Topicukfeb2016 kirklees 52pp

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ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 2016

K I R K L E E S

WWW.TOPICUK.CO.UK

The Big Interview:

Gareth Henderson

Why Yorkshire is top for manufacturing IoD appoints

new Ambassador Faith in TopicUK

leads to first UK Franchise

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PRESS CUTTINGS

Let us put you in the news

Tel: 07711 539047 - editor@topicuk.co.uk - www.topicuk.co.uk - Ghost Publishing Ltd - Suite 6 Unity Works Westgate WakeďŹ eld WF1 1EP

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SUMMARY & CONTENTS Pick Up Your Copy The John Smith's Stadium

Welcome to the era of gigabit business Ultra-fast business internet has arrived in Huddersfield The Kirklees CORE is a new, gigabit speed, pure-fibre network being built for businesses in Huddersfield. Explore the range of next generation voice and data services available through our service partner, Abzorb.

• Pure-fibre connection directly to your premises • Benefit from smart, cost-saving VoIP technology • Make the most of the latest cloud applications and services • Future proof your business

TER REGIS Y TODA

Register today at kirkleescore.com

Stafflex Recruitment Costa Coffee

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IOD APPOINTS

HIDDEN HAVEN

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CityFibre completes network build

New West Yorks ambassador

A taste of Thai in West Vale

Sainsburys Market Street Heritage Business Centre Ramsdens Solicitors Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors

Elsie Whiteley Business Centre National Coal Mining Museum Yorkshire Sculpture Park Leeds Bradford Airport Big Shots Cafe - Brighouse

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Tel: 01484 599886

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My Conference Kirklees

Entrepeneur's charitable giving

Tea for two

 Cover Gareth Henderson - Image: john Early 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 strictly prohibited. Whilst every care is taken in the production of this magazine, the publisher/editor cannot accept any responsibility for errors in articles, advertisements or programme schedules. To subscribe to this magazine, submit an article or press release please contact Gill Laidler on: 07711 539047 or email editor@topicuk.co.uk Published by Ghost Publishing Limited. Law pages are written by Chadwick Lawrence LLP Solicitors and TopicUK is not responsible for any advice given.

concept of linking the business community together has been a huge success which has resulted in the Wakefield magazine’s distribution five times that of the initial print run with pagination almost doubling.

Our aim is to replicate this growth across the Kirklees and Calderdale area; there is huge potential to increase the reach and influence of the magazine and we plan to work closely with Gill and Rob to achieve this and ensure TopicUK’s continued growth. But we also need you, the local business community, to continue to share your news and knowledge with us. So please send anything related to content and editorial to Stefanie@topicuk. co.uk while advertising, sponsorship and partnership opportunities should be addressed to carl@topicuk.co.uk.

EDITOR'S NOTES It’s been a month of change and expansion for the magazine, which has not only seen the its first licensees come on board – namely myself and my business partner and husband Carl Hopkins – but it has also received financial investment from new chairman Sir Rodney Walker. Plus TopicUK will make its London debut in a few days’ time with the launch of a Soho edition!

Carl and I are thrilled to have come on board at such an exciting time for the TopicUK brand. As long-standing local business owners (PR, property and a café, to name but a few), taking over the Kirklees/Calderdale edition is a natural extension of our business interests and we feel it will not only benefit our immediate business network but will also provide support to the wider business community across the Huddersfield and Halifax area.

TopicUK’s first magazine was launched in Wakefield in April 2013 by Ghost Publications Limited run by partners Gill Laidler and Rob Blackwell with the purpose of helping SMEs who were struggling to get free publicity and affordable advertising. The

By the same token, if you know of any additional venues and outlets that might wish to stock TopicUK, please let us know!

As well as exploring future partnerships with businesses and organisation across the region we are also planning the first Huddersfield Annual Charity Christmas Lunch (HACCL) in conjunction with Chadwick Lawrence, Stafflex and James Robinson Fibres. The event is scheduled to take place this December to raise valuable funds for Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice.

More on this on page xx. We’re looking for as many local businesses as possible to get involved and attend!

On a final note, Carl and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the coming months and editions.

TopicUK GROUP EDITOR GILL LAIDLER EDITOR STEFANIE HOPKINS CREATIVE DIRECTOR ROB BLACKWELL LOCAL HEROES THE EDITOR THE ARTS CREATIVE SCENE LEGAL MATTERS SARAH CROWTHER, CHADWICK LAWRENCE BEAUTY & WELLBEING GREENWOODS ORGANICS FASHION KATIE PORTMAN FOOD & RESTAURANT REVIEW ANTHONY HEGNEY, ASPARAGUS GREEN RECRUITMENT NADIO GRANATA, STAFFLEX SOCIAL MEDIA SINEAD SOPALA, RAMSDENS SOLICITORS EDUCATION DARRYL WIDEMAN, SILCOATES SCHOOL SPORT SEAN JARVIS - HUDDERSFIEL D TOWN FC COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MARK HANSON, HANSON CHARTERED SURVEYORS LEGAL MATTERS CHADWICK LAWRENCE

Stefanie Hopkins Editor

TopicUK is published under licence from Ghost Publishing Limited by Yorkshire Publications Limited.

Tel: 01484 599886 - stefanie@topicuk.co.uk - www.topicuk.co.uk - Ghost Publishing Ltd - Suite 6 Unity Works Westgate Wakefield WF1 1EP

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NewsUpdate

Flood warning As floods once again hit the North of England, business owners will be counting the cost of damage to property, as well as disruption to their business.

For those lucky enough to escape this time, it is a good opportunity to put in place a disaster recovery plan.

This may sound like something that is only for big business - in fact, it just means thinking about how your business will carry on if disaster strikes. For example: • • •

Is your data backed up and accessible from elsewhere, e.g. in the Cloud?

Do you have contact details for all your staff and clients?

Are there alternative premises you can use or can your staff work from home?

The detail of your plan will be specific to your business but taking steps now could make all the difference in the future.

But what about those who are already affected? Where do you stand with your employees?

If your business has to close because of flooding, you are still required to pay your employees unless there is a specific clause in their contract which allows you to lay them off without pay or they specifically agree to be laid off without pay. Even then, they are entitled to a minimum guaranteed payment of up to 5 days in a three month period. If laid off for an extended period, employees may claim they are, in fact, redundant and claim redundancy pay.

Our advice is to work closely with your staff to come to arrangements that benefit everyone. If you have a good relationship with them, the chances are they will be there beside you in the clean up operation and will be as keen as you are to get things back to normal.

Lynn Bradley - HR Business Partner - 01484 841776 - lynn@penninebusinesspartners.com 6

Andy Needham and Dan Cluderay, owners of Approved Food

Energy savings get approval from discount food retailer Approved Food has made significant cost savings on its energy bills with a little help from Elland-based energy management specialist, Orchard Energy.

The leading Yorkshire-based discount online food retailer recently moved to a previously empty 60,000 sq ft base in Sheffield and was being charged an inflated ‘out of contract’ rate on both its gas and electricity bills. Orchard Energy helped the company make a total saving of £5,000, with a further saving of circa £950 per year, which has made a significant difference to the company, as it continues to expand and invest in future growth plans.

Approved Food, owned by Huddersfield businessman Andy Needham and his business partner Dan Cluderay, sell cut-price food and drink that is close

to its ‘best before’ date. Andy and Dan appeared on BBC’s Dragon’s Den earlier in the year seeking £150,000 to help build their business, but failed to come away with any investment. Since then, the pair have grown the business to a £4.5million turnover and now employ 50 people shipping out more than 2,200 orders each week from the vast warehouse facility.

Julian Watts, business unit manager at Approved Food said: “We were recommended Orchard Energy to carry out an energy audit at a time when we were moving to a new site which was three times the size of our current premises. The fact that the building had been stood empty also meant that we were being charged an inflated ‘out of contract’ rate on both our gas and electricity bills, which is something we would not been aware of hadn’t it been for Orchard’s expertise.

Gareth Henderson, managing director of Orchard Energy, said: “We strive to secure the best rates for our customers and are really pleased that this has led to positive change for Approved Food.”

Firms strike business deal to reduce costs

A leading printing solutions firm based in Elland has joined forces with a Brighouse based card payments company in a move that has cut costs for both businesses.

The reciprocal business deal sees ABS UK Ltd provide new, more efficient and costeffective printing systems to Yorkshire Payments, whilst introducing Yorkshire Payments’ ‘Yorkshire Pay’ virtual terminal service in order to cut costs on its own credit card transactions.

The deal came about when ABS contacted

Ramsdens win Law Firm of the Year at the Yorkshire Legal Awards

Yorkshire Payments, said: “Before having our new printing system installed, we were relying on a single inkjet printer that was poor quality and expensive to run. We have been impressed with the new system from ABS, and their expertise has helped us to significantly streamline and reduce our annual print cost.”

Following the installation, Yorkshire Payments then worked with ABS to review the cost associated with the company’s processing of its credit card transactions.

As a result, ABS switched to Yorkshire Payments’ ‘YorkshirePay’ virtual terminal service to reduce the cost associated with processing their sales orders.

The product will enable ABS to process its sales orders securely and efficiently, and is expected to save the company over 20% per year when compared to its previous contract with global payment processing provider WorldPay. David Lees, marketing and CSR coordinator at ABS UK added: “We’re delighted that Yorkshire Payments has seen significant savings already, and by using our individual areas of expertise, we have been able to forge a mutually beneficial relationship that will cut costs for both businesses.”

Yorkshire Payments to carry out a cost consultation and review its printing structure, identifying the company was spending over £1,500 per year using a low quality, single office printer.

ABS UK Ltd used its expertise to make recommendations to the business and installed a new A4 multifunctional printing system which is set to help Yorkshire Payments reduce their printing costs by a third each year.

James Howard, managing director at

Ramsdens took one of the top accolades at the 2015 Yorkshire Legal Awards, winning the prestigious title of ‘Law Firm of the Year’ (11-30 partners) and with it recognition for the firm’s achievements and its people. Also, their Private Client and Residential Conveyancing teams were Highly Commended.

Karen James was also named as the Yorkshire Lawyer of the Year for 2015. Partner and Head of Residential Conveyancing, she was described by the judging panel as a solicitor who was “storming ahead” of her competition making her a “very deserving winner”.

Karen said: “I am absolutely thrilled that the efforts of every person in our organisation have been recognised. As for the personal award of Yorkshire Lawyer of the Year, I am K i r k l e e s

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still, quite frankly, overwhelmed, not only in receiving the award itself, but by the messages of support and congratulations pouring in from all sectors of the industry. It is actually a very humbling experience.”

These awards cap a busy and successful year for Ramsdens, with the completion of its recent merger with Baxter Caulfield. The firm has grown steadily in the past few years and now boasts 250 staff across 10 offices.

Managing Partner, Paul Joyce, commented: “We’re delighted to receive these awards and recognition and see it as a real achievement for the whole firm.”

The news follows the firms recent announcement they ranked in The Lawyer Top 200 UK Law Firms 2015 list.

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NewsUpdate

Young talent holds key to digital entrepreneurship Can three people, in a disused research unit, kick-start a new technology company in two weeks with only £2,000?

That’s the challenge set by Huddersfield’s software engineering specialist Elder Studios and The Media Centre, as they spearhead a twopronged initiative to fuel digital entrepreneurship and tackle the skills shortage.

Can three people, in a disused research unit, kick-start a new technology company in two weeks with only £2,000? That’s the challenge set by Huddersfield’s software engineering specialist Elder Studios and The Media Centre, as they spearhead a two-pronged initiative to fuel digital entrepreneurship and tackle the skills shortage.

The brainchild of Elder’s joint founding director Chris Gillespie, the task will see him and two students from The University of Huddersfield attempt to turn a complex tech concept into a reality, in only a fortnight, with the support of The Media Centre.

The aim is to inspire young talent to put their development expertise to powerful use; proving strong digital ideas can soon become a reality. The programme will also provide intense mentoring to help boost the entrepreneurialism and future employability of the students involved.

Elder Studios has experienced rapid expansion since it was founded in 2012.

What began as a three-strong business – based at The Media Centre, Huddersfield – has quickly grown to a team of 21. But finding good quality talent has continued to prove tough.

Chris explains: “The digital skills shortage has been widely reported upon. But in recent times I’ve been increasingly worried about the extent to which this is holding the industry – and the evolution of the wider economy – back.

“I also teach part time at the University 8

of Huddersfield so have first-hand experience of how capable their students are. But, despite our industry’s labour struggles, good quality placements are few and far between. Our whole landscape is so incongruent. So I set about devising a way to bridge the gap and encourage a different way of working.”

well-established organisations, expanding SMEs, co-working ventures, start-ups, graduate entrepreneurs and ambitious students. And it is particularly exciting when some of these individuals come together to collaborate. We thought our space would provide the perfect creative hub for Elder’s initiative.”

