unLTD. Connecting business across Sheffield City Region #33

DECEMBER 2020 | ISSUE 33 | FREE | UNLTDBUSINESS.COM

CALL TO

ACTION CC33 MD Paul Fletcher on how challenging the perception of the call centre industry has boosted growth for the company, clients – and the city itself

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CONTENTS

20 COVER STORY: CC33'S PAUL FLETCHER

38 TOP TIPS FOR TACKLING 2021

54 WINNING IN 2020 4

44 SHEFFIELD BID

64 BUSINESS HEROES unLTDBUSINESS.COM

CONTENTS

INSIDE...

6-9: News A round-up of news in the region, including Sheffield City Region mentors support health tech startups, B. Braun renews sponsorship for Paralympians and Street Cranexpress strikes gold!

10-11: Appointments All the latest appointments from around the Sheffield City Region.

19: Skills Focus The Source Skills Academy says flexibility will be key during the crisis.

32 On the road to e-commerce Evoluted’s MD Ash Young shares the secrets to getting e-commerce on track.

35: SCR Working Win Free service helps employees to stay and thrive in work.

47: Podcasting Ahead of the forthcoming unLTD podcast, James Marriott shares how you should be getting your message out there.

51: Launchpad Dishidrop share how Launchpad support helped them create an environmentally friendly ‘lockdownresistant takeaway enterprise’.

EVERYTHING ELSE: 13: The Diary 15: Financial Health 17: Entrepreneur Support 37: Technology 74: Charities

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

WINNING IN 2020 That might sound like an unusual headline for a welcome to the last unLTD magazine of what has been an incredibly difficult year.

But that’s exactly how we have viewed the Sheffield City Region (SCR) business community throughout this pandemic – from our regular columnists to the features we’ve run and the interviews we’ve been privileged to conduct with leading business figures across the SCR. The spirit of the business community has not been dimmed.

Our cover story is no exception – CC33 has seen incredible growth over the past very difficult year, including a recruitment drive for over 150 positions and securing employment for people who lost jobs during COVID. From page 20, MD Paul Fletcher shares how challenging the perception of the call centre industry has helped the company navigate the current ‘tricky waters’ for staff, clients – and the city itself.

Paul and the CC33 team are a great example of those businesses our editor Richard Fidler refers to as ‘creative, agile, hard-working and forward-thinking’ in trying to keep the wheels of the economy turning – despite COVID. So that’s why we’ve dedicated a massive chunk of this issue to our in-depth Winning at 2020 feature, showcasing those wins small and large, the support offered, the fundraising, and the dedicated team players.

Sheffield Chamber of Commerce launched their Business Heroes campaign to recognise the incredible work organisations are doing in this most challenging of year. Led by the British Chambers of Commerce, and backed by HRH the Countess of Wessex, 19 SCR organisations were selected as UK Business Heroes, and Sheffield Chamber and unLTD teamed up to pick a 20th – turn to page 64 to read about every winning company.

And we’re looking ahead in that same spirit with our Top Tips for 2021 feature from page 38. Well-known business leaders share lessons learned during COVID and suggest ways to build a strong business strategy for the New Year – and beyond.

From everyone at unLTD, we wish all of our readers a happy and healthy Christmas following this very difficult year – and let’s look ahead to a positive and prosperous 2021.

@UNLTDBUSINESS UNLTD BUSINESS UNLTDBUSINESS EDITORIAL Richard Fidler richard@unltdbusiness.com Jill Theobald editorial@unltdbusiness.com General hello@unltdbusiness.com 0114 252 7781 ADVERTISING Dan Laver dan@unltdbusiness.com 07867 313995 Phil Turner phil@unltdbusiness.com 07979 498034 General advertising@unltdbusiness.com FINANCE Michael Johnson accounts@exposedmagazine.co.uk DESIGN Simon Waller, Simon Garlick and James Martin CONTRIBUTORS Joe Bamford Marc Barker Chris Coates Jo Davison Allie Dransfield Mike Durham Jade March

James Marriott Sasha Mossman Bronte Saulle Raj Shah Ian Snow Helen Williams

unLTD is published monthly by Blind Mice Media Ltd Unit 1B Rialto, 2 Kelham Island Square, Kelham Riverside Sheffield S3 8SD and HRM | PR & Creative Unit 1A Speedwell Works, Sidney Street, Sheffield S1 4RG The views contained herein are not necessarily those of Blind Mice Media Ltd and HRM and while every effort is made to ensure information throughout unLTD is correct, changes prior to distribution may take place which can affect the accuracy of copy, therefore Blind Mice Media Ltd and HRM cannot take responsibility for contributors’ views or specific listings.

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AGENDA NEWS

B. BRAUN RENEW SUPPORT OF PARALYMPIAN MEDALISTS British Steel enhancing rail products in major R&D partnership with University of Sheffield engineers British Steel will enhance its range of rail products and services by embarking on a multi-million-pound research and development programme with engineers from the University of Sheffield.

The company is working with the University to ensure British manufacturers remain at the forefront of rail technology and innovation.

The partnership will see British Steel harness new state-of-the-art equipment, alongside the University of Sheffield’s world-renowned metallurgy and mechanical engineering expertise.

Installed across two sites at the University’s Faculty of Engineering and British Steel’s R&D facility at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, the equipment will be used to test steel that can be used to build new and improved railway infrastructures.

Grinding maintenance machinery will also be available to British Steel and the rail industry via the University of Sheffield.

British Steel CEO Ron Deelen said: “This partnership will help ensure British Steel continues to lead the way in developing and building the railways of the future.”

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Sheffield-based B. Braun Medical Ltd has renewed their support of two world-class Paralympians set to make their mark at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics.

British athlete Karen Darke is a hand cyclist who won gold at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and took home two silver medals from the UCI Paracycling Road World Cup in Ostend last year to secure her place in Tokyo.

B. Braun has been sponsoring Karen since 2010, including supporting her ongoing challenge to conquer seven different continents as part of Quest 79 – which will raise £79,000 for the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA).

The 49-year-old, who was paralysed from the chest down at age 21 after a rock-climbing accident, said: “I am grateful for the belief, trust and support that B. Braun give me and proud to represent Great Britain as a Paralympic athlete.”

B. Braun is also renewing its support for 25-year-old Ross Wilson, who trains at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport, who won gold at the 2018 Para Table Tennis World Championships in Slovenia and also was a bronze medallist at the London and

B. BRAUN HAVE RENEWED THEIR SUPPORT FOR KAREN DARKE AND ROSS WILSON

Rio Paralympic Games.

As part of their support package, Ross and Karen operate as ambassadors for B. Braun, which involves delivering motivational talks, blogging and attending company events to inspire staff.

David Oates, group managing director of B. Braun Medical Ltd, said: “We’re very proud to be able to support their sporting journey, and hope our continued sponsorship brings them ever closer to their next athletic triumph.”

How a love of Hendo’s connected north and south food organisations Believe it or not, most people outside South Yorkshire are unlikely to have heard of Henderson’s Relish, the condiment that’s a veritable Sheffield institution.

One London-based food policy officer did his part to change this during a recent Sustainable Food Places (SFP) Zoom webinar.

Mark Ainsbury, a food policy officer at the Mayor of London’s office, raved about Hendo’s during the webinar, prompted by the fact that the previous speaker, Gareth Roberts, was the Coordinator of ShefFood, Sheffield’s Food Partnership.

During this call, Mark shared a previous thwarted experience of trying to buy Henderson’s

Relish from his London base.

After the call, Gareth asked SFP if he could have Mark’s address and placed a Henderson’s Relish order for Mark. After getting his delivery, Mark sent Gareth an email, writing: “Thank you, way more than you realise. It is a tribute to the philosophy of the SFP network, really.”

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AGENDA

NEW ACADEMY BACKED BY UK CONSTRUCTION COMPANY KIER OPENS TO STUDENTS A new educational programme to develop the next generation of construction talent has opened at The Sheffield College.

The Kier Construction Academy offers a two-year programme to equip young people with the latest vocational and business skills that the company and sector need.

Twenty eight students successfully secured a place and have started their studies at the academy, which is based at the College’s City Campus, on Granville Road, and backed by Kier, a leading provider of construction and infrastructure services.

Kier will be involved in the curriculum by providing specialist speakers, workplace visits, industry placement, special projects, masterclasses and references.

Anita Straffon, deputy chief executive, The Sheffield College, said: “The academy

THE KIER CONSTRUCTION ACADEMY IS BASED AT THE SHEFFIELD COLLEGE'S CITY CAMPUS

will enable our students to build the skills that employers need for a sustainable future, so they become highly employable and go further in their careers.”

Students are taught via a blended learning approach with classes on campus as well as online, reflecting the College’s COVID-19 safety measures that are in place.

Doncaster Chamber explores Freeport status for region Doncaster Chamber believes the area is ideally located for ‘Freeport status’, and is supporting the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority’s bid preparations with Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

It comes after Chancellor Rishi Sunak kicked off his plan for low-tax business hubs to seize the opportunities of independence from Brussels and invited bids for at least seven 'Freeports' in England once the UK leaves the EU's customs union and single market at the end of the year.

Cities and towns with Freeport status will benefit from tax breaks, simpler customs procedures and

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As well as the

SEVEN FREEPORTS planned for England, the Chancellor wants at least 3 more Freeports in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

wider Government support to attract fresh investment from within the UK and overseas.

Doncaster Chamber head of international trade and business support, Adrian

Platts said: “The UK Freeport model will maximise geographic flexibility in areas with seaports, airports and rail ports, and the business community in the region is highly supportive of this initiative.

"Freeports will be international centres for trade and investment, powering innovation, regeneration, job creation and entrepreneurship. This is a huge opportunity for regeneration and job creation in Doncaster and the wider Sheffield City Region."

The first Freeports, accessible by sea, air or rail, are expected to open for business next year.

RDaSH shortlisted in HSJ awards

An equality and diversity initiative at Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) has been shortlisted for the NHS Workplace Race Equality Award at the 2020 HSJ Awards, which recognises outstanding contributions to healthcare.

Funding helps BAME communities enjoy Peak District The Peak District National Park Foundation has been awarded £7,000 from Yorkshire Water Community Benefit Fund to help people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities enjoy the outdoors.

£12.2m boost for COVID-19 genomic surveillance University of Sheffield researchers will work with partners in the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium to map how COVID-19 spreads and evolves, thanks to a £12.2 million funding boost.

Chatsworth chefs create ready meals to support families Chatsworth will be providing more than 1,200 freshly prepared ready meals to a Derbyshire food bank in the run up to Christmas to help support families in crisis.

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AGENDA Plans for flagship Pinstone Street hotel given the green light Proposals to introduce hotelier Radisson Blu to a key Sheffield city centre location have been approved.

Submitted by Sheffield City Council and its Strategic Development Partner, Queensberry in August, the plans are the latest to be approved as part of Sheffield’s transformational Heart of the City scheme.

The arrival of Radisson Blu in Sheffield is expected to attract new business opportunities into the city, while raising its profile as a visitor destination.

The hotel will be housed behind the facades of Palatine Chambers and City Mews. Replacing Barkers Pool House on Burgess Street will be a second complementary building, containing the majority of the hotel’s 154 bedrooms.

A rooftop bar, restaurant and terrace is also planned for the hotel, which will look out over the Peace Gardens. Upmarket groundlevel retail and food and beverage units are also planned for Pinstone Street.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Cabinet Member for Business and Investment at Sheffield City Council, said: “We believe that the arrival of Radisson Blu will be a key factor to attracting more businesses and will complement the ongoing rejuvenation of our city centre.”

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STREET CRANEXPRESS STRIKES GOLD Sheffield-based crane specialist Street Cranexpress has struck gold.

The internationally renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards – the UK’s longest-running industry awards scheme – has recognised SCE’s standards working with its clients and at its premises in Tyler Street, Wincobank.

As a result, the 100-plus workforce at the family firm is celebrating achieving the RoSPA gold award – for the third time.

SCE’s key operations involve maintaining and repairing thousands of cranes across the UK through its nationwide network of crane engineers.

Operations director James Eastwood said: “Health and safety is the number one priority at Street Cranexpress.

We are constantly reviewing and improving our policies and procedures to ensure that all our employees, customers and the general public are free from harm at all times.

“We are delighted that our efforts have not gone unnoticed, but rather

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, JAMES EASTWOOD WITH SCE'S RoSPA GOLD AWARD

recognised and rewarded by achieving a Gold honour for the third time.”

In addition to the routine refresher health and safety training, SCE ensures each engineer is trained to the LEEA Foundation Course with the

plan to progress to the LEEA Advanced Course.

James added: “We strongly believe in making sure our engineers receive training that contributes to high quality working practises on customer sites.”

