TopicUK March 2020 edition by Yorkshire BusinessWoman & TopicUK

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No42

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BUSINESS MAGAZINE

What to drink when you're not drinking Male sport receives feminine touch Businesses have fun with Cones

The power of us We believe that when businesses work together, we can achieve amazing things. Together, we have that power; the power to change the status quo; the power to create a better future for your business, your employees and your customers. Change rarely happens in isolation, but when businesses work together, anything is possible.

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This issue

Group Editor Gill Laidler

Design

Our cover this issue features Annabel Makin-Jones, farmer, mother and now drinks entrepreneur.

Rob Blackwell

Business Executive Mandy Taylor

ASSOCIATE EDITORs

Ed Asquith Perry Austin-Clarke

Annabel has launched a range of natural sophisticated drinks made with English fruits and foraged botanicals, inspired by the flavours of the British countryside.

Distribution Manager James Longbottom

Illustration

Buttercrumble

Here in the TopicUK office we were delighted to sample the range of flavours and we can guarantee that there will be a flavour in there for every taste, we thought they were all delicious.

Official Photographers

Roth Read Photography

The Arts

Northern Ballet

Legal Matters

Cover : Annabel Makin-Jones Image : Joan K Ransley

Iconic Bradford building sold

Saying goodbye to a loved one Niche events are becoming big business

Splashing out in shipwreck investigation What do drink when you're not drinking

Ramsdens Solicitors Chadwick Lawrence

page

page page

18 25 47 50 60

Printed By: Charlesworth Press Wakefield

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Food & Drink

Kevin Trickett MBE

Recruitment Stafflex

Information technology

Paul Heigham, Bellingham IT

Banking

Barclays Bank

Health & wellbeing Natalie Anderson

Travel

Laura Bartlett

To Partner TopicUK

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 contact 07711 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 & Ramsdens Solicitors LLP and TopicUK is not responsible for any advice given.

Editors notes by Group Editor Gill Laidler

OUR PARTNERS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Dakota Hotel Leeds Yorkshire sculpture park RJ Burgess CONNECT YORKSHIRE GOLD RABBIT Community Foundation Calderdale The Piece Hall Applied Digital LS Live Ramsdens Solicitors Chadwick Lawrence Bellingham IT KC Communications Wakefield College / Wakefield Council Leeds Council (Ad:Venture) CityFibre Jordans Solicitors Eaton Smith Solicitors Hansons Bramleys Stafflex Fostering to Aspire Wakefield Theatre Pontefract Hospice Scriba PR Kirklees College Buttercrumble University of Law Avenue hq/Barclays Eagle Lab Yorkshire Payments Easy Fireplaces Welcome to Yorkshire Contedia BeVic Town Hall Dental Associated waste management Fantastic Media

What strange times we are living in. I am writing this at the end of the first week of lockdown and although I often work from home, not being able to attend meetings and networking events as I usually do, each day is beginning to feel a bit like Groundhog Day. As I write this the news is just coming through that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been diagnosed with Covid-19, as well as the Health Secretary, we need to do everything possible to all stay safe. This is issue 42 of TopicUK and I feel sad that it is the first magazine in over seven years that we have not been able to print. Sadly, last week, we had to make the decision to publish this edition digital only for the time being, as most of our usual distribution outlets are now closed. However, should this lockdown lift soon, we intend to update the edition and print as soon as possible. Our priority is to keep everyone we work with safe. In the meantime, work has now begun on our June edition, which we do hope to print, so please do continue to send us your news. If you are one of our valued partners, we are doing everything we can online to continue supporting your business, albeit digitally. You will not miss out on print either. Should circumstances not allow us to print the current edition, you will receive an extra edition at the end of your contract. In the meantime, keep us updated with all your news and we will share on our new look website, on social media and on our App. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome

new partners the Yorkshire Sculpture Park who we are looking forward to working with going forward. I have been saddened to see some businesses closing and I fear that some will not reopen when all this is over. TopicUK was launched to support business across the Yorkshire region and if we can do anything at all to help during these difficult times, do get in touch, we are continuing to work throughout this lockdown period. We have always championed working together and now, more than ever do we all need to support one another. Thank you to all our valued partners who are continuing to support us at this difficult time, we are grateful for this support and it will enable us to continue to support you and many others when this difficult time passes. When businesses do re-open, they are going to need to restart their marketing and promotion, particularly hotels and restaurants as they will look towards Christmas bookings and I think everyone will be ready to party. We are offering discounted packages to help businesses get back on their feet, so please do give me a call to find out how we can help. These packages will be limited, with no payment required upfront, so do let me know as soon as possible if you are interested. editor@topicuk.co.uk Stay safe, stay positive but most of all, stay home!

Contents & Comments

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Group Editor - Gill Laidler Twitter: @gill_laidler Instagram: gilllaidler

Gill TopicUK March 2020

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her business model and extending the number of students and tutors that Smiles and Miles work with.

Responsibility “The access to professional advice has been incredible and with so much business support out there, I can’t believe every start up isn’t tapping into what’s available,” Sarah said. “I never thought my business would become so successful so quickly and thanks to the support I’ve had I have learnt so much about how to think like an entrepreneur.

Selby start-up Smiles and Miles celebrates success A private tutoring service launched by a single mum from Selby is celebrating after helping over 100 students with their education.

Smiles and Miles was set up by Sarah Oliver, a teacher with 23 years’ experience, and now delivers 80 tutoring sessions per week. The business has recruited 10 tutors across a range of subjects and recently won a tender to provide education services to disadvantaged communities. The growth of the company has been supported by mentoring from AD:VENTURE, a business support programme for new businesses in North and West Yorkshire funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Balance

Image:

Councillor David Buckle; Heidi Green, Lisa Whalley & Sarah Oliver

Sarah said: “I would not be where I am today without the help I’ve received from AD:VENTURE and Selby District Council. I was able to access loads of courses on a range of subjects and had one-to-one mentoring which was invaluable. Having a business is

certainly a rollercoaster but with this support it becomes more manageable. It’s been an amazing journey.” Sarah gave up her career of more than two decades as a primary school teacher to become an independent tutor in search of a better work-life balance. Her approach was to help children to become confident, happy and resilient. She believes this allows young people to make greater academic progress. Despite increasing demand for her services, Sarah couldn’t earn enough money to live, so she was introduced to the AD:VENTURE program by her business advisor at Selby council. Through the programme, she was able to access courses, a range of workshops and attend networking cafes to meet with others in a similar situation. This support led to Sarah changing

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“It’s not just about being the best at what you do, in my case it was also taking responsibility for organising the tutors, becoming a parent liaison, dealing with invoicing and then marketing. It’s a completely different set of skills.” Sarah’s plans for Smiles and Miles are to franchise the business and to extend its reach beyond Yorkshire, with the ultimate aim of going national. Dave Caulfield, Selby District Council, Director of Economic Regeneration and Place, said: “This is a great example of how we’ve been able to work with others to offer practical help to support small business growth. We’ve got a great entrepreneurial spirit here in the Selby district, with lots of room to grow too. That’s one of the reasons Selby District Council works in partnership with business in this way.”

For further details about the AD:VENTURE programme, please visit www.ad-venture.org.uk and for details about Selby District Council and its business services please access, https://www.selby. gov.uk/

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Contract win for IT firm B e l l i n g h a m I T, t h e Wakefield based technology solutions specialist, has secured

the IT support contract for PolyGlobal, the global manufacturer of cast and injection mouldings.

With unrivalled expertise in delivering bespoke IT solutions, B e l l i n g h a m w i l l b e d i re c t l y responsible for managing all day to day support and helping shape the business’ IT strategy for the future.

IT provider for manufacturing businesses; this is down to our team of experts who not only bring together years of experience but also understand the particular requirements of this industry.”

Utilising its team of IT consultants, Bellingham will simplify PolyGlobal’s technology infrastructure to support every day and critical operations, making it easier for staff to manage and administrate.

Confidently

Knowledge Paul Heigham, Director at Bellingham IT, comments: “Over the years we have worked very hard to establish our reputation as manufacturing specialists, for PolyGlobal to recognise this and award us with their IT contract, it is very rewarding. “Today, we are the district’s leading

The University of Law ranked number one for law acceptances The University of Law (ULaw) has announced a record number of undergraduate law students have accepted places at the University in its 2019 intake. According to the latest figures from UCAS, the number of undergraduate students accepting places at ULaw has seen a 59.8% increase in just two years. As the longest established specialist provider of legal education in the UK, ULaw offers a range of LLBs which have a practice focus and are taught predominantly by qualified lawyers helping students

develop the practical skills they need to succeed.

Encouraged All undergraduate students are also encouraged to develop employability skills during their course through structured sessions and practicefocused workshops as well as taking part in a leadership themed International Summer School in Berlin at the end of their second year. This approach to its programme design has seen ULaw move from third place in the UCAS ranking in 2018, to first place this year. The success can also be attributed to ULaw’s regional growth outside of London, with the University accepting its first intake at its new

Nottingham campus in September 2019. The latest figures from UCAS indicate that ULaw nationally has surpassed Nottingham Trent University, which held the top spot last year. Professor Andrea Nollent, Vice Chancellor and CEO at ULaw, said: “We are incredibly proud of the growth in our undergraduate intake in such a short space of time. To grow the number of undergraduate acceptances by almost 60% in just two years is a tremendous achievement. This success is a real testament to the hard work, passion and dedication of our staff who work to ensure that we offer the very best teaching standards to our students.

Andy Young, Sales Manager at PolyGlobal, adds: “Our goal was to find an IT team that were experts in their field while also having extensive knowledge of our needs as a manufacturer. Bellingham IT has an impressive track record and was the obvious choice for our organisation. “Thanks to the Bellingham team, our staff are fully informed of internal IT processes and procedures, which in turn has enabled them to comfortably and confidently take ownership for any IT related incidents and projects.” “The past year has been an exciting one for ULaw, with our Nottingham and Hong Kong campus launches marking significant expansion for us. We continue to place a dedicated and strategic focus on programme design, to ensure that we offer genuine innovation and provide our students with real world skills, experience and contacts that will benefit them throughout their career. This result is an excellent start to the year for the University and we’re excited to see what the rest of 2020 has in store.” Fo r m o r e n e w s f r o m Th e University of Law, visit: https:// www.law.ac.uk/

TopicUK March 2020

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Chris Worsley has been appointed as a trustee of The Hirsche Foundation.

Local businessman appointed trustee of The Hirsche Foundation

Established in 2018, The Hirsche Foundation is a charity with the aim of relieving the poverty of the homeless in West Yorkshire. With a strong focus on Kirklees, The Hirsche Foundation have established strong links and s t ra te g i c p a r t n e r s h i p s w i t h various local charities and organisations involved with helping the homeless, particularly, a strong working relationship with Kirklees Council.

Excited Trustee, Stephen Chandler, said: “We recognise that no single person, charity or organisation can solve the problem of homelessness. It requires a concerted and joinedup approach. We see our role as two-fold – first, supporting and collaborating with the other local charities and organisations working with the homeless, and second, through our network of business contacts, providing employment and educational opportunities to the homeless to enable them to break the cycle of homelessness.” Chris, owner of Easy Fireplace in Milnsbridge, has always been an advocate of Corporate Social Responsibility and implemented a ‘Give Back’ policy into his own business around 10 years ago to help make a difference in his local community.

Huddersfield Town Football Club. We have always been impressed with Chris’s genuine desire to give back to the local community and his enthusiasm and desire to help those in need.

and a vast network of contacts that will help take The Hirsche Foundation forward. We are excited to welcome Chris on b o a r d a n d l o o k f o r w a r d to working with him.”

exciting and innovative project in the pipeline for 2020 that will have a huge impact in the fight against homelessness. No details can be revealed yet so watch this space!

Mr Chandler added: “We have known Chris for a number of years through our association with

“Chris is a natural fit for The Hirsche Foundation and brings with him a wealth of experience

The Hirsche Foundation have revealed that, in partnership with Kirklees Council, they have a very

Trustees (left to right): Stephen Chandler, Chris Worsley, Graeme Stocks

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N E W S U P D AT E and wanted to start a career and earn a wage,” she explained. “Through college I found out the UK has apprenticeships for numerous careers where you can earn and learn at the same time. In Croatia there is only a scheme for trades roles and hairdressing.”

Woman of Steel Kristina Kolar now 23 is a respected member the business support team at Murray Steel. She was highly commended as one of five finalists from across the UK in the National Association of Steel Services apprentice of the Year Awards and has now been nominated for Apprentice of The Year in the Made In Sheffield Awards, which have been postponed until September. “A career in the steel sector was never in my thinking,” said Kristina, who has now completed a Level 3 business administration apprenticeship provided by The Source Academy. “I’ve found my dream career. Steel is an important part of the heritage of the city I now call home and I am proud to be working in it.” Tammy Laws, Business Support Manager said: “We are tremendously proud of Kristina’s achievements. She is an asset to the team and has a bright future ahead of her. To make the final five in our sector’s apprentice awards was a huge achievement and very much deserved.”

A young Croatian woman who came to the UK as a nervous 18-year-old unable to understand the accent in her new Sheffield home has gone on to become an awardwinning apprentice with a career in the city’s steel sector.

Having studied marketing, accounting, business development and management in Croatia, she decided on a Business Administration Apprenticeship and landed a trainee role with an insurance company. After gaining a Level 2 qualification, she decided insurance wasn’t for her. “I found strong recommendations for apprenticeship provider The Source Skills Academy in Sheffield and contacted them for help,” she said. “Soon after, they invited me to interview for a role at Murray Steel. I wasn’t sure. I had negative pe rce ptions of the industry a n d so di d m y frie nds. B u t everything changed. “I now aim to take the skills I have learnt through my apprenticeship to develop my career with the company. I can’t explain how proud I am to have found a place for myself in the country which is now my home.”

Petra

Kristina’s Business Administrator apprenticeship started in June 2018 and she completed it in August 2019. “I could not have wished for a better tutor at The Source,” she commented. “He helped me with the fact that English is not my first language, to understand my course, to finish my tasks and work to a high level.

Kristina came to Sheffield from Kristina had also left behind her Zagreb, Croatia, in 2014 as an EU studies in economics; despite citizen with her sister Petra after their being only a year off a degree-level lorry driver father secured work in qualification, she discovered they Stockbridge. “I didn’t want to leave counted for nothing in the UK. She my friends and my country. It felt very could only find work with a bakery scary. I’d studied English from the chain, then a warehouse. Feeling age of seven but I found the South unfulfilled, she enrolled on a fullYorkshire accent really difficult. I time law course at Sheffield College. “The Source Skills Academy is a fantastic training provider. It couldn’t understand anybody for “After a year I found it too hard-going changed my life.” months,” she said. TopicUK March 2020

ND A EW V ESR U TO PD R IAATL E

Ripon entrepreneur aims to bring back Yorkshire speaker manufacturing A Ripon entrepreneur is planning to bring back speaker manufacturing to Yorkshire after experiencing rapid growth in the past year.

BishopSound was set up by Andrew Bishop in 2016. The company’s products sell worldwide and include PA speakers, amplifiers and mixing equipment. Bands such as Elbow, The Courteneers and members of Ocean Colour Scene use BishopSound equipment, and the company also supplies speakers to schools, places of worship, pubs, clubs and DJs. BishopSound has been able to speed up growth thanks to an £11,000 grant from AD:VENTURE, a business support programme for new businesses in North and West Yorkshire funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The grant was used for website development, product photography, a promotional video and IT equipment.

Funding “We’re in a phenomenal growth pattern at the moment – every month we seem to double our turnover compared to the previous year,” Andrew said. “People have latched on to the sound that we create, looked at the price and realised that there’s no point in going anywhere else.

We’re in a phenomenal growth pattern at the moment – every month we seem to double our turnover compared to the previous year...

Andrew set up his business with the aim of bringing back the ‘British Sound’ to the PA speaker industry, which was established in the 1960s when bands such as The Beatles enjoyed worldwide success. UK-made speaker equipment was renowned for its quality but much of the equipment has to be manufactured in China. Andrew is now developing prototypes with Yorkshire manufacturers with the aim of selling equipment made in our region in 2020. “We have tried to use as many Yorkshire companies as possible to help us set up the business, and that’s the same for the manufacturing side,” he added. “At the moment 90% of our sales are made overseas but we want to bring more British-made speakers back to the

“Without the AD:VENTURE funding, we definitely wouldn’t have been able to operate at the capacity we are currently working at and we’ve been able to speed up our new product plans.”

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market. We’ve been able to bring forward our plans for that thanks to the rapid growth we have had.”

Delighted Councillor Graham Swift, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development at Harrogate Borough Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see the success of a local entrepreneur, and hear of their commitment to increase development and production in Yorkshire. We are delighted to be a partner in the AD:VENTURE programme, directly helping the growth of start-ups. BishopSound is a great example of how that support can unlock the potential of our local businesses.”

https://www.ad-venture.org.uk

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L u c k i l y, t h e C o m m u n i t y Foundation for Calde rdale (CFFC) were prepared and knew that it wasn’t a matter of if, but when Calderdale would be hit by flooding again. That’s why they set up the Watermark Fund which raised £250,000 so when Storm Ciara hit they could give out grants to households, charities and businesses. They have launched an appeal to raise £1m as they haven’t

Steve Duncan DL, CEO of CFFC added, “We are so grateful to everyone who has donated. We are especially grateful as we understand that people may have donated to flood appeals previously. We really need to raise £1m to help local people and businesses in Calderdale to get back on their feet and thank you for any donation that you can make.”

TopicUK March 2020

N E W S U P D AT E Swallow, Managing Director of Urbo and Canal Road Urban Village.

Development “Aldi is the UK’s fastest growing discount supermarket chain, with more than 800 stores nationwide. With a reputation for great value and wide range of products they will bring huge benefits to the people of Bolton Woods and the surrounding area. We are proud to be helping to make New Bolton Woods a great place to live.” A spokesperson for Aldi comments: “Aldi are delighted to be opening a store in New Bolton Woods in the Spring and look forward to serving the local community. This has been an exciting regeneration opportunity that Aldi are proud to be a part of.”

Aldi store advances regeneration of Bolton Woods A new Aldi store in Bolton Woods, Bradford, has been completed and handed over for fitting out; it is expected to open in the Spring. Creating 30 new jobs, the 18,300 sq.ft. (1,700 sq.m.) store will become the focal point of a vibrant new local centre for the New Bolton Woods regeneration area.

Construction, the store will bring to residents of Bolton Woods and surrounding communities all the benefits of Aldi, the UK’s fastest growing discount supermarket chain.

Its opening will achieve a major milestone in the ambitious plan to create a £150m urban village in Bolton Woods, between Bradford and Shipley, through the Canal Road Urban Village partnership between Bradford Council and their developer partner Urbo Regeneration.

A Costa Coffee cafe and drive-thru, opened nearby last Spring, is proving highly popular. A second retail unit of 10,000sq.ft, adjacent to the Aldi store, is now being marketed.

Handed over on schedule and budget by main contractor Castlehouse

Significant The developer is also in talks aimed at developing a GPs’ surgery, health centre and pharmacy close to the store.

Two, three and four bedroom homes at Woodlands View, currently being built by Keepmoat Homes in partnership with the developer, are selling well. The first 33 are now sold and this phase of New Bolton Woods, once complete, will comprise 150 family houses. Fifty houses were constructed as part of an earlier phase at the development and are all occupied. “The opening of this high quality Aldi store is a significant milestone as we continue to drive forward the bold plan to create a new neighbourhood at New Bolton Woods,” says Peter

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Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, Cllr Alex RossShaw, comments: “New Bolton Woods is really starting to take shape now with housing and the first phase of the new village centre being delivered. “It’s a really exciting time for the community in this area as we’ve also just announced plans to renaturalise the nearby Bradford Beck, making it more open and attractive, and last year opened a new cycleway and greenway that passes right through New Bolton Woods. “We are very pleased to see bold, sustainable development now being delivered in Bolton Woods and we are confident that our successful Canal Road Urban Village partnership with Urbo Regeneration will continue to deliver excellent results for both residents and businesses.”

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The Government announced on 17 March 2020 that implementation of IR35 in the private sector will be delayed until April 2021 due to the Covid-19 situation in within the public sector in April 2017 with IR35 having been around since 2000. The risk is the company’s but so is the decision The end client is responsible for determining whether or not a contractor should fall within or outside of the IR35 rules – so whether or not they have to go on the payroll or can invoice directly. They will likely do this by using HMRC’s controversial Check of Employment Status Tool (CEST), which has been heavily criticised, but is still the only tool available.

IR35 in 2020 what you need to know The government has confirmed that it still intends to implement the next phase of IR35 legislation from 6 April 2020. So what do you need to know? What is IR35? Also known as off-payroll working, IR35 is the legislation created to deal with contractors working through a limited, service or umbrella company (intermediaries). The aim of

If a contractor is later determined by HMRC to have been within IR35 but wasn’t paid via payroll, the end client will end up paying the tax and NI that would have been due. The changes affect companies with more than 50 employees

IR35 has been with us for 20 years, but the new legislation extends more the legislation is to close what stringent rules to medium and large the government believes is a companies in the private sector. "If loophole that allows contractors the engaging company meets the to behave like employees, but not technical definition of a medium or pay as much tax as if they were large company (two out of three of –more than 50 employees, a turnover on the payroll. of more than £10.2m and a balance The rules are contro ve rsial sheet of not less than £5.1m) the as many contractors believe responsibility for determining whether IR35 gives them all of the tax the contractor is within IR35 rules is responsibilities of an employee, theirs. If the engaging company is but none of the benefits. There is smaller than this, the responsibility no sick pay, pension contribution stays with the contractor." or holiday entitlement for people working within IR35 roles. The This small business exemption more stringent rules were brought allows smaller companies using

an associate model to continue to operate the same way. But what about the review? In February the finance bill subcommittee of the House of Lords announced an investigation into the potential impact of extending the IR35 rules to the private sector, but as the deadline for the changes being made is 6 April 2020, that will have to happen quickly. How to figure out if you’ll be affected It’s best to have a conversation with an accountant about your individual situation as each will be different. Whether or not you will fall under IR35 rules depends on a number of complex factors, so get the right advice about your situation in order to avoid getting caught out. Call one of the Parsons team on 01924 669500. (Information in this article was correct when it was written in February 2020.)

Ian Parsons is managing partner of Parsons Accountants in Wakefield. TopicUK March 2020

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Experience modern art in the landscape and great hospitality

and subsidises charitable activities. To find out how YSP can make your event a success, please contact conferencing@ysp.org. uk or call 01924 832508.

With its contemporary architecture and large panoramic windows overlooking the historic Bretton Estate – and located just one mile from the M1 – it is an impressive and convenient place to entertain guests or hold team gatherings.

The Weston at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Photo © Jonty Wilde

In March 2019, Yorkshire Sculpture Park ( YSP) opened The Weston, their award-winning visitor centre, complete with restaurant, gallery, shop and boardroom.

The boardroom at The Weston accommodates up to 12 delegates and is suitable for client meetings, business breakfasts and lunches. The venue is also suitable for private evening functions, such as business and networking events, for up to 150 delegates.

TheWeston © PeterCook

The Restaurant can provide bespoke food and drink packages and offers high-quality dining for up to 65 guests. Larger events can be accommodated within alternative spaces at YSP – the Bothy

Leading agency networks join forces to support independent agencies Independent agency n e t w o r k P i m e n to h a s joined forces with the Marketing Agencies Action Group (MAAG) to deliver a series of online events aimed at supporting the communications industry during the Coronavirus crisis. Having both previously hosted weekly webinars, aimed at providing support, encouragement and business advice for the communications sector in these exceptional times, MAAG and Pimento are set to merge their online events programme to

Gallery boardroom, the Auditorium and the Ha-Ha. YSP is a registered charity that promotes education and public access to the arts. All profits from hospitality and catering go towards the maintenance and upkeep of the site

provide the whole independent agency community greater support irrespective as to whether they are current members of either organisation. The MAAG develops the skills and represents the interests of UK entrepreneurial and independent marketing agencies alongside the 1,500+ people that work in them. Pimento, meanwhile, has a growing network of over 200 agencies and consultants across the country – representing over 100 different marketing disciplines – which collectively employ around 5.5k people. During the crisis, this new partnership will allow members – as well as non-members – to access content, professional advice and expertise during this period of uncertainty, via a range of online webinars, events and activities.