In truth, Elder Studio’s hackcelerator-style concept is not new. But rarely are such initiatives led by private companies with decades of industrial experience to offer.

“The two week challenge doesn’t just offer these students a paid placement,” continues Chris. “It also gives them a valuable opportunity to advance their skills, under the guidance of a practised mentor, whilst working on a live project, with the potential for a local job at the end of it!

The success of the project – to bring to life an open data concept for private sector companies supplying to the public sector – will only become clear when the finished product is taken to market. But Chris believes the real achievement lies in bringing everything together to make the two week challenge happen.

“It also showcases that in the space of a two week holiday and with minimal investment, a digital business can get off the ground. I hope this will stimulate others – the UK needs more tech entrepreneurs!”

For the next fortnight, this micro development team will be based in what is The Media Centre’s former Digital Research Unit. Equally renowned for its commitment to developing new talent, this not-for-profit organisation has donated the workspace, furniture, high speed broadband and utilities to enable this venture to take place.

The Media Centre’s CEO Brent Woods explains: “I’m inspired every day by the array of talent within our business community. The Media Centre supports

“Like many Universities, Huddersfield produces some incredible graduates.

But a number are either lost to large, city centre, tech powerhouses or forced into non-tech roles to pay the bills. We have to do something to prevent this black hole of skills.

“The enthusiasm and energy of the two chosen students is fantastic. I have every reason to believe they’re on to something brilliant, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. And who knows, given we’ve brought together our passion for tech, innovation and skills development, this could become a long-standing programme of investment for Elder’s directors.

“Our two week challenge wouldn’t have been possible without the support of The Media Centre though – we’re delighted that they’ve acknowledged the potential in our idea.”

Businesses and council sites go live as CityFibre completes network build Businesses in Huddersfield are now able to enjoy Gigabit internet speeds – up to 100 times faster than the national average. Leading digital infrastructure builder CityFibre has completed the construction of its ultra-fast pure fibre network in Kirklees.

The network, which has taken 10 months to build, is now serving local businesses, including Huddersfield-based Ellis Furniture and manufacturer Polyseam and is now fully open for business. Dozens more businesses are scheduled to connect over the coming months following over 400 businesses registering their interest in receiving the network’s services.

The Kirklees CORE will also provide services to 176 Kirklees council sites, bolstering public sector services in the local community. These include government offices, schools, youth centres and council departments.

Commenting on the completion of

the network, Neil Aspin, CityFibre’s representative in Kirklees said: “We are delighted that construction work is complete on the Kirklees CORE and that the first businesses and council sites have already been connected. Finally Kirklees’ business community can enjoy connectivity that’s both ultrafast and reliable – vital for the growth of private and public sectors alike. We urge businesses to register their interest at kirkleescore.com to take advantage of this opportunity to increase their productivity and profitability.”

Jacqui Gedman, Director of Economy, Skills & the Environment: “The completion of construction of the network is a huge leap forward for the digital capabilities of Kirklees. Not only are the council taking advantage of a network that will help improve the provision of council services, but businesses are able to access all the benefits of gigabit speed internet. The CORE offers our businesses an opportunity to transform the way they operate. This technology will allow them to compete on the national and international stage.”

Faruk Amin, Sales Director at Abzorb – the first provider partner to deliver services over the CORE network – added: “We are thrilled to help make Kirklees one of the best digitally connected places in the UK, enabling the entire community to evolve the way they operate through pure fibre. At last, Kirklees can position itself at the heart of the UK economy, powered by gigabit-speed broadband.”

Welcome to the era of gigabit business Ultra-fast business internet has arrived in Huddersfield The Kirklees CORE is a new, gigabit speed, pure-fibre network being built for businesses in Huddersfield. Explore the range of next generation voice and data services available through our service partner, Abzorb.

• • • •

Pure-fibre connection directly to your premises Benefit from smart, cost-saving VoIP technology Make the most of the latest cloud applications and services Future proof your business

ER T S I G RE Y A D O T

Register today at kirkleescore.com K i r k l e e s

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NewsUpdate February, will consist of a simple questionnaire; applicants will then be invited to present their business plan in a face-to-face Dragons’ Den style interview to the ABS Business Incubator Panel, before a decision is reached.

The scheme, which will begin at the start of the new financial tax year, 1 April 2016, has been designed by ABS UK Ltd with advice from Calderdale Council Enterprise Support in order to nurture and encourage growth within the local business community.

ABS UK Ltd offers help with launch of incubator service Leading printing solutions firm based in Elland, ABS UK Ltd, is set to launch a new Business Incubator service to a start-up business offering a free desk space and expert business mentoring.

Eligible new businesses up to two years old, and operating in the Halifax and Huddersfield area, are invited to apply for the free desk space for a period of one year

based in ABS UK Ltd’s company offices.

The package available for one local business person will include free use of WIFI, telephone line, meeting space and warehouse space, as well as access to experts within sales, administration and marketing.

The initial online application process, which opened at the beginning of

Faith in TopicUK leads to first UK Franchise

With the support and expertise available it is hoped the chosen business would benefit from opportunities it may not have otherwise received, ultimately aiding its growth into a successful, and established business ready to operate independently.

TopicUK is delighted to announce that Brighouse business couple Carl and Stefanie Hopkins have taken the licence to run your business magazine, TopicUK Kirklees/Calderdale.

The pair who run public relations firm Faith PR and also co-own Big Shots Café in Brighouse, have taken over the running from this issue.

TopicUK’s first magazine was launched in Wakefield in April 2013 by Ghost Publications Limited run by partners Gill Laidler and Rob Blackwell. “We launched TopicUK with the purpose of helping SMEs who were struggling to get free publicity and affordable advertising. The concept of linking the business community together has been a huge success which resulted in the launch of this edition and a further one’s in Barnsley and Soho.” Ghost Publishing also publish Close Up for Business, the magazine of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

“As TopicUK is community based, with each edition featuring only local 10

Upon completion of one year in the ABS Business Incubator the successful applicant can apply for a three month extension of the space if required.

Paul Lees, managing director of ABS UK Ltd said: “Having been through the process of setting up and growing a successful business, we understand the challenges and pitfalls that many new businesses can potentially face. We would now like to take the opportunity to give back to the local business community and offer our own expertise and advice to the next generation of business owners.”

businesses, it is important that each edition is managed and run by a local company, so we are delighted that Carl and Stefanie have taken over the running of the your magazine. This collaboration can only strengthen TopicUK’s presence in the market place,” added Gill.

Faith PR founder Stefanie Hopkins added: “Taking over this edition of TopicUK is a natural extension of our business interests and we feel it will not only benefit our immediate business network but will also provide support to the wider business community across the Huddersfield and Halifax area. We look forward to growing the TopicUK brand and cementing its position as a truly local business magazine.”

Eric Binns, Calderdale Council’s enterprise officer, has been working alongside Paul and the ABS UK team to develop the concept and operational process, he added: “It will give a new business vital support in its early stages with the necessary resources and mentoring and advice available ‘on-hand’ and with the added benefit that the person will not be working in isolation but in a busy working environment. We hope other local companies consider offering similar opportunities.”

To apply to the Business Incubator Panel please contact Paul Lees at ABS on paul. lees@abs-print.co.uk or call 01422 880008.

Is wireless the winner for office networking?

In the modern technology environment, it seems literally everything is going wireless. But when it comes to workplace networking, does wireless connectivity pose the most effective solution?

“If we think about the gadgets and appliances we use in our personal lives, many of us have become reliant on the latest connectivity. Smartphones have become ‘super computers’ most of us couldn’t live without for example, we no longer need to have a wired burglar alarm to keep our home safe, and WiFi keeps us connected wherever we decide to work.

It’s therefore no surprise that there is such a noted inclination to invest in wireless technologies in the business environment too. Purchase the right router and hardware, and it’s possible to link up all the computers, telephones, printers and other devices in your office, with minimal fuss. For many, this is a convenient, modern solution that circumvents the need for those pesky ‘trailing wires’.

New menu and extension for wine bar and café Peel One, a Marsden-based bar and restaurant is set for expansion after 21 months of cocktailshaking and serving up excellent steak.

The bar and café opened in April 2014 and owners Sophie Byram and Ryan Clifford soon realised that there was a demand for evening meals in the village.

They tested the idea with a steak night on Tuesday evenings, which has seen full tables week after week.

The couple are now expanding the floor space of their bar. The balcony over-looking the river is to become an indoor extension, with a glass roof and walls to create a modern eating area. This cosy but contemporary space will provide evening meals from Tuesday through to Sunday and

create a full-time position for a head chef.

Commenting on the exciting project, Sophie said: ‘’With only a few weeks to go before our new space is unveiled, we are extremely excited to create a menu which will include both steak and tapas. We will be having an open evening for our existing loyal customers to unveil some new dishes and our contemporary eating area.’’ Ryan added: ‘’As we take a new chef on board, it will really enable us to provide the village with another great eating place. We’re lucky that we already have some excellent restaurants in Marsden, but we think that we can bring something a bit different to the table.’’

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But when it comes to performance, does wireless outperform a wired network? Some wireless devices have caught up to the 1GB speed offered by a standard network card, but generally these are more expensive. 300MB wireless options are more commonplace due to their affordability, which could compromise office efficiencies.

Even if the speed concern is overcome, there is still no comparison in terms of reliability. A fully-wired network means you’re far less likely to see the dreaded “lost connection” message, even when “connections are available”. This enables you to operate ‘business as usual’ which leads to more money in your back pocket. And if some consideration has gone into planning and installing the network, there needn’t be any unsightly wires on show.

Of course what’s right for one business may not suit another, but wireless shouldn’t always be first choice, just because we love it in our homes.” www.ti-installationsltd.co.uk

Every issue, Huddersfield company Ti Installations provides electrical, security or audio advice for readers to implement in the home or at work.

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NewsUpdate

IoD appoints West Yorkshire Ambassador Experienced banker Caroline Pullich has been appointed one of the first Institute of Directors Branch Ambassadors (IBA) in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The newly-launched Ambassador network is a group of high-profile business leaders who will represent and promote the interests of the IoD in their area. The role of an IBA includes shaping the IoD’s influential policy voice.

Caroline, who becomes the IBA for West Yorkshire, leads Barclays Business and Corporate Bank in West Yorkshire, heading a team that serves more than 2,500 business customers with turnovers up to £40m. Prior to this, she worked for 22 years at National Westminster Bank.

Caroline said: “It’s an honour to be invited to become an ambassador and I’m looking forward to representing the IoD and meeting new businesses from all sectors across the region.

“The influence and support the IoD can provide will help businesses to achieve their aspirations and promote trade at a local level.”

Jonathan Oxley, regional chairman of the IoD in Yorkshire and the Humber, 12

said: “We are changing the way that the IoD is structured to ensure that even more business leaders can benefit from our influence and support. We are building partnerships across key industries, which include the banking sector.

“Our Ambassadors will help to shape the future of the organisation and Caroline is a strong addition to our Ambassador network across the region.”

Peter Wilkinson, director and chairman of The Scarborough Business Ambassadors, was recently announced as the IBA for North Yorkshire.

IoD members and nonmembers can meet Caroline Pullich at a Behind the Scenes event at Wakefield Kirkgate station on 9 March.

TopicUK readers are invited to the above event. For further information and to book call Susanne or email her at iod.yorkshire@iod.com quoting ‘Topic’ to reserve your complimentary place.

Yorkshire manufacturers back UTC to tackle skills shortage As a new school prepares for a special launch event, Yorkshire’s leading manufacturers are rallying together to call on young people to consider careers in manufacturing and engineering in order to safeguard the future of the sector in the region.

Mark Kennedy Image:© Copyright Simon Kirk 2015 - www. actualpixels.

co.uk “We need our young people to seriously consider working towards careers in our industry to ensure its success in the years to come. As a woman working in manufacturing, I’m particularly pleased to support UTC Leeds’ aim to have girls making up at least 30% of its intake. The event gave us a great chance to promote the variety in the sector, dispel common myths and explain the fantastic opportunities for both girls and boys in our industries.”

The call comes from a range of influential employers across the Leeds City Region, including Unilever, Siemens, Agfa Graphics, 600 UK, Airedale Springs and Cutting Technologies, which are all supporting a new kind of school for 14 to 18 year olds.

UTC Leeds takes pupils from across the Leeds City Region and opens in September.

The school was officially launched at a special event on January 12 at Leeds Civic Hall. Companies, local parents and children were encouraged to attend to see what the world of manufacturing and engineering is really like and how the school can help young people develop careers in those sectors.

Mark Kennedy, principal of UTC Leeds added: “The Annual Manufacturing Report 2016 questioned the ‘preparedness’ of school leavers with 77% of respondents claiming 17-18

year olds were ‘poorly’ or ‘very poorly’ prepared for work.

“This school offers a gateway to fulfilling and lucrative careers in manufacturing and engineering.

We’re working alongside Yorkshire’s biggest businesses to ensure our curriculum fits the needs of advanced manufacturers and that our students will be ready for both the world of work and further study when they leave.”