Sheffield City Region mentors support health tech start-ups on road to success More than 70 business, academic and health experts from Sheffield City Region and beyond have been recruited as mentors to help health tech start-ups from across the world bring their ideas to market.

The mentors are working with the 24 innovative businesses who have been accepted onto the £900,000 AWRC Wellbeing Accelerator programme at Sheffield

Olympic Legacy Park.

The one-year programme is funded by Research England and based at Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) on the Park.

The four-month rolling scheme runs up to April 2021 and provides participants with up to £20,000 of support and access to world class research, academic, clinical and

specialist business support.

This includes the knowledge and advice from a network of 74 mentors – the majority of which are from the Sheffield City Region – who are giving their expertise and experience largely free of charge.

Simon Butler, Head of the AWRC Wellbeing Accelerator Programme, said: “I think this reflects the collaborative and cooperative spirit of this city.”

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AGENDA

A CELEBRATION OF AMAZING INDEPENDENTS ON THE DOORSTEP The Little Book of Sheffield is an in-depth guide to the best independent businesses, showcasing the makers, producers, retailers, cafes, bars and restaurants that make the city hum.

With a foreword from iconic city institution Henderson's Relish, The Little Book of Sheffield features the likes of True North Brewery, Locksley Gin, Moss Valley Meats, Freshmans Vintage, Bird’s Yard, The Mowbray, Jameson's Tearooms and The Famous Sheffield Shop – all telling their stories and celebrating what makes them and the city unique.

The book is also proud to be part of Sheffield City Council's 'Make Yourself At Home' campaign.

Online editor Paul Stimpson said: “Sheffield is a beacon when it comes to small businesses – it revolves around our independents and they are entrenched in the very soul of the city. We’re hoping this book can give everyone a lift through these

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Grant aid worth £5,000 from South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation will help city homeless charity Emmaus Sheffield tackle the problems caused

by COVID-19.

Sheffield residence in line for top award

THE LITTLE BOOK OF SHEFFIELD, SUPPORTING SMALL AND INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES

turbulent times and remind everyone of how they can support our indies.”

The 176-page paperback retails at £10. It will be

available to purchase from the contributors, in bookshops including Waterstones and online at Amazon and mezepublishing.co.uk.

BARNSLEY COLLEGE LAUNCHES NEW ENTREPRENEURIAL INITIATIVE Barnsley College has launched an all-new entrepreneurial initiative for students aged 14-16 years.

The Enterprise Project is a 12-week programme which gives students the opportunity to become Project Leaders as they embark on a journey to renovate the outdoor space at one of the College’s campuses.

Students have been taking part in workshops and virtual

Keeping charity safe with SYCF grant

meetings with industry experts since the start of the programme and have now finalised some of their ideas for the renovation, including a shed and planters.

Students have also presented the programme to Sheffield’s basketball team, Sheffield Sharks, who have agreed to supply the College with a basketball hoop and sports equipment for use in their project.

The project was created by the College’s Enterprise

department which provides students with the chance to gain employability skills via a host of regular workshops, core tutorials and events, many of which connect them with local industry experts and employers.

The Enterprise Team provides advice and a variety of funding options for work placements including opportunities overseas and also funding and support to students who wish to set-up their own businesses.

LIV Student Sheffield, the £33 million development on Ecclesall Road, has been shortlisted for Best Private Halls of Residence 2020 in the National Student Accommodation Awards after supporting students through the pandemic.

Investment gives manufacturer cutting-edge Boosted by a Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP) capital grant, William Whiteley & Sons has spent in excess of £80,000 upgrading its production capability to include state-of-theart vibratory finishing technology.

CODA Bespoke brings design excellence Sheffield architectural design company CODA Bespoke has received permission to bring a Victorian property in Nether Edge into the 21st century.

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AGENDA APPOINTMENTS Two new faces join the expanding SkyHouse Co team Sky-House Co, the Sheffield based house-builder, has welcomed two new faces to its expanding team.

Richard Ratcliffe is a senior quantity surveyor who started as a trainee quantity surveyor in 2003 and progressed to senior quantity surveyor whilst gaining invaluable experience across all sectors including residential, education, health and retail.

Jodie Cook, who joins Sky-House Co as operations support manager, has worked within the construction industry for more than 13 years and brings with her a variety of experiences from different sectors, from utility installations and new connections to directional drilling for wind farms and house building and renovations.

“These two new additions to the team will be essential as we grow the business and deliver our pipeline of future projects,” said operations director Ryan Ratcliffe.

“Despite the challenges that 2020 has presented the industry as a whole, this is an exciting time for us and strong sales and new projects are testament to our brand positioning.”

Sky-House Co is funded

by Homes England and aims to fill the missing-middle of the housing market by creating sensitively dense, naturally affordable and sustainable homes that are both robust and beautiful.

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BHP BOOSTS TEAM WITH PARTNER APPOINTMENT Yorkshire and Derbyshire’s leading accountancy firm, BHP, has bolstered its senior team with the appointment of audit and advisory partner Jamie Williams.

Jamie, who has a background in providing audit and advisory services with private, family owned and entrepreneurial businesses, will be utilising his years of experience to help clients achieve their growth ambitions and will be based in BHP’s Cleckheaton office.

Returning to the UK after a four-year stint leading a ‘big four’ office on the West Coast of Ireland, Jamie said: “I spoke to a number of the partners before I joined and I was overwhelmed by their

HAMISH MORRISON, LEFT WITH JAMIE WILLIAMS

enthusiasm. The ambition and drive of the managing partners Hamish and Lisa really appealed to me and having spoken to clients I was really impressed with the quality and breadth of the services BHP provided.

Hamish Morrison, managing partner, said: “Jamie is a key appointment for us and brings a wealth of experience to the firm. We know that he will enhance our service provision across the board.”

Law firm Keebles adds to commercial property team

RICHARD SMITH, LEFT WITH TOM ROBERTS

Leading Yorkshire law firm Keebles LLP has continued its expansion with a new appointment to its Commercial Property team.

Tom Roberts, 30, has joined

from a global firm in Sheffield, having qualified as a chartered legal executive in 2019. He graduated from his master’s degree at the University of Sheffield in 2013 and has five

years’ experience working in the commercial property sector.

Tom said: “Keebles attracted me because it’s a well-respected firm with a strong brand in Sheffield. I’m looking forward to generating my own clients and working on commercial property deals which will contribute to the ongoing regeneration of Sheffield City Centre and the wider Sheffield City Region.”

Richard Smith, partner and head of commercial property, said: “I am excited to see what more Tom can bring to the team as we look to expand our commercial property offering.”

Further expansion at Multitask Personnel as operations support manager joins the team Multitask Personnel, the Rotherham based specialist recruitment agency, has further expanding its growing team with the addition of Michelle Laing as the firm’s new operations support manager.

Reporting into MD Claire Lee, the new role has been designed to offer day to day support across the entire business.

Michelle Laing said: “Having developed a successful career

with a leading global recruiter, and then as an in-house recruiter for a leading real estate developer, I’m looking forward to bringing this knowledge of processes into Multitask.”

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AGENDA SPONSORED BY

TRAVELSOUTHYORKSHIRE.COM/BUSINESS

Sheffield City Region growth hub appoints seven new business growth specialists

A new chapter for Westfield Health

Businesses in South Yorkshire will now have access to an expanded team of expert advisers as the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub has appointed seven new business growth specialists.

This is following the launch of the ambitious £1.7bn Renewal Action Plan (RAP) by the Mayoral Combined Authority, Mayor Dan Jarvis and the Local Enterprise Partnerships.

The Renewal Action Plan is designed to support businesses to adapt in the new environment and to create a more productive and innovative economy.

The seven new members include Steve McKevitt,

After 35 years at Westfield Health, Graham Moore has stepped down as chairman, handing over to Steve Purdham to guide the corporate health and wellbeing firm through its next chapter.

Having joined as chief executive in 1985 followed by his appointment as chairman in 1995, Mr Moore has been a leader at the organisation for over a third of its 100-year history.

Caroline Barker, Steve Lyon, Paul Moorhead, Mike Brook, John Mellor and Tim Steel, who join a well-established, experienced team at the Growth Hub offering a wide range of business support.

James Muir, Sheffield

City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) chairman, explains: “The RAP sets out our road map to help South Yorkshire recover from the pandemic and puts us on the path towards social and economic renewal.”

DUO JOIN PR AND CREATIVE AGENCY PR and creative agency HRM has boosted its team with the additions of two new starters.

HRM, which specialises in clients from the professional services, health and retail sectors, and is publisher of unLTD business magazine, has brought in Jacob Welby and Matt Holmes to add to three other new faces over the second half of 2020.

Jacob joins after previously working for an SEO specialist agency while Matt worked for a recruitment consultant before making his switch to the Sidney Street based firm.

Chief executive Richard Fidler said: “Both Jacob and Matt have fantastic experience

JACOB WELBY, LEFT AND MATT HOLMES

to add to the excellent team we have at HRM. “Jacob has already impressed clients with his creativity and knowledge

and Matt is someone we have wanted to work with for a long time, so I’m delighted to finally get him through the door!”

Bridge Help’s latest appointment brings new talent to the bridging finance industry Phoebe Sellars has been appointed as business development and loan manager at the Chesterfieldbased bridging finance company.

Phoebe brings a background

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in retail management and law to the brand-new role at the company.

Within the newly created role, Phoebe will be responsible for building relationships with Bridge

Help’s broker and client network as well as managing the company’s loan pipeline.

She explained: “I loved the proactive and flexible approach to working in the face of adversity.”

GRAHAM MOORE, LEFT AND STEVE PURDHAM

During his tenure, the company introduced several market-leading initiatives, growing from a £5 million local business to a £70 million international company with 9000 clients across the UK and Europe.

In recognition of his contribution, Mr Moore has been made honorary president and will continue with his charitable work.

His successor, Steve Purdham, is a familiar face both in the entrepreneur community and at Westfield Health.

Having founded several technology companies, including a FTSE 250 company and one of the UK’s first 'unicorn' internet businesses, Mr Purdham has won many prestigious business awards including Technology CEO of the Year and Technology Entrepreneur of the Year.

Mr Purdham started working with Westfield Health in 2015, becoming a non-executive board member in April this year.

11

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AGENDA

THE DIARY

BY RICHARD FIDLER

Our editor looks back on a tricky year – and ahead to a positive 2021

Best wishes to retiring chairman

WHERE DO WE BEGIN ON A ROUND-UP OF 2020?

As would be traditional in an end of year column, we’d look back on the highs and the lows of the past 12 months and have a little chuckle at some of the out of the ordinary stuff that’s gone on.

But for 2020, the topics of discussion are kind of dominated by you know what.

If we start at the beginning then the year looked to be on course to be a great one.

Politically the major issues of the day appeared to be settled.

Brexit had finally happened – although there was to be 12 months of intense talks to map out the future relationship between the UK and the EU – and Boris Johnson had won a landslide General Election to provide stability in parliament.

So far, so good.

And then the world changed. As we enter the final month of 2020, can we start to ask whether it will be different forever?

The simple answer to that is probably, yes. But that is on the basis that the world and the way we interact is forever altering. COVID is the latest thing – a big thing admittedly – that has come to test us.

I’d like to think that once we truly understand the virus we’ll be able deal with it as we do with other viruses that circulate through society.

What has not changed though, is the way that politicians and the mainstream media have colluded to make a bad situation a thousand times worse.

Politicians seem to work from the basis that ‘something has to be done’ regardless of whether all

the evidence suggests that actually, no, a virus cannot be controlled and doesn’t know what times the pubs shut or whether you are standing or seated.

Egged on by doomsayers from the media, the politicians have endlessly supported crippling measures which have seen large parts of the business community brought to their knees and debt piled up that our children and grandchildren will be paying off for the rest of their lives.

Businesses, on the other hand, have been creative, agile, hard-working and forward-thinking to try and keep the wheels of the economy turning. I salute every single person out there who has endured the toughest of years.

Here’s to a happy and healthy Christmas and a more positive 2021.

Elsewhere in these pages is news that Graham Moore, the long-time chairman of Westfield Health, is to retire.

I just wanted to pass on my own best wishes to Graham as he hopefully enters a long period away from the stresses and strains of business.

Although never working directly for Graham, he has had a not insignificant indirect influence on my

career through being involved in many projects that Westfield Health were keen supporters of.

The Westfield name is well-known and admired across South Yorkshire and it is down to Graham’s leadership, along with his team at Westfield House, that it is prospering into its second century.

