CloseUp for Business KandC Edition july17

ISSUE 14 JULY 2017

CLOSE UP FOR BUSINESS

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF MID YORKSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE-KIRKLEES AND CALDERDALE EDITION

IN ASSOCIATION WITH TOPICUK

FOR BUSINESS

European FOR partner EUREKA! JAPANESE BUSINESS VENTURE June 2017 Kirklees & Calderdale Edition

BUSINESS OF THE MONTH WINNERS FOR MARCH & APRIL IT BEGAN WITH A CHILDREN’S HOSPICE FOR MANDY TAYLOR

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WELCOME Welcome to the July edition of Close Up for Business, from all here at the Chamber and our associates on the magazine, TopicUK.

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he recent General Election has thrown up a further surprise at a time when businesses are looking for stability. It is vital now that our politicians work together to deliver a business friendly Brexit. We call on the Government to ensure that negotiations take place in an atmosphere of mutual respect, and engage continuously with UK business interests on the many crucial and complex aspects of our future economic relationship with the European Union. If the Government moves forward in real partnership with business, drawing on its expertise, it will be in a strong position to protect and strengthen the UK’s economy during this vital period and beyond.

This edition also comes hot on the heels of Wakefield Business Week and Wakefield Business Conference (WBC). This year we once again teamed up with Wakefield First

to bring you a bigger and better business week as it enters its 4th year. The week of events were designed to drive economic growth in the district, and get more businesses in the Wakefield community connected. Our conference, which took place on Tuesday 13th June at Production Park, attracted over 350 business people and 42 exhibitors. We would like to thank everyone who attended and supported the event including our headline sponsors CityFibre and key partners; Wakefield First, Production Park, Carmel Harrison PR, The Design Mechanics, TopicUK, Social Progress and John Steel Photography.

As we continue to grow the Chamber we are delighted to welcome to the team Aleksandra Piech as Apprentice Administrator. This is the third appointment which will support our three year growth plan. Aleksandra will primarily

provide administration support across all departments within the Chamber.

Another key part of our growth plan is to grow our impact at a local level and we have recently introduced local Chamber Councils within Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield to help us identify and react to local issues. We still have a couple of places available, so if you are a Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce member and interested in making a difference to your local business community please contact me.

We hope you enjoy reading this edition of Close Up.

Martin Hathaway Managing Director Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce

Kirklees & Calderdale

p06 - Eureka announces European Premier p10 - Innovation product wall

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26

p20 - Joint Japanese Venture p21 - Realising the benefits of ultra fast activity p32 - Editor becomes a dragon p47 - Cafe Thai Tapas p50 - Summer sun protection

28 It all began with a Children’s Hospice

BLOC is a winner

Women on a mission

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40 Passion for Beer

Terrifying Tower

Contents & Comments

Cover: Mandy Taylor Thanks to John Early Details of this month‘s TopicUK, your Local Business Community Magazine photography

Editor Alex Mason

Food & Restaurant Review Anthony Hegney

Creative Director Rob Blackwell

Recruitment Nadio Granata, Stafflex

HR Howarths

Marketing KC Communications

Legal Matters Sarah Crowther, Chadwick Lawrence

Commercial Property Mark Hanson - Chartered Surveyors

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Kirklees & Calderdale

TopicUK

Editor’s Notes

Pick Up Your Copy

by Alex Mason

The John Smith's Stadium Stafflex Recruitment Costa Coffee

Hello everyone, and first of all let me thank you for picking up a copy of TopicUK Kirklees & Calderdale.

Sainsbury’s Market Street,

It’s the continued support of businesses and individuals like you that sees the magazine continue to grow in popularity and spread the word about the great things that companies across our area are doing even further.

I’m delighted to be on board as the new Editor of your Kirklees & Calderdale edition, having been involved with the magazine for some time and having met and interviewed many inspiring business leaders over the course of that journey so far.

Having recently set up as a freelance copywriter, PR and communications consultant, it’s been great to see things from ‘the other side’; now I’m the one receiving press releases and pitches on a near daily basis as well as the one sending them out on behalf of my clients!

The stories we have in this issue cover everything from award wins (I can’t believe how many awards Kirklees & Calderdale businesses keep winning!) to startups and expansions and it’s safe to say there’s no sign of business across our area slowing down.

Our How It’s Made and CSR Showcase features are back, and you can find those on pages 40 and 26 respectively.

I have also introduced a new ‘Young Entrepreneur’ feature that will run in each issue to showcase some of the area’s under 30 business owners who are working extremely hard to set up and run

Huddersfield and Brighouse store

Heritage Business Centre Ramsdens Solicitors Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors Holiday Inn Brighouse Cedar Court Hotel Huddersfield Elsie Whiteley Business Centre National Coal Mining Museum their companies and contribute to the local economy. Have a read of my first interview with Meg Beever of BLOC café in Holmfirth on page 12.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Finally, it would be impossible for me to sign off without mentioning the amazing victory that saw Huddersfield Town Football Club promoted to the Premier League last month. Having lived in Huddersfield since the age of three, it feels utterly amazing (as I’m sure most of you will agree) to say that the town will now be home to a Premier League football club and all the opportunity for our businesses that will no doubt be a part of that. All that’s left to say is…UTT!

plus many more outlets - see website for details

Enjoy this issue, and if you have any feedback, stories or ideas for your magazine, please do let me know.

Alex Mason

Leeds Bradford Airport Big Shots Cafe - Brighouse

For Partnership opportunities

Tel: 07711 539047

The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those held by the publishers and therefore, no responsibility can be held by the publisher for misinterpretation. Reproduction of this magazine without the express permission of the publisher is prohibited. Whilst every care is taken in the production of this magazine, the publisher/editor and staff cannot accept any responsibility for errors in articles, advertisements or programme schedules. To subscribe to this magazine contact07711 539047 or email editor@topicuk.co.uk. Published

by Ghost Publishing Limited, Paragon Point, Paragon Business Village, Red Hall Crescent, Wakefield WF1 2DF. Law pages are written by Chadwick Lawrence LLP and TopicUK is not responsible for any advice given.

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K&C UPDATE

TopicUK Kirklees & Calderdale brings you a full round-up of business news and events and what’s been happening in our region over the last couple of months.

Eureka! Announces European premiere Eureka! the National Children’s Museum in Halifax has announced that it will host the European premiere of digiPlayspace, a touring digital exhibition coming all the way from the toronto international film festival (TIFF ).

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upported by Arts Council England, digiPlaySpace at Eureka! is a collection of interactive digital art showcasing the work of artists from around the world.

Featuring state-of-the-art exhibitions, digiPlaySpace encourages children to get hands-on with some of the most creative uses of technology through a variety of games, installations and activities. digiPlaySpace opens on Saturday 8 July to celebrate Eureka!’s 25th anniversary and runs until the end of the year.

TIFF introduced the first digiPlaySpace in 2012, and each year present a new family-friendly

Senior appointment for Elland based engineering firm 6

2017 July / August

interactive exhibition in which children engage with the latest creative media technologies and share innovative artistic experiences. digiPlaySpace at Eureka! will showcase fourteen pieces from acclaimed international artists, exhibited together in Europe for the first time. With lots for kids to touch, control and play, digiPlaySpace will offer some of the best the world has to offer in new media fun and learning.

Visitors to digiPlaySpace at Eureka! will get to use digital stop motion animation to make a dance video, create music combining electronics with unusual objects, build and

control their own robots and more.

Leigh-Anne Stradeski, Eureka! Chief Executive said: “We’re incredibly excited to be bringing this innovative collection of interactive works

Kirklees & Calderdale See TopicTV PresenterKate Hardcastle's regular consumer blog

CUSTOMERWHISPERER

the

http://thecustomerwhisperer.co.uk/katehardcastle/

media artists. It also kick-starts some truly ambitious plans here at Eureka! as we celebrate our 25th birthday!”

Elizabeth Muskala, Director of Youth Learning and TIFF Kids International Film Festival said: “TIFF is committed to engaging young audiences in the art of storytelling, critical thinking, and media literacy. We’re thrilled to collaborate with Eureka! The National Children’s Museum to bring our innovative programming to West Yorkshire families this summer”

Children today are more digitally savvy than ever before...

to the UK for the very first time, and especially proud that Yorkshire will be home to this European premiere.

“Children today are more digitally savvy

than ever before, and this exhibition will give thousands of children the opportunity to explore innovative interactive works from internationally recognised children’s

Elland-headquartered power engineering firm Smith Brothers has appointed Danielle Tile as head of business development.

She joins from national electrical design consultancy British Power International.

the high voltage experts’ ongoing expansion.

Commenting on her reasons for joining, Danielle said: “There can be no disputing Smith Brothers’ reputation in this complex industry, which sees the team providing multi-disciplined support for some of the most exciting and prestigious power projects in the country.

Danielle will strengthen the team’s presence in the South of England, whilst investigating new market opportunities throughout the UK. The hire is the latest announcement to mark

“It is an exciting time to be part of the journey. Turnover, employee and customer numbers are at an all-time-high, with no

sign of slowing. I think my sales, design and account management experience will help solidify this continued growth.”

Danielle’s appointment follows hot on the heels of Smith Brothers announcing the hire of finance director Richard King last month.

The firm is also on the lookout for additional key staff, including experienced project managers, cable jointers and high voltage electrical engineers.

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Innovator successful in Cummins Environmental Gateway Halifax-based innovator Envirowater, is one of the winners of the prestigious Cummins Environmental Gateway corporate acceleration programme.

Launched in September 2016, the Cummins Environmental Gateway attracted more than 100 submissions in just 40 days. The ideas came from innovators, small businesses (SMEs) as well as corporates around Britain and the world.

Envirowater is the business behind the Free Flow Valve. They offer water free solutions for businesses wishing to drastically reduce water consumption and save money by converting standard urinals to water free. It’s completely chemical free, easy-to-clean, simple to fit with no on-going maintenance. There’s no smell, bacteria or blockages.

Managing Director Tony Pegg said: “We’re thrilled to have been recognised among a number of other successful innovators for our product, the Free Flow Valve, which is like no other in the market. We can convert bathrooms to become water free quickly and easily. Even if you are already saving water, our solution allows you to switch to 100% water free. It is chemical free and reduces bad odours and blockages.”

Denis Ford, International Sourcing Leader EMEA, NE/SE Asia & S. Pacific at Cummins said: “I would like to congratulate Envirowater for making the Innovators List 2017. We have been very impressed with the quality of Envirowater’s innovation, and even more with the potential for environmental impact and savings. Together we can do more for innovation and environment”.

Marcela Navarro, CEO Business at Cubed said“With so many high impact solutions failing to reach the market due to perceptions of high risk and costs, genuine industry-level sustainable innovations are not able to scale up. The quality and the range of ideas selected as successful innovations, like Envirowater has been phenomenal.

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nvirowater submitted their ingenious idea after Cummins, the largest independent maker of diesel engines and related products in the world, called on

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innovators of all sizes to come forward with market-ready, sustainable innovations to help them achieve their Environmental targets in the UK.

With the successful innovators selected, we can now say that the Environmental Gateway is real. The next step is about demonstration, with massive environmental and savings potential for Cummins and exciting scale up opportunities for innovators.” P

Kirklees & Calderdale

Yorkshire wedding firm bags duo of awards A Cleckheaton-based wedding lighting business has been crowned winner of two categories at the 2017 ‘I Do’ Wedding Awards.

Wedding Venue Lighting won Best Venue Styling award for the Yorkshire regions and the Best in Exhibition awards for Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

The third annual ‘I Do’ Wedding Awards, presented by radio DJ ‘JoJo’ of Capital FM, took place at Sheffield City Hall Ballroom in May. The red-carpet ceremony usually receives more than 300 wedding supplier entries and welcomes the region’s finest wedding suppliers, as voted for by newlyweds from across Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

Wedding Venue Lighting offers a range of products such as starlight dance floors, illuminated letters, festoon lights, hanging lanterns and flower walls, complete with multicoloured lighting to suit any occasion or colour scheme. The business has previously been awarded the Outstanding Customer service award at The North of England Wedding awards, in addition to the regional award for ‘Finishing Touches’ from The Wedding Industry Awards.

Organised by ‘I Do’ Magazine, the Awards are decided entirely by the votes of the brides and grooms, who have personally used the shortlisted suppliers.

Commenting on the win, Wedding Venue Lighting founder and managing director, Matt Butcher said: “We’re incredibly proud to have been successful in two categories at the awards. Having been nominated by our happy customers, we’re overwhelmed with the amount of positive support we have received throughout the nomination process.” P

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Vision Product Wall is latest innovation revealed Creative graphic display specialist Leach, has unveiled the Vision Product Wall – a merchandise display system which integrates illuminated fabric graphics to maximise use of floor space. The result is an atmospheric ‘exhibition’ of hero products which increases brand awareness and captures customer attention.

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reated with flexibility in mind, the Product Walls are designed so that store staff and merchandisers can update the look and feel of their displays without fuss.

Extra floating shelves or hooks can be added or removed, with all fixings neatly concealed behind the interchangeable fabric graphic.

Manufactured in sizes up to 15m x 3m, Product Wall Lite has been created using a discreet magnetic-based display system, to allow maximum flexibility for lightweight

KACCL set bold £24k target Kirklees & Calderdale Annual Christmas Lunch has set a fundraising target of £24k and named Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice and Orange Box Young People’s Centre as its 2017 partner charities.

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merchandise such as shoes, jewellery and electronics.

The heavy-duty Product Wall Max on the other hand, combines slotted rails with high quality, illuminated graphics, to create an exclusive merchandise display wall, perfect for larger items such as sports equipment.

Designed primarily for retail environments, the

system is also expected to prove popular in the exhibition and trade show market.

Managing director Richard Leach explains: “We wanted to create an impactful way to display merchandise and engage consumers.

The Vision Product Wall will therefore satisfy a number of challenges for retail brands who want to attract customers into their store or showroom, and keep them there!

Kirklees & Calderdale

Robertson Baxter sponsor local golfer

A Yorkshire firm of independent financial advisors has announced its sponsorship of one of England’s most promising young golfers, Jamie Bower.

Twenty-three-year-old Jamie plays out of Meltham Golf Club in Huddersfield where he was born and has played all his life. He has

represented Yorkshire since he was 14 and England since he was 18.

In 2016 he won the English

Business people from across Kirklees and Calderdale will come together for a second year to raise money, t0 help young people at Cedar Court Hotel, Ainley Top on Thursday 7th December.

The inaugural event last year raised an impressive £18k.

Last year, the Forget me Not Hospice was sole beneficiary, but this year the committee has included Orange Box, a centre for young people in Halifax, which has a range of

Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship (The Brabazon Trophy) and represented England on numerous occasions including the Eisenhower Trophy in Mexico.

is an incredibly talented young

Jamie recently turned professional, signing to leading golf talent agency FireStart Sports Management – who also manage Tyrrell Hatton and Jamie Donaldson - in a bid to gain full Challenge Tour playing rights for the 2018 season so he can gain a coveted spot on the European Tour.

individual.

man and we’re delighted to be supporting him. Not only is he a great golfer but he’s a very focussed, driven and genuine

“He’s just turned professional so we felt the time was right to support him and help where we can to take his career to the next level.”

“I’m incredibly grateful for the support I’ve received from

Robertson Baxter will be Jamie’s right arm logo sponsor. For the firm, the partnership is about supporting one of the region's brightest sporting talents, as Joint Managing Director, Greg Robertson, explains: “Jamie

facilities including a roof top skate park and recording studio, alongside counselling and support services, to share the proceeds.

Tickets are priced at £50 per person for tables of 10 to 12 people.

The KACCL organising committee represents figures from local businesses including JR Group UK Ltd, Chadwick Lawrence, Stafflex, TopicUK, Faith PR and Crowther Accountants who are also headline sponsor for the second year running.

Robertson Baxter,” added Jamie.

“Their support will make a big difference to me as I’m doing a lot of travelling this year in the hope of eventually getting on the European Tour.”

Nadio Granata, chair of the Committee said: “Following the success of our first business lunch last year, we’ve decided to host the event again but extend the reach of money raised to benefit two important charities for

young people and their families in our area.”P

FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO GET INVOLVED IN THIS YEAR’S EVENT OR TO PURCHASE TICKETS PLEASE CONTACT KACCL@CROWTHER.ACCOUNTANTS OR VISIT HTTP://KACCL.UK

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Q&A:

Kirklees & Calderdale

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR

Returning customers confirms BLOC is a winner

TOPICUK: HI MEG. FIRST OF ALL (AND I KNOW IT’S RUDE TO ASK A LADY!), CAN YOU TELL ME HOW OLD YOU ARE? Meg: Haha! I’ve just turned 21. It was my birthday last week actually and I’ve just returned from a holiday in Bali with my boyfriend.

