls-To-Action) I would recommend a bigger, more obvious call to action at the top of the

page for those more easily convinced, and then scatter more throughout so the viewer is never too far away from another CTA. You need to tell the user exactly what you want them to do next.

3

Content If a viewer lands on your site after scrolling through their feed and is met with dull content, they’re going to go back and keep scrolling. Hook the viewer with your content, write it in a style that they will relate to.

offer or promotion? Make it obvious! People are much more likely to buy a product if they’ve been incentivised with a discount.

6

Keep testing Keep optimising your landing page, try out different imagery, different content, a different structure, or even create a second landing page to test against the original.

4

One of the key points to take away is not to shy away from testing and making your landing pages different from the rest so you stand out from the crowd.

5

For help building effective landing pages or improving your current ones, get in touch with the team at Logica Digital. Contact us on hello@ logica-digital.co.uk or 0114 551 9092.

Mobile friendly Most social media users tend to be on mobile, so your landing pages need to be optimised for different device types to ensure a smooth user experience.

Offers and promotions Are you running an

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AGENDA

VOOT TELECOM

NIGEL SHORT OF VOOT TELECOM ON WHY INTERNET NOT-SPOTS ARE FINALLY SOMETHING THAT CAN BE FORGOTTEN IN MANY RURAL AREAS

“THIS PRODUCT COMPLETELY CHANGED THE WAY WE WORK!” That’s a great endorsement in anyone’s book and exactly the sort of feedback that you want to hear from a customer. When my business, Voot Telecom, got together with Andy Hanselman to try and find a solution to their years-long lack of broadband capacity at Andy’s home in Thorpe Salvin, that was exactly the plan.

“Rural connectivity has been an issue for us as long as we have been in our village,” Andy said. “While broadband speeds were getting faster all the time, we were left in a bit of a time-loop here. We were about a mile and a half outside the village and had just accepted that no-one was going to be digging up a lot of roads for our row of houses. I couldn’t even stream Sheffield United games.”

“I’m a Wednesday fan

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myself,” Nigel said. “But I’m also up for a challenge, so while leaving the Bramall Lane highlights buffering for all eternity was tempting, I wanted to see how we could help. At the time, no-one knew what was coming at the start of 2020, but home working was never going to be an option for Andy…

“Our office wasn’t just a place to work from, it was the only place we could work from. I work with companies all over the world and online training sessions and webinars were our way of doing that. If we wanted to get online with a connection we could trust with a client, we had to drive into Sheffield to do it.”

Andy was Voot’s first customer using their Fast 4G solution. While traditional mobile broadband options had been available for some time,

the data plans were still limited and they suffered from signal interruptions themselves – like the thick walls in Andy’s house providing another fly in the ointment. Fast 4G installs a mobile connection outside the home, a small dish and aerial like a Sky receiver, that is installed in the home just like a

fibre connection. It just takes a bit of drilling and a traditional wi-fi box and the service is up in hours.

Before the pandemic, working from home was a luxury, but during it, Andy’s Fast 4G connection let him keep in touch with clients, friends and family.

“It’s actually quite life changing,” Andy said. “Kids don’t look horrified when they visit and find they cant get on Instagram. Our neighbours have had it installed too. After years of being told that we may or may not see improvements one day, Nigel and Voot had us fixed up in an afternoon!”

If you would like to arrange a free test to check your connection speeds at your home or office, give me call on 01143211504 or visit https:// www.voot.org

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DIGITAL

HIGHLANDER

Highlander’s Steve Brown explains why cybercrime is now a hot topic for business insurers

YOUR BUSINESS INSURANCE

AND CYBERCRIME –

WHAT HAS CHANGED? Renewing the business insurance isn’t up there with my favourite tasks of the year; plenty of form filling, boxticking and number checking is required.

It is, however, becoming a more important task from a technology point of view, and that is down to the everevolving threat to businesses from ‘cybercrime’.

We are seeing a huge increase in companies asking for help to understand the renewals coming through, and assistance to put in place simple measures to manage the risk and reduce potential threats out there.

Data breaches, leading to data loss, ransomware, and extortion are all common cyber threats, and the most common risk to your business is still phishing. The criminals will still pretend to be someone that they’re not and do all that they can to get at you via email, calls and texts.

On renewing our insurance, I was surprised how the level of questioning has gone from

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the simple ‘Do you change passwords regularly?’, to now including questions around gathering threat intelligence data or domain control on managed endpoints. Are general businesses supposed to know the answers to these questions, or the solutions?

What it does show is that the threat is real, and the

ONE-THIRD OF BUSINESSES (35%) AND FOUR IN TEN CHARITIES (40%) REPORT BEING NEGATIVELY IMPACTED, FOR EXAMPLE, BECAUSE THEY REQUIRE NEW POST-BREACH MEASURES, HAVE STAFF TIME DIVERTED OR SUFFER WIDER BUSINESS DISRUPTION. unLTDBUSINESS.COM

DIGITAL

technology levels required are getting higher, but it is still simple for a company to be more proactive and manage the risk better.

Here are some easy measures you can implement to stave off the threat of cybercrime: Multi-factor authentication (MFA). This is the process where the system requires more than one authentication verification factor to gain access. For example, you log into your email and a code is sent to your mobile. Simple, but it works.

Email filtering tools. Stop those emails coming into your

staff’s inbox before they have a chance to open them.

We’ve set up phishing simulations and ‘caught’ the most unlikely of people! It’s good to stop them from landing via filtering and have these simulations in the background as it does make you think twice.

Quality password policies. It may be a minor hassle to change these and make them complex, but it’s nothing in comparison to trying to retrieve your data from someone on another continent.

Insurance underwriters want to see the above and

are almost insisting in some cases. Going to the next level and implementing a security information and event monitoring system (SIEM) or completing regular disaster recovery and data recovery tests will please the underwriters too but start with the simple and relatively low-cost options that you already have available.

If you want a check on your current security policies, then please get in touch. We have staff who are well trained, educated and dedicated to this threat and it doesn’t cost the earth. You may have most of the tools already in place, but not deployed.

FOUR IN TEN BUSINESSES (39%) REPORT HAVING CYBER SECURITY BREACHES OR ATTACKS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

A QUARTER OF CHARITIES (26%) REPORT HAVING CYBER SECURITY BREACHES OR ATTACKS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

THREE-QUARTERS (77%) OF BUSINESSES SAY CYBER SECURITY IS A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THEIR DIRECTORS OR SENIOR MANAGERS, WHILE SEVEN IN TEN CHARITIES (68%) SAY THIS OF THEIR TRUSTEES. unLTDBUSINESS.COM

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SKILLS

SKILLS FOCUS

SPONSORED BY THE SOURCE SKILLS ACADEMY The Source Skills Academy in Sheffield is passionate about bringing out the best in people.

It has been helping businesses to increase the talents of their teams since 2003 and is proud to sponsor Skills Focus, a monthly spotlight on training and apprenticeship news and funding to help you develop your staff.

STEERING APPRENTICES TO BRIGHT FUTURES The Source tutor Adrian Plant tells unLTD the inspirational story of how he realised his true potential and how he has helped hundreds find path to success One of The Source’s top tutors, Adrian Plant loves helping people to grow and reach their potential.

And he knows better than anyone that no matter how well you did at school, you can turn your life around at any age.

Adrian left school with just one C.S.E in technical drawing.

He worked as a window cleaner, a market trader and a bus conductor before deciding he wanted to do more and heading to university as a 33-year-old dad of three.

During his first year at Sheffield Hallam, he worked two jobs, gained an A-star English GCSE and wrote a joke book.

He gained a 2:1 in recreation and tourism management in 1997, spent a further year studying for a PGCE teaching certificate and went on to work in four local colleges as a tutor in leisure and tourism.

He rose to become a team leader with a South Yorkshire training organisation and in 2013 became a tutor with The Source Skills Academy.

Adrian has since supported people studying for a wide range of apprenticeship qualifications - from business admin and customer service to team-leading - earning trust, respect and friendship from learners of all ages along the way.

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ADRIAN PLANT WITH ONE OF HIS APPRENTICES, ROTHERHAM-BASED AESSEAL UK’S EMILY ALLEN

Many of The Source’s award-winning apprentices say their success is down to his positivity and steadfast belief in them and are still in contact with him years down the line as they progress in their careers.

Adrian, a 68-year-old grandfather of ten, often tells learners how he changed his life – and that he loves his job too much to retire.

He says: “I tell them I know exactly what it’s like to go back to learning, and that If I could do it, they can.”

He recently took

on responsibilities for tutoring Level 5 Operations Management apprenticeship qualifications.

“Teaching at this level stretches me as much as the student - I have to learn about the company and the candidate and work out how they can improve,” he says.

“I see them soar in confidence, develop a better understanding of managerial tasks they may have been doing for years, then become even better bosses. That helps every single one of their employees and is so rewarding

for me,” he says.

“I’m so passionate about my work. Even if I won the lottery, I’d still do this job - though maybe part time!”

Adrian has absolutely no desire to slow down at work - or in the gym, which is his favourite hobby.

Over eight months last year, he rowed all the way from Sheffield to Berlin - virtuallyspeaking – by completing a staggering one million and 29 metres on the rowing machine.

“Don’t forget the 29 metres,” he says. “Very important, that last stretch!”

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WORKWEAR

TOP AWARD FOR SHEFFIELD FIRM Corrosion Resistant Materials Ltd (CRM) has recently received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. Adam Bradley, director, speaks to Rachel Measures about how they got there and what it means for the company’s future.

Steel stockholders CRM supply a variety of specialist materials to meet a range of customers’ Grade, specification, and product requirements by offering cutting, machining, heat treatment and testing on top of the raw material.

In their seventh year of trading, they received an award approved by Her Majesty the Queen. CRM is proud, excited, and shocked to receive a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, awarded for growth and commercial success in this area.

First established in 1965, the awards celebrate the success of exciting and innovative businesses leading the way with pioneering products or services, delivering impressive social mobility programmes, or showing their commitment to excellent sustainable development practices.

This year, 225 UK businesses have been recognised for their contribution to International Trade, Innovation, Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity (through Social Mobility), including CRM. Adam said: “Receiving this award has been fantastic for us - in terms of recognition for the team you can’t ask for

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ADAM BRADLEY, DIRECTOR AT CORROSION RESISTANT MATERIALS

anything better. I’m still in shock, but we have worked very hard, especially on our export sales, and they’ve been growing year on year. For our customers and us, it says that these guys know what they’re doing, and we can trust them.”

Since opening in 2015, the family feel the business, founded by Lee Perry and Chris Williams, has gone from strength to strength. Their export division accounts for 50 per cent of their overall turnover, with 31 countries on

their books.

However, the company has had to navigate a fair few challenges over the last few years, such as Brexit, the pandemic, the energy crisis, the war in Ukraine and more.

Adam said: “We’ve had Brexit, and while we’re still getting the knock-on effects of that, we’ve got to grips with the changes, and our European sales are growing again. We’ve worked hard to understand the situation, spoken to our customers about it, and

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WORKWEAR guided them through the new process with the correct documentation for customs.

“Then COVID-19 hit.

Sales took a dip for three to four months. While many businesses shut for a few weeks believing the lockdown would be over quickly, we were lucky that the manufacturing industry could continue through everything, unlike the hospitality and tourism industries.

“The war in Ukraine is affecting us too. There are so many challenges at the minute, and where we were already suffering from shortages, the war affects steel production in Ukraine and Russia. The full knock-on effects remain to be seen, but it was only March 8 when the nickel price shot up and our prices doubled overnight.

“Everything costs more, and the energy crisis isn’t helping with this. Unfortunately, the price is passed down to the customer, but the reassuring thing is that manufacturing is continuing, and materials

not be possible.”

This award recognises their commercial strength and support of the local community with their Apprenticeship and Work Experience programmes, and support of students from local schools and colleges in opening their horizons to the world of engineering.

Adam said: “With all the growth the company is experiencing, we’re looking to grow our team next, and this starts by finding an apprentice for our sales department.

Fingers crossed, we can continue to grow the business; are being purchased and the number of staff we have, ultimately, all material and the number of customers suppliers are in the same boat.” we can help.