Applications for UTC Leeds are now open and a few places remain.

Students from the Leeds City Region interested in careers in manufacturing and engineering are urged to visit www.utcleeds.com and download the prospectus online.

In light of the recently published Annual Manufacturing Report 2016, revealing that 84% of manufacturers believe not enough is being done to make manufacturing an attractive career choice, Jane Robinson, director and co-founder of Cutting Technologies, believes the launch event was the perfect way to showcase the sector: “A lot of local manufacturers and engineers have found it hard to hire people with the Jane Robinson, director and correct skills and talents in recent years, co-founder of and many young people don’t seem to be Cutting Techconsidering careers in STEM anymore. nologiesco.uk K i r k l e e s

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Feature

Calling all aspiring writers…

Michelle Hodgson, Director of the Huddersfield Literature Festival

You’ve hit on a great idea for a short story, completed a novel or are thinking of writing a family memoir… so what comes next?

Image: Alan Pryke

Having spent 12 years in the publishing industry, I often forget how much of a closed book it can seem to outsiders.

Rupert Thomson

Getting a book published is a dream of many but there are pitfalls along the way, not least knowing how to approach agents and publishers once you have typed the last brilliant line of your guaranteed number one bestseller.

Literature festival events Michael Stewart

Ian McGuire

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One great way to hone your writing skills and find out more about the publishing world is to attend literature festival events. At this year’s Huddersfield Literature Festival (HLF2016), we have scheduled several events that will be of interest to aspiring writers.

On Saturday 5 March, you can take your pick from

two workshops, both led by creative writing tutors from the University of Huddersfield.

The first, Character and Characterisation with Simon Crump, focuses on how to develop your characters – where to find them, how to write them and their role in fiction.

The second, All Writing is Rewriting with Michael Stewart looks at the craft of editing from a writer’s perspective, analysing work from the first draft stage to the final draft. For this one you should bring your work-inprogress and a red pen!

The workshops will be followed by a talk on The Publishing Process by Kevin Duffy, who runs independent publishing house Bluemoose Books in Hebden Bridge. An essential event for aspiring writers, this event gives you the opportunity to ask all those burning questions from how to write a synopsis to approaching an agent.

Author talks Another great way to pick up writing tips and find out about the publishing world is from the authors themselves.

Author talks can be great fun, entertaining, enlightening and thought provoking – which is why they are so popular!

To mention just two: on Saturday 12 March, Rupert Thomson and Ian McGuire will discuss the darker side of fiction in Dark Imaginations – how do authors decide which stories to tell and are there any subjects they wouldn’t tackle?

This is followed by Location Location Location, a panel discussion with Frances Brody, Christopher Fowler and Tom Harper on the importance of setting in crime fiction and thrillers.

Take part As it’s our 10th anniversary, we are pulling out all the stops for 2016 – and if you’re feeling brave, why not come along and perform at our Open Mic night or Poetry Slam? After all, every bestselling author started out as an aspiring writer…

Booking and further details: www.thelbt.org; boxoffice@ thelbt.org; 01484 430528; LBT, Queen St, Huddersfield HD1 2SP HLF2016 runs from 3-13 March 2016; for more information on other festival events, visit www.litfest. org.uk

Design company are finalists in the British Muslim Awards 2016 Hussain Architectural Design Ltd is proud to announce that they have been named finalists in the British Muslim Awards in the “Services to Creativity and technology” category.

Hussain Architectural Design has been running since 2011, and have offices in Burnley, Huddersfield, Blackburn, Manchester, and London.

The British Muslim Awards presented by Al Rayan Bank aim to acknowledge and honour a wide range of achievements which cover various aspects of society including business, charity, sport, arts and culture and much more. The evening will be one of celebration, reflecting the significant role that British Muslims have in society.

three years running now, it is a huge honour to be shortlisted and we’re hoping for a win!’

The awards ceremony was held on the 28th January 2016 at The Paragon Hotel, whilst TopicUK was being printed.

Practice manager, Nixie Edwards said: “it’s overwhelming to see passion, time, and effort get noticed. We’re really proud to be part of this industry, and love to find architectural solutions to the challenges that our clients may face.”

Reacting to this announcement, practice manager Saira Hussain said: ‘We have been finalists at the British Muslim Awards for

KC Communications to expand client global marketing strategy Huddersfield marketing consultancy, KC Communications has been appointed by Hornsea based security manufacturer, Heald Ltd to expand their global marketing strategy.

One of the leaders in their field, Heald design, manufacture and install a range of award winning vehicle mitigation systems that are distributed worldwide.

Products include bollards, road-blockers and barriers that aim to prevent criminal organisations from carrying out targeted attacks on high profile sites such as embassies, airports and shopping centres.

The contract will see KC Communications taking care of Heald’s full marketing remit. Already the partnership has seen Heald obtain the ability to use the ‘Made in Britain’ marque which enables Heald to showcase that their full suite of products are designed and manufactured in Britain, which is a key USP for the business along with Managing Director, Debbie Heald

being nominated for two Northern Power Women Awards.

Debbie Heald, Managing Director of Heald Ltd, commented: “We were immediately impressed with KC Communications and are excited to be working alongside them to help propel Heald’s global reach further. We have already started to see results following the implementation of the marketing strategy in early December. 2016 is an exciting time for Heald which will see the launch of new products and we are confident that KC Communications will support our growth plans.”

Katrina Cliffe, Managing Director of KC Communications added: “Having met Debbie at the Forward Ladies Awards in 2015 I was immediately impressed with her achievements and commitment to the continued growth of Heald. It is a pleasure to be working with not only an innovative organization but alongside a fellow K i r k l e e s

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female entrepreneur. We have already forged strong relationships with various members of the team and we look forward to working alongside Heald to make 2016 their best year yet.”

KC Communications also recently secured a contract with Huddersfield Community Trust who operate a number of services from it’s location at The Zone. It also has a number of other new business opportunities in the pipeline and is actively looking to recruit an apprentice later this year in order to fulfil client demand.

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TheArts

Get Creative like mother, like daughter Creative Scene, the Creative People and Places programme for North Kirklees, recently brought a groundbreaking piece of theatre to our area as part of their aim to increase participation in the arts in typically low engagement areas. Director Nancy Barrett discusses its success…

Since Creative Scene, one of Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places projects, began working in North Kirklees in July 2014, we have been asking questions about how we might make art a part of everyday life in this area. We are exploring new models and partnerships for production, promotion and community involvement and trying to find ways to build a vibrant and self-sustaining arts scene in the age of austerity. So we’re experimenting with different approaches to create, produce and market work in this hugely diverse area.

One such project took place in November last year, when a group of 12 mothers and daughters came together over a three-week period with theatre company Complicité to devise, rehearse and then perform Like Mother, Like Daughter.

The team set out to recruit pairs of mothers and daughters who would be up for sharing their tales of the ups and downs of their relationships, first with each other and then with a group of other mothers and daughters, and finally with an audience. Following a wide call-out, a group of women came forward to take part from all walks of life and from different faiths, religions and cultures. None were known to each other before the project, and the creation process started with a meal where each of the pairs brought food to share, moving on to bread-baking together, all the time being coaxed and coached to tell their stories by the director Jane Nash. One mother said: “This project is affording me rich opportunities of conversation with my daughter – real

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ones, open, honest, authentic. Also the opportunity to hear other women’s stories, literally from around the globe.”

Developing the audience for this unique show was no easy task. As well as creating and performing the show, the performers were key to building audiences from their own families and communities.

It’s a tactic common in amateur and community theatre performances and in this way we aimed to bring people who had never set foot in a theatre to see the show.

With no regular theatre venues in our patch, the show was staged over six days and nights in two different venues.

Batley Town Hall was transformed into an intimate parlour where mothers and daughters took their place around a dining table to quiz each other, with the audience listening in from the sidelines.

Audience development activities included posters in local shops, tweets to local amateur dramatic and community organisations, and word of mouth.

Our second venue, Northorpe Hall, was very different. A striking sixteenthcentury barn run by a charity supporting children’s mental and emotional health, it’s usually hired out for conferences and weddings. We’ve been working in partnership with it over the last year to bring children’s touring theatre to the space, and we worked with staff to ensure flyers about the show got out to local audiences and previous venue users.

So who came? We found it tricky to market the show, as its devised nature,

Mothers and daughters share stories whilst baking as part of the creative process

community participation and mothers and daughters theme made it sound more folksy than a vibrant and contemporary piece of theatre. Our audiences reported that they were not at all sure what they were going to see. One young audience member said: “My mum texted me about the show last night and I wasn’t sure what I was coming to. I wish I’d been involved.

I thought it was fascinating, funny and emotive.”

events less than once a month.

In the end we decided we might have referenced Loose Women or Big Brother to help describe the experience. The sense of something shared between people, unfolding live before you, that could go anywhere at any time, was what captured the audience’s imagination, as well as the universal truth and staggering honesty of the performers, as they told their stories unscripted.

Over the three weeks of performances, two of our shows sold out, 23% of the audience had family members involved in the production and - key to our success - 38% of those who came attended arts

We are continuing to develop our network of non-arts venues in North Kirklees with the people who run them to decide on what’s best to present, when to present it and how to market it. There’s K i r k l e e s

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plenty of arts and culture and creativity in North Kirklees. We just need to know, grow and show it.

Nancy Barrett is Director of Creative Scene. www.creativescene.org.uk

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EatingOut

The hidden eating haven of Calderdale

A taste of Thai in West Vale West Vale in Halifax has always been what I’d call a ‘pass through’ area. You very rarely have a reason to stop there (unless you fancy great fish and chips from the roadside take away!).

By Anthony Hegney, Director at Asparagus Green However, with the recent redevelopment of Victoria Mills, this is somewhat changing. Until recently, Andy Thornton Ltd was the sole occupier of this beautiful building, but following its refurbishment, a range of new restaurants and bars have joined him to bring the historic mill back to life.

With this in mind, I recently visited Café Thai in West Vale. The wooden-fronted restaurant and bar can be found on the left hand side of the road in the heart of West Vale when travelling in from Halifax.

With plenty of on-street parking, Café

Thai is easily accessible from the roadside. On arrival, we walked past the open plan kitchen where the catering team were busy preparing the food for the evening, and we were greeted by a very pleasant Thai waitress who took us to our table in the central window of the restaurant with great views of an illuminated Victoria Mill.

My partner Glen, who’s a lover of Thai food, came along with me on this occasion. Unfortunately his first choice of starter was unavailable, so he opted for the Pho Plia Larb Gai; minced chicken with sweet basil, coriander, onion and chilli wrapped in fresh spring roll pastry to you and me! I ordered the Knaom Jeeb which consisted of steamed dumplings with minced pork, chicken, prawn, and onions steamed in wanton wrapper. They were topped with shredded garlic and served with sweet black bean sauce.

Our starters were beautifully presented featuring flowers hand-carved out of fresh Swede. Glen enjoyed his spring roll starter and commented on how flavoursome it was. His small dish of soya syrup with chilli definitely had a fiery kick to it! My dumpling starter was stunning, with great flavours captured in the garnish of shredded garlic and black bean sauce. An

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impressive 10 out of 10 for the starters.

A short break between courses was perfect, and allowed us to enjoy the authentic atmosphere of the restaurant.

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

For his main course, Glen chose Roti Kang Kiew Wan Kai; a traditional Thai green curry with chicken served with lightly fried roti pastry. I plumped for the Pla Lui Suan which is steamed sea bass topped with mixed herbs, lemongrass, shallots, ginger and fresh lime. This came with a Thai-style spicy dressing and roasted nuts. I completed this with a side dish of Pad Kee Mao; spicy stir-fried noodles with chili garlic, basil, and vegetables.

Glen’s choice of Thai green curry was very similar to what you would receive if you were actually in Thailand. The roti was light and tasty, complementing

Café Thai offers an early bird menu from Tuesday to Thursday and this is served from 5pm till 7pm. This is a two course menu for £11.50 or a three course menu for £13.50 which includes dessert. Starters on the a la carte menu range from £4.50 to £5.90, and main courses are from £6.50 to £14.00. The set menus are also worth a look.

Booking is essential as they do not have any availability on weekends for eight weeks from the time of booking.

This is unfortunately a situation that is ongoing week on week, but there are plans to develop the first floor. I spoke to owners Scott and Paul who explained their exciting expansion plans, so watch this space.

Café Thai are here to please from arrival to departure! If I haven’t convinced you, then take a look at Trip Advisor.

The entry speaks for itself with one headline: it just goes from strength to strength. I have to wholeheartedly agree. Well done Scott and Paul.

the meal really well. My fish was simply divine from start to finish, with three good size fillets topped with freshly shredded vegetables. It was perfectly cooked with all the moisture locked in, and it oozed flavour. My side dish of chilli noodles was also excellent and got my taste buds standing on end.