TOPICUK: TELL ME A BIT ABOUT WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SET UP YOUR OWN BUSINESS. Meg: Well, I was never a massive fan of college after leaving school, so I left and started working at shoe retailer Office in Huddersfield. I’d always been pretty ambitious and was promoted to assistant manager by the time I was 18. Then we got a new manager who took some responsibility back and I started getting itchy feet. By that point, I’d noticed the building where we are

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now being built and thought it would make an amazing coffee shop. So, with some help and guidance from my family, I thought “I can make this work” and started putting together my business plan!

TOPICUK: SO YOU WERE DETERMINED TO BRING YOUR VISION TO LIFE. WHO PROVIDED YOU WITH HELP AND SUPPORT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN?

Meg: I really was. Once I get something in my head I’m like a dog with a bone and very determined! My family helped me out with some of the finance, but I still had to go to the bank with my business plan and get them on board. I remember my stepdad was meant to come with me but he ended up getting called to a meeting so I had to go it alone. I was a nervous wreck but they were actually lovely and I won them round! My mum has

Kirklees & Calderdale In this regular new feature, TopicUK Kirklees & Calderdale editor Alex Mason catches up with some of our region’s most

entrepreneurial young people to find out how they built their business.

This edition, we speak to Meg

TOPICUK: YOUR BRANDING IS VERY SOCIAL MEDIA FRIENDLY AND RIPE FOR PHOTOS. HAS SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYED A PART IN GROWING BLOC SINCE YOU OPENED? Meg: One hundred percent. We’re on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and it’s great to see people taking snaps of their food and drink, posting them on social media and tagging us. It’s meant we’ve built up a good following, and people always come in and comment on what they’ve seen us talking about on social. I think it’s a vital platform for businesses in the food and industry as it’s so visual.

TOPICUK: SO WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS SO FAR? Meg: For me, it’s definitely been having to organise people! By that, I mean coordinating all my suppliers to make sure we get everything on time, as well as relying on my staff to help me make the business work, which they do. They’re all amazing and I couldn’t ask for a better team. We have a massive WhatsApp group where we chat so they’re more like friends, but I know they respect me as a boss, too.

also helped – or should I say interfered – a lot, but always with the best intentions and she offers sound advice. They also both really helped in the run up to opening when things kept going wrong, like my beloved yellow Smeg fridge not fitting where I wanted it to! Oh, and also with the practical things like testing the layout of the tables to see if we could actually navigate them to serve our customers!

TOPICUK: IN CONTRAST, WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST REWARDING PART FOR YOU SO FAR? Meg: I’d have to say building up a regular customer base and seeing people return time and again. For me, that shows I’m doing things right and people want to come and see us and spend time here, which is massively rewarding. We get such a mix of customers from older people to mums and teenagers, which is great as we’ve worked hard to create a coffee shop that caters for all ages.

Beever, owner of Holmfirth’s newest and most popular café, BLOC, which opened in October 2016.

TOPICUK: YOUR MENU CENTRES AROUND TOAST (A RANGE OF TOPPINGS INCLUDING BACON, AVOCADO, SAUSAGE AND BANANA ARE AVAILABLE). WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO DO THAT? Meg: I was actually eating toast at the time when I came up with the concept for BLOC! As we’re a relatively small building, I had to think hard about what food we could serve that wouldn’t require loads of equipment and space. Plus, a simple menu was key for me as it allows us to play around with different toppings and still be comfortable with what we’re cooking. All our produce from our coffee to our bread comes from local suppliers, and that is something we champion, too.

TOPICUK: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANOTHER YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR WANTING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS? Meg: Totally trust in your own instinct! If you believe you can make something work then just go for it. As long as you learn from your own mistakes and improve, what’s the worst that can happen?

TOPICUK: BLOC HAS PROVED MASSIVELY POPULAR SO FAR, SO WHERE DO YOU SEE THE BUSINESS IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME? Meg: With a bright yellow coffee van that lets us get out and about and serve coffee and toast to the masses! I’d also like to think that if we carry on doing well, there might be a few more BLOCs popping up across the region in a few years’ time!

P FOLLOW BLOC ON INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER @BLOC_HOLMFIRTH.

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Huddersfield house developer raises £22,000 for charity Huddersfield-based house developer SB Homes has raised £22,000 for two local hospices at its charity ball - more than double the amount of the initial £10,000 target.

Kate Leadbeater, Partnership Development Manager at Kirkwood Hospice said: “The Hospice really is very lucky to have SB Homes as a supporter and we appreciate everything that they have done for us. Their generosity will make a huge difference to those in Kirklees who rely on our services.

“It’s also quite poignant that the firm chose to support us in its 20th year, just as we are celebrating our 30th year!”

Samantha Loucas, corporate fundraiser at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice added: “We are so grateful that SB Homes chose to support us — £22,000 is a fantastic achievement and we truly can’t thank them enough!”

The final total of over £22,000 was raised from a combination of ticket sales, sponsorship funds, donations, a live charity auction, a table fundraiser and silent auction organised

by See It Now Sports.

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he event was organised to mark the firm’s 20th anniversary and took place at Casa in Brighouse on 20th May. Kirkwood Hospice and Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice will receive an equal split of the vital funds raised.

More than 200 friends, family, suppliers, clients and business people from the property industry attended the ball. They were greeted with a drinks reception, followed by a threecourse dinner, dancing, casino tables and live music from musician Steven Heath.

Stephen Byram, managing director of SB Homes said: “The ball went really well, the atmosphere was superb and the singer had everyone up dancing. We wanted to have a fantastic night for our 20th year in business.

But more than that, we also set out to support

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causes that are really important for our town/ region.

“Most people within West Yorkshire know someone who has been supported in some way by these hospices,” added Stephen.

“Kirkwood Hospice is particularly close to me and my family — my wife’s nana passed away there five years ago, and my mum attends their weekly support sessions.

She has made lots of friends and her confidence has skyrocketed since going there.

In fact, she’d rather go to Kirkwood than have a holiday! What they do is genuinely incredible.”

Both charities care for local people and children living with life-limiting illnesses and provide support for their families and friends, free of charge.

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CELEBRATING 15 YEARS IN BUSINESS If you would like more information, or assistance, call us on 01484 351010 email: staff@stafflex.co.uk

CHAMBER

Close Up

News

AD:VENTURE gives growth boost for new and young firms MBC, City of Bradford MDC, Craven DC, Harrogate BC, Kirklees Council, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Trinity University, Make it York & York Council, Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Prince's Trust, Selby DC, Wakefield MDC, West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, West Yorkshire Combined Authority (on behalf of the LEP), The University of Bradford and The University of Huddersfield, the programme has brought together a consortium of experienced and committed partners, all working together to give businesses a genuinely diverse and effective growth programme.

Businesses across the Leeds City Region can access an exciting new business support programme aimed at helping new and young businesses to grow at a faster and stronger rate.

and competence. The programme aims to support business with high growth ambitions to increase their rate of growth, leading to increased turnover and new job creation.

AD:VENTURE offers innovative, collaborative regional business support for ambitious, high growth businesses under 3 years old. 12 advisors will act as a dedicated resource for young and growing businesses, with additional support available offering professional workshops, finance brokerage, incubator office space, new start and growth grants, entrepreneur knowledge exchange programmes and specialist sector advice.

Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said: “I am pleased to see this programme filling a key gap in the region’s business support market by providing support to improve the sustainability and growth potential of new and young businesses. AD:VENTURE is a welcome addition to the extensive support available for businesses in Leeds City Region and will ultimately boost the local economy, helping to enhance our region’s profile as the best place in the North to do business.”

For people planning to start a business within the Leeds City Region and existing businesses in their first 3 years of trading, AD:VENTURE will enable SME businesses to grow in capability, credibility, confidence

AD:VENTURE will assist a total of 1240 enterprises, leading to creation of 2400 new jobs. 640 new businesses will be created through information, advice, guidance and capability-building and best practice in enterprise development. ERDF eligibility criteria and local growth criteria apply.

AD:VENTURE is a £12 million programme and is receiving funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 To find out further information about the AD:VENTURE programme visit ad-venture. org.uk

Combining the significant forces of Leeds CC, Business Enterprise Fund, Calderdale

Close Up for Business I

Policy

Inflation is becoming a major concern for Businesses Steven Leigh Head of Policy and Representation The Mid Yorkshire Chamber collects a large volume of data through our own Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), from interaction with members and other businesses in our region, and from other reputable surveys and data sources such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW), the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

Back in May this year the ONS released their Inflation Statistics for April 2017.

This highlighted that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) annualised rate of inflation had risen to 2.7% in April (from 2.3% in March).

For the last four years or so, the CPI Inflation Rate has held steady - at well below the 2% Inflation Target (maximum) rate as set by the Government for the Bank of England (BOE). Indeed, apart from a couple of spikes in 2009 and 2012, the rate has usually been below 4%, and for much of the period it has been below the BOE’s 2% target figure. (Please see the Graph below).

Looking at the Graph, the April rate of 2.7% does not look particularly threatening – other than the steep upward gradient which has been recorded pretty much every month for the last two years. The economic analysts at the BCC, who monitor these numbers very closely, had already anticipated that inflation would resume its upward trend in April (after holding steady in March) and when these April ONS figures were announced the BCC commented as follows: “While factory-gate costs have moderated a little in recent months, businesses continue to report that the substantial increases in the cost of raw materials and

other overheads over the past year are still filtering through the supply chain, and are therefore likely to lift consumer prices higher in the coming months. Our own QES confirms that the pressure on firms to raise prices remains significant.

Higher inflation is likely to be a drag on UK GDP growth over the coming Quarters, as it erodes consumer spending power and dampens business activity and investment.

With the UK economy entering a weaker period as inflation continues to bite, more must be done to support growth and investment, including addressing the mounting burden of up-front taxes and costs faced by firms.”

Over the last twelve months, our own QES has reported the mounting concern being expressed by our members about rising inflation, and the steep gradient of the Graph in the ONS data certainly confirms that the concerns have been well founded. Our own statement early in April supported the views of our members as follows: “Taken together, businesses are rightly concerned about external factors further fuelling inflation during the year ahead.

CPI inflation in the UK stood at 2.3% in February 2017, up from the 1.8% figure in January. This is the first time since November 2013 that inflation has been above the Bank of England’s 2% inflation target (see Chart ). Rising inflation is a key risk to the UK’s growth prospects as it squeezes consumer spending power and Company profit margins.”

Towards the end of April a Survey conducted by the ICAEW warned that families should brace themselves for steeper prices, and that there is now

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Member Member News News

evidence that Inflation is beginning to take hold.

New emotional health support service launched for employees

Accordingly, the Government should exercise extreme caution before introducing any further up-front Business costs - which would almost certainly fan the flames of Inflation and it is to be hoped that this situation will be brought back under control in the months ahead - otherwise there will be a danger of some industrial unrest.

This is because real pay will be diminishing, and demands for increased wages and salaries will almost certainly exacerbate the inflationary cycle. So the April rate of 2.7% CPI Inflation does give rise to genuine concern. In the wake of the General Election, and during Brexit negotiations, there may be further inflationary pressure on factorygate prices, and we must ensure that measures are taken to counteract such pressures.

Steven Leigh Head of Policy and Representation Call: 07809 658 533 Email: steven.leigh@mycci.co.uk

Every UK employer has a duty of care for the health and wellbeing of their employees. It’s not just a legal duty, there’s a business case for helping employees back to health quickly. New Chamber member, Northorpe Hall Child & Family Trust, have recently launched Trust Wellbeing, a counselling service for adults which can provide support for employees as soon as they need it.

Tom Taylor, Director of Northorpe Hall Child and Family Trust, said: “Our charity has been supporting local children and families for over fifty years, and we now support around 2000 children every year.

We know the difference counselling can make to people’s lives, reducing anxiety, improving confidence and relationships.

We have received an increasing number of enquiries from adults requesting emotional support and we responded by launching Trust Wellbeing.

quality counselling with sessions held in Huddersfield centre, appointments are available weekday mornings and Saturday afternoons, and you can choose a counsellor and book and pay online. Employers can register with Trust Wellbeing, agreeing to pay some or all of counselling fees for their staff. Employers can also signpost employees to Trust Wellbeing directly so there is no need for your company to be involved in an employee assistance programme contract.”

To find out more about the charity, get mental health support for a child, discover volunteering and job opportunities, and learn how you can help, see www. northorpehall.co.uk or call 01924 492183.

“Trust Wellbeing provides a high

Close Up for Business III

Member News

David Laws appointed new Chief Executive of Leeds Bradford Airport Leeds Bradford Airport has appointed David Laws as its new Chief Executive in succession to John Parkin who is retiring, having substantially developed the airport during the last 10 years.

The airport now operates to over 70 destinations in 25 countries and has grown passenger numbers by 6% over the last 12 months to 3.7 million passengers.

LBA is a major contributor to the economic development of the region and new investment is underway to improve and expand the operations. John Parkin will continue as a non Executive Director.

David Laws was previously Chief Executive of Newcastle Airport for 10 years and has 39 years’ experience in the airport sector.

He began his career as a trainee Fireman at Newcastle Airport in April 1979 and went onto IV

become Fire Officer, subsequently becoming the Airport’s Safety advisor.

David held a number of roles in airport operations, before becoming Commercial Director responsible for the development of the Airline and Retail business and then Chief Executive.

David Laws, Chief Executive of Leeds Bradford Airport, said: “My passion is for airport development and ensuring that the customer journey is a truly great experience. I am excited about joining Leeds Bradford Airport to further improve, expand and develop the business and look forward to working with the team at Leeds Bradford Airport and all those involved from the airlines, stakeholders and partners to develop the next phase of the airport’s growth.”

Member Member News News

Close Up for Business V

Member News

Recruiter hits 10 year landmark at Juice Personnel Recruitment specialist Bex Cusworth has recently celebrated clocking up ten years of service at Wakefieldbased full service recruitment agency Juice Personnel.

Spring Manufacturer appoints Vizulate

Brighouse based Chamber member, Vizulate Digital, has recently been appointed by Skipton based spring manufacturer JB Springs (John Binns & Son (Springs) Ltd) as their web and digital marketing agency.

Following a review of the JB Springs’ marketing strategy Vizulate will be working with the directors and internal sales and marketing team to implement a range of digital marketing activities, including the design and development of a new website aimed at increasing sales leads.

Established in 1895, John Binns & Son (Springs) Ltd has witnessed many changes in the manufacturing landscape, whilst remaining a family-run company. John Binns now proudly operates from purpose-built premises equipped with the latest technologies in the production of springs and wire forms.

Speaking about the appointment of Vizulate Digital, JB Springs Director, Alex Driver said: “The increased investment in our production technology over recent years is testimony to the company’s VI

commitment to stay at the forefront of spring manufacturing in the UK.

“We wanted an agency that could not only help drive our future growth digitally, but also understand our heritage and pedigree, which has been built on delivering exceptional customer service. The appointment of Vizulate as our digital agency partner is a reflection of our commitment to investing for the future and our desire to utilise digital communications to enhance our customer engagement.”

Scott Brant, Director at Vizulate Digital said: “We are delighted to be working with a company that enjoys such a long and proud history as JB Springs and look forward to helping them grow their business by transforming their digital presence as well as the online experience of new and existing customers.

"JB Springs has embraced digital marketing and has given Vizulate Digital a fantastic brief against which we aim to generate measurable returns”.

Bex Cusworth joined Juice in 2007 on the Commercial team. She moved to the Logistics team for a few years before moving back to the Commercial team in May of 2016. Recently, Bex has made a sideways shift into her current role of Business Development, which sees her networking and developing new clients whilst also providing services to a range of existing temporary and permanent recruitment clients.

During the last 10 years at Juice, Bex has passed her REC exam, got married, had a baby girl and passed her driving test. Bex also has taken part in

a skydive to help raise much needed funds for Wakefield Hospice and more recently has been shortlisted in the Wakefield Express Business Awards for Employee of the Year.

Kelly Smith, Director at Juice Personnel said: “It has been an absolute delight having Bex here for the last 10 years, and we hope that she decides to stay with us for many more years to come.

Recruitment has a reputation for staff jumping from agency to agency chasing better commission and bonus schemes. This leads to inconsistent staff, and hinders relationships being built. But more than that it encourages a culture that is more focussed on the recruiter, not the client or candidate. At Juice we create a place where our staff can mature and grow and Bex is testament to this.”

Member Member News News

Wilkinson Woodward announces double appointment Calderdale law firm Wilkinson Woodward has announced the appointment of two senior solicitors to their Halifax team.

Commercial solicitor James Bell and probate specialist Heather Nuttall have both joined Wilkinson Woodward’s expanding practice.

James Bell began his legal career working on clinical negligence cases, before joining Eversheds in 2005 and subsequently transferring to DAC Beachcroft in 2011. During the past 12 years, James has developed a strong reputation and high level of expertise in asset management.