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Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, sadly the park is now closed until further notice. We thank all our friends for their continued support. We will be giving a three month extension to all friends memberships during this period of closure. For all further information please refer to our website: www.ysp.org

Clive Mishon, director of the MAAG, said: “Both organisations champion the independent agency community, and by teaming up with Pimento we are presenting a united front to provide support everyone in these extraordinary times. “We work tirelessly to champion the work of the sector in order to protect and amplify the issues and challenges facing independent agencies and their personnel.” Stephen Knight, CEO and founder of Pimento, added: “I have admired the MAAG and its work for some time – and we share the same ambition and values. We complement each other well, so the opportunity to join forces made complete sense – and it’s essential that we do what we can at this time to keep our creative industries alive.”

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What’s the big deal about full fibre? With an ever-growing need for speed and digital connectivity, CityFibre is bringing transformational full fibre infrastructure to the UK at a rapid rate.

By Kim Johnston, CITY MANAGER FOR LEEDS AT CITYFIBRE

In terms of what full fibre actually means, it is simply connections that can deliver gigabit-capable speeds. That’s a dramatic upgrade on what most people currently use and makes all sorts of things – like gaming – much easier in terms of speeds and data handling. More importantly, full fibre networks offer far greater reliability than copper-based networks while being cheaper to maintain and operate – meaning more reliable internet for you! Full fibre is about more than just making streaming easier – it can be genuinely transformative if you rely on your broadband for any reason. That’s why CityFibre has launched a £2.5bn Gigabit City investment programme which aims to roll out full fibre networks to at least 20% of the UK market by 2025.

Facilitate CityFibre is very active in Yorkshire, with network construction already underway in Leeds and Huddersfield, with a combined investment from CityFibre of £150m, providing wholesale connectivity to businesses and consumer service providers, local authorities and mobile operators. Further plans to roll out and bring

CityFibre has launched a £2.5bn Gigabit City investment programme which aims to roll out full fibre networks to at least 20% of the UK market by 2025

competitive full fibre infrastructure across Yorkshire have recently been announced, with additional towns and cities in the region now on board to receive the benefits of the ultra-fast gigabit capable full fibre broadband. CityFibre will be working closely with each local authority to facilitate and accelerate the mission to make Yorkshire one of the most digitally connected destinations in the world, whilst also creating exciting local employment opportunities across the telecoms industry.

Ensuring Full fibre has plenty of other benefits too. One of the other big technological breakthroughs of

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2019 was the launch of the UK’s 5G networks. Many people are excited about getting their 5G connections but a big part of this depends on full fibre connectivity. Full fibre helps knit together the signals from the mobile base stations that provide 5G ensuring an extra layer of support to the mobile signals.

You can find out more about CityFibre’s Gigabit City vision for Yorkshire by visiting www. cityfibre.com/gigabit-cities/ and following @CityFibre on Twitter.

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Town Hall Dental expands and creates jobs with new surgeries

ituated in the Old Town Hall, Town Hall Dental have been providing cosmetic and general dentistry for the Yorkshire area since 2012. Recently, the practice made headlines after picking up six national industry awards, including Best Practice and Best Patient Care.

Calderdale-based award-winning private dentist, Town Hall Dental, have announced that they will be expanding their practice, incorporating three new surgeries and creating seven new jobs at their headquarters in Brighouse.

The expansion of the practice will also create seven new jobs within the practice, and the team are planning to use their accreditation as Disability Confident Employers to ensure individuals from all walks of life can find work. “We’re proud of the fact that Town Hall Dental is a Disability Confident Employer, and mentor people with disabilities in our community” Rachel added. “We’re delighted to be creating more work and jobs for the community that has supported us this far”.

The team also act as the official dental partners for Leeds United, providing dental care for their players and staff. The practice is regularly involved in charity work for the local community and further afield. Working in partnership with non-profit Focus4Hope, they provide oral healthcare in Leeds at fortnightly homeless feeds, fund treatment for those in need and visit the refugee camps in Calais several times a year to help those impacted by the refugee crisis.

“With the new surgeries installed, we can provide that same awardwinning one-to-one care, available whenever it’s needed. Ensuring that our visitors have less time to wait for their treatment is as much a part of patient care as how they are treated when they come through our doors.”

The three new surgeries, part of a long-term plan to revitalise unused areas of their listed building headquarters, will double the capacity of the existing practice, and ensure that waiting times for patients are reduced. Practice Manager Rachel Dilley commented “The past

12-months have seen a huge increase in the demand for our services, and more people have been hearing about us due to our work in the community and with Leeds United. Despite this, we don’t want to make any sacrifices on our promise to provide exemplary patient care.”

The Old Town Hall, Thornton Square, Brighouse HD6 1EA Tel: 01484 723788 Email: info@townhalldental.co.uk Web: www.townhalldental.co.uk

TOWN HALL DENTAL BRIGHOUSE

TopicUK March 2020

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Iconic Bradford building sold One of Bradford’s best-known buildings, Newsquest’s iconic Telegraph and Argus headquarters in the city centre has been sold. The 80,000 sq ft building, which incorporates the newspaper’s early 1980s-built glazed press hall, has been bought by a London-based developer, which is currently assessing options for its redevelopment. Eddisons also secured the relocation of the paper to the historic Newhall, close to the M606. The refurbished modern offices will enable the newspaper to upgrade its technology and it is due to move all departments to the new location by May.

Community Eddisons’ agency director John Padgett and surveyor Matt Jennings, who are based in the firm’s Bradford offices, acted on the deal for Newsquest. “It was a privilege to work on the sale of what must be one of Bradford’s most iconic buildings,” said Mr Jennings. “The new owner is yet to reveal its plans for the Telegraph and Argus building but we know they are working on a number of new initiatives for the next chapter of the property’s existence. It’s a really positive move for Bradford and we are looking forward to seeing it take on a fresh new identity and be brought back to life as an asset to the community in what is the UK’s youngest city.”

Newsquest’s new Newhall premises have been refurbished by the site’s owner Frank Marshall Estates, with which it will share the building. Mr Jennings added: “It has been a tremendous outcome all round. Ne whall is an amazing ne w office building and it will be the ideal location for Newsquest to continue to grow as a high tech media business.” Newsquest has also instructed Eddisons to sells two of its Northern Echo newspaper properties in Darlington. Its 49,000 sq ft town centre office block and former transport depot are due to be put on the market in the coming weeks.

Expansion for corporate recovery team Insolvency and business recovery solicitor, Mara Gosling has joined LCF Law’s Insolvency and Corporate Recovery team as an associate solicitor in the firm’s Leeds city centre office.

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In her new role, Mara is advising insolvency practitioners, businesses and financial institutions, as well as individuals and company directors, on insolvency, business recovery and bankruptcy. She previously spent eight years at Keebles, where she trained

N E W S U P D AT E so that we are best positioned to continue to deliver our strategy of building a digitally led media and entertainment company over the medium term.”

Broadcast The firm however did say it expected to benefit from increased demand for library sales, due to it being a leading global distributor with strong relationships with broadcasters and platform owners.

ITV highlights the impact of Covid-19 Leading broadcaster ITV, have announced that the current Covid-19 crisis has had an increasing impact on its advertising revenues. With deferrals coming from all sectors rather than just the previously reported travel and sports betting industries. The financial impact of advertising revenue changes could be significant with the firm confirming that “over a full year each one percent decline

in total advertising revenue reduces revenue and profit by c.£17 million.” ITV Chief Executive Carolyn

and qualified, before working at two other specialist Leeds based law firms.

record and plenty of experience, so we’re delighted to welcome her into our busy disputes team.

Mara said: “This move gave me an opportunity to join a wellestablished Yorkshire based firm that works for all types of clients across every area of insolvency and business recovery.

The department has grown significantly over the last two years, after seeing a sustained uplift in demand for our services, and there’s no doubt that Mara’s appointment will further enhance the level of service and expertise that we offer our clients.”

Sustained LCF Law’s insolvency partner, Jo Barnes is also well-recognised within the industry, which added to the role’s appeal.” Simon Stell, managing partner said: “Mara has a strong track

McCall said: “We are operating in unprecedented and uncertain times, requiring us to take difficult decisions, plan carefully and act with speed. Our absolute priority is to protect our people, while trying to ensure that we deliver the news and programmes our viewers value and love to watch, and to keep them informed. We are actively taking measures to reduce costs and manage our cash flow

This announce me nt follo ws news that production on both Leeds-based Emmerdale and Manchester-based Coronation Street would be put on hold due to the coronavirus. Emmerdale typically works six weeks in advance of broadcast, which suggests that it will remain on air for half for the government’s proposed 12 week period. Despite the current impact of Covid-19 on advertising revenues, ITV saw the biggest overnight audience on any channel so far in 2020, with viewing figures peaking at 11.1million.

This month, LCF Law, will expand its Leeds city centre office into 6,000 sq ft of newly refurbished space at 33 Park Place. TopicUK March 2020

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Innovative Bradford underlay floors India An eco-engineered flooring underlay, which is made using recycled PET plastic bottles and other singleuse plastics, is now being used by one of India’s leading custom-made carpet manufacturers.

Carpet Crafts chose SpringBond, manufactured by Bradford-based Texfelt, due to its preference for eco friendly products. Having recently introduced a carpet made from eco nylon made from recycled fishing nets, Carpet Crafts thought the SpringBond underlay would support its sustainability drive and focus on improving indoor air quality. W ith more than 85% of the underlay made from recycled plastics, SpringBond helps to combat the eight million tonnes of plastic pollution that fills our oceans every year, making it the ideal option for those who want to make more environmentally conscious choices. The underlay is fully recyclable at the end of its usable life – creating a closed-loop manufacturing cycle – and contains no harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds), promoting better indoor air quality. Carpet Crafts will be using it in both contract projects including hotels and hospitality outlets, prayer rooms and mosques, and for residential work too. The first shipment of SpringBond will be used in a 500m2 villa before the end of March.

James Taylor, Managing Director at Texfelt, said: “It’s fantastic to be working with a company as reputable as Carpet Crafts to broaden the reach of our eco-friendly underlay and help improve indoor air pollution across the globe.” Atul Nagi, V. P. International Sales at Carpet Crafts, continued: “SpingBond works incredibly well as part of our portfolio of sustainable products. We’re excited about talking to customers about it and are confident about its reception in India and UAE, especially with Texfelt’s track record in contract applications.”

Legal acquisition sees solicitor return to LCF law A solicitor has returned to the corporate department of a law firm, where he first worked 11 years ago, following the acquisition of Crooks Commercial Solicitors in Wakefield by LCF Law. Michael Crook has joined Yorkshire based LCF Law’s corporate team as a partner, after running Crooks Commercial Solicitors for the last

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eight years. He worked at LCF Law for seven years as well as at Gordons and Chadwick Lawrence before setting up his own business.

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Tables are selling fast for the awards ceremony and black-tie dinner at the Principal York hotel on 2 July.

School and vice chair of IoD Yo r k s h i r e a n d N o r t h E a s t .

The year’s top directors from business, public and third sectors will be recognised across 13 categories and will then go forward to contest the national Director of the Year Awards along with winners from other IoD regions. At the 2019 UK finals, Linda Pollard, chair of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, was awarded the Neville Bain Memorial Award for Director and Board Practice. The chair of Yorkshire Tea owners Bettys & Taylors, Lesley Wild, bagged the IoD’s Family Business Award, capping off the firm’s 100th anniversary year.

Specialists The judges are now deliberating over which business leaders will take home the coveted trophies for Yorkshire and North East this year. The judging panel is chaired by

Countdown is on for Director of the Year Awards The countdown is on for the IoD’s Director of the Year Awards, the annual search for the most talented business leaders in Yorkshire and the North East. Simon Walton, managing partner at Be rwick Partne rs/O dge rs Berndtson, Leeds. He will be joined

by Dr Joanna Berry, associate professor in entrepreneurship at Durham University Business Michael said: “Having worked at three major regional practices before setting up my own successful business, I’ve represented a wide range of clients from small owner managed businesses to large public companies, acting as lead advisor on a variety of business sales and other corporate and commercial legal matters.

Also on the panel are: Jo Barnes, managing director of Hull-based Shared Agenda, (pictured) specialists in estate solutions for the public and private sectors; Karl Pemberton, managing director, A c t i v e C h a r te r e d Fi n a n c i a l Planners, County Durham, and chair of the IoD’s North East (South) branch; Dan Gill, founder of Leeds based catering and event management specialist Dine; and Rachel Hannan, business a n g e l a n d a d v i s o r, L e e d s . The 13 categories for Yorkshire and North East are SME; Large business; Young Director (under 42 years); Public Sector; Not for Profit / Third Sector; Start Up; Family business; Student; Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity; Social value and Sustainability Impact; International; Innovation; and Non-Executive. To book your table at the awards dinner, visit www.iodawards.com/ yorks-northeast or email iod. yorkshire@iod.com.

Simon Stell, managing partner at LCF Law, said: “Michael will work closely with our experienced corporate teams and we look forward to welcoming many of his clients to LCF Law. We hope to exceed their expectations in terms of service and value for money.”

“Whilst running Crooks Commercial Solicitors I always maintained a strong relationship with LCF Law, often cross referring clients. LCF Law is a firm I have always respected, with a sound reputation in both the legal industry and with clients, so it made it a perfect fit.” TopicUK March 2020

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Gold Rabbit’s new beginning

Kirklees sustainability initiative, strengthening artwork and resources for Community Interest Company Edshift, and designing proposal templates for online training providers Candle Digital.

Graphic Design company Gold Rabbit are delighted to have recently moved into their new office space at The Boathouse in Brighouse.

Gold Rabbit started trading at the end of 2018 and are excited about the opportunities to work with more great businesses and organisations in the year ahead, throughout Yorkshire and beyond.

They work with local Yorkshire based clients, and a few further afield, specialising in creating professional graphic and digital designs for marketing campaigns and brand development. start-up businesses from conception,” said Co-founder Kate Adamson.

them connect better with their customers.”

“Our expertise in design and brand “We work with our clients to ensure identity enables us to work with we understand their business established businesses on their needs and create designs that journey, as well as working with enhance their brand and help

Recent projects include developing brand assets for Core Facility Services, marketing collateral for the GAIN Community

Initiative

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You can see their portfolio at www.goldrabbit.co.uk If you have a project or campaign you need help with, get in touch: info@goldrabbit. co.uk.

Graphic display specialist Leach has announced Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice as its charity of choice for 2020, as the firm continues to support the local cause. Huddersfield-based Leach has been involved in numerous recent events for the hospice, which included its ‘Day to Donate’ in November, for all companies on the Bradley business park that houses its HQ.

Leach pledges further support to Forget Me Not Hospice

And this year, the firm has pledged to raise a further £10,000 for the charity.

the existence of over 400 health conditions which can decrease a child’s life expectancy, the team at Forget Me Not provides a solid support network to those affected, from diagnosis onwards.

Forget Me Not has delivered pioneering care to children in West Yorkshire with life-shortening conditions – and their families – for 10 years, and it offers help throughout all stages of illness – getting involved as early as during pregnancy in some cases. With

Commenting on the fundraising efforts, James Lavin, MD at Leach said: “Choosing one charity to help is a very difficult decision to make,

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as so many of them are deserving of funds. So, we put the decision in the hands of the Leach staff – and although there were many suggestions made, Forget Me Not was the clear favourite! “It’s a charity that cannot fail to touch people’s hearts, and I’m delighted

that we’re getting behind the cause once again – to help families touched by the unthinkable.”With a planned calendar of events including an Olympics sweepstake and a ‘Purple Day’, Leach has arranged a series of activities that all the staff can get involved in at some point throughout the year, ensuring the support is company-wide. Louise Addison, fundraiser for Forget Me Not, added: “We’re thrilled to be supported by Leach again in 2020 – the team has already shown Forget Me Not so much love! The pledge to raise £10,000 this year has completely blown us all away and we’re really looking forward to watching all their superb fundraising events”. For more information on how to support Forget Me Not and its range of appeals, please visit the website.

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Saying goodbye to a loved one during Covid-19

During the current coronavirus pandemic, sadly restrictions have had to be placed on the way traditional funerals can be held. Churches have been closed and there are limits on the number of people allowed to attend a crematorium. In Wakefield, only ten people are currently allowed to attend, but in Leeds, no mourners are allowed at all and just twenty people can visit the cemetary. These restrictions have been put in place, not only to protect mourners, but staff from funeral directors, the clergy and people conducting the ceremony.

The current recommendations are that all funeral receptions and wakes are suspended for the time being.

Specialists “This is a very difficult time for everyone,” said Robert Burgess, director of R J Burgess Funeral Service, with offices in Crofton and Normanton. “The last thing people need when they have just lost a loved one is to be told they cannot say goodbye in the way they wanted to. As this pandemic heads towards its peak, we expect to see further changes, so at R J Burgess, we are doing everything possible to serve

our communty at this difficult time, whilst treating the deceased and their families with the utmost respect and dignity.” All funeral arrangements have to be made by email or on the phone, this includes to ministers and clergy and no dates are allowed to be given out over social media or in the press, which may attract more people to the service. No limousines can be used and no cash donations are allowed. People are encouraged to make donations online or over the phone. “We are doing our very best to help families during these sad times,” added Robert. “We are

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recommending our simple funeral packages, either burial or cremation at a fraction of the usual cost, where we look after everything on your behalf. This way, once the restrictions have been lifted, you can gather family and friends to visit the graveside and hold a wake or arrange to scatter ashes in a fitting and appropriate way with all family members.” If we can help at this incredibly difficult time, please do get in touch.

To arrange an appointment call 01924 894017 or visit the website www.rjburgess.co.uk

| C A R E , C O M PA SS I O N, C H O I C E TopicUK March 2020

All’s Fine at Fino! R E STA U R A N T R E V I E W

Wakefield Civic Society President Kevin Trickett MBE visits one of Wakefield’s newest oldest restaurants – along with nearly 30 friends – to sample the food at Fino Pizzeria and Cicchetti and gets two bites of the cherry (tomato). The restaurant may be new, but the building, today accessed via the entrance in Gill’s Yard, and boasting medieval timbers, stone walls and leaded windows, is around 500 years old! Readers with long memories may recall the property when it as a shop selling greetings card. Back then, the building was flat fronted and faced in what appeared to be rendered stonework. When the building was sold on in 1990, the new owners discovered that they had something much more interesting. As they started stripping walls and ceilings back to their original timbers, stone and brickwork, it became clear that the building was in fact one of Wakefield’s oldest surviving timber-framed properties, part of a larger house that had once occupied the site (now divided into 3 units, 53-57 Northgate). The owners decided to create a replica of the original gable-end frontage while revealing many of the original features, including the finely worked Elizabethan plaster ceiling and oak-panelled frieze on the first floor, the former bearing the date 1596, thought to be the year in which the building was re-modelled. That the building is now listed Grade II*, making it a building of national significance, should be a surprise to no one. There has been a

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restaurant here, of course, for some years. Many will know it as the Cow Shed but, following the closure of that enterprise in the summer of 2019 and a period when the building stood empty, it is now under new management and opening as Fino on 24th November, just in time for the Christmas rush.

Experience The project is the work of Jenny Thompson and Matthew Burton, owners of Qubana in Wood Street and Robatary in Northgate ( just a few doors along from Fino). Indeed, the new manager at Fino is Murat Akyuz who was brought over from Robatary to set things up. Jenny, Matthew and their team are helping to revitalise the restaurant trade in the city: each of their restaurants has a distinctive style and great attention is paid the décor, food quality and service. That is very true of the Fino, which I visited twice ( just to make sure!) within a few days. My first visit to the establishment was with fellow members of Wakefield Civic Society’s monthly Dining Club in January 2020. Each month, the Club visits a different restaurant and at the end of the meal, members get to

R E STAU R A N T R E V I E W score their experience. Once all the scores in the year have been totted up, the Society awards its coveted ‘Restaurant of the Year’ award to the restaurant (or sometimes, restaurants) receiving the highest scores. Given that this was the first Dining Club outing of the year and we were visiting a brandnew restaurant to boot, members turned out in good number and there were some 29 of us who sat down to dine. We more or less took over the whole of the downstairs part of the building (which meant we were handily close to the bar): there was just one other table occupied by a couple who must have wondered what was happening as we all trooped in, but they didn’t seem to mind (our members are very well behaved!). Sandra Elliott, who organises our Dining Club outings, had liaised with members and the restaurant to transmit our menu choices in advance which certainly helped speed the service and most meals arrived in front of the right person although there were one or two side dishes that took a bit of calling out to locate their rightful owner. But an impressive result given that there was also a party dining in the upstairs restaurant as well. Overall, the food quality was excellent, and people seemed to enjoy their evening very much (good company and good food!). However, I abandoned any attempt to take notes for this review – I was having too much fun chatting to fellow diners and the staff were a little preoccupied serving up the dishes. Instead, I arranged with Murat to

return to Fino a few days later for my second bite of the pomodoro and to make sure I did the job properly. On this occasion, my partner and I dined as guests of the restaurant. You’ll have noticed that the restaurant is styled as a pizzeria and cicchetti. I think everyone will understand the pizzeria bit but may be less familiar with the concept of ‘cicchetti’. (OK, I’ll admit it – even I had to look it up.) Cicchetti are smallmedium sized snacks or side dishes, typically served in bars in Venice. They could be described as the Italian equivalent of tapas. You can combine them to make a meal, mix and match while sharing with others or treat them as a starter dish. We chose an Insalata Caprese and a Goat’s Cheese and Fresh Fig Insalata (priced at £6.45 and £6.95 respectively), followed by a Vegetarian Lasagne al Forno and a Portofino Maltagliati (thin strips of pasta with green pesto, green beans and potato). These were priced at £8.45 and £12.95. We finished with an Italian Crème Brûlée and a Lemon Cheesecake

(£5.95 each). All were excellent. Nicely filling without being over-facing, and, of course, delicious, perhaps not surprising given that everything in the kitchen is masterminded by Italian head chef Vito (who hails from Bari). After the meal, Murat sat down with us for a chat. He has worked for Jenny and Matthew for 10 years and clearly loves the job. He

pizza) and a small glass of house wine (or half pint of draught beer or soft drink) for just £6.95, which has to be terrific value in anybody’s book. The restaurant has seats for 35 downstairs and 25 on the upper floor. There’s also a seating area outside on Gill’s Yard, but we didn’t try that! Given that we were there in January, we much preferred the warm welcome on offer indoors! I guess we’ll just need to go back when the sun comes out.

Jenny, Matthew and their team are helping to revitalise the restaurant trade in the city: each of their restaurants has a distinctive style and great Need to know: attention is paid to the décor, Fi n o P i z z e r i a a n d food quality and service... Cicchetti, 53 Northgate, helped to set up Robatary, which I reviewed back in 2016, so this was more of a catch up really. As well as the à la carte menus (available to view on line), there is a specials menu, new every week, and you can also take advantage of a lunchtime special of a classic pizza, pasta or Stromboli (a wrapped

Wakefield, WF1 3BP Tel: 01924 369641

Email: enquiries@ finowakefield.co.uk Website: https://www. finowakefield.co.uk/ Opening times: Sun – Thu, 12pm – 10pm, Fri – Sat, 12pm – 11pm You can follow Kevin on Twitter @MrTrickett

TopicUK March 2020

I T U P D AT E

As technological innovations continue to evolve and become an increasingly integral part of running a successful business, SME’s looking to grow should be eager to adopt new and emerging technologies, especially since the ambiguity around Brexit has now faded. Following the UK’s departure from the EU on January 31 and after three long years of economic uncertainty, businesses are now in a much more resilient position to bounce back, leaving this a perfect time to begin investing in their organisation through technology. Paul Heigham, from Bellingham IT, explains: “The rapid shift towards a digital world has made it clear that companies need to be more technologically-savvy, especially if they do not want to trail behind their competitors. But for this to be a reality, businesses must embrace the potential of tech by making the strategic investments required.” “Equally, it’s not enough for businesses to simply spend big when it comes to the latest innovations. They require a robust tech strategy, one that directs them to the right investment that not only maximises return and has a positive impact on the bottom line but also enhances the opportunities for growth.” Incorporate technology with business goals In developing an effective tech strategy, the first step is to make sure that it aligns with the objectives of the business. However, distinguishing what tech would best complement

Post Brexit tech strategy for SME’s By Paul Heigham - Director of Bellingham IT current and future priorities can be challenging, especially with new products and innovations continually hitting the market. In these instances, an IT support specialist can guide and advise. Evaluate existing IT systems A fundamental part of implementing an effective tech strategy is reviewing the existing IT infrastructure for any inefficiencies. Once this review is complete, the IT requirements become clear and you can focus on how they can be met. https://www.pexels.com/photo/artcolors-conceptual-fingers-344775/

Paul comments: “Without evaluating an organisation’s existing IT system, it would not be possible to provide a tech solution that is both cost-efficient and objectivedriven. The strategic evaluation must be a priority in the initial stages of planning.” Upskill staff to match new technology As businesses adopt new technology, changes in job roles and demand for new skills is inevitable. To support this, employers must provide fullscale upskilling initiatives so that staff are appropriately trained and

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can increase productivity through the newly acquired tech. Paul concludes: “Living in an era of digital transformation where virtually every industry is either affected or shaped by technology, shying away from investing in tech can be detrimental to any business and essentially spur its downfall. As technology becomes more widespread, IT investments can discern between being a winning or a losing company.”