While Glen stuck with the water for the meal, I did opt for the house wine. A pleasant Sauvignon Blanc went down well with my main course. Café Thai also has its own bar, but it’s on the small side due to the restriction on space. Perfectly suitable for a pre-dinner drink, though.

Café Thai is open Tuesday to Sunday evenings for dinner. To book a table call 01422 310804, or book online via their website at www.cafethaiwest.co.uk

After allowing ourselves a little breathing room before ordering dessert, Glen opted for the Golden Triangle; a pastry filled with fried banana and served hot with local vanilla ice cream from Just Jenny’s Farmhouse up the road in Barkisland.

After the waitress checked with the kitchen if the mangoes were ripe enough, I ordered the mango, sticky rice and coconut milk. It was fantastic, and the mango could not have been more ready by way of texture, flavour and juiciness.

The warm and sticky rice contrasted well with the chill of the mango – a lovely way to finish off the meal. Once again, full marks for our choice of desserts.

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NewsUpdate

MY Conference Kirklees - Wednesday 16th March - John Smiths Stadium MAIN EXHIBITION 8.45am to 4.00pm Revell Ward Suite 8.30am to 10.00am Revell Ward Suite Bar Area MYNetwork Huddersfield; join us and our MYNetwork partners to start the day with some informal networking

Don’t miss out on the biggest business event in Kirklees With over 45 exhibition stands, nine informative speakers and unlimited networking opportunities for all, there’s something for everyone on offer.

SPEAKERS – Howarth Suite 10.10am to 10.30am Mark Fitzmaurice, Dale Carnegie - Building relationships especially in a customer service or sales environment

10.40am to 11.00am Andy McMenemy, Inspirational Speaker - Are you limited by your challenges, or challenging your limits?

11.10am to 11.30am Lee Jackson - What do we really need to succeed?

11.40am to 12.00pm Mary Holmes, Development Solutions - Direct your strengths centre-stage for success

12.10pm to 12.30pm Kirklees CORE - The Digital Landscape

12.40pm to 1.40pm The State of the District Panel Discussion

2.10pm to 2.20pm Martin Haigh, Lattitude7 - Let Corporate Social Responsibility accelerate your business growth

2.20pm to 2.40pm Chris Buckley,The Alternative Board - Fast Cars, A Six Pack & A Suntan

2.50pm to 3.10pm Steve Phillip, Linked2Success Limited Maximising the potential of LinkedIn for your business

We are delighted to be joined by a range of excellent speakers who will cover a wide range of business topics, sharing their skills and knowledge with delegates. The conference also includes a panel discussion starring local leaders across various sectors.

Rachel Dickie, Events & Membership coordinator at the Chamber said: “The

conference next month is shaping up to be a day not to be missed. MY Conference Kirklees is a fantastic opportunity to grow your business, make new contacts and learn from other experienced professionals.”

To register your FREE delegate place visit www.mycci.co.uk/myconferencekirklees.

For updates on the conference follow @ MYBizConfs on Twitter.

3.20pm to 3.40pm Jane Bytheway, Inspirational Speaker Elephant Tamer

4.00pm EVENT CLOSE

Last few stands remaining We have a limited number of exhibition stands available at MY Conference Kirklees.

Exhibiting has never been better value for local businesses, Chamber members can showcase their business at the conference from as little as £195.00 +VAT with nonChamber member prices starting from £295.00 +VAT. Email myconferences@ mycci.co.uk to book your space 20

Event Partners MY Conference Kirklees this year has been supported by a number of key partners including; Brand Yorkshire, TopicUK, The John Smith’s Stadium and Exhibition Room Sponsor, Kirklees CORE.

TopicUK announces charity partnership

Hospice extends thanks to local business community following devastating fire Huddersfield based charity and TopicUK charity of the year, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice has extended its thanks to the local business community for its support following a devastating fire that saw it lose over £140,000 in funding.

The fire, which broke out at the charity’s Russell House headquarters on Tuesday 12 January, caused severe damage to the building, which now needs rewiring, redecorating and refurnishing.

Power loss to the building meant that the work of the charity was disrupted for 14 days, with local business stepping in to provide temporary work space for its employees.

Emma Kovaleski, Head of Corporate Fundraising at Forget Me Not, said: “The support of local companies in the aftermath of the fire has been amazing.

Mamas and Papas were kind enough to provide office space for our staff, whilst Orchard FM repaired our IT systems so we could continue working from our servers.”

Emma continued: “Fortunately, we have still been able to provide care through our Hospice at Home programme, which sees our care team visit children and families in their own homes and deliver they care they require.”

“We have been able to offer this service as an alternative while Russell House is out of action, which means that we can

continue to provide quality respite care for parents and support such as helping out at dinner and bed time, or just fun activities with the children.”

A host of other local business have also provided support to the hospice, something which Chief Executive Peter Branson is thankful for. “The fire has been a big setback for us at a time when we have children and families being referred to us weekly. We are always humbled by the support we receive from businesses and the community, but we now need that support more than ever to help us recover from this and to keep caring for children and families who so desperately need us.”

The hospice – which has now reopened to staff – still remains closed to families while essential work is carried out. There is still no definite time frame of when the hospice will be fully up and running again.

The team are aiming to raise £140,000 through their fire appeal, and anyone wishing to donate can do so by visiting bit.ly/fmnfireappeal or texting FIRE12 to 70070 to donate £5.

The charity has also set up a #forgetmenotswap campaign, and is encouraging people to swap their Friday morning coffee or after work drink for a donation of £5, and share the good deed on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag.

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TopicUK is pleased to announce that it will be partnering with Huddersfieldbased charity Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice to raise awareness of the charity’s work across the region over the next 12 months.

As part of this ongoing partnership, Topic UK will promote the work of the hospice through two of its publications in Huddersfield and Wakefield; areas where the charity is looking to expand.

Gill Laidler of Topic UK said: “We have worked with Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice for the last few years and are impressed with the work they are doing to support children and their families in their time of need. The hospice is looking to expand particularly in Wakefield, and we felt that our magazine and website would be an ideal vehicle for them to raise awareness across the area.”

The team at TopicUK also hopes to organise regular fundraising events with local businesses to raise funds for the charity, such as the inaugural Huddersfield Annual Charity Christmas Lunch (HACCL) that will take place on Thursday 15 December to raise money for the children’s hospice.

Jason Costello, Head of Community Fundraising at Forget Me Not commented: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with TopicUK to help raise our profile even further and spread the message that the hospice is there for the people of Wakefield and beyond, not just Kirklees and Calderdale.”

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Health&Beauty

Why go organic? very best ingredients. I make the most of oils and botanical ingredients that have been grown and farmed in the purest way. By doing this I know they are rich in nutrients and free from harmful chemicals.

After using organic natural skincare, many people notice a difference in their skin immediately – and I’m not just talking about how it looks.

The texture will improve almost after the first use, and people with problem areas – dry patches, oily T-zones and blemishes – can see a relief in their symptoms, too.

IT’S hard to believe there was once a time when little was known about ‘organic’ food. Today though, it’s everywhere – and we’re not just seeing a rise in organically-produced food; we can now treat our skin to products created with organic principles in mind, too.

Zoe Greenwood is the founder of organic skincare business, Greenwood Organics based in Elland. A new contributor to TopicUK, Zoe founded the business in 2012 as part of a quest for a more natural, organic lifestyle. With over 18 years’ experience in the health and beauty industry, she is an established aromatherapist and massage therapist with a clear passion for demonstrating the healing and therapeutic benefits of high quality organic oils and essential oils. www.greenwoodorganics.co.uk

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But while you might think anything with the ‘organic’ label must be a fad, a lifestyle that’s free of parabens, sulphates and other chemical ‘nasties’ is anything but.

Instead, organically-produced food and skincare ingredients are grown in harmony with nature. It’s about respecting the land; a land where artificial and chemical fertilisers are prohibited and pesticides are severely restricted. What’s more, farmers use methods to develop naturally healthy and fertile soil.

For anyone in the organic industry, it’s not just about producing the purest products, but being mindful of how they’re produced and protecting the planet in the process.

There’s evidence to suggest

that organically-grown produce contains more nutrients, as a result of nutrient-dense soil that hasn’t been over-farmed.

So, why am I writing this article? Well, an organic lifestyle – in particular, organic skincare – is something I’m passionate about. It’s so important not to overload the body with unnecessary chemicals and to use the purest products available – and, of course, I make sure I practice what I preach.

Nature offers a fantastic array of ingredients to protect and enhance our skin; from natural oils like Rosehip seed oil and Calendula, to therapeutic essential oils that help us unwind after a busy day.

When I’m creating my skincare collection, I select only the

In short, organic skincare is like food for the skin: it helps to replenish and moisturise, plumping the cells and reducing dryness. Working in synergy with the natural oils in the skin, organic oils help balance the complexion and give a gorgeous, healthy glow.

If you only take one thing from this article – and the importance of looking after your skin – make it this: the average woman applies more than 200 chemicals to her face in one day alone. When you consider that up to 60% of these chemicals are absorbed into the bloodstream, isn’t it time you took another look at the organic options available to you?

Huddersfield consultancy appointed to launch Leeds car auction Leeds-based G3 Remarketing has appointed Huddersfield consultancy Scriba PR, to help launch its first physical car auction.

Established in 2009, the vehicle remarketing company has offered a purely online auction platform for end of lease cars, to date. But demand from the part exchange market means G3 is also set to introduce a traditional auction format from February.

Scriba PR – based at Heritage Exchange in Lindley – has been brought in to support G3 with all communications activity for this time-sensitive expansion. Responsible for all press articles and interviews, Scriba is also coordinating regional advertising activity, internal communications to staff, dialogue with existing customers, content for the upcoming website (being produced by Leeds firm Force24), and campaign promotions (from Leeds-based Punch Creative).

The auction launch will coincide with a staggering 14 car giveaway. The first prize was announced on 2 February at the inaugural event in Oulton, Leeds, when one lucky buyer was automatically refunded the hammer price of the car they purchased. The promotion will run every week thereafter until the end of April. A nearly new Citroen C1 is also on offer to auction attendees, irrespective of whether they buy a vehicle or not.

Commenting Scriba’s founder Katie Mallinson said: “There is a £500,000 site redevelopment including a 30,000sqft viewing auditorium, buyers’ lounges and space to store up to 200 vehicles under cover. A £100,000 state-of-the-art inspection and imaging studio – unique to the industry – was also constructed, in addition to a multi-lane preparation

bay and additional storage facilities. An office re-fit with additional workspace and meeting rooms concludes the project, to accommodate G3’s growing team.”

G3’s expansion follows a record 2015, when turnover reached the £4m mark and profit hit £900,000. What started out as a team of five is now a company with 22 employees, with plans to double the workforce by the end of January.

Elaborating on the reason for Scriba’s appointment, G3’s joint director Matt Dale said: “This is an exciting time for our business, when we have the opportunity to extend our offering to support more car vendors and buyers throughout the UK. We’ve worked hard to successfully raise the bar in the motor industry, and K i r k l e e s

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have cemented our position as a trusted, independent brand within the digital arena. But some people – particularly in the £5,000 and under market – still like to see, hear, smell and touch the cars for themselves. We’re therefore utilising our knowledge in physical auctions too, to improve the customer experience for both motor dealers and consumers. “Scriba will help to project this message throughout Yorkshire and the wider UK.” G3’s upcoming physical auctions will take place from 17:30, every Tuesday evening, at Premier Way, Oulton (Leeds), close to the M62 and M1. The auctions are open to the motor trade and general members of the general public. For further information please visit www.g3remarketing.co.uk.

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Recruitment

How flexible is YOUR world?

By Nadio Granata, head of marketing at Stafflex Recruitment

Picture the scenario … it’s 8.30am on a bright, sunny midweek morning and your sales director sends you an email to say that she’s only got one appointment in the afternoon so she’s going to work from home until then.

Do you ….

1. Hit the roof and demand that she gets herself into the office pronto?

2. Accept begrudgingly but try not to show it?

3. Suggest she stays at home as long as she wants and even recommend she relocates the meeting to a venue more convenient to her and her contact with the offer of a Skype introduction from yourself if required?

If we are being honest, most of us would do either A or B and wouldn’t even dream of C! But, we could be very wrong. Flexible working is not new. It’s been the choice of many savvy businesses for the last generation and even some of the laggards of the past are beginning to adopt the theories if not quite the practices just yet.

But does it work? Or is it just another management fad gone mad soon to be replaced by some new practice involving driverless cars and heat-seeking drones with multi-sensory perceptions?

According to leading business reporter Sophie Hobson, there are more than 10 KILLER REASONS to prove that flexible working really is cutting the mustard: • • • • • • • • • •

Boosted productivity Cost and time savings Increased revenue Employee retention Environmental benefits Employee engagement Attracting talent Innovation Less sick days More people are doing it

(http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com) 24

So those are some of the benefits, but what are the formats that qualify as ‘flexible working’?