Over 50 local business professionals got together on Monday 15th May for Sheards Accountancy’s annual Curry Night to raise funds for Kirkwood Hospice.

During a secondment to telecommunications giant Telefónica he worked on some of the UK’s largest communications infrastructure projects, including the London Olympics in 2012.

Heather Nuttall began her legal career working in Leeds and Bradford, before qualifying as a solicitor in 1992. She went on to gain a decade of experience in litigation before a change in direction to wills, probate, trusts and estates. Heather, who has a particular interest and significant experience in advising elderly clients, is a member of Solicitors for the Elderly. Heather’s status as a Trust and Estate

The evening also included a raffle, which had prizes donated

Managing Director Maureen Cawthorn extended a warm welcome to both solicitors commenting: “We’re delighted to welcome James and Heather to the team. Both are highly respected solicitors in their chosen fields. Their appointments form part of our continuing plans to expand in West Yorkshire.”

Sheards Kick Off Fundraising for Kirkwood Hospice

our first fundraising event for Kirkwood Hospice since announcing our partnership and we’ve already made a great start to reaching our fundraising total.

I’d like to thank all those that attended and made the night a success."

The event, held at Chilli Lounge, raised over £720 for the charity, who provide free of charge, specialist care to adults across Kirklees who suffer from advanced or progressive illnesses.

Sheards announced their charity partnership with Kirkwood Hospice earlier this year. The partnership will see Sheards undertake a variety of fundraising activity throughout the year with a target of raising £4,000 which will go towards a pressure relief mattress – a vital piece of equipment to prevent patients developing pressure sores.

Practitioner reflects her specialist qualifications and experience in drafting wills and trusts, administering estates, acting as a trustee and advising families on the best way to structure their finances and preserve assets for future generations.

by a number of local businesses.

Kevin Winterburn, Director of Sheards Accountancy commented: “Our charity curry

night has become a popular event in the local business calendar and we were delighted with the turnout and the support at this year’s event. This was

Kate Leadbeater, Partnership Development Manager of Kirkwood Hospice commented: “It was a pleasure to join everyone and to see so many local businesses supporting our charity. We can’t thank Sheards enough for choosing Kirkwood Hospice as their nominated charity this year. They have some fantastic events planned to raise funds and we’re really looking forward to working with them.”

Close Up for Business VII

Member News

Red Media sleeping out for charity New Chamber member Red Media, based in Horbury, has organised a ‘Sleep Out’ to help raise funds for the independent Yorkshire based homeless charity, Simon on the Streets.

The fully integrated design, print and marketing consultancy is hosting the event at The Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield on Friday 4th August 7pm til 6am Saturday morning.

Agency appointed to create an identity for 50 years of The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers New chamber member, 1017Marketing, are extremely excited and honored to be appointed by The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, to create a brand and identity for their 50th anniversary ‘Fusilier 50’, which is planned for 2018.

Formed in 1968 and an infantry regiment within The British Army, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers for the first time ever invited agencies to pitch for a logo and identity which could be used to commemorate this significant year.

Following this process, ideas were shared with representatives from throughout the regiment, 1017 were successfully selected and the chosen design is now ready to be rolled out.

Samantha Willoughby from 1017Marketing said: ‘We wanted to VIII

create a bold, confident and modern identity, which was in keeping with the regimental tradition and values.

By using a simplified graphical representation of the cap badge and hackle we’ve created something that feels both prestigious and celebratory and we can’t wait to see this being applied to communications’.

Gini Wilde, PR and Marketing Manager for Fusilier 50 continued: ‘It’s an important year for the Regiment and we wanted an identity for Fusilier 50 which would form an integral part of next year’s exciting plan of events and something which would resonate with all our key audiences’.

A full programme of events is being planned and will commence in January 2018.

Debbie Melton, Owner of Red Media, said: “For some time I have been upset by the number of people we have sleeping rough on our streets and I wanted to do something to help. I am proud to be able to offer support by organising this event to raise much needed funds for the charity.

“Please come along and join us all you need is a Sleeping Bag and a cardboard box! It’s going to be a great night with lots of local business characters, buskers and goody bags.”

To support Red Media please visit https:// www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/ simononthestreeets/TheHepworthWakefield

Member News

New ambassadors for foundation

Northern Media welcome placement student Northern Media have added to their expanding team with Owen Molde joining as the latest recruit.

Owen has joined the marketing team full time this summer after working with Northern Media as a placement student since October. He graduated from the University of Huddersfield with a degree in Journalism and the team were happy to extend his role into full-time employment.

Owen enjoyed his time at the company as a placement student and was keen to make the transition from his Journalism degree into marketing. Owen used his time wisely as a placement student to learn as much about the industry as he could, as well as becoming an instrumental and popular member of the Northern Media team. The team were thoroughly impressed by the ambition he showed as a student and how he has welcomed the transition across industries and the challenges this has brought.

Northern Media’s Managing Director, Chris Elliot, commented on the recruitment: "Owen originally joined us with the aim of gaining some experience and generating a portfolio of work that would contribute to his final degree grade. During this period, we

were extremely impressed with his positive attitude and hard work so we were keen to offer him a permanent position with. He has settled in well within the team and we feel he will be a great addition to the business.

“We have built a very good partnership with the Journalism faculty at Huddersfield University with Owen being the third graduate we have taken on full time following successful placements. We look forward to continuing the relationship in the future.”

Owen joins the team as a Marketing Support Executive, his role will be to support the marketing Executives and other staff members with work for their clients. This will include a range of tasks and projects such as copywriting, social media and SEO work.

Speaking about his new role, Owen said: “I’m really pleased I was offered the job on a full-time basis. It firstly settled a lot of uncertainty about employment after University but also is a great start for my new career path.

I learned quickly into my course that I wanted to make the transition into marketing and Chris explained that I had the right transferrable skills to do so at Northern Media”.

Cleckheaton based charity, The Howarth Foundation, is delighted to announce that Peter Howarth, lead singer of the legendary iconic poprock band The Hollies, and Lois Toulson, British and European gold medallist and Team GB Olympian, have recently become ambassadors for the charity.

The Howarth Foundation which helps the homeless back into work was established by Andy Howarth, founder and current Chairperson of Howarths People and Safety Management; a company providing HR and employment law services to businesses throughout the UK. Following his business success, Andy saw an opportunity to follow his lifelong passion of helping the homeless but not in the conventional way of making life as comfortable as possible for those on the streets, but by actively engaging companies willing to offer employment and by providing those individuals with support and guidance, to successfully obtain a job.

Andy commented: “I am delighted to have Peter and Lois on board as ambassadors for The Howarth Foundation and help promote and support the work we do. Homelessness is something close to my heart and I believe it is not just a problem for the individual but for society in general.

Homelessness is a very complex issue in many cases but I firmly believe that getting people back into work and mainstream society is a better option than living rough.”

Peter Howarth commented: “When Andy approached me to become an ambassador it took absolutely no thinking about. I know the work that Andy and his team do and I am honoured to support such a cause. I live in London and see firsthand the plight of the genuinely homeless.”

If you want to help make a difference give Andy or Natalie a call on 01274 864999.

Close Up for Business IX

Events WHEN? First Thursday of the month 09:30–11:00 WHAT? Join us for light refreshments and an opportunity to make some valuable new contacts. Delegates get the chance to introduce their business in a short elevator pitch and follow-up new business leads. It's a great way to make new contacts in a friendly, but focused way. You are also welcome to bring your company literature and banner stands.

WHERE? We rotate the location within the Mid Yorkshire region: • Thursday 6th July, Wakefield College Advanced Skills and Innovation Centre, Margaret Street, Wakefield, WF1 2DH • Thursday 3rd August, Kirklees, venue tbc

It’s FREE for members and just £20.00 plus VAT for non-members.

Book your place online at www.mycci.co.uk/events Tel: 01484 483 679 Follow @MidYorksChamber and #ConnectionsCount on Twitter

 WHAT?

 WHEN?

 MORE INFO:

A very informal networking opportunity, come along and make some new contacts in a relaxed setting and enjoy a drink on us!

Run in partnership with Barclays, CIM, Copiserv, First Choice, Ramsdens Solicitors LLP, Statement and the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

Second Friday of the month 12:30-13:30

No need to book, just turn up!

 WHERE? The Hop, Bank Street, Wakefield, WF1 1EH.

Follow @MidYorkshireNet and #MYNetworkWakey on Twitter.

WHAT?

 WHEN?

 MORE INFO:

A fantastic opportunity to network in an informal environment, making some great new contacts for your business.

Third Wednesday of the month 09:00–11:00

No need to book, just turn up!

Run in partnership with CIM, Ramsdens Solicitors LLP, Better Telecoms, Social Progress and The Media Centre.

 WHAT? Monthly lunchtime business networking meeting: have a chat, mingle and make some new contacts.

Run in partnership with Barclays, CIM and Ramsdens Solicitors LLP.

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 MORE INFO:

Follow @MidYorkshireNet and #MYNetworkHud on Twitter.

 WHERE? The Media Centre, Northumberland Street, Huddersfield, HD1 1RL

 WHEN? Last Friday of the Month 12:30–13:30  WHERE? The Salvation, Bull Green, Halifax HX1, 5AB

 MORE INFO: No need to book, just turn up and the first drink is on us.

Follow@LastFridayClub on Twitter

Events EVENTS

Local Business Forums  WHERE? We rotate the location within the Mid Yorkshire region • Friday 28th July, Wakefield, venue tbc

 WHAT? Enjoy a light breakfast and the opportunity to have your say about pressing business topics which are facing the local business community.

 MORE INFO: It’s FREE for members and just £10.00 plus VAT for non-members.

Places are limited, book your place online at www.mycci.co.uk/events or contact steven.leigh@mycci.co.uk Tel: 07809 658533

 WHEN? Monthly (times may vary)

Courses in exporting The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has ten nationally accredited core courses in exporting and international trade. Together the courses create an export curriculum, providing invaluable basic exporting skills for small and large companies alike.

By completing six courses, candidates achieve a nationally recognised foundation award in exporting.

The courses are suitable for both experienced and inexperienced exporters.

Courses are priced individually. A discount can be offered when booking 6 or more modules or booking 3 or more delegates on the same course All of the courses will take place at The John Smith’s Stadium, Stadium Way, Huddersfield, HD1 6PG.

The next courses are as follows:  CUSTOMS PROCEDURES AND DOCUMENTATION Wednesday 5th July 09.30-12.30

£200 (+VAT) for members and £240 (+VAT) for non-members

 UNDERSTANDING IMPORT PROCESSES Thursday 13th July 09.30-12.30

 PREFERENTIAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND RULES OF ORIGIN Thursday 13th July 13.30-16.30 £125 (+VAT) for members and £140 (+VAT) for non-members

Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and Peninsula are co-hosting a free HR, Health & Safety and pensions overview seminar for local businesses. This seminar will provide invaluable advice on preparing your business for changes taking place in 2017.

At this event, Employment Law and Health & Safety consultants, Peninsula will share their expertise on HR, Health & Safety and Pensions, providing attendees with practical advice on how to: • Review documents of Employment, contract, handbooks, policies

 UNDERSTANDING EXPORTING AND EXPORT DOCUMENTATION Wednesday 26th July 09.30-16.30 £250 (+VAT) for members and £290 (+VAT for non-members

Employment Law and Health & Safety Seminar  WHAT?

For more information and to see our full export events calendar please visit www.myexporthub.co.uk/events

£125 (+VAT) for members and £140 (+VAT) for non-members

 WHEN? Thursday 20th July • Comply with – risk assessments, fire & safety 2017 09:30 - 13:00 policies  WHERE? • Fulfil your employer duties – avoid fines, The John Smith's choose the right pension for your business.

Stadium, Stadium Way, The speaker(s) will tailor the seminar Huddersfield, according to the issues of most interest HD1 6PG to attendees, so do please complete the questions included in the event registration form.

• Manage staff behaviour – performance, attendance, attitude, conduct

 MORE INFO: It's FREE to attend.

Places are limited, book your place online at www. mycci. co.uk/events or contact events@mycci.co.uk

Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce will also be available on the day to answer questions you may have about Chamber membership.

XI

Business of the

Month

Business of the Month

The Business of the Month Award is open to firms in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.

Each month a new winner is chosen and all 12 then go through to the annual Business of the Year award.

For your chance to win the Business of the Month award visit www. businessofthemonth. co.uk or contact Eleanor Cummings at Eaton Smith on 01484 821430 Pictured L-R: Steven Pollitt, Edward Jennings – Mid Yorkshire Chamber, Tony Jones – Handelsbanken, Phil Clarke – Partner Eaton Smith, Kelly Smith , Lynn Mortimer – Juice Personnel

Business of the Month – March

Juice Personnel

Recruitment specialists, Juice Personnel, was founded in 2003 in Huddersfield, with a view to bringing a fresh approach to the recruitment industry.

The company was built on the core values of mutual understanding, honesty, integrity and quality which enabled them to establish client and candidate loyalty. Juice Personnel quickly outgrew their office in Huddersfield which prompted a move to bigger premises in Wakefield town centre.

Kate Booth, Partner at Eaton Smith and member of the judging panel said: “They were a clear winner in a strong field. The entrepreneurial start and steady growth is impressive, they are ambitious and have

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changed and grown in response to the recession and are continuing to set challenges for themselves including the automotive side and placing candidates overseas. The financials were impressive and the judges valued their contribution to local community including Wakefield Hospice and Wakefield Trinity.”

Kelly Smith, co-owner of Juice Personnel commented on their win said: “We are delighted to have been recognised and receive this award. We have a fantastic team here at Juice Personnel who are all dedicated to providing an excellent service to our clients and candidates. We are really proud of our business and are excited about the future.”

Business of the

Month

Business of the Month – April

The Bigger Boat

The Bigger Boat, a digital marketing agency based in Mirfield, was founded in 2010 by Doug Main, Lee Boothroyd & Andy McCaul who had all previously worked together in another agency. The agency outgrew its original office in Brighouse and moved to Mirfield in 2015. They have an impressive client list of companies such as Xbox one game developers, Microsoft Studios and the toy manufacturers, Little Tikes. Furthermore, they demonstrate a remarkable work ethos which is why so much of their work comes through client recommendations.

Phil Clarke, Partner at Eaton Smith and member of the judging panel said; “The judges were impressed with

The Bigger Boat because not only have they gained financial success but they have also invested in their staff through training and development. The company works hard to recruit talented individuals by offering a quality working environment and development programmes.”

Commenting on their win Andy McCaul of The Bigger Boat said; “We are very proud to receive the Business of the Month Award. We have a fantastic team of people here at The Bigger Boat who work hard to make the business a success. We have ambitious growth plans and are excited about the future of the company”.

Pictured L-R: Adam Bamforth – Bamforth & Co, Annie Bradley – DIT, Richard Hitchcock – Tackle Business Advice Steven Leigh – Mid Yorkshire Chamber, Mike Webb – Eaton Smith, Andy McCaul, Doug Main, Lee Boothroyd – The Bigger Boat

Close Up for Business XIII

New Members

ABL Business Ltd www.abl-business.co.uk Finance & Marketing

MJL Law Ltd www.mjllaw.co.uk Solicitors

AnarcoTech www.anarcotech.com Emerging Technology consultation and education

Northorpe Hall Child and Family Trust www.northorpehall.co.uk Registered charity

Avalon Media Services Ltd www.avalonmediaservices.co.uk Digital Marketing

Peninsula Ltd www.peninsulagrouplimited.com HR/ Health & Safety Services

Breathing Space HR www.breathingspacehr.co.uk

Red Media (Europe) Ltd www.red-media.co.uk Marketing

Bulk SMS Ltd www.voodoosms.com Telecommunications

Selbie Opticians www.selbieopticians.co.uk Opticians

Capital B Media www.captialbmedia.co.uk Public Relations

Testing Services UK Ltd www.testingservicesuk.com Electrical testing

Clear Workplace www.clearworkplace.co.uk Pensions Consultancy

The Howarth Foundation www.howarthfoundation.co.uk Registered charity

ConnectChina Ltd www.connectchina.co.uk International Consultancy

The Pink Link Ltd www.thepinklink.co.uk

Crystal Clear Management Systems Ltd www.ccqms.co.uk Management consultancy

Tony Carter www.cartertony.co.uk Utilities

Fire Defence UK Ltd www.firedefenceuk.co.uk Fire/Health and Safety Training

V-Seal Ltd www.vseal.co.uk Manufacturing

France and Asscociates Ltd www.franceandassociates.co.uk Arcitectural practice

WPA Healthcare www.wpa.org.uk/marklongley Healthcare

Hunter Safety Group www.huntersafetysolutions.co.uk Health and Safety

Yellow Monkey Creative www.yellowmonkeycreative.com Marketing and Events

John L Brierley Ltd www.johnlbrierley.com Textiles/Craft

Yorkshire Prestige Car Brokers www.yorkshireprestigecarbrokers.co.uk Automotive consultancy

Just Webbit www.justwebbit.com Web design

XIV

Transport, Storage and Communication

Member Offers

MemberOffers

CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP GIVES YOU ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE BUSINESS DISCOUNTS, OFFERS AND FREE PUBLICITY! What?