Despite all the challenges “We are a local company the industry has faced over this supporting our local period, CRM has seen a 1,097 community, but with a global per cent increase in export outlook.” sales over the last three years.

Adam added: “We would like to thank all our international customers and suppliers for their continued support as, without you, this award and recognition would

We would like to thank all our international customers and suppliers for their continued support as, without you, this award and recognition would not be possible.

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AGENDA

SECURING YOUR ASSETS

BY SAM LEEDER, DIRECTOR AT ACTUS INSURANCE

Our columnist gives his advice on the best ways to prevent construction plant theft.

MANAGING THE BLIGHT OF PLANT THEFT The property and construction sectors in the UK are particularly busy now, with contractors and materials becoming increasingly expensive and hard to get hold of.

Sadly, something that always coincides with a buoyant construction sector is the increase in the theft of construction plant, not only leaving businesses with having to potentially make an insurance claim, but also with the stress of trying to replace the equipment in a difficult market, leading to increased costs and disruption Typically, items of plant are stolen and then shipped out of the country within 24 hours, so the chances of recovering them are very remote.

For those businesses who

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require very specialist pieces of equipment, the loss of one of these can have a significant impact on the company’s turnover as these specialist items can take months to obtain a replacement.

While insurers will pay to replace items of plant, the additional impacts can be much more far reaching and proves risk management is a better solution for most businesses, rather than relying solely on insurance.

So, what can be done to prevent these thefts occurring in the first place?

Firstly, consider whether you have to store items of plant on site. Whilst the answer will most likely be yes, if at all possible remove the plant from site at the earliest opportunity to a secure

compound. The security on many construction sites merely consists of a piece of Palisade fencing, which can simply be unbolted, leaving equipment vulnerable If you have to leave equipment on site, consider what kind of site security is most appropriate. If you can combine multiple measure to deter opportunistic thieves this would also be advisable.

For instance, if you can, combine a secure compound with a plant safe. We also recommend finding a way to block in the most important items, either by parking other vehicles in front or possibly placing concrete blocks in front – this can also be combined with CCTV to make a strong deterrent for thieves Consider having trackers

installed on the most business-critical items of plant. These systems can be effective in not only alerting you if an item of plant moves when it shouldn’t, but can also immobilise the equipment, making it much more difficult to move Overall, it is impossible to stop the determined thief.

However, if you can make your site the most unappealing to them, they are likely to move onto one which is an easier target.

If you would like any more information about how best to secure your items of plant, or the associated insurances, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0114 398 4498 or by visiting: actusinsurance. co.uk

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A problem solved, a campaign started, a career ignited - it all starts with a simple

Get in touch with Harvey Morton Digital to supercharge your digital marketing or to book Harvey for your next event. www.harveymorton.digital

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Q&A COLUMN COVER STORY

FEMALE ROLE MODELS PROMOTING EQUALITY IN STEM

Our Mission: To attract, develop and retain a diverse and inclusive mix of people in STEM careers

SUE ROBERTS OPERATIONS LEAD AT BRANDON MEDICAL What is your current role?

Operations lead at Brandon Medical.

What does that involve, look like on a day-to-day basis?

I look at operational efficiencies to meet the demands of our successful sales team. Building capacity at Brandon Medical involves monitoring stock and finding innovative solutions to rise above the current demands on a turbulent supply chain, defining an improved workflow, machine positioning in our machine shop to provide efficient manufacturing, and working with our software team to develop automated processes for final assembly operations.

How did you get started working in STEM? It’s hard to say precisely when I started in STEM, as my path into engineering was not a typical one. After starting my career in marketing, I was approached

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about an opportunity with a forward-thinking monitor manufacturer. I was in my early 20s, so I grasped the chance to move into something new and exciting.

What qualifications did you take or gain along the way?

Those who know me well would say I’m a hard worker with a natural ability to see pragmatic solutions. There’s pressure on young people to achieve academically, but if you have the right attitude and ability to work hard, your skill level should not be a barrier to success.

Why do you love working in STEM? The people, the variety of the work and the products/services we are helping to create. I love the variety and the need to work to deadlines, ensuring you deliver an exceptional service/ product on time and on budget.

I get a buzz when I help solve

industry to attract and keep more women in STEM? We need to show young What challenges have you women that careers in STEM faced in your career? And how are exciting, flexible, and have you overcome them? rewarding. We know women Being a woman in engineering are underrepresented and has been a challenge. I have had employers are starting to to work hard and be persistent understand a more equal to have a voice – thankfully, the gender balance is better for stereotypical view of women their businesses in terms of in an engineering workplace is achievement and cohesion. changing.

We should encourage our employers to engage with girls What advice would you offer in schools, showing them what for someone joining the STEM jobs are out there and what sectors? they could achieve.

Academically, maths is a must, but practical and For the full article please visit problem-solving skills are our blog at: equalityinstem. just as important. Although org.uk/blog there is a need for universityeducated engineers to move the boundaries of what can be achieved in engineering, I would strongly advise young people to consider apprenticeship routes as well. practical engineering problems within the production process.

What do we need to do as an

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COVER STORY

A NEW GENERATION FOR REGENERATION From schoolboy entrepreneur to award-winning business owner, Harvey Morton is the founder and managing director of self-titled Harvey Morton Digital.

Harvey speaks to unLTD’s Rachel Measures all about his early businesses, overcoming challenges and childhood bullying, and how important it is to give back to the younger generation.

When you see the success that award-winning business owner Harvey Morton has already achieved at just 24 years old, it may not surprise you to know he started young.

His business-mind first began working when he was just 13, selling keyrings and greetings cards, before entering a school enterprise competition called the BiG Challenge.

The contest sees teams from schools and colleges across the Sheffield City Region given £25 to start their own business.

But despite his obvious talent and ambitious nature, life at school was not always easy for Harvey.

He said: “I’d been bullied quite a lot throughout school, and teachers were concerned whether I had enough confidence to complete all the Dragon’s Den-style pitches that I had to do as part of the challenge, and I nearly wasn’t allowed to take part.

“However, some of my

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teachers believed in me, including my form tutor, and I was lucky enough to win prizes at the BiG Challenge Awards in 2012. That inspired me to keep pushing forward with my aspirations.

“I entered again the following year, playing to my strengths, helping individuals and businesses with IT support.

Working on my business was an escape for me. As I said, I’d been bullied a lot.

“It started in late primary school - I was born prematurely, so I struggle with hand/eye coordination. Things like P.E. or anything involving fine motor skills were really difficult for me, and when others saw me doing them, they teased me about it.

“This continued through to secondary school when YouTube videos I had made were spread around, and pictures of me were printed and laughed about.

“So, when my dad used to take me around all these different places to help

people with their IT, it was a distraction.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just at school where Harvey faced challenges – being in business at such a young age presented its own issues.

“When I’d turn up, my clients would be surprised about my age. When I started, it was a big problem,” he added.

“I like to think it was clear from my website that I was school age, but people would question my experience. I’ve overcome that, and now age is, I believe, a massive advantage for me.

“Because I started so young, I already have so many years of experience behind me, and that’s one of the reasons I think the BiG Challenge is so important – to give young people the inspiration they need to be the future business leaders of the city.

“Before the BiG Challenge, I’d present in class, and my legs would be trembling, and I

39

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COVER STORY LETS TALK ABOUT HARVEY...

JILL WHITE: JUDGE FROM THE BIG CHALLENGE

“What can I say about Harvey?

“I first met Harvey when he participated in the Big Challenge at 14. I met him again when he was a student at Sheffield Hallam University and came through their Enterprise Start-up support programme. As a successful entrepreneur himself, I was present when he financially sponsored The Big Challenge in 2019. I think I cried!

“It’s been an absolute privilege to witness such an outstanding example of just what The Big Challenge is all about.

“I don’t think you help Harvey; you point him in the right direction and vroom, he’s off.

“I have recommended him to businesses where I know he has successfully supported them with social media, I have signposted him to a speaking opportunity where I know he wowed the audience, I have listened to his podcasts, passed them onto others, put him forward for awards, congratulated him (a lot) on his progress and achievements and, he doesn’t know this, used him as a role model in a couple of personal cases where I know individuals have been struggling at school.

“I will continue to do this wherever, whenever I can. Harvey is exceptional.”

could barely get my words out.

I had to pitch my ideas for the challenge, but my form tutor stood by me through the whole process. I practised over and over again until it became not quite second nature, but until I was more comfortable.

“Having to pitch, and even receive awards later on, meant that my confidence grew massively, and that’s the biggest thing that the BiG challenge gave me.”

Since then, Harvey has grown his business.

After university, he realised that he didn’t want to go around fixing things anymore, so he shifted his focus to content creation and digital marketing, starting with website design in 2016.

In 2018 he was awarded the National Young Freelancer of the Year prize and used the money to rebrand his company to Harvey Morton Digital.

He said: “Many people say I’m lucky to get all of the opportunities that I’ve had, but what they haven’t seen is that all through school and university,

I’d miss out on so much because all my evenings and weekends I’d be working on the business – there’s so much that has gone into it behind the scenes.”

“I’ve had many challenges to overcome too. I’ve struggled to be myself and been frustrated with people questioning my abilities.

“I had careers advisers at school discouraging me from following my ambitions to be self-employed because not many people my age wanted to work for themselves. It was considered risky, and I was pushed into a more academic route.”

As well as strict instructions on how to progress in his career, Harvey was also given advice to change the way he looked and how he dressed – something which he refused to take on board.

“When I set up the business, I was advised that I had to look corporate, otherwise people wouldn’t work with me, but I’ve realised that the reason people want to work with me now is because of me and not because of that other stuff,” he said.

“I decided I’m not corporate at all, and I thought - why am I trying to be something I’m not?

Why don’t I stop worrying so much about what other people

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COVER STORY

42

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COVER STORY think?

“Ultimately, if I can’t be myself, how can I expect any young people that I’m speaking to, any business leaders, or anyone reading my articles, to relate to me if I’m not being myself.”

Harvey now uses his own experiences to help others as much as possible.

He visits schools and works with various charities to help people who have been bullied or had a challenging time growing up, as well as working with Youth Employment UK and the Diana Award Charity, who offer help with careers and work experience.

He added: “Young people are our future business leaders, and it’s essential they have the opportunity to do what they want to do and not what they feel like they have to do. Therefore, I believe younger people must be given opportunities to gain work experience early on through activities like the BiG Challenge or work placements.

“It’s vital that young people get that enrichment and work experience that allows them to build up their business skills and figure out what they enjoy and what they want their careers to be.

“There was one work placement I did where I got sent home early because no one in the office had time for me, and I came away really upset because that was my first experience in that sort of environment.

“It might be an inconvenience but taking that time to mentor someone and show them what you do can significantly impact

There was one work placement I did where I got sent home early because no one in the office had time for me a young person’s early journey to their career.

“I was lucky that while I studied at Sheffield Hallam University, I was given the support to be self-employed and to push forward with my business. Working with the enterprise team gave me so much. I even won the Hallam Enterprise Award during my time there, but it’s this support that I believe children should have access to a lot earlier.

“This is why I do so much work with schools now. It’s an investment in our future business leaders or our future colleagues.”

In March 2022, Harvey was involved with the BiG Challenge from the other side as a judge.

“It was lovely to see the kids get to the end of the challenge and for their parents to realise the world of good, it’s done for their skills and confidence.

The young people have been able to learn that nothing is impossible,” he said.

“Even for the teams that didn’t sell much, they can be proud of the product that they have created. Anyone can do an after-school club, but it takes a

lot to create a product or set up a business.

“If I could speak to my 13-year-old self now, I’d tell him not to worry about anything and stay in his own lane - focus on himself – and remind him not to compare himself to others. I think that’s the most important advice, but most of all, that everything will be okay in the end.”

Harvey continues to work hard on his business, collaborating with a team of freelancers on content creation.

In the future, he would love to be able to hire an apprentice whom he can mentor so that he can help a young person, like he once was, to nurture their skills.

Conscious to always give back and to inspire other young people, Harvey plans to continue visiting schools and Sheffield Hallam University to share his story, but he is now also working on a book all about his experiences and to provide advice to young entrepreneurs.