Got views of your own? Let me know: richard@unltdbusiness.com LinkedIn: Richard Fidler

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AGENDA

FINANCIAL HEALTH

BY RAJ SHAH, DIRECTOR AND PRINCIPAL OF BLUE WEALTH CAPITAL The financial planner says building relationships will help businesses through difficulties

TIME FOR A NEW HABIT? Believe it or not, good news is not in short supply – the broadcasting of it is.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the news was filled with stories of crime, terrorism, war, drug abuse, inequality, pollution, oppression. Constant exposure to bad news distorts people’s view of the world and, research has shown, can lead to ‘misperception of risk, anxiety, lower mood levels, learned helplessness, contempt and hostility towards others, desensitisation, fatalism…’.

The list goes on.

Now more than ever, I am focusing on the little nuggets of good news in my corner of the globe. Like how my wife Fiona and I have maintained three or four ‘HIIT’ exercise/ yoga sessions a week, our boys have really taken to Thai boxing lessons, we recently made Diwali cards

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for our neighbours and have enjoyed getting to know what natural beauty is right on our doorstep!

A real highlight of every week – at what some may consider an ungodly hour – is when I spring out of bed (or so Fiona says!) to meet with a likeminded group of local business people to laugh, learn and pass each other business. It’s pretty astounding to be able to report that amongst the terrible stories of many businesses (some household names) folding as a direct result of the pandemic, this group has been able to generate in excess of £600,000, of which £30,000 can be attributed to me. That’s £600k the group have put into our business community, ensuring many families of the self-employed stay ‘afloat’.

Look online and there are reams of articles about how the pandemic is changing how we do business in permanent,

society-altering ways such as working from home, reducing the workforce and automating processes where we can. These trends are most likely going to continue long after the pandemic has subsided.

Of course, as business owners, growth in the business always remains high on our list of priorities. However, if we maintain this mentality long-term it may leave us vulnerable to big changes in the market – like a once-ina-lifetime pandemic. My view is that we need to give some serious thought as to how we make our businesses more sustainable. We need to rethink our business models to ensure our businesses are alive and well a year from now.

A year from now, one habit will remain the same for me: springing out of bed at an ungodly hour, building and consolidating my business relationships

to create a trusted network of people who will continue to look out for me and my business. More importantly, a network of people I can genuinely help and to whom I can refer business. I will also be practising effective communication – showing that I care, asking people how they are and how I can help them.

If you would like to learn more about the group I talk about above and/or have a chat about your finances, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I may not have all the answers, but airing your worries may have great benefit.

Raj Shah is founder of Blue Wealth capital and has been shortlisted for Financial Planner of the Year and Investment Adviser of the Year www.bluewealthcapital.com raj@bluewealthcapital.com

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AGENDA

ENTREPRENEURSUPPORT

BY HELEN WILLIAMS

Our columnist on keeping a positive outlook – whatever the forecast

PREPARING FOR THE STORM There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing.

We are familiar with this saying as we know full well with our climate that we need to prepare for all eventualities.

But how do we do that in business when things are just so uncertain right now?

Here are our top five tips that we have found to be instrumental to surviving and succeeding this storm so far: in fight mode – 1 Operate and we don’t necessarily

mean this as aggression, but the options of response are fight, flight or freeze. Whatever you do, don’t disappear to hibernate and procrastinate.

Demonstrate your spirit. the controllable – 2 Control A popular reminder from

us to really take perspective over what you have control over. The main variable is

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essentially YOU, so this means your reaction, behaviour and actions triggered accordingly in any situation.

Accept this fact and remove any desire to sit on a pity potty feeling resentful over what challenges may well be apparent. Master yourself and ensure you are taking relevant control. calm, clear and 3 Stay away from drama –

your environment is key. This includes the people around you influencing your space (honouring social distancing of course), but also the media and content you are consuming and allowing into your mind and thoughts. Be very aware of consumption. Drama breeds drama – opposite to this, positivity breeds positivity. social media and 4 Utilise communicate – like it

or loathe it, social media is a vital business tool for your

toolkit. Used correctly, this can really bridge the gap of logistical distance and gain traction for your presence and engagement. Nine months ago, many of us were not regular users of Zoom or Teams for meetings. Now when asked, the majority of users would say it’s been a lifeline. Social media is the same and a facility that is there for the taking to elevate the potential of connecting and engaging.

Constructive communication in any method, particularly digital presence, is essential.

If you aren’t communicating, what are you leaving to assumption? Think about this – do your connections, clients and wider audience need to hear from you with updates, assurance, value, fun… the answer to the majority of businesses, irrespective of the sector, is a resounding yes!

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As the driver of your goals and your business, the prioritisation of yourself will ensure emotional, physical and mental resilience.

Preparation for strength and fight mode doesn’t mean to say always pushing forward hard and fast, adopting the somewhat destructive manner of hustle and grind. Quite the contrary. The #youfirst ethos encourages mindfulness and vulnerability in order to process and allow yourself to breathe.

Remember – none of us have come this far, to only come this far. Give yourself credit for the learnings and adaptability from what seems like the longest year known to man.

You have totally got this, especially when you buckle up with the above top tips!

For more info about HEW please check us out at: helpingentrepreneurswin.com

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SKILLS

SKILLS FOCUS

SPONSORED BY THE SOURCE SKILLS ACADEMY The Source Skills Academy in Sheffield is passionate about bringing out the best in people.

It has been helping businesses to increase the talents of their teams since 2003 and is proud to sponsor Skills Focus, a monthly spotlight on training and apprenticeship news and funding to help you develop your staff.

FLEXIBILITY IS KEY DURING CRISIS, SAYS THE SOURCE To steer through the pandemic in coming months, businesses need to be inventive, flexible and fleet of foot, says the boss of a leading Sheffield training provider poised to help thousands of local people through unemployment.

“No one can predict how long the virus will affect society for. We need to roll with the punches and adapt swiftly to whatever lies ahead,” said Tricia Smith, CEO of The Source Skills Academy.

The Source reacted instantly to lockdown in March, transforming its business model and taking its trainers and tutors digital to boost the skills and wellbeing of thousands of workers, jobseekers and apprentices stuck at home.

Since March the registered charity has upskilled over 4,000 people and found jobs for over 100 via apprenticeships with local companies.

It is now poised to help growing numbers of unemployed in 2021.

THE SOURCE CEO, TRICIA SMITH

“The one thing predicted with certainty is rising job losses,” said Tricia Smith. “We launched in 2002 and have a strong track record in helping the region’s unemployed during economic downturns.

We are ready to help again.”

The Source was forced to cut jobs too, so understands the challenges facing businesses.

When the pandemic

rendered its conferencing and hospitality facilities unviable, 12 jobs were lost.

But a leaner, multi-faceted team has been developed, utilising employees’ previous career experience in areas of new demand.

A hybrid training model combining online with faceto-face tutoring has been operating since March. It flexes

around COVID-19 restrictions, meaning The Source can support regional businesses and the local economy in any situation.

Strategy and forward planning is under constant review so training, job applicants and apprentices can be provided for sectors seeing growth in the pandemic, such as warehousing and logistics, health and social care, digital marketing and workplace health and safety.

In addition, The Source is now a Gateway Provider for the government’s Kickstart programme, which creates six-month work placements for jobless 16 to 24-year-olds.

“Kickstart is fundamental to the future of young people caught up in this crisis,” said Tricia Smith.

“We help applicants get interview-ready, provide them with education and qualifications in the job and will be encouraging employers to convert Kickstarters into fulltime apprentices.”

HUNDREDS OF WORKERS TUTORED AT HOME Since the UK spring lockdown, the Commercial Training Team at The Source has helped hundreds of local people to improve their futures.

Converting from face-toface to online tutoring meant specialist training for the entire team and adapting all 130 Source courses to make them engaging and

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interactive online. This was achieved while contacting a swathe of Sheffield City Region companies and organisations to design bespoke training for their needs during the pandemic.

“We had a lot to achieve in a very short time,” said Danny Slinn, Employment & Skills project manager.

“We went on to enable 342 people to gain qualifications while they were furloughed or home-working.”

A further 150 were given the extra help and confidence they needed before starting studies and over 50 people were distance-learning tutored.

When COVID-19 restrictions

eased, staff ensured learners could study in short sessions around their jobs or part-time furloughing, completing qualifications over several months.

Danny commented: “My team of six, and the 12 tutors we call on, have shown true dedication and professionalism.”

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COVER STORY

IT'S GOOD

TO TALK CC33 has seen incredible growth over the past very difficult year – including a recruitment drive for over 150 positions and securing employment for people who lost jobs during COVID. As the UK continues to battle the pandemic, MD Paul Fletcher tells Jill Theobald how challenging the perception of the call centre industry helped the company become a ‘speedboat in a tugboat market’ enabling them to navigate the current ‘tricky waters’ for staff, clients – and the city itself

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COVER STORY

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COVER STORY ‘There’s no limited belief system here at CC33 – that’s a big part of the culture.

People with limited beliefs will see the ceiling. But for us, we have this ‘unlimited’ concept – there is no ceiling, we can achieve, and nothing is impossible.’

The culture and the concept behind South Yorkshire-based contact centre CC33 backs up this vision from MD Paul Fletcher – in numbers alone, before we get to the story behind it.

Since launching in 2015 with just 70 staff, CC33’s annual turnover has increased by 336 per cent as the firm expanded its services and client base.

CC33 now employ more than 350 people, look after more than 30 clients across various sectors and operate from three offices – two in Sheffield and one in Rotherham.

But when COVID struck in March the team transitioned 300 people within four days to working from home – and then won a large public sector piece of work and recruited an additional 250 staff, meaning across the whole period CC33 had helped more than 500 people move to remote working..

Part of their ability to adapt so swiftly and successfully is down to the firm being a tech-led business, says Paul, but also their different take on the contact centre industry which stemmed from time overseas and at home in his beloved city.

After working for a number of South Yorkshire agencies, Paul was headhunted to become operations director for a call centre in Durban, South Africa where he took the business from 10 staff over a year and a half to 1,500 and learned a lot about creating the right company culture. After moving back to Sheffield, Paul joined a marketing company before taking time off to spend more time with his family (“I wanted to be a dad to my little girl after putting in 15 hour days”) and began consulting work.

“Working on the other side of the fence, the client side,

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was a different experience for me. Working with call centres, it became very clear the industry was crying out for some kind of transparent partnership model. That’s how CC33 came about – people asked if I was going to set a call centre up with my experience but I didn’t want to do it until I’d identified what the biggest challenges were. When you’re in a company you think you’re the best in the world, but it takes consulting to identify what clients really need.

“I realised if we could answer three main areas – being tech-led, price-centric and data-driven – then we’d have something different to what everyone else was offering and it was a unique proposition.

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COVER STORY

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COVER STORY “When we started CC33 we did things differently, so we gave everyone a desk top icon to listen to calls whenever they want, talk to the agent live, have live reports – a very transparent model.

“We didn’t want to be the biggest centre in the world and chase every bit of business – we had a set of values and every client needed to fit within those values to build the client and agent experience and build that transparent partnership model while maintaining a boutique feel.”

And ‘Boutique’ today is CC33’s bespoke sales and support service for start-ups and smaller businesses, which celebrated 200 per cent growth during this very tricky year.

“We’ve been successful because of that approach,” says Paul. “Even though we’ve grown we’ve kept the consultancy structure that the client can still talk to the MD, see what’s happening, they really feel we’re an extension of their brand – as far as they’re concerned we could be in the same building.

“When we first started, people I knew in the industry would say ‘why are you doing this, you’re kind of opening Pandora’s Box?’ But if you’ve

not got anything to hide why not? We were recruiting, training and managing staff correctly, ensuring compliance was right. We enable anyone to listen to a call and that’s what being transparent is all about because we were so confident we had the right people in place. To this day we’ve never lost a client based on them listening to a call and having any issues.”

CC33 were early adopters of the tech-enabled workplace, too.

“We’d worked with our tech provider a long time and we knew the offering worked, so we became development partners. We moved from a voice offering to an omnichannel offering so the team can make and take an in-bound call with the same tech but also answer an email, a web chat and video calls.

Plus, there’s speech analytics and gamification to make it entertaining for the user and the agent. We worked with the tech provider to build a solution that is fit for purpose but still feeds into our ethos of transparency.”

That ethos extends to new business, too and has seen CC33’s tried and tested brand attracting some big-name clients.

“We don’t have a sales team

Working with call centres, it became very clear the industry was crying out for some kind of transparent partnership model.

generating leads – a lot of our work is referrals because we are trusted in the industry,” says Paul. “We’re seen very much as the ‘go to’ people – if you’ve got a problem in the call centre, CC33 will guide you through tricky waters.

“We’re adaptable – we’re a speedboat in a tugboat market. Our tech drives us to be flexible and our values drive us to do whatever we can for our customers. That’s how we grow. You don’t go in three years from £2m to £13m and win business with a huge blue chip without that consultancy approach and working with existing relationships.”

And it’s all about quality not quantity.