A heavily discounted service offered exclusively by members for members. Benefit from free publicity as a host or gain huge savings by utilising our Member Offer of the Month benefits.

Why? We understand that members have a business to run, through hosting a Member Offer of the Month, you can save time on marketing and benefit from free publicity. By using members offers, save money on valuable services for your business.

How? To discuss how your company could take advantage of the Member Offer of the Month and other publicity opportunities:

CONTACT RACHEL - 01924 311605

Current Member Offer of the Month For details on our current Member Offer of the Month, please visit our website www.mycci.co.uk/get-connected/member-offers

Chamber Connect Card ENJOY EXCLUSIVE LONG TERM BUSINESS DISCOUNTS!

What?

Access a range of long term discounted offers, negotiated for your business as part of your membership package. You can also participate by offering your own discounted products and services to fellow members.

Why? Your Connect Card is a value added service that could represent significant savings for your business. By participating as an offer provider you can gain increased brand exposure and create new business opportunities.

How? Log into the MY Chamber at www.mycci. co.uk/my-chamber to redeem and view all Connect Card offers. To discuss how your company could participate in a connect card offer, contact Rachel on 01924 311605

View current local offers below: Specialising in creating custom on-hold music and marketing materials, as well as providing corporate entertainment, AB Music is offering a 10% discount to all chamber. members on all their services.

Avanti Corporate Solutions

Specialising in owner-managed businesses throughout Yorkshire and beyond, Avanti is offering advice and a consultation free to all members.

10% off all corporate event bookings including; Teambuilding & Away Days, Function and Room Hire, Product Launches and Promotions and Event Sponsorship.

20% discount to new Chamber members on all their Export and Import services.

20% off all online courses including; Manual Handling, Working at height, First Aid at Work Refresher, Levels 1 & 2 Food Safety, Legionella Management and many more. Chamber members can also benefit from 10% off monthly First Aid training courses.

Discount on IOSH Accredited Training Courses.

Members can benefit from a reduced rate of £440+VAT (a £50 discount) for the Managing Safely Course and a £10 discount on the Working Safely course.

20% discount on digital advertising, promotional & testimonial videos for your website that showcases your business, your product or your service to both new and existing customers.

Through their associate, Countrywide Tax & Trust, Clive Barwell, a Registered Trust & Estate Practitioner, are offering a comprehensive willwriting service to fellow Chamber members at a discount of 20%.

Close Up for Business XV

Patrons Update

Employee Management Skills Workshops Kate Booth, our Employment Law Partner at Eaton Smith has been running a popular series of employee management workshops for the last two years.

As busy managers or HR Practitioners, it can be hard to know where to start when an allegation lands on your desk – have you got time to deal with it properly, and what are the pitfalls to taking a procedural shortcut?

Our July workshop looks at practical scenarios of disciplinary allegations and how to investigate them efficiently and thoroughly without absorbing too much management time.

In September we’ll look at how to get the best out of your staff via a performance management process. If employees are working at their optimum performance level and concentrating on tasks that will help drive the business forwards, then they can make a significant contribution to the success of your business. We will look at how to do this by using a strategic approach to performance

management and show you how to deal with poor performance issues at an early stage before they become unwieldy. We will also look at how performance management might lead to dismissal, and how it may be used to your favour in the Employment Tribunals. To round off the year in November, we’ll be looking at common problems that businesses experience in order to help you to spot the pitfalls before you fall in them and equip you for employee relations issues in 2018!

Before the workshop, we’ll send you a pre-learning questionnaire to find out if there are any specific scenarios that you have faced or are facing and that we can help you with and we’ll then work through them within the workshop.

For more information contact Kate Booth, Partner on 01484 821309 or email katebooth@ eatonsmith.co.uk

The John Smith’s Stadium Moves to Michelin Standard Kudos Catering Gareth Davies Managing Director We are delighted to announce a new catering partnership with award winning Hospitality Company, KUDOS. The relationship will increase the quality of the catering and hospitality offering and bring a pioneering new spirit of partnership to the Stadium.

Built on a passion for delivering the highest quality Stadium hospitality, delicious food and a commitment to customer service, the partnership will improve the experience both clubs provide for fans, sponsors and business users, both on match days and non-match days.

The partnership is a joint venture between KUDOS, Huddersfield Town Football Club, Huddersfield Giants Rugby League Football Club and KSDL. It follows the existing partnership with the Stadium’s previous catering company Sodexo.

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The flexibility and a willingness to move away from standard practices within the Stadium catering sector was the key to us working with

KUDOS on our future plans. This relationship isn’t an outside caterer, this relationship will be a true partnership where all the stakeholders of this fantastic Stadium have a say in the future of the service we offer to our customers.

KUDOS are a Michelin star business with an attention to detail and a great work ethic which fits exactly with our philosophy here at the stadium.

They are committed to minimising their environmental impact, and are proud supporters of using local and British produce to provide a sustainable catering service, which was something that also appealed to the Stadium partners.

For more information on future opportunities available with the Stadium visit our website at www.johnsmithsstadium.com or call 01484 484151

Kirklees & Calderdale

Staff and students from Kirklees College with Alex Humphries, digital marketing manager of UK Trade Furnishings Ltd, with the donated stock.

College ‘floored’ by generous donation Kirklees College has been ‘floored’ by the generosity of a Leeds company who donated a selection of laminate panels to its construction department.

The company’s digital marketing manager Alex Humphries said: “We occasionally get items returned to us because they are no longer wanted by the customer, or there may have been some minor damage to packaging caused in the warehouse or in transit.

UK Trade Furnishings Ltd, which incorporates the Luxury Flooring and Furnishings and Tile Monkey brands, contacted the college to ask if it would be interested in a donation of surplus flooring.

“This stock would normally be written off and put in a skip, but it seemed a shame to waste it. We were happy to donate and deliver it to the college free of charge so that it can be put to good use.”

Paul Toher, Curriculum Team Leader at the college’s Brunel Construction Centre, in Huddersfield said: “Our joinery department was really happy to receive this donation because it’s a chance to provide materials that we wouldn’t usually be able to.

“We can use it within our lessons to give less experienced students the chance to understand and appreciate different types of flooring, which will be great for them.”

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Grammar School appoints new head Hipperholme Grammar School is launching a new ‘vision for education’ bringing together young people from the ages of three to 18 on one site for the first time, led by a new head teacher. across the age groups to interact and work together successfully.

Apprentice scoops KITS training award An apprentice engineer from Huddersfield based firm Extract Technology, has won an award after graduating from Kirkdale Industrial Training Services (KITS).

Twenty-year-old Ryan Cockhill, won the Best Multi-skilled Apprentice (All Occupations) award from the training provider.

Ryan recently returned from an installation in India, where alongside one other Multiskilled Engineer he installed and commissioned two Aseptic Isolators for one of the world’s largest generic pharmaceutical companies.

He has since flown out to Seoul, Korea to work on a Downflow Booths for another leading pharmaceutical company. A spokesperson for Extract Technology said: “Ryan’s great skills, as well as his enthusiasm for the job, industry and travelling, make Ryan a key employee at Extract and a worthy winner of this award.

“We are always delighted to see our great employees being rewarded for their fantastic efforts and would like to wish Ryan best of luck as he advances his career.”

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The entire school will relocate to the Bramley Lane site in time for the new school year in September, with building conversion work to accommodate the expansion starting as soon as possible.

The move to bring the Junior and Senior Schools together will allow the best quality teaching to be delivered to all children, supported by extra-curricular events and activities, that make the School one of the most renowned independent schools in Yorkshire.

The school, which was launched as the independent Hipperholme Grammar School Foundation in 1985, currently comprises of a junior site at Wakefield Road, Lightcliffe and a senior site at Bramley Lane, Hipperholme.

Across its two sites, the school provides independent education for children with a strong focus on working with every pupil as an individual in order to maximise both their educational and personal development.

The school announced the newly developed one-site plan after a period of consultation with parents and governors. The plans will enable numerous opportunities for pupils

Jackie Griffiths has also been appointed as the new head teacher of the Grammar School Foundation. She will take over in September from Jack Williams who has been head teacher since 2012 and will work closely with Sarah Weller, the head teacher of the Junior School, to roll out the new vision for the school.

Speaking about her appointment, she said: “I am absolutely delighted to be appointed as the Head of the Foundation and am eagerly looking forward to welcoming our Junior School onto the Grammar School site. Mrs Weller and I are extremely excited by the opportunities the re-location offers to our whole community.

“We say in the Junior School, ‘this is where great journeys start’; it is my ambition to ensure that the journey continues in a seamless, enjoyable and exciting way throughout our pupils’ education.”

Jack Williams, currently head teacher, added: “Mrs Griffiths has been an integral part of the recent successes of the school both in terms of results and our education provision. The Governors did not want a change of direction in those areas and so her appointment was an obvious decision and I wish her and the school every success in this new, exciting endeavour.”

Kirklees & Calderdale

Leading law firm, Ramsdens Solicitors has announced associate promotions across its corporate, commercial property, private client, family and conveyancing teams.

Jodie Wielgus, a wills, probate and Lasting Powers of Attorney specialist, has been promoted to the position of associate within Ramsdens Private Client department.

Also promoted to the position of associate is corporate law expert Adam Cockroft and Rachel Straughan and Suresh Nadkarni both from the Residential Conveyancing team.

Meanwhile Natalie Lang from Ramsdens Court of Protection team, Sarah Ward from the Family team and Kirsty Jackson from the Commercial Property team were all promoted to Senior Associates.

Paul Joyce, Managing Partner said: “I am delighted to announce these promotions. I am particularly proud that those promoted have been with Ramsdens for a large part of their

Ramsdens bolsters team of associates professional careers. Recognising the talent we have and giving people the chance to develop their careers is key to the firms continued growth and development.”

Also promoted is Jonathan Cornes to Director

of Risk and Compliance.

Ramsdens Solicitors has 25 partners and employs 250 people across 12 offices in West Yorkshire. Most recently they were finalists in the Solicitors Journal Awards 2017, Law Firm of the Year category.

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Register your interest at cityfibre.com/huddersfield July/August 2017 17

Kirklees & Calderdale

Vehicle hire firm supports children’s charity Yorkshire-based vehicle-hire firm, Arrow Self Drive has donated three new vans to local children’s charity, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice.

The three bright purple vans, dubbed Pip, Patrick and Percy began collecting and delivering furniture at the end of May 2017; for distribution at Forget Me Not’s nine charity shops in the region.

Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice provides support to hundreds of children across Yorkshire and East Lancashire with lifeshortening conditions. Support includes nursing care, days out, listening, respite care, therapy and much more.

Gareth Pierce, Head of Retail at Forget Me Not, commented: “We’re thrilled with the new vans. We are now selling second hand furniture in some of our charity shops and we need these larger vans to deliver large pieces of furniture. We’ll also be using them for collections and house clearances, where people kindly donate furniture to be sold in the shops. Not only that, but the newly designed graphics look great and really help raise awareness of Forget Me Not on the road, wherever they go! These vehicles have arrived just in time for the opening of our new Superstore on Manchester Road in Huddersfield, which opened last month.”

Arrow Self Drive’s managing director, James Hill said: “We’re pleased to be able to provide the charity with transportation and hope they find our support useful in delivering their much-needed services to the community.

We hope to be able to continue working in partnership with the charity long into the future.”

F

ounded in 1988, Arrow Self Drive is a family-run business and the largest independently owned car, van, minibus and truck rental company in Yorkshire. With eight depots based around region, the firm offer competitive rates and a first-class service on a wide range of vehicles from small economy cars, to vans, luxury MPV’s minibuses and trucks.

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The firm initially began supporting Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice three years ago, originally sponsoring one small van but recently increased its level of support to include a fleet of three vehicles.

Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice is also running a competition in conjunction with their new vehicles, where the public is encouraged to take a photo and post it social media if they spot the vans on the roads around Huddersfield, Halifax, Wakefield or Bradford.

Bradford sign-writing company, Leading Edge Signage and Graphics supplied the eye-catching vehicle wraps for the vans.

The winner will be selected by the Hospice in July and the prize will be a family ticket to Forget Me Not’s Lantern Trail in October 2017.

Kirklees & Calderdale

CT scan for skull recreated in 3D

to that used to create 3D implants for real fractured skulls.

Two life sized versions of the skulls were then 3D printed. One was created in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) powder print using an industrial 3D printer, housed on the 3M BIC’s Innovation Avenue.

The other a Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) printed from the latest generation of MakerBot printers using PLA (polylactic acid). The SLS version of the skull has the greater detail, however, the FDM print, which took over 50 hours to complete, highlights the advancement and future possibilities of FDM printers.

The process, usually used for maxillofacial reconstruction, demonstrates how 3D printing has advanced and how powerful 3D design can be in the medical industry. In this instance, the 3M BIC design team focused on reconstructing a damaged skull.

Dr Michael Wilson, centre manager said: “Our Skull project is not only a great showcase for 3D printing, but also underlines how 3D design can be incorporated into the healthcare industry. If doctors can view CT and MRI scan data more freely in 3D it would give them a greater understanding of a patient’s condition and refine the process of reconstructive surgery.”

“If someone fractures their skull, for example, then a scan can be used and translated into 3D. A copy of the undamaged side of the skull can be printed in titanium and then attached to repair the damage caused in the patient’s skull.”

Using free software, Paul Tallon, consultant designer and visualisation assistant, Luke Phillips, converted the raw data from the CT scan to a 3D printable file, choosing to focus on the bone density of the skull, rather than muscle, skin or vascular tissue.

Manipulating MRI or CT scan data in 3D will transform the healthcare sector, allowing surgical professionals to have a greater understanding of patients’ injuries and develop healing solutions that are bespoke to each individual injury and person.

Paul and Luke designed implants to iron out any inaccurate surfaces on the skull that had appeared on the 3D files, using another utility similar

The 3M BIC in-house design team is currently looking at MRI scan data of the shoulder and wrist of a retired rugby league player.

The in-house design team at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC) in Huddersfield has created a 3D skull using data from a colleague’s CT scan

Payments services provider opens Southern franchise Brighouse-based Yorkshire Payments has extended its services into the south, opening a franchise, South Coast Payments in Winchester, Sussex.

Founder and managing director James Howard established Yorkshire Payments in 2013 with a vision to provide safe, secure and efficient payment solutions to a range of businesses across the region.

Franchisee, South Coast Payments, is led by Daniel Waller, who brings six years of financial industry experience to the business. With a background in FCA-regulated environments, Daniel undertook a number of senior roles within the sector before establishing the business.

The new franchise has plans to recruit one sales person every three months for the next year and is in the process of moving offices to accommodate growth.

The firm has a five-year franchise model in place, whereby the business will extend its payment services nationally, opening additional franchises across the UK. James told us: “I founded Yorkshire Payments with a view to take our strong focus on customer service and typically Yorkshire values national. We want businesses to trust in us and feel safe

and secure in the knowledge that they will get exactly the services they pay for.

“Opening a franchise in the south has allowed us to effectively do this and the team at South Coast Payments have been fantastic at delivering our core principles and values to southern customers. We have a number of exciting plans for the future.”

Daniel Waller, director at South Coast Payments commented: “We’re incredibly excited and hope to experience the same level of success that Yorkshire Payments has in the Yorkshire region. Although Southern based, our core values of honesty and integrity are the same and we endeavour to deliver service to our customers that is second to none.

With strong plans for growth, the future is looking very bright for South Coast Payments.”

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Joint Japanese business venture for local firms A Holmfirth entrepreneur has teamed up with a Linthwaitebased commodities supplier to launch a new brand of Japanese-style rice.

S

tuart Turner, managing director of SushiSushi, one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of Japanese and Asian food and equipment is working with Eurostar Commodities Ltd, the leading supplier of the finest commodities and innovative ingredients, to launch Kuro sushi rice aimed specifically at the European catering market.

This premium quality, Italian-grown sushi rice will be packaged by Eurostar Commodities and shipped across the UK and Europe by SushiSushi.

Stuart Turner, said: “Like Yorkshire Tea we’ll be supplying only the finest ingredients grown outside of the county, but with all our passion and enthusiasm to sell great Yorkshire produce.

“Kuro rice is our first mass-market, own label product and working with Eurostar helped us to meet the needs of fine dining restaurants all over Europe.

“We are delighted to be working with Eurostar and look forward to seeing where this partnership takes us.”

Sales director of Eurostar Commodities Ltd, Jason Bull, said: “After enjoying a longstanding relationship with SushiSushi we were really looking forward to helping them develop their first own-branded product.