N E W S U P D AT E

Business of the Month

TopicUK have teamed up with Eaton Smith Solicitors as media partners, to celebrate their Business of the Month Awards, that recognise the hard work, brilliance and innovation of businesses in the Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield areas. The awards are run in conjunction with the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and the Department for International Trade”.

Award success for Vizulate Digital Vizulate Digital, a full service digital marketing agency, has had its success recognised by winning the Eaton Smith February Business of the Month Award for January 2020.

Vizulate Digital, a full service digital marketing agency, has had its success recognised by winning the Eaton Smith Business of the Month Award for January 2020. Two of the Directors of the company, Scott and Mick Brant, attended the event at Eaton Smith’s offices to receive the award.

application demonstrated how innovative their work is and how they are not afraid to push boundaries in order to differentiate their offering. They also have an impressive CSR record which includes giving opportunities to local University students as well as raising money for charities.”

Vizulate Digital was established in 2014 to work with businesses looking to grow through strategic digital marketing. Working with both national and international brands, the team have delivered an average of a 600% return on investment for their clients.

Scott Brant, Director at Vizulate Digital said; “We are very proud to have our business recognised by this award. We have worked hard over to create a business that stands out in a crowded market place through delivering consistently impressive results for our clients.”

Chris Taylor, Partner at Eaton Smith and member of the judging panel commented; “Vizulate Digital’s

Vizulate Digital will now go through to the Business of the Year Awards which will be held on 3rd July 2020.

L-R: Sue Cooke – 3M BIC, Ian Gostellow – Graywoods, Emma Sinfield – MYCCI,

Alison Palmer – Eaton Smith, Scott Brant – Vizulate Digital, Mick Brant – Vizulate Digital

Mandate Systems Mandate Systems, a company that specialises in pressure systems safety regulations is the latest business to win the Eaton Smith Business of the Month Award. Now in its 30th year, Mandate Systems helps companies to comply with Pressure Systems Safety Regulations which are set out by the Health & Safety Executive in order to provide a safe workplace. Mandate Systems, a company that specialises in pressure systems safety regulations is the latest business to win the Eaton Smith Business of the Month Award. Now in its 30th year, Mandate Systems helps companies to comply with Pressure Systems Safety Regulations which are set out by the Health & Safety Executive in order to provide a safe workplace. The business has grown significantly in recent years which has led to two sister companies being created under the Mandate Systems umbrella, CoffeeSafe and PressureSafe. With their success came the opportunity to employ a number of people from the local area was well as being able to support the wider community helping local charities and junior sports clubs.

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Deborah Melluish, Partner at Eaton Smith and member of the judging panel said; “Mandate Systems’ application impressed the judges with their development throughout their years of service. Their passion for providing the best possible service for their clients stood out to the judging panel.” Amy Kent, Managing Director commented on the award; “We’re really pleased to have been chosen for this award. Providing quality services for our customers is our main aim so it’s a real boost for the whole team to be recognised for their hard work.” Mandate Systems will now go forward to the Business of the Year Award on 3rd July 2020.

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Antony Gormley statue to take centre stage at new Kirklees College building New facilities in Pioneer Higher Skills Centre will include modern classrooms, science laboratories, libraries, creative workshops, photography studio, IT suites, gallery, recreation areas, hair and beauty therapy salons, meeting rooms as well as a coffee shop and bistro.

Kirklees College is thrilled to announce that the new Pioneer Higher Skills Centre in Dewsbury will feature an Antony Gormley statue when it opens later this year. The statue, by Angel of the North sculptor Gormley, will sit on top of the Victorian building, formerly known as Pioneer House, an iconic

grade 2 listed building that has been renovated and transformed into a new higher skills learning centre.

Oliver Boothroyd from Kirklees College said: “Bringing an Antony Gormley statue to Kirklees College has been in planning for over three years. Our early discussions with his team explaining the heritage and regeneration work in Dewsbury was key to bringing this project to life.

The project has been part funded through the Leeds City Region Growth Deal, delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and the LEP, supported by Kirklees Council, The Heritage Lottery Fund and The Dewsbury Townscape Heritage Initiative.

We have been supported by both the Arts Council and Kirklees Council and as well as bringing this work to our new Pioneer Higher Skills Centre we will also be launching a school’s engagement project in Kirklees. This project will enable the college and the local community to interact with

Connect Yorkshire

Connect Yorkshire is a not-for-profit Membership Benefits organisation designed to support Business Owners and Directors across the Yorkshire area. • Masterclasses Our aim is to nurture emerging talent, help established companies to grow and continue to assist in creating wealth, jobs and opportunities across the Yorkshire region. This is an invaluable environment for like-minded individuals to prosper, as well as openly discuss and resolve issues to help develop their propositions for greater success. We offer a range of

events including Masterclasses, Tr a i n i n g , R o u n d t a b l e s , In s p i ra t i o n a l t a l k s a n d Workshops, additional to this we also offer mentoring. Our mentoring is carried out by our Entrepreneurs in Residence, these are over 100 of Yorkshire’s Top entrepreneurs who give their time for free to provide guidance and advice to ambitious members.

all audiences, making people aware of public sculpture and of the arts, and will benefit all ages within the local community and beyond.” A VIP opening event is planned to take place in later this year and an open day for the public is to follow.

To find out more and to have a preview inside please visit the Kirklees College YouTube channel here https:// youtu.be/PtmPCac5PBM or email the marketing team communications@ kirkleescollege.ac.uk

We offer one free event to Business Owners and Directors wanting to see what is on offer. To book an event or to find out more contact louise.dodsworth@ connectyorkshire.org

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1-2-1 Mentoring

Upcoming events can be seen at:

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Marketing & Social Media

 : https://connectyorkshire.org/

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Networking

 : 0113 337 2001

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Sales Training

 : @Connect_Yorks

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 : https://www.linkedin. com/company/connect-yorkshire/

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Training Seminars

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Growing the Yorkshire Economy

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Business Directory TopicUK March 2020

LNEEGWASL UMPADTATTEER S

Ramsdens Solicitors More than 1 in 5 women and almost 1 in 10 men aged 16 to 59 have been victims of stalking since the age of 16. Between 2017 and 2018 there were 1,616 prosecutions for stalking offences, with 73% related to domestic abuse (the Crime Survey for England and Wales). O n 2 0 t h Ja n u a r y 2 0 2 0 t h e Stalking Protection Act 2019 introduced Stalking Protection Orders. A Stalking Protection Order is an Order to prevent a person from carrying out acts associated with stalking (including domestic stalking).

Necessary T h e Po l i c e c a n a p p l y f o r a Stalking Protection Order to the Magistrates Court and interim Stalking Protection Orders can be made by the Court to protect victims deemed at immediate risk of harm until there has been determination of the “full” Stalking Protection Order. The Police should conside r applying for an Order for a victim where it appears a person has carried out acts associated with stalking, the person poses a risk of stalking to another and there is reasonable cause to believe the proposed Order is necessary to protect the victim from that risk. A prior conviction for stalking is not required for the Police to apply

Photo by Itati Tapia from Pexels

for such Order and an application can be made even if a prosecution is not pursued by the Police. There is no need for the victim to have reported stalking so long as it is considered there is a risk of harm. The Police can request that prohibitions (such as the person entering certain locations or defined areas where the victim resides or frequently visits) and/ or requirements (e.g. to attend an appropriate programme or receive treatment) are included within the Order to protect the victim from the risk of stalking. However, the final decision as to the terms of the Order is made by the Magistrates.

Assistance It is a criminal offence to breach a Stalking Protection Order.

New stalking protection act f o r o t h e r p ro te c t i v e o rd e r s in addition (such as a NonMolestation Order) depending on the victim’s circumstances. If you require any advice or assistance in relation to domestic

abuse, please contact our Family team here at Ramsdens. The team will provide the reassurance and help you may need and can connect you with a number of different support agencies in the local area.

Are conversations with your employees always confidential? An offer to terminate an employee’s employment contract on agreed terms m ay b e c o n f i d e n t i a l provided the “without prejudice” rule applies or if the offer forms part of a protected conversation under Section 111A of the Employment Rights Act (ERA).

The victim may be able to apply

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If there is a genuine attempt to settle an existing dispute the “without prejudice” rule applies and the conversation cannot be used as evidence in an Employment Tribunal claim unless there has been fraud, undue influence, or “unambiguous impropriety”. Similarly, a protected conversation under Section 111A ERA applies even if there is no existing dispute

N E W S U P D AT E

Ministers have rejected calls for reformation of bereavement damages Following calls by APIL and a parliamentary committee for a full consultation of the scheme, ministers have rejected calls for reformation of the current statutory bereavement award under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. They have instead promised an inflationary increase in the statutory amount to reflect the current economic climate. The current amount has not been increased since 2013 and rests at £12,980, a figure criticised for being too low. This contrasts the system in Scotland, in which awards are not limited as they are instead assessed on a case-by-case basis. Although the bereavement award is between the employer and employee. However, the protection under this Section only applies to unfair dismissal claims. The case of Harrison v Aryman illustrates the position. Ms Harrison, having resigned in 2017 went on to claim constructive unfair dismissal as well as sex and pregnancy or maternity discrimination. The claim referred specifically to a letter dated August 2016 headed “Confidential Settlement Proposal” which detailed an offer to terminate the Employee’s employment contract. The Employer argued that the letter was a protected

various circumstances, including but not limited to the death of an illegitimate child (whereby the mother receives the bereavement entitlement while the father is left with nothing) and where a child sustains fatal injuries whilst under the age of 18 but dies over the age of 18 (in accordance with the Dolema v Deakin (1990)). The Ministry of Justice justified the recent decision to not increase the award on the basis that the award is intended to be a ‘token payment to a limited group of people’. Although no amount of money can compensate for the loss, a bereavement award can assist with alleviating some of the stresses that arise following the death of a loved one.

statutory, it is funded by way of insurance companies.

Entitlement The award has also faced criticism for limiting those who can claim, as the scheme currently excludes children who have lost a parent, parents who have lost a child over the age of 18, siblings and

grandparents. The current scheme therefore only allows for a spouse, civil partner, unmarried couple of two years or parent of a child under the age of 18 to claim damages for an unlawful death. The death must be caused by an accident or work-related illness which has arisen as a result of negligence. Difficulties arise in

At Ramsdens Solicitors, our Personal Injury solicitors have vast experience in assisting bereaved families in claims for bereavement awards. We also advocate for families at inquests, and therefore are experienced in helping families who have lost a loved one as a result of someone else’s negligence.

conversation under Section 111A ERA and therefore could not be used as evidence in the claim. Initially the Employment Tribunal agreed, however the Employee appealed the decision and the Employment Appeal Tribunal confirmed that where an employee claims that the reason for dismissal was automatically unfair, such as pregnancy, the protected conversation can be used as evidence. This case highlights that although pre-termination negotiations and settlements are useful, they should only be used in appropriate circumstances.

When carrying out protected conversations, employers should carefully consider the provisions of section 111A ERA and the “without prejudice” rules before entering into settlements with employees. As illustrated in the case above such conversations may be used as evidence in court and can therefore be detrimental to an employer if claims are brought against them. TopicUK March 2020

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Making a Claim: Personal Injury Explained

Have you ever looked in to making a personal injury claim and been put off simply by all the legal jargon used. We’ll try and break it down for you so you know exactly what you’re signing up for and to help you make more of an informed decision on what is best for you.

your claim can be uploaded and sent to the Defendant insurers who are then able to complete the relevant investigations. If your claim falls outside the boundaries of the Portal then a letter of claim will be sent to the insurers by post instead. To get compensation in any personal injury claim, you will have to have an independent medico legal report prepared on your behalf. A medico legal report is simply one prepared by a qualified medical expert who is also qualified to complete reports which can be relied on in Court. Your claim, depending on value and complexity, will be dealt with under one of three Court tracks. The first, Small Claims, is used if the value of the claim is below £1,000. These are often run by the Claimant themselves, without a solicitor. The next track up is the Fast Track. This is for relatively straight forward cases in which the value is between £1,000 and £25,000. The highest track is the Multi Track which is for claims that are rather complex or those that are worth more than £25,000. Should your case go to Court, at any point, you will most likely be represented by Counsel. This is another name for a Barrister.

Chadwick Lawrence personal injury team

When initially speaking to a solicitor you may hear terms such as ‘Conditional Fee Agreement’, ‘No Win No Fee’, ‘After the Event insurance’, ‘Medico Legal’, ‘Fast Track’, ‘Multi Track’. All words which you may not be familiar with if this is your first time making a claim. First of all, Claimant. You are the Claimant if you are making a claim for damages (compensation). When you are instructing a solicitor they will discuss the funding

arrangement with you and they will talk about a Conditional Fee Agreement or a No Win No Fee agreement. Essentially these are the same thing, a funding document which contains the arrangement agreed with your solicitor and in what potential circumstances you may be liable to pay. During the funding discussion they will mostly likely also mention After the Event insurance (ATE insurance). This is a type of insurance which is taken out by your solicitor and this protects you, the client, from having to pay anything out of your pocket should you be unsuccessful or should anything unexpected arise.

Qualified If your claim is less than £25,000 then your claim will be dealt with in the MOJ Portal system. This is an online system in which

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In a straight forward claim where liability is admitted your solicitor will value and make an offer for general and special damages. General damages are for the injuries you sustained (also known as PSLA – pain, suffering and loss of amenity). Special damages include anything else such as loss of earnings, travel expenses and medication expenses. Hopefully, everything now seems a little bit less scary. If you’ve had an accident that you feel you should be compensated for, or if you wish to find out a little bit more before making a claim, then why not contact our approachable and friendly team at Yorkshire’s Injury Lawyers. We have years of experience in dealing with all types of claims from the most straight forward to complex high value claims. Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.

L EN G EAW L SM U AP TD TE AR TS E

Using a mobile phone whilst driving will you be caught out?

anyone else at the time of recording. Mr Barreto was convicted by the Magistrates Court but appealed the decision, and was successful in the Crown Court on the basis that filming or taking a photograph did not amount to “using” in accordance with the law. Therefore, the Prosecution appealed the Crown Court decision to the High Court. The High Court dismissed the Prosecution’s appeal to the Crown Court. Crucially, the Court stated that “other hand-held interactive communication device” is defined as a devise which “performs an interactive communication function by transmitting and receiving data”.

Nick and Nils

Everyone knows that if you’re caught using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving a vehicle, it’s an offence which will see you be subject to points endorsed on your licence and a fine (for offences committed post-March 2017, this will be 6 points and a fine of at least £200).

This could result in you getting banned from driving if you ‘tot-up’ 12 live penalty points. Furthermore, if you were to cause damage/harm when on your phone whilst driving, you could be subject to much more serious charges such as careless or dangerous driving.

However, there’s been some confusion (and still remains so) about what actually means “using” a mobile phone in the phrase “using a hand-held mobile telephone or other hand-held interactive communication device” whilst driving. A recent case has stirred the interpretation of this definition up further. This is a somewhat expected development given the niche technological advances the ever-increasing globally-connected world has seen in the past decade.

Function In DPP v Barreto [2019], Mr Barreto was witnessed by police for taking a video recording on his mobile phone of a serious road traffic collision. It’s important to note that this recording was not being live-streamed or communicated to

“Mobile phone” and “other handheld interactive communication device” should not carry totally separate meanings. Accordingly, Mr Barreto was not “using” his mobile phone for any “interactive communication function” when filming the road traffic collision, so was not guilty of the offence. This was not being communicated to the outside world since he was not “transmitting or receiving data”, such as by speaking, texting or using the phone as a satnav. Although, if he was live-streaming (or communicating in some way) with the digital world, he will have been guilty of the offence. It’s important to obtain expert legal advice if you think you’ve been caught under the offence of using a mobile phone whilst driving, or for any road traffic offence which can have devastating life-changing consequences on you, your family and your employer. TopicUK March 2020

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Mum and Dad need to get with it Parents who help their children get on the property ladder are being urged to adopt a more professional approach when it comes to handing over the cash.

Faced with high rental costs and soaring property prices, more parents are dipping into savings or releasing capital from their own property to support the next generation. Research by Legal & General estimates that a massive £6.3bn was provided last year by the Bank of Mum and Dad – or BoMaD - as it’s known. The figure effectively makes BoMaD the 11th largest mortgage lender in the UK, based on rankings compiled by UK Finance, the collective voice for the banking and finance industry. When the money was handed over, 59% received it as a gift wino requirement to pay it back, and

14% received a mix of gift and loan. Only 6% were charged interest and only 8% of those doing the lending wanted an equity stake in return for their contribution.

Contribution

when there are considerable sums involved. That situation was played out in the Court of Appeal recently, when a mother tried to secure the return of the contribution she had made to her son’s property purchase, after he died leaving everything to his wife. In Farrell v Burden, Mrs Farrell loaned her son £170,000 in 2005, and he repaid £90,000 later that same year, but with no further capital sums or interest paid after that. When he died 11 years later, leaving nothing to his mother, she took action to recover the outstanding amount she said was due from his estate. But his widow, Ms Burden, claimed that the money had been given to the couple and in the absence of any documentation, the court said the payment was a gift in the eyes of the law. Mrs Farrell was ordered to pay the costs of the estate in the action, reportedly around £100,000, as well as losing her claim for the money. While she appealed the case, when it reached the Court of Appeal, they upheld the judgement on the grounds of lack of evidence, as she had not asked her son or his wife to sign anything that would support her claim. We are seeing more parents stepping in to support their children in buying a property, but that is giving rise to problems along the line, with more challenges to estates or worries over divorce settlements (where prenuptial agreements have not been considered) and relationship breakdowns.

But with the average contribution of families and friends now standing at a massive £24,100 – and £31,000 in London – it can prove a minefield if it’s not clear whether it’s a gift or a loan, covered by an agreement in The terms of the gift/loan may have writing. And while parents may be been discussed, but not clearly happy to support their ownN Echildren, W S U P D A T Erecorded in writing. Additionally, if the contribution ends up with tax is also an issue that is often someone outside the family, it’s overlooked. Whilst the cost of likely to cause additional problems preparing such agreements may seem

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unnecessary, in the happy situation of handing over the cheque to help children onto the property ladder, the potential costs of litigation and permanent family fallouts, further down the line can be considerably more than the original loan/gift – as happened with Mrs Farrell.”

Important When parents contribute money to the purchase of a property by a child and partner there are several scenarios: the payment might be a gift to the child, it might be a gift to the child and partner; it might be a loan to the child or a loan to the child and partner; or it may be that the parents intend to be entitled to a share in the property. Whether to avoid later disputes, or simply to resolve any unclear thinking at the time, makes it vital to have a written record of what was intended. Such documentation is not just important for setting out a loan to ensure money is repaid, it is equally important in setting out where it has been made as a gift. For inheritance tax planning purposes, documentation to support when the money was paid and confirming that it was made with the intention of being a gift may be crucial, if it is to take advantage of the rules concerning such gifts when inheritance tax is calculated on the death of the giver. The sums involved, and the complexity of property purchases, make it essential to get the right advice. None of the Top Ten mortgage lenders would hand over the cash without having their interests properly protected and the BoMaD need to take the same approach.

C O M M E R C I A L P R O P E R T Y U P D AT E

Capital Gains Tax and residential investments

by Mark Hanson BSc FRICS Hanson Chartered Surveyors.(A Walker SingletonGroup Company)

At the moment Buy-to-Let landlords and other property owners have up to 22 months to pay Capital Gains Tax on gains made following sales of properties. This is about to change from 22 months to 30 days from April 2020. At the moment Buy-to-Let landlords and other property owners have up to 22 months to pay Capital Gains Tax on gains made following sales of properties. This is about to change from 22 months to 30 days from April 2020. The system to date allows property owners to complete a return and pay the CGT by 31st January following the tax year

in which the sale took place, hence 10 months to 22 months depending on when in the year the sale took place. However, from 6th April 2020 those sales which give rise to a chargeable gain must submit a one off assessment and pay the tax due within 30 days of completion. This change has been languishing and waiting to bite following an

announcement five years ago, but it wasn’t until the budget of 2017 that April 2020 was fixed in the Finance Act of that year. The CGT rules relating to someone’s principal private residence do not change. Private Residence Relief will still apply. However, it may significantly affect those in the private rented sector in that the old rules will apply on properties which are sold on or before the 5th April 2020. CGT is currently charged at 18% for basic rate tax payers or 28% for higher rate payers and bringing forward payment of any tax on a gain may not be convenient.

✓ Commercial and Industrial Property Consultants ✓ Business and Asset Valuers and Auctioneers ✓ Property Managers ✓ Residential Sales and Letting Agents ✓ Registered Property Receivers

Buy-to-Let and other property owners may wish to consider selling their properties in advance of the 5th April if possible, although time is now short (even shorter depending on publication of this article). Residential properties owned by limited companies are not affected as Corporation Tax and no CGT applies. Anyone considering the future of their residential portfolio can contact my colleague, Adam Powell at Walker Singleton in Halifax (01422 430000), but on matters specifically relating to tax, all property owner’s must discuss individual liabilities with their own accountants.

Oak House, New North Road, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD1 5LG 01484 477600 huddersfield@walkersingleton.co.uk Property House, Lister Lane, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX1 5AS 01422 430000 halifax@walkersingleton.co.uk Raven House, Kings Gate, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 4SJ 01274 452000 bradford@walkersingleton.co.uk No. 1 Aire Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 4PR 0113 848 0000 leeds@walkersingleton.co.uk

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N E W S U P D AT E

Everyday life has become one big ‘project’. Here’s how to manage it. By: Tim Guest

The rigours of modern life have crept up on us, both at home and in the workplace. TV dramas set in the 80’s and 90’s show how different the office looked back then – mobile phones were practically non-existent and desks were without the ubiquitous PC or Mac astride them…typewriters were still a thing. Where ‘Projects’ used to be something quite specific, with clear objectives, start and end points, day-to-day business operations have essentially become gigantic projects, with multiple, endless streams of work, all of which needs managing. Traditional project management software, whilst certainly relevant to many types of projects, are simply not suitable to manage the way most of our business administration and operations require, they’re too rigid and rely on upfront planning of a scenario that has a conclusion

to the project…even if many projects do overrun. But, don’t despair, there are some fantastic ways you can save yourself from personal or organisational meltdown, you just need to get on and adopt them. Put the effort in to get on top of your business processes and reap the rewards. As we’ve discussed before, spreadsheets can be a saviour and a curse all at the same time, so stop using them for everything, you’re smarter than that. Find

replacement solutions that allow you to collaborate and automate tasks. And if that sounds too ‘technical’, don’t be put off, some solutions can be self-administered by your business and its amazing staff, for the others, there are experts to enable those for you. In an interview with the ‘Disruptive Entrepreneur’, Rob Moore, Lawrence Jones MBE, the CEO of UKFast, described how his business is able to realise 50% net profits on £100m + turnover. Yes, net profit! He cites the success to their fundamental approach to ‘careful engineering’ of their use of IT, to ‘harnessing technology’, and to developing their own systems, systemising everything and looking for synergy, rather than investing many off-the-shelf software doing different things for the business, which ultimately create

the ‘silos’ I’ve spoken of previously in the Workplace Innovation feature.