“There’s a real gap in the market, and when I’ve told my story, such as through work I’ve done with BBC Bitesize, I’ve received feedback from people glad to have modern resources from different people with different backgrounds. It made me think that maybe I should put some advice together myself. So, that’s my goal for the year.

“The pandemic has been so up and down it has made me refocus on different areas of the business, but my personal focus will continue to be just trying to help as many people as possible, so I’m open-minded to whatever the future holds.”

LETS TALK ABOUT HARVEY...

ROB KING: BUSINESS START-UP ADVISOR / SHU ENTERPRISE TEAM “Harvey is someone who has built his business using determination to become successful. Along that journey, it has been a pleasure to support him through the Enterprise Team at Sheffield Hallam on a one-to-one basis and nominate him for the Hallam Enterprise Awards, for which he won best pitch in 2017.

“Harvey has become a great success story for us, and is now someone who gives back to other

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students and graduates that we help, doing talks about his entrepreneurial journey at events and running workshops that focus on the areas of expertise his business excels in.

“His business always applies an ethical approach, which gives that added value and trust that customers will appreciate. We are always there to support his business needs and it is great that he has become a friend of mine during his journey to where he is today!”

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SHEFFIELD CHAMBER

“IF YOU WANT TO BE

LEADING THE WORLD,

YOU HAVE TO BE I came across this quote in the Linkedin Workplace Learning Report 2022 and thought how appropriate it was for focussing our minds on the importance of developing a ‘learning culture’ in our businesses.

Most businesses organise training and development for their employees.

However, a learning culture is a commitment which comes from the very top of a business and cascades all the way down. It starts with a training policy, a strategy and a training and development plan for every individual in the business.

According to Glint data, the number one factor which defines an exceptional work environment is the ‘opportunity to learn and grow’.

When the spark of learning is ignited in individuals, the whole business lights up and is successful.

As an example, I recently had the pleasure of working with a business within the food manufacturing industry to identify their problems and how to rectify them.

While there, I discovered: • High staff turnover • High sickness and absence rates • Low staff morale,

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” LEARNING DAVID PERRING, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AT FOSWAY GROUP

Workforce training and development vs a learning culture - what’s the difference? Christine Lamb (below), Training Manager at Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, discusses. motivation and engagement • Not hitting sales or production targets There was definitely a root cause…

We discovered people were promoted because they were good at what they did.

However, once promoted, there was no training for the new job role, just an expectation that they would know how to do it.

Four layers of management with no formal training and development.

We put a development programme in place, giving them theories, knowledge and an environment to practice what they’d learnt in the classroom, followed by coaching and mentoring, helping them to implement their new skills in their daily roles.

As a result, morale,

motivation and engagement went up, as did sales and manufacturing. Food waste, absence rates and staff turnover also decreased.

You see, people don’t leave companies, they leave managers.

My first passion is for training and development of individuals. My second passion is my vision to help and support Sheffield to be the best place to do business.

Crucially, the key to my

second passion is through my first. Because here’s the thing… your competitors are out there. They can copy your products, your systems, your processes, your procedures and your offers. And they do.

But the one thing they can’t copy, the one thing they haven’t got, is you and your people.

They are the reasons why your customers choose to buy from you. They are your difference and your USP. To learn more on how Sheffield Chamber can support you and your businesses development needs, call 0114 201 8888, email training@scci.org. uk or visit www.scci.org.uk

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THE NEW GENERATION

WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES TO DELIVER

MARKETING MOMENTUM The Backroom Agency return to share their advice on marketing your business to achieve success even in tougher times - and choosing the right people to help you. unLTD’s Rachel Measures spoke to Andrew Brown, co-founder of Backroom, to learn more.

Q&A: The domino effect – and how to achieve it What have the last couple of years been like for the Backroom Agency?

In 2021, we celebrated our fifth year in business which felt like a huge achievement, against the backdrop of everything else going on in the world.

Our setup meant we were able to adapt quickly to working from home, right from the start of the lockdown.

Not having additional staff meant our overheads stayed low enough for us to come through the pandemic

46

relatively unscathed. Our strategy of partnering with the best in the business thankfully seemed to pay off.

As costs continue to rise, many companies are looking closely at their budgets. Where would you recommend they put their marketing spend for maximum impact?

Unfortunately, when it comes to marketing your business, there is no magic bullet. No one activity that will lead to guaranteed success. You often

see business coaches and entrepreneurs on the internet telling you that the only thing you need to focus on is SEO, or Facebook ads. This is absolutely not the case. The old adage is true - you should never put all your eggs in one basket, and likewise, you should never put all your marketing efforts into just one channel.

Effective marketing comes from working really hard at lots of things. Social media, brand, advertising, SEO, PR, events, paid search…the list goes on.

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THE NEW GENERATION

CASE STUDY It sounds daunting, but when you have all of those elements working in tandem, you create momentum - a ‘domino effect’ if you like, which in turn leads to business success.

Our region is home to a lot of SMEs who are perhaps not big enough to have an in-house marketing team.

What’s your advice for them?

The big brands and corporates have whole teams of people working behind the scenes, crafting messages, planning campaigns and paying attention to every detail.

Those teams are like the ‘backroom’ – the unseen engine behind the marketing magic.

But here’s the thing we always tell our clients, regardless of size.

You don’t need multimillion-pound budgets to achieve great results. For every one of our clients, we are that backroom. We’re the ones working tirelessly behind the scenes to make their marketing objectives a reality.

Think of us as a well-oiled machine, helping businesses to thrive.

With a plethora of creative agencies in the area, why should companies choose to work with the Backroom?

We want you to think of us as an extension to your own team. So, if you could use an extra pair of hands, we’re here for you.

Our sole purpose is to support your business, whether through strategic thinking, great design, transforming your online presence or delivering a social content plan. Most often, it’s a combination.

If you’re looking to build momentum in your marketing and achieve the domino effect, come and see us. The door to the Backroom is always open.

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CRAFTING CHIMO’S BRAND TO BUILD MARKETING MOMENTUM Chimo Holdings are world-renowned for their unique blend of traditional Sheffield craftsmanship and modern technology. They manufacture an impressive range of highquality cutlery, gallery trays, silver, giftware and promotional merchandise, and they count some of the world’s best hotels and restaurants as loyal customers.

The family business was established in the 1980s, uniting several independent Sheffield manufacturers, including one dating back to 1750, with the common purpose of creating quality products for a modern world, whilst preserving traditional values and practices.

Their latest line is an exclusive range of giftware in pewter, silverplate and superior Britannia silver to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The range includes a set of Queen’s Head teaspoons cast from the original 1977 Jubilee die.

Chimo were the proud winners of the top manufacturing award at the prestigious Made in Sheffield Awards in 2016/2017, which recognised the company’s impact on the steel city’s reputation. They also had the honour of a Royal visit in 2013, when HRH The Princess Royal toured the factory.

Chris Hudson is the director and owner of Chimo Holdings but prefers to go by ‘team principal’. He said: “To put it simply, without my team of highly skilled craftspeople, I’d have no products and no company. I need them just as much as they need me to do the sales and management and take the financial risks. We all bring our own strengths and work together as a team, so I’m the Team Principal.”

In 2018, Chris was awarded an MBE for his work in exports and charities. He is currently the chair of Work-Wise, which encourages young people to pursue careers in manufacturing.

“I run this company with many people who only have a few GCSEs, but they’re brilliant craftspeople. I think the focus on young people is being lost at the moment, and that’s why we need Work-Wise. We need to celebrate everyone’s skills, not just the academic ones,” he added.

The Backroom Agency have been working with Chimo Holdings for over five years. In that time, they’ve developed the company’s branding, built three websites (with the latest being a site dedicated to the Platinum Jubilee line) and delivered a range of communications which work in tandem to create momentum across all their marketing channels.

Chris said: “The relationship we have with the Backroom is fantastic. Their name is exactly right. We don’t need a marketing team in-house, but the Backroom are always there when we need them. They’ve come to know our company so well, it’s almost like having someone in-house anyway - the quality of everything they deliver for us is always firstclass. And in my line of work, you have to be a stickler for quality!”

47

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PODCAST

THE unLTD PODCAST In the new episode of the unLTD podcast, James Marriott takes a look at Corporate Social Responsibility.

It’s become a bit of a buzz phrase and something you’ve probably heard talked about in the last few weeks or months.

It’s not just about businesses donating a few quid to charity, it’s become something much bigger.

To find out more, and why it really matters to both businesses and charities in the new normal, we chat to Tchad Western from Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.

This episode gives a really interesting perspective from two sides - why it’s so important for brands to ‘do good’ and what impact that help has on the vital work done by amazing charities.

I must admit to not having a clear understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility before talking to Tchad, but he really got across why it matters.

You can find the show by searching for unLTD in the podcast app on your device.

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insights from studying the relationship between the two figures as well and I’ll go into a bit more depth on this in a future column.

In the spotlight

THIS MONTH JAMES CHATS TOO TCHAD WESTERN FROM SHEFFIELD CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL CHARITY

New numbers

There have long been complaints in podcasting circles about some of the numbers we don’t get to see.

You can of course find out how many people have listened to your episodes.

But how many people ‘follow’ or ‘subscribe’ to your show in Apple Podcasts, still

the biggest podcast app out there?

Apple hasn’t given us access to those numbers, until a couple of weeks ago. Now, podcasters can look up how many followers they have.

So, what’s the significance of this?

Well, it’s a really key metric for mapping out the long term growth of your show. Listener numbers for individual episodes will always fluctuate, but your follower stats should steadily grow.

You can reveal some

We love to highlight some of the amazing podcasts being produced across South Yorkshire and this month’s spotlight falls on The Irwin Mitchell Podcast.

It’s a fortnightly show and shares some series expertise across a really wide range of legal and financial topics.

Each episode features advice and updates around things like the latest legal changes, financial news, in-depth market insight and much more.

They’ve also put together some special seasons of podcasts, focused on employment law and family matters.

Wherever you are in the business world, you will get a ton of knowledge - just search for ‘the Irwin Mitchell Podcast’ in your podcast app, or you can find the latest episodes in the news section of their website.

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This month’s guest editor, and one of the founders of unLTD, Martin Ross, reflects on the journey of the magazine since its first issue and how far the South Yorkshire business community has come in the last five years…

It was all the way back in 2017 when the idea of unLTD was first introduced, and it is fair to say it has come a long way since then.

Originally, we came up with the concept because we felt the Sheffield City Region wanted a real outlet for positive and relevant business news, celebrating everything the area had to offer.

While we wanted to share good news stories and bring the local business community together, we also wanted to add something fresh and different, which is why unLTD has always been so visually led and had such a strong presence on social media.

Our aim was to break from the more traditional forums and provide a platform that was engaging, newsy and informative while still being interesting and entertaining.

From stories on overcoming the challenges faced by businesses in every sector, to after-hours pieces on the best places to visit with your colleagues, we have worked hard to produce a wellrounded product that has something for everyone.

We have championed local independents as well as larger firms, told some incredible success stories and highlighted the wealth of talent we have right on our doorstep.

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In the five years – and 50 issues – since the magazine first started, I don’t think that has ever changed.

However, what has changed is the wonderful team working on unLTD behind the scenes.

The idea was first discussed between myself and Richard Wright, then chief executive of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, before we engaged with Phil Turner at Blind Mice Media, and, as they say, the rest is history.

Over time there have been plenty of talented and creative people working on this magazine, from former editor Richard Fidler to designers Simon Garlick and Simon Waller, and features writer Jill Theobald, all of whom have made unLTD what it is today.

Head of sales Dan Laver has been integral to the continuing expansion of the brand, and there would be no magazine at all without the copywriters at HRM – and, of course, our fantastic columnists and contributors.

However, in true business style, the magazine has evolved a lot since that first issue in 2017, picking up plenty of fresh faces along the way.

Rather fittingly, the theme for our 50th issue is ‘regeneration’, and there is plenty of that here at unLTD, as well as across the wider city region.

In the last few months alone, we have appointed a new designer and photographer, Marc Barker, and news and features editor

Brogan Maguire, to help unLTD continue on its journey.