“Rice is essential to Japanese cooking so it made sense for SushiSushi to start with a

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volume product. It’s exciting to think that Kuro rice will be packaged and shipped across the UK and Europe from right here in Yorkshire.”

Kuro rice will be available to buy online at Sushisushi.co.uk in 2kg or 5kg quantities, with guaranteed next day delivery.

Wholesale enquiries should check kurofoods. com. Other Kuro products currently in development include tempura flour, Bao Buns and Japanese-style Gyoza dumplings, which will be available to buy later this year.

SushiSushi stocks a range of products sold to restaurants, chefs, retailers and cooking enthusiasts across Europe and the rest of the world, with clients including Great British Menu judge Michael O’Hare and MasterChef runner up Andrew Kojima.

Eurostar is an innovative family business from Yorkshire since 1994. It supplies over 10,000 tonnes of product to the UK and Europe every year, sourcing the finest rice and grains in small supply chains to ensure quality and provenance.

A flexible way to a more engaged workforce We hear a lot these days about flexible working, mainly in a negative sense.

Stories around the “Gig Economy” and zero hours contracts focus mainly on poor working conditions and the exploitation of workers. However, research shows that many workers value flexible working as a key benefit.

more loyal and experience greater levels of job satisfaction. These factors tend to result in better performance overall, as well as reducing recruitment costs.

• Businesses can access a more diverse workforce by being open to part-time, home-working and other forms of flexible working.

Younger workers are increasingly looking for work-life balance in their choice of career rather than the rigid 7.5 hours a day in the office expected in the traditional workplace. In addition, those with caring responsibilities or outside interests welcome the opportunity to work around their commitments.

And how can you make it work for your business?

Of course, advances in technology make flexible working a much more viable option than it was in the past. Instant chat, shared documents and video conferencing make the workplace totally mobile. Working from home – or indeed anywhere in the world where there is an internet connection – is as easy as sitting in the office.

So what are the benefits of flexible working?

• Businesses can potentially save on office space if workers are mainly home-based or if part-timers can share desk-space • Resources can be matched to demand. Rather than having a fixed workforce from 9 – 5, employers can arrange working hours to meet peaks in activity or to service different timezones.

• Workers who are allowed flexibility are reported to be more committed,

• Set clear expectations in terms of performance and workload. Results will be measured by what is achieved rather than how long someone is sat at their desk.

• Make sure regular face-to-face meetings take place. Those working away fr nvironment can feel isolated if efforts are not made to integrate them into the team.

• For the same reason, encourage informal chat (whether on the phone or through chat apps) between remote workers and those in the office.

• Make sure boundaries are set around when the employee is expected to be available on the phone or checking their e-mails. The flip side of flexible working can mean that workers never switch off!

From an employment law perspective, all employees are entitled to request flexible working. Businesses are not obliged to grant the request but must follow a fair process for considering it and have a good business reason for turning it down.

Lynn Bradley Pennine Business Partners

Kirklees & Calderdale

New partner appointment at Ramsdens Ramsdens have announced that David Bradley has joined Ramsden’s LLP as a partner with effect from 1 May 2017.

David, formerly the Managing Director (Europe) of DLA Piper and Global Head of Employment, Pensions and Benefits and currently Non-Executive Chairman of Ramsdens LLP will lead Ramsdens’ Business Legal Services Division. David will continue in his role as Non-Executive Chairman of the firm as a whole.

Paul Joyce, Managing Partner said, “We are very pleased David has agreed to come on board to be directly involved in the Business legal services side of our firm, bringing with him a wealth of commercial legal experience gained over many years in what has, and will continue to be a very impressive legal career”.

David said, “I am delighted to become more involved.

I have already seen, during my time as Chairman how well run and well-positioned this firm is to provide excellent service to commercial clients. I am excited at the prospect of developing a new chapter and to build on the successes that have already been achieved”.

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Putting Mirfield Monastery on the map Fantastic Media recently had the privilege of launching a brand new website for the Community of the Resurrection

B

ased at the stunning Mirfield Monastery, the Community of the Resurrection consists of men who, freely accepting the call of God, have committed themselves to follow the gospel life.

The Community of the Resurrection was founded in 1892 by a group of Christian Socialists challenged by the poverty of the working classes, and their strong sense of vocation called them to find a home in the industrialised north. The aim of the community is to build up the body of Christ through pastoral and educational works. The Monastery, also home

to the Mirfield Centre, offers retreats, school visits, conference facilities, weddings, a bookshop and a bed and breakfast.

Following a desire to share the facilities available at the Monastery with both the local community and the additional Communities across the world, the Community of the Resurrection appointed Fantastic Media to develop its online presence following a recommendation from an existing client of the Birstall based marketing experts.

The client wished to pull all

areas of the Monastery into one main hub, in doing so drawing attention to areas that those unfamiliar with their offering may have previously not known existed. This included the Community of the Resurrection itself, the Mirfield Centre, the onsite Bed and Breakfast and the Shop. Previously, each of these areas had a separate website and the Community

Cycling success for children’s nursery The co-director of a day nursery group has completed the ‘Way of the Roses’ cycle challenge in support of the company’s charitable arm.

David Burke of Children’s Place day nurseries

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of the Resurrection wished to unite the both the spiritual and the hospitality aspects of their offering.

The new site also incorporates an ecommerce shop, built in Woo Commerce, which allows the monastery to sell a selection of books and religious gifts.

Beth Saville, Account Manager at Fantastic Media, commented: “The impressive Monastery

recently cycled the 170 mile coast to coast route from Morecombe in Lancashire to Bridlington in East Yorkshire to raise funds for the Children’s Place Foundation.

Over the four days, David and two family members battled the elements, cycling through blazing sunshine and thunderstorms to complete the challenge.

Children’s Place Day Nurseries started its name sake charity in 2014 to enable the company to focus its expertise and fundraising on projects that champion childhood and improve life chances for

Kirklees & Calderdale

First tenant for Independence House Huddersfield’s newly refurbished office building Independence House has welcomed its first tenant since being acquired by Orchard Facilities Management.

Marketing company KC Communications, founded by Katrina Cliffe, has moved into the landmark property on Halifax Road, which also serves as Orchard’s national headquarters.

building is right on our doorstep and the agency has been very proud to showcase the Monastery’s facilities and grounds through the new website design.

After conducting ‘competitor research’, it is safe to say that the Mirfield Monastery website stands out against other monastery websites across the UK, it has certainly set the standard.”

Take a look at the website at mirfield.org.uk

young children both in the UK and overseas.

Esther Burke, Development Co-ordinator at the Children’s Place Foundation, highlighted the importance of the charity’s work to fund early years education and experiences. She said: “The early years of a child’s life form the basis of intelligence, personality, social behaviour and capacity to learn, so it is vital that they have access to the best education possible that will drastically improve their prospects in life.

“We provide training opportunities to the early years workforce and information and

Katrina said the building’s location, flexible terms and enterprise level of services appealed to her growing business.

“There are very few offices in the Huddersfield area that can offer free parking for both tenants and visitors, superfast broadband and fully serviced flexible terms so we moved quickly to secure the space we needed to give us room to grow,” said Katrina.

Gareth Henderson, Managing Director of Orchard Facilities Management, said he was delighted to welcome the KC Communications team.

“Orchard’s directors are passionate about supporting fledgling businesses in Calderdale and Kirklees and we have thought very

carefully about the services they will need to make growth and success as easy as possible.”

support to parents. We also provide more immediate support to vulnerable families in partnership with children’s centres and other organisations, as well as funding projects that will improve the life chances for young children both in the UK and overseas.

Fundraisers like my dad and his team are vital for us to continue our work for a world where every child is supported to reach their full potential.”

able to talk to people about the charity on our journey, which is just as important as raising funds! Early childhood development needs to be higher on the agenda and it’s great to do what I can. I want to thank everyone who has supported and sponsored me.”

Commenting on his success, David added: “It was a great experience challenging ourselves and raising funds and awareness. We were

TO DONATE IN SUPPORT OF DAVID’S COAST TO

For more information about the Children’s Place Foundation visit www. childrensplacefoundation.org

COAST CYCLE CHALLENGE YOU CAN VISIT: HTTPS:// LOCALGIVING.ORG/CHARITY/CHILDRENSPLACE/

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Progress for Springfield Centre Guests were invited to a bolt-tightening ceremony at Kirklees College’s Springfield Centre to mark progress with the building work.

Kirklees Council, The Heritage Lottery Fund, and The Dewsbury Townscape Heritage Initiative.

The project has received investment through the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.

This centre will be mainly for young people and will offer a range of vocational programmes including specialist provision in science-related and technical areas.

The plans also involve transforming the iconic landmark Pioneer House into a centre for higher level skills, apprenticeships and post-19 studies, specialising in creative and digital media and art, healthcare, business and finance.

Guests at the event included Governors, staff and students from the college, Kirklees Council and Kier Construction.

Before being given a brief tour of the site, Kier Operations Director for Yorkshire, Nick Shepherd, told guests: “We have a state of the art design and building moving forwards that will really put Kirklees College on the map in Dewsbury, and the progress shows the commitment of everybody in regards to making this happen.”

T

he Springfield Centre is part of the college’s Dewsbury Learning Quarter – two new centres due to open next year to replace the current Dewsbury Centre and Batley School of Art. The Dewsbury Learning Quarter project forms part of Kirklees Council’s wider

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regeneration program for Dewsbury through the North Kirklees Growth Zone.

Kirklees College principal Marie Gilluley said: “The college has had a presence in Dewsbury for a long time and is absolutely committed to continuing that and looking forward to doing something that will be a very positive change.

“Our aim is to provide something for all the residents of Dewsbury and surrounding areas to make sure everyone has the right levels of skills and enterprise.

It is being part funded through the Leeds City Region Growth Deal, delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), supported by

“We are really looking forward to the contribution the college is going to be able to make with these new buildings and I am sure it will take us forward into a vibrant and successful future.”

Kirklees & Calderdale

Back to business and Brexit

By Natalie Sykes, Regional Director, Institute of Directors The General Election has been and gone and minds are now focussed on the negotiations required to secure a good deal for Britain as we exit the European Union.

The Institute of Directors (IoD) is at the forefront of providing platforms for business leaders to debate the issues at stake, post the Election and pre Brexit.

Across the Northern Powerhouse region, we are staging a series of events to ensure the voice of business is heard and taken into account as the Government progresses the Brexit negotiations and importantly, a final trade agreement.

At the same time, we are driving forward the Northern Powerhouse agenda to grow the voice of business, the economy and connectivity in the North, partnering with key organisations such as Transport for the North.

The next few months therefore are going to be busy for business but there is time to take stock at our prestigious Director of the Year Awards being held on Wednesday 5 July at the Principal York Hotel.

leaders we have across Yorkshire and the North East.

Their achievements cannot be overestimated and our awards highlight their hard work and dedication to growing successful companies – and the Northern Powerhouse economy.

Congratulations to all our winners who will go forward to the national IoD Director of the Year finals later this year.

The IoD’s 99 Club is the perfect membership package for young business leaders It enables founders and entrepreneurs to take their start up to the next level, networking with 1,400 like-minded individuals.

FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.IOD.COM/MEMBERSHIP FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE IOD IN

These annual awards are a timely reminder – and a celebration – of the breadth of inspirational entrepreneurs and business

YORKSHIRE AND THE NORTH EAST, EMAIL IOD. YORKSHIRE@IOD.COM

The room at The Town Hall A new venue for business and culture has opened in Brighouse following a 12 month period of extensive refurbishment.

The Room at Town Hall officially opened its doors in late May, and is situated in the former Brighouse Town Hall building. The work saw a derelict floor of the building turned into an executive conference suite and meeting venue.

Pictured: (L-R) Julie Ross, Senior Patient Care Coordinator at Town Hall Dental & Rachel Dilley, Director of The Room at Town Hall

The listed building, dating back to the 1800s, is steeped in hundreds of years of history and culture, and a sympathetic restoration of the space has preserved the atmosphere and heritage of the iconic building.

The venue boasts a capacity of over 100 people and is intended to be used by businesses requiring a conference or training space, as well as providing a location for the Brighouse community to develop projects such as the arts.

The venue will be managed by Rachel Dilley, also the practice manager of Town Hall Dental.

Rachel commented: “We’re so happy to see The Room finally completed and ready for use.

We can’t wait to use the space to help local projects and businesses thrive. At Town Hall Dental, we regularly get involved with local charities such as Overgate Hospice and Brighouse and Surrounding Homeless, and it will be great for us to have a location that they can use for events”.

FOR ENQUIRIES CONTACT RACHEL DILLEY AT RACHEL@ THEROOMBRIGHOUSE.CO.UK OR ON 01484 943022

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Kirklees and Calderdale chatted to Karen CSR SHOWCASE TopicUK Borowski of Revell Ward to find out why CSR is close to the company’s heart.

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Women on a mission

Kirklees & Calderdale

For the three ladies behind Huddersfield-based accountants, Revell Ward, fundraising is always high on the list of things to do.

W

e are a small company headed up by three successful women who feel it is important to support the local community, especially those less fortunate than us and our team”, says director Karen.

She adds: “We support numerous local charities, with priority given to those that are clients as you would expect, and we contribute differently to all of them often in terms of time and not just money."

But when it comes to starting a new CSR challenge, how does Karen ensure that her ensure that her team is fully engaged in the mission?

She explains: “We try and add both ‘fun’ and ‘business’ dimensions to our CSR activities. One of our most popular challenges was the £100s to £1000s challenge by the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, where we gave two teams £500 each and challenged them to turn it into £5,000 in just three months.

They loved it and were so competitive! They learnt how hard it was to ask contacts for help and contributions for no return.”

Being seasoned CSR pros, the team at Revell Ward are not scared of a challenge, and their most recent one came in the form of HTAFC’s Pedal 4 Pounds challenge that took place in early May.

Image: Darren Walton

Karen explains: “Our latest fundraising project has been run by Jennifer Davies, who took on #P4P8 with a blind stoker on her tandem. Jennifer has done a lot of cycling with Tandem Treckers over the last couple of years, and whilst Jennifer and I have been tandem partners in the past for the Pedal 4 Pounds rides, she thought this would add

another dimension to the challenge.

“She wanted to help promote the fact that, whilst disability has an impact on people, it really is mind over matter that leads to success.”

Jennifer’s tandem partner this year was Martin Webster, who, amongst his many skills as an engineer, cyclist, guitarist, and chainsaw wielder (to name a few!), is also blind.

During the ride, Jennifer was also accompanied by her 14 year old son Michael, who impressed during 2016’s 215 mile Shankly Tour. Luckily, he was able to repeat his successful cycling performance this year to help pedal the team to success.

With the company’s seasoned experience of taking part in CSR initiatives, what advice would Karen give to those who are looking introduce CSR activity into their own company?

“I would say it’s very easy”, Karen comments.

“There are so many great local causes in need of help that finding someone or something to suit your strategy shouldn’t be difficult. Decide what you want to get out of it, what fits best with your team and get on with it.

“We don’t strictly calculate how much time we dedicate to CSR, but it is slightly dictated by time availability throughout the year. Summer is generally more attractive to outdoor projects, but we have also had to train for cycling challenges at -4 degrees in the past!”

Reflecting on Revell Ward’s successful projects, Karen concludes: “CSR activity has helped our company immeasurably and we wouldn’t change it for the world. We have met some truly fabulous people who in turn know even more fabulous people, so the networking never stops.”

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BIG NEWS

Each edition we catch up with someone in the region who is a true inspiration to others. This edition, Kirklees/Calderdale Editor Alex Mason caught up with Mandy Taylor.

It all began with a children’s hospice

In 2004, her attendance at a public meeting to discuss proposals to build a new children’s hospice in Huddersfield would change Mandy Taylor’s life and start her incredible journey into the world of charity.

“I am very proud to be a true ‘Yorkshire lass’”, beams Mandy Taylor as we chat in the office in Brighouse where she works as PA to Financial Adviser, Louise Woollard.

“I have lived in Huddersfield all my life - and followed its football club since being a young girl - and can still see my old Colne Valley High school from my home which is nestled on the valley in Golcar.

Mandy lives with her husband, Andrew, “Who”, she tells me, “is an absolute star. He arranged our entire wedding from start to finish along with a ‘wedding committee’ comprising of close friends, and all I had to do was turn up!” As well as being mum to a son and step-daughter, she is also a doting “Nannie Mandy” to Hollie.

With such a busy life, I wonder what it was that inspired Mandy to start her 13 year (so far!) journey with charity over a decade ago.

She tells me: “In 2004, I attended a public meeting regarding the proposals to build a children’s hospice. I felt a real connection with the vision - having owned a children’s play gym in Halifax and becoming a bit of a Mary

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Poppins! - and a desire to lend a hand. Little did I realise that I would eventually end up running that charity for a while and, ably assisted by an excellent team of staff and volunteers and governed by a diligent board of Trustees, raise £2million as part of the team who saw the hospice dream turn into a reality.”