Advice So, here’s my 3-step approach to start systemising your business and create efficiencies and competitive edge: •

Look at the information you manage in spreadsheets now, get a good feel and then investigate some of the new breeds of ‘project’ management tools that are easy-to-use, allow collaboration, and flexible enough to manage all manner of projects or processes. Whilst many exist, my recommendation is Monday.com, it’s fantastic!

•

For those which are too information-specific, need to manage and manipulate data and do more ‘things’, have a custom application developed for just one such key business process

•

With both of these methods in place, use simple integration services to harness even more power and let them ‘talk’ to each other to create levels of information visibility and automation you’ve never experienced before

Getting on top of the routine operations that fall outside of the scope of your core business systems is possible with these three steps. Project management, after all, is all about visibility and collaboration.

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N E W S U P D AT E

Gary Pattison OUT OF OFFICE

In this issue Gill spoke to Gary Pattison, managing partner at Fantastic Media based in central Leeds. By The Editor Q: You arrive home on Friday night after a busy week. What’s the first thing you do? At Fantastic we finish a little earlier on a Friday, so I get the chance to pick my little boy up from After School Club and it’s great to hear about his daily escapades. Next it’s time to get some training done with Friday being either a bike race on Zwift in my self-built man/ pain cave or a few rounds of boxing after which my wife tries to get some sense out of me, much to her chagrin.

Q: It’s time for the weekend. What are we most likely to find you doing, and where? As an aspiring (but pretty average) Ultra runner Saturday tends to be the day to get my long run in the bag. I’m aiming to break 50+ miles this year so there’s lots of work to be done. After this it’s time for some nice lunch with my wife and son where I invariably bore them with tales of fuelling strategies, chaffing prevention and why I need another pair of trainers. They are both very understanding (tolerant) of my eccentricities and hairbrained schemes.

Q: Saturday night arrives. What’s your idea of the perfect way to spend it? It often involves work, of sorts, so out comes the bow tie and it’s showtime. Over recent years I’ve been moonlighting as an MC at charity, amateur and professional boxing and mixed martial arts shows

Some of the best ideas for clients can pop in to my head over the weekend...

and I’m fortunate to be involved with some great promoters and pretty big shows. It’s an amazing buzz to be stood in an Octagon, introducing the fighters, at somewhere like Sheffield’s Fly DSA Arena and I get the best seat in the house. I also help a few athletes with sports psychology and mindset development so it’s a great chance to learn more about what it takes to do great things.

Q : I t ’ s S u n d a y a l r e a d y. What tasks are usually on your ‘to-do’ list? It’s swimming training for my little boy on a Sunday and I love watching his progress. I was lucky to have my Dad at pretty much every event, match and training session I had as a child and it’s important for me to show my lad the same dedication. It’s

then on to the list of things I should have fixed or done around the house.

Q: Work again tomorrow. Do you get the Sunday blues or look forward to getting back – and why? Some of the best ideas for clients can pop in to my head over the weekend so it’s pointless feeling down about the week ahead and much better to embrace the adventure ahead.

Q: The weekend’s almost over. What’s the last thing you do before you hit the hay ahead of another week? I fill in my training diary (it’s pretty sad that I log every session) and plan out what I want to achieve personally and professionally over the coming weeks.

A ND EV WESR T UO P RDIAATL E

Freelancing needn’t be daunting Taking the plunge into freelancing full-time can seem very daunting – but it shouldn’t be this way. Many people might be freelancing part-time, or hoping to leave their company to start their own freelancing venture up. Here at Avenue HQ, we have met thousands of full-time freelancers - and picked up some handy tips on how to turn your interest in freelancing into a fulltime career. 1) Channel your selfmotivation & dedication To be a full-time freelancer, you need to have a great deal of dedication and motivation. Working for yourself will give you freedom to pursue your own projects, and manage all clients yourself – quite simply, you can become wholly responsible for your business and its success. W h a t m a ke s f r e e l a n c e r s successful is their drive to build something for themselves, and the dedication they put in to make it work. You may not have the benefit of a team around you to help and motivate you – this is on you. Find motivation in doing great work for your clients, and building something you know benefits them. 2) Get finances in order If you are going to become a freelancer full-time, you need to know where your finances are going, and how far they can stretch. If you haven’t built out a significant client base yet, you

may soon find yourself short on money. Now is the time when you’re likely to benefit from having low overheads for your business – potentially just the cost of your laptop, a flexible working space and any tools you need for the job. Keep track of all costs and keep tight control of your pursestrings, so that you know where your money is coming from and where it is being spent.

into getting a great website explaining what you do, replete with a portfolio and testimonials from past clients. Many freelancers will gain a lot of work through word-ofmouth and recommendations, but it is only a positive to have a strong online presence, which affirms your reliability and quality, and which will impress potential clients. 5) Build up your client base

3) Find your selling point Having a unique selling point can help you stand out from the crowd. Maybe your selling point is your niche and expertise – covering an area of the market previously underrepresented. Maybe your dedication and ability to go above and beyond makes you stand out. Or maybe it’s your previous client/corporate experience. Whatever it is, find something that will help you stand out amidst other freelancers - not

only will this help clients find you, but will give you assurance and confidence in what you are offering.

Eagle Labs For details on anything Avenue HQ, check out our website: www.avenue-hq. com or email: s.bensley@avenuehq.com

4) Build your online presence A large part of freelancing is building your online presence, and marketing yourself. Having a grasp of basic marketing strategies will help your freelancing go a long way and will impress clients; look

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Now you need some clients you can rely on. Whether you’ve already got one or two through freelancing part-time, or you’re starting from fresh, there’s nothing like having the security of a varied client base. Short-term projects from new clients are a great way to build your portfolio and make inroads, but only with a steady stream of work from reliable clients will you feel confident you can support freelancing full-time.

How niche events are becoming big business

T H E Y O R KNSEHW I RS EUCPO DA A ST TE

Photographs with acknowledgment from the website http://pogonotrophy.tv Club Northern Beard meet-up' which was held at Scarborough Spa. A GUIDE TO BEARDS: Organiser Anthony Springall, a stunning cake creator with a flowing beard, said: "It featured a fun and friendly competition run by members of the British Beard Club, vinyl records played on wind up gramophone record players in the afternoon and a big band. "It was an unexpected success gaining an enormous amount of organic media interest and attention before, during and after the event giving a welcome smile to an otherwise wet and windy out of season Scarborough with people travelling from across all the ridings of Yorkshire to attend. "So it was decided to return the following year but this time name it Yorkshire Beard Day, becoming the annual event we know and love today." Among the judges at the first event was Ed Asquith as the then editor of the Scarborough Evening News and a forme r O ld Testame ntstyle beard-wearer.

Niche events are being regarded more and more as weekend tourism cashspinners ... among them are the Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage, Scarborough's Goldwing Light Parade encouraged by the South Bay traders and of course the Whitby Goth Weekends now held twice-yearly. Yorkshire Beard Day is growing and this year it was partly link-up with Scarborough Real Ale, Cider and Arts Festival.

Anthony said: "The event captured the public's imagination, something a little quirky, and women and children joined in with false beards or beards they had knitted themselves." The event also has a serious intent ... to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Yorkshire Beard Day started in 2012 initially as a one-off event called 'Beards, Beer & Louis Barabbas & the Bedlam Six - The British Beard

Business Beard: Short Beard: a neat and tidy-shaped full set beard like a well-kept lawn King Edward VII: classic full set beard long enough to be trimmed to naturally occurring point or subtly waxed Musketeer: a narrow-pointed chin beard and a distinct moustache, usually fashioned with wax or naturally trained Sideburns/Mutton Chops: Hair on the side of the face, can be joined by a moustache but chin must be clean-shaven Whitby Whaler/Sea Captainsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Chin Warmer: beard is full on the chin and cheeks but the top lip is clean-shaven ... think Captain Ahab, Abraham Lincoln or the Amish Verdi: short to mediumsized beard, not pointy but of a rounded appearance, and axed and curled.

This year the event at the Scarborough Spa Ocean Room in early March, was shared with Scarborough CAMRA Real Ale & Cider Festival. TopicUK March 2020

TNHE EW SY OURPKDS A HTI REE C O A S T

The business spin in a galaxy Photographs by Simon Heaton

Sci-fi unconventional convention that likes to be beside the seaside will return in a quick light year Sci-Fi Scarborough was born, the inaugural event took place in April 2014 and has brought guests from film and TV shows such as Red Dwarf, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and Blake’s 7. Co-organiser Steve Dickinson, who runs Mojo's Music Cafe in the town, said: "We believe the event has been of great benefit to the town in terms of business, by attracting visitors new and old before the tourism season starts. "They spend in hotels, restaurants and shops and the potential of social media is unleashed as the attendees put out images online across all platforms placing Scarborough in the limelight for a different reason." The seventh convention was beamed out of the universe by COVID-19 but will spin back in a new trajectory. Steve said: "We quickly realised from the beginning that the Sci-Fi event at the Spa was more popular than we anticipated.Remarkable "Not only Scarborough folk attending but people coming from all over the country, the south and west coasts, Scotland, Wales and the US.

A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away a few friends decided that Scarborough should have its own convention to entertain the friendly geeks and geeky families in the area.

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"Getty Images send a photographer every year to capture some pictures of the remarkable costume groups and amazing cosplayers (costumedparticipants who represent a specific character)."

THE YORK ST N SE HWI SR EU C PO DAT E

seven years we have greatly contributed to tourism in the area, many hotels report being fully booked that weekend. "Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so heartening to know that all our hard work and the personal financial risk on such an event is appreciated by so many. "We believe Sci-Fi Scarborough is an asset to the town and a highlight in the event calendar for many, local and from afar. Long may we boldly go ... and Oh We Do Like To Geek Beside The Seaside! Sentinel Squad, 99th Garrison and Scarborough Garrison regularly attend and provide great imagery against the backdrop of South Bay. The pictures appear online across Europe and as far as China. "So we feel that over the past

The two full days normally include comic book artists, write rs, music, prop displays, cosplay competitions, guest panels, and science, steampunk, software developers, fan films, geek pub quiz, retro gaming and modern console gaming. TopicUK March 2020

TNHE EW SY OURPKDS A HTI REE C O A S T

Splashing out a fortune in shipwreck investigation

More than 20 dives to the wreck of what is believed to be the 18th century American warship Bonhomme Richard has cost £800,000, a meeting in Filey was told.

The mooted lion head

It was wrecked off the Yorkshire coast in 1779 after a battle with HMS Serapis during the US fight for independence. Bruce Blackburn, of satellite company Merlin Burrows which has worked on international maritime projects, said his divers have spotted the Bonhomme's timbers, partly-hidden ship's bell, the lion figurehead and other items on the seabed. The team has carried

out 23 dives off the Filey coast, producing images and processing X-rays. The research and presentations have so far cost £800,000, he said in a meeting at the White Lodge Hotel in Filey.

Mr Blackburn said: "The more research, the more successful the project becomes, and dozens of items from the cannon deck of a French-built galleon can only be the Bonhomme Dickie." The meeting ended with

Successful The meeting was held to provide an update on the investigation which has not yet convinced American organisations as proof that the Bonhomme has been found.

proposals to create a new Filey organisation to organise a festival and commemorate the significance of the vessel captained by John Paul Jones, who is revered as the founding father of the US navy.

Portrait of John Paul Jones

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H o t e l o w n e r Ja m e s Hodgson said: "The Battle of Flamborough took place in Filey bay. There can be a Community Interest Company to promote the event, John Paul Jones, the British navy captain Richard Pearson and the Bonhomme Richard for the benefit of tourism and for education, maritime, local history and heritage purposes."

T H E Y O R KNSEHWI RS EU CP O DA AS T TE

The business with its own social mission The social enterprise helping to clean up the streets. A business is being applauded as one of the most social enterprises on the coast.

“We want to make Scarborough beautiful again. I’m always thinking of places around town that need cleaning.”

We have had masses of support and words of encouragement from the community," said company owner Will Haylett. He has dedicated himself and his commercial and domestic cleaning business to using any spare time for the public good.

clean street signage. Will said: "We thought we'd show our appreciation and do some road signs for a goodwill gesture." Squeeky Clean has restored dozens of streets, signs and areas in and around Scarborough town centre and beyond. Will added: “We want to make Scarborough beautiful again. I’m always thinking of places around town that need cleaning.”

He has received plaudits from the public on social media, with comments such as 'Well done. What a great thing to do. X' and 'Great work buddy' and 'This is brilliant ... well done mate'.

His company is being highlighted as a social enterprise by Scarboroughbased Coast and Vale Community Action which supports businesses which aim to make a profit but also contribute to the community in any meaningful way.

One of this latest efforts is to

Mel Bonney, chief executive of

Coast and Vale Community Action, said: "It is a classic example of a social enterprise - generously using its resources for the greater good. We give support to a lot of such businesses and Will's work is outstanding." The areas are power-washed as new and the bags of debris cleared. The company’s usual activities include general cleaning services, internal and external domestic and commercial, with its own onboard tank and pressure washers. He is also keen to encourage young people to show more respect for their environment and hopes that they might volunteer to take some environmental improvement actions of their own. TopicUK March 2020

THE YORKSHIRE COAST

Scarborough Council sets its sights on a new horizon Here, Scarborough's new council leader Steve Siddons explains how he is overseeing a new strategy, calling for communities and the business, cultural and retail sectors to help create a new image. The qualified building surveyor had a career in local government and the private sector and has worked in a property advisory role across a range of authorities.

shop landlords need to help too. The council can’t do it all. Retailers can be our proud ambassadors for our towns. Keeping their premises clean and tidy and well maintained helps to send a message to residents and visitors that we are proud of where we live. Landlords can spruce up empty shops to make them more attractive. The council can help by doing the basics better. As part of our Building a Better Borough programme, we will be working harder to keep our streets clean, our verges tidy and our street furniture well maintained, trying to create a town centre that is attractive, clean and a pleasure to visit. I n te r m s o f t h e b u s i n e s s community, how do you see the council's relationship developing in the future? We work closely with our business community through the Chamber of Trade, Scarborough Business Ambassadors and Town Centre and South Bay traders' associations. Those relationships are critical to the future of our towns and villages. Having good sustainable businesses in our borough will help to improve the life chances for our residents by creating better jobs.

QA &

Q: The council is stepping up regeneration strategies especially for the town centre. How can you help the retail community? We are lucky enough to have been shortlisted for the governments Towns’ Fund for both Scarborough and Whitby. If successful, we could be awarded up to £25m for each town. The money would be used

to benefit the economic prosperity of the towns through a range of projects. One of the focuses will be to address the problems created by the potential decline in business in town centre shops. Our town centres need to be destinations that people want to visit. However, retail businesses and

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The council needs to set an example, so we have recently become a Real Living Wage employer and we plan to work with local businesses by trying to spend our money locally, particularly with those businesses that pay the real living wage. This will help create a circular economy by keeping the pound local. What role do you see for the cultural sector in terms of the borough-wide

the shape of things to come for Scarborough? The government has made it clear that it wants to ‘level up’ the economy of the North of England and improve the lives of those ‘left behind’. This is something that I have a passion for, so I am working with council leaders from across the region to try and ensure we benefit from those aspirations.

experience for locals and visitors We have a rich and varied cultural history along the Yorkshire coast. We recognise the importance of maintaining and enhancing the cultural offer, we have to ensure our visitor base remains diverse and economically sound. Statistically, many of our visitors that come to the Yorkshire coast for cultural reasons have more disposable income which they are happy to spend in our borough. They play an important part in the offer we make. However, we sometimes sell ourselves short. We need to better celebrate our unique cultural history, not keep it secret. We have an incredible legacy: from the oldest piece of art in the country (the 10,000+ year old Star Carr pendant, displayed at York not Scarborough, and the country’s oldest house it was found near) through the important role we played in the Middle Ages, to the great artists, novelists, mapmakers

and playwrights, who have been instrumental in making the Borough what it is today. We mustn’t lose those connections. As a start to more ambitious projects, I would love to see our hidden artefacts brought out of storage and displayed all around the towns and a Blue Plaque Culture Trail around the borough, giving visitors an insight into our rich history.And we need to build up the new creative sector to deliver more jobs. We have nurtured many start up creative businesses, we now need to see those blossom and grow, create new cultural industry areas and seed a new generation of start-ups. Our digital infrastructure was planned to be a key asset to an area hindered by poor transport links, we must ensure it is. We have all the assets needed to become a major creative cultural media centre. Devolution, boundary changes for the area's LEP enterprise partnership and talk of possible elected mayors for local authorities ... how do you see

The current proposals are for an Elected Mayor and Combined Authority serving York and North Yorkshire. This is a complex negotiation and I need to ensure that the people of this borough remain at the heart of any changes, so we reap the benefits that come from us having control of more powers across the region. How can the council support the leisure and hospitality sectors of the borough? Tourism has always been a major part of the economy of Scarborough, Whitby and Filey as well as the host of smaller villages around the coast and inland. Our area is the most visited outside London and its the natural beauty of our borough that makes us unique. However, tourism, by its nature, tends to employ people in a parttime and seasonal capacity as well as some of the lowest paid jobs in the area. One of the problems we face is that many of our seven million visitors a year are day trippers. We need to get more of them to stay overnight or for the weekend. The days of visitors coming for a week or a fortnight’s stay are largely gone. The council is working with the leisure and hospitality industries to try and increase the number of overnight stays with new development proposals in the pipeline.

THE YORKSHIRE COAST Creating more things to do to encourage visitors stay and spend is important to our sustainable economic growth. We also need to extend the season, events such as the Goldwing Parade, the Goth Weekend, Coastival and Christmas events help to bring people to the Coast out of the traditional season. New event space and infrastructure could bring a further upturn.

Businesses are being invited to say what they think Scarborough and Whitby could look like by 2035 in a major consultation to create longer-term growth. Please give your opinion here ... https://mytown.communities. gov.uk/ideas/ and visitors and holidaymakers from throughout Yorkshire are also welcome to give their big ideas. The consultation aims to bid for up to £25m which is part of a national £3.6bn Towns Fund. The stimulation of economic growth, cultural assets and well-being will form the basis of the strategic consultation. It seeks to boost skills, productivity, living standards, transport and digital connectivity with the support of businesses and residents. The public investment also needs to improve infrastructure and the town centre, boost enterprise, assist environmental challenges and clarify the core messages that will determine the district's character in the years ahead. TopicUK March 2020

THE YORKSHIRE COAST

The business sponsorship that supports a life less ordinary ...

The Big Ideas by the Sea was also planning to include 'The Scarborough Big Dig,' a major project that invited the community to learn more about archaeology and consist of up to 20 small trenches located in gardens and open spaces in the medieval heart of Scarborough. The Big Dig is supported by Beyond Housing, Marie Woods of Heritage Adventures and the Scarborough Archaeological and Historical Society. O the r popular e ve nts sustained by the generosity of sponsors and supporters include, and put into selfisolation by the pandemic:

Joann Fletcher (©www.picture-perfect-photo.co.uk)

The role of sponsorship in expanding the coastal visitor experience has become an increasing feature of Scarborough, Whitby and Filey events. This year’s schedule was, like everywhere else, decimated by the C-virus. But the newcomer to the festival calendar, Big Ideas by the Sea will be back for 2021. The inaugural event was to have included archaeologist Carenza Lewis from the Time Team and Egyptologist Joann Fletcher. The event, which was revealed by TopicUK last September, had earmarked venues including the Stephen Joseph Theatre and Woodend plus less formal spaces. Artist Kane Cunningham, the

leading organiser, said: "We will hold the event next year now and it will explore themes around arts, business, community, education, environment, health and digital technology. "It is inspired by the historic movement of ideas across the Carenza Lewis ocean ... ideas have travelled to and from Scarborough, a port and safe harbour, from all over the world for thousands of years, using trade routes, goods, artefacts, language, culture and people." But the event is dependent on sponsors - and has been given a major fillip from a £10,000 National Lottery Community Fund.

The highly-regarded Books by the Beach, that was due to take place in Scarborough in April with appearances by Polly Toynbee, Terry Waite and Jenny Éclair, is also a chapter yet to finish. Its sponsors include Boyes stores, Wold Top brewery, The Whitby Book Shop, Scarborough Spa, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough Yacht Club, Books Up North, Don French Signs, Crofts Artisan Chocolates and North Yorkshire County Council. Filey Literature Festival, another new event that should

The Crown Spa Hotel and Four Tigers Media are among the event sponsors but more are being sought for 2021.

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have been launched in 2020 in May is still an unopened book. Venues were ready to swing open their doors, community groups had offered time and support and businesses had provided crucial sponsorship. Events were to take place at the Evron Centre, Filey Library, Filey Museum, Tommy’s and Foords Hotel. One of the organisers Chris Lee said: "Sponsors had stepped forward to underwrite events, which had allowed not only the committee to sleep at night, but also gave us confidence." The event was to have included the Bard Barnsley Ian McMillan and popular international musician Tom Mason. B u t R y e d a l e Fe s t i v a l , acknowledged as one of the most brilliant cultural events in the country, is still at the moment (see its website) planning to take place July 10-26 and is inviting Ryedale and Scarborough supporters to sponsor the festival in general or specific concerts or artists, and to have a concert dedicated to the memory of a loved one or special occasion. This year the organisers are also hoping to fund the quality of its offering.

Welcome to TopicUK Businesswoman this section will bring to you stories of inspirational women business leaders, tips on how to stay ahead of the game, how to look good with little effort and how to juggle everything in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s busy world. If you would like to feature or have an idea for an article, do get in touch

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TNO P I SC UUKP D BA U TS EI N E S S W O M A N EW enough time to fully recover from exercise, work or stress and so we are operating in a constant state of fight or flight as we function on adrenaline.

Time for a fresh start in 2020 By Natalie Anderson - Actress, Presenter and founder of The Capsule

Hello All, I think I have to start this issue’s column with a literal I hope you’re all well. This past few months have been stressful and difficult for most of us as we’ve faced the effects of the coronavirus. I’ll be honest I did have a whole host of other things to talk about this month however they all seemed quite frivolous as concerns grow and so I’ve decided to focus on areas that could be more useful right now.

Aromatherapy oils are brilliant for calming our senses which when added to a bath or applied to the skin can lead to a much better night’s sleep. Combine them with Epsom salts which remove toxins from the body and you can put yourself into a state of deep relaxation just before your head hits the pillow. Hopefully this should enable you to get the rest you need to be able to have clarity and focus the next day and also the energy to deal with any pressing or fast changing situations. I personally love the West Lab Sleep Epsom salts £2.99 which are available at most health and beauty stores. There’s also the option of adding in a meditation app like Calm or Breathe.