“We probably have fewer heads on the accounts than most centres but we will deliver better conversion, performance and ultimately ROI for our customers. We know where we sit in the market and what we can deliver and to be working with massive brands is quite an achievement.”

CC33’s value-driven approach is equally important for staff development and company culture as it is for delivering for clients.

“One of the things that stood out for me in South

KEEP TALKING

With the country going into lockdown in November and restrictions looking likely for some time to come, Paul shares his advice to employers when it comes to looking out for and after staff.

“It comes down to one important point – communication. We found in the first wave nearly 100 per cent of staff wanted to work from home and we facilitated that, but we also learned about the accompanying risks to mental health.

“That’s exasperated by the type of work we do – some industries won’t be affected as much but for us it is all about teamwork and the buzz of the environment. You can’t go from 100mph to a slow sedate environment and still expect everybody to feel the same.

“It’s about talking to people just to make sure they’re alright – staying in touch and keeping things as ‘normal’ as possible.

“Communication is paramount and that’s not just staff, that’s clients too. Ours didn’t really see any degradation in performance because of how we did it – continually liaising and communicating with staff and clients from director level down so they never feel out of the loop.

“This lockdown was slightly different because when we did communications around working from home we had a 50/50 split. That made it even harder to implement because ideally, we would close the offices, and everyone works from home but for mental health reasons, we can’t force this.

“We’ve kept the three sites open to give staff the ability to work in the office – we don’t want to make people stay at home and feel unwell, we want CC33 to be a happy place. Someone identified the other day if you turn our logo the other way it’s a smiley face!

“That’s what you want, you want a happy workforce and that means communicating at every single level of the business. If you’re adaptable for your customers, you’ve got to be just as adaptable to your staff, too.”

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COVER STORY Africa is if you get the right people in the right place you can achieve anything.

The work ethic there, the willingness and belief and effort levels from all of the team – that’s where this unlimited concept comes from.

“Sheffield’s got a lot of talent but sometimes you see in our sector a more transient workforce because people don’t understand there are real careers that can be made. That’s down to the mentality of the contact centre to change and drive the industry perception. If you’re a big centre you’re a number, that is the way it is unfortunately and it’s one of the reasons we want to keep the boutique feel and avoid that. Our company culture is about a lifestyle, so we have our ‘Be Yourself For a Living’ concept.

“An agent can be on a certain salary and bonus and that’s great, but we’ve taken time to understand what our staff like in their spare time. So, we’ll say ‘hit your target and we’ll invest in your hobby’ – for a musician, that could be an afternoon in the studio. We took it back to what’s important to our people.

“One lad started as an apprentice and is now a team manager and has grown through the business and we’ve got a lot of good stories like that – people who have been nurtured while bringing their experience to complement us.”

And in this most difficult year due to COVID, Paul has nothing but praise for the team at CC33 as a whole.

“It sounds like a cliché, but we are such a strong team and it’s all about pulling together – it’s not about how you operate when things are good but when times are tough. With COVID, it’s not just the management team, all of our staff have pulled together.

“Everyone at CC33 can be proud of how they reacted since the end of March, they’ve worked extremely hard in order to drive growth

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Everyone at CC33 can be proud of how they reacted since the end of March, they’ve worked extremely hard in order to drive growth despite the unprecedented circumstances.

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COVER STORY

It sounds like a cliché, but we are such a strong team and it’s all about pulling together – it’s not about how you operate when things are good but when times are tough.

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COVER STORY despite the unprecedented circumstances. I might head up CC33 but it’s a total 100 per cent team effort – our growth is down to everyone.

“We took on a huge piece of work trying to support the local community over that period – a lot of people who had lost income and jobs we re-engaged, re-trained and re-employed in our sector, a sector I don’t think they probably would have dipped their toe in before.

“Our city has really felt the impact of COVID – especially economically – so it’s fantastic to be able to provide opportunities to those who might have lost their income during this time.

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“We worked closely with the council and other organisations to say ‘if you’re struggling, let us help you to work from home’ and that was a huge success and important for us to do that for Sheffield.

“We get offers to go to Sunderland and Northern Ireland and all sorts of weird and wonderful places but it’s just not even a consideration. I’m from Sheffield, I’ve done my travelling and I can’t think of any better legacy for me and my daughter than to do something that helps Sheffield people by taking a lead role in retraining and employing people right here.”

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ADVERTORIAL XXXXXXXXXX

Many have accelerated their digital plans during 2020 for obvious reasons, but Evoluted’s MD Ash Young went into high gear by launching CarMats.co.uk. unLTD’s Mike Durham had a chat to find out Ash’s secret to getting on track to hit £1m turnover in a year.

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ADVERTORIAL XXXXXXXXXX Practice what you preach is Ash’s motto. As a man who spends his days running a digital agency advising how to make your mark online – it’s not a phrase to be thrown around.

Ash has a long-running passion for all things e-commerce since studying software engineering at university, and with the extratime working from home has provided, he decided it was time to put his advice to the test selling car mats online.

Thanks to an earlier venture, Ash had all the car mat know-how, and with data suggesting more people were shopping for them online than ever before to avoid visiting retail stores amid a pandemic, the business made sense.

Ash said: “You need to understand your product inside and out, you don’t need to be passionate about it. I’m not mad about car mats – I’m mad about e-commerce and digital marketing.”

Car mats profitability was key to Ash’s success – there are lots of opportunities to upsell by offering personalisation, few customer returns, and a handful of competitors.

Ash knew entering a crowded market is tough after attempting to sell flowers online in 2016: “What an absolute disaster that was. I hadn’t realised how competitive flowers is as an online business.

“There are so many players prepared to spend a huge amount of money to acquire a customer, and possibly not even make that money back in 12 months.”

Once you’ve identified your product, you have to start thinking about finding a good supplier, choosing a suitable name, and identifying an appropriate platform.

There’s no key to finding the perfect supplier – Ash found his searching on Google. The nuance comes in figuring out who you don’t want.

“Are they reliable? Will they deliver the product on time? What happens when

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ASH YOUNG, FOUNDER & OWNER OF CARMATS.CO.UK

a machinist has been on a night out and comes into work absolutely hanging?”

Ash picked a supplier used by prominent high street names, which was a clear sign they had good due diligence and would resolve issues easily – plus he was even able to compare test samples against those in retail.

All his items are made to order, which removes any worries about stock levels, but Ash does note some drawbacks such as lengthy lead times especially when customers are waiting on a replacement if something goes amiss.

When it comes to deciding a name it all depends on what you sell: “I run an agency called Evoluted, and from that name you have no idea what we do, which is fine for an agency… but not for a retailer.

I wanted the consumer to look at the site and go, ‘you sell car mats’.”

Ash tracked down the owner of CarMats.co.uk from information on the internet, and bought the domain for £5.5k, and only realises how much of a steal it was now: “Exact match domain, great branded search capabilities,

and it screams trust.”

Trust is an interesting topic when it comes to selling online. Ash usually advises to make sure customers can easily call you to instil buyer confidence, but CarMats.co.uk has flipped that theory on its head: “The thing that surprised me is how happy people are not to talk to you. Most people who ring the sales number actually apologise as they couldn’t put it in an email. I think a lot of companies get more phone calls than they actually need.”

When it comes to finding the best online platform for your business, there doesn’t appear to be any right or wrong answers - Carmats. co.uk is powered by Shopify which Ash stands by for its ease-of-use: “You have to choose what limitations you can live with.

Every platform has some level of drawbacks. At the end of the day, an end-user doesn’t look at a website and say: ‘I’m not going to shop there because the URLs aren’t as nicely formed as they could be’.”

The secret of his fast-track to success has been going

slow and steady.

“When I first launched the website, I only had the Ford Focus range, so I kept it really small initially rather than going out there spending months populating a website only to realise you have something fundamentally wrong.

“I wasn’t worried about hitting all the marketing channels at once. A lot of clients come to Evoluted wanting SEO, paid ads, social media and email marketing all at once, whereas when I launched, I knew I should just do one channel, smash it and move on.

“A £10k monthly marketing budget split across four channels doesn’t do a great deal, whereas if you put it into one you can potentially get a fantastic return.”

Ash now has more than 1800 different mats for sale with everything from a Vauxhall Astra to a Porsche 911. You’re probably wondering how he managed to scale so fast with another business and a family to look after – the truth is he didn’t.

It takes around 15 minutes to add an item to CarMats. co.uk, meaning it would have taken two months to populate the whole site. Outsourcing set Ash back around £3600 – more than worth it when you consider how rapidly he has developed.

“It’s a bit of an ego thing. I was trying to do the one-man challenge when it would have been a lot less stressful and less painful if I’d got the help in when I first needed it.”

Inspired to give it a go yourself yet? Ash said: “There was a real risk at the start of this of me looking like an idiot - just get it out there and see what happens. It doesn’t need to be perfect, if something goes wrong just correct it, you will only affect a very small number of users. Don’t be afraid to fail.”

Be sure to visit carmats.co.uk to kit out your vehicle, and head to evoluted.net if you’re looking for digital advice.

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SHEFFIELD CITY REGION

FREE SERVICE HELPS EMPLOYEES

TO STAY AND THRIVE IN WORK

Working Win, which works with businesses to support employees to stay in work, is back and open for referrals. Here the team at Sheffield City Region share how the free service for employees with physical or mental health conditions helps people to build on their strengths and feel settled in their role Working Win has been extended to support our region’s recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak, by helping employees to feel settled and to flourish in their job role. It also supports people who are off sick to return to work.

The BBC has reported that, across the population, mental and physical health issues have increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mind, the mental health charity, shared that at least one in six workers is experiencing common mental health problems, including anxiety and depression with more than half of adults (60 per cent) saying their mental health became worse during lockdown. Many without previous experience of mental health problems have also experienced poor mental health during lockdown.

There will be people with physical and mental health conditions in your workplace – colleagues, employees and friends – and they will be some of the best and most resilient employees. Working Win is a free service to support employees to feel well, settled, and thrive at work.

Retail manager Steve is a previous participant who received support to stay in his job role: “The practical support from Working Win helped me to focus, specifically around my mental health in the workplace. When I think back, I was so low, I think my intention had been to leave my current role because I felt it was

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making me unhappy. In actual fact, there were a number of changes I was able to make that have made it possible for me to stay in work and even help other people in my team who are having similar struggles.”

Steve was one of 3,058 participants who received support from a Working Win coach. Joanne Canning, work and wellbeing manager, describes how her team of work coaches support customers: “Our coaches work one-toone with our customers to help them remain and thrive in work. All the support given is guided by the needs and wants of each customer. Our coaches take time to get to know their customers and find out what they would like to achieve during their time on Working Win. Support varies from signposting and referring to a wide range of support services, planning what a return to work might look like, devising plans of how to stay healthy in work, guiding decision making in terms of career choices and liaising with employers where needed.”

Other support to employees includes debt, benefit and employment law advice, access to a free Westfield Health and Wellbeing package, as well as training, support and

information to businesses, to help create workplaces where all employees can thrive.

Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis said: “We must do everything we can to help people stay in or find work.

Working Win is a crucial part of our Renewal Action Plan to support jobs and businesses in South Yorkshire and deliver a jobs-led recovery from COVID-19.”

Working Win is open to employees in Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham and Bassetlaw.

Businesses can call: 0114 2900 218 or email workingwin@syha.co.uk.

Employers and employees can make a referral to Working Win by visiting workingwinreferrals.co.uk or by speaking to a GP or health professional. Places are limited and referrals will close on 31st January 2021.

More information and case studies can also be found at sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/ working-win.

JOANNE CANNING, WORK & WELLBEING MANAGER AT WORKING WIN

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Half day on-site/ remote audit Available in December & January only

How will this work?

You need to request an audit by visiting our Strategic IT Review page and submitting a simple form.

Submit your form now at: ct.co.uk/services/strategic-it-review 36

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TECHNOLOGY

REVIEWING IT TRANSITION

– AND PLANNING AHEAD Ian Snow, MD at CT, reviews the transition of IT over the last few months and announces free Strategic IT Audits to all S postcode businesses 2020 has been a tough business year, but together with our customers we have learnt a lot over the past nine months.

At the beginning of March our service desk helped move more than 4,000 people to home working. During this process, it became clear very quickly that some businesses were not equipped for the move to remote working and faced big challenges such as security and communication.

As the months went on, we saw a major transition once again with customers wanting to ensure a flexible future for the business and its employees, looking towards a more long-term hybrid workplace model.

During this period of change, many of our customers used this time, alongside our senior consultants, to review the role technology plays in their business and how by having a

comprehensive plan in place to support their business goals now and for the long term was vital for enabling growth and security in the current climate.

We have seen how customers have benefited from this process and how it has provided vital reassurance and given them a strong technological foundation to hit 2021 and beyond in a far better position than they started 2020.