According to leading Change Management Consultant, Rachel Sterling of Zest Business Support (www. zestbusinesssupport.co.uk), ‘flexible working’ comes in many different guises; one or more may be applied at any point in time.

These are just some of the examples she gives ….

• Job sharing • Two people do one job and split the hours.

• Working from home • It might be possible to do some or all of the work from home or anywhere else other than the normal place of work.

• Part time • Working less than full-time hours (usually by working fewer days).

• Compressed hours • Working full-time hours but over fewer days.

• Flexitime • The employee chooses when to start and end work (within agreed limits) but works certain ‘core hours’, eg 10am to 4pm every day.

• Staggered hours • The employee has different start, finish and break times from other workers.

• Phased retirement • Default retirement age has been phased out and older workers can choose when they want to retire. This means they can reduce their hours and work part time.

• The employee has to work a certain number of hours over the year but

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they have some flexibility about when they work. There are sometimes ‘core hours’ which the employee regularly works each week, and they work the rest of their hours flexibly or when there’s extra demand at work.

Not only does this flexible approach have employee benefits, the employer can save a lot of money because when this method is planned well, overtime, back fill for training, sickness and holidays should be a thing of the past So the moral of the story is … flexible working, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

Nadio Granata is a chartered marketer, associate lecturer and head of marketing at www. stafflex.co.uk

New virtual office scheme with a difference launches

A new virtual office scheme with a difference has been launched by a Brighouse commercial property development company.

Aimed at start-up and satellite businesses, Henderson Property’s Virtual Office scheme will offer businesses access to standard virtual office amenities such as communication and address services, but will also include additional, non-standard benefits such as discounted rates on business insurance, accountancy and advertising as part of the package.

The idea, which is the brainchild of Henderson Property managing director Graeme Henderson, will see the company partner with local businesses across the Calderdale and Kirklees area that have a strong reputation within their field and wish to promote their services through a discounted rate or special offer as part of the scheme.

Mr Henderson commented: “What will set this apart from run-of-the-mill virtual office schemes is the wide range of useful benefits that our customers will get access to as part of their virtual office package. This will range from helpful administration services such as free telephone answering, meeting room hire and printing and scanning services, to more specialised help and support in areas including energy services, website design and advertising.”

The company’s virtual office scheme is aimed at those who are not ready for a ‘bricks and mortar’ office but will replicate the same high standards and levels of customer service that K i r k l e e s

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Henderson Property currently delivers across its offices in Brighouse.

Established in 2000, Henderson Property has contributed to the redevelopment of some of the town’s historic buildings, including The Boathouse, The Coach House, and most recently, former textile mill, Thornhill Brigg Mills.

Mr Henderson added: “We currently have 100% occupancy with a waiting list for space, and our new conversions have been fully let almost immediately upon completion.

This has been a continuous trend over the last ten years and we’re now aiming to expand into the virtual office market and deliver the same high levels of service and convenience to developing businesses or those that would like a presence in the area, minus the physical property.”

Prices for the HP Virtual Office scheme start from £60 a month and include free meeting room hire, telephone answering, printing and scanning services as well as a choice of three postal addresses in Brighouse.

For more details on the Henderson Property Virtual Office scheme, or if you are a local business that would like to discuss promoting your services, please contact Graeme Henderson on graeme@ henderson-property.co.uk or visit www.henderson-property.co.uk.

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FashionUpdate

Add some

RAZZLE DAZZLE

to your wardrobe with a ‘statement’ necklace Katie Portman explains why every woman NEEDS (at least) one They project confidence These pieces of jewellery are not called statement necklaces for nothing. You’ve got to be pretty bold to wear a statement necklace, as they don’t ask for attention, they demand it.

If you’re having a ‘I’m feeling rubbish’ kind of day but yet need to face the world with your confident head on, this is the jewellery item you need.

Oliver Bonas

Katie Portman is a freelance journalist and an award winning lifestyle and fashion blogger at Pouting in Heels (www. poutinginheels. com) who writes a regular feature for TopicUK. You can follow Katie on our website: www.topicuk. co.uk or on Twitter @ KateLPortman.

They bring attention to your face Statement necklaces will attract people’s attention to your neck area and then to your beautiful face!

The perfect piece for when you want people to be looking at you and listening to what you have to say (like when you’re in that really important business meeting.)

They’re kid friendly (kinda) Are they toddler proof? Possibly not. But they sure tend to be harder to crack and break, than say a beloved, delicate gold chain.

Yes kids will be attracted to them, yes they’ll want to touch them and yes you might experience a few casualties, but at least you won’t lose your precious expensive pieces to determined little hands.

They’re a talking point We’ve all been there.

Those events and ‘dos’ where you find yourself stuck with a bunch of strangers and no one quite knows what to say.

Unless that is, you’re wearing a necklace that is a statement piece!

Wanna get the conversation flowing?

Then give people something to talk about with one of your favourite bold and beautiful necklaces.

They inject personality Beaded or bejewelled. Metallic or colourful. Pretty or edgy. There is a statement necklace for everyone.

All you need to do is find the ones that speak your style language.

They liven up an outfit A simple dress, a crisp white shirt, a plain ol’ T-shirt – all perfect backgrounds for the statement necklace to shine.

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paired with prints and patterns too.

They’re FABULOUS The statement necklace is an incredible fashion piece. It speaks so you don’t have to. It’s bold and dramatic. It makes ordinary clothes look something special and adds character. It makes you stand out, helping you to look and feel fantastic.

I ask you, really, what is not to love?

Marks And Spencer

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LocalHeroes

Local entrepreneur puts charitable giving at the heart of his business Inspiring story of local entrepreneur Gareth Henderson Managing Director of Orchard Energy and Orchard FM and founder and trustee of the charity Henderson Firstfruits.

In September 2004 Gareth Henderson, a father of three, decided to move from an established corporate career and set on a new path to set up his own business, with an inherent desire to give back into the local community. Along with his wife Rachel, the vision was to set up an energy brokerage business in Yorkshire.

Fast-forward 12 years and Gareth, aged 38, is founder of the Orchard Group, a fast growing company specialising in energy, waste and IT solutions based in Elland. The company started out as Orchard Energy, but over the years

has evolved to include Orchard Environmental and Orchard Networks, which have recently merged to form Orchard Facilities Management (Orchard FM) in order to provide a wider offering to clients in Yorkshire.

Gareth attended Batley Grammar School before studying at Loughborough University. But after 18 months realised it wasn’t for him. Gareth worked for a time in a family-owned family-own company heading up the busine business development of marine and civil engineering-led en projects across the UK and Northern Europe. This role gav gave him a more technical background and greater understanding of elec electrical applications, which formed the init initial foundations of becoming an energy energ broker.

In 2002 he started working for wo Broadfern, one of the largest energy brokerages in the UK at the time, to cut his teeth in the energy market. en But it was having fait faith which really inspired Gareth to sset up his own energy brokerage business.

Gareth was inspired by a teaching ins series at his hi local church which was wa the starting point for Orchard Energy. Setting Orch up a business from scratch wasn’t easy and required determination

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and faith combined. Gareth says, “I went from a secure career and salary, a company car and health scheme – all the benefits you get from working for a big employer, to having no salary and a baby on the way. But throughout the journey it was important to know that through keeping faith we were being guided to where we are today.”

Orchard Energy has been giving to charity since the very start. The company received its first cheque in November 2004 for £2,845. “I remember opening the cheque and as I hadn’t earned since August, my first thought was we really needed the money, but actually, the first thing we did was to give back to charity 10% of what we’d earned.”

While the vision was always to become one of the UK’s largest energy brokerage companies, underlying that was the key principle of giving. In November 2013 Gareth and Rachel took their charitable giving a step further and

Fact file: Favourite food & drink: A good steak and a red wine

Favourite team: Huddersfield Town

Favourite holiday destination: Family holidays to Sani Beach, Greece

Favourite motor: Porsche

Guilty pleasure: Eating out and admiring sports cars with my boys! established their own charity called Henderson Firstfruits, a charity which, using profits from their businesses, gives back to people in crisis, such as the poor, needy and vulnerable in society. Henderson Firstfruits has recently donated £50,000 to the Calderdale Flood Appeal and works with other local charities such as the Huddersfield Town Foundation and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The charity also supports UK charities such as Hope for Justice and Christians Against Poverty.

them at clubs, performances and special occasions.

It’s important to make time together as a family.”

Asked how he strikes the right balance between work and family, he said, “It’s challenging but Orchard is an empowering organisation. We have an empowered management team who can run the commercial and financial aspects of the business, so whether I’m here or not, it is business as usual. It’s really important to give staff the freedom and authority to make decisions and drive things forward.”

Since 2004, Orchard Energy has gone from strength to strength. The company now employs 100 staff and has since opened offices in Newcastle, Glasgow, Bristol and Northampton.

It was also awarded the ‘Rising Star’ accolade at the 2014 TELCA energy industry awards.

In 2015, Orchard Energy was acquired by Essexbased Lakehouse plc in a multi-million pound deal.

“This was a step in the right direction to accelerate Orchard Energy’s business growth”, says Gareth.

But what’s next for Orchard? “We see the focus now very much on building the Orchard FM brand in Yorkshire. We’ve expanded the range of services available to local businesses and hope to ‘take care of business’ for many companies in the region for years to come.”

As a business, Orchard has a long-standing partnership with Huddersfield Town Football Club.

Gareth comments, “The club shares our philosophy and ethos as a business, of openness, transparency, impartiality and independence - our values work really well together.” Orchard also supports the club’s ‘Pedal for Pounds’ fundraiser. “The sponsorship of Pedal for Pounds brings charitable giving and football together and gives me a chance to get fit once a year.”

While the business and charitable giving are important to Gareth, he treasures family time. “I don’t want to be a dad remembered for always being at work, I want to be around to take my children to school and to support K i r k l e e s

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NewsUpdate

Rebrand Unites Consultancy’s Strengths Elland-based facilities management and business support specialist Orchard has unveiled a major rebrand that brings all its operational support services under one banner.

Orchard Facilities Management will incorporate the IT and data management functions of Orchard Networks along with Orchard Environmental’s waste control and compliance service. Orchard’s other business support services, which include pest control, building services, cleaning and maintenance, will also be managed under the new brand.

Gareth Henderson, managing director said the reorganisation was designed to make it easier for businesses to select from the company’s full range of facilities management services.

“Orchard’s facilities management business has been working with local companies since 2005 to make life easier for them operationally,” he said. “By bringing our strengths together under one roof we feel we can be even more effective in helping them cut down on time and costs.”

The move sees the centralisation of sales, account management and back office support across all areas of the Facilities Management business.

The range of services available to local businesses has also been expanded and will include data cabling and infrastructure, PAT testing, security alarms and fire protection, washroom services and window cleaning.

“Our aim is to be an invisible army, working behind the scenes to help businesses in Calderdale and Kirklees to be as efficient, effective and environmentally responsible as possible,” said Mr Henderson.

“The year ahead will see new jobs being created across all areas of our facilities management business and an expansion of the services we offer, all with Orchard’s characteristic commitment to driving down business costs for clients and delivering excellent customer service.”

Annual charity Christmas lunch makes its debut in Huddersfield An annual charity Christmas lunch event that raises funds to support children and young adults across Wakefield is set to make its debut in Huddersfield this December.

The first Huddersfield Annual Charity Christmas Lunch (HACCL) will take place at the Cedar Court Hotel on Thursday 15 December, and organisers are hoping to replicate the success of the Wakefield event, which was established in 2012.

Last year, the Wakefield Annual Charity Christmas Lunch (WACCL) raised £28,000 to support activities for young people across the district, of which My Burns Club at Wakefield’s Pinderfields Hospital and Theatre Royal Wakefield’s Performance Academy were beneficiaries.

The inaugural Huddersfield lunch will be raising funds to support the activity at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, based at Russell House in Huddersfield.

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The hospice was hit by a devastating fire in January and lost £140,000 in funding.

This HACCL organising committee represents figures from local businesses including James Robinson Fibres Ltd, Chadwick Lawrence, Stafflex, TopicUK and Faith PR. Gill Laidler of TopicUK said: “We’re thrilled to be replicating the success of WACCL in Huddersfield for the first time this year, and I’m sure that our close-knit business community will get behind us to make sure that the Huddersfield Annual Charity Christmas Lunch is a success.”

Stefanie Hopkins of Faith PR added: “The event will be a fantastic occasion to support fundraising for Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice and get them back on the road to recovery towards delivering the vital support they offer to young children and their families.”

Tickets for the event are priced at £50

per person, for tables of ten to 12 people.

There will be a Champagne reception and a three course lunch from 12.30pm.

Details on how to purchase tickets will be featured in the next issue but if you’d like to find out more in the meantime, please contact Stefanie@topicuk.co.uk or visit the website www.topicuk.co.uk.