I have no doubt in my mind that many of us will be feeling anxious and so I wanted to pull together a few ideas that might help to alleviate that a little. Lack of sleep is often an area that can have a huge effect on anxiety levels. The less sleep we have the more likely our bodies aren’t getting

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These are great for helping you switch off. Reading is also an excellent way to

T O P I C U K B U S INNEEWS SS W OD MAATNE UP

Photo by Li Sun from Pexels

calm our nerves as it acts as a distraction. The physical act of having to concentrate to follow a narrative allows our brain to focus only on the page. With this we are able to create vivid pictures with our mind, which in turn stops overthinking or rapid thoughts from happening. By giving your brain only one task,

you give it a little relief which should hopefully allow you to concentrate much more easily afterwards. One of my favourite books right now is Isabel Gillies Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in The World. It’s a fabulous book that teaches you how to feel safe and steady in your surroundings and how to ground yourself in uncomfortable situations. I think in the current climate it’s a lovely book to lock yourself away with as it gives lots of advice on how to appreciate what you have and the tools to deal with unfamiliar circumstances. Finally, I know its age old, but exercise really is one of the best medicines to calm anxiety. Earlier this year my anxiety levels hit the

roof as I was under a lot of pressure to deliver in certain elements of my business. I felt overwhelmed and at times completely discombobulated which allowed lots of negativity to creep up on me. I realised that I’d been so busy I’d not actually exercised in about 6 months which is normally one of my go to’s when I’m feeling anxious. I made the decision to sign up to a new gym 9 (Ultimate Performance Leeds) and have since begun working with a trainer who has put me on a 12-week fitness and de stress plan. I’m only a few weeks in and I feel like a completely new person. My outlook despite all of the chaos that is happening at the moment is one of positivity. I

exercise really is one of the best medicines to calm anxiety...

feel I’m able to make much better business decisions and I’m also significantly calmer which is having a better effect on my family. The endorphins released during exercise allow us to feel good for a much longer period of time, even 20 minutes twice a week can have a huge effect on your mental health. You also don’t need to get to a gym, there’s plenty of home workouts available online or if you’re able to, a run or brisk walk in the fresh air can be just as effective with the best thing about the latter being its free.

that these little tips can help you stay calm in the coming weeks. We will have lots more wellbeing and health related content coming up online at The Capsule and on our Instagram page too if you want any further help or advice, but for now I just want to say stay safe, stay well and stay calm if you can…. we’re in this together.

Much Love, Natalie x

If we do have to kee p ourselves in isolation these are all things that can be done at home. I really hope TopicUK March 2020

TNOE PWI SC UUKP B S IEN E S S W O M A N DU AT

The insanity of not having those conversations’’ … TopicUK are delighted to welcome our columnist, the UK’s leading sales and communications expert Nicky Pattinson. A couple of years ago I undertook a big supermarket project, a fashion department getting whacked with complaints and not selling add-ons.

uniform rocked up and began the plan. We all set off well - I thought we were rolling. BRILLIANT.

Five women in their 50’s and 60’s Day two reality hit at 9.00am when who’d been there for years and they only went and mutinied, clearly despised not only change, turning their backs on me and but the red-haired woman from walking away if I spoke to them Yorkshire there to bring that change - yes really. This isn’t unusual – about. unbelievable – but not unusual when people are so far down. You won’t do much with that lot was the managers answer to this really quite big problem of life or death in the business. Clearly this had been a bit of a situation for a while with no resolution. Meanwhile the department was going nowhere but extreme grief for all. Emotional scenes ensued in the private 1:1 meetings I arranged to ask one simple question. WHY?

I knew I was in for a panning and prepared myself to end up under the car park – being found by excavators 10 years in the future. A f te r r e m i n d i n g m y s e l f o f MacDonald’s who wouldn’t be there if staff didn’t ask every customer if they wanted a bigger bag of chips and – the fact that there’s always a way. I put on their

The answer was a group with very challenging personal problems and the reaction wasn’t really much to do with me, but a lack of confidence borne out of years of being mentally battered by one thing and another, no validation, sliding standards accepted and not dealt with but worse – no grand plan of achievement hatched. How complicated we can be eh?

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Both sides of the counter. I listened to stories of what life had hit them with. They cried. They got angry. They saw themselves. I too told them how lonely I was spending months on end away from home without my boy. Paying the mortgage as a single parent - I too had problems to deal with and they could have seen that as vulnerable and kicked me harder – the truth is often a risk? We decided to hatch a grander plan in work – and LIFE… to leave the upset at home. BE SOMEONE BIGGER. What had happened was no way to be – just a habit. Makes my heart sing to think about the stratospheric achievements that occurred – selling treble the matching lipsticks, jewellery and shoes to outfits sold. They shocked themselves with their newfound elevated status in the business. They deserved it and taught me a thing or two about will. Humility and skill. The point is – how many of us just walk away for an easy life. Maybe even afraid of litigation in these crazy times. How easy will it actually be when the stock stays on the shelves and the customers choose another business because we couldn’t sort our standards out thinking it was just too challenging. Do it now. Brace yourself and address the issues. Make the grand plan bigger – but do it together. Next issue we’ll be talking about how a one-line story about 3 little bottles of gin helped put £4,000,000 in add on sales at World Duty Free and how you can do the same. Check out Nicky’s website Http://www.nickypattinson. com

The rise of the staycation

T O P I C U K B UTSRN I ANEVE WPODMAAT N WESSLS U E

More British holidaymakers are choosing to stay close to home this summer instead of travelling abroad as the trend for staycations continues to grow, according to data gleaned from booking details and online travel searches by British consumers.

By Laura Bartlett MD House of Coco Different factors have been cited for this trend, such as uncertainty around Brexit, along with last summer’s warm weather and the staycation boom doesn’t s e e m to b e d e c l i n i n g any time soon. To me, staycations are what your weekends are made for. One extra lie-in isn’t always enough to tempt us out of the country, because travelling does somewhat counteract the point of getting some rest. But, with so many gorgeous hotel and spa breaks just a car ride away, it makes perfect sense to explore more of what the UK has to offer. Why spend hours at the airport dodging security, potentially losing your suitcase and dealing with jet lag when you can just hop in the car or on the train and be in another part of the UK within a matter of hours.

Enter my top two tried and tested gorgeous getaways, each one worthy of your attention and ideal for a holiday weekend break in the UK, from the north to the south. Links House, Dornoch In the heart of the Highlands, there’s a house that’s been proudly perching on the Scottish coastline for the best part of the last two hundred years. Throughout its different purposes over the years, Links House has always remained first and foremost, a home. It was fully refurbished in 2013 to its current grandeur as a deluxe 15-room hotel, surrounded by the magic of the Scottish countryside, and run by people who were born with whisky in their veins. It’s around 45 minutes north from Inverness, perfectly

at the centre of the Profumo affair – a political scandal with a saucy secret.

positioned right in the thick of the Highlands, which makes good for the amount of extra activities the hotel staff can arrange for you during your stay. www.linkshousedornoch.com Cliveden House Cliveden House has a cheeky p a s t. W h i l e L o n d o n w a s burning in 1666, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham was building a country estate for his mistress, which went on to become a symbol of intrigue, glamour and vigour throughout the elite of the country. Times moved on, but the house found itself back in the spotlight in 1961

Throughout its history however the estate has become immortalised as one of the finest country houses in the world through countless letters, books, poetry, art, film and even the odd episode of Antiques Roadshow. Cliveden sits proudly on the banks of the River Thames, surrounded by ancient woodland, up-river from the hurly burly of London, just shy of the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Now, in my experience, if you want to really let rip with a motor, this is the kind of place you need. So, where will your next staycation take you? Tweet me at @laurabartlett0 and inspire my next travel destination... TopicUK March 2020

TOPICUK BUSINESSWOMAN premium quality berries for top retailers and restaurants across Britain. She is part of the new generation of entrepreneurial fe male farme rs working to combine sustainable agriculture practices and bring great tasting food and drink to market.

What to drink when you’re not drinking? By Annabel Makin-Jones / Images: Joan K Ransley

Annabel Makin-Jones, farmer, mother and now drinks entrepreneur has launched a range of allnatural sophisticated drinks made with English fruits and foraged botanicals, inspired by the flavours of the British countryside.

Annabel Makin-Jones, farmer, mother and now drinks entrepreneur has launched a range of all-natural sophisticated drinks made with English fruits and foraged botanicals, inspired by the flavours of the British countryside. Annabel runs her family farm in Yorkshire, expanding the successful strawberry operation growing

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Almost a fifth of UK drinkers say they are cutting down their drinking behaviours right now, a growing market of over 7 million people. 30% of customers in a pub or bar won’t be drinking alcohol. And almost 2/3 of Brits are on a diet “most of the time.” Annabel, a mother of two children under 5 explains, “I had a night out with my friends, and was driving. The non-alcoholic options were limited to sparkling water. Sophisticated drinks you can pair with food are limited and children’s fizzy drinks, full of sugar. I wanted to find a natural soft drink, not packed with sugar and preservatives that none drinkers would be happy to have and to give my children. That caused me to think about what’s on offer for myself. Lots of us are practicing “mindful drinking,” moderating our

TOPICUK BUSINESSWOMAN

Just because we’re not drinking alcohol, doesn’t mean we don’t want something delicious and a bit more special... alcohol intake. Non-alcoholic drink options are a bit limited and I longed for something a bit more sophisticated and celebratory than a glass of orange juice in the pub.” “Just because we’re not drinking alcohol, doesn’t mean we don’t want something delicious and a bit more special, so I set to developing a range of natural drinks that can be drunk on their own or a mixer inspired by the flavours of the English Countryside. The absolute bonus as we’ve limited the sugar, is the drinks come in under 30 calories, but these are too delicious and natural to be label as “diet drinks.” The range has already found favour with Michelin started Chef Andrew Pern, who will be stocking them in his restaurants and hotels features 3 flavours. • • •

Strawberry Cucumber and Lime Flower Blueberry Dandelion & Lavender Rhubarb Elderberry Rose

“I am not a fan of fizzy soft drinks at all have the same problem, if I am driving to a work dinner or joining friends in the pub at the weekend, the only option for me is fizzy or still water,” said TopicUK group editor; Gill Laidler. “So, you can imagine how delighted I was to find Tame and Wild and

try out the samples Annabel sent. “Perfectly chilled from the fridge, I can report that every flavour is equally delicious. I served them over ice in a wine glass and they did feel and taste like the perfect grown-up drink. And if you are drinking them at home, why not add in a sneaky Gin or Vodka, as they also make the perfect low-calorie mixer.”

For more information: https:// www.tameandwilddrinks.co.uk/ TopicUK March 2020

TNO P I SC UUKP D BA U TS EI N E S S W O M A N EW

Rachel shows there's beauty at any age By Rachel Peru

I’m delighted to have become a regular contributor to TopicUK and thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself properly. My name is Rachel Peru and I live in Addingham, just outside Ilkley with my husband Mark and 3 children (21, 20 and 18).

Ten years ago I started modelling in the annual Ilkley McMillan fashion Show held at the Craiglands and after a few years of volunteering my confidence grew and I found I loved being involved so much that when I was encouraged to try modelling I thought I’d give it a go. I went into this without any expectations but was delighted to gain representation straight away. Last year saw my tenth year in the McMillan show and hope to be able to take part for many years to come. At the age of 46, I began a new career

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as model and am now represented e xc l u s i v e l y b y B r i d g e m o d e l s in London. Bridge is a specialist

TOPICUK BUSN I NE EWSSS W U PODMAATNE own podcast “Out of the Bubble’ where women share their journeys and help to inspire others to try something new at a time when perhaps their confidence is feeling low. Guests have included Kate Hardcastle MBE; The Yorkshire Rowers; celebrity stylist NickyHambleton Jones and former athlete and Olympic champion Jenny Stoute. The third series will be out this Spring.

curve agency and as a size 14-16 model I am classed as plus size in the fashion industry, which seems crazy when you consider the average womens’ size in the UK is a 16. My first big break came via the American swimwear brand Swimsuitsforall.com where I

worked alongside Ashley Graham and singer Lizzo, modelling

swimwear for a week in the Bahamas. It was my dream job after following Ashley Graham's career as she revolutionised the industry as a curve model, leading beauty campaigns with major brands such as Revlon which would have been unthinkable previously. At the age of 47 I never expected

this to be happening and I would never have been brave enough

to pursue this career in my twenties and thirties. In the last three years I have worked on some fabulous campaigns including Tesco’s FF Clothing range with Davina McCall; Panache Lingerie; JDWilliams television commercials and most recently Figleaves Lingerie Valentines campaign. I am 50 this year and passionate about being able to represent older women in the fashion industry. I know I’m not alone in wanting to walk into a shop and see marketing for women that I can relate too and not have to compare myself to images of models with unobtainable body shapes and sizes. Through social media I have made so many fabulous connections with women who have reinvented themselves later in life and I wanted to use my platform to share their stories. This led me to hosting my

I am a firm believer in actions speaking louder than words, so I also write a blog and have begun developing a new way of challenging myself. I am trying new activities and sharing my I know I’m experiences on not alone in the blog; this wanting to week I’m going walk into a roller-skating with the Roller shop and see Girl Gang in marketing for Leeds for the women that I f i r s t t i m e i n can relate too over 34years! and not have Fly-fishing; off to compare road driving and abseiling are on myself to the list of things images of to try next. If models with a n y o n e h a s unobtainable an activity led body shapes business they’d and sizes like me to come and experience, I’d love to hear from you. I’m looking forward to keeping you up to date with fashion and lifestyle events and am happy to be promoting all that’s great about living in Yorkshire.

Please come and follow me over on Instagram @rachelperu1 and www.rachelperumodel.com to keep up to date with the blog and podcast. TopicUK March 2020

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Law firm is thriving Thrive Law, a boutique legal practice in Leeds was launched in March 2018, by lawyer Jodie Hill at the age of just 29-years-old. Thrive Law, a boutique legal practice in Leeds was launched in March 2018, by lawyer Jodie Hill at the age of just 29-years-old. The practice is based on the simple premise that everyone should Thrive in the workplace. Thrive therefore specialise in offering businesses and personal solutions regarding employment law, HR, mental health and well-being. Before founding Thrive, Jodie worked for established law firms in Yorkshire but unfortunately in January 2017 she experienced a complete breakdown. This ultimately led to extensive time off and leaving her job as a solicitor, in April 2017. The experience gave her a valuable insight into concerns that needed to be addressed in the profession, including a clear lack of support and understanding as well as being able to deal with the stigma around mental health issues in the workplace. “It became clear this was a major issue for most workplaces of all sizes and across all sectors,” she told us. “I am now committed to de-stigmatising mental health and disability in the workplace.” Setting up the firm wasn’t enough for Jodie however, she wanted to see real change so started a national campaign to change the law to require all workplace to have mental health first aiders. “I strongly believe that mental and physical health should be given parity in the workplace.” This issue was debated in parliament in January 2019 and

the MPs indicated whilst this Women’ connects like-minded was a great idea and would ambitious women, who share work as part of a wider change, experiences and inspirational it didn’t fix the problem alone. stories, empowering emerging They wanted a more holistic and leaders,” Jodie added. “We also proactive approach to wellbeing had the honour of hosting 2019’s and so #OneMind campaign was ‘Thriving Minds’ event at Leeds born. This campaign calls for Civic Hall which was attended by the government to make mental 70 business owners, directors, HR health risk assessments in the Consultants, Leeds.” https://www. workplace mandatory, so that thrivelaw.co.uk/thrive_women/ issues are identified earlier and start to normalise the conversation “We are excited for this year’s event. of mental health at work. For more Proud milestones have seen invites information visit: https://www. from both the President of the Law Society for a private dinner change.org/p/onemind-we-allat her residence to discuss the have-one-mind-and-we-needmental health of our profession, to-protect-this-starting-in-thethen Thrive was featured for the workplace. culture in the law society guidance March 2020 marks the second of managing mental health in the anniversary of Thrive, who has workplace.” grown to a team of 10. Jodie and her team practise what they The Solicitors Regulation preach, by encouraging flexible Authority also featured Jodie as and remote working and shut a leader who supports those with down the offices completely for disability into the profession as a two weeks at Christmas. “It’s not part of an online campaign. always been an easy journey, as anyone that has run a business For Jodie, the icing on the cake was will tell you, but we aim to create her team winning The Yorkshire a working environment where Post’s Excellence in Business a diverse set of colleagues can ‘Social Mobility’ award 2019 and thrive and we encourage others the Yorkshire Legal Awards ‘Diversity & Inclusion” award 2019. to follow our lead.”

Thrive Women Over the last two years, Jodie has also launched ‘Thriving Minds’ and ‘Thrive Women’. “Thriving Minds brings together professionals and businesses to listen to keynote speakers and shared experiences about how to manage workplace mental health, and ‘Thrive

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“This was a ringing endorsement of our vision, mission and culture alongside the hard work of the team,” she added. “I could never have envisaged this just two years after my own breakdown! It just goes to show what can be achieved with the right mindset, support, environment and people around you.”

TOPICUK BUSN I NE EWSSS W U PODMAATNE experiences of networking and talks about the benefits and tools she uses. The book caters for all networking abilities, those dipping their toe for the first time to those looking for new inspiration. “I read Rashmi’s book and found it most inspiring and beneficial,” added Gill.

Voice Passionate about business, Rashmi is also a regular weekly columnist for the Yorkshire Post, writing about what is happening in the business community and is also a renowned speaker and commentator, regularly addressing audiences on various subjects and is called upon to discuss topical developments on global change, politics and business.

In conversation with Rashmi Dube managing director of Legatus Law

Making a Splash Rashmi Dube is an award winning solicitor and managing director of Legatus Law, that provides legal advice to protect companies, directors and their stakeholders.

voice, so I specialised in business law advice, risk, insolvency and disputes,” she told us.

“I set up the practice at a time when the sector was shrinking, but we provide a product and service that nobody else has, clients can pay by retainer, so we act like an “I first met Rashmi more than ten in house insurance policy,” she years ago,” explained TopicUK said. “Our service is there just editor Gill Laidler, “at a networking when clients need us. We now event. It was obvious back then employ 10 members of staff and that Rashmi would go on to be are working towards a paperless office, we are 95% there, but some successful.” legal documents still require paper With 20 years experience in the copies.” legal industry, nine of which running her own business, Rashmi took her Inspiration law degree at Derby University as she wanted to be a voice for other In 2016, Rashmi decided to write people. “I felt that SME’s needed a her first book ‘Making a Splash’ - A

Personal Guide to Networking. “I have always networked and many of my colleagues constantly asked to meet up for a coffee as they were looking for advice on where they should be networking, where were the best places to meet potential clients, etc and someone suggested that I write a book,” she added. “I didn’t take it serious at first, but after thinking about it, made the decision to go ahead, launching with Waterstone’s in both Leeds and London. The book explains how to network and how to get the most from it.”

She is a board director of TMA UK and Europe, an organisation that brings together professionals to meet, network and hear the latest news within business recovery, corporate turnaround and restructuring. She also is a Trustee for Yorkshire Dance in Leeds as well as a policy voice for the Institute of Directors Yorkshire and The North East. Be the Bee and Fly is Rashmi’s motto. Why? “As a child I was told the bumble bee’s body was too heavy for it to fly with tiny wings. But no one told the bee, so it just does it and flies! I am passionate about sharing the vision behind that motto and inspiring others to Be the Bee and Fly!

As a leading entrepreneur and an inspiration to other women leaders, Rashmi believes in the power of building genuine relationships. In her book, she draws on her own TopicUK March 2020

N E W S U P D AT E

Traditional male sport receives a feminine touch Julia Lee’s life didn’t get off to the best of starts. Born in Hull, Julia was one of three children, brought up by her mum, who dedicated her life to her children after the family lost their husband and father in a car accident when Julia was just three-years-old.

“My mum was incredible but I was a shy child, I lacked self-confidence and felt I didn’t fit in,” she explained.

Over the course of her career, Julia has achieved many awards and honours, too many to mention here and her career did go on to inspire playwright Sarah Jane Dickenson to write Ref! Ref tells the story of Alex who falls in love with the game of rugby league at the tender age of 12. She is determined to prove herself to be as good as, if not better than the men. It’s a heart warming, funny play but gritty in parts. Ref has already toured in Hull, as well as Castleford, Batley, Featherstone and again in Hull in 2019. A larger tour is now planned for 2020.

1986 and at the young age of 18, Julia passed the UK referee exam, officiated in Hull then London.

“When I was about nine, I watched the boys play rugby league in the playground, but they wouldn’t let me play, A move to London followed but they did let me referee when Julia found a job them instead. At the age of in the capital as a nanny, 12, I went to my first game, but didn’t give up on her Hull KR v Hull FC in the dream and continued to Wembley Challenge Cup referee rugby games. final. That was it, I became obsessed and never missed a “I was the first female game after that,” she laughed. qualified Rugby League “My shyness disappeared and Referee in Great Britain for the first time, I felt like I and Australia, to officiate fitted into something.” men’s games” she told us proudly, “and had fifteen “At secondary school, it was years experience as a match the same story, girls weren’t official, reaching professional allowed to play rugby, so and international honours. I once again had to sit on To date, no female in the the sidelines and watch UK has surpassed my the boys play. The turning achievements as a referee.” point came when I reached 17 and dared to apply to be Within a couple of years, a RL referee.” That was Julia was officiating National

Sports Science Degree and after my retirement, I invested time into the physiology, nutritional, psychological, technical and wellbeing of an official. This led to me being instrumental in the late 1990s, developing the Rugby League Match Official Pathway training and development.”

During 2018/19, Ref was part of a larger project called Crossing the Line, produced by Arts and Social Change Charity Soace 2 which was about empowering women and giving them a voice. Funded by the Heritage Lottery, it uncovered and shared the stories of 50 women connected to rugby league. “We worked in partne rship with rugby league clubs and Conference Premier Division, the foundations based in the Northern elite of the Community game, heartlands and took the theatre alongside the Colts (U19) and performance and interactive community workshops into those Alliance (first team reserves). communities. All the stories and Sadly there was a premature memories that people share wil retirement on the cards due to become part of a wider collection injury. “Concurrent with my for the National Rugby League Officiating career, I completed a Museum,” Julia concluded.

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N E W S U P D AT E

Kerrie’s business born from a passion for quality Kerrie Alexander launched her business ALDO.com in 2014, just two years after completing her degree in fashion from the Heriot-Watt University. “I have a passion for quality and attention to detail, so creating handmade bespoke outerwear was the perfect choice for me. There are endless possibilities for unique detailing, function, fabrics and customisation,” said Kerrie. “I find the construction more enjoyable and enjoy the challenges that each custom piece brings.” After graduating, Kerrie began working for the Scottish womenswear designer Hayley Scanlan, but continued to develop her own designs and work on ideas what are now her outerwear collection.

Kerrie’s garments fit in the mid to high end market, although that depends whether you choose ready to wear or custom. “If people want a custom garment, the cost depends on the fabric, the style, the fit and the detailing,”

continued Kerrie. “An average cost though would be £250 to £350.” Kerrie employes a small team of freelance designers and seamstresses to help her keep up with demand as she now has a six-month-old son, which

meant she had to scale back on some of her work. “The business has grown and developed since I brought the business to Leeds in 2016, despite taking a back seat for a while, I have exciting plans for the growth and expansion of the business,” she concluded. TopicUK March 2020

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E

Businesses have Fun with cones Chris Madeley came up with the idea for her successful Cones books while travelling to the company’s branch office just outside London where she worked as Operations Director and Independent Financial Advisor.

“It was whilst frequently travelling up and down the M1 motorway from my home in Leeds, constantly sitting in road works and traffic jams staring at row after row of traffic cones, that gave me the idea,” said Chris. “I started thinking that there must be a way these cones could be put to good use other than sitting there on the motorway and I could turn this negative into a positive.” The idea for Cones books was born.

books, published by Fisher King Publishing, are based on four key characters: Conestance, Conerad,

The beautifully illustrated

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Cone-Vera and Conen who go on great adventures; but there is a serious side to the books. Chris came up with the idea of linking these books and characters into business with her first book: Meet the Cones. For example, Grand Central Rail continually play their part in the

education of children to the thrills and dangers of the railway system. The team at Grand Central didn’t hesitate to get behind Cones on the Rails, specifically targeting points of safety for children. According to Network Rail, which manages the infrastructure of the UK’s rail network, there have been more than 2000 incidents on level crossings involving young people in the last five years. In the past twelve months, seven children have died and a further 48 have received life-changing injuries on the railway. Sean English, chief operating officer at Grand Central said: “Rail safety is a basic concept that can be overlooked. The best way to get the message across is to educate children on safety from an early age. These books make perfect sense.” Since Cones on the Rails was written, it has been translated into many languages including Chinese, Japanese and Italian. “In the books, the Cones only come to life when nobody is looking,” explained Chris, “but in each book, they go on to educate children about the dangers around some industries, such as playing near railway lines, waterways or roads. They help corporate Britain educate children in a fun-to-read way. “I often see children whilst I’m out and about, looking at a cone

in the street, looking away then sneaking a glance with the hope of seeing it move,” she laughed. There are currently 10 books in the series, with five translated into foreign language. Industries which have adopted this approach of educating children from an early age include power, environment, construction, safety in road works, diversity, inclusivity and careers to name a few. The latest book in the series, just recently launched, is Cones Visit The Children’s Hospital commissioned by Town Centre Securities for Leeds Children’s Hospital. This beautifully written and illustrated book helps children understand what it is like to visit the hospital as either an outpatient or by being admitted. It teaches them there is fun to be had, not to be frightened and what they might expect during their stay or visit.