Coupled with the arrival of HRM’s new chief executive, Jen Beal, the magazine really is entering a whole new phase of its life.

And isn’t that true of our businesses as a whole, reemerging after two gruelling years of the pandemic and ready to move on to the next chapter.

A lot has changed in our region in the last five years and there has been so much to celebrate. From the Sheffield Business Awards to the growth of the Advanced Business Park, and the opening of the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Stadium - headed up Government minister Richard Caborn.

Former chief executive of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, Richard Wright, said: “I am personally delighted to see unLTD go from strength to strength.

“As the chief executive of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce at the time, I met with Martin Ross from HR Media and Phil Turner from Blind Mice Media, believing their relevant experience would prove to be a catalyst for the creation of a successful business publication serving Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley.

“It is the responsibility of an organisation like the Chamber, and a platform like unLTD, to ensure that the independent voice and opinion of the business community is heard.

“I am so pleased to see to see that my encouragement was not misplaced.

“As a result, our business community now has a publication that it can be proud of. Here’s to the next 50 editions!”

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CELEBRATES

ISSUES

The Heart of the City development is progressing rapidly, with New Era Square bringing unique dining options to Bramall Lane, and the creation of Leah’s Yard in the city centre offering an interesting new space for independents and creatives.

The Levelling Up fund, for which Sheffield is at the forefront, is set to offer the city the money, resources and opportunity it needs to reach its full potential, with £13m pledged to new projects.

In Barnsley, The Glass Works has brought exciting new retail and leisure opportunities, breathing life into the heart of the town centre.

The Urban Centre Masterplan in Doncaster is seeing changes to the cultural landscape of the area, as well as a brand-new look for the entrance to the rail station, and the £12.6m awarded to Rotherham Council is helping to regenerate the market and other key areas.

In the wake of COVID-19 we have shown true resilience and I am so proud of the business community for pulling together and adapting even in the most challenging of times.

While it was difficult at first,

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we have all persevered, and things that once seemed scary now feel second nature.

Some of the changes we made during the pandemic are definitely here to stay.

From being able to conduct business further afield through the use of Zoom, to offering roles with more remote and hybrid working, many of the systems we put in place have opened up the possibilities and made for a better work-life balance. Our fantastic businesses can now capitalise on the pool of talent across the country – or even the world – and that can only be a good thing.

The colleges and universities across our region are also thriving and we are so lucky to have so many well-educated and talented individuals living in our area, joining our businesses and shaping the future of our towns and cities. Now is the perfect time for us to open up the landscape for the younger generation, using all the tools and skills we have acquired over the last few years to ensure our markets continue to grow.

While we may have the years of experience, fresh perspectives and ideas may just be the key to propelling

Former Government minister and current chair of the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, Richard Caborn, said: “I am delighted that unLTD is celebrating its 50th edition.

“The Sheffield City Region deserves a publication which has a capacity to focus on key issues impacting on our area such as the economy, transport and education. “unLTD has tapped into the ambition of the area providing a rich mix of relevant content and opinion underpinned by strong imagery and design which has brought to the attention of influencers, decision makers and the business community at local, regional and national levels the challenges and, indeed, the progress being achieved.

“Happy Birthday and keep up the good work.” our region forwards and putting us on the global map.

And there is still so much more to look forward to, with games in the UEFA Women’s EURO tournament arriving in the region later this year, as well as the Rugby League World Cup. It really is going to be the summer of sport and culture (with another successful Tramlines to come) right on our doorstep.

All of that will be celebrated right here in this magazine, with the new team doing everything they can to champion our area and everything it stands for.

On a personal note of

regeneration, since my retirement I have handed on the baton to my son Mark and the Redbrik Group, seeing a new era begin for both unLTD and HRM. As well as his own successes with Redbrik, Mark is doing a fantastic job of taking the companies on the next leg of their journey.

I have got tremendous pride in what we’ve created, and the team and individuals I have worked with at HRM since 1997 – and unLTD since 2017 - it’s a real lasting legacy.

The future is bright and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

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UNLTD SOCIAL

The unLTD social returned last month for the first time since the pandemic, and what an afternoon it was.

After spending so long away from the office – and each other – it was amazing to see so many people in one room together, laughing, eating and drinking – and of course discussing business.

Held at The Furnace in Sheffield city centre, the event focused on shopping locally and how we can continue supporting our high streets and independent retailers, especially after two very difficult years of lockdowns, closures and curfews.

The panel featured a range of retail and planning experts, from Chloe Parmenter at Urbana to Andrew Slater from Reyt Good Illustrations, and Sally Pepper from Business Sheffield.

The Q&A was hosted by unLTD news and features editor Brogan Maguire and invited a lively debate around what individuals, the council, and other organisations can do to ensure our towns and cities can thrive.

From better transport links around all of Sheffield’s suburbs, to lower rent prices for independents in our town and

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city centres, a number of options were discussed.

Chloe Parmenter said: “It’s about making cities and placeshaping, which is what we do, and making sure that we are planning cities for the people that live there, not the opposite way round because that doesn’t work.

“It’s about creating environments - the feeling of inclusion when you walk down the street and you feel that tightness when you’re there and that you’ve arrived at a destination. But that also gives you the opportunity to dress a street up for occasions or events.

“Maybe it’s about connecting suburbs to the city centre and to each other a bit better and creating that route for them.”

From an independent retailer perspective, Andrew Slater said “opportunity and affordability” were the most important factors in ensuring our high streets survive.

He added: “I think we need to make sure we offer more spaces specifically for independents and make sure the price is reasonable

enough that they don’t have to gamble their houses just to make a go of it. We need to give them the chance to get their name out there and show off what they have to offer without them having to risk everything to do it.”

And Sally Pepper, who offers advice and coaching to small businesses, said the key was to introduce more multi-purpose venues where retail, food and drink, and creative companies could come together, giving customers everything they need in one place.

“I think flexible space is something to watch for,” she added. “You know, space that isn’t just one thing or another, but it solves lots of issues for different economies and different sectors of the community.”

With so many interesting ideas thrown around and questions raised by the audience, it’s not hard to see why the event was so well received by the guests in attendance. unLTD has now reached its 50th issue in just five years, and its loyal following has recognised its importance to the business community within the Sheffield City Region every step of the way.

Rich Davies, business development manager at Highlander, said: “It was great to attend unLTD’s first social event for over two years at The Furnace recently.

“Meeting lots of new faces as well as some familiar ones was a pleasure after so long and it was lovely to share a drink, a chat and a few nibbles.

“With the focus on independents, shopping locally and investing in our high streets, it was interesting to hear from the panel on how important they are to Sheffield’s economy and how they are growing in our suburbs right now. A great event and looking forward to the next one already!”

The next unLTD social is on Thursday, June 16 at The Furnace and tickets will be available on Eventbrite ahead of the event.

If you would like to be part of the panel at one of our events, email brogan@hrmedia.org.uk or dan@unltdbusiness.com

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UNLTD SOCIAL

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CORPORATE OPEN DAY Wednesday 25th May 2022 15:00 - 18:00 Visit our amazing facilities, meet our dedicated team & sample our fabulous food!

Reconnect with your team with our fun team building exercises Opportunity to network with local Businesses Complimentary food, drinks & goodie bag included T:0114 266 0051 E:enquiries@taptonhall.com

www.taptonhall.com Shore Lane, Fulwood, Sheffield, S10 3BU

FOOD & DRINK

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THE RETURN OF THE

BUSINESS LUNCH Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us in the South Yorkshire business community could be found in cafes, bars, and restaurants throughout the city region where we could grab a bite to eat whilst meeting clients, colleagues and catching up on work.

Now that we are finding ourselves getting back to some sense of normality, there’s no surprise that there is excitement to return back to our favourite spots for a change of scenery from working at home or the office. unLTD’s Matt Holmes gives us the lowdown on some firm favourites from across South Yorkshire.

SILVERSMITHS, CITY CENTRE, SHEFFIELD.

Silversmiths has been a long-standing favourite for many in the region, with a quality offering in stylish, modern surroundings.

Here you can find the Silversmiths Business Club, which has been created with the aim of encouraging networking, business growth and community investment within the region.

They run regular business club events with guest speakers, live music, and specially created one-off taster menus. Business club members also receive 15 per cent discount on food and drinks so you can treat clients, staff or just yourself.

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Looking to host a business function or corporate event? Silversmiths boasts a private dining room that seats up to 14 people.

Facilities include a large screen that can be used for presentations, and they can tailor any event to meet your requirements including menu choices and drinks packages.

If you’re interested in signing up to Silversmiths Business Club, then head to their website: www.silversmithsrestaurant. co.uk/business-club/. Find them at 111 Arundel St, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield S1 2NT.

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FOOD & DRINK RAFFINA BY REECE ELLIOTT, ECCLESALL ROAD, SHEFFIELD.

Standing proud in one of the most iconic buildings on Sheffield’s foodie-mile, Ecclesall Road, is Raffina by Reece Elliott. As the name would suggest, former MasterChef star Reece Elliott has taken helm of the kitchen and it has already cemented itself in the fine dining scene of the Steel City. Raffina offers modern Italian-inspired dining in a refined, relaxed atmosphere, perfect for a business lunch.

Lunch and dinner are available Wednesday to Saturday, where you can find Reece’s elegant dishes including crab and king prawn linguine, salt baked celeriac and favourites such eggs benedict or pancakes. Brilliant for entertaining clients and an impressive venue for winning anybody over.

If you want something relaxed, they offer a more café-styled offering on Mondays and Tuesdays where you can sit with your laptop in s cosy corner and enjoy a variety of teas, coffees, and delicious sweet treats.

You can find Raffina by Reece Elliott at 837 Ecclesall Rd, Sheffield S11 8TH and you book your table at www. raffina.co.uk/reece-elliott

RAFFINA COMPETITION:

We are so excited to be collaborating with the fantastic Raffina by Reece Elliott for one of you to be in with a chance to win a meal for two. All you need to do is head to the unLTD Instagram profile: @unltdbusiness and find our Raffina by Reece Elliott competition post where you will find full details on how to enter.

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FOOD & DRINK

SHOWROOM, CULTURAL INDUSTRIES QUARTER, SHEFFIELD. Remember the Showroom Workstation Breakfast Club? Let us share the good news that after two years it is returning this month on Wednesday 11th May. For those that are only now coming across the event for the first time, the Breakfast Club is a mix of exciting speakers and engaging discussions. It offers a platform to network with peers over breakfast, which is of course delicious at it is provided by The Showroom Café Bar, in an informal and friendly atmosphere.

The revived event will see Darren Holmes from Kineo discussing the past, present and future challenges within the digital industry.

Interested in attending #SRWSBreakfastClub? You can order tickets at: www.showroomworkstation.org.uk/workstation/ showroomworkstationbreakfastclub and you can find them on Paternoster Row, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield S1 2BX.

RELISH BAR AND GRILL, TOWN CENTRE, DONCASTER Walk into Relish Bar and Grill and you are immediately presented with a space that despite painted in sleek black, is actually flooded with light.

If you are needing somewhere in Doncaster town centre for the perfect business lunch with classics like pizzas, burgers and sandwiches coupled with beers, wines, and spirits then Relish is your go to.

Find Relish Bar and Grill at 19 E Laith Gate, Doncaster DN1 1JG.

THE FURNACE, HEART OF THE CITY, SHEFFIELD. We love The Furnace at unLTD, so much so that we relaunched our unLTD Social events there last month. It was the perfect venue with a modern industrial interior, great selection of drinks and the canapes we had for our buzzing bunch of networkers was amazing.

For larger events the venue is ideally set up for partitioning as required, and if you are after something smaller, then the restaurant is perfect.

In the mood for something more al-fresco? It isn’t called The Furnace for nothing… grab a seat around their circular firepit so you can keep warm whilst you talk business and drink your drink.

You can find The Furnace at Unit 7&8, Block D Heart of the City II, Sheffield S1 4HS

SEASONS, WICKERSLEY, ROTHERHAM. Wickersley is fast becoming the food and drink capital of Rotherham, and the latest addition to the scene, Seasons, is guaranteed to make an impression.

