10 October 2021
10 October 2021
The e-Voyager was completely rebuilt over several months and underwent rigorous trials before carrying its first paying passengers Photo: University of Plymouth
@PlymChronicle
Festival will highlight city’s social enterprise successes With more than 200 social enterprises in Plymouth employing nearly 10,000 people, the city is developing as a global ‘social enterprise city.’
Plymouth leading the way with shore-side charging for e-boats
Plymouth is set to become the first city in the UK to install a network of shoreside charging facilities for its expanding fleet of electric maritime vessels.
Over the past year, the city has become home to the UK’s first marine electric passenger ferry and an electric water taxi that will operate 364 days a year. However, access to infrastructure is currently a barrier to ensuring further growth in this emerging sector can happen in a coordinated and sustainable way. With that in mind, a consortium of city partners is joining forces to create Plymouth’s Marine e-Charging Living Lab (MeLL), which will provide the pivotal infrastructure required to accelerate innovation and growth. The project has received more than £570,000 funding as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. It will develop a network of charging facilities around Plymouth Sound, offering multiple, flexible sites and responding to the Maritime 2050 route map for maritime net zero. The project is being led by the University of Plymouth in partnership with Plymouth City Council, Princess Yachts Limited and Aqua superPower. Between now and March 2022, it will identify suitable locations for charging facilities that can be easily linked to the National Grid while meeting both consumer and commercial demand. It will also develop and deploy an array of sensor technologies that can assess the environmental and operational impacts of e-charging. The scheme furthers Plymouth’s reputation as a centre of excellence in clean maritime innovation, and will be designed to complement existing and emerging initiatives including Oceansgate, Smart Sound Plymouth, the Plymouth Freeport
and the UK’s first National Marine Park. Professor Will Blake, director of the Sustainable Earth Institute at the University of Plymouth, said: “This is an exciting project that has the real potential to showcase Plymouth as a trail blazer in clean maritime innovation. “It builds on our existing partnerships and shows that there is a concerted effort to make positive and lasting changes that will benefit both our city and the environment as a whole. The University has a long track record of using its world-leading sustainability research and partnerships to both highlight challenges and develop new ways of working. This project, and the opportunities it brings, is the perfect way to continue expanding that work.” Councillor Jonathan Drean, Cabinet Member for Transport at Plymouth City Council, said: “This is a big deal – not just for the council and its partners – but also for our sizable maritime community from weekend anglers to the fishing crews, who I hope will be looking at this with real interest. “We need to plan for a future that is less reliant on fossil fuels and our marine sector can play a key role in ensuring a greener future. This exciting project fits in so well with so many of our city aspirations to tackle climate change through our Climate Emergency Action Plan but to also encourage more people to enjoy the waters around Plymouth, through our National Marine Park status. “It’s also putting Plymouth’s name out there as a city that’s innovative, that’s prepared to support and invest in the right infrastructure that could lead to a significant step towards becoming more sustainable. If we are asking businesses, organisations and individuals involved in our marine economy to go greener, we need to make it as easy as possible for them to do this. That’s what this project is about.”
Photo: Aqua superPower
One of Aqua superPower’s rapid charging facilities, similar to that which could soon be appearing around Plymouth Sound
It has one of the most active social enterprise networks in the country - a fact that will be celebrated in November when the 2021 Social Enterprise City Festival will take place. For the past eleven years Plymouth Social Enterprise Network has hosted the festival highlighting and celebrating the businesses which operate with a social conscience. What started as a half-day event in 2010 is now one of the UK’s leading celebrations of ethical business with speakers and workshop leaders from across the UK. This year the Festival will take place over a took week period from November 11 to November 25 with a mixture of face to face and online events as well as blended events that allow for multiple attendance methods. The event will be bigger than previous years and a Crowdfunder has been set up to enable participants to take part in workshops and events for free whenever possible. Jess Holliland, network coordinator for the Plymouth Social Enterprise Network said: “Social enterprise is a way of doing business that gives back to the community and causes that are important. They believe in working for a purpose not just a profit and they are all over Plymouth. “The festival will be jam packed with workshops, opportunities to meet others, skills sharing, training for everyone, making, creating
and plenty of fun! And it’s not all business; there will be events for businesses, aspiring entrepreneurs, and the public alike. We want as many people as possible to come along and join us in showcasing amazing local businesses – They might just learn something special! “Under the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) we are in the Decade of Action and we have a limited time to rise to the challenge of changing how we run our businesses, our homes, and our economy. “The UK goal is to have taken significant steps by 2030, but here in Plymouth we have a huge community of businesses that are already walking the walk. We will be running events across the city to bring people together to share learning, talk about challenges, gain skills and work out how we can all take Local Action for the Global Goals. “If you run a business doing great things, or you want to connect with people doing great things then make sure you follow @plymsocent on social media to find out more.
She added that Plymouth Social Enterprise Network believes that by working together it can create a better future for Plymouth, and the UK, where business and community can support each other to create a stronger, healthier place to live and work. “ We believe in Doing Business Differently – because the future is social,” said Jess. More details about the festival, along with information about running a social enterprise or hosting an event for the festival can be found at at www.plymsocent.org.uk. To support #DoingBusinessDifferently and collect one of the attractive rewards in the Social Enterprise City Festival Crowdfunder which runs until October 18 go to Crowdfunder.co.uk/ plymouth-social-enterprise-cityfestival Anyone interested in supporting the festival financially, by sharing the news, or otherwise then the team would be pleased to hear from you by e-mail at festival@plymsocent. org.uk.
Nurse Nikki retires after more than 30 years Senior specialist nurse Nikki Day has retired after working in Rheumatology at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust for 32 years.
Nikki (pictured: centre) started her nursing career in 1974 working in orthopaedics, and moved to Plymouth to work with both orthopaedic and rheumatology patients at Mount Gould Hospital in 1979. She started working as a team leader for rheumatology in 1989, where she remained as an inspirational manager and expert resource for patients with musculo-skeletal diseases. “Nikki is a great fount of all knowledge,” said Kerry Smith, service line manager for Rheumatology. “She’s always been really helpful to everyone and very willing to answer any questions I’ve had as I’ve gotten to know the department. She is going to be greatly missed.” “Nikki has been a fantastic manager,” added specialist nurse Sarah Harvey. “She has mentored me over the last six years and helped me to progress to where I am today. She is going to be missed by colleagues and patients alike.” Pauline Putt, specialist nurse, added: “Nikki is an exceptional nurse, but I will always remember her for
being an inspirational manager who brings out the best in her team.” One of Nikki’s greatest achievements was her involvement in establishing a Direct Access service for rheumatology patients at University Hospitals Plymouth. Through the system, also known as patient-initiated followup (PIFU), patients with an appropriate longterm condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis, are given direct access to the specialist healthcare team, whereby patients initiate support and appointments, only if and when it is needed. This not only provides a safe and cost-effective alternative approach to routine hospital follow-up appointments, but it also presents a more person-centred approach to patient care. Dr Mark Perry, consultant rheumatologist said: “Nikki was instrumental in setting up the Direct Access service, and I am so grateful for the support she gave to it. We now have over 2,000 patients benefiting from this system, and its success is a fitting legacy of her commitment to her patients.” “We’d like to take this opportunity to wish Nikki a very happy retirement.”