“I am delighted that Corporate Britain is using the medium of the Cones series to get their very important messages to children. The books are available from Amazon, and on order from Waterstones and other good bookstores,” concluded Chris. If you are interested in commissioning one of t h e s e b o o k s v i s i t w w w. theconesbooks.co.uk

N E W S U P D AT E

Join the search for successful women in business

The Forward Ladies National Awards & Summit recognise the achievements of business women in the UK. They are dedicated to encouraging the growth of women with the National Awards & Summit being a national showcase and celebration of the achievements of successful women across the UK.

Nominate her for an award this year. Nominating is easy, just visit www.forwardladies.com/awards Here is what past winners have said:

The awards are covering all the UK “You go into awards hoping you’ll win but actually being given and will be presented in the award is something else. I • Yorkshire, North East, East remember coming away from Midlands & Scotland Regional the ceremony thinking: wow, did that just happen.” Final Newcastle • London, East & South East “By taking part in the awards not Regional Final London • N o r t h W e s t & W e s t only will you meet new, inspiring women from around the UK, you’ll Midlands Manchester • South West, Wales, Ireland also see yourself in a new light. I promise anyone considering Regional Final Bristol taking part, forget the idea that winning is the only way this All dates yet to be announced. process will be worthwhile. UK Grand Final & National Summit, Leeds will take place at By merely being bold enough to The Royal Armouries on Friday take part, you’ll feel like a winner.” – Alex Depledge, Founder of Resi, 27th November 2020. FL National Awards & Summit Do you know a hard working woman Outstanding Business Woman of the Year 2019. who deserves recognition? TopicUK March 2020

C S R U P D AT E

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C S R U P D AT E

Waste Management firm support education within the community When Associated Waste Management’s (AWM) CSR programme commenced in 2012, one key initiative to benefit the business and local community, was a drive for each site to recruit from their local community.

Certain wards are challenged, particularly with contamination in recycling bins and fly tipping and this project directly addresses this.

Performance Not only does this increase local peoples work prospects but by recruiting people that live within a short distance to their workplace, the carbon impact of their journey to work will also be minimised. O n c e r e c r u i t e d , AW M u s e third party training companies to enhance the transferrable skill base of our workforce to meet the needs and demands of the business. In addition to creating mainstream career opportunities, AWM have also engaged in the delivery of Appre nticeships within our engineering & technical divisions.

Talented Providing young people with prospects within vocational roles not only gives us the chance to close skills gaps but also utilise local communities as a source of labour; enhancing local peoples earning & prospect potentials. When looking at the geographical location of three of our sites within Leeds they sit within deprived neighbourhoods that particularly suffer from issues such as unemployment, high crime, health related problems

– all of which are dramatically improved by up-skilling a localised workforce. AWM continue to work closely with the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) in Leeds and participate in local jobs fairs to encourage a better uptake of local applicants and see this as a valuable available source of candidates. Additionally, we also work closely with the Ministry of Justice in a prisoner rehabilitation programme, mentoring, training and providing valuable contacts and networks to offenders close to their release date. In particular and as resettlement prison within our region, we have been able to partnership with HMP Wealstun both with this programme and to assist with the setup and development of a Pay As You Feel café so that families of offenders can utilise food destined for landfill and take with them on their onward journey.

promote their current vacancies, producing positive outcomes for job seekers.

For a number of years, AWM has sponsored a recruitment fair in our HQ’s hometown of Morley. This has worked in conjunction with the local MP, Andrea Jenkyns and has brought together multiple local employers to advertise and

In 2015, AWM devised a Schools Recycling Challenge (that has now run annually) to further engage with educational establishments in some of the areas of Leeds that had been identified as having poor recycling performance.

EDUCATION COURSES Since the Gelderd Road, Leeds facility opened in 2011, AWM have provided free of charge recycling awareness courses for schools throughout Yorkshire. In 2013 we opened a second dedicated Innovation Room at the Canal Road facility in response to the feedback from schools that transportation of pupils from Bradford to the Gelderd Road site was costly and a hindrance to them attending. The Innovation Room enables us to provide school and community groups with the opportunity to see at first-hand how technology is utilised to sort waste and, how effective the City’s performance of this is as a consequence.

Between the partners we worked with a small group of students at each school, conducted a school waste assessment before the project commenced and discussed ways to improve recycling with a view to improving the overall performance of the school. Within the project there was scope for children to take home important messages and challenge their parents to think about issues that have been raised at school. Thinking outside the box was an important part of the challenge and wherever possible we encouraged new schemes such as composting, reuse schemes and bring banks; all of which would enhance the schools recycling performance. Having run a similar project elsewhere, we found the results to be significant not only from an awareness point of view but overall cost saving for the school. The most significant project was one schools initiative to contact the maker of drinks cartons, currently not recycled within our City and encouraged them to provide cooperative collection point for schools so that going forward they may be recycled. TopicUK March 2020

M N EOW TO S RUI N PD G AUTPED A T E

Vauxhall Astra 1.5 Turbo Diesel Elite NAV

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M O T ONREI N WGS U U PP D DA ATT EE

By Mandy Taylor – Business Executive

Many may not know that I have a passion for cars, an interest that harks back to the late 80’s when I was one of a minority of females in Yorkshire to work as a salesperson in the motor industry.

How I fondly recall the midnight handovers when new owners eagerly queued to collect their new “F” plate and bouquet of flowers, how times have changed! When our Group Editor Gill Laidler asked that I test drive an Astra for one week, courtesy of Vauxhall, I jumped at the chance, especially as it coincided with the launch of our latest magazine and would enable me to put it through its paces on the undulating hills and beautiful valleys across the Yorkshire region.

The model was a five door hatchback, Astra Elite NAV in summit white with a nine speed auto transmission and a 1.5 Turbo Diesel engine and much to my delight, on the particularly chilly morning that I collected it, came complete with a heated steering wheel (it’s the little things in life that sometimes make all the difference!)

Infotainment From outside, my first impression was that I could see why this was one of Britain’s best-selling

hatchbacks, with 17” multi-spoke alloy wheels and great attention to detail, it was very appealing to the eye.

and can see the benefits of this on dark nights or particularly long journeys when you may be slightly fatigued.

With magazines to deliver, storage space was key and with a maximum capacity of 370 litres for luggage in no time at all, I had loaded and familiarised myself with the dashboard and controls and it was time to depart.

Due to the mileage I clock up, comfort is key and throughout the week I was very happy with the style and design of the interior and found the suspension impressively confident and supple on the sometimes bumpy county roads.

The display on the infotainment system had a touch sensitive surface option and was easy to understand and the navigation system proved to be an excellent “personal assistant” on my travels.

So here’s my verdict, the Astra looks great, drives great, has accurate steering, feels nimble and confidence inspiring and the diesels torque allows it to flow very unobtrusively in the ebb and flow of brisk moving traffic.

On the motorways I tested out the cruise control with speed limiter and particularly liked the traffic sign assist which detected traffic signs via a front camera, displaying them clearly on the driver information centre (updates on speed limits, beginning and end of motorways etc)

Impressively The “lane keep assistant” was something that I had ne ve r be nefit ted from before and although at first I was slightly nervous about it, I soon adapted TopicUK March 2020

MEOW T SO RUI PND GA UTPED A T E N

Audi RS Q3 swoops in with sportback By Graham Courtney - Motoring Correspondent

Fancy a premium badge SUV which oozes quality? If the answer is yes, you’ll love the Audi Q3. But how about an Audi Q3 which also adds a touch of sleek styling?

It’s weird really because you’d think that, apart from a sloping roof at the rear of the car, that the Q3 and Q3 Sportback wouldn’t look too

Yes? Then you’ll love the new Audi Q3 Sportback. When the Audi press blurb dropped into our Inbox a couple of months ago, the opening paragraph said…. “This new variation on the Q3 theme, combines the rugged strengths of an SUV with the spellbinding attractions of a coupé. It blends an adventurous, high-riding presence and versatility with sleek curves and a swept-back roof line to strike an ever so dynamic pose.” We couldn’t agree more.

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different. They even have similar prices….the Audi Q3 five-door hatchback SUV starting at £31,290 and the Audi Q3 Sportback starting at

N E W S U P D AT E

just over a grand more at £32,440. However, please believe us, okay, there’s not a lot of difference if you see either of them approaching in your rear view mirror, but in profile and from the rear they look like totally different cars. Both are still terrific all-rounders that will suit any owners who prefer a higher riding, SUV style of car, but those buyers now have a choice. Oh and don’t assume that because the Sportback has a sloping roof that the load area will be smaller. The Sportback is actually a shade longer than the Q3 hatchback and that extra space is given to the load area. The rear seats are also slightly more sloping so headroom is also almost identical. Three engines are currently on offer (two petrol and one diesel) in the ‘standard’ Q3 Sportback, but here at TopicUK we don’t do ‘standard’ so we’ve been trying the recently launched Audi RS Q3 Sportback which starts at £52,450. Power comes from a 2.5 litre petrol engine which arguably rates as one of the best engines available anywhere. You also get a 7-speed automatic gearbox and quattro allwheel drive. 0-60 takes 4.5 seconds. Economy isn’t brilliant at around 27mpg, but that’s the pay-off for such shattering performance. The AWD system gives the car limpetlike handling. There are three levels of trim; Standard, Audi Sport Edition and Vorsprung. All come with climate control, sat nav, leather trim, heated

front seats, Bluetooth, DAB radio, central locking, cruise control, rear parking sensors, tyre pressure indicator and sports suspension. In other words, there’s no need to dip into the options list. There’s a never-ending list of safety kit tooRock solid build quality and terrific levels of

refinement and reliability come as standard!! Every Audi Q3 Sportback is terrific to drive, but the RS model brings the very best out of the car. The ride is brilliant and handling is utterly predictable. It is the perfect family car, commuter mobile, holiday holdall, school shuttle and longdistance cruiser…with added flair.

TopicUK March 2020

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SEAT’s bold statement:

Because they won’t we will 76

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M O T ONREI N WGS U U PP D DA ATT EE

“We believe that quality design and cutting-edge technology shouldn’t be reserved for the few, but accessible to the many. So, everything we make is done with you in mind. We know it’s the enjoyment of getting to your destination that really matters. So, we devote our energy to ensuring you enjoy the ride”. I never travel light, whether it’s by plane, train or on four wheels and you can guarantee that the more space and allowance there is, the more I will fill it! However, as soon as I jumped into the SEAT Tarraco, SEAT’s first seven-seat SUV I soon realised that even I would never struggle for space. This multi-award-winning car is the flagship model and was launched in April 2019. It is a sizeable SUV that’s impressive on the eye, especially in metallic Oryx White with a black leather interior and “supreme” machined alloy wheels.

Security Named after the Mediterranean city of Tarragona, a historic cultural centre with a spirit “that is young and adventurous” (in my mind, I am still this however reality is a totally different story!) and sitting at the top of their SUV family, clearly my expectations were high as I set off on appointments across the beautiful county of Yorkshire for the week. This particular model was a 2.0 litre diesel TSI with a power output of 190PS, 4Drive/seven-speed DSG gearbox and a joy to drive, especially on the many motorways that I traverse across the region. Dynamic and agile at all times,

By Mandy Taylor – Business Executive

When asked to test drive a SEAT Tarraco Xcellence Lux 2.0 TSI 4Drive, I instantly jumped at the chance, for this is a manufacturer that I have never had any experience of over my many years behind the wheel. I decided to visit their website to glean some insight into their visions and values and was struck by their bold statement: “Because they won’t, we will” whilst offering a feeling of great safety and security, I instantly felt at ease behind the sports steering wheel and my initial nerves about manoeuvring such a sizeable vehicle quickly disappeared - all thanks to the impressive technology and 8”colour touchscreen with proximity sensor and park assist.

Lifestyle With three USB ports, full link smartphone integration, folding

tables on the front seat back rests and ample room in the boot with the seats folded up or down (up to 1,775 litres) my only disappointment was that all of these fantastic features were not being utilised, however no doubt any family would benefit from them enormously. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed driving this Tarraco, it has a huge amount of style and features and turned heads too. It really is a pity that my lifestyle does not lend

itself to so much space (there a limit to how much shopping even I can do!). Before the car was collected, TopicUK editor Gill Laidler also managed to take a trip in the seven speed Tarraco. “I loved it! From the outside it looks about the same size as a standard SUV but inside wow, the space is incredible. I have driven many cars over the years, but the SEAT Tarraco has to be one of the most spacious and comfortable, such a smooth drive. It is very good on fuel too for such a large car with a combined mpg 29.7-31.0 mpg with CO2 emissions 166 g/km. The car is capable of reaching 131mph with 0-62mph in just 8 seconds, not that I tried that! “The model we drove was £37,245 but with added extras of a towbar with pre-installation hook and a space saver spare wheel, the final cost £38,055. Our verdict? Worth every penny. TopicUK March 2020

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Food demand creates new jobs One of the UK’s leading pork processors, Karro Food, is looking to recruit hundreds of new staff on both permanent and temporary contracts. These measures are to meet the increased demand for food from supermarkets, and will include more than 300 vacancies across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

New managing director for car retailer JCT600, one of Yorkshire’s largest privately owned businesses, has promoted operations director Richard Hargraves to managing director based at its Bradford head office. After a five year spell with another business, in 2006 Richard was appointed as JCT600 brand director, responsible for the three Porsche Centres in Leeds, Newcastle and Sheffield, as well as the company’s Bentley dealerships in Leeds and Newcastle and its BMW/MINI dealership in Bradford. In 2012, he was promoted to operations d i r e c t o r, s u b s e q u e n t l y t a k i n g responsibility for all of the company’s brands – the group represents 22 of the world’s leading car marques including Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lotus, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen. In his new role as managing director,

Richard will work closely with chief executive John Tordoff, supporting the operations board in managing the group’s 48 dealerships from Yorkshire and the North East to Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

Karro is looking for people to join the business in a range of factory-based roles, with more than 200 positions available at its Malton headquarters in North Yorkshire. More than 100 jobs are available in Scunthorpe with a further number of vacancies in Hull and at its other UK sites. Steve Ellis, CEO at Karro, said: “Following the Government’s advice to avoid unnecessary social contact due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the demand for in home food has risen sharply.

“With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, Richard has a wealth of knowledge and has played a key role in our continued growth. He is a great role model for colleagues and understands the business inside out,” comments John Tordoff, chief executive. Richard comments: “I am really excited about my new role and look forward to working with our hugely experienced team of directors and talented colleagues throughout the business.”

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“We are proud to do our bit to keep food on the nation’s tables and are looking for more people to come and help support our efforts.” Karro says applicants from the hospitality sector could be particularly suitable due to familiarity with food hygiene and safety regulations. However, the business notes that it also provides training to those who have no experience. Steve added: “At Karro we want to do all we can to support the local communities in which we operate. “We would encourage people looking for permanent or temporary employment to get in touch and come and join us in feeding the nation.”

Charitable trust offers businesses the opportunity to become part of The Piece Hall story - work from offices in the converted mill buildings of Dean Clough.

The Piece Hall Trust, the charity that oversees the day-to-day running of Halifax’s iconic Georgian landmark, is inviting more businesses to join its corporate membership scheme which helps support the multi award-winning heritage destination. Businesses of all scales and sectors can become corporate members by signing up to a mutually beneficial partnership that creates value for companies and their staff, whilst helping to ensure The Piece Hall continues its important role in regenerating the Halifax and Calderd ale economy. There are three level of corporate membership available, ranging from £500 - £3,000 a year, each with a host of benefits and the opportunity to play a key part in the future of one of Britain’s most extraordinary buildings. Corporate me mbe rs receive exclusive invitations to events and the Trust offers a great space in the Grade 1 listed building for networking, development and engagement opportunities. In return

for this support, the Trust is able to continue to operate The Piece Hall which has played, and will continue to play, a significant part in ensuring that Calderdale is a place where people want to live and work. This brings tremendous benefits to local employers as they can recruit and retain a more resilient workforce.

Incredible New members will join a raft of fantastic local businesses who have already signed up to the membership scheme including APCOA, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Walke r Singleton Charte red Surveyors, Wilby Insurance and York Designer Outlet. One of The Piece Hall’s longest standing corporate partners, Covéa Insurance, a major Halifax employer, has supported the Trust for the last three years. Covéa Insurance has a long history of being in Halifax, having been based in the town since 1966 when it was formerly Provident Insurance. 1,000 employees - approximately half the company’s national workforce

CEO of Covéa Insurance, James Reader, comments: “As a founding corporate member, it’s been an absolute pleasure to watch the incredible evolution of The Piece Hall, and we’re proud to support the team. As one of Calderdale’s largest employers, we’re delighted to be able to play a part in supporting one of our community’s most valuable assets.” And it’s not just businesses who can help support this cultural asset. Individuals can also sign up for annual membership which costs £28.50. The funds help support a year-round programme of cultural, heritage, learning and community activities - many of them free to attend. Members themselves receive benefits such as priority booking for events, festivals and gigs which last year included sell-out shows by Elbow and Embrace. They also receive exclusive offers and invitations to member-only previews and private tours. Gift memberships are also available, offering the bonus of further supporting the local charity at the same time as passing on all the incentives of a membership.

ADVERTORIAL

Hall Trust: “The Piece Hall, unlike other major heritage destinations, does not charge an entry fee and as a charity tasked with sustaining its future, support from business and other funders is crucial to ensuring our long-term success. We’ve now welcomed more than 6 million visitors since re-opening in 2017 and established The Piece Hall as one of the country’s leading leisure and heritage destinations. As an independent charity, The Piece Hall Trust is responsible for the everyday and long-term care of this beautiful Grade I listed building and it is vital that we continue to raise funds so we can keep offering visitors a fantastic range of cultural, heritage, learning and free community activities. We look forward to welcoming more businesses to become a part of The Piece Hall story and play their part in preserving the town’s future.”

To discuss corporate membership, please contact the Development team: T: 01422 525205 E: memberships@thepiecehall.co.uk W: www.thepiecehall.co.uk

Responsible Comments Jan Seymour-Hughes, Head of Fundraising at The Piece TopicUK March 2020

ADVERTORIAL

How to land your dream graduate job ULaw’s Careers Manager, Amy Walker, lends some secrets to success. It wasn’t so long ago that good grades and a degree were considered enough to secure a decent graduate job, but with the growing increase of people going to university the graduate market is becoming increasingly competitive. The reality is that employers now expect students not only to have ‘real-life’ work experience but also a degree of ‘commercial awareness’ about their chosen industry. The question is, what can you do to stand out in a crowded market? Before working at The University of Law, I spent a number of years working in commercial recruitment. Working within this industry was very illuminating, and two things in particular struck me regarding graduate recruitment. •

the level of expectation from businesses relating to work experience and industry knowledge.

•

how little students and graduates understood about writing a CV/Cover letter and the recruitment process as a whole.

So how do you get ahead of the game in securing your dream graduate job? Work experience – Many students think work experience outside of their chosen field will be pointless, common mistake #1. Experience in

any sector is invaluable. It will give you experience working with clients/ customers, help you observe the best professional practice in a working environment and can enhance a range of skills. Perhaps most importantly, the experience will give you something to talk about in an interview and give you practical experience to provide evidencebased answers, which are absolutely imperative to all interviews. So how can you secure work experience? If you are looking for something alongside your studies, many retail/bars/restaurants will take on students to work in the evening or various other shift patterns. Many call centres/receptionist roles and even administrators now have evening work available. Get yourself on job boards such as Indeed and Reed to see what’s available.

If you’re worried about time commitments and want something during the holidays or on an ‘ad hoc’ basis, consider working as a ‘temp’ through a recruitment agency. Temp work can just be for the day, week or month so it is a perfect solution to getting office work during the summer holidays.

Last top tip - #3 Attitude. This is absolutely crucial, all the above points come down to how much effort you are willing to put in. Throughout my time in recruitment there was one particular phrase that was constantly reiterated, ‘you can teach the job, but you can’t teach attitude’.

CV and Cover Letters – A badly written CV and cover letter is common mistake #2. Your CV is the first representation of you that an employer will see. You may have heard that employers will take on average 6 seconds to look at your CV and from experience that’s mostly true. Often sheer volume makes it impossible to thoroughly look through every application.

It’s true a good degree can heavily increase your chances of getting a good job, but being a graduate doesn’t entitle you to a job. Graduates need to accept they are going into a new industry which requires a lot of training which, for a company, is an expensive and time consuming commitment. Therefore, employers are looking for graduates who can openly admit they are not the finished ‘article’, but are willing to put in the time, effort and commitment required to excel at the job.

So what are employers looking for in those 6 seconds and how can you stand out? Employers will initially look at how well structured your CV is, followed by how accessible the information presented is. In simple terms, employers want to find the key pieces of information regarding skills and experience quickly in your CV. If your CV looks like a piece of written prose they may bypass it all together. If you are unsure how to write and/ or structure a CV and Cover Letter I would recommend you engage your careers department for help. If you don’t have access to this, there is an abundance of literature and free templates you can access online on websites such as “Reed” and the graduate website “Prospects”.

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Here at The University of Law, all of our students have access to our careers service, from the moment they accept their place and this continues even after they graduate. Our many employability initiatives and unlimited number of 1-1 careers appointments, has undoubtedly helped us secure a 97% employment rate for our students once they graduate.

For more details about ULaw programmes and our career service, visit our website www.law.ac.uk and book onto one of our open days or come in and see us for a campus tour.

SPECIALIST DEGREES & SHORT COURSES FOR THE LIVE EVENTS INDUSTRY. Based on Production Park near Wakefield, Backstage Academy is a specialist higher education and professional training provider focused on the live events industry.

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BACKSTAGE-ACADEMY.CO.UK

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Vehicle safety firm launches lifesaving AirBar A N o r t h Yo r k s h i r e company has set the wheels in motion with a brand-new safety device which could save the lives of drivers, operatives and cyclists. NuVech Solutions Ltd, based in Ripon, has launched the AirBar, an inflatable barrier fitted with LED lights which attaches to the front and back of lorries or vans.

courses and one of the common things we found was that drivers were getting hit by passing cars as they worked around their vehicles. This is obviously a real safety concern.

NuVech has received orders “Our customers have witnessed firstfrom national hauliers, recovery hand the huge benefits to driver companies and manufacturers, and is safety when the AirBar is deployed currently in final negotiations with a so we look forward to working large American distributer to market with businesses who are keen to the system in the USA and Canada. improve safety for their employees and vulnerable road users alike.”

Safety

The development of the AirBar has been supported by a £4000 grant from AD:VENTURE, a business support programme for new businesses in North and West Yorkshire funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The money was used to adapt the company’s new premises at Phoenix Business Park in Ripon, owned by Harrogate Borough Council.

“Due to its unique design, the AirBar will improve safety for drivers and operatives in the logistics industry. We wouldn’t have been able to get to this point without the support

from AD:VENTURE. Their help has enabled us to get the wheels in motion in bringing the new product to market.”

Asset

As well as providing the £4000 grant, AD:VENTURE supported Simon and Sarah with creating a business plan, ensuring the device complied with industry legislation, and moving to NuVech’s current premises at Phoenix Business Park in Ripon. Councillor Graham Swift, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources, Economic Development and Enterprise at Harrogate Borough Council said: “It’s fantastic to see a new company based in Ripon developing such an innovative product, and we wish NuVech every success.

NuVech Solutions was set up by Sarah and Simon Scaife in December 2017. The husband and wife team previously ran a separate company, Vehicle Transporter Training, which offered accredited transporter driver training courses. Simon has over 30 years’ experience in the vehicle “We’re delighted to be a partner in logistics industry. the AD:VENTURE programme, it’s a The AirBar was launched in valuable part of the local services we September 2019 in the UK and offer to help the growth of start-ups has already won an innovation and new businesses like NuVech.”