The venue looks bold whatever angle you look at it, and towering over its patrons is the feature Seasons tree, adorned in the colours of whatever season you are in. At its core is the use the use of seasonal produce, their menu always reflecting what is in season at that particular time.

If what you are looking for is the “wow-factor”, look no further.

The venue is perfect for holding meetings whilst sampling the menu, as well as a cocktail from their impressive selection once the meeting is over?

Book your next meeting at Seasons via https://bit.ly/35hg7oJ. You can find Seasons 151 Bawtry Rd, Wickersley, Rotherham S66 2BW.

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THE PAVILION, TOWN CENTRE, BARNSLEY Wander up Westgate from the town hall and you will find The Pavilion, one of Barnsley’s premier places to meet and eat.

Within its stylish surroundings you can opt for an intimate setting within the main restaurant, or they have the option to hire space for a corporate event with 20 to 50 guests. Ideal if you are hosting a team event or hosting your own networking session.

Find out more about corporate event hire at The Pavilion here: https://pavilionbarnsley.com and find them at Gateway Plaza, Sackville St, Barnsley S70 2RD.

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DEGREE APPRENTICESHIPS

DEGREE APPRENTICESHIPS

LEVEL UP Sheffield Hallam University explains how higher and degree apprenticeships are helping businesses across the region

At Sheffield Hallam University, we have a strong tradition of supporting the local region and recognise the importance of tackling regional skills gaps to level up the nation’s workforce and increase productivity.

Through our higher and degree apprenticeship programme, recently rated good by Ofsted, we work with over 500 employers to address higher-skills gaps and deliver both social and economic impact.

What are higher and degree apprenticeships?

Higher and degree apprenticeships are an alternative way of gaining a degree while working in a related job. Apprentices divide their time between universitybased learning and on-the- job training with their employer.

Sheffield Hallam University

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is one of the country’s leading providers of higher and degree apprenticeships and home to the National Centre of Excellence for Degree Apprenticeships (NCEDA).

More than 2,000 degree apprentices are studying on the widest range of apprenticeship courses in the country.

How do they help grow the regional economy?

Apprenticeships are developed by employers, universities, and professional bodies to address regional and national skills needs.

At Sheffield Hallam, there are apprenticeships in sectors including healthcare, construction, IT and engineering – all of which are vital for our regional economic prosperity.

They can also transform the lives of apprentices. In

KEVIN KERRIGAN

CONOR MOSS

2021, 44 per cent of Sheffield Hallam’s apprentices were from geographical areas with the lowest number of young people participating in higher education, almost 10 per cent higher than the national average.

More than half were over the age of 21 when they started, with around 15 per cent over the age of 35 and wanting to upskill or start a new career.

A vote of confidence in our region Sheffield Hallam’s degree apprenticeship programme was recently inspected by Ofsted, receiving a good rating across the board.

Inspectors praised the way the University works with employers and leaders in the Sheffield City Region to ‘identify and address skills needs’ to deliver an ambitious

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DEGREE APPRENTICESHIPS What the apprentices say

Cherri Chan, Packaging Developer at Unilever and studying a degree apprenticeship in packaging: ‘I chose to do a degree apprenticeship because I wanted to gain industry experience and learn from experts. I have learnt a lot of skills, and I’ve been able to put those skills into practice and see realtime progress.

‘My personal aspirations are to build my knowledge and skills to become a packaging expert and contribute to having a positive impact on the environment.’

Hafsa Ali, Manager at Morrisons and degree apprenticeship graduate in management: ‘I’m a practical person, so the idea of sitting in lectures all day really put me off the traditional university route. For me, choosing to complete a degree apprenticeship was an easy option as I am able to study towards a degree without the university fees while gaining real-life, paid work experience.

‘I started out running a small department of five individuals, and now I oversee 40 colleagues and five team leaders. I have come incredibly far from the shy individual I was when I first started this journey.’

What the employers say

curriculum across a range of apprenticeships that address local and national priorities.

Professor Kevin Kerrigan, the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Business and Enterprise, said of the rating, ‘University leaders have taken a range of deliberate and meaningful steps that are having a positive impact on the quality of apprenticeship education, including partnerships with employers to create a purposeful and supportive learning environment for apprentices.’

Professor Conor Moss, Dean of Work-Based Learning, added, ‘The positive comments from the inspectors about our commitment to the region and providing apprenticeships that address local and national priorities in partnership with employers echoes our wider ambitions.’

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Julie Harris, L&D business partner in Operations and Early Careers, Premier Foods: ‘We want to nurture young talent for the future, specifically in STEM areas where it’s harder to find the skills we need. Apprentices bring a new perspective, robust challenges to ways of doing things and a diversity of thinking that we embrace. ' Richard Cowlishaw, Chief People Officer, Clipper Logistics: ‘By implementing this apprenticeship programme with Sheffield Hallam, we expect to improve the future of logistics — with a significantly more knowledgeable intake of candidates boasting real-world experience.’

HOW COULD HIGHER AND DEGREE APPRENTICESHIPS STRENGTHEN YOUR WORKFORCE? Come and find out at our event on Thursday, June 9. Sign up at shu.ac.uk/business/events/hda-event.

Get in touch: Call 0114 225 5000, email business@shu.ac.uk or visit shu.ac.uk/business

Higher and degree apprenticeships rated good by Ofsted, 2022.

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DOES YOUR BUSINESS EXPORT INTERNATIONALLY?

Call us today on

01709 386 200

We can assist with your export documentation. export@brchamber.co.uk | www.brchamber.co.uk

Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber offers a wide range of export services to help you trade and thrive in the international marketplace. If you need help exporting, Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber’s documentation service is available for all your international trade requirements.

Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber

Team

01709 386 200 export@brchamber.co.uk www.brchamber.co.uk

UKRAINE CRISIS

The war in Ukraine continues to cause a humanitarian crisis as millions of people flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. Fletchers Waste Management is looking to the future, but they need your help to #RebuildUkraine.

As the war in Ukraine continues to force millions of people out of their homes, Minster Oleksander Kubrakov has revealed the Russian invasion has damaged up to 30 per cent of the country’s infrastructure.

More than 300 bridges on national roads have been destroyed or damaged, and all components of their transport infrastructure have suffered in one form or another.

He said: “If we talk about roads, bridges and residential buildings, I believe that almost everything can be rebuilt in two years ... if everyone works quickly.”

This is where the brand-new campaign #RebuildUkraine comes in.

Rebuild Ukraine is a nonprofit project led by Fletchers Waste Management and is not looking for monetary

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donations. Instead, they aim to mobilise pledges of time and resources to create a link between volunteers, media and construction industry leaders.

Gavin Leverett, managing director at Fletchers Waste Management, said: “I was thinking of DIY SOS, but on a grand scale, so this is about people giving their time, energy, resource, car hire, and materials - not people donating food or clothes. It’s all about reconstruction.”

The Fletchers team has previously embarked on a 2,500-mile round trip to Warsaw in Poland with three tonnes of donations from residents and businesses across South Yorkshire.

Now, however, they have so many donations they are struggling to get them over to Ukraine, and instead want to pursue the next step in helping

the country.

Gavin added: “I wanted to find a way to harvest people’s goodwill while Ukraine is very much still on people’s minds.

It might be some time before we can rebuild Ukraine, but my concern is, if we don’t try to do something now, we won’t have the people ready for when we can go into the country to help.

“I had this idea of a flotilla of white van men going across Europe like we did in our vans to deliver our donations to Poland, and us crossing the border and being directed to various towns to rebuild bridges or rebuild houses or churches or schools. That’s what I had in my mind. Now I’ve got to figure out how to execute it.”

So far, with connections with a charity based not far from Rzeszów in Southeastern Poland, Fletchers Waste

Management has bought 100 camp beds, £1250 worth of wellies, £1250 worth of raincoats and £1500 worth of trauma bandages and resuscitation bags, to assist both the front-line efforts and the reconstruction efforts in smaller villages in Ukraine.

The campaign is asking for pledges of time, resources, and any other ways you or your business can help the country.

Gavin said: “It could have been us, and it might be. I haven’t got a voice, and I’ve got to do something, and I don’t know, it frustrates me that I can’t just go and shake someone and say let’s get it sorted out, so this is my voice, in this magazine, to ask for help.”

Find out more and pledge your time and resources now: www. rebuild-ukraine.co.uk/.

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DIGITAL

THE POWER OF

FULL FIBRE IS NOW IN SHEFFIELD City Fibre has expanded its unique internet offering across the city, helping people achieve their fastest speeds yet.

As the internet becomes ever more integral to our daily lives, it’s no longer about whether someone can browse YouTube easily, it’s now an economic necessity. But what happens when your internet cannot keep up with your work and leisure routines? You end up spending more time being frustrated with slow internet speeds.

This is where City Fibre want to help you. Whether you’re a business or resident in Sheffield, staying connected is crucial – and that’s why you need a broadband connection you can depend on.

We started our work in Sheffield in early 2021 and we’re delighted to say that, thanks to our full fibre rollout, homes in Castlebeck, Manor, Woodthorpe and Richmond are now some of the best-connected areas in the UK. We’re busy working on our next areas of Park Hill, Burngreave, Pitsmoor, Handsworth and Tinsley, where connected areas will soon be able to access the network through consumer internet providers such as Vodafone, IDNet and Pure Broadband.

You might be thinking, but what IS full fibre? Full fibre is the fastest and most reliable digital connectivity available. It’s the gold standard for handling our 21st century thirst for data, speeds. Full fibre keeps up

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with the growing demands from Netflix binging sessions to virtual work meetings, all the way through to helping hospitals collaborate and share huge amounts of life-saving information.

But the benefits of full fibre don’t just stop there. It can be a platform for everything from helping residents save time with online banking and helping social landlords spot structural problems. Full fibre isn’t impacted by stormy weather or flooding, like copper networks often are, and let’s face it, the UK isn’t known for its sunny and hot weather. Crucially, it provides a rock-solid platform people can rely upon. Our full fibre network is built to ensure services can be rerouted on the rare occasion there is a fault, and we constantly monitor our network to quickly identify and fix problems before most have

even noticed, meaning business never stops.

As a result of this improved reliability, according to research from economic consultancy Regeneris in 2018, full fibre connectivity will have a major economic impact in Sheffield over the next 15 years. It shows that up to £162m could be added to the value of local homes, while Smart City initiatives could add as much as £113m locally. Access to full fibre could also unlock £38m in business productivity and innovation, while a further £43m in growth could be driven from new business start-ups, with enhanced connectivity making it easier and less expensive to set up base and run efficiently.

Sheffield has long been recognised and renowned for its creative and digital industries and is one of the many reasons why we’re investing £115m of private investment into the area.

Agencies such as The Designer’s Republic, Warp and Sumo are Sheffield founded businesses, and have attracted talent throughout the country.

Other sectors that have boomed in the city are mobility, education and manufacturing technology, making Sheffield one of the prominent business cities in Yorkshire and one City Fibre is delighted to be building in.

Natalie Ward, area manager for City Fibre, said: “City Fibre is passionate about transforming the UK’s digital infrastructure and making it fit for the modern age and I’m delighted that Sheffield will benefit from this technology. Having a stable and reliable internet connection is an essential part of everyday life for residents and businesses.

“The upload and download speeds are also completely symmetrical, which is useful when working from home, uploading large files, and accessing cloud-based services. Having these kinds of connections will be very valuable and powerful for businesses’ growth and productivity and can even increase the value of residents’ houses.”

Residents interested in giving their home broadband a boost can find out more about the build and register their interest at cityfibre.com

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DIGITAL

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SIMODA

Helping Yorkshire Businesses Reduce I.T Costs Increase System Performance Mitigate Cyber Security Risks Enhance User Productivity Modernise Business Process

Why Simoda ?

Simoda stands for Simplify Modernise Accelerate and we would love to tell you some exotic story about how we came up with the name after meeting a Buddhist on our travels who taught us the ancient ways of SIMODA but the truth is that Simoda or Simplify Modernise Accelerate were business outcomes our leadership team have driven for years.