We know that many businesses may not be able to justify the cost of this process during this difficult time and that any money spent in 2021 needs to count. With this in mind, in December and January, CT is offering a Free Strategic IT Review to all businesses within the S postcode. We want to help businesses in our area by offering something that could make a big difference to their business moving forwards.

How will this work?

You need to request a review by visiting: ct.co.uk/services/strategicit-review and submitting a simple form. A senior member of our team will then arrange a remote or face-to-face meeting. We will use this time to understand your business goals, challenges and risks. We will then carry out an IT audit either onsite or remotely and then deliver our findings back to you. This will be presented as a high-

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level roadmap which will outline the prioritisation of short, medium and long-term IT requirements.

You will be under no obligation to take this any further, but it will provide some insight into your current situation and provide guidance that could help your business in 2021 and beyond.

Matt Corbishley, director of people and performance at Ashgate Hospice, shares how CT helped them: “We enlisted the services of CT to help us ensure technology provided the foundations we need to support our charitable objectives and long-term future goals. The team have worked closely with our IT manager, leadership team and board of trustees to develop a technology roadmap that met these longterm charitable and business objectives.

“CT continue to deliver high levels of customer service at all times and we are confident that should any problems arise they are addressed swiftly and effectively. We are looking forward to continuing our strong relationship with CT into the future.”

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TOP TIPS

TOP TIPS FOR

TACKLING 2021 It goes without saying that 2020 has been a difficult year for businesses across the UK – but the Sheffield City Region has proved its resilience time and again over the last tricky 12 months.

With the impact of the global pandemic continuing to be felt, we asked some friends of unLTD and well-known business leaders to share their lessons learned during COVID-19.

Here we share their top tips on how to build a business strategy for strength and success to help SCR organisations continue to adapt and adjust into the New Year and beyond

ANDY HANSELMAN CONSULTING It’s time to do things differently…. ‘Dramatically and Demonstrably Differently’ even! Here are three ideas from ‘3D Leaders’ for you to consider for 2021: iDea 1: Don’t Wait For The ‘New Normal’!

3D Leaders ‘Disrupt and Challenge The Status Quo’ and create things how they want them to be. Decide how

YOU want things to be and start creating it. Whether it’s your working practices, what you do, who you do it for and how you do it, spell out how you want things to be. iDea 2: Get Others On Board Too! 3D Leaders ‘Engage, Empower and Enable Others’ – Many are relishing the new freedoms and taking on more responsibilities as they work from home, or remotely and 3D Leaders encourage and support this. If you haven’t

CALLWISE

PETER KELLY

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Peter Kelly said: “I think 2021 is going to be a good year for businesses to sit back and take stock about how they can plan their future and future communications.

“2020 was very reactive for a lot of businesses, especially when it came to relocating

been doing this, start so you don’t get left behind. iDea 3: Don’t Do It Alone!

3D Leaders ‘Connect and Collaborate’! Today’s interconnected world means there’s no reason to be alone.

Get out there and find some networks and other leaders to connect and engage with, learn from, and collaborate with.

ANDY HANSELMAN

and still trying to use their office phones.

“Business have been trying all kinds of solutions, anything from forwarding all calls to staff mobiles, using staff mobiles for outbound calling, scrambling to get ‘temporary’ free licenses to use their office systems from home and everything in between. There’s no doubt

Here’s to a Dramatically and Demonstrably Different 2021 for us all!

these solutions ‘worked’ in the interim, but a lot of situations were far from ideal.

“Going into 2021 we sense a real desire to have proper systems and plans in place which will allow staff the flexibility to work from wherever they need to, and take their office communications with them.”

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TOP TIPS

RAY BYRNE, CEO AT WHYY? CHANGE

WHYY? CHANGE

1. Change your mindset – Instead of focusing on the negatives of the current situation, reach out and find the positives. No matter how big or small, a positive is well… a positive!

Looking at situations from a different perspective opens your mind to new ideas and helps you to build on your successes. Acting on those positives can help to transform your mindset and question your thinking – that’s what we aim to instill to our learners at Whyy?

Change.

2. Invest in Your future – The unknown is something you can’t control but your future is. Investing in your future enables you to take control of the direction you plan to go in. This starts with professional qualifications and accreditations – spending just a few hours a week now undertaking a professional qualification could help land you that next job promotion! At Whyy? Change we value accredited courses highly and so should you if you’re looking to invest in your future.

3. Improve your business processes – Now more than ever, businesses are looking to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of their operations.

Improving your business processes using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies can help your business continuously improve.

Start by re-thinking the way your business operates and identify small changes that could potentially have a big impact on your success.

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FISHTANK

CRYSTAL CLEAN SERVICES

We have all had plenty of time to reflect this year and work on ourselves, our relationships and conceptualise various ways to improve business – the next step is to take that learning and design a strategy for 2021 that has impact.

Try to think from a different perspective – what problems are customers, staff and other industries facing? Use your findings to make better decisions for the future. Don’t fear change, embrace it and allow yourself to adapt to this everchanging climate.

Allow your business to thrive on uncertainty rather than waiting for the ‘new normal’, taking full advantage of it and discovering new ways of doing things. Building flexibility into your strategy and attracting others who are comfortable with change will ultimately lead to future growth and success.

• Following the key points below will build confidence in your business’ efforts to provide a safe workplace: • Have a touch free thermometer at your building entrance • Where possible, use separate entry and exit points • Have hand sanitiser, gloves, face masks and antibacterial wipes/spray readily available • Turn off hand dryers. Use disposable paper towels • Throw away PPE in a separate hazardous bin (do not empty for 72 hours) • Stagger breaks and lunches • Arrange desks and seating to enable distancing • Place clear plastic screens around desks • Have your cleaner regularly sanitise all common touch points • Have a COVID risk assesment in place and review regularly • Use our disinfecting checklist to enhance your cleaning measures

HAYLEY KOSEOGLU BUSINESS CONSULTANT AT IEKOS

IEKOS As we prepare for 2021 here are my top tips to help you move forward: 1. If sales are strong, embrace it and build your cash reserves.

2. Modify your products or services and customer experience to align with buying behaviours.

3. Build and strengthen customer relationships by being visible online or in person (restrictions permitting).

4. Monitor staff closely and provide support where possible, especially for those who suffer with mental health issues.

5. Keep your personal and business expenses under control.

6. Keep a close eye on your debtors list.

7. Stay current with suppliers and change if necessary.

8. If you need business finance, take advantage of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme and CBILS. 9. Monitor budgets closely but keep them flexible so you can recalibrate your plans.

10. Ensure you have a strategy with activities to help keep you focused – a 90 day wall planner can act as a visual aid.

OVO SPACES Chris Wood, business development executive, said: “During the first lockdown, working from home seemed a good idea which some initially enjoyed, with video calls with family and friends as an alternative to meeting up.

“However, going into the second lockdown, we have been speaking with our clients and associates about the real importance of a positive working environment, and people wanting to return to their workspace where they can collaborate and spend time with their co-workers.

“A well-designed and refreshed working environment is very important to a business and its employees, and importantly, engaged employees are happier, more motivated and committed.

We firmly believe an engaged workplace can really reflect on the performance and success of any business.”

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ADVERTORIAL

SAY HELLO TO BRIGHTER MONEY! The newly refurbished Virgin Money Store has now re-opened with an integrated team from Yorkshire Bank and the Virgin Lounge – but as the team tell unLTD, you’ll find the same friendly faces ready to give you the warmest of welcomes We are so excited about our shiny new space, new team and new services and can’t wait to share them with you.

Our Personal, Business and Private Banking Teams are all under one roof and available to speak to you, customer or not.

If you need a room to get your team together or a place to meet your clients, we have just what you are looking for. Our co-working spaces are here to enrich mind, body and soul.

At Virgin Money Sheffield, everyone is welcome, no matter where you choose to

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bank. As soon as it’s safe to do so we want to give the people of Sheffield, from freelancers and students, to start-ups, SMEs and the self-employed an exciting, new and creative space to learn, work and play.

We also have a unique area for the hottest local talent and other Virgin Group businesses to join us. This is a special space and a great opportunity for the community to share new, fresh, entrepreneurial delights!

Katy Simpson, South Yorkshire area city leader, is heading up the team alongside

store manager Hayley Dodsworth and Vicky Travis, our new growth manager.

Vicky will be responsible for running a diverse programme of events and supporting entrepreneurial activity across the local community. From growing your own business to stories of inspiring personal triumph, there’s always going to be events and activities happening in our store.

Most of our events will be listed on Eventbrite and as soon as it’s safe to do so you’ll be able to use our space to host

a pop-up event, screening or a talk – for free. Whether you need a public drop-in space or a ticketed evening event, just speak to us about your needs and we will be more than happy to discuss it with you.

We are one of a new generation of Virgin Money, offering creative and community focused spaces on the high street. We have been designed to broaden people’s horizons and brighten their lives and whether you’re visiting for a basic cash withdrawal or you need some

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

ADVERTORIAL

VICKY TRAVIS, GROWTH MANAGER VIRGIN MONEY, SHEFFIELD Did you always want to go into banking – what other career did you consider?

I actually wanted to work in a library, I’m a real book worm.

However, two weeks work experience at a local library made me realise it wasn’t for me and I needed more interaction with people!

VIRGIN MONEY STORES’ NEWLY RE-OPENED BRANCH IS SET OVER THREE FLOORS IN THE HEART OF SHEFFIELD CITY CENTRE.

help with budgeting, saving or a review of your spending, you can sit with a Host and solve challenges together, however big or small. Our super friendly team and Digitally Together services enable us to offer a relaxed modern way of banking and making customers feel happier about money is at the heart of everything we do.

We are passionate about our charity work and this year our new charity partner is Macmillan – we are really proud to be supporting

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them. Through volunteering, fundraising and themed events we will be getting behind this in Sheffield. A fantastic cause with personal and emotional connections for many and as with lots of charities at the minute, they need our help more than ever.

We are set over three floors in the heart of Sheffield.

Whether you’re living, working or just visiting the city, you’re welcome to drop in and see what we have to offer – we’d love to give you a tour around our fabulous new space.

As Virgin Money support the music industry, what music do you love?

I was brought up listening to Motown and that has stayed with me. I also love indie, R&B and dance. I can’t actually wait for live music to be back – I’ve really missed it this year.

Have you ever worked at or supported any local charity?

I have supported local charities, Bluebell Wood and St Luke’s in particular, and this year I was proud to be a volunteer for Macmillan and carry out supporter check in calls for their World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.

Book person or film person?

Definitely a book person!

Favourite Holiday destination and why?

Dubai – my sister lives and works there so it will stay a favourite destination for the time being!

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ADVERTORIAL

RECRUITING N O I T A R E N E G T X E N THE Since 2013 RISE has helped more than 400 SMEs in the Sheffield City Region to recruit more than 500 graduates. Engagement manager Sarah Stanley tells unLTD’s Chris Coates about RISE’s aims and achievements Small business owners are well used to the challenge of keeping all their plates spinning.

One of the biggest challenges is recruiting and retaining talent, and finding the right people at the right time when growing your business. That’s where RISE can help – an innovative business support initiative that connects small and medium sized businesses across the Sheffield City Region with talented, hard-working graduates.

RISE is proud of the fact it doesn’t just introduce SMEs to graduates – it supports them to ensure they recruit the right person to help their business grow.

Sarah Stanley, SME engagement manager at RISE, said: “We pride ourselves on finding as much information as we can about the business so we can identify graduates who would be suited to working for them. We also run employer workshops where we give them tips on how to interview graduates and develop and retain them once they join the business.

It’s about taking the pressure off the business owners and providing that knowhow to SMEs which will help them

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CHARLES TURNER, LEFT WITH ISAH HASSAN, ONE OF DURHAM DUPLEX’S RISE GRADUATES

recruit graduates in the future.

“I think the work we do has never been more important with the pandemic hitting young people and small businesses hard. We have adapted our approach, quickly turning all our graduate assessment centres into online sessions and delivering our employer and graduate development workshops remotely, ensuring we provide the same tailored support to SMEs at a time when they really need it.”

When an SME is considering recruiting, RISE works with them to scope and advertise graduate level roles that can help the business meet their growth ambitions, attracting

a pool of potential candidates who are assessed through a thorough selection process.

Applicants are matched to the SME’s needs and put forward for interview. Once a suitable appointment has been selected, the RISE offer doesn’t stop there – the graduate will attend a development day to help with the transition into work, and the RISE team will continue to offer support to the business, enabling access to relevant additional advice and initiatives and monitoring progress at three- and sixmonth review meetings.

Talent pool RISE has responded proactively to the challenging

economic conditions by launching a new streamlined recruitment process to enable job roles to be filled quickly.