Sarah Scaife, co-director of NuVech, said: “We used to run driver training

One of the first companies to order the AirBar is John Macadam and Son, a recovery firm based in Colne, Lancashire which operates across Yorkshire and North-West England. Director Alastair Macadam said: “The most important asset we have in the company is our staff and this system helps to protect them, which makes it invaluable. “The device has already proved useful for our drivers - we were dealing with an incident on the M6 involving an overturned HGV and both the police and highways officers commented on the Airbar as being a good idea.”

The device encourages motorists to slow down and move over and has been designed to alert approaching traffic and protect vulnerable operators working near live traffic. The AirBar can also operate with the vehicle’s nearside indicator below speeds of 15mph to help alert cyclists of a turning vehicle.

award from the Institute of Vehicle Recovery, despite being up against major manufacturers.

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Keep up to date with the latest business news for the district www.wakefieldfirst.com

Wakefield First is the business facing side of Wakefield Council, It’s been a busy period for business so far in Wakefield with lots of events news that we are extremely proud of. Here are a few highlights that we are celebrating…

MULTIMILLION-POUND GRANT TO SUPPORT ENTERPRISE ZONE DEVELOPMENT The Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has agreed a £2.7m to support further development at South Kirkby, Wakefield delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority through the LEP Growth deal aimed at accelerating growth and creating jobs across Leeds City Region. The scheme is being led by developer Marshall Construction

and is set to offer 65,500 sq ft of commercial space with potential to host up to 115 jobs. It will include a total of four new units. The first three units are being speculatively built and due for completion in March 2021. South Kirkby is one of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Zones supported by the LEP, WYCA, Wakefield Council, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local.

RETAIL GIANT TO EXPAND AFTER LEASING HUGE DISTRIBUTION WAREHOUSE Fast growing retail business, The Range, is opening a major new distribution centre in Yorkshire that is expected to create hundreds of new jobs, after leasing one of the North of England’s largest, vacant distribution warehouses. Premier Way North offers 546,970 sq ft of space, within a 31-acre site, just off the M62 at Normanto. Global property giant Exeter Property Group acquired the

property last year in a £43.5m offmarket deal advised by Gent Visick’s Leeds and London offices. The property was previously occupied by Poundworld. The Range has signed a 20-year lease on the building, which will complement its existing distribution centres in Thorne and Avonmouth. The company has more than 175 stores nationwide and stocks more than 65,000 products, from homewares to furniture and DIY products to art supplies.

F o r m o re i n f o o n a l l t h i n g s b u s i n e s s i n W a k e f i e l d v i s i t : w w w. w a k e f i e l d f i r s t . c o m

N E W S U P D AT E A: LinkedIn has played a big part in the business' success and helped us become part of a very welcoming professional network. We also post daily on Instagram, which initially started out as a way to chronicle our days out shooting on location but has actually led to us winning work. The best example being an introduction to a youth marketing company in Brixton who later invited us to collaborate with Channel 4 don't underestimate the power of Instagram!

Q: How old are you Deryn? A: 29 years old Q: What is the name of your business/company/brand? A: Grit Pictures Q: Tell us a bit about how you came to be running your business? A: I've been very fortunate; video production has paid the bills my entire adult life! I started shooting and editing from a young age and made short videos and corporate films throughout my teens, so I came to graduate with a portfolio comparable to a fledgling production company. This experience landed me some pretty good agency jobs straight out of the gate! From there I became a production freelancer, later creating entire productions for direct clients. As the demand for this rapidly grew, I decided it was time to move into an office, draft up a logo and get the band together! The business was very much born out of necessity and the whole process thus far has been awesome. Q: What areas do you specialise in? A: We specialise in all aspects of commercial filmmaking, from shooting and editing through to 2D and 3D animation. Q: Who has provided you with help and support along the way? A: Throughout my freelance years I made a lot of great connections, many of these have blossomed into great friendships, so the majority of our support has actually come from what most business owners would call their "competition". I'm a massive

Deryn Carr from Grit Video Each edition we feature a young person who are making a name for themselves in the world of business. This edition, we meet Deryn Carr from Grit Video. Deryn was responsible for creating the TopicUK promotional video that launched our App at the beginning of February. advocate of collaboration, video production companies have a lot of knowledge, skills, and resources that can be shared effortlessly. To be anything less than welcoming of companies who can not only provide mentoring and support, but also throw work your way is just bonkers to me. Our doors are open to just about anyone, and we intend to pay all of our past support forward. Q: What would you say has been the most challenging part of growing/running your business so far? A: Our first hurdle was establishing ourselves in a surprisingly crowded market. Basic video production is largely accessible thanks to technological advancements in the kit and it's increasing affordability,

thus creating an influx of well-armed videographers. Trading off your strengths and expertise alone doesn't quite cut it when nobody has heard of you. So, we had to work tirelessly on our brand identity as a way to differentiate ourselves initially, but we're enjoying watching this develop. Q: And what has been the most rewarding? A: The most rewarding part for me so far has been the momentum the company has gained in such a short space of time, not just in a business sense but also the recognition we've gained in the northern video production landscape. Q: Do you use social media for your business and if so, to what effect?

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Q: What advice would you give to another young entrepreneur starting out in business? A: If you love what you do, then you'll never have to work a day in your life. If you build your business around your interests then you're left with no option but to progress in your field, it'll just happen, but the rate at which you'll progress is dependent on the tirelessness of your passion. To maintain this, you have to make sure you're the hardest working person in the room at all times, there's no known substitute for integrity, and it's the people with passion who get noticed. Q: Why do you feel that Yorkshire is a great place to do business? A: Yorkshire's just ace. Q: And finally – where do you hope to see the business in five years’ time? A: The business still has a lot of growing to do in terms of its structure. If we've nailed our plan by 2025, we can expect close-knit team of around fifteen, with a team of account managers and project managers in client services, allowing our crew to work year-round on production - that way I believe we can make some great things!

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TopicUK March 2020

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Are you an SME in the Leeds City Region? Thinking of investing in your staff by offering some training? The Skills Service could fund 40% of the cost of training your staff!

in partnership with

‘‘

Established in 1989 Swift Joinery Manufacturers Limited is a leading softwood window and door manufacturer based in Castleford, West Yorkshire but supplying throughout the United Kingdom. We have always been keen on investing in our staff to ensure they have the right skills and knowledge to thrive in their roles.

GRANDLAND X SPORT

We accessed the Skills Service in June 2019 and it’s had a great impact on Swift’s by giving us the chance to enhance our employee’s education. We would definitely recommend the Skills Service to other businesses.

‘‘

Steve Greenwood General Manager

Launched by the West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges in June 2018, The Skills Service offers a unique package of training and support for businesses in the Leeds City Region. · You can search the Skills Catalogue for courses currently available and eligible for up to 40% European Social Fund funding · You can make a Skills Enquiry and meet with a WYCC Skills Advisor, or contact Wakefield College’s Course Information team by emailing: courseinfo@wakefield.ac.uk to enquire about the courses on offer at Wakefield College.

Find out more about The Skills Service on the website www.skillsservice.co.uk

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N E W S U P D AT E

Accumulate Capital to build and launch Doncaster Enterprise Park The commercial development will act as an incubator for local businesses Accumulate Capital has announced the launch of Doncaster Enterprise Park, a new commercial development for local small and medium-sized businesses. The business park will consist of 79 high-quality, Grade A starter units. These units, or industrial pods, will be designed to accommodate start-up and investment companies. Once finished, the 90,050-squarefoot Doncaster Enterprise Park will be able to accommodate 344 people. The project currently has a gross development value of £12 million.

The site is ideally located three miles from Doncaster town centre and within easy reach of five of the UK’s major motorways, Doncaster Sheffield Airport, the Humber Ports and Doncaster Railway Station. Accumulate Capital, an investment and property development firm, will be financing and constructing this new commercial development. The company expects the construction phase of Doncaster SME Park to create over 200 new job opportunities. The project has been launched

with the full backing of Doncaster to access modern facilities built to Metropolitan Borough Council. the highest standard – it will provide Members of the Council Cabinet a real boost to the local economy. including the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, will be hosting an investors “Demand for commercial property tour of the site once the travel and is on the rise and this is leading to social distancing restrictions are an increase in the number of new projects that are funded by property lifted. development finance. Accumulate The project will help in the Capital will continue to identify new regeneration of Doncaster by offering property development opportunities local entrepreneurs and business in rising regional hubs over the owners a place to expand their course of the year, providing the facilities needed for local economies operations. to thrive.” Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2020 and is due to be Councillor Bill Mordue, Cabinet Member of DMBC, added: completed in May 2021. “Doncaster Council is delighted Richard Craker, Head of Commercial to be backing the construction of Projects at Accumulate Capital, Doncaster Enterprise Park. It also said: “It is more important than comes at an important time for the ever that we support SMEs across town – our local economy is growing, the north of England, who are too which is why projects like this are in often overlooked by government high demand.” and investors. “Doncaster is fast becoming a major “Doncaster Enterprise Park reflects enterprise, logistics and innovation Accumulate Capital’s commitment to hub and we are proud to be supporting the regional regeneration supporting Accumulate Capital’s of Britain. This new development development as part of the region’s ensures local businesses are able regeneration.” TopicUK March 2020

A Leeds-based multinational web development and digital marketing agency has launched a campaign to provide three local businesses the chance to benefit from a completely free e-commerce website.

GRM Digital launched the campaign after seeing local businesses struggling to trade offline during the Covid-19 pandemic. Calling on neighbouring firms to offer their products and services online, the firm will offer three worthy candidates free of charge e-commerce stores to get them up and running ASAP, so that businesses can mitigate any losses incurred during the Coronavirus o u t b re a k . Fu r t h e r m o re , t h e company has joined forces with

Digital agency launches e-commerce initiative its technology partners and GRM Digital’s hosting partner Fasthosts will offering free domains, web hosting and servers where necessary. Nej Gakenyi, CEO and founder

of GRM Digital comments: "Unfortunately, there are many great businesses that will be negatively affected by Covid-19. It has never been more important to embrace technology in order to continue trading throughout

Creative. Digital. Results. Since 1999.

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such circumstances. We want to offer help wherever possible to businesses in Leeds throughout this period." Nej continued: “Whilst this is first and foremost an issue related to health, the shock to the global economy from Covid-19 has been so fast and new legislation to stay indoors means that a lot of businesses will struggle to trade at all. We are used to operating remotely and in a position to help others so hope that this initiative will provide a lifeline to some of our local businesses.” To apply, business owners must register their interest at https:// resources.grm.digital/covid-19/ by 5pm on 31st March 2020. The GRM Digital team will choose the three candidates based on where it believes its assistance will have the most impact. The three selected firms will be announced on 3rd April 2020.

01484 302010 www.applieddigital.co.uk @weareapplied

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The Yorkshire Vet opens in Wetherby Many people will recognise Julian Norton from his television series, The Yorkshire Vet, but few might realise that he works full time in a practice in North Yorkshire, the original practice of James Alfred Wight, better known by the pen name, James Herriot.

“We want to be known as a small and caring practice, we have no plans to grow into a large chain. We want our clients and their pets to visit us in a stress free environment and become our friends,” added Julian who has been practising for more than 25 years. “I will continue with my current practice and with my filming commitments, but hope to be in the practice as much as I can,” he added.

At TopicUK we particularly liked this little poem from their website, sums up the new practice nicely: Whether it be for your first shot Or if you eat something you should not For rotten teeth, and itchy feet For worms and fleas and too much yeast For broken nails and fighting bees For being sick on someone’s knee For a cough, a sneeze, or sore to touch For lack of poo or just too much! We’ll help with all that comes your way Thats our aim, for every day And when it comes towards the end We stop being vets and be your friends We’ll guide the way, gentle and kind And comfort those you leave behind. This will be our pledge to you Your vets, for life, to see you through.

Julian was born and brought up in the thriving West Yorkshire mining to wn of Castleford. After leaving school he studied veterinary medicine for six years at Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge. After study, Julian began working as a full time vet and later became famous with the television series. “It has been an amazing experience and has led onto many new projects,” Julian explained. One such project is setting up his own practice with fellow vets Helen Blackburn, clinical vet; Mark

Harrison, vet; Tracy Hemingway, practice manager and Julian himself. All are joint owners of

the new practice based on the outskirts of Wetherby, with plenty of free parking. TopicUK March 2020

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Marines to tackle the Atlantic from bridge to bridge

Global concern and public awareness regarding the impact of plastic in our oceans is increasing. Each year, at least eight million tons of plastics end up in our oceans, with floating debris currently the most abundant items of marine litter and this debris has been detected on shorelines of all the world’s continents. This pollution is the most widespread problem affecting the marine envirionment and threatens ocean health, food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism and contributes to climate change. The most visible and disturbing impact of marine plastics are the ingestion, suffocation and entaglement of hundreds of marine species.

Researched Many will die of starvation as their stomachs are filled with plastic debris

that they recognise as ‘prey’ and they suffer from lacerations, infections and the reduced ability to swim. Of great concern also is that invisible plastic has been identified in tap water, beer, sale and many other food items all consumed by humans. The transfer of contaminants between marine species and humans through consumption of seafood has been identified as a health hazard, but has not yet been adequately researched. Plastic is a petroleum product and also contributes to global warming and it has a huge impact on tourism as the waste damages the aesthetic value of tourist destinations, leading to decreased tourist related incomes and major economic costs related to the cleaning and maintenance of the sites.

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A team of three ex-marines and one still serving have decided to do their bit and will shortly be setting off on a challenge to row across the North Atlantic, 3700 miles from the Brooklyn Bridge in New York to London Bridge. This extraordinary feet of endurance has never been successfully completed before, but that doesn’t phase Dom Rogers, Matt Mason, Joel McGlynn and Ian Clinton. Dom, who is contracts manager at Milestone Flooring, the main sponsor said: “This is an issue that will not only affect us, but generations to come, so we wanted to do something about it by not only raising funds for The Royal Marines and Plastic Oceans UK, but raise awareness of this global problem.” Following hours and hours of training in Plymouth, North Devon and the Lake District, with Simon Chalk an expert in rowing oceans, the team hope to begin their challenge in May and with 70 days of food onboard, will spend their time rowing for two hours then taking two hours of rest. “Our marine training will certainly help,” continued Dom, “as it will be a test of endurance of mind, physical ability and a mental battle.” TopicUK hopes to catch up with the team once they have completed the challenge and we will let you know how they got on in our August edition.

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Yorkshire’s Ethical Goldsmith The story of Jacqueline and Mark begins in 1985 with a boy and his father exploring the beautiful British land and rivers in search for whatever adventure life had to offer. O n e f a te f u l t r i p t h e y crossed the Kildonan Bridge in the north of Scotland in their old campervan when Edward spotted an old timer hunched over the river with a Stetson on his head and something in his hands. Tasked to find out what he was doing, Mark went to speak with the bearded, grey haired man only to find out he was a gold prospector and the thing in his hands was a gold pan. The van was immediately put into park and didn’t move for the next two weeks whilst father and son learnt the ways of the river and the treasure it held. I guess you could say the rest is history.

Researched Whilst panning for gold became Mark and his father’s main pastime, Edward would never realise quite the effect he had on his son and that this hobby would in fact turn in to his vocation and raison d’etre in life and a legacy which he could pass on to the next generation. After a childhood of hunting for gold, Mark went on to study a degree in Environmental

Geology and a master’s degree in environmental Geochemistry before becoming an Environmental consultant. This path refined his environmental viewpoint whilst spending his days spent investigating, assessing and remediating contaminated land, most enjoyably within projects associated with land damaged by historical mining activities. Fast forward some thirty years, and what was the making of his childhood and chosen career, now forms the crux of his family run business based in the beautiful sleepy West Yorkshire town of Wetherby. With his wife Jacqueline, goldsmith Mark creates handmade wedding rings with eco-friendly recycled precious metals and sustainably panned alluvial river gold. The couple recognised that one of the biggest problems with buying online and not being able to try the rings on before they are made is getting the size right. “This is especially important with certain types of rings such as inlay rings and full eternity rings which struggle to be re-sized easily or even at all. This can be

Jacqueline and Mark are about to launch a scheme whereby with the purchase of each ring, they will send out a free prototype of the ring’s width and underside profile in the client’s chosen size so that they can wear it before they make it. This way they can make the perfect handmade ring first time, every time.

very frustrating and very costly,” explained Jacqueline.

Significant “Most online retainers recommend that a customer get sized by two or three different jewellers before making their purchase, however this is by far a fool proof way of getting the right size. The size of ring you require is dictated by several factors, therefore you can end up being told you are numerous different sizes, resulting in having to pay for resizing,” she added.

This spring sees the launch of The Memory Ring. Clients will be able to provide something of significant meaning to Mark such as a pebble from a beach, a piece of Lego they loved as a child, sand from their honeymoon etc and Mark can crush it up and inlay it. For example, they have just worked on a lovely purple metamorphic mineral which a client found on a beach as a child (other have supplied things as random as gravel from the drive of their childhood home). The Memory Ring will be ideal as a wedding band, or just a suitably as a valentine’s gift. TopicUK March 2020

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Royal Ascot returns to Bibis Italianissimo This summer, the longest running racing drama returns. Revered across the globe, Royal Ascot attracts many of racing’s finest horses to compete for more than £8m in prize money and renowned for elegance, fashion and marvellous millinery creations. In between the races, prizes for “best dressed” will be presented by stylists from John Lewis & Partners, Leeds to one lucky gent and lady plus there will be a fundraising raffle and auctions on behalf of the chosen charity, The Danny Jones Defibrillator Fund.

Following on from their first “Ladies Day” last year, renowned Italian restaurant, cocktail bar and event space, Bibis Italianissimo have announced that their spectacular second event will be held on Thursday, 18th June. Once again, BIbis will team up with See It Now Sports, to bring the fun, finesse, glitz and glamour of Royal Ascot, known as Gold Cup Day, but colloquially referred to since 1823 as “Ladies Day” (gents also welcome) to Leeds.

adhered to the dress code of “Strictly Ascot”. After taking a seat for a sumptuous, relaxed lunch, guests will be entertained by a comedy compère who will ensure that all are in fine voice, ready for the Queens Procession which will be broadcast on projectors and speakers in the restaurant.

Lizzie Jones MBE, founder of the fund and widow of Danny, a rugby league player who tragically died during a match from an undiagnosed heart problems will be the special guest on the day and will take a few moments on stage to share her story and the importance of the work she carries out alongside the RFL Benevolent Fund. As soon as the last race finishes, the party will continue (for those who are feeling in the party spirit) in the Cocktail Lounge with live music (no doubt the high heels will be replaced by flip flops at this point!)

Offering an Italian twist, guests will be invited to enter via the “green carpet” for drinks and canapés in the lawned cocktail lounge area, and have the opportunity to shop or simply soak up the atmosphere of the live music. Professional photographers Roth Read will be present, ensuring that the stylish guests are captured on camera and as you can see from last years images, the guests most certainly

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This event is priced at £70 per person (from which, £5 is donated to the charity) Booking is essential and can be made by contacting the restaurant directly on 0113 2430905 or email: reservations@ bibisrestaurant.com Lizzie Jones MBE, founder of the fund and widow of Danny, a rugby league player who tragically died during a match from an undiagnosed heart problems will be the special guest on the day and will take a few moments on stage to share her story and the importance of the work she carries out alongside the RFL Benevolent Fund. As soon as the last race finishes, the party will continue (for those who are feeling in the party spirit) in the Cocktail Lounge with live music (no doubt the high heels will be replaced by flip flops at this point!)

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Do your images reflect the quality of your business? In this edition we continue our quest to help you find a Photographer who will capture exceptional images for your business. By asking the right questions you will have confidence in their skill set before you engage their services.

up by the tutor. We know this happens because we’ve witnessed it. Occasionally they will display another photographer’s image reasoning they can replicate it anyway (they can’t).

With this in mind, we are highlighting 7 essential questions you can ask any photographer. So, let’s get onto question 2: May I see your portfolio, and can you provide references?

If a portfolio appears inconsistent and mismatched (ie poor images alongside terrific ones) then ask the photographer why this is. Chat to their Clients: Ultimately, you need to know that that their photography studio is providing a constant flow of high-quality pictures which are exceeding their clients’ expectations.

A lady recently confessed she selected a photographer because ‘he sounded nice on the phone’. Admittedly, it’s hard to know where to begin the selection process but an ideal starting point is to view their work and speak with their clients.

Researched Portfolio Viewing: Of course, all photographers like to show off their best work on-line but you need to view more than their selected photos and be satisfied they’re genuine. Unbelievably, some photographers upload images that are simply not their own. For instance, images they’ve taken during photography workshops where the shot was entirely set

Testimonials will reveal what their clients saying about their experience. The most reliable testimonials are where a client

uploads the review themselves; such as Google, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Positive These people can be contacted directly, which enables you to ask these questions: Did the Photographer make you feel at ease and take his/her time? Were you directed throughout the shoot? • • •

D id you have a positive experience? Did the final images match or exceed your expectations? Wo u l d y o u u s e t h i s Photographer again?

We hope this has been helpful see you next issue for question three. Lincoln & Perrin Roth Read Photography www.rothreadphotography.com TopicUK March 2020

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SPENDING ON YOUR BUSINESS GROWTH? DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD GET UP TO 50% BACK WITH AN AD:VENTURE GRANT

THAT’S UP TO £25,000!

We’ve already approved 155 grants worth over £1 million pound to businesses just like you! We’ve helped with costs for: • Specialist machinery • IT equipment • Website development • Office fit outs……..and much more! So if you’ve been trading less than three years, you trade with other businesses and you’re based in the Leeds City Region.

Don’t delay, register today at www.ad-venture.org.uk

R E C R U I T ENME EWNST U P D A T E

Founded in 2000 by Brian Stahelin, Stafflex set out with just two staff members and a clear vision to be the first choice employment agency in Kirklees and Calderdale. The firm now employs a team of 24, supplying staff to the industrial, engineering, education and office sectors across West Yorkshire. With an initial focus on the industrial and engineering sectors, Stafflex enjoyed whirlwind growth, with turnover rising by an impressive 151% in the first year as the company moved into cumulative profitability. This enabled Stafflex to launch its education division and move into larger premises to accommodate its growing team by 2002. By 2010, they moved again to 2,500 sq ft office space to house its new office division.

Huddersfield recruitment specialist is celebrating 20 years in business The family-run recruiter has helped thousands of people find work across West Yorkshire. people we employ fit the Stafflex culture. We’re not a high street recruiter, but instead a family business that is here to help people and this is reflected in our staff.

Nine years later in 2019, to facilitate the continued rapid growth of the business, the company underwent an impressive £140,000 office refurbishment, with staff wellbeing at the heart of the new look.

“In terms of corporate social responsibility, we also give each staff an afternoon every quarter to volunteer at a local charity of their choice, therefore supporting our community,” he said.

Secrets of success

Staff loyalty

“Treating people as we would want to be treated is key to Stafflex’s growth”, according to founder and managing director Brian. “Each colleague has personal development time and a personal budget of £500 per year for training and development.

Staff loyalty and satisfaction was highlighted during the global financial crash of 2008.

“We always make sure that the

“Our sales forecast showed that the business would lose substantial amounts of money if no action was taken,” added Brian.“Staff decided to take a pay cut and reduced hours, which meant we didn’t have to lose

a single member of staff during these difficult trading conditions.” Thanks to this united front, after a tough six-months, the business was back on its feet and growth resumed in 2009.