I.T Procurement

Cloud Solutions

I.T Infrastructure

End User Computing

I.T as a Service

Data Management

Communications

Cyber Security

Managed Services

SIMODA 32 Cotton Mill Walk Eagle Works Kelham Island Sheffield S3 8DH

0114 553 3600

www.simoda.co.uk

ACTION COACH

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

John Asquith, MD of Action Coach Sheffield, shares the story of his clients Open House Piuctures and how they have gone from strength to strength over the last year.

As a business growth strategist working with the best Sheffield has to offer, I’m always intrigued by the personalities running businesses. My clients surprise me every week with their insights and willingness to develop skills and techniques.

In this piece I’ll share the journey of one client in particular – Open House – explaining what they did to get to where they’ve got and giving some top tips for other businesses.

Tell us a little more about your business?

We’re a video production company that works to a different angle. Our focus is results based. Whilst it’s integral a video looks good and hits the right marks, what’s more important is the impact it has for our clients.

We produce a variety of video content from promotional, social media, event filming and more but our goal is always the same. We want our clients to utilise the power of video in the best way.

Gaining them leads, sales and exposure. We set up in 2018 and as we grew, we knew our clients wanted to see a real benefit from video, which is why we actively shape and develop their content to deliver on these key goals.

What growth have you seen in the last twelve months?

We’ve had a very successful start to 2022, our turnover has increased dramatically since the year began and we can’t wait to capitalise this into real business growth - earning the profit we made across 2021 in just our first quarter. In the last 12 months we’ve seen the business grow from strength

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difficult hurdles and really progress.It can be difficult, in the moment, to feel like you’re not moving" but every day spent on your business is still taking it forward. Consistency is key. Oh, and get a business coach! One of the best investments we ever made was getting a coach to guide us and the advice/expertise you receive is invaluable.

to strength, working with a really exciting and varied set clients from the Cabinet Office, Atkinsons Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University and more. We’re now recruiting for additional team members to meet the demand and expanding our offering through new equipment and education

running our company. But we soon realised that this let important areas of our business slip. Over the last year we really directed our attention to creating systems and processes to ensure all our projects run seamlessly and standardised. We couldn’t be happier with the results; our business practically runs itself.

What would you say has been the biggest thing you’ve done in the last year?

Our biggest achievement is the transformation of our business through newly implemented processes and operations. We’re now far more streamlined and efficient. We used to be more service-focused, putting our energy into completing projects as opposed to equally

If you were to offer advice to any entrepreneur reading this, what advice would you give them and why?

Myself and co-founder Joe always discuss the power of persistence. When we first started, we were so naive to the world of running your own business. But we’ve found that by giving it our time and energy every day again and again you get through those

What’s next for you and the business? What should we look forward to seeing?

Our objective for now is increasing our team to expand our capacity, by the end of the year we want to multiply the number of projects we can do at once. We love the work we do and switching between different projects is what keeps us creative and on our toes. With a larger team, we open up that opportunity as well as increasing our time spent on other areas of the business. Each year we’ve taken the business to a place we never thought was possible, with this year impacting Open House so positively we can’t wait to see how we grow and expand in the coming months.

Let’s Talk – get in touch to chat about the health of your business, book a free 30 minute strategy call and see some of the tools we can use to help you grow www.sheffield.actioncoach. co.uk/callme/

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BRM SOLICITORS

FINDING THE unLTD’s Chris Coates spoke to Adrian Sheehan, Rob Cooke, James Alger and Sarah Rowland from BRM Solicitors about finding the best staff, how to retain them and why local legal professionals should join the team.

With offices in Sheffield and Chesterfield, BRM Solicitors has been a mainstay of our region for almost 40 years.

The company is a specialist commercial law firm covering all areas of commercial and business law, including corporate, commercial property, dispute resolution and employment law, together with supporting private client services such as residential property, wills, trusts and estate planning.

But what sets BRM apart from other law firms in the city?

Rob Cooke, executive director and one of the owners at BRM said: “I would consider us to be something of a surprise package when it comes to law firms.

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“The owners of the business have a young outlook and are dynamic which removes some of the traditional stuffiness of a law firm, and that feeds into the working environment.

Historically, we have been reluctant to shout about the great work we do, but we are now starting to do that."

The shift in outlook is reflected in BRM’s culture when it comes to workload and flexibility. Rob said: “It is a historic view of a law firm that lawyers always work long hours and remain at their desks late into the evening regularly.

“That perception is less relevant to today’s flexible working patterns. It is correct to say that being a lawyer is hard work, but it does not necessarily have to mean

long hours. We provide our lawyers with the tools to work effectively in a normal working day.”

Fellow executive director and Head of Real Estate, Adrian Sheehan, added: “The morale of staff is incredibly important, and we have always been keen to foster a culture that delivers the highest service to clients without requiring a ‘last out of the office’ approach.

“We pride ourselves on the service levels we provide, whilst giving our staff the tools, freedom and flexibility to achieve work-life balance.

“Against the numerous negatives brought about by the pandemic, one positive is the acceleration of flexible working practices and a renewed outlook within the

legal industry.”

This flexible and considered approach to working is welcomed by BRM’s lawyers.

James Alger, Real Estate director said: “Flexibility is very important to me, as I have a young family.

“Office contact is still important for development, training, supervision and peerto-peer support, but as long as the work is done to a high standard and client satisfaction does not suffer, where it is done is not a concern.”

With a culture of flexible working and high achievement, BRM is an attractive place for legal professionals to work and has a strong staff retention rate.

The company is keen to fly the flag for regional firms, which

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BRM SOLICITORS

BEST PEOPLE

...AND KEEPING THEM

can sometimes be overlooked by people in favour of large national companies.

Adrian said: “At BRM we feel we have a good retention level, and we believe that this is because we have worked hard on making the culture right and making sure the staff are central to our planning.”

Rob said: “Moving to a regional firm can give great rewards, better work-life balance, clearer career progression and similar quality of work as a large national firm.

“The legal market is changing, and many firms are now too expensive for anyone other than multinational clients. At BRM we want to take advantage of this, our clients realise this, and the rest of the profession needs to see it.”

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LEFT: SARAH ROWLAND – HEAD OF CORPORATE RIGHT: TREVOR BIRD – CORPORATE DIRECTOR Despite the working culture being established at BRM, the industry-wide issue of recruiting remains a problem.

Rob said: “The biggest challenge is the initial reluctance for potential employees to leave their

current safe, steady, unfulfilling role and leap into something new.

“It is important to realise that by working at BRM they are getting the same financial rewards, the same if not better quality of work, but with the correct work-life balance.

“We know we do not get everything right and not all appointments work, but those that buy into what we are trying to do are flourishing.

“We want to make sure that the people are the main driving force of the business based around respect, passion and drive to take BRM to the next level.”

Sarah Rowland, executive director and head of corporate added: “A benefit of working for BRM is that you get direct

access to transactions and clients which may not be found in larger firms.

“It also allows you to deal with high value and high complexity transactions and there is a clearer path to substantive career progression, which may not be found in larger regional firms where caseload is often delivered from above.”

To legal professionals looking for a new challenge, James has this advice: “Look beyond the obvious and look at the people you are working with, the people you are working for and the quality of work.

To find out more about BRM Solicitors and the services they offer, visit www.brmlaw.co.uk.

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National Reach.

Regional Value.

Personal Service.

Client Focus.

Sheffield Office 0114 3497000

Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ

Chesterfield Office 01246 555111

Gray Court, 99 Saltergate, Chesterfield, S40 1LD

BRM Solicitors is a trading name of BRM Law Limited who are authorised & regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority no. 597752

SHOP LOCAL

SUPPORT YOUR

HIGH STREET Many High Street businesses were revitalised during the pandemic as people shopped locally, but that support needs to continue to ensure their survival. unLTD spoke to Sally Pepper from Business Sheffield and three local business owners who want to shout about their High Street.

It’s been an unbelievably challenging two years for high street businesses, and while this Spring has brought some feelings of relief, there are still many peaks and troughs to navigate.

But while our high street businesses continue to face unprecedented challenges, they’ve also gained a new significance for shoppers and their local community.

Sally Pepper, business information officer at Business Sheffield said: “Before COVID-19, the retail landscape was already shifting with the loss of many retail giants. The pandemic threw a curveball into the mix, accelerating our use of online shopping but with a spin towards local high streets and independents as we were forced to shop locally.

“I’ve always believed that independent retailers would play a large part in redefining the retail landscape and I think in part that is now coming true. Many more people are shopping locally and have discovered businesses they didn’t know about.

“This shift poses challenges for businesses when planning as all previous patterns of customer behaviour have

disappeared. As a result, their opening hours, operating models and even their team may be changing too.

“For this reason, it’s even more important right now for businesses to review the journey the customers make when interacting with them.

How do customers find you?

What do they see, read, hear, and feel at every contact point? It’s vital to clearly communicate any changes you make, keeping your customers up to date and well informed.

Include them as part of your team and bring them along with you.

“It can feel isolating running a business so it’s important to have support from your business neighbours, a business network or even the local community group. If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that we need connection. We need to feel part of our community, at work, at home or with friends.

A high street community is no different - customers want to buy from real people and feel connected to those businesses.

“A healthy high street leads to a healthy community.

I’d like to think, having discovered them, that people will continue to shop locally.”

To find out how Business Sheffield could support your business, email businesssheffield@sheffield.gov.uk or call 0114 224 5000

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SHOP LOCAL

CHAPLETOWN

HAPPY HARE

Happy Hare is a fabric shop in Chapeltown which sells handmade craft items and fabric for dressmaking and patchwork.

The shop is owned by Lisa Birkett, who took it over after a stressful job working long hours all over the country left her wondering if she could change career and follow her passion for crafts.

Lisa said: “It’s important to me to support other independent businesses, so our dressmaking patterns are from small indie companies. We also stock wool which is reared, sheared and spun in the UK. “The first thing I learnt was opening a fabric shop costs a lot more than you think it’s going to! It’s been a particularly tough couple of years, as it has for everyone.

We’re lucky in that a lot of

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people want to see and feel the fabric before they buy, which will hopefully mean that there is a future for bricks and mortar fabric businesses.

“High streets have just become so homogenous and little independent businesses are one thing which helps to make a street unique. You’ll usually find the owner working there, and there is generally a real focus on customer service because the success of that business is what pays the mortgage.

“Chapeltown has some great independent businesses, which are well worth a look.

We are also in the process of writing a treasure hunt, which will be a trail that families can follow, taking them all around the area and we hope this will attract more people to the high street here.”

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SHOP LOCAL

THE CAKE SHOP The Cake Shop supplies bespoke handmade cakes for any occasion. Set up in 2010, the business now has a base on Holme Lane in Hillsborough and owner Gill Smith also offers sugar craft teaching courses.

Gill said: “I love teaching students who walk in thinking they are not capable of producing what I present them with at the start of a class. I love it when they walk out at the end of a session clutching their creation with a big beam on their faces. I also get the same feeling when customers walk in to pick up a cake and tears of

HILLSBORO'

happiness start flowing.

“In Hillsborough, there is such a variety of shops with hundreds of small businesses along with cafes and bars galore. In local shops, the goods can be held, felt for quality, checked for size and we can give valuable advice to customers on how to get the

best out of their purchases.

We are specialists selling specialised goods and love to see our customers improving their knowledge after listening and taking in the advice we can offer.

“Our biggest challenge comes from internet companies, which people find

so easy to order from whilst sitting at home. We do take time out to check prices on the internet to ensure we are competitive but sometimes we don’t get the opportunity to prove this when people order goods online.”

BROOMHILL

GOOD TASTE Good Taste is Sheffield’s only fairtrade shop, selling a variety of fairly and ethically traded food, crafts, toys, cards and more.

Lucy Morley, co-founder of Good Taste said: “We love giving people the opportunity to buy things which make a real difference to the people that have created or grown them. We have lots of very loyal customers who we enjoy getting to know and whose support is invaluable.

“Broomhill is a great community to be part of. There are so many independent shops, salons and restaurants and the students give it a real buzz! Being a main thoroughfare means thousands of people travel through every day, but if you take the time to stop and explore it really is a great place to shop. Everything is located relatively close together, so you don’t have to walk very far to get everything you need.