Sarah said: “Because some SMEs understandably postponed their recruitment plans when COVID hit, we were left with a group of talented graduates that still wanted to work with small businesses in the Sheffield City Region. We now have 250+ graduates signed up to RISE and looking to start work immediately with SMEs in the region.

“Now that we have a strong talent pool, each time we get a vacancy from an SME we can identify the best graduates who match the role requirements, ask them if they want to apply and introduce the top eight to ten candidates to the SME. That means we can respond quickly and fill roles in a much shorter timeframe than normal.”

RISE is delivered in partnership by Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Sheffield and Sheffield City Council, and is part-funded by the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

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ADVERTORIAL

SMEs HELPED BY RISE

FIVE OF THE SIX RISE GRADUATES EMPLOYED BY DURHAM DUPLEX

DURHAM DUPLEX Sheffield-based Durham Duplex is a manufacturer and distributor of machine knives and industrial blades.

Managing director Charles Turner worked with RISE to appoint graduates to the Engineering Department and European Sales Team.

Charles said: “RISE offers something quite unique.

It gives honest, rigorous and professional graduate recruitment support. It gives employers access to an exceptional talent pool – to people who would otherwise be invisible to us!

“RISE is a fantastic service. We would be doing the business an injustice if we didn’t use it.”

HMA’S RISE GRADUATE, AIDAN JOHNSON

HMA Barnsley-based digital agency HMA specialises in health, science and technology innovation. With the help of RISE, the firm appointed a Computer Science graduate to the role of junior developer who has been working on a major healthtech project for the Teenage Cancer Trust to support young people with cancer through an innovative new platform.

HMA managing director Nicole Tiffany said: “RISE connects us directly with a talent pool and provides us with the tools and support to manage the recruitment of those hard-to-fill technical roles. This enables small, ambitious businesses like ours to work directly with young people through paid employment, developing their skills and helping them to shape their own career paths in the sector.”

Are you an SME looking to grow your business and recruit a talented graduate?

If you are based in the Sheffield City Region then RISE could be for you!

RISE is a unique business support initiative that offers you: Free access to a wide pool of talented graduates, candidate matching and interview administration Full support to scope and advertise your graduate role(s) Business support tools and workshop to make the most of your graduate hire Grants for the first hire you make

For more information please visit us at www.risescr.co.uk

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

One of the major benefits of working with RISE - they understand what graduates want and need. RISE matches people with people Kate Hill, Business Development and Marketing Manager, Moore Insight

Follow us on Twitter @RISESCR

SHEFFIELD BID

A BID FOR SHEFFIELD’S

SUCCESS

Sheffield BID CEO Diane Jarvis said that it was a “brave” decision for the steel city to vote to become part of the Business Improvement District scheme back in 2015 - in 2021 it’s an “essential” one. unLTD’s Mike Durham had a chat to find out more When the first national lockdown hit back in March, Sheffield BID was near the end of its term, funding had stopped, and the ballot papers were days away from being mailed for the scheme’s renewal vote.

Suddenly Sheffield’s BID had been automatically extended until the delayed ballot in February, and the team were left wondering where to go from there.

Thankfully Diane, who has a certain affinity with the city that could only come from leading the marketing for projects like Renaissance South Yorkshire which injected £1.6bn into the region’s infrastructure, was more than ready for the challenge.

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Diane said: “At one point I had more than 300 enquiries on my desk from businesses not sure where to go, or who to speak to. We were a point of contact for businesses confused about grants, so had a role to signpost relevant support packages and look at what we could do to help.”

For those less familiar with BID, or Business Improvement District, these are designated areas in which businesses (BID Levy Payers) benefit from a broad range of services which are additional or enhancements to the statutory provision from the Local Authority.

There are over 300 BIDs operating in the UK which are committed to

working together with their communities to ensure that the BID area continues to progress whilst providing the best possible trading and working environment.

Sheffield BID is delivered through a partnership of more than 500 UK and independent businesses across almost 250 streets, and carries out services that help the city centre thrive.

BID works closely with a number of public agencies, from the Local Authority to South Yorkshire Police, as well as consulting with businesses, to give them a unique level of insight which no other organisation is equipped with.

This was made clear over lockdown, when Sheffield BID introduced a security team

seven nights a week to keep watch on businesses, which Diane hopes will become a permanent addition.

Diane added: “Over the years there have been many ups and downs, and I think that’s the nature of the beast in place management. Towns and cities are facing so many challenges, particularly around the high street, and the need to continuously evolve has been a constant learning journey. Let’s not forget we’ve invested more than £4m into shaping the city centre over the past five years, and we’ve leveraged over an additional £1m worth of match funding.

“In the beginning it took us a little while to find our feet – we started out as an

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SHEFFIELD BID

investment fund procuring services, sponsoring new events and enhancing existing ones. What we’ve become over the last few years is a credible delivery body, with a consistent pipeline of projects that improve and animate the city centre.”

Having listened to some of Sheffield BID’s achievements, such as the introduction of free Wi-fi across the centre, it’s hard to argue with the success.

BID has also brought in more than 260,000 people into the area through a variety of trails for visitors to follow, with Diane’s personal favourite being Bricktropolis; an annual tour of enormous Lego dioramas.

Last year, the Bricktropolis theme was Outer Space to celebrate 50 years since the moon landing, which included a 2.8m tall Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket made up of 68,583 bricks.

“Bricktropolis inspired a city. You could see from social media, the press and the comments we were getting from businesses and the public that people felt really engaged.

“We’ve always had this conundrum of how do you measure vibrancy in the city centre. Yes, we’ve got data that says what the footfall was, we can do some formula

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

SHEFFIELD BID CEO DIANE JARVIS

calculations that suggest what the economic impact was, but how do you really know?

“When you walked around the city centre during Bricktropolis there was a real buzz. You could see people scurrying everywhere with maps – for me that’s how you measure vibrancy.”

Diane is also very proud of BID’s partnership with Cathedral Archer Project’s social enterprise, JustWorks, which assists people who were once living on the streets or been a victim of substance abuse back into meaningful employment.

These individuals become

Sheffield BID needs the support of both local and national businesses in the upcoming postal ballot, which is to be held between 29 January and 25 February – with a majority BID can carry on for another five-year term.

Sheffield BID is primarily funded through a 1% annual levy on Sheffield city centre properties with a rateable value of £40,000 or more.

As businesses are currently facing significant financial pressures in the pandemic, Sheffield BID have dropped this to 0.5% for the first year, with a delayed payment of three months from the start of the term.

“There are some very real part of the cleaning team, challenges facing the high which works to keep the city street right now – encouraging centre a pleasant, sanitary people to buy local and to use environment. local services to support the Diane added: “They really are high street is a role for all of us. an inspiration. They have gone I think it’s vital Sheffield BID on to overcome these challenges is here to expand on the work in their lives, and they are an that has already been done. asset to the BID team.

“There are no other “It’s a privilege to be part organisations equipped to do of their recovery journey, and what we do in the way we do for me that is far better than it, and having a BID enables paying a third-party cleaning events and projects which company. It’s addressing simply won’t happen if we’re a need for businesses by not here. As a city we need to combatting cleaning and take a step forward, and not a environmental issues, but in step back.” an innovative way.”

For more information Of course, for these about Sheffield BID, go to: successes to continue, www.sheffieldbid.com.

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PODCAST

We’re confident 2021 will be a great year – it couldn’t be much worse than 2020, anyway! And we’re delighted to announce we’ll be beginning an unLTD podcast, which will be broadcast monthly and will bring the very best interviews and news from the business community across our region.

Our team is working with local podcast producer James Marriott to create something we can be proud of and you can enjoy.

a hosting platform? How do I set up my RSS feed? How do I get it on Apple? What about Spotify? How do I upload audio? So many questions.

Here he explains the process behind making a great podcast.

Podcasting is a brilliant way to get your message out – whether it's about what your company does, or your personal brand, leading the conversation in your niche, just for a bit of fun – or any other reason.

But how? I've narrowed it down to four main barriers people face – and one simple solution. strategy – coming 1 The up with the idea is the

easy bit, but what about the format, how long it should be, how often you should do it, what the intro should sound like? And what if there's already someone doing the same thing? And do you know what you're actually trying to achieve? You need a strategy, not an idea.

– You only 2 Knowledge know what you know!

Imposter syndrome is a huge issue in podcasting.

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

JAMES MARRIOTT, PRODUCER, UNLTD PODCAST

You need to learn about how it all works, how to record episodes, what equipment you need, what editing is all about, how all the tech works, how to promote it – it's a long list.

– call it 3 Start procrastination if you

like, but so many people get this far and never actually

get the heck on with it. I get it – knowing everything is one thing, but then applying it into actually picking up the mic and making a start is still quite intimidating.

– the final 4 Launch hurdle. Getting a

podcast launched to the world should be easy, yet it seems so complicated. What's

So what's the solution? My one day podcast workshop.

It's split into four sections exactly as outlined above.

We spend the first part of the day working out your strategy – nailing down the idea, cracking the format, drawing up a plan for the first six episodes, and figuring out the answers to those many all-important questions which form a strategy.

Then we figure out what you need to learn. The aim is by the end of the day, you go away feeling like you know everything about podcasting so you can get the heck on with it.

Next it's all about making that start. We use all the strategy and knowledge from the first two steps and together, we plan out, record, edit and mix a trailer for the podcast, so you actually have something live!

Finally, it's time to get it launched. Yep, it seems scary, but together we'll set up your audio hosting platform, complete all the settings, upload your trailer, create your feed, and then submit the show to Apple and Spotify. Those steps often take people weeks or months to crack – we'll have it done in a day.

To speak to James about setting up your podcast day email him on: james@jae.media

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ADVERTORIAL

MENTORINGTHEBUSINESS MOGULS OF TOMMORROW This year Barnsley College has seen a record number of businesses launched by current and former students who are already seeing success after receiving support from the iTrust initiative.

The iTrust initiative, a joint venture between the College, The Barnsley Chronicle and The Business Village, supports students interested in starting up a business. Students have access to an array of information and guidance including mentoring from the College’s Enterprise team, The Prince’s Trust, industry specialists and local businesses from the College’s Talent United networking community.

The scheme can also provide students with a start-up grant of up to £250 to launch their new venture.

Jess Widdowson, enterprise team leader at Barnsley College said: “The guidance and support is invaluable to the students setting up their businesses as they get first-hand, practical real-world knowledge from successful business leaders, enabling them to make informed decisions about their start-ups.

“Partners can devote as little or as much time to the initiative as they desire and there are some extremely worthwhile benefits associated with the scheme, not least of which is the fulfilment gained from mentoring a young entrepreneur and watching their business blossom.”

Many current and former Barnsley College students are already succeeding in the business world after investment from the iTrust initiative:

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DANA-LEIGH TOGARA, LUXE HUB

Luxe Hub Former Barnsley College student, Dana-Leigh Togara, was inspired to start her own business, Luxe Hub, selling wigs, clothing and accessories after she was unable to go to her school prom due to the lack of industry professionals in her area who specialised in services and treatments for black women.

Dana said: “I have been interested in starting my own business since I was 15 after I shaved my hair completely bald and wanted the ability to switch up my look from time to time. I started making wigs and came to realise that there are some women who are going through things like cancer and alopecia who, like me, want a chance to change their look without worrying about the time it might take to grow their hair out.”

Sketch Customs Barnsley College student, Luke Jones has turned his passion for trainers into an all-new business venture, Sketch

Customs, with the help of iTrust.

Luke was inspired to start his own business making custom-made footwear after he wanted himself and his shoes to stand out from the crowd. With the help of iTrust, Luke has since set up his own website and his £250 iTrust grant has funded a vinyl printer, allowing him to do wrapped designs and subsequently expand his product range.

Luke said: “I truly aspire to have my own business and I’m excited to see where it can go. I really feel that I can make this a success.”

All Dolled Up Nails Former Barnsley College student, Kyra Taylor, has realised her dream of running her own beauty business.

Dedicated to making others feel better about themselves, Kyra set up her own business, All Dolled Up Nails, offering a variety of lash, waxing and nail services.

KYRA TAYLOR, ALL DOLLED UP NAILS

Kyra said: “I always knew that I wanted to work for myself and I know it’s not going to be an easy process, but the end reward is certainly worth it.”

If you would like find out more about iTrust or employer engagement initiatives offered by Barnsley College please contact the Enterprise department by emailing enterprise@barnsley.ac.uk.

LUKE JONES, SKETCH CUSTOMS

unLTDBUSINESS.COM

ADVERTORIAL

COVID-19PROOFING YOUR BUSINESS LEASE

With the second national lockdown forcing many businesses to close, how can they future proof their contractual relations and business leases?