Community Links In 2017/18, Stafflex re-invested 1.5% of turnover in supporting the local community, prioritising projects that shared the company’s own philosophy of connecting people in Yorkshire. Among others, Stafflex sponsors The Leslie Foundation and the Stafflex Arena where more than 32 amateur football teams, plus Huddersfield town ladies, play weekly. It is also a founding partner of Huddersfield Live, a not-forprofit group which works with

local organisations to sustain and develop Huddersfield’s tradition of community-focused sporting, cultural and festival events including the Food and Drink Festival. “A successful business always leaves behind a legacy of supporting its community,” said Stahelin. Marking 20 years in business Among other celebrations to mark the momentous 20-year anniversary, Stafflex is introducing a new, gold-coloured logo. The celebratory logo will be used throughout 2020 on all marketing material including, leaflets, email signatures and social media. “Twenty years seems to have passed in a flash. The greatest reward has been to provide employment for so many people over the years,” said Brian. TopicUK March 2020

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YABA creating powerful partnerships

The Yorkshire Asian Business Association provides a voice for the Asian business community, one that has an enormous impact on the UK economy. Whilst Asians make up just 2.3% of the population, they contribute over 8% to the GDP and are up to four times more likely to be more entrepreneurial than their UK counterparts. Asian owned businesses contribute over £120bn to the UK economy each year. Throughout the year, YABA organise a number of events for members, including a high profile Gala Awards Dinner, usually in the Autumn. Regularly taking place are networking

continent, who enjoy a uunique friendship. This relationship links science, technology, education, culture politics and friendship. The UK is the forth largest investor in India, creating one in 20 jobs in the formal sector and India is the forth largest investor in the UK. 110,000 British Citizens are employed thanks to that investment. YABA and TopicUK have now forged a partnership and over the coming months, we will bring you all the news and event information.

and cultural events such as the Vaisakhi and Easter event taking place on 2 May. The next cultural event is on 21 April at AspireIen in Bradford.

campaigns and run their own joint events with corporate partners. In addition they receive fantastic suupport and guidance from experts in their field.

Strengthen

There are two levels of membership: Corporate at £500 per annum.

In the meantime for information about how to join or attend one of the many events planned for 2020 .

YABA works to strengthen trade relations between the UK Northern Powerhouse and the Indian sub-

contact Sharon Jandu: sharon@ yabauk.com or call 07807 474885. Alternatively, visit www.yabauk.com

Members receive regular e-newsletters and introductions to other members, can place content on the website, run social media

CELEBRATING 20 YRS IN RECRUITMENT We’ve been powering Yorkshire’s workforce since 2000.

FILLED OVER

PLACED OVER

WORKED WITH OVER

POSITIONS

INTO WORK

COMPANIES

34,000

9,300

1,000

01484 35 10 10 96

www.stafflex.co.uk

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Enjoy afternoon tea in an all year round floral garden

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Here at TopicUK we are often asked to visit restaurants and share with our readers the delights they have on offer. Recently one such visit took us to Fleur within The Light in Leeds city centre. Deciding to sample Afternoon Tea, editor Gill Laidler and her guest arrived around 4pm to find people outside taking photographs of the stunning entrance covered with eyecatching Wisteria. The interior is no different, everywhere you look there is Wisteria hanging from the roof and adorning walls, making for a very pretty venue. We were welcomed by general manager Simo Alrababa, a young Italian professional, who at a young age, has a very impressive catering background. Simo led us to our table taking a seat with us to tell us about Fleur’s opening, which took place just before Christmas. There are sixteen staff in total looking after guests popping in for brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner or late evening drinks. Children are welcome and there is a private dining area that can be reserved for parties on the lower ground floor. Once we were brought up to speed, including chatting about Esabulo the restaurant

on the opposite side of the mall, which is part of the same group (we will be dining there next month) it was time to choose from the afternoon tea options. Guests can choose a regular afternoon tea priced at £16.95, that includes a selection of canapes instead of sandwiches, with traditional scones, jam and cream with a selection of cakes, all served between 11am and 6pm, seven days a week. You can add a glass of Prosecco if you prefer, lifting the cost to £22.50, but note, this is instead of the tea. Same with the Champagne option at £27.95, the Champagne substitutes the tea. Mocktails are

spinach, truffle mushrooms with spinach and cream cheese and betroot, as well as delicious scones and an ample quantity of petit fours, macaroons, mini chocolate eclairs, cakes and strawberries. All food served is Halal, Gluten free and vegan.

also available for those who prefer no alcohol. Petit fleur’s afternoon tea is available at £8.95 for the ‘younger’ visitors. As Simo left us to settle in and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, our drinks arrived, we chose the Prosecco option, quickly followed by our cake stand. There was a selection of canapes, smoked salmon with pickled

As 6pm approached and the daylight faded, so did the restaurant lights, turning the brightly lit room into a relaxing space to enjoy evening drinks with background music loud enough to enjoy but subtle enough not to spoil the conversation.

Fleur, The Light, Leeds LS1 8TL. info@fleurcafe.co.uk. Tel: 0223 245 6752 TopicUK March 2020

C H A R I T Y U P D AT E

Anniversary Rose Wakefield Hospice is marking its 30th year with a new Anniversary Rose which has been designed and handcrafted in Yorkshire exclusively for the hospice. Each rose has been sculpted by a local craftsman in stainless steel, and hand-painted in the pinks and yellows of a beautiful sunrise. The design reflects the Sunrise Rose that was produced for the hospice’s 20th anniversary.

Annual Golf Day The Wakefield Hospice annual golf day is the hospices’ longest running event whilst also celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The golf day will be held at Wakefield Golf Club on Friday 26 June*. Teams of four are invited to play, which includes light lunch, golf competition, prize presentation dinner and entertainment. Event organiser Keeley Harrison said “With the support of our amazing sponsors and Wakefield Golf Club we have been able to run a very successful golf competition for many years which has raised a lot of money for patient care at the hospice. I do hope local businesses will support the event by entering a team and join us to celebrate the 30th anniversary.” Thanks to event sponsors, Ashleigh Signs, IJS Development Projects and Simpson Packaging.

The roses have been produced in a limited edition run of 300 and are available for a suggested donation of £100 on a ‘first come, first served’ basis to people supporting the appeal.

is kindly sponsored by Minster Law and the presentation boxes for the roses have been donated by Simpson Packaging.

Wa k e f i e l d H o s p i c e h a s postponed the Wakefield 10k to Sunday 20 September and is reviewing all events in light of the current situation with COVID-19. For updates visit www.wakefieldhospice.org or contact keeley.harrison@ wakefieldhospice.co.uk

The hospice is inviting supporters to dedicate their roses to loved ones, with the names of everyone being remembered and each supporter’s message of dedication displayed on the hospice’s website. Each rose comes in a presentation box with a personalised card showing the supporter’s dedication. The hospice hopes that the roses will raise £30,000 to help fund patient care in its 30th anniversary year. The appeal To order a rose visit www. wakefieldhospice.org/rose or call the hospice fundraising team on 01924 331401

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*(date may be subject to change)

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The documentary follows Instagram i n f l u e n c e r, N i k Loukas around the globe as he visits airlines and inflight caterers to get the back story on how airline food is created. The stars of the show are the airlines who present various stories and a unique perspective on food in the air. Viewers get to discover what planning goes into airline meals and what it’s like to mass-produce quality food that is suitable for the air. Filming for the series took place across the globe, with Nik and James Mellor from Rainbow Trout Films visiting Paris, Vienna, Athens, Riga, New York, Guangzhou, Istanbul, and Tokyo.

Airline documentary features Kirklees College

The first recorded flight was we cover a variety of airlines in October 1919 on a flight from around the world. I n e p i s o d e o n e , t h e between London and Paris, s t u d e n t s a t K i r k l e e s when they served sandwiches. Thank you also to the team at College are featured as they During the series, Nik and Kirklees College for their input demonstrate how they are James look at the science and sharing their training learning how to prepare for a behind why airplane food facility with us” says James career in the travel industry. can taste different, cabin air from Rainbow Trout Films. The crew filmed in the pressure, noise, and light, real aircraft training cabin which all factor within this. The six-part series is called within the college building The series challenges the ‘The Inflight Food Trip - it’s in Huddersfield. Students myth that all airline food is not just plane food’ and and college tutor Nicola also bad. there is further information spoke about their favourite available at inflightfoodtrip. airline food. “The filming was a challenge com or on social media, @ because we often found flightfoodtrip where there The series starts out by ourselves with limited time will be updates and details celebrating the fact that at airports, boarding flights of how to watch the series a i r p l a n e f o o d i s n o w and getting all the footage we on Amazon and other online officially 100 years old. needed. I love the fact that platforms.

TopicUK Testimonial In September 2018 I came to Leeds with no connection to the city at all and was tasked with leading the Yorkshire arm of a national university. Our partnership with Topic has not only enabled us to share our stories and promote the exciting things that ULaw Leeds is involved in, but has plugged us in to Yorkshire’s vibrant business community with a wealth of opportunity to explore. Mandy and Gill are true partners to your business with a genuine passion to promote it and see it thrive. The publication itself is beautifully composed and a great read and one we are very proud to feature in. Matthew Tomlinson, Dean University of Law, Leeds TopicUK March 2020

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Prestigious UK award for Ramsdens Solicitors Ramsdens Solicitors, has won an award based on the excellence of their work in ‘heir hunting’, or probate research – the process of helping next of kin become reunited with estates they often had no idea existed at the 2020 The UK Probate Research Awards – otherwise known as ‘The Probies.’ The Awards, took place at London’s DeVere Grand Connaught Rooms on 6 February 2020. Ramsdens Solicitors, has won an award based on the excellence of their work in ‘heir hunting’, or probate research – the process of helping next of kin become reunited with estates they often had no idea existed - at the 2020 The UK Probate Research Awards – otherwise known as ‘The Probies.’ The Awards, took place at London’s DeVere Grand Connaught Rooms on 6 February 2020. Presented by the BBC’s Nikki Bedi, the Awards, supported by the National Association of Licenced Paralegals (NALP), Red-Inc, Just

100

Clear and Finders International, gives recognition to probate research as a profession, which leads to a constant stream of fascinating news and personal finance stories, while providing an invaluable public service. Heir hunting, the profession made popular by the BBC TV programme by that name, uncovers complex stories of family trees, while providing instrumental research and essential services to support the legal world, tasked with winding up estates when individuals pass away. The Alzheimer’s Society, the charity leading the battle against dementia, benefited from the silent auction which raised more than £2,500 during the event. Other highlights from the evening

included TV heir hunter, Danny Curran, a star of BBC’s Heir Hunters television programme winning Best

UK Probate Research Firm of the Year for his company, Finders International.

Business enjoy dinner & show for theatre boost Wakefield businesses came together to celebrate the 6th annual Gala Dinner to raise much needed funds for Theatre Royal Wakefield. TopicUK were on the guest list. Sponsored by Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors, the post performance dinner was held in the beautiful Wakefield Cathedral, where diners enjoyed a smoked Salmon starter, followed by

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roast Duck with seasonal vegetables. Following the dinner, there was an auction, compered by resident theatre pantomime dame Chris Hanlon, where there were a number of amazing lots up for grabs of spa and hotel breaks, theatre tickets, sporting visits and dinner cooked at home by a professional chef. Guests then made the short walk to the theatre, where they enjoyed pre-theatre drinks in the bar before

Five in Five

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In this Issue we talk to James Hill, Managing Director at Arrow Self Drive

James Hill, Managing Director at Arrow Self Drive Arrow Self Drive has come a long way since our humble beginnings in 1988. Founding partners Chris Taylor and Robert Hill, initially began selling commercial vehicles to local businesses from a garage on Manchester Road in Huddersfield, with a start-up budget of just £16,000 and a stock of three vans. They are now Yorkshire’s largest independently owned vehicle rental company and attribute their success to strong Yorkshire values and a firm focus on the local community. If you consider yourself a local business, they have five tips on how to integrate your brand into the community: 1. Employ local people. Hiring from your local talent pool signals to your customers and clients that you’re a true citizen of your area. You’re invested in its growth, the

local economy and the well-being of its residents. Local employees are also likely to know what’s going on in the area and therefore are able to communicate more effectively with your customers. 2. Use local suppliers. Supporting your local economy illustrates your

commitment to the region. It is also easier for local suppliers to deliver products quickly; the closer you are to your supply chain, the more control you have. 3. Sponsor a sports club, social event or charity. Sponsorship and supporting charities are an ideal

the performance. This was hosted by Heart Radio DJ Dixie, who introduced a packed show of local talent, including double BAFTA and award winning presenter Sam Nixon, best known for co-presenting Sam & Mark’s Big Friday Wind Up on CBBC. Theatre Royal create great art which is accessible for all. By supporting the gala dinner, businesses are supporting the work of the theatre to help them achieve their vision and provide some of the most isolated people in the district with high quality arts engagement. The theatre supports at-risk groups, young people and families on low income as well as

people with learning difficulties amongst others. Following the performance, guest

gathered to enjoy dessert canapies. The date has already been set for next year, so if you would like to attend, save the date: 12 March 2021.

way to showcase your support to the community. As well as showing the local community that you care, it provides a valuable opportunity to publicise your business and increase brand awareness among local target audiences. 4. Enter local and regional awards. Entering awards boosts credibility, strengthens your position against local competitors and allows you to network and make significant connections with other respectable businesses in the community. 5. Forge long term relationships with local customers. Commit to long term relationships and build trust with your local customer base. We still work with long standing and iconic Yorkshire customers such as Taylors of Harrogate, whom we have supported for the last thirty years. This enhances our brand credibility and demonstrates how we are able to regularly deliver on our Yorkshire promises of honesty and integrity. TopicUK March 2020

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THE ARTS

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THE ARTS

hown in Leeds between 14 and 21 March, Geisha tells the emotional story of two young women whose lives are torn painfully apart in the midst of a collision between East and West. Choreographed by Kenneth Tindall, the creator of Northern Ballet’s 2017 hit Casanova, Geisha now heads off on a national tour, performing in Sheffield at the Lyceum Theatre 24 to 28 March, booking now if you missed the Leeds performance, followed by London, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Inspired by true events, Okichi and Aiko are two young geisha with an unshakeable bond who find themselves on different paths when their world is irrevocably changed following the arrivals of the Americans in Japan. Whilst Aiko finds happiness, Okichi’s life is devastated and she returns as a ghostly apparition to wreak her revenge. The performance was stunning, costumes exquisite and the whole “People ask how the Japanese cast had the audience on their feet. culture compares to the culture Playing the lead role of Okichi, in my country. As neighbouring Minju Kang is from Seoul, South countries things are similar but so Korea. She trained at Seoul Arts much is different and I learned so High School, Korea National much about neighbouring Japan. Institute for the Gifted in Arts and The Hamburg Ballet School, “I am enjoying the role, getting into she previously performed with the character so much” she added. Bundesjugendballett for two years “I have five kimono and they are all before joining Northern Ballet so beautiful, I love the colours and in 2016. designs and they are so comfortable to dance in. She explains: “I did a lot of research online not just to read “I am looking forward to touring the true story of Okichi and but and seeing much more of the UK, searched for lots of information but I am not looking forward to and images about geisha in general the packing and unpacking,” she and their history. I watched the laughed. movie of Memoirs of a Geisha and though the story in our ballet is If you get the chance and are able different, it was interesting to see to get to any of the cities where a visual representation of geisha Geisha is performing, we can highly on screen. recommend.

Northern Ballet opens world premiere of Geisha To celebrate their 50th anniversary year, Northern Ballet held the world premiere of Geisha at the Leeds Grand Theatre and TopicUK were on the guest list.

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TopicUK challenges students to make career choices All illustrations courtesy

Following on from last years competition, TopicUK in partnership with Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) once again set school students aged 11 – 16 the challenge to write an article about local career opportunities and how they intend to enter employment. Students were encouraged to “We often support students across research th e la bou r m a r ke t the Yorkshire region, by offering information, by using local careers work placements for students platforms such as futuregoals.co.uk, who are studying journalism, by career leaders and speaking to local setting assigments then editing their work and publishing within employers. TopicUK under their own name. Students researched and discovered This experience and published local job roles, potential employers, work helps them when looking for entry routes for chosen roles, employment,” she added. requirements and the skills they will need for their aspiring careers “We received a huge number of within in Leeds City Region, putting entries for this competition, which them in good stead to making made chosing very difficult, but, informed career choices that can here we publish the top three. I would like to say thank you to all benefit the local economy. students who took part as there “This competition was very popular were many excellent articles and last year,” explained TopicUK editor hopefully students found the Gill Laidler, “so we were only too exercise useful for their future happy to support schools in our research when looking for work. They were all winners in our eyes.” region and do it again this year.

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1st Place By Archie Pierpoint BBG Academy 8.6

I wanted to go for the job of being a software engineer because I enjoy computer science and coding my own games. To become a software engineer you need lots of different skills. One of the ways to become a software engineer is to go to university, at the moment there are 71 university’s in the UK that offer 165 courses on the subject. Some of the best universities to study computer engineering are the University of Winchester, Falmouth University, University of Northampton and the local Leeds Trinity University. This establishment would be beneficial to me because it has a rating of 4.1 on the website whatuni.com and it is local so it is easy to access. The course I would be interested in would be the Digital Media (Visual Effects and Virtual Reality) the course is full time (3 years) BA (Hons) this course teaches you about Digital Technologies which are constantly merging and devolving. I could also do Digital Media (Game Art and Design) BA (Hons).This

course is also full time (3 years).This © Buttercrumble 2020 course teaches you about one of the world’s most rapidly evolving sectors. To gain access to the course on game art and design I need 112 UCAS tariff points plus a C grade (old) 4 (new) or above in English Language. For Visual effects and Virtual Reality I need 112 UCAS tariff points plus a C grade (old) 4 (new) or above in English Language.

3rd Place By Hamzah Bhana, Year 8, Batley Grammar School

For a potential career, I researched into Chartered Accountancy. The reason behind why I’ve chosen this sector is because it involves using high Maths skills which is a strength of mine. Maths being my favourite subject encourages me to try 110% in lessons to help me achieve a future career in this field of interest. Jobs should be something that you enjoy and are passionate about, which is key for a successful career. Last year, I searched for a career that uses Maths as a key element as this

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is something that I would flourish in and as a bonus would pay well. Accountancy topped the list and stood out the most. I found this job through: https://www.startprofile.com/. I believe this is the perfect pathway for me. Furthermore, on this website, it presented many local apprenticeship courses which is ideal after taking my GCSE’s. With advice from multiple sources and successful charted accountants, I was inspired to start a business alongside others in this Mathematic area. where we would all manage successful companies establishing

By Emilia Newman- Aguar 8ALM

Why I want to be an interior designer? My passion to be an interior designer unusually started when I first played Sims. Sims players tend to like creating characters and building their story, however what I love about Sims is building and designing houses from scratch. I’m excited by being able to design the interiors from the walls and floor covering to the finishing touches.

The company I would like to work for is Ubisoft they are based in France and was founded in 1986 I would like to go here because I like designing games and I love the sort of games and content they deliver to the public. The major games they have published are Assassins Creed, Far Cry, Just Dance and Rayman. These games have sold millions of copies worldwide.

One of the great things about being an interior designer is that once qualified you can be your own boss, either working freelance where you have your own client base or working on design projects for a large company. An interior designer may be asked to create or renovate spaces within: Homes, Offices, Hotels, Public & Historic buildings.

I know it is a very challenging market but I feel I have the determination and I feel that I could gain the skills required to become a software engineer the following aspects: • Provide financial information and advice to clients, individuals or businesses. • Advise clients on tax planning/ tax issues. • Review company systems and analyses risk. • Advise clients on business improvement. • Advise clients on corporate finance, such as mergers and business investments. • Manage junior colleagues. • Maintain accounting records. My Business would start locally in Batley, Leeds, Nationally and expand Internationally. • Salary: Starting - £23,000 a year / Average - £35,000/ Highly

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E

2nd Place

I live in Cleckheaton and there are several businesses that are employing software engineers locally such as Coravant, Bradford Software Development and Software Buddy. I could also move to some of the areas with bigger business that employ software engineers. Somewhere I have been to before on holiday is California. In California there are some big software engineering company’s including The Walt Disney Company, Apple, Google, Facebook and Visa.

Starting salaries for a junior designer Experienced - £47,000. You would work around 38 hours a week if not more depending Buttercrumble on your2020 client’s situation or any advice they need.

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range from £18,000 to £23,000. As you become more experienced salaries rise to £45,000. Creative design directors earn in excess of £75,000. There are no specific rules to be an interior designer, you need passion, flair, confidence in your creative ideas and a willingness to learn. Once you complete the British College of Interior Design Diploma you’ll have the knowledge and skills to ensure success. Most interior designers have a degree or HND in interior design or in a Acknowledge what I need to know and want to do with a future Business in Accountancy. Law, to know how to manage a client’s money legally. Accounting, to learn how to do my job correctly.

The Qualifications required – Topic UK • Illustration Development 1 Grade 6-9s in GCSE’s and Level 7 I hope this advises many students Qualification with a master’s degree like me to ‘step into the future’ and and Post-Graduate Diploma. To be achieve their targets. successful, I need to be enthusiastic, hardworking, self-disciplined and further my knowledge so I can obtain my ambition in becoming a Charted Accountant. Focusing on Charted Accountancy, I aim to further study the highest level of: Mathematics, which is the Main element of the Job. ICT as Computer skills will be necessary. Business, to

related subject such as 3D design, graphic design, fashion, textiles, architecture or fine art. I contacted Judith Harrop [a local interior designer] and her response made me even more interested in this career. She discussed “six essential skill that you need to be an interior designer and they are: a creative eye and attention to detail, trend identification, knowledge of sustainable practices, superior communication, sketching ability, computer knowledge and organisation” and “things that excite me are: meeting new people, every day is different, seeing your designs turn into reality and your clients delighted.” She also said “Yes, there is an apprenticeship for interior design” and explained that you need “5 GCSEs above grade 4 including English and Maths, for an advanced apprenticeship” and “A bachelor’s degree in any field is usually required to become an interior designer”. I’ve got a quotation from Albert Hadley (an amazing interior designer) about why interior design is a unique job. “The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. It is about the realities of what makes for an attractive, civilized, meaningful environment, not about fashion or what’s in or what’s out. This is not an easy job.” TopicUK March 2020

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Children of Courage Awards celebrate 10 years We’re Celebrating! It’s the 10th Anniversary of Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards on Friday 9th October at New Dock Hall in Leeds, presented by our Ambassador Christine Talbot, ITV Calendar and compèred by Jon Hammond.

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Alternatively you can simply sponsor a table for just £1,000. New Award categories to celebrate our 10 years of recognising and honouring courageous young people will include:

Join us and help us celebrate by taking a table or raise the profile of your business by sponsoring at one of Yorkshire’s most prestigious charity events? There are a number of different packages available. Our focus this year will be very much on our winners through the decade, with many attending again to share with us how their awards have helped them to develop, grow and continue to achieve. From small but significant beginnings in 2011, Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards hascaptured the Yorkshire public’s imagination and grown into an amazing celebration of courage and achievement now attended by over 700 people each year. YCCA is a truly unique event

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of restaurants Special celebration of our winners going back 10 years! Entertainment - back by popular demand, the Mini Big Band. Disco and dancing

WELLBEING AWARD Sponsor one of two age categories - Up to 12 years and 13-18 In recognition of a person’s effort to promote and protect their own positive individual wellbeing and mental health, or that of others through education and support.

that combines honouring and recognising courageous young people in Yorkshire with raising funds for the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation. O ver the last 10 years we have recognised and honoured over 120 individuals and Charitable Groups, entertained over 6K guests and raised a whopping £250K over the last 5 years

for St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation. Our Event Ambassadors include : Hannah Cockroft MBE - Multiaward winning paralympian Eorl Crabtree - Former professional Rugby League Player Paul ‘Chuckle’ - Children’s TV and Panto comedian Christine Talbot - Presenter ITV Calendar Jack Carroll - Comedy Star and Actor We have a range of sponsorship packages available starting at just £1,500 – all of which include • Table for 10 people • Welcome drink • 3 course banquet by the award winning Aagrah Group

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ENVIRONMENTALIST AWARD Awarded to an individual or group whose contribution to sustainability, protection of the environment/improved environment performance, or efficient use of resources, has impacted positively on local communities. 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL RECOGNITION The winner will be chosen from award winners over the past 10 years who show that they have gone on to excel in their chosen career, skill or support for charitable causes, demonstrating an ongoing passion and drive to make a real difference to their own and the lives of others. To find out more visit: www. yorkshirechildren.co.uk

Gather together, work better. But you always want better? Growing your business is a challenging and noble pursuit. This is why we say, never compromise.

The Buttercrumble experience is sweet, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t constraint our partners to a set of rigid procedures. Whether you want to increase sales using high-energy creative or through focused consultancy, we can gather together and work better. www.buttercrumble.com