Once planning permission was secured, Mandy’s journey with the charity came to an end. She hastens to add: “It was time for true professionals with a wealth of experience to take it to the next level.”

Mandy carried on with various fundraising initiatives in her own time - with activities such as fundraising calendar shoots and organising events becoming a regular feature in her diary before returning to professional fundraising in 2012 when she joined Huddersfield Town Football Club to run its then fledgling charity, The Town Foundation.

Mandy adds: “The Town Foundation is an amazing charity that has launched some fantastic initiatives such as breakfast clubs for children in schools across Kirklees and Calderdale. I truly

loved my time there and left four years later with the greatest of memories.”

Having supported more than 50 charities over the years, including Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, Cancer Research, BASH (of which Mandy is a Trustee) and Kirkwood Hospice to name a few, Mandy is certainly a seasoned – but extremely humble – charity pro.

Fundraising efforts have seen her try everything from jumping out of planes and climbing mountains, to cycling up and down the UK and compering the recent Brodstock music festival with a crowd of more than 3,000 people.

In April, Mandy was the auctioneer for the first More in Common – Batley and Spen fundraising dinner, raising funds for the charity established in memory of MP Jo Cox. Keen to emphasise the team work behind an event that raised more than £40,000 for charity, Mandy tells me: “It was a great honour to be asked to be auctioneer for the first More in Common dinner, but it was due to the generosity of some incredible donors, including my old boss and friend Dean

Hoyle, that we were able to raise such a fantastic amount of money.”

Having made a difference to so many good causes, I ask Mandy what it is that drives her passion for charity.

“To be honest, there are a number of drivers. In the early days I was simply swept away with the whirlwind of the hospice - every day was a ‘school day’ and having never taken any formal fundraising qualifications, there was lots to learn but I’m not scared of hard work at all.

Kirklees & Calderdale lady, based at Louise Woollard Financial, and during the working week, that job is my main priority.

“Thankfully though, Louise shares the same charity ethos as I do and is incredibly charitable too – in fact we met via a simple tweet that I put out a number of years ago appealing for someone with “a passion for fashion, fundraising and football” to contact me – and the rest is history!”

With such great memories of charity work, events and fundraising made through her passion for making a difference, I ask Mandy if she can share some of her most fond moments.

“I have to say, skydiving for The Town Foundation - despite my fear of heights – was very memorable! Also, standing in front of a planning committee and finally securing the go ahead to build Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice was a huge achievement. In addition, taking 300 children to Filey with Dean Hoyle and many other fabulous supporters and donors was very emotional, as many of the children had never seen the sea, felt the sand between their toes or travelled any real distance from their homes in Huddersfield.”

Team Pink Fizz - image credit Cancer ResearchUk “Another reason was my breast cancer diagnosis, which will now be fast approaching six years ago. It made me evaluate my life, realise that every day was precious and gave me the ‘kick up the bum’ to embrace the journey it would take me on. I ensured that my diary was packed full of charity commitments so that after every operation or “blip” I had something to get my teeth into.”

Mandy’s personal journey with charity also inspired her to form a voluntary organisation, Charity Angels, whereby anyone with a skill or talent which they wish to share can be connected to a charity. She adds: “This is something that really appeals to me, as often the gift of goodwill goes so much further than the gift of a donation, and it is simply

impossible for me to calculate how many thousands of hours I have gifted and the monies I have helped to raise.”

“I am also often drawn to charities that are formed as the consequence of unforeseen circumstances and heartbreak, a prime example of which will be my voluntary work with the More In Common - Batley and Spen team, chaired by Kim Leadbeater, Jo Cox’s sister.”

So, just how much of her time does Mandy dedicate to her passionate charity work?

She tells me: “That’s difficult to measure, and to be honest, I have never ‘watched the clock’ or measured it. I now work for a brilliant

“Perhaps most humbling was winning the Examiner Community Awards in 2012, and becoming a finalist in The Inspirational Woman of the Year Awards in London in the same year simply took my breath away.”

Having made such a difference to the charities she has worked with, be that on her own or as part of a team, what advice would Mandy give to anyone who’d like to get involved?

“I’d suggest that anyone wanting to get involved with a charity needs to consider their skillset, what really makes them ‘buzz’ and the amount of time they can realistically offer.

“Volunteering brings great rewards and a degree of flexibility, suits all ages and skills and can be fitted amongst other commitments. The ‘feel good factor’ is immense and the pride you feel in knowing that you have made a small difference really is immeasurable.”

July / August 2017 29

Kirklees & Calderdale Hanson Chartered Surveyors was established in October 1989, by Mark Hanson BSc FRICS to service the needs of clients expecting direct and uncomplicated advice.

Seize The Day

The last few months has seen the commercial property market quieten down as well as the domestic market as the uncertainty concerning Brexit begins to bite.

Whether this is a short run thing pending the result of the election in seven days’ time or whether it perpetuates for a while, we will have to wait and see.

But the good news is two-fold; first there are countless episodes of The Sweeney to watch on ITV4 catch-up and second; Huddersfield Town has been promoted to top flight football for the first time for 45 years and will celebrate 110 years in the game next year in style.

Whilst the former has been great to numb the effects of appalling political debate on TV, the latter should not be under-estimated as a catalyst to put Huddersfield well and truly on the map being the sole representative of Premier League football in Yorkshire.

Thanks should go to Ken Davy who rescued

sport in Huddersfield when he bought Huddersfield Rugby League and Huddersfield Town when both were in the doldrums as well as Dean Hoyle who, as a life-long Huddersfield fan backed his town and team with foresight and further investment.

Those of us able to promote the benefits of Huddersfield (and I mean Huddersfield unashamedly and not the wider metropolitan area given the ancient name which happens, geographically to be most confusingly in Calderdale) must grasp the marketing opportunity such success will allow.

Huddersfield can puff out its chest. Perhaps even some commercial schemes which may have been marginal may be looked at afresh.

Thousands will already have got out their atlases (well tapped their multi-map app)

to see where Huddersfield is. They will have discovered that Huddersfield is in the centre (almost) of the Country with great road and rail connections with improvement in the pipeline. They will discover, when they come, welcoming people, proud of their heritage (both sport and manufacturing) ready to adapt to the winds of change. They will see, when they look, a wonderful place to live and work in the heart of the Pennine hills yet within an hour of either the Dales or the Peak District. They will find Huddersfield representing Yorkshire at many levels other than football with an outward looking attitude hungry to seize any opportunity presented to it.

Those who come to Huddersfield for any reason will not be disappointed and those who represent the town will not, I am sure, be found wanting. Carpe Diem.

Mark S Hanson FRICS

Contract Philip Deakin or Jason Metcalfe

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30

2017 July / August

Secure site providing car parking and service yard

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Kirklees & Calderdale

Cyber threat protection We all know how potentially damaging a cyber threat can be to a business (as seen with the recent NHS hack and the ‘power problems’ BA experienced).

PR agency revs up with client win Brighouse PR agency Faith PR has been appointed by Twisted Automotive to deliver a consumer PR programme for the brand, as well as supporting company founder Charles Fawcett across social media platforms.

Twisted Automotive specialises in extensive modifications to standard Land Rover Defender vehicles, which are built and sold to a bespoke specification, or supplied from an existing range.

Twisted’s customer base varies from farmers through to household names from the world of TV and sport, and overseas royalty, with extreme adventurer Sean Conway recently named the company’s latest ‘anti-ordinary’ ambassador.

Faith PR will work alongside Twisted to convey the passion, expertise, and uniqueness behind the Twisted offering, bringing in new customers and existing owners looking to improve their vehicle.

Speaking about the new client win, Faith PR director Stefanie Hopkins said: “We are thrilled to be working with such an interesting, iconic, and innovative company and are excited to help them maximise brand and product exposure in the weeks and months ahead.

Anyone can be fooled by spam emails and compromised websites but as the threats businesses face become more sophisticated, having the right IT solution in place to protect your business is absolutely essential.

So, what can Fusion do to help mitigate these problems?

We use a combination of IT products and practical advice and solutions to better protect our clients fromcybersecurity threats.

These include: Anti-phishing testing – Fake phishing is an effective mechanism that allows businesses to send scam emails to their staff in a bid to track which employees fall for the ruse and helps test the phishing awareness of employees.

Antivirus - Your antivirus needs to be part of a larger IT security strategy, able to defend all the devices that access your secure network.

Web filtering – The internet is a tool that most businesses can’t do without, but access to the web is also a major threat to your IT security.

Keeping web access safe is essential IT maintenance.

the best options available for your business needs Disaster Recovery – A good disaster recovery solution should quickly have your business back up and running on a system you are familiar with, or provide your team with something similar until your system is fully recovered. We aim to ensure that any downtime you experience is minimised.

Keeping up to date – Getting the basics right and checking for updates to your computer operating systems is crucial.

Educate your people - Coach employees about cyber security and regularly test their knowledge and understanding.

Don’t leave your business open to a cyber-security attack.

IF YOU WANT TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS WITH OUR MANAGED SERVICES, GIVE FUSION A CALL. WE CAN PROVIDE STRATEGIC ADVICE AND DESIGN A TAILORED SOLUTION TO MEET YOUR NEEDS.....JUST CALL US ON 0333 2414123 OR EMAIL INFO@ FUSIONMANAGEIT.CO.UK #ASKFUSION.

Backups – Backing up your business data is just common sense, but how you choose to back up that data can be more of a challenge. Understand

July / August 2017 31

Kirklees & Calderdale

Editor becomes a dragon TopicUK Group Editor, Gill Laidler, was delighted recently to be asked to be a ‘dragon’ at an event organised by The University of Huddersfield, journalism department.

“Unlike the television version, fellow judge Chris Shaw and I were not asked to put up any cash, but we were asked to offer feed back on four presentations by second year journalist student projects, where they were asked to create a business plan and project to set up a magazine,” said TopicUK Group Editor Gill Laidler.

Rightmove recognition for Ludbrooks Northowram based estate agent, Ludbrooks, is celebrating its second anniversary after being crowned by Rightmove as the number one estate agent in the area.

Established in 2015, Ludbrooks has previously been recognised by Rightmove as the fastest growing estate agency in Calderdale.

They were given the prestigious title having sold the most number of properties in the HX3 postcode throughout 2016 and the first half of 2017.

Ludbrooks Managing Director, Darren Ludbrook, commented: “We would not have received this commendation, or reached our second anniversary, without the continued support of the people of Northowram and Calderdale as a whole.

“The feedback provided by the community, as well as their help when we first started, has led to us being in this fantastic position.

We will continue to work to give back to the community and hope to be involved in local

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events as much as possible in the future.”

2016 saw Ludbrooks introduce drone videos for properties in Calderdale, a first for the area, which led to an increase in sales figures and the adoption of the service across Yorkshire from other estate agents. This year, they have expanded with additional sales assistants and valuation experts, and continues to expand its portfolio of properties from its Northowram base.

“Halifax is a prime spot right now, with the investment going in to the Piece Hall as well as the rapidly rising property prices.

We’re seeing a huge amount of interest from outside the area that wasn’t seen before, as people looking to get their foot on the property ladder or looking to upsize try to find that perfect property that will continue to rapidly appreciate in value” Mr Ludbrook commented.

“We were presented with four very different ideas from cookery to music and entertainment magazines.

“Working together in groups of four to six, students set themselves an area of responsibility such as designer, salesperson, accounts manager, researcher etc.

Each then worked on the project, first researching the need for a magazine in the chosen area in the first place, how they would raise the funds, what the content would be, distribution, sales and printing.

“Having done all this ourselves four years ago when we launched TopicUK, it was interesting for me personally to see what work they had put into it. I don’t think people realise the hard work that goes into setting something like this up, and I managed to pick up a few tips and ideas myself from the students!” Gill continued.

“I think this is an excellent initiative by The University of Huddersfield to engage with outside business. The students were nervous presenting to business people and hopefully the feedback that they received from Chris and I was valuable. I was able to explain the pitfalls and the mistakes we made, how we rectified them and explained how you have to stay passionate about the project as we are if it is to work.”

Kirklees & Calderdale

Job description

How to prepare a winning job and person specification

By Ellie-Mae Fisher, Howarths People & Safety Management

B

efore beginning my HR career, my view was that as long as a person could actually do a job then that would be enough, and as such, recruitment should be an easy process. Sometimes, this does ring true, however usually this is just not enough. Today, businesses need (and want!) people who can do their job well but also possess the right qualities, ethics and principles to ensure they’re a good fit for the team.

Making a successful hire can be difficult, however preparing a good, well-considered job description and thoughtful person specification can prove invaluable to the overall recruitment process.

I believe that a successful hire isn’t possible without proper consideration of the job role available. To successfully recruit, you need to know what the job ‘looks like’; in HR terms, this is known as ‘job analysis’. Job

analysis is exactly what it says on the tin: it involves looking at a vacancy and analysing the role’s key tasks, main purpose, desired outputs and where the role sits within the business.

Once the job analysis is complete, drafting a job description and person specification becomes far easier (indeed, you will have already done a lot of the work!). The job analysis exercise and information already gathered will help shape your job description and person specification accordingly. A lesson I’ve learnt over time, is that having an awareness of the job available, and the ideal person for this, makes recruitment and selection goals far easier to achieve.

Having the necessary paperwork in place to support the job analysis is also important and it is beneficial to cover the following:

• Job Title • Place of work (any travel) • Position reports to • Brief Job Purpose Summary • Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities (general duties) • Areas which the position affects (for example, staff, customers, etc.)

• Other general responsibilities and accountabilities (if appropriate) • Date implemented.

• Person specification • Skills and abilities (think practically here, and how this applies to tasks completed) • Qualifications • Experience • Character (personality) • Personal qualities (traits to fit within the company and work) • Other ideal qualities (think widely here, for anything an employee should possess for the job and work entailed) • Date implemented.

It’s only from working in HR that I now understand the importance of having the right people in place, at the right time, to make for a better working environment.

People are the key to pushing and driving a business’ overall success, and so is in appreciation for the importance of appropriate recruitment and selection.

To assist with this, Howarths will be introducing a new HR and Investigations service from July, which includes recruitment and selection assistance.

For example, support with job analysis and preparation of job descriptions, job adverts, application forms, offer letters, etc. Although, the main advantage of this service is hands on help with HR processes, as the aim of the department is to add value to your business.

July / August 2017 33

Kirklees & Calderdale

Mail specialist secures Ethical Trademark Huddersfield based Propack Direct Mail has announced that it has successfully protected its recently launched Postage brand, Ethical Mail®.

The Intellectual Property Office has recently granted the firm the 10-year right to the exclusive use of the Ethical Mail® name and logo. With production facilities in Huddersfield, Propack specialises in digital print, direct mail, distribution and postage, servicing many major blue chip clients including Sky Bet, Travis Perkins and GHD. Following its highly-regarded certification by the Forestry Stewardship Council and ISO14001 Environmental accreditation, the firm sought to enhance its ‘best practice’ approach and

the Ethical Mail® brand was born. The service specialises in letter traffic delivery for high volume mailers and operates around its core values including being equitable, just and fair dealing and avoidance of activities that do harm to the environment.

Gary Walker, Account Director at Propack, commented: “Corporate Social Responsibility is now extremely high on the agenda for many large firms, and the association with a brand such as Ethical Mail® generates extremely positive connotations for those firms and can help them

bramleys UNIT 8 WHITACRE IND EST, To WHITACRE ST, OFF LEEDS ROAD, HUDDERSFIELD HD2 1LY Let

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“Since we launched Ethical Mail® at the start of 2017, it’s generated a huge interest with both new and existing clients. With 750, 000 items of mail released to date, and a further volume commitment for the year already in excess of 5 million, the results are extremely positive. It was a nail biting few months waiting to hear if our trademark registration had been successful, and when the news came through from the IPO we were thrilled.”

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BRAMLEYS COMMERCIAL AD_4_188x132_180517.indd 1

18/05/2017 12:21

Terrifying Tower

Kirklees & Calderdale

is UK’s highest climbing wall

A

terrifying tower has been created as the UK’s highest man-made outdoor climbing wall.

Higher than both the Tower of London and the Angel of the North, the ROKTFACE wall at ROKT climbing centre in Brighouse, will now enable people to climb routes up to 36m.

The wall – roughly equivalent to a 12 storey building or seven double decker buses stacked on top of each other – has been grafted on to the face of a sky-scraping disused flour silo, just months after climbing was finally confirmed as a sport in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The structure sits alongside the Calder and Hebble canal, where specialist crews have spent the last three months drilling around 2,750 holes, resulting in around 21 different routes for climbers, ranging from amateurs to experts.

and other people who’ve believed in this project, we’re turning dreams into reality.”

The £75,000 project is being led by ROKT climbing centre in partnership with Calderdale Council to help raise the profile and participation of healthy activity as well as tourism for the area.