In June 2020 the Government published its Code of Practice for Commercial Property Relationships during the pandemic. The code sets out best practice to ensure the viability of businesses but compliance with it is voluntary. It covers negotiating rent suspensions or concessions and whether the costs for extra

cleaning measures and health and safety compliance can be passed on to tenants.

We advise incorporating pandemic clauses into future leases. Such clauses can deal with matters like: Rent Suspension or Rent Concessions Most leases include rent suspension clauses but this is unlikely to apply in pandemic situation where most buildings insurance policy will not afford cover. Moreover, any available pandemic cover will be offered at a very high premium. Specific clauses and rent concessions need to be incorporated to reflect loss of trade.

More Frequent Rental Payments Traditionally commercial property rents are payable quarterly but in trading conditions when “cash is king” consider more frequent rent payments.

Quiet Enjoyment This is the covenant given in most leases by landlords. Clearly in a pandemic situation when many landlords have been forced to close their buildings, they may be in breach of their covenant for quiet enjoyment.

Break Clauses Frequent break clauses which can be exercised at regular intervals are now essential.

Watch out for conditions such as vacant possession and compliance with repair and decorating obligations at times when you cannot access the premises.

Force Majeure Provisions These clauses are often included in commercial contracts and aim to afford protection from liability for non-performance of contractual obligations due to unforeseen events, often including the right to terminate the contract. We may see more of these clauses being included in commercial arrangements including leases with pandemic, epidemic and other crisis situations being included on the list of force majeure events.

Tenant’s Covenants Beware of “Keep Open” clauses which take no account of inability to trade during government imposed restrictions.

Rent Reviews Traditionally rent reviews have been upwards only and landlords have had flexibility to implement these when market conditions are more favorable.

Perhaps Covid-19 will affect how rent reviews are implemented.

Insurance Usually the landlord insures the building and the tenant picks up the cost of this insurance.

Most leases will provide a list of insured risks but these do not usually include pandemic, epidemic or other similar risks. Pandemic insurance is likely to be an issue going forward and you can expect insurance premiums to increase.

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For more information, please contact: Alison Turner Head of Commercials Property 01302 965 251 alison.t@taylorbracewell.co.uk Contact offices Sheffield: 0114 272 1884 Doncaster: 01302 341 414 Due to Coronavirus, Taylor Bracewell Solicitors remain open but our lawyers are continuing to work from home and can be reached via their usual email address or direct dial telephone. Our office buildings remain appointment only.

However please be assured that, where possible, your matters will still be worked on and progressed.

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Visit Our Free Legal Clinic 11am - 3pm 11 Paradise Square, S1 2DE Every Thursday No Appointment needed 0114 272 1884 Hello@taylorbracewell.co.uk www.taylorbracewell.com

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Christmas Tree Festival December 2020 • Visit online or in person*

• 30 trees beautifully decorated by local businesses, schools and charities • Local good causes to benefit • Gift Shop open

*Visit our website or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see the Christmas Tree Festival virtually. For the latest visitor information, opening times and details about Christmas services go to www.sheffieldcathedral.org

LAUNCHPAD

DISHIDROP

Dishidrop's owners Nic and Renee Long share how ‘priceless’ support from Launchpad has helped them create an environmentally friendly ‘lockdownresistant takeaway enterprise’ Launchpad business start-up advisor Natalie Fletcher said:

Tell us about your company?

In November 2019, we opened Dishi Vegan Asian Kitchen, with 100 per cent plant-based food provided in a special, top service environment.

Quickly, customers requested takeaway, but we resisted due to the heavy environmental impact of packaging and food waste. When lockdown came, we didn’t have a choice, as we were a fledgling business. By July we knew we had to develop a way to ditch the plastic and create a lockdown-resistant takeaway enterprise. We created Dishidrop in October as a plantbased, plastic-free subscription service.

Customers sign up to monthly or fortnightly deliveries with meals in stainless-steel containers. The predetermined menu changes fortnightly. Food

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waste is zero, deliveries are efficient and in two months, our customers have saved almost 3,000 plastic containers.

We will be swapping our old diesel car for a fully-electric vehicle to deliver powered by 100 per cent green renewable solar energy.

When did you first decide to start up on your own and what inspired you?

In April 2019 after visiting a vegan cafe in the Midlands. It has always been on our mind as Nic is proficient in the kitchen and I know a thing or two about customer service. We were both getting fed-up with our jobs, so instead of retraining or finding another company to work for, we decided to set up something we could feel good about doing every day.

How has Launchpad helped you?

The support has been priceless, it made us feel this plunge was not so scary. We gained immense knowledge, all helping develop our confidence. There were so many resources and very dedicated staff – we feel very lucky to be a Sheffield business owner.

What are your hopes and aims for the business?

To grow Dishidrop from our initial 100 subscribers in our first month to 200 by December – only 45 more to go!

The more people we feed, the more carbon, food waste and plastic is saved, which gives us the motivation to improve and provide unparalleled customer service.

“Nic and Renee are a dream team. No doubt, like most businesses in the hospitality sector, this year will have been a challenge, but they have been quick to adapt and diversify their businesses model which is key in the current climate.

“Their passion for food combined with the way in which they have re-organised their services to meet delivery demands truly demonstrates that they are determined to keep pushing their business forward despite the uncertain time.

"We’re so pleased to see Dishidrop offering delivery services across the city.

“Starting and growing a business is not easy and that’s why the Launchpad programme was created. Part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and our partners means there is no cost to the entrepreneur, so we can get straight to work on turning those dreams into reality.

“Stop dreaming and do it. Contact us for information now on 03330 00 00 39 or email growthhub@ sheffieldcityregion.org.uk.”

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Free Recruitment & Employee Retention Review from Glu Recruit

We understand the current situation is a concerning time for many businesses. With most working on reduced capacity and the future looking uncertain, it continues to be a challenging time.

A lot of businesses are using this unexpected down time to plan ahead for when the ‘new normal’

arrives and we are able to get back into our offices and daily routines. To help assist with your future

planning, we are offering all businesses within the Sheffield City Region a free review of your recruitment processes and advice on employee retention strategies – all specifically tailored to your business!

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All you need to do to book in your free recruitment and retention review is contact Rob Shaw on 0114 321 1873 or rob@glurecruit.co.uk

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SHOP LOCAL The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) development manager for South Yorkshire Claire Reading says it’s ‘vital’ we now support small firms as they start to reopen where they can So far, 2020 has been, and remains, one of the toughest periods of trading that the economy has faced in recent history.

Right across every single village, high street, town centre and city shopping centre, small businesses have faced a period of turbulence like we have never seen before.

That is why getting back to business, bringing the retail economy back on track, as well as safeguarding the livelihoods of millions of employees is so important.

This won’t be like flicking on a light switch – for many this will be a slow and gradual easing back into business.

Not every small firm is able to continue in the same way and many have moved to online trading through click and collect or telephone orders.

Some shops are staggering

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opening times among themselves to help manage the high street, and manage deliveries.

There has been some support to help businesses to stay afloat, but this isn’t for everyone and won’t last forever – our communities depend on our small businesses to be back and trading, so they can get back on their feet. That’s why it’s vital that we now do all we can to support small firms as they start to reopen where they can.

In place of a physical visit to a retailer, many small firms are trading in some capacity online, and this is a great way to support businesses that aren’t ready to open just yet.

Perhaps also go on to their social media and express your support, and provide a positive review where they have a review site.

...it has never been more important to support small firms, shop local in Sheffield and support our self-employed community.

But for those going into the bricks and mortar stores, patience from the public is needed. There may be queues in place, limits on the number of shoppers in a single building and other measures all designed to protect staff as well as customers – so I’d urge everyone to show patience and consideration especially during the next couple of months.

Making up 99 per cent of all businesses in the area, small firms are already the backbone of the economy as well as being at the heart of their local communities which is why they will play a pivotal role in the economic recovery over the weeks and months to come. Therefore it has never been more important to support small firms, shop local in Sheffield and support our self-employed community.

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WINNING IN 2020

WINNING

IN 2020 No question, 2020 has been a tough year for just about every business.

But the spirit of the Sheffield City Region business community has not been dimmed – indeed, the stars have shone very brightly.

So, for our end of year issue we wanted to focus on those successes that have seen businesses through this most difficult year – and there are a LOT! Since COVID-19 struck in March prompting the first of two UK lockdowns, the impact has been felt across the region.

Back in March, we responded to the pandemic to try and reflect what was affecting businesses across the Sheffield City Region for our ‘We are stronger together’ April magazine.

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The feedback we had on it as a useful resource was incredible and we followed up with a mid-month online edition – entitled ‘Fighting back’ – to reflect those businesses telling us how they were supporting others through the crisis. Others still told us how they were continuing to make progress

on plans and projects despite COVID-19.

It has also been a year of adjusting, adapting and embracing change and we have seen the strength and resilience of businesses across SCR proved time again, month after month, and magazine after magazine.

This feature is not all about record-breaking profits or scooping the best deal. It is about those wins small and large, the support offered to others, the fundraising, the dedicated team players in workforces – the good news that has been a silver lining throughout 2020 for our SCR business community.

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WINNING IN 2020

GRADCONSULT How has COVID impacted your organisation and how have your team responded?

We are a consultancy business specialising in talent management from finding and recruiting to developing and keeping the right people. We specialise in the connection between education and employment in areas like graduate recruitment, internships and placements.

A lot of our work has historically been delivered face to face but in March everything changed. Huge chunks of work were cancelled, postponed indefinitely or reduced as clients tried to make sense of the pandemic and what it meant for their well-laid people plans.

But some projects and clients continued, requiring us to flip entire complex recruitment processes for many hundreds of candidates over to digital assessment and deliver learning and development programmes digitally. The team responded incredibly, quickly getting to grips with multiple platforms and delivery modes whilst simultaneously adjusting to working from home.

By the time May arrived and clients started to readjust plans,

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• Working from home has allowed us to eradicate the unproductive, lengthy time we used to spend travelling all over the UK and beyond, whilst also reducing our carbon footprint • The team have been through an incredible learning curve and are now adept users of a variety of software and tech REBECCA FIELDING OF GRADCONSULT

we could offer our full suite of consultancy, recruitment and learning services digitally. This meant we could meet the needs of clients who needed to adapt at speed, particularly those in SMEs who need to continue to recruit, develop and retain their people in an engaging virtual work environment and need support to do that in new digital formats.

What have been your ‘wins’ for 2020 – share your good news with us!

• Digital delivery of a host of successful learning and development projects this summer including unconscious bias training to 800 managers at a leading charity, interactive training to

more than 500 managers on delivering appraisals digitally for a global insurance firm and how to manage people effectively when working from home for more than 200 leaders in a construction business • A hugely successful, first of its kind, digital one-day conference, attended by more than 200 university careers practitioners from across the UK, Europe, Asia, the US and Australia • Following successful programmes like this we have seen increased demand from clients in the latter part of 2020 and made some new hires

• Digital delivery of recruitment and learning has made it more accessible and less time consuming for candidates and delegates, receiving some incredibly positive feedback and engagement How do you feel COVID has strengthened the SCR business community – any particular relationships with businesspeople or companies that have been established or developed you’d like to give a shout out to?

The SCR business community response has been exceptional, demonstrating a real sense of support for one another and our local region. The work of the Chamber as a voice for business has been invaluable and our Universities have really sought to engage and support businesses across the region.

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WINNING IN 2020

KEEBLES When the country went into lockdown leading Yorkshire law firm Keebles LLP quickly adapted their services to work remotely and continued to offer expert support for clients as normal.

2020 has provided yet again another successful year for recognition for the firm with Keebles being praised across a range of prestigious industry awards and legal directories.

Keebles’ Corporate team has been shortlisted across 15 categories in the Sheffield City Region Dealmakers awards, including ‘Corporate Law Firm of the Year’ – a title the firm has held in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Led by partner Matt Ainsworth, the Corporate team has also been nominated in the Deal of the Year (£5m £25m) and Deal of the Year (£25m+) categories in the Insider Yorkshire Dealmaker Awards. The firm’s Corporate

KEEBLES PARTNER MATT AINSWORTH

and Commercial, Residential Conveyancing and Debt Recovery departments have

LISA LEIGHTON, JOINT MANAGING PARTNER, BHP

Despite the challenges we have faced this year, we were delighted to welcome 35 new trainees/ graduates to BHP, further strengthening our commitment to the firm’s future.

This year has also shown the importance of investing in technology early, and this early adoption paid off in 2020 when it came to our remote auditing capabilities, ensuring we could still manage the expectations of our clients even when we couldn’t be there in person.

We are so proud of our staff who have been hugely supportive to our clients during these difficult times.

From a CSR perspective, our usual programme of training events were moved online, and we were pleased

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all been awarded a Yorkshire Legal Awards shortlisting. A range of Keebles departments

were also ranked highly in legal directories Legal 500 and Chambers.