“Rising prices are our biggest challenge at the moment. We know that people are struggling more financially and may be less likely to shop in independents like ours. Word of mouth is always a good advert and it’s great to see new customers coming into the shop off the back of recommendations from friends.”

To find out how Business Sheffield could support your business, email businesssheffield@sheffield.gov.uk or call 0114 224 5000

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LAUNCHPAD

MUDDY PUDDLE TEACHER Muddy Puddle Teacher Ltd’s Sarah Seaman reflects on how Launchpad’s support has helped them to upskill and develop their business. curriculum that includes all learner types and encourages every child to thrive in their own way.

Tell us about your company The Muddy Puddle Teacher Ltd is a publishing, consultancy and training company that specialises in outdoor learning for nurseries and schools in the UK and internationally.

When did you first decide to start up on your own and what inspired you?

I had been a teacher for around 11 years and had my eyes opened to the potential of outdoor learning at a Forest School training course.

I recognised the significant improvement between my teaching and the learning of the children around me, especially for those who had special educational needs and disabilities.

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At this point, I took myself out of teaching and decided to give it a shot. It started as a small toddler class in the woods in Mosborough and after three months I had gained 30,000 followers on Facebook. I then started to create my own outdoor learning approach, leading to the consultancy and training part of my business where I train whole schools and nurseries.

How has Launchpad helped you?

In 2021 I was awarded the MP HERo Award which made me recognise my need to start thinking like a businesswoman and begin upskilling myself.

Launchpad has helped me

to achieve this with a wealth of support, knowledge, and guidance. Christina has been so caring and understanding, and this has been great for my confidence and belief that I am going to achieve my dream!

What are your hopes and aims for the business?

In April 2022 I will have my first book out with Bloomsbury: Outdoor Education for Early Years Practitioners. I also appear weekly on BBC Radio Sheffield every Saturday at 12.15pm, giving tips and tricks to families.

I would love to see every single teacher in the UK trained up as a Muddy Puddle Teacher and deliver a

Launchpad advisor Christina Lima Trindade said: “Taking Sarah through our Launchpad start-up programme is exciting. Sarah is not only doing a business in education, it’s a game changer and can influence the way our children are taught, her business is very innovative and creates incredible results for both children and teachers. I’m so thrilled Sarah launched her business in Sheffield, a lot of our schools have green spaces, and we have 80 parks, 650 other green spaces, 80 ancient woodlands and 180 woods in total. It’s a bountiful resource that we have and the results speak for themselves.

“Stop dreaming and do it.

Contact us for information now on 03330 00 00 39 or email growthhub@ sheffieldcityregion.org. uk.”

Launchpad is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund meaning there is no cost to the entrepreneur, so we can get straight to work on turning those dreams into reality.

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CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

SOUTH YORKSHIRE CHAMBERS URGE GOVERNMENT TO ACT ON COST-OF-DOING BUSINESS CRISIS

Following the release of the latest results of the South Yorkshire Quarterly Economic Survey for Q1 2022, CEOs of Doncaster, Sheffield and Barnsley & Rotherham Chambers of Commerce.

In a joint statement, said: “It’s a testament to the strength of our businesses that despite the tough backdrop, many remain optimistic about their prospects for growth.

Investment plans are holding firm. Growth in sales from UK customers remains strong, if a little slower than the previous quarter. This mirrors the national picture with business sales, cash flow and investment all close to UK averages.

“The major story is the relentless rise in the cost of doing business. The majority of businesses responding to our landmark survey expect prices to rise in the next three months.

The ongoing rise in prices for

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raw materials and fuel explains some of this sentiment, but a hike in national insurance payments and the change to the energy bill cap were also on the horizon. We saw some positive moves to address rising costs in the Spring Statement like the cut in fuel duty, but it’s not too late to move further - introducing an energy cap for small businesses would broaden the range of companies receiving support.

“Our survey shows cost pressures encourage some businesses to innovate. But the bigger driver of innovation – which underpins the long-term health of our economy – are the changes businesses make to serve more customers and bigger markets. On this, government can make a big, positive step by awarding Doncaster as the home of the new Great British Railways HQ. South Yorkshire’s rail

Highlights from Q1 survey results show: • The share of firms reporting growth in domestic fell from 46 per cent to 38 per cent but the greater number 47 per cent saw no change. The share of firms reporting a decline in exports exceeded those reporting growth for the first time since Q1 2021.

• South Yorkshire businesses continue to report a tight labour market. Businesses indicate strong intentions to hire but most who try experience recruitment difficulties (93 per cent).

• Pressure on finances are strongly evident: 21 per cent of businesses report worsening cashflow this quarter, compared to 19 per cent over the last three quarters. 61 per cent of businesses expect prices to increase in the next three months, the highest proportion since the beginning of 2020.

To read the full report visit https://bit.ly/QESQ12022 and logistics cluster has huge growth potential for our region and the UK. GBR would open up many new opportunities for investment and industry collaboration.”

To help South Yorkshire Chambers understand the true realities facing businesses, please take the

time to complete the Quarterly Economic Survey. The results help South Yorkshire Chambers ensure business interests are represented by key decision makers - on a local, regional and national level. To complete the survey for Q2, visit your local Chambers website from the 16th May 2022.

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thursday 23rd June 2022 holiday inn, rotherham • Network with South Yorkshire businesses • Guest speakers • Free entry • Free car parking

Book a stand or register to attend at www.bluebellwood.org/businessexpo

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HERE ARE THREE TIPS WHICH MAY SUPPORT YOUR UTILITIES JOURNEY: Carry out a utilities review before you buy a piece of land or a building. The results may identify potential cost and inconvenience and in some cases can support the land price negotiation.

No two jobs are ever the same. Try not to shoehorn data from your last project into your new project as it can lead to nasty surprises. Site specific data will influence an accurate budget and help mitigate any costly delays.

Understand timescales! It is normal to allow four weeks to collate utility quotations and 6-8 weeks to have the work completed. There are many unavoidable factors which can slow these anticipated lead times and you need to know what they are.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT US ON 01709 763237 OR AT INFO@UTILITYSOURCELIMITED.CO.UK

FINANCES

ARE YOU HAVING ENOUGH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES?

Financial services company, Investec shares an insight into the most common money questions they receive When your time and effort is spent growing your business, you may need more support with your personal finances, including wealth planning and investment.

At our Sheffield office of Investec Wealth & Investment, we have specialists who help local business leaders with financial planning and investing. Below we’ve shared five common discussions we’re having with clients.

1

I want to grow my business Many local entrepreneurs are building fast-growing businesses and need access to specialists who can support them with funding and strategy.

Associate investment director Sam Olley said: “We connect clients with our corporate banking business to structure suitable lending facilities or other funding,” “Eventually, individuals

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will want to unlock the value of their business, so we work to understand their goals in advance” added associate financial planning director Lisa Denton.

2

I want to manage my outgoings and tax liabilities” When immersed in business development, it can be difficult for individuals to monitor their personal finances, so wealth planning can provide peace of mind.

This roadmap is also created with tax efficiency in mind – reliefs and allowances such as ISA and pension contributions can be used to reduce deductions where appropriate.

3

I want to sell my business or retire” Whether you want to save, invest, or explore another venture, it’s never too early to prepare for the future.

“Our modelling can help you decide on the minimum funding that is required to achieve your goal.” said Lisa.

How ownership is structured will also have an impact on the tax that is due at the point of sale.

4

I want to look after the next generation Many of our clients want to pass on the wealth they have built up personally or through a business.

“Where appropriate, business assets can be held outside personal names, using trusts, which may reduce tax liabilities while enabling you to retain control,” said Lisa.

“Spare capital could be invested to limit tax on growth and the withdrawal of funds. These investments could include trusts or offshore bonds,” adds investment director Jason Hallam.

5

I want to invest my money responsibly If you have spare capital, you may want to invest it in order to preserve or grow your wealth.

“We work with entrepreneurs and business leaders to create discretionary portfolios, which include multiple asset classes to balance risk.” says Sam. “We evaluate the environmental and social risks to our investments as standard.” said Jason. “This helps us assess how an investment might perform over time and highlights the practices of the companies we invest in”.

To find out more about how Investec Wealth & Investment can help in your financial journey, please contact Sam Olley (sam. olley@investecwin.co.uk) or Lisa Denton (lisa.denton@ investecwin.co.uk

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The “new normal”- how to recruit, retain and develop top finance talent The “new normal” for employers is one that is currently facing uncertainty and a number of challenges.

Many can struggle to recruit, retain and develop their staff in a highly competitive market. Finance departments across South Yorkshire have certainly not been exempt.

First Intuition and Pratap Partnership have partnered together to host a breakfast seminar and networking opportunity for finance and HR leaders to look at;

● L&D opportunities that employers can provide to continue to develop and retain the best talent post-qualification ● What can employers do to update and improve their recruitment strategies for the “new normal”?

OUR TWO SPEAKERS ARE; Gareth John – Gareth is one of the founders and owners of First Intuition and has been training AAT, ICAEW, ACCA and CIMA accountancy trainees for 25 years. More recently he has been heavily involved in the national roll-out of accountancy apprenticeship programmes and talks regularly to regulators such as ESFA and DfE. He is a Council member of the ICAEW and a Regional Council member of the CBI. He is involved in a variety of skills and people working groups and taskforces, and runs regular speaker events for employers looking at issues such as recruitment and retention of qualified accountants and engagement with schools and colleges. He is a driving force behind First Intuition’s current development of PostQualification Education programmes covering Digital Technologies, Data Analytics and Leadership & Management.

Nik Pratap – Partner of one of the leading financial recruitment businesses across Yorkshire and one of the most influential figures in the sector. Nik is an alumni of PwC Sheffield and the former National Director of an international recruitment business. He sits on the Remuneration and Appointments Committee of the Recruitment & Employment Committee (REC) and was recently highly commended by them as Recruitment Business Leader of the Year for 2021.

The event will be held at First Intuition’s offices in Sheffield City Centre.

For more details and to book your place scan this code We hope that you are able to join us…..

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CHARITY

EXPERT PARTNER JOINS TO HEAD UP LAW FIRM’S NATIONAL CHARITY TEAM Leading full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau has welcomed specialist partner Catherine Rustomji to head up its national charity team. unLTD spoke to Catherine to learn about her role in South Yorkshire…

Hi Catherine, great to meet you! Can you tell us a little bit about your role?

Since 2000, I have worked supporting charities, not for profit organisations, community groups, schools, colleges, churches, welfare and professional associations.

I work on everything from setting up a new charity or social enterprises through to board development, mergers and modernisation. I find all aspects of governance very interesting and I try to work in a very positive and empowering way – I don’t like anyone to feel like I’m telling them off!

How did you first start working with the charity/not for profit sector?

It was a happy accident!

Having left law school, I found a role that offered me a training contract specifically focused on qualifying as a charity solicitor. That meant my training was very different and I found myself really hooked. It’s a sector full of really interesting people and really important work and I have always found lots to be passionate about.

Have you seen a change in the types of organisations that you are working with?

Even larger charities are aware that people want to support local. People can identify with charities that provide services in their area and charities are very aware that they can’t rely on long term support but need to demonstrate their value to the community they are part of.

In terms of the work that I do, governance is important

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as charities seek to be more strategic in their approach. As they try to focus their efforts to be more effective in a climate where lots of the community rely on them, it’s really important that they have a good strategy that they feel confident in.

Who would you like to speak to in South Yorkshire and how can you help them?

I’d love to work with any new or established charities, charity trustees and social entrepreneurs who are interested in better understanding their roles and learning about liability issues.

I’d also be keen to speak with charities who would like to

have a chat about their own structures and if there may be a better way of working for them. There’s a lot to know, and always lots of different options to explore.

How are you finding your role with the Shakespeare Martineau team in Sheffield?

Shakespeare Martineau is a focused firm, which has a clear strategy for its people and itself, so I am delighted to be working at the core of a strong team to offer a complete service to our charities and not for profit clients. I have been part of charity trustee training events with BHP Accountants for a number of years in South Yorkshire so it’s great to be

working from a Sheffield base with a really positive and energetic team!