It will give daredevils views of up to around 20 miles across Yorkshire.

The routes have been set by Team GB junior climber, Luke Murphy, and range from 28m to 36m high. Luke, 19, from Hebden Bridge, said: “It’s been a really surreal experience – coming to work and hanging off the side of a giant tower setting routes. There’s not many people get to say they work above the rooftops.

Euan Noble, ROKT’s Commercial Director, said: “It’s unique and there’s nothing quite like it anywhere in the world, given its setting, its location and, of course, its height. Put simply, it’s breath-taking.

It’s been a long time coming, but thanks to the team at ROKT, Calderdale Council

“It’s brilliant because it will draw attention to climbing and help raise its profile to so many more people. The Olympics are just around the corner and climbing will make its debut, so launching ROKTFACE now rather than waiting until after means we can be ahead of the curve.”

July/August 2017 35

Kirklees & Calderdale

LEGAL MATTERS

LPA and Your Business Safeguarding For Succession Every year we renew our home insurance, car insurance, life insurance etc. to cover an occurrence with may or may not happen as a safeguard or a ‘just in case’.

As a business or company owner you try to cover all aspect of safeguarding your assets but it is also important to consider what may happen if at any point during your lifetime you start to lose mental capacity.

What would happen to the running of your business or company?

Who would run your financial affairs?

What would be determined for your employees?

succession of the running of your company or business when you are no longer able to do so.

A commercial Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is the answer to these questions. The LPA document is essential to confirm your company or business will keep running smoothly and to ensure all commercial matters are carried out as they should be.

Without an LPA fundamental aspects of your company or business may cease to operate; access to your accounts may be denied, suppliers or third parties may not be paid, contracts may not be completed and your employees may not be paid.

What is an LPA?

Making a Lasting Power of Attorney could be the answer to successful

True or False:

5 Myths about Wills There are many myths and misconceptions about Wills and making a Will in today’s market. Maybe that’s one of the reasons 53% of UK adults have not yet made a will.

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2017 July / August

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a Legal Document that allows you to appoint someone else to act on your behalf or make a decision for you when you are unable.

There are two types of LPA document – Property & Finance and Health & Welfare. A Health & Welfare power allows your attorney(s) to make decisions only about your health and wellbeing if you do not have the mental capacity to do so. A Property & Finance power is what you will need for your business or company.

A Property & Finance LPA will allow

At Chadwick Lawrence we like to tell you in plain English the ins and outs of making a Will and bust those myths so your mind is at ease.

anyone in your Will will not take effect.

MYTH 1: MY DEBTS WILL DIE WITH ME

FALSE – Your spouse will inherit your assets held in joint names only. Everything else you own will pass under the intestacy rules. The intestacy rules are strict and if a Will is not made your assets may go to a place that would not have corresponded with your wishes.

FALSE – Upon your death any debt you have will be paid from the estate funds. Once these have been paid and if your Estate is solvent the remaining monies can be distributed in accordance with your wishes under the Will.

However, if there are insufficient assets to pay all your debts in full and your Estate is considered insolvent then your creditors may become entitled to your estate. This will most likely mean that any legacies you have left to

MYTH 2: I DON’T NEED A WILL, IF I DIE EVERYTHING WILL GO TO MY SPOUSE

MYTH 3: I HAVE A WILL SO MY EXECUTORS CAN ASSIST WITH MY FINANCIAL AFFAIRS WHILST I AM LIVING

FALSE – A Will will only come in to effect when you die and your executors can only

Each issue Chadwick Lawrence Yorkshire’s Legal People, share with our readers information to keep us all within the law.

Kirklees & Calderdale

If you have a legal question, or need to know about a particular subject, email editor@topicuk.co.uk

your attorney(s) to carry out specific tasks appointed to them by you when you no longer have capacity to do so. This LPA document is flexible and can be also be used onset of loss of mental capacity i.e. if you are away or ill.

Your company or business and LPAs If you decide an LPA is right for you and your company or business the first step to take is a review of your business’ or company’s Articles of Association and any shareholders or partnership agreements followed by making a decision on whom your attorney(s) will be. The document will then be prepared and registered with the Office of the Public Guardian to have effect.

If you then lose capacity your business or company will be ‘safe’ and continue running effectively regardless of your business’ or company’s size, turnover, number of employees . An LPA could be the answer to your business’ or company’s continuity plan for succession.

FOR ADVICE ON LASTING POWERS OF ATTORNEY CONTACT OUR TEAM ON 0800 015 0340 TO ARRANGE AN INITIAL AT ANY OF OUR OFFICES IN HUDDERSFIELD, HALIFAX, WAKEFIELD, HORBURY, LEEDS, PUDSEY OR MORLEY.

carry out their tasks upon your death If you need assistance with your financial affairs during your lifetime you will need to make a Lasting Power of Attorney for Property & Financial affairs and appoint attorneys to assist you whilst you are living.

A Lasting Power of Attorney will allow your attorneys to assist you during your lifetime.

Upon the event of your death the Lasting Power of Attorney becomes void and your Will comes in to effect. The executors of your Will will then carry out their tasks.

MYTH 4: MY EXECUTORS CANNOT ALSO BE BENEFICIARIES OF MY WILL

FALSE – You can appoint up to 4 executors to assist with the administration of your estate upon your death. Most people choose a spouse, partner, child or children or close friend.

There is no restriction to say that an executor cannot also benefit from your Will if you should so wish for them to do so. In most cases if a spouse or partner is appointed as an executor they are usually the sole beneficiary of the estate.

Experts will carefully craft your Will to reflect your wishes leaving you stress free and your mind peaceful and at rest. We tailor each and every individual Will to suit your needs and wishes and most importantly aim to protect your assets against any future claims that may arise.

TO ARRANGE TO SEE ONE OF OUR SPECIALIST WILL’S AND PROBATE LAWYERS TO DISCUSS WILLS,

MYTH 5: A WILL IS STRESSFUL AND TIME CONSUMING

INHERITANCE TAX OR ANY LASTING POWERS OF

FALSE – At Chadwick Lawrence our Team of

0800 015 0340.

ATTORNEY MATTERS, PLEASE CALL OUR TEAM ON

July / August 2017 37

WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS

From moving home to claiming an inheritance, debt to divorce, injuries resulting from accidents and medical negligence, we are on hand to help and make sure that the process runs as smoothly as possible.

Dispute Resolution

Employee Services

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chadwicklawrence.co.uk

Home & Property

Medical Negligence

Personal Injury

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01484 519 999

Wills & Probate

Kirklees & Calderdale almonds and pine nuts, and served with rice.

The ancient city of Petra needs no introduction. And while guidebooks and travel blogs often picture the treasury building - it really is a city, which needs at least a day to be explored. It takes around half an hour to reach from the nearest town, for which you’ll have to travel through the narrow gorges that lead you to the city itself.

If you’re not feeling up to walking in the heat, camels provide an interesting method of transportation to the ruins.

Jordan: an undiscovered gem Exciting, historic, vibrant - Jordan has been on the adventurer’s radar for some time now, and it’s only a matter of time before this relatively undiscovered gem of the Middle East gets popular.

The outstanding beauty of Petra; probably Jordan’s most famous asset, is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World - and while it is definitely a must-see, it certainly isn’t all this unique country has to offer.

Most visits start in the capital on Amman, which is an experience in itself. Fusing traditional charm with a contemporary ethic; you’ll find international clothing brands along with quaint souks selling pretty much everything, to old-fashioned style cafes and modern chic eateries. For those interested in cuisine, Jordan’s national dish is called ‘Mansef’. Usually made from lamb or goat, the meat is cooked in yogurt and seasoned with herbs and spices, sprinkled with

The desert region of Wadi Rum is much more than just sand. This incredible landscape has been used in numerous films (including ‘Star Wars’ and ‘The Martian’) for its lunarlike qualities. 4x4 Dune Safaris and Camel Trekking are popular activities here, but for the true nomad, opt for a traditional Bedouin experience under the stars by spending the night here. With open fires, dinner prepared by locals and luxury tents, it’s more glamping than camping, but equally as brilliant.

Many are familiar with images of newspaperreading floating bathers, however those who aren’t should try and keep their mouths closed whilst swimming in the Dead Sea! It’s advisable not to spend over 20 minutes at a time in the water due to its high salinity (which makes floating on the surface very easy) - but when you’re not in the water, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking.

Dead Sea Mud is a famous exfoliant and regularly used in overpriced cosmetics - you’ll see plenty of bathers covering themselves in it. It’s somewhat customary, so get it slapped on and enjoy!

July/August 2017 39

Kirklees & Calderdale

HOW IT'S MADE

Huddersfield’s Magic Rock Brewing Co. is the result of three people’s passion for beer: brothers Richard and Jonny Burhouse,

aided by head brewer Stuart Ross.

TopicUK Kirklees & Calderdale editor Alex Mason caught up with Stuart to find out more.

A passion for beer

Inspired to start the brewery by their love of great beer and the burgeoning U.S craft beer scene in particular; and driven by a desire to bring exciting characterful beers to their local market and beyond, Richard and Jonny Burhouse began brewing in 2011.

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2017 July / August

Kirklees & Calderdale

Initial reaction to the beers exceeded expectations (as if us Yorkshire folk ever didn’t like a beer!) and a strong first six months saw the brewery being named ‘second best new brewery in the world’ in 2012 on independent ratings site. Rate Beer.

Stuart explains: “In 2015, Magic Rock moved to its current site in Birkby, less than a 10 minute walk from the Town centre. Since moving we have more than doubled our capacity, which currently stands at around 15,000hl pa (2.6million pints).

“Our expansion was largely driven by our desire to open a tap room on site. We did some research and travelled to America visiting several different festivals, and decided we wanted somewhere on site for people to try the beer.”

Anyone who has visited Magic Rock’s tap room won’t argue that there is a vast array of beers and brews to choose from, as well as delicious food to line the stomach from the variety of streets food vans that often frequent ‘the Tap’.

The move to new premises also saw the Magic Rock team expand, creating new job opportunities in Huddersfield.

Stuart continues: “With the move came additional team members. We went from something like six or seven of us to 32 people a couple of months after we relocated.

The Magic Rock team now operates across a range of roles, with eleven working in production (surely the best part?), 10 staff in the tap room serving customers and a range of operational roles including a three-strong sales team and a graphic designer for the brand’s packaging.

So, just how does creating a new brew work?

“We formulate the initial recipes mostly from experience and a little bit of research”, Stuart tells me. “If we know we want to make a five percent pale ale, we’ll start by basing it loosely on a pale ale we’ve brewed before that’s been successful.

“We then pick a malt, sometimes a wheat malt or oat malt, or maybe even a crystal malt (where the barley has been kilned at a higher temperature to crystalise the starches into sugars to give it more colour). This then steeps at 65 degrees for one hour and the enzyme present in the malt coverts the starches into fermentable sugars.”

I’m up to speed so far!

Stuart explains: “Next, we think about the hops. They go into the boil to give bitterness, and then right at the end of the boil we achieve the flavour and aroma.

“The brew day, so creating the actual batch itself, takes a total of around two weeks. The malt goes in, then all the hops, and then boiling happens. That all takes one day, and then the wert, which is the unfermented, bitter liquid, is pumped into a fermenting vessel.

Keeping up? “We then add the yeast which takes about four or five days to ferment, and there there’s another seven or eight days of matteration at varying different temperatures.

“We don’t have any way of experimenting as we don’t have any pilot kit, so we’re always quite careful going fully into a thousand litre batch of beer – it has to be right first time!”, laughs Stuart.

Variety is the spice of life at Magic Rock,

and the team has eight beers permanently available in its canned range, “then two or three other beers we do regularly that canned but are on tap, with at least two to three new beers being made per month. Stuart adds. “Investing in the tools to do the job has been essential for the brewery.” Stuart says that around £2million has been spent on “kit” since the relocation.

“It’s actually all relatively common types of vessels and kit, but we have had to go a bit bespoke on some of the sizing due to the size restrictions of the building we’re in.”

When it comes to spreading the Magic Rock love, the company clearly has that covered too. “We supply everyone from local Huddersfield pubs and bottle shops, to direct deliveries to Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and York and anywhere in between”, says Stuart.

“We also have a craft beer distributor based in Elland that does quite a bit of distribution around the North of England, with a recent new setup in London that we also supply to.”

So what of the future of this brilliant brewery? “We’re actually at capacity as far as using all the tanks here at the moment!” says Stuart. “However, we do have plans to add a few more tanks over the next 18 months to give us more room to experiment and take a little bit of pressure of production.

“We will continue to make beer the same but different, conjured for flavour and which will inspire and delight, but above all, taste great!”

Magic Rock Tap is open Tuesday through Sunday. Visit magicrockbrewing.com

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18 months on, Caribbean vibes still resonate ‘round Huddersfield

Following its launch 18 months ago in Huddersfield, the Turtle Bay restaurant and bar has provided a taste of the Caribbean on even the greyest of West Yorkshire days.

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s the restaurant launches its new food menu, and prepares to introduce a new range of high-end rums, TopicUK was invited to sample some of the tastes and flavours that have helped underpin the brand’s recent success.

Since first being established in 2009, Turtle Bay now has restaurants all over the UK, and many more have opened their doors since the Huddersfield branch celebrated its maiden evening towards the end of 2015.

Our visit began with ‘beach food’ platters featuring jerk chicken wings, which are marinated for 48 hours before being cooked, sweetcorn fritters and other nibbles that were often as sweet as they were spicy.

The table sauces available allow diners to go as spicy as they like, though too much heat may mask those exciting flavours.

Our host, restaurant manager James Moore, then talked us through some of the rums available at Turtle Bay, and the process behind creating them.

This is where things got a little technical, but I can confirm that their production has more than a little to do with the molasses that were passed round for guests, including local food and lifestyle bloggers in attendance, to smell.

Rum is big business across the UK – in bars, restaurants and on supermarket shelves – and Turtle Bay is certainly in a position to capitalise on its popularity, boasting a range of more than 40 different rums, soon to be expanded to include an added range of ‘high-end’ varieties.

But that’s not to say the current fare isn’t up to muster.

There’s English oaky warmth, Jamaican spikey kicks, and all that’s in between the two, with

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some of the stronger offerings registering as high as 63% proof, soon to be rising to 75.5% so not all of the drinks are for the faint of heart.

Fortunately, the Turtle Bay menu offers an array of cocktails that are vividly described, to the extent that it’d be difficult to order a drink that you wouldn’t enjoy.

There’s a carefully arranged offering of nonalcoholic options too, including ‘soft’ versions of many of the Bay’s most popular cocktails, so those driving or abstaining need not miss out on the excitement.

Following the example of the experts, I created a coconut and passionfruit mojito using fresh fruit, mint leaves and purees.

I may not have done it as quick as the guy before me – staff members at Turtle Bay typically mix cocktails at a rate of up to one every 30 seconds! – but it didn’t taste half bad.

There was still time for a second round of Jamaican dining, featuring several more items from the restaurant’s newly launched menu.

Having observed the chef’s at work in Turtle Bay’s open kitchen, it was satisfying to note that the level of detail that goes into food preparation matches that of the bar staff preparing drinks.

And it is here where Turtle Bay’s true strength lies.

Not only does the restaurant offer a drinks experience out-stripping much of the local competition, its food offering is also up there with the best.

And you can also request tasting boards, should you wish to properly explore, and compare and contrast, the varieties of rums and other spirits available

For adventurous diners and drinkers, Turtle Bay Huddersfield serves up a superb overall experience, and its segmented lay-out provides an authentic restaurant vibe, alongside an eyecatching 360-degree bar centrepiece.

Neat or otherwise, there’s a drink for everyone, and we enjoyed a further insight into the craftmanship that goes into the creation of each one when we were invited to mix our own cocktails.

For team get-togethers, a client catch-up with a difference or for a new business pitch that will leave a lasting impression, Turtle Bay Huddersfield could be the vibe you’re looking for.

Kirklees & Calderdale

It is no secret that the press industry has changed over the years – and that PR followed suit. In the olden days, it used to be that as a PR rep, once you had a piece of content to distribute, your only job was to decide which journalist to persuade to publish it.

Nowadays, with the omnipotence of digital media, almost every PR professional is a whole ad agency mixed into one – dealing with activities ranging from planning, through content creation, strategy implementation, crisis management all the way to reporting and outcome analysis.

Our job is still largely about upholding good relationships with journalists and growing our personal networks in order to provide better services for our clients. However, whilst previously we focused on raising awareness of certain products or services (or the business itself) on behalf of our clients, we now steer towards getting through to the right audience by using a multi-channel approach.

To be able to apply such a multichannel approach, campaign planning is key. It allows us to see the bigger picture, and plan for the activities which will ensure the expansion of our client’s coverage and increase its quality,

The importance of planning and implementing a strategy in PR ByPaulina Kowalski: KC Communications

with. My personal university experience gave me the ability to carry out in-depth research, which gives me the chance to really dig into what I need to know about a client and their industry.