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

Weathering Storms Mark Hanson talks floods and why we need to take action to prevent a repeat of Boxing Day 2015

The weather lately across West Yorkshire has been atrocious, with those living along the River Calder and in Leeds in particular suffering significantly - especially through the festive period and the months following.

The process of disposing of damaged goods, followed by ongoing negotiations with insurance companies, drying out property and then trying to get your life back on track takes months. In the meantime, uncertainties prevail and the sadness at losing precious personal belongings gives way to a resolve not to be beaten by Mother Nature. That is the dogged Yorkshire attitude.

A little heavy rain is not the issue. However, the persistent deluges which, it would seem, are now part and parcel of every winter are no longer a one in one-hundred year experience but a feature of our climate which poses what feels like a constant threat at this time of year.

Flooding is not just for Christmas, and in some areas is a regular part of life, and the solutions of dredging and bund building cannot work without more serious attempts to abate water flow down rivers in periods of very heavy rain. Flood plains, woodland and thorough and effective maintenance of goits and hillside channels must be invested in if some of our significant economic hubs are to remain insurable and habitable.

The 'WACCL' (Wakefield Annual Charity Christmas Luncheon) 2015

The topography of our area is the clue. We are hilly. That means lots of valleys and rivers, and water tumbling down hillsides in areas where poor maintenance has been the norm. The majority of the region’s factories

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are located in the valleys, and names like “Lowfields” and “River Street” also give a clue as to the likelihood of trouble during flood events.

Hebden Valley, generally taking in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd, seems to hit the news as often as York, but this year Sowerby Bridge, West Vale, Brighouse and Mirfield copped for it too.

The authorities have done what they can in the short term and land owners have also cooperated to help temporary structures to be built on private land pending permanent replacements. This is evident in places like Elland, where Elland Bridge was damaged beyond repair. £500,000 for a temporary pedestrian bridge and ten times that figure for a replacement bridge is the bill for just one location. How many more and of what amount next time?

Whilst I am certainly not a seamstress, the old adage, “a stitch in time saves nine” seems most appropriate here, so why do we wait so long to deal with the obvious and always end up paying more than we have to? And not just financially.

If we needed a wake-up call on the interdependence of economic activity and environmental considerations, then the experience of December 2015 must surely have been it. We can’t just hope for the best, can we?

Mark S Hanson BSc FRICS

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NewsUpdate

Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice’s evening of sporting entertainment Join Steve Cram CBE three times Athletics World Record holder, Olympic Silver and World Championship Gold medallist for an evening of sport at John Smith’s Stadium for Forget Me Not Children’s Hospices 3rd Annual Sporting Dinner.

Steve Cram CBE is joined by a host of sporting talent to share their personal sporting stories including Great Britain’s Decathlete champion and two time Olympic Gold medallist Daley Thompson CBE, former rugby star Phil Davies and Olympic Silver medallist sprinter Jamie Baulch.

The dinner will be held on Thursday 31st March from 7pm and includes a three course meal, a sporting auction and sporting stories from the guest speakers.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask the guests a question during the Q&A session.

Lucy Burnett, Fundraising Events Manager at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice said, “We are delighted that our Sporting Dinner is back for the third year with another round of fantastic guests, we can’t wait for them to share their stories with us.

“Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice must raise £3.8million each year to continue providing care to children and families in West Yorkshire and our Sporting Dinner is just one of the many events we

UNIQUE VENUE FOR PRIVATE BUSINESS EVENTS IN BRIGHOUSE

run during the year, with all funds raised going back into supporting our important work.”

Tickets are priced at £50 per person or £450 for a table of 10.

If you have any questions about the 2016 Dinner, sponsorship opportunities or would like to book your tickets, please contact the charity on 01484 411040 or email fundraising@forgetmenotchild. co.uk.

– Free wi-fi – – Free AV facilities - Free Parking – – Exclusive use of entire venue* – – Authentic & unique setting – – Great transport links – – Excellent quality food + drinks – – Alcohol license – For more info, contact our Big Shots Manager on info@bigshotscafe.co.uk or call 01484 900597 www.bigshotscafe.co.uk On the Ford at Wellholme Park Thornhill Brigg Mills, Thornhill Beck Lane, Brighouse HD6 4AH

BIG SHOTS CAFÉ WHERE COFFEE MEANS BUSINESS *may incur a fee

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Why Yorkshire is top for manufacturing

By Simon Gibson Managing Director of Associated Utility Supplies (AUS) to becoming an ISO9001, ISO14001 and EN1090-1 accredited company, we have to ensure the relevant quality control checks are in place, from sourcing raw materials through the manufacturing process to final inspection.

Another key point of difference is the skill and industry experience of staff. This allows customers to benefit from problemsolving solutions, such as bespoke equipment that does the job quicker, better or safer. But it’s not all about manufacturing bits of metal – we also design items that will improve working conditions, such as wet-weather clothing.

Is British manufacturing in decline? India and China may dominate the market for cheap high-volume imports, but in my experience, customers are looking for two things: good quality and consistent quality, and that’s where British manufacturing is hard to beat.

Manufacturing in Yorkshire is known for its quality and diversity – from food production to specialist equipment for industrial applications. At AUS we service four key sectors – Electrical Supply Industries, rail, arboriculture and telecoms – both supplying and manufacturing equipment.

Keeping the lights on and the trains running Is price important to customers? Well, yes, but there are other factors to consider

that make sourcing from a Yorkshire manufacturer beneficial.

For example, when dealing with the Electrical Supply Industries, high-quality manufactured products are essential for the stability of the electrical distribution network. With the rail industry, reliability and safety are all-important. In short, by supplying high-quality, reliable products, made here in Yorkshire, we help keep the lights on and the trains running.

Why manufacture?

A few years ago we started manufacturing certain products at our Clayton West site close to junction 39 of the M1. There were three reasons behind this decision: first, for quality control, second, so that we weren’t at the mercy of suppliers increasing their prices, and third to avoid being let down on lead times.

One thing that differentiates many Britishmade products from cheap imports is the quality control systems. Having committed K i r k l e e s

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A further benefit of sourcing from a British manufacturer is that customers will not be left hanging after the sale. After care is a priority and we offer ongoing inspection services for all safety critical equipment from Lifting equipment through to working at heights equipment, along with training for products that require it.

So what’s on the horizon for Yorkshire manufacturing? Early planning work has already started on HS2 and government proposals announced last November include a high-speed rail link from Birmingham through Yorkshire to the north east, with stations at Sheffield Meadowhall and Leeds. Because of our long-standing expertise in rail, we expect to be supplying steelwork once construction gets under way.

On a personal note, I hope to see more apprenticeships. As a product of a good old-fashioned apprenticeship scheme myself, I have always championed this route into industry, especially as there’s a massive skill shortage at present. We have an ongoing commitment to taking on apprentices at AUS – and long may this continue.

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Feature

Tea for two at

Bettys TopicUK group editor Gill Laidler and board director Claire Young were delighted to be invited by Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms in Harrogate to review their fantastic Lady Betty Afternoon Tea.

By TopicUK group editor Gill Laidler,

Bettys, a family business, was founded in Harrogate in 1919 by a young Swiss confectioner called Frederick Belmont.

Remaining in the hands of the family’s Yorkshire born third generation, Bettys six cafe tea rooms are known for their atmosphere, friendly service, charming interiors and of course, wonderful food.

“Claire and I visited Bettys on an unusually mild Sunday in January to sample Lady Betty Afternoon Tea, which is available by reservation only.

“Upon our arrival promptly at 1pm, we were amazed to see so many people enjoying the beautiful cakes and

speciality teas on offer in the cafe and adjacent shop, with quite a large queue outside, waiting patiently for a table.

“We were shown to the elegant Imperial Room on the first floor, where after handing our coats to an impeccably dressed waitress, we were shown to our table. The decor of this light well proportioned room features an original stained glass window, detailed plaster panelling and coving and a magnificent parquet floor.

“Once seated our waitress Gemma introduced herself and began to talk Claire and I through the menu. I have to say, with both of us not able to eat shellfish, we declined the appetiser of a mini prawn cocktail, stating we didn’t mind waiting for the delights we knew were going to arrive. However, keen for us not to miss out, Gemma brought us a lovely carrot and corriander salad which was delicious. A most welcome glass of champagne was also served.

Then came the next course, mini pork pie with apple and smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill roulade. At this point we were asked which tea we would like. I opted for traditional Earl Grey with lemon whilst Claire substituted the tea and opted for hot chocolate with whipped cream.

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Then Gemma brought the main event. We were each served a three tier cake stand with a mixture of Yorkshire roast ham, Coronation Chicken and egg mayonnaise

And find that perfect corporate gift...

Over the years Bettys have helped a wide range of companies to provide the perfect gift for their clients and employees. They offer many ways for you to make your corporate gift unique and memorable, from royal-iced fruit cakes and chocolate plaques with customised inscriptions, to gift tags and personalised messages in your hamper. sandwiches. Again, substitutions were made to suit our tastes with no problems at all.

attentive staff and fantastic decor, a visit to Bettys really is an experience not to be missed.

The middle layer consisted of two delicious mini scones, one sultana the other Yorkshire lavender, both served with a generous portion of jam and thick clotted cream.

As well as afternoon teas, Bettys have their own cookery school running courses where you can share the secrets of everything from crafting the perfect loaf of bread to creating three course dinners.

Topping all this was a selection of miniature cakes, Chocolate and praline slice, fresh berry meringue and miniature battenburg.

A number of special events are held throughout the year, perfect ways to celebrate St Valentine’s day, Mother's Day and Father's Day. A full programme of events is available on request. The Imperial Room is available for private hire and suitable for breakfasts, luncheons and dinners for up to 80 guests and cocktail parties for up to 100.

So what is the cost of this indulgence?

Served without champagne £32.95 and with champagne £39.95 and I can honestly say that the whole experience is worth every penny.

From the exquisite food, polite and

Over the coming weeks, we will list a full itinerary of events for 2016 on our website.

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Their truly delicious hampers, gift boxes and cakes are full with seasonal treats to make your gift extra special. They offer corporate discount subject to your level of spend and you can also take advantage of our credit account facility. Bettys dedicated Corporate Team are ready to help with all your requirements and to ensure your peace of mind, offering a choice of delivery options including a tracked courier service.

Whether you’re looking for employee rewards, corporate gifts or sales incentives, Bettys can provide a solution to suit you.

To place an order, or make an enquiry, call the Corporate Team, on 0845 6001919, or if you prefer, simply send an email at corporate@bettys.co.uk Open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm (excluding Bank Holidays).

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LegalMatters Each issue Chadwick Lawrence, Yorkshire’s Legal People share with TopicUK & Close UP readers information to keep us all within the law. If you have a legal question, or need to know about a particular subject, email editor@topicuk.co.uk and we’ll get Chadwick Lawrence to answer it for you!

Pre-nuptial agreements why bother?

Family Law

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Whilst the New Year is often the time that family lawyers see an increase in the number of clients separating and divorcing, our family team at Chadwick Lawrence have noticed a different trend in 2016.

We have been inundated with people seeking advice about Pre-Nuptial agreements. Whilst it’s not a particularly romantic notion, they are becoming a popular option for many couples.

Perhaps their popularity is down to increased awareness brought about by high profile media reports. These started with the case of Radmacher v Granatino in 2010. The Supreme Court agreed that in the right cases a Pre-Nuptial Agreement can have decisive or compelling weight attached to it. The court also placed great emphasis on fairness and that provided the agreement was freely entered into by each party it should be upheld unless, in the circumstances of the case, it would create an unfair outcome for one party. This was followed in 2014 by a Law Commission report which made a number of recommendations about reforming the law to accommodate such agreements.

Whilst such agreements are not strictly speaking binding they continue to carry a significant and persuasive amount of weight with the Courts if there is a disagreement over them when couples divorce. Provided the points below are followed a Court is more likely than not going to hold the couple to the agreement: -

So what is a Pre-Nuptial Agreement? It is a formal document intended to regulate a couple’s financial arrangements should their marriage come to an end.

The agreement can include details such as who would retain specific assets, what assets would be sold, how any children would be financially supported and how the assets generally would be divided between a divorcing couple.

Pre-Nuptial agreements are particularly common in circumstances where people are entering their second marriage or have amassed considerable assets before meeting their partner that they want to receive credit for should they separate.

Sarah Crowther, Partner in the Family Law Team at Chadwick Lawrence, says “Entering into such agreements provides couples with certainty as to what would happen if their marriage sadly ends.

The agreements cut out the need for lengthy and costly Court proceedings that many people find extremely stressful.”

Chadwick Lawrence is a full service local law firm with offices across West Yorkshire. For advice on any legal matter affecting you contact us on 0800 015 0340.

• • • • •

•

There is a formal, written agreement It is freely entered into by both parties Each party has disclosed to the other their full financial position Each party has had independent legal advice The agreement creates a reasonable and fair division of the assets The agreement provides for the needs of any children

A HELPING HAND FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

Should you experience difficulties in your family life it is highly likely that you will need to seek legal advice and support. At Chadwick Lawrence our team of family law specialists is one of the most experienced in the region and we are recognised for the high quality, bespoke service we provide with much of our work coming from the recommendations of former clients.

