Creative sector strikes gold at former iron works

Start-up businesses are setting up home in a new hub for organisations working in the creative and digital sectors.

Vulcan Works, which was created through transforming a Grade II listed former ironworks factory in Northampton, is the result of a £14 million project funded by West Northamptonshire Council and South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership.

Invited guests networked over cocktails and canapes and toured the building and applauded speeches by key players in the centre’s construction at the official opening on Wednesday (April 19). Twelve businesses are already in situ in Vulcan Works, with others taking advantage of its hot desking and co-working options.

The purpose-built hub is managed by Oxford Innovation Space and provides lettable office space, workshops, meeting rooms and co-working spaces for start-up businesses. The space mixes the old with the new by retaining quirky original features and naming its rooms in honour of its shoe-making history. The redevelopment work completed in February.

Centre manager Garrick Hurter said: “We have been so busy getting Vulcan Works up and running and facilitating show arounds to prospective customers over the last few weeks and months so it is wonderful to see all that hard work come to fruition and officially launch this fantastic space to the public. We want to build a real community here and a space that is supportive and nurturing to young and growing businesses in creative industries and today is the start of that.”

Vulcan Works expects to support around 150 start-up businesses in its first ten years, creating around 500 jobs. The centre has also pledged to work with local contractors and agencies, ploughing more money back into the local economy.

Cllr Daniel Lister, cabinet member for economic development, town centre regeneration and growth at West Northamptonshire Council, said: “Vulcan Works provides a unique offer for West Northants creative and digital industries. The rejuvenated historical hub combines flexible office space, with first-class support to help businesses flourish.

“It was great to have the opportunity to speak to many businesses who are already calling this space home and meet those who are due to move in over the forthcoming weeks.”

Oxford Innovation Space’s

Steelworks opens £4m distribution facility

Tata Steel’s Corby works has opened a new £4 million storage and distribution facility for its world-class steel tubes.

The new warehouse is part of a wider site reconfiguration programme, which also involves the installation of a new combination tube mill, new offices and testing facilities. The work is being partly funded by the sale of existing land on the Corby site.

The new warehouse, which brings together three former facilities on site, is now in operation with the capacity to store up to 20,000 tonnes of steel tubes.

As well as new cantilevered racking, the facility uses multi-directional trucks to manage the storage and distribution of tubes for use in stadia, construction, engineering and building services applications across the world. The famous Wembley Arch was made using tubes from Corby.

Angela Long, process manager warehousing at the plant, said: “As well as the new physical structure, we have put in an updated software system, which has ‘safe working limits’ programmed in for every location.

“Each bundle of tubes - which can weigh up to three tonnes - is scanned into the system so it is stored at an appropriate location. The same system also advises on the correct dispatch point, giving faster customer service and better stock accuracy.”

Works manager Gary Blackman added: “This is a critical and fundamental piece of the Corby infrastructure that reduces steel movements, improves the quality of our service and makes our workplace safer.” managing director Jo Stevens added: “This centre is more than just flexible office and workshop space. It is a place with both a rich heritage and brand new facilities that have been purposely and thoughtfully constructed to

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Invited guests joined dignitaries for the official opening of Vulcan Works provide young companies with a place to grow and feel supported and part of a community.

“Now that the centre has officially launched, our newly appointed team can get to work offering business support services and holding events that will help our tenants to grow, learn, make new connections and thrive.” Funding for the project came from West Northamptonshire Council and SEMLEP, which facilitated a Local Growth Fund contribution of £6.3 million and £3.06 million from the European Regional Development Fund.

Skilled advocate and negotiator joins specialist family law team

Sills & Betteridge LLP welcome solicitor

Lisa Churchill to its Northampton matrimonial team this month.

She joins the team to deal with divorce and separation cases involving complex financial issues including Armed Forces and public sector pensions and business and farming assets. She also has significant experience and an outstanding track record in contentious child arrangements matters including internal relocation and parental alienation.

Lisa pictured qualified as a solicitor 11 years ago. She has spent most of her career in Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire law firms, where she was a member of Cambridge and District Law Society and chair of YRes. She continues to be a member of Resolution and adheres to its highly regarded Resolution Code of Practice which aims, where possible, to minimise conflict between parties.

Helen Derry, Partner and Head of Family Law at Sills & Berridge, says: “Lisa combines exceptional technical knowledge of the law with astute advocacy and negotiation skills which make her an excellent fit for the firm’s matrimonial clients.

“She joins a very strong team in Northampton who are going from strength to strength since we opened the practice there in 2018. The results they are achieving in not only matrimonial matters but also complex care proceedings and domestic abuse matters already puts them among the highest quality lawyers in the area.”

Lisa adds: “I am excited to join as prestigious and progressive a firm as Sills & Betteridge and its highly regarded family team. Like them, I am committed to guiding clients through the inevitable stress of relationship breakdown in a practical and empathetic way.” www.sillslegal.co.uk

Sills & Betteridge family team are currently in the Top Tier of firms independently recognised by the Legal 500 (The World’s Leading Legal Directory) and were recently nominated for Family Law Firm of The Year [Midlands & Wales] in the Lexis Nexis Family Law Awards.