Another important in the planning process is the fact that contemporary PR agencies often employ professionals with various expertise – ranging from social media, digital, design, copywriting to video production. This gives them a competitive advantage during the planning process, as from the start they can gather insights and ideas from various disciplines. This also allows them to stay on top of current trends in the marketing industry, which reinforce our PR efforts.

When planning marries strategy The most important factor here is the power of storytelling. By implementing planning and making it go hand in hand with strategy, we ensure our clients’ stories are told the way they would tell them – and that they reach the right people.

It is crucial to take a step back and figure out the best course of action for each medium available before implementing a marketing strategy.

Not all social media platforms are the same – and not all content will prove effective for various sectors and clients.

The planning mix Those in PR often come from various backgrounds. The one thing those backgrounds have in common is the analytical skills they have equipped us

A great example is using Facebook to reach clients in the B2C sector, as it is more of a private platform, and using Twitter for B2B communication. This example isn’t a universal guide, but

shows how crucial planning is.

Flexibility is key Whilst planning, preparing an implementing a solid marketing strategy is crucial, it’s important to remember that in this day and age nothing is set in stone. Therefore, every strategy needs a contingency plan as well as the option to carry out ‘moment marketing’.

‘Moment marketing’ allows businesses and individuals to tap into current events, and build connections based on them. For example, when a team we sponsor scores a goal – let’s shout about it! Preferably in visual form. The more that content gets shared, the more people will see it – and then trace it back to us.

Being flexible, and understanding the interconnectedness of the world we live in comes in handy when preparing a plan. Moreover, it gives a useful stop to those who still believe five year marketing strategies are a good investment – let’s face it, the world changes too fast for that!

Takeaways In the ever-changing industry of PR, it is important to know that the team responsible for your image and communication realises the importance of planning and creating a solid marketing strategy. Once a proper strategy is in place, the process of reporting becomes accurate and clear, as everyone knows exactly what they need to be doing, when, and what the expected results are. Piece of cake!

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THUNDER &LIGHTNING FILMS

We are Thunder and Lightning Films. We do one thing and we do it well – the moving image. Whether it is filmed or animated, we make video content electrifying.

to support the messages that exist in your communication and a combination of great moving images with well written copy can help to tell a complete picture.

We work as a Video Production Company for Communications, Marketing and Advertising Agencies as well as directly for clients with communications and marketing teams.

Our 3,000 square foot studio in Cleckheaton has played host to quite a few interesting shoots in the last couple of months. This is a big space where we can build and light sets completely from scratch for all manner of commercial films. One of our most exciting recent projects was to film a recruitment piece for Pizza Hut. Working alongside marketing company Basis, we created a visual version of the employee manifesto – the mantra that is written for all new starters at Pizza Hut. For this project, we blacked out a large portion of the studio and set up for a series of super-slow motion shots of Pizza Hut people moving around and slamming dough into

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flour on a shiny table. This involved a serious amount of choreography including some very low-fi explosions (party poppers filled with polenta!).

The end result can now be seen at www. tastefreedomcareers.co.uk where the two minute video takes pride of place at the front of the website. This is a good example of how a very sculpted piece of film can light up the user experience of a site. Think of video as the headline to grab the attention of the viewer, giving them the top line information in an attention-grabbing way. Video should be there

Other productions have been equally exciting in the last few weeks at Thunder and Lightning Films. Take a look at recent activity and the team will have been around the country literally in planes, trains and boats. From a documentary style shoot with a disabled pilot in a two-seater aircraft, a day of promo work for a local charity on a canal boat to flying a drone around Dover Castle we find ourselves in weird and wonderful locations. That’s all part of the fun of our job.

So if you want to use the moving image to help communicate, get in touch and we can guide you through the best way to say what you want to say. Think of video as the most impactful way of communicating in a clear and considered way. We will help sculpt and create a piece of video, whether filmed or animated, to tell your story. If it involves throwing things round in slow motion, exploding peppers, light aircraft or heroic locations then all the better.

Kirklees & Calderdale

It’s that time of year when many children and young adults are waiting nervously for their exam results, with lots of waiting, anticipation and the fear of the unknown.

This can also be a stressful time as a parent as you try to encourage and support your child in the best way possible.

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o, if you’re a parent worrying about results, what practical things can you do to support your child?

First of all, remember their mental health is more important than their grades. Resits, or bolt-on English and Maths courses at college can always be done, it may just mean starting at a lower level.

It’s not the end of the world!

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http://www.thunderandlightning.co.uk

When they’re worrying, tell them: “You’re best is good enough”.

Promote that quote.

Tell them you love them and reenforce that you are proud of them for achieving what they have so far.

Ask them to self-score their worry (0=worst / 10 = best) and check in on them regularly, asking what number they are on. How many times do you say you are “ok” when you are not?

Use open questions to explore any worries you have, about what you think they may be feeling. You are not a mind reader, and neither are they.

Distraction is key to easing anxiety.

Encourage them to focus on other things such as hobbies or getting out and about while waiting for results.

Help them with a sense of purpose, perhaps doing some chores for rewards or some money.

Help them find a part-time job, which they could still do when college starts.

Mental Health with Nadine Cotton Dip. Couns MBACP

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Encourage them to put a wish list on the fridge with a post-it. Everyone in the family can do this. Little things are important such as movie nights, a walk and talk, games night.

Remember, praise, love and attention are priceless and create precious memories.

Waiting for exam results and then the transition from school to college can be a very anxious time, but communication with your child is key! If you have Kevin or Perry, do your best to decipher the grunts.

If you can’t understand them, consider helping them with some professional support.

I am a qualified counsellor since 2009, with many years of experience in the education sector, supporting children, young people and adults including family therapy.

I use an integrative approach using different theories and models to suit the needs of my clients, which helps to feel better fast. I offer strategies to cope, find solutions and sustain feeling well including positive thinking.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW

Café Thai Tapas West Vale near Halifax has always been one of those areas where you pass through but very rarely have a reason to stop unless you fancy great fish and chips from the roadside take away. However, this is somewhat changing with the redevelopment of Victoria Mills.

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ndy Thornton Ltd has until recently been the sole occupier of this beautiful building. After a recent refurbishment, a range of new restaurants and bars have opened bringing this historic mill back to life.

On this occasion for the review I chose to do a revisit and go back to Café Thai on the left hand side of the road in the heart of West Vale coming in from Halifax.

They have just re-developed the first floor of this stunning building into Café Thai Tapas. The building they took over was built for a bank when West Vale would have been a heart for textiles. However, in later years it was occupied by a number of outlets, most recently a frozen food shop which has subsequently closed down.

With plenty of on-street parking, Café Thai is easily accessible from the roadside. We walked up the side of this building to the newly formed entrance with a sliding

glass door. We were greeted by a very pleasant gent who took us to the bar before we were seated at our table at the side of the restaurant with great views of a very busy eatery.

Glen came along with me on this occasion as he is a lover of Thai food. They recommend that you order three dishes each with a possible side dish as well, and it wasn’t long until the young lady returned to the table to take our orders.

Café Thai is open Tuesday to Sunday evenings for dinner.

To book a table call 01422 310804, or why not book online via their website at www.cafethaiwest.co.uk which is lightly floured sea bass mixed with Thai herbs and Thai style spicy sauce topped with roast nuts, Larb Hed, which is deep fried mixed mushrooms in Thai style tempura batter topped with Larb spicy sauce, and Larb Salmon, which is thinly sliced salmon topped with Thai style spicy sauce and fresh garlic. He finished off with a side of Tom Yam skinny fries.

All of the dishes were beautifully presented with the most amazing flavours. The dish that stood out for me was the belly pork, thinly cut with a proper ‘bite’ with the chilli. The flavours of the Mango and prawns really got my taste buds tingling and Glen’s Sea Bass looked amazing.

All of the food was delivered to the table at once, which was perfect as there are not too many interruptions, allowing us

to chat and enjoy the authentic atmosphere of the restaurant.

The proprietors certainly have successfully invested in a pleasant and calming Thai ambience, judging from the effect of the décor to the well-trained Thai staff.

We were offered the dessert menu, but we questioned whether we could really manage a dessert after the amazing meal, so we decided against it.

Café Thai Tapas offers dishes from £4.90 up to £13.90 which is great value.

Booking is essential as they do not have any availability on weekends for eight weeks from the time of booking. This is unfortunately a situation that is rolling on week on week, so maybe plan a week night visit.

I took her advice and went for Yum Mamuang which is a combination of spicy raw mango salad with king prawns & cashew nuts, Kaprao Moo Grob which is crispy belly pork stir fried with Chilli & Basil (also the chefs recommendation) and Kanom Jeeb, which is steamed dumplings with minced pork, prawn & water chestnut. For my side dish, I couldn’t resist the classic Pad Thai!

Glen opted for Pla lui suan,

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GOOD FOOD

If you would like to book a table at Gimbals, visit the website www.gimbals.co.uk or call 01422 839329

Gimbal’s Pomegranate mint pesto This delicious pesto is so versatile and simple to make. Here at Gimbals, we serve it with Ras el hanout slow roast sweet potatoes, banana shallots and fennel with local halloumi, sunflower seeds and lebnah (Greek yoghurt).

This is a vegetarian dish, but it is equally delightful served with lamb straight off the barbecue, chicken or duck.

Some of us are lucky enough to have an abundance of mint in our gardens at this time of year, but if not, next doors garden might have! I’m known for my foraging but it isn’t always wild, sorry next door neighbours!

Alternatively, grab some from the supermarket!

Ingredients

50g chopped fresh mint 100g pomegranate seeds 2 table spoons finely chopped shallots 300ml extra virgin olive oil 2 table spoons pomegranate molasses (found in Middle Eastern shops, online or at Gimbals) 3 table spoons freshly grated parmesan 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest 1 table spoon lime juice (to be added just before being served so the mint doesn’t go black) 1 large clove of crushed garlic.

Now, it’s as easy as this; simply put all the ingredients except the lime juice into a mixing bowl and give it a good mix. It needs to be at room temperature before serving so that the full flavours come out. Then add the lime juice to finish off and mix in.

At Gimbal’s, we roast the sweet potatoes sliced into wedges with the skin on so they don’t break up. The halloumi and lebnah is from our friends at Yorkshire Dama Cheese near the swimming baths here in Sowerby Bridge.

Enjoy!

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Kate comments: “The relationships I have developed with people over the last few events are long lasting, and the most striking thing to me is how the business community of Brighouse is like a family - they look out for each other and relish the opportunity to send clients or work your way. We are in this together and there is no competition because we want each and every person to succeed.”

Networking in the Calder Valley Continuing our series on working with local business networks, Upper Calder Valley Renaissance (UCVR) has been providing support and funding to enable networks to grow and become more sustainable.

In this edition, we feature the Big Shots Business Club in Brighouse. The club was launched by Kate Adamson of Grinning Graphics in December 2016, and coincided with the anniversary of Big Shots Coffee Company.

Kate, a graphic designer, is a newcomer to the area and was keen to get to know some of the other local businesses and it soon became apparent that there was no existing Brighousebased business network for her to join. So, she took the initiative herself to get one going.

The directors of Big Shots had previous experience in hosting and organising business

networks and were interested in Kate’s proposal to begin a new chapter of networking at the café. Sharing the same desire to provide a regular networking event in Brighouse, Kate and Big Shots were a perfect match, and so Big Shots Business Club was founded.

The membership list is growing and their Facebook page - bigshotsbusinessclub is increasing its followers. Each month, new members want to join to be part of the relaxed atmosphere and make friends, contacts and develop new business. All businesses are welcome whatever their size. Events so far have taken on an open networking format, along with presentations from local business owners on a topic that they felt would benefit attendees and their businesses.

Future events aim to maintain a varied and unique networking format delivering training workshops, speed networking, open forums

Big Shots Business Club also provides an outlet for business owners to share their successes and learn about some of the pitfalls other business owners have come across.

The most memorable events have involved guest presenters such as Richard Hitchcock (Tackle Business Advice), Adrian Wales (LPD Associates), Zoe Thompson (Refreshed Minds) and Peter Sleigh and Debbie Story (Sleigh & Story).

Sarah Moss, Network Support Facilitator for the UCVR said: “This is a fantastic initiative and because of Kate’s commitment and the early success of the club, the UCVR has been able to assist to access some development funding from Calderdale Council business support”.

Key members of Big Shots supporters/ sponsors are: • Stefanie Hopkins (Faith PR) • Carl Hopkins (Faith PR) • Peter Sleigh (Sleigh & Story) • Matt Bell (Flying Saucers) • Graeme Henderson (Henderson Property) Events are held on the last Friday of the month from 2pm – 4pm at Big Shots Coffee Co. Thornhill Brigg Mills, Thornhill Beck Lane, Brighouse HD6 4AH

FOR MORE DETAILS, CONTACT KATE ADAMSON TEL: 07837733242 BSBCBRIGHOUSE@GMAIL.COM FACEBOOK - /BIGSHOTSBUSINESSCLUB TO CONTACT THE UCVR BUSINESS SUPPORT TEAM: TEL. 01422 417286. EMAIL: INFO@UCVR.ORG.UK. WEB: WWW.UCVR.ORG.UK

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BEAUTY

As Britain (supposedly!) heats up and the holiday season looms, Sharon Seymour, founder and owner of Huddersfield beauty salon Concepts

Summer Skin Protection Protect yourself or risk the repercussions!

Our understanding of exactly what kinds of damage the sun’s ultraviolet A (long-wave) and ultraviolet B (shortwave) rays cause to the skin, and how best to protect ourselves, seems to shift every year as new research comes out.

Ultimately, both types play an important role in skin conditions such as premature skin aging and skin cancers.

The easiest way to remember what damage each rays cause is as follows: UVA = ageing, UVB = burning, UVA. UVA rays: these are far more penetrating than UVB rays and account for up to 95% of radiation reaching the earth’s surface. UVA has long been known to contribute to skin aging and wrinkling and until recently, has been underestimated in its contribution to causing skin cancer. Scientists now believe UVA damages the keretinocytes in the basal layer in the epidermis where most skin cancers are formed.

UVA rays are those emitted from sunbeds.

UVB rays: these are responsible for the burning and reddening of the skin leading to damage in the uppermost part of the epidermis. UVB contributes to the formation of skin

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cancers and photoageing.

Use of sunscreens and SPF (Sun Protection Factor). It goes without saying that we need to protect ourselves from both types of UV radiation, and using sunscreen is one of the simplest ways. UVA radiation remains constant whereas UVB is more intense in the summer months and between the hours of 10.00am – 2.00pm in the afternoon.

A sunscreen’s efficacy is measured by its sun protection factor, or SPF. SPF is not an amount of protection per se, rather, it indicates how long it will take for UVB rays to burn the skin when using a sunscreen, compared to how long skin would take to burn without the product. For example, if your skin can be exposed to the sun for 15mins before burning occurs, then a sunscreen with a factor 10 would allow your skin to resist burning for 150 mins. Higher SPF does not equal longer sun protection.

It’s important to point out though, that a higher SPF such as SPF50+, does not mean you can stay in the sun 20x longer than with an SPF30+ - the increase offers only marginally more protection, with an SPF50+ screening 98.3% of the sun’s damaging rays compared to 96.7%

Beauty & Wellbeing, gives us the lowdown on how to protect your skin this summer and how to correct any damage caused by the sun’s harmful rays.

for a SPF30+. It’s the filtering of these harmful rays, rather than the amount of rays allowed to be transmitted through the skin that the SPF refers to. A higher SPF allows fewer rays to be transmitted.

Regardless of the level of protection and water resistance, sunscreens should be reapplied liberally every two hours and after swimming – even if they are labelled “4 hour waterproof or sweatproof”.

Which sunscreen is the best?

• One that has a broad spectrum that filters both UVA and UVB rays, so preferably one that includes both a chemical and physical barrier • One that has an SPF higher than 30 – use a specific one for the face and for the eyes • One that is specific to your needs e.g. if you know you will be doing a lot of swimming, then choose water-resistant protection One that has a consistency that you are comfortable wearing, so perhaps patch test a few that suit your skin type How to rectify sun damage?

If sun damage has already occurred, be it pigmentation, premature ageing or dryness and dehydration, then it is vital that a good skin regime is followed to prevent future damage.

Ensure you use skin care products which come with UVA/UVB protection; always ensure you apply SPF protection specific to each area i.e. face, eyes, body.

Products that include pure Vitamin C and E, which are both rich in antioxidants, will help to protect the skin against free radicals to help repair it. Products containing hyaluronic acid will meanwhile rehydrate and plump the skin.

Ensure you also replace collagen – collagen drinks are a quick and simple way to boost the skin’s natural production of collagen and hyaluronic acid.

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