We are specialists in all areas of divorce and family law. Our team also has the advantage of including specialists in the area of public children law who can help you should the local authority become involved with your family.

Wherever possible we try to resolve cases outside of court to try to reach amicable and cost effective agreements. However, when Court Proceedings are unavoidable our broad range of experience will ensure that you have high quality and robust representation, no matter what area of family law you require help with.

Our services cover all areas of: • • • •

Dispute Resolution

Adoption Civil Partnerships Cohabitation agreements Collaborative law

Employee Services

• • • •

Family Law

Divorce Financial Provision for children Grandparents rights Mediation

Home & Property

Medical Negligence

• • •

Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements Private Children Law Disputes Separation agreements

Personal Injury

Residential Housing Disputes

Wills & Probate

Get in touch to see how we can advise you today, email family@chadwicklawrence.co.uk or call 0800 015 0340 today

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LegalMatters

Basic failings in hospital care kills thousands Sepsis, known as the ‘silent killer’ affects around 200,000 people each year in the UK and kills 37,000.

It is the leading cause of avoidable death in the UK. The condition usually occurs when a bacterial infection brings on an extreme immune response which makes the body attack its own organs.

Medical Negligence

Early signs, which are often missed by doctors, include blood clotting, inflammation and fever.

If the warnings are not recognised quickly, they can lead to heart, liver, kidney or lung failure.

An investigation led by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death has found that delays occurred in diagnosing sepsis in 36 per cent of cases and 62 per cent in severe cases. The investigation found that even when the condition was diagnosed, treatment was sometimes delayed.

Although there is no cure for the condition, if it is diagnosed at an early stage, it can be effectively treated with intravenous fluid and antibiotics.

Dr Vivek Srivastava of King’s College Hospital, London, the report’s author, said “I am very concerned about the serious lack of awareness of sepsis, and the reliance on the experience of senior hospital clinicians to diagnose it. The long-term complications suffered by so many survivors of sepsis impact greatly on their future quality of life. It is clear that outcomes for these patients could be improved with early recognition of this life-threatening condition and taking prompt action by improving the early implementation of a sepsis care bundle.”

The report’s co-author Dr Alex Goodwin, of Royal United Hospitals Bath, said “Sepsis has a number of faces. In some cases it can be very obvious in patients who have low blood pressure,

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a high temperature, racing pulse or altered mental state.

But it can also be present without any of these symptoms, and is commonly mistaken for flu.

This is why it can be so difficult to diagnose, and why recording a patient’s vital signs at all stages and documenting sepsis is so important.”

Chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, Dr Ron Daniels, said “Mandatory early recognition training for sepsis is a very straightforward way to save many lives by ensuring that patients receive the treatment they need, when they need it.

“We know that proper sepsis care can save the NHS around £160 million annually, so working to address sepsis, and quickly, seems like common sense. It is time sepsis was on a par with other life threatening conditions.”

Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence compensation claims, and have obtained substantial compensation for our clients. Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.

The department is headed up by Tony May, Partner, who can be contacted by email on tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk.

If you believe that you or a relative may have been injured as a result of clinical/medical negligence, please call for free legal advice from our medical negligence solicitors on the freephone number below.

Freephone : 0800 028 2969

Growing order book leads to relocation At the beginning of January, Manrochem Limited successfully relocated their business from the centre of Huddersfield to new build premises in Birds Royd Lane, Brighouse.

“We have for some time recognised the need to relocate to meet our expansion plans,” said Edward Jennings, business director, “and we now benefit from extra floor space, high speed internet, car parking, state of the art accommodation and excellent transport links. The business has also been able to recruit an additional three members of staff.”

Photo: L To R: David Wakefield (Technical Director) Andrew Pearson (Project Director)Nandish Thippeswamy (Engineering Director) Edward Jennings (Business Director)

Manrochem operate in the process and project engineering field and with current order books looking extremely healthy the future of the business looks rosy.

Manrochem Limited Hastings House Birds Royd Lane Brighouse West Yorkshire HD6 1LQ. T:

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Wining&Dining

PersianSpiced Ground lamb with Saffron Chickpea Hummus

Gimbals Restaurant in Sowerby Bridge opened its doors in 1995, with the aim of bringing simple but sumptuous seasonal food to the area and that remains owners' Janet and Simon bakers passion today.

Creating special menus for special events is one of their greatest pleasures.

Be it weddings, christenings, afternoon teas, birthdays or even cooking on the beach in our fantastic Hungarian cooking pot, wondrous affairs and occasions are what we do!

Gimbals work with individuals one on one, to create a bespoke menu, unique for your soirée, and really revel in helping your vision come to life.

Whatever your occasion, Gimbals promises to create a truly special evening for you.

This issue Janet has provided readers with a beautiful Persian lamb dish and as usual, we have asked a member of the business community to make the dish and let us know how they got on.

For those who would like to have a go at making the dish, we have listed the full recipe and the ingredients you will need.

For more recipes from Gimbals, or to reserve a table, visit their website: www.gimbals.co.uk or call: 01422 839329 76 Wharf Street Sowerby Bridge 40

Welcome to our regular wining and dining feature where each issue we team up with Gimbals Restaurant to bring you a recipe to try.

This dish features on the menu at Gimbals a lot! It’s one of those delicious dishes that you can never tire of. It’s perfect as a light lunch with a salad and griddled sour dough bread, toasted pitta or flatbread.

Ras el hanout, one of the ingredients we

use, is actually Moroccan but it includes all the spices needed for part of this dish.

Turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, rose petals, ginger and mace are but a few of the ras el hanout ingredients, and nowadays it can be readily found in supermarkets.

Ingredients For the lamb 750 best lean minced lamb 1 large diced onion 3 cloves crushed garlic 1 heaped table spoon dried coriander 1 heaped table spoon cumin 1 teaspoon dried mint I chicken stock pot 1 teaspoon ras el hanout Pinch chilli flakes Sea salt and black pepper.

1 pomegranate de-seeded for garnish A small handful of flat leaf parsley for garnish Method Fry off the onions till soft then add the mince and cook through, breaking up the mince as you go so there are no lumps of meat. Then add all of the ingredients except the pomegranate and parsley, lowering the heat, stirring all the while. The mince should be quite dry so be careful not to let it catch on the bottom of the pan.

For the hummus 2 tins chickpeas 3 cloves garlic 1 table spoon tahini 1 table spoon natural yoghurt 1 lemon juiced Pinch saffron Sea salt and pepper Method In a food processor, place the lemon juice, garlic and tahini. Blend till smooth. Add the chickpeas, and saffron.

If you want a rustic chunky hummus just use the pulse button or full on for smooth.

To serve Warm up the hummus in a heavy thickbottomed pan or microwave till hot.

Place on the bottom of the plate, spreading it out a bit. Pile on the hot Persian spiced lamb, garnish with a scattering of the pomegranate jewels and shredded parsley.

Persian lamb re-ignites accountant’s love for cooking!

Each issue we ask a member of the business community to make the new recipe provided by Gimbals Restaurant and report back.

Our tester this time is Peter Sleigh, the managing director of Sleigh & Story Accountants and co-director of Big Shots Coffee Co, both of which are located in Thornhill Brigg Mills in Brighouse.

Peter Sleigh and his wife Pat of Sleigh & Story Accountants

“As an avid cook, I feel I have been on a ‘cooking sabbatical’ for a little while, so I was delighted to be asked to cook and test out a Gimbals’ restaurant recipe called ‘Persian Spiced Ground Lamb with Saffron Chickpea Hummus’.

After initially feeling over-awed by the name, I went to the supermarket to obtain the ingredients. The list included a couple of ingredients I’d never heard of so I had to ask the supermarket assistant to point me in the right direction! These were ‘tahini’ and ‘ras el hanout’. However, with a little help I was able to find all the required ingredients.

The fun then began as I donned a Big Shots apron (a coffee shop of which I’m a part owner) and started frying the onions and ground lamb. After browning the lamb and softening the onions, I then added the other ingredients which included crushed garlic, cumin, mint, ras el hanout, chilli flakes and salt and pepper (having a crafty taste while I cooked it!).

I then made the hummus. This was simply a case of putting all the ingredients in the blender. This was chickpeas, garlic, tahini, natural yoghurt, saffron and salt and pepper. After blending everything together I put it on a pan to heat gently to serve alongside the lamb.

I then served it up taking care to present it as attractively as possible. I put the hummus on the plate first before putting the ground lamb next to it.

bread, chilli bread and nut bread. It made a perfect light meal, was relatively easy to cook and was enjoyed by all the family.

I then garnished it with pomegranate seeds and flat leaf parsley. I then served the dish with a mixture of breads; tomato

It has certainly reignited my passion for cooking!

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NewsUpdate

Image: Simon Morley

Pivot wins DfE Academies contract

Pivot Directors, Andrew Kitterick, Michael Smith and Lucy Smith

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A West Yorkshire educational consultancy has won a competitive tender with the Department of Education (DfE) following a period of accelerated growth in its first 18 months.

and brokerage services to support the academies and free schools programme, working with Regional School Commissioners, schools and academy sponsors across the West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber and the North West as part of the Government’s Academies agenda. The DfE were impressed with Pivot’s innovative approach of combining education and social care experience to meet changing need.

Pivot, set up in 2014, is a specialist educational consultancy which combines education and social care to meet the needs of young people as well as the organisations they collaborate with. Since its conception over 18 months ago, the company has gone from strength to strength and now employs 35 staff, having supported over 60 schools across five local authorities.

With years of experience working within the education sector, Pivot’s team provides assistance to education providers through training, staff deployment, assessment, and leadership support, to help improve performance and best practice.

It recently secured a DfE tender to provide school improvement

Pivot’s director of education, Andrew Kitterick, said: “Through our educational consultancy we guide schools to improve, develop good practice and build capacity so

they can provide the best education to young people. We’re not afraid to challenge what needs to change and we encourage schools to think innovatively to react to the changing educational landscape.

“Winning the DfE tender contract provides a catalyst for us to develop the educational consultancy side of the business and enables us to widen our net and work closely with more schools to help improve educational standards and care for all.”

Pivot forms the umbrella of its two core businesses, Pivot Educational Consultancy and Pivot Care, which provides social care provisions for Looked After Children. The overall business won New Business of the Year at the Huddersfield Examiner Business Awards, which recognised the success of the business’ first year and a half of trading and its commitment to improving the lives of young people.

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Stage is set for Yorkshire business following LEP training award Over 1,000 individuals have now been supported with training thanks to a grant from the LEP’s Skills Service, which supports businesses within Calderdale, Kirklees and across the Leeds City Region to grow through training their staff Among them are staff from Stage One Creative Services, which has been awarded £18,000 to invest in training for supervisory and management team staff.

Thanks to the LEP investment, Stage One Creative Services, which was established in 1996, is looking to further strengthen its position as the market leading supplier in creative staging specialising in the design, manufacture, and installation of sophisticated ‘flying’ systems, such as those that helped to kick off the magic at the London 2012 Olympics. Stage One also created the set for the 2014 Sports Personality of the Year awards, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony and the Tour de France Grand Depart team presentation amongst many other high profile events.

The training, which is being delivered by two separate providers for 25 members of staff, will enhance the skills and expertise of Stage One’s management teams, improving efficiency levels through better management practice.

The programme consists of a series of 10 comprehensive management training workshops and a programme of communication and presentation training for customer-facing staff. Additional training is being planned for next year.

Julie Scholefield, HR Manager at

Stage One Creative Services, said: “We approached the LEP for skills support in order to boost the skill sets of a wide range of employees at supervisor and middle management level. We were keen to commit to further training despite our recent growth and success and this has proved to be extremely positive and beneficial. The confidence levels of those who have already completed the training is already paying dividends throughout the business.

“The level of industry knowledge and expertise within the business is unrivalled but we need to build on this and ensure that this is communicated effectively and translates to our clients. We plan to extend the training and roll it out to other team members aiming to increase the confidence of customer-facing staff in their presentation abilities, improve internal communications and define a more customer-focussed, relationship based approach than we’ve ever had before.

“We are confident the training itself not only shows commitment to staff from the company but also motivates the team, increases teamwork, co-operation and communications throughout the business.

“The LEP Skills Service has played a significant role in keeping our business on track and making sure we are in a position to grow and evolve in the hugely K i r k l e e s

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dynamic creative industries sector in which we operate.”

LEP Board member and skills service lead, Mark Ridgway, of Group Rhodes, said: “With grants of between £500 and £50,000 available to businesses with a budget to put towards training, have the opportunity to work with a team of expert skills advisors, discuss their long term growth plans and skills needs, and put together a robust training plan for their staff. We are delighted to have been able to assist Stage One Creative Services, a real innovator in its specialist field and we want to help them stay that way.