Catherine’s appointment is the latest in a string of new partner hires as part of the firm’s growth strategy, broadening its footprint both north and south.

As well as broad expertise in charity law, Shakespeare Martineau’s full-service team is able to support organisations with legacies, employment law, funding and corporate advice, intellectual property considerations, and real estate advice. The team also has particular and unique expertise advising charities on contentious probate issues.

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For the eco concious this luxury t-shirt is perfect. Crafted from 100% ringspun combed cotton you can be sure this t-shirt not only feels great but it is kind on the environment too by being made from purely organic cotton. It is even vegan approved and fair trade, What more do you want?

There are over 70 different colours to choose from and an inclusive range of unisex sizes. Why not add our water based prints for a superior long lasting finish? Contact us to order yours ready for the great british summertime!

Get 10% off by scanning the QR code below and using code UNLTD22 at checkout!

For the corporate sector…

PREMIUM OXFORD SHORT-SLEEVED SHIRT

BY KUSTOM KIT

This short sleeve shirt fulfils all expectations of a premium Oxford. It’s high quality cotton rich fabric is highly durable, easy iron and suitable for all corporate environments. Featurinig a fused, stand-up button-down collar, Double-stitched side and sleeve seams and even spare buttons!

Available in black, white and light blue. Mens & ladies fits and long sleeved options also. Why not also add a sweater to throw over the top?

Using our state of the art printing and embroidery machines we can add your company branding to make your brand stand out from the crowds.

Get 10% off by scanning the QR code below and using code UNLTD22 at checkout!

STILL UNSURE? ASK US TO SEE A FREE SAMPLE! EMAIL SALES@DPPUK.CO.UK OR CALL 0114 398 9454.

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MORE THAN JUST ACCOUNTANTS

HARNESSING THE POWER OF DIGITAL ACCOUNTING

LET US BECOME THE FINANCE ARM OF YOUR BUSINESS What are the added values we specialise in?

Management accounts - fully customisable detailed reports providing insight into performance, tracking against budgets, previous periods and KPI’s.

Outsource FD - if you're a growing business who doesn’t want a full time FD on your payroll we can offer a scaleable solution.

Budgets and Forecasts - by looking forward we can make changes now that help hit your desired targets.

IS JUST THE START

Here are some of our favourite apps that our clients are loving

We also ensure you remain compliant by completing: Year end accounts and tax returns Personal tax returns VAT return reviews Payroll

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BUSINESS

THE HOME OF BUSINESS IN BARNSLEY We provide small businesses with a supportive environment that nurtures business growth with our wide range of meeting and office space in Barnsley.

Are you eligible for ScaleUp 360 support?

If you can answer yes to the below, we want to hear from you!

You are either a pre-start entrepreneur/business or a small or medium-sized enterprise (SMEs)

VIRTUAL DREAM BECOMES A REALITY Heather Wilde had considered starting her own business for a while but, with the safety net of working as an administration employee in various sectors for 23 years, it took the COVID-19 pandemic to prompt her to make the final step towards her dream.

Realising that more people were working virtually, Heather saw an opportunity and launched her virtual assistant business in January 2022.

“I provide administrative and office services for small businesses, especially servicebased ones like photographers and branding specialists who work one-to-one with their clients. Business owners can contact me on an ad-hoc basis

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for a specific project or take out a monthly retainer.”

Heather’s services range from email inbox management through to client onboarding, CRM set-up, and chasing invoices. This is a great solution for small businesses that need a little extra help but don’t want to recruit an employee or pay agency fees.

When looking at the location for her business, Heather knew she wanted to work from home but with the option of being in a different environment occasionally. Having worked in The Business Village for six years as an employee, exploring a virtual tenancy was an obvious choice.

“Being a virtual tenant is a really affordable option without the commitment of

office space. I still get access to networking events and use of the postal service via reception, plus I can work from the pods in the bistro when I want to get out of the house.”

At Heather’s first meeting with The Business Village team, they discussed the support available to her via ScaleUp 360. Amongst other things, the programme offers her tailored business advice and has already led to a new client from one of the advisors.

Aiming to eventually move into her own office space and grow a team, Heather has ambitious plans for her business.

You can contact Heather directly via email: heather@ heatherwildva.co.uk

You are looking to ScaleUp from where you are today. This could be: • Starting a business, or scaling up an existing venture • Launching a new product or service • Improving systems and processes • Designing new or improved packaging • Taking on your first employee, or increasing existing staff numbers • You are located in the Sheffield City Region which covers Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales, Doncaster, North East Derbyshire, Rotherham and Sheffield.

• For futher details visit scaleup360.co.uk or email scaleup360.shu. ac.uk To find out more about The Business Village: www.barnsleybic.co.uk or contact business development manager Kevin Steel on 01226 249590 / 07970 930560 or via www.barnsleybic. co.uk/staff/kevin-steel

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CHARITY

SHEFFIELD CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL HOW YOUR BUSINESS COULD MAKE A BIG IMPACT ON LOCAL CHARITIES

Tchad Western, chief fun officer at The Children’s Hospital Charity gives his thoughts on Corporate Social Responsibility.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed fundraising?

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a profound and fundamental shift in how we raise money at The Children’s Hospital Charity. Like the rest of the world, we’ve embraced the world of virtual calls and the pandemic has seen an overwhelming desire from people to do good.

As the world opens again, it’s also been wonderful to have more face-to-face meetings.

Virtual meetings have many advantages, from reducing costs, carbon footprint, and travel - but you can’t replicate the connection you build in person.

For the Charity, what was predicted to have been a disastrous time for our corporate fundraising has thankfully been healthier than expected.

That’s a result of the business relationships we have regionally

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and nationally, alongside the special place Sheffield Children’s, holds in the hearts of so many.

new wing with three world-class wards, a 3T MRI scanner and most recently a new Cancer and Leukaemia ward.

Why should businesses adopt a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy?

We’re seeing more and more that employees are placing a higher value on the ethos of organisations and their social responsibility efforts. With vacancies predicted to surge in the coming months, for recruitment it’s an area that no business can afford to overlook.

It's good for your business, it’s good for your employees and for your customers.

There are benefits for the charity you support too. Over my ten years at The Children’s Hospital Charity, our business partnerships have helped us invest in an extraordinary

Why do businesses fundraise for The Children’s Hospital Charity?

It’s often a personal connection to Sheffield Children’s that inspires support.

Many have also been inspired by seeing one of The Charity Team give a talk or engaging with an event.

For the Charity Team, it’s all about partnerships, not shortlived relationships that end with a cheque presentation.

We want you to be involved in our journey and we want to play our part in yours too. Not only do long-term relationships grow our

fundraising, but it also grows our friendships and I love that.

How can businesses help The Children’s Hospital Charity this year?

Book a snowflake at Christmas, play football, take part in an event. Your support is vital. If businesses come forward, we will start building a Helipad this Christmas and it should be complete in 2023. That is life-transforming for the Major Trauma patients, who need critical care.

If you or your business could help make that dream a reality, please visit: www.tchc.org.uk/corporategiving/ Look out for Tchad Western on the next unLTD podcast, talking all things CSR and how your business can make a big impact.

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CHARITY SPONSORED BY

DO YOU NEED HELP MAKING YOUR GRANT APPLICATIONS SUCCESSFUL? As a charity or social enterprise who relies on a variety of different funding streams, are you managing this along with also being the CEO? Managing director?

Operations director? Office manager? Fundraising and business development is a part-time, or full-time, role for your organisation, depending on what size you are.

Funders are looking for professionally prepared grant funding applications, with impact, outcomes and a statement of need explained with clarity within a word count usually too. Without the necessary skills required, it is unlikely that applications will be successful - how frustrating is that? Fitting in another job on your to do list with very little chance of securing an award at the end of it.

I work on a retained basis

for a handful of my clients, supporting them with their funding strategy annually, reviewing their business plans, checking their due diligence is up to date as well as researching funding opportunities, writing bid content and advising on community and corporate fundraising activities.

Outsourcing funding/ business development is becoming more and more the norm as business owners recognise that using the time and skills of dedicated professionals is always a better return on investment and far less stressful.

Consider your funding activities and call me for a chat if you feel I can help.

Wendy Ward, 0772 9481010, wendy letssave.biz.

YORKSHIRE BASED FRIENDLY SOCIETY IS OFFERING DONATIONS FROM THEIR COMMUNITY FUND Sheffield Mutual's Community Fund launched back in 2014 and since then has helped over 70 local causes and donated around £26,000.

The Community Fund takes requests from members and the general public for donations to local charities and community groups.

Over the last eight years, Sheffield Mutual has helped a diverse range of Yorkshire based charities and community groups, including Sheffield Group Riding for the Disabled, Children's Heart Surgery Fund and Hallam FM Cash for Kids.

Chief executive, Jamie Bellamy, is keen to keep the momentum going and fully

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supports Sheffield Mutual's commitment to helping charities and good causes.

He said "It's wonderful to see the impact our funding has locally and to hear how many people these donations benefit - that's why we've continued to run the Community Fund and intend to do so for many years to come.

SHEFFIELD MUTUAL’S COMMUNITY FUND DONATION TO GATEWAY CHURCH.

Interested local charities and community groups, which meet the criteria, can apply for a Community Fund donation via the society's website: www.sheffieldmutual. com/about-us/charity-andsponsorship/ Donations are available for amounts of up to £1,000.

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CHARITY SPONSORED BY

SYNETIQ ANNOUNCE ANNUAL CHARITY PARTNERSHIP SYNETIQ, an IAA, Inc. company (NYSE:IAA), the UK’s leading integrated vehicle salvage, dismantling and recycling company, are delighted to announce Sue Ryder as their chosen charity of the year.

The national healthcare charity, Sue Ryder provides compassionate and expert palliative, neurological and bereavement services to people during the most difficult times of their lives.

The charity was selected following a company-wide vote.

Lou Addison, corporate partnerships manager at Sue Ryder, said: “We are thrilled to be chosen as SYNETIQ's

SUE RYDER NURSES

charity of the year. By working together, we will ensure that Sue Ryder can continue to support people through the most difficult times of their lives.

“Our expert compassionate care relies on the generosity of

supporters and businesses like SYENTIQ raising vital funds for us. It means we can be there for more people when it matters, filling their last days with love”.

SYNETIQ kicked off its fundraising activities with an

Easter raffle for its colleagues raising £365. Plans are underway for the remainder of the year and following their huge fundraising success in 2021 a group of colleagues will brave the Tough Mudder challenge again.

The announcement of the new charity of the year follows on from a successful relationship with Macmillan Cancer Support, for whom the business raised over £7,000 in 2021.

Corporate social responsibility remains a priority for SYNETIQ, and the business is proud to offer several ways for the business and its colleagues to give back to good causes.

BARNSLEY-BASED ANDEL RAISES 22,000 IN AID FOR UKRAINE AND EMPLOYEES DRIVE TO POLAND TO DELIVER SUPPLIES Barnsley-based Andel raises £22,000 in aid for Ukraine and employees drive to Poland to deliver supplies Eight employees from Andel have driven supplies purchased from donations from the UK to Ukraine.

Working with the Polish Red Cross, they delivered aid to a specific hotspot east of

Krakow.

Andel reached out to contacts and raised £15,000 and in addition to this, they received several private donations from the House of Lords and clients in Australia, Italy, France, China, the USA, and the Netherlands.

Volunteer drivers, including four directors from Andel, set off on Wednesday April 6 to

deliver the supplies to Poland.

Andel’s Dutch distributors ESEP raised a further £7,000 from their local rotary club with which they bought three pallets of aid and filled their own truck with medical provisions.

ESEP met Andel en route, and in total they delivered five truckloads of aid directly to a local Polish Red Cross reception centre.

Mark Harris, commercial

director, said, “Once we understood from our Ukrainian and Polish colleagues how bad it is for the refugees, we had to do something.

“Following the appeal from the Polish Red Cross for more targeted direct deliveries, we decided to mount our support as a mini-aid convoy.

“The response from everyone has been fantastic.

We put this together in a fortnight and are incredibly thankful for all the support.”

THE EMPLOYEES FROM ANDEL

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