“Offering a comprehensive service to businesses, the LEP’s team of advisors support employers to tackle paperwork, source appropriate training provision and submit an application for funding.

The LEP is dedicated to ensuring local businesses primed for growth have the skills to succeed.”

Funding is available for a limited time, therefore businesses in Calderdale and Kirklees are encouraged to find out if they are eligible and to apply. Call 0113 386 1910 or visit: www.the-lep.com/ skillsservice to find out more.

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SportUpdate

Football: A business market-place The times are changing for Huddersfield Town

With 23 home league games a season, this is the main focus for us as a Football Club. So what happens for the other 342 days a year?

In reality, the Club works nonstop all year round, planning and executing, and an immense amount of work goes on behind the scenes. With social media now so prevalent, the administrators have no rest; and that’s the nature of the industry - your job is never done!

The SkyBet Championship is very tough, because there are a multitude of clubs dropping in and out of the Premier League.

In a business sense, these clubs have had an incredible experience, operating at the highest standard, and that will help them retain the kind of values needed to be successful in business. We compete with them, but for a Club like Town, we need to create individuality as well as creativity, both of which are greatly important to have in this division.

We have a good relationship as clubs, so it also makes sense to share ideas and develop together.

Commercially speaking, every penny generated goes back into the Football Club. As a club without the past glory of the Premier League, we compete through innovation in approaching and managing our business. We certainly like to be individual here; a good example 44

being that we are the first Club to develop a funeral plan, which is something I understand a few other Premier League clubs are now in the process of now creating. However, our Partnership Scheme is something that makes me especially proud, as we close in on 100 trusted partnerships, or as we’re calling it, the #Huddersfield100.

We have an excellent reputation and retention with Partnerships, and I think that is because of the environment we’ve created where businesses can actually engage and work with us.

We understand their objectives to create bespoke programmes for them, using football as the vehicle to generate business. With our new Head Coach David Wagner, the commercial appetite at the club has been invigorated greatly with the ‘Wagner Revolution’, and we capture the imagination this brings with it and involve our partners through different events all year round.

If we can use Huddersfield Town as a marketplace not only to enjoy the football, but for businesses to match up with each other, then we’ll continue to be successful in the future.

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NewsUpdate

Sleep with Simon for money Leeds-based Simon on the Streets is hosting its annual #SleepWithSimon event in a bid to raise vital funds that will go towards supporting adults who are rough sleepers, or at risk of rough sleeping, across Huddersfield, Bradford and Leeds.

The event, which is sponsored by John Smith’s Stadium and Brighouse based card payment solutions provider Yorkshire Payments, will see local businesses and supporters experience rough sleeping by bedding down on the stadium concrete for one night.

The sleep-out was established by the charity in Leeds five years ago to raise cash to fund emotional and practical support of homeless people.

Last year’s event saw around 40 participants raise over £6000, and the independent charity hopes that this year’s sleep out will be raise even more towards the vital funds it needs to continue its work.

Aissa Gallie, Development Manager at Simon on the Streets said: “The event is about challenging perceptions around homelessness and gaining a small insight into the

vulnerability that our clients face.It costs us a little over £2,000 per year to intensively support one rough sleeper, and 83p in every £1 of our income is spent on directly supporting our service users.”

This year’s sleep out will take place on Thursday 21 April from 9pm through until 7am the next day and the charity is calling on the support of local business and individuals to take part.

Aissa added: “As a team building exercise or with a friend, the event is fantastic. At 2am, lying on cardboard in a sleeping bag, everyone is equal from the CEO of an organisation to the office cleaner. The experience is a real leveller.”

The event costs £10 per person to enter and those taking part will be asked to take

Ramsdens Private Client team has promoted two of its members.

Natalie Lang has been promoted to Associate and Rachael Sykes has been promoted to Partner, recognising and rewarding their commitment to their clients and the firm.

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on a fundraising target of £100. Individual or businesses interested in taking part in this year’s sleep out can register by visiting http://www.sleepwithsimon.co.uk/ huddersfield#register or calling Aissa Gallie on 0113 8980568

Natalie qualified as a solicitor in 2007 and Rachael Sykes joined Ramsdens in 2004.

Rachael added: “We’re proud to be part of the firm’s highly regarded private client practice that is continually growing.”

Paul Joyce, managing partner said: “At Ramsdens, we pride ourselves in recognising talent and Natalie and Rachael should be very proud of their promotions.”

The latest round of promotions takes the number of partners to 25 and associates to 15, and is a reflection of Ramsdens’ policy of promoting internal talent.

Sheards pledge to continue supporting Town Foundation work alongside Mandy and the rest of the team.”

Leading Huddersfield accountancy practice Sheards Accountancy Ltd have announced the continuation of their successful and valued partnership with local charity, Huddersfield Town Foundation.

Mandy Taylor of Huddersfield Town Foundation commented: “To learn that Sheards have pledged to support our children’s charity in 2016, is quite simply brilliant news.

The team demonstrated last year that they really do have “charity at heart” and that their commitment to the local community is outstanding.”

During 2015 the partnership saw the firm undertake a number of fundraising and volunteering efforts throughout the year to support the children’s charity. They ran numerous events in aid of the charity including a curry night and Quiz Night, which alone raised just under £2,000.

Sheards have a number of fundraising events lined up which include their annual curry night on Monday 18th April which has historically seen over 100 local professionals in attendance.

Image:John Early 2014

Carolyn Atkinson of Sheards commented: “After such a positive and fulfilling year with the Town Foundation last year, it was evident we were to continue our relationship with them. We are very much looking forward to continuing to

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Feature

The perfect place for business or pleasure Hotel review is a new feature in TopicUK. Each month we will ask a member of the business community to visit a hotel and let us know what they think of service, cleanliness, food and value for money.

In this, our first review, we asked Wakefield accountant Chris Dix and his wife Alison to visit the Village Hotel, South Leeds. Here’s what they said: “My wife Alison and I visited the Village Hotel adjacent to the M62 at Tingley on the evening of 29 January 2016. Prior to visiting we had checked the hotel website to review the information provided and look at the facilities that were being offered.

“Our initial observation was that the hotel is clearly signposted from the M62. The car park was very busy for 6.15pm on a Friday evening but was partly due to the number of people who were already using the gym and spa facilities as well as a private party that was taking place later that night.

“On arrival at reception, we were greeted by two reception staff who, on giving our names, proceeded to treat us as though we were two extremely important individuals.

We later watched how other guests were greeted and the same attention to detail appeared to be given to all guests on arrival.

“We were given details of our room which was located on the third floor. The third floor rooms are the rooms categorised Upper Deck double. These rooms are an upgraded room from the standard at a charge of £15 per room per night. The

upgrade includes free unlimited access to the health club including pool and steam room, full sky TV package, including sky movies and the use of a state of the art Bose speaker dock for your iPod. The latter being of no use to those of us who do not have an iPod! The rest of the upgrade is good value for the business visitor on a short stay.

The rooms are very spacious in a modern style décor (as we expected for a hotel of this age) with King sized beds, ample wardrobe space and spacious en suite bathroom with bath and shower. There was also an iron and ironing board in the wardrobe, not always found in hotels today.

“We ventured into the Public House Bar for a drink and relax before dinner. The bar was very busy with quite a lot of people eating whilst others were drinking and watching sport on big screen TV’s that are situated around the room. We took our drinks and sat in an alcove off reception (with a few other guests) and

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“For main course we both chose steaks, Alison chose Minute Steak (described as a full faced rump) served with fries whilst I chose sirloin with jacket potato. We added to that a side portion of chilli mushrooms.

The food, cooked to our choice, was again well presented and very enjoyable.

“The restaurant was quite busy and whilst the majority of diners were clearly staying in the hotel there were a couple of tables occupied by non-residents. We were in no way rushed were shown a lot of attention and nothing was too much trouble.

After finishing the bottle of rose that came recommended by the restaurant supervisor (a good choice) we adjourned to our room for a good night’s sleep in a very comfortable bed.

observed the comings and goings of a very busy hotel. Whilst this is seen as a quite sitting area, this would be our only criticism of the hotel in that the area is very cold (temperature) and we would not have liked to have sat there too long. Yes, the automatic doors from the outside are constantly opening which does not help.

We finished our drinks (£11 for one beer and one glass of Rose wine) and went to dinner in the Verve Grill restaurant.

“The hotel web site describes this as a “stylish restaurant without pretence.

Fabulous food and service to match

serving an enticing range of dishes and an unrivalled selection of stunning steaks”. We would say that the description matched reality.

“We found the restaurant staff to be very friendly and helpful, offering advice with regard to dishes on the menu. After a quite lengthy deliberation, Alison chose a Fritto Misto to start, a combination of calamari, lightly battered prawns and sweet peppers. I chose chicken lollipops which came with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. We both enjoyed the starters both of which were very tasty.

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“Buffet style breakfast is served in the Verve Grill restaurant which in day light took on a completely different appearance.

We were shown to our table, offered tea or coffee which was brought to us and proceeded to help ourselves to a very well stocked hot and cold buffet breakfast.

The staff in the restaurant were busy restocking the buffet and clearing tables to keep the restaurant tidy. One minor criticism is that it is just assumed that you know it is a self-service buffet. Guests around us asked if that was the case, they had not been told and neither were we.

“We would certainly recommend the hotel to anyone visiting the area either for a short break to familiarise themselves with the joys of Yorkshire or on a business visit.

The hotel is close enough to Wakefield for any of us to recommend to customers and suppliers alike if they are visiting our merry city for business.

Chris Dix, CW Dix Limited Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors E d i t i o n

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NewsUpdate

Could your business be affected by modern slavery?

By Allan Doherty

our evidence to the police and a major investigation was launched.

Over the next few months over 30 victims were identified and rescued by the police and us, many were working in a bed factory in Dewsbury. This factory supplied beds for Next and John Lewis amongst others.

Two traffickers were eventually arrested, and later sent to prison for their crimes. The misery inflicted upon their victims was amongst the worse I had ever seen throughout my career.

Allan Doherty is a retired Chief Superintendent and former Commander of the Airedale and North Bradford Division of West Yorkshire Police.

He is presently the senior Director at Modern Slavery Consultants Ltd and is the Conservative candidate for the election for the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire which is due to be held in May 2016.

As we went to press Mohammed rafiq was sentenced to 27 months.

I spent over 30 years investigating serious crimes across West Yorkshire including murders, armed robberies and major drugs conspiracies.

After I left the police I worked closely with the families of murder victims to provide emotional and practical support. I also managed intelligence regarding crime risk on behalf of the Post Office UK before I eventually managed the operational activity of an organisation which investigated and rescued victims of modern day slavery.

During this time my team of experienced investigators rescued over 200 victims of modern slavery and trained over 5000 front line professionals such as the police and social services to spot the signs of human trafficking.

Many people think that slavery is something that happens in foreign places and does not affect them.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

In 2014 my teams began to rescue a number of men in West Yorkshire and it soon became clear that they had all been trafficked by the same gang. After many months of painstaking investigations we took

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It was clear to us that the traffickers had not been acting alone and that the management at the factory must have had knowledge of their activities, cheap labour is cheap for a reason and turning a blind eye is not an option.

A second investigation was launched this time targeting the directors and management of the bed factory involved. This investigation resulted in the arrest and conviction of the factory owner who is due to be sentenced at Leeds crown court on 12th February 2016. Sadly the factory also closed resulting in the loss of over 180 jobs to the local community.

So why should all this concern you?

Well last summer the Government introduced the Modern Slavery Act and made it a legal obligation for certain businesses to be transparent regarding the steps taken to prevent modern slavery in its own organisation and its supply chains.

Such transparency is aimed at allowing the public, consumers, employees and investors to know what steps are being taken to tackle modern slavery. This will open up all such organisations to greater scrutiny from the media, pressure groups and potential

business partners. Failure to comply may result in legal punishment and reputational damage which in turn may affect profit and the organisations survival in an increasingly ethical trading environment.

In a market place where the public sector is a major consumer it is likely that failure to comply with this legislation may result in severe pressure not to engage with any organisation who is seen to not be taking this issue of modern slavery seriously and thus the risk of becoming an organisational pariah.

The legislation is not simply a one off tick box exercise. It is intended that organisations will build on what steps they are taking on a year on year basis, indeed the government seek to create a ‘race to the top’ between organisations, those who do not engage may find finishing at the bottom of the table an uncomfortable place to be with many difficult questions to answer.

Compliance with the legislation requires an organisation to produce and publish an annual statement.

The guidance issued by the government suggests the statement may include information on the organisations structure, business and supply chains, its policies and due diligence processes in relation to slavery and human trafficking, an assessment of the risk of slavery and human trafficking taking place and of the effectiveness of the prevention measures employed, evaluated by appropriate performance indicators.

Finally, the training and capacity building measures that have been provided to ensure everyone in its organisation is alive to the risks and able to effectively identify and combat modern day slavery.

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