MARK ROSS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, REDBRIK

to have trained nearly 300 charity trustees virtually over the last few months, keeping our commitment to the charity sector in what is a particularly challenging time for them.

When the housing market closed in March 2020, we continued to support people however we could, from keeping our customers updated to offering a helping hand to our local community.

Home became more important than ever during this time. So, when the market reopened in May, followed by the stamp duty holiday announcement in July, we continued our commitment to move people to where they want to be and find homes that worked for them. This summer, we moved more people than ever before.

We also launched our all-inclusive sales offer to simplify the moving process and reduce fall throughs, with all marketing, selling and legal fees included.

With such demand for our services, we’ve been able to recruit many talented individuals this year, which has supported local employment and enhanced our relationship with clients.

We look forward to bringing you more exciting news from Redbrik in 2021!

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WINNING IN 2020

CAPTIVATE.FM Captivate.fm is a Sheffield based podcast hosting, distribution and analytics platform which conducts much of its work in the United States. The COVID pandemic caused us to have to fly home, urgently, from events in Los Angeles and San Diego and almost instantly make our team fully remote rather than being together in our office and podcast studio at Sheffield Tech Parks.

That was a huge change as we’d just hired new staff members who had to instantly move to remote working! The adjustments were rapid but came with challenges – the biggest

best to help everyone that we can.

Having adapted to remote working quickly, we were able to make the most of the people starting new hobbies during lockdown and saw subscriptions go up naturally through the spring and summer. We were also really pleased to be able

to offer free podcasting capabilities to schools, colleges and universities in the Sheffield City Region to help them to communicate remotely with their students and parents of children affected by the lockdown.

Thankfully, our projected growth continued despite the pandemic and we have been able to recruit several new team members during the last few months from the local area.

The digital sector in Sheffield really came together. Networking moved online and people seemed, generally, very willing to help each other and pull together to pass work around where possible.

Julie Dalton from Gullivers Valley, Amanda Holmes from Dransfield Properties, Simon Biltcliffe from Webmart, Marie Cooper from CBE+ and Dave Capper from Westfield Health, as well as sharing lots of inspiration and positivity, we raised £2060 for Weston Park Cancer Charity.

Our Female Entrepreneurs and Directors also raised

£1,200 to help the wonderful Grimm and Co team purchase a vehicle to offer outreach to schools. And we’ve not stopped – we’re now helping raise funds for another Sheffield hero, Captain Tobias.

Disruption, determination, connections and collaboration saw us through 2020, and will drive us into 2021. We’ve got this!

CAPTIVATE.FM'S MARK ASQUITH

challenge, of course, comes from podcasters who use our platform not always being able to pay their monthly subscription because of financial difficulties associated with COVID and the lockdown in spring. We’ve had to take a really careful commercial and ethical look at that to try our

ANDY HANSELMAN CONSULTING Here at Andy Hanselman Consulting, COVID-19 emptied our diaries overnight. All internal training sessions were cancelled, our open ALP programmes were paused, and our monthly 3D Connect network and Sheffield City Region Female Entrepreneurs and Directors events drew to a halt.

But we practised what we preach. As Andy advises in his article for 2021, we didn’t wait for the new normal, we challenged it. We took our events online, increased the frequency, and we pushed positive upbeat business stories.

We connected people, shared learning and did our best to help lift those who didn’t have such good news.

We created and grew our caring business community.

We also got others involved and did partner events – locally, nationally and internationally. Andy’s dulcet tones reached Canada, Kuwait (and Hull!) all from our spare bedroom. We even did

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ANDY HANSELMAN

a couple of online events with our friends at unLTD. Andy also encourages people to connect and collaborate – so we did! Our 2:6 Online Conference brought together six of the region’s leading entrepreneurs, where in two hours, they shared their insights.

Thanks to Arnie Singh from Sheffield City Taxis,

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WINNING IN 2020

JON ASQUITH OF ACTIONCOACH SHEFFIELD

ACTIONCOACH SHEFFIELD The impact of COVID has been interesting as we had

to pull eight events that we had booked for Bramall Lane.

The main impact was with our clients – as we work with

businesses in and around the city, the lockdown caused a lot of unrest, uncertainty, ultimately, panic with lots of companies.

We decided to do what we advise our clients not to do and shut off all sales and marketing to focus on delivering huge value to our clients around the city.

We doubled the amount of time to our clients (without charge) and wanted to make sure that they benefited from the lockdown and did not succumb to it.

None of our clients closed their doors and very few used the furlough scheme. We got speakers from around the world to share their wisdom of growing in the face of adversity. We also decided to offer ten hours a week for free to any struggling businesses and offer monthly planning workshops at no charge to any company in the region.

We made the events free to attend but asked for

FREEDOM IN NUMBERS Nobody could’ve imagined what 2020 had in store as COVID-19 emerged in March and we started working from home.

Hannah Adams continued to work from her daughter’s bedroom, and our trainee accountant Rachal Johnson did an excellent job supporting her.

We continued with day-to-day business while keeping up to date with new government announcements and helping our clients understand them.

We built a COVID-19 hub on our website so businesses can find the support they need faster.

Hannah has been answering questions from clients, doing furlough claims, and navigating updates.

It’s important to recognise your wins, as 2020 has been hard on us all. Our

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donations for local charities to help them survive the pandemic and subsequent economic impact.

We were nominated for a community impact award and won the ‘Community Hero’ award sponsored by HSBC. We also won the best coaching practice in the North of England By ActionCOACH UK and received a perfect 100/100 on our 2020 Net Promoter Score.

Our clients grew on average by 62 per cent in the months March-October. We also personally helped more than 140 companies for free during lockdown with our free pro bono strategy sessions and online planning events.

We also hired four more members of staff.

I have never seen as much ‘togetherness’ like this. The Sheffield City Region showed, once again, how resilient, giving and forward thinking we are. I just hope it continues into 2021 and beyond. after our Office 365 and website and are quick to respond to any problems.

DCX Design Founder and web designer Dan Claxton has helped us to improve and evolve our website.

Paperclip Telephone Answering Services Anne Batty and the team have taken messages for our team so we can focus on client work.

FREEDOM IN NUMBERS FOUNDER, HANNAH ADAMS

team has grown, with semisenior accountant Gemma Baggaley joining in August and client manager Natalie Jolly in September. This means we can offer more support to current clients and grow our client base in 2021.

Being named as a finalist in the Yorkshire Accountancy

Awards for Independent Firm of the Year was a nice surprise.

Wish us luck on December 3!

We’d like to thank our local suppliers who we couldn’t run without.

Jolly IT Sheffield Tom and the team have looked

Red Owl HR Founder Jo Roy supports us and our clients with HR needs.

We have plans in 2021 for developing this partnership.

TOG Marketing Tom Goosey supports us with copywriting and marketing support. A shout out to all freelancers who have been one of the hardest hit in this pandemic.

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WINNING IN 2020

IPM GROUP IPM Group have a longestablished reputation of being at the forefront of innovation. Their tag line of ‘Evolving as Standard’ sums up their ambition and drive to be the best.

When lockdown hit back in March, most companies were taking stock of the situation and operating dayby-day – whereas IPM Group looked to the future. As well as continuing to protect the nation’s businesses and homes through various security services, IPM brought two revolutionary products to the market.

The idea for inteliPod was conceived many months ago, but was now at the

IPM GROUP CEO, RICK BAILEY

forefront of everyone’s mind – the world’s first 100 per cent touch-free access control unit with built in facial recognition, temperature screening and cross-contamination technology. With the threats we now face, inteliPod is set to change the future of access control for the construction

industry by keeping workers, suppliers and visitors safe – and ensuring the sector stays open.

IPM also released a radical new cleaning agent to the market, Naturama. This revolutionary water-based product is made entirely from natural plant extracts and minerals, with zero alcohol

and toxins, and is clinically proven to kill at least 99.99 per cent of all known viruses and bacteria including Coronavirus.

Naturama’s multi-purpose properties mean it can be sprayed, wiped, fogged and misted onto any surface, so it’s ideal for any environment – providing safe, powerful cleaning everyone can confidently use to kill 99.99 per cent of bacteria and viruses without harming the environment or ourselves.

As IPM continues to grow, inteliPod and Naturama are going to be huge for the company as they move into 2021. Regardless of the situation faced, it’s set to be a very exciting year for everyone at the company.

ALBIES COFFEE As business owners, we adopt so many job titles that we often find ourselves ‘making’ time instead of ‘having time’.

It was not until the first lockdown when we closed that I realised how much the creative roles had suffered due to other deadlines.

Creative progression often means discussion, time to reflect, and then more discussion before decisionmaking which we quite simply had written off as ‘not having time for’. Enhancing brand identity is incredibly important to growth, as is having the time to explore, develop and prioritise.

Taking time out to reflect, regather and re-plan has been crucial in enhancing our guest experience as well as fulfilling our own happiness (when it all comes down to it – what is really important to us and how do we make that a success).

When we ask ‘how are you today?’ to other business owners, usually on their coffee run, instead of the usual phatic exchanges, we’ve had the ability to really open up. When you’re ‘all in

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ALBIE COFFEE FOUNDERS, ROBYN & FRASER HODGES

the same boat’ the stigma and pride in talking openly and honestly about business is dropped and instead the real nitty gritty stuff can be discussed.

To have the support network for the good the

bad and the ugly with real, genuine people is invaluable and makes me proud to be part of the Sheffield City Region business community.

Not only have these conversations been great for sharing ideas and coping

strategies, they have also converted into sales – for example, our paid illustration

by Andrew Slater of Reyt Good Illustration, and the purchasing of our Christmas merch from James Biggin at Steel City Marketing.

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Albion Detection Systems With decades of experience, we have developed a well respected reputation for supplying fire and security systems to a wide and varied client base, including the NHS, Sheffield Hallam University and the DFEE. Your complete security is our priority and we will endeavour to ensure your property, people and assets are meticulously protected at all times by tailoring your security system to meet your exact needs.

Whether you have multiple large premises or a single shop, we can install detection systems to cover almost any space to ensure your complete security.

Fire Protection

Security Systems

Assisted Living

Emergency Lighting

To completely secure your property against the risk of fire, your premises requires methods of fire detection, protection and suppression.

There are many forms of security system that can help ensure your premises is protected against intruders or unwanted visitors.

With an aging population, assisted living is becoming a more popular option of care for those that need extra support and in later life, both personal and medical.

Should a fire break out in an occupied building the main lighting supply is often the first thing to fail, which means that those inside need help to guide them to the nearest exit.

CONTACT US TODAY FOR A FREE QUOTATION OR SITE VISIT

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For further details, contact Mark on 0114 236 9640 or visit www.albion-detection.co.uk

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WINNING IN 2020 ALBION DETECTION SYSTEMS As essential workers, our teams have kept going through the pandemic and our projects haven’t been interrupted as they often included essential maintenance. The logistics of getting hold of the correct PPE for some of the high-risk environments and sourcing the right equipment wasn’t always easy plus the costs were an unforeseen expense but we managed to ensure our work continued without any significant interruptions.

We created bubbles within our teams for working and travelling and co-ordinated with other sectors to minimise contact points.

Big challenges cause people to reflect. We weighed up our business priorities, but our staff decided to make

ALBION DETECTION DIRECTOR, MARK SLATTER

changes to their lifestyle, too.

We’ve seen some changes as people wanted to follow their own path and have recruited

carefully to build the right team with the same priorities.

We have grown as an employer and as a business this year

and some outsourcing has been brought internally so we can deliver a more consistent service message.

SIMODA Obviously COVID has been a turbulent time for most businesses but imagine being a start-up! At first, we had our worries but then you find strength through adversity.

We have a determined team and our role is to help business leaders and IT teams solve issues, address challenges and achieve objectives through technology and right now they need help and support more than anything. Also, this pandemic is driving the laggards towards modern technologies and this is where our value is.

We have been happy with our progress and we have seen good wins along the way. Some of the wins were expected and others were out of the blue – however, given the current health crisis the delivery and support of the Sheffield City Region (SCR) NHS workforce modernisation programme has been our proudest moment of all.

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FISHTANK DANIEL BUMBY, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SIMODA

Sheffield City Region businesses are finally learning to collaborate which is something we have at the heart of our business model. I would like to say a big thanks to the team at Sheffield Technology Parks for their help on our journey and all the members of Sheffield Digital as we build mutually beneficial relationships with the eco system.

COVID was definitely a game changer – it’s been eight months since we were together, in our spacey studio space, a big thing to take away from a creative, collaborative team.

But we learned we can be 100 per cent digital, work from home and our clients’ needs are still met – on time, in full. We’ve even seen a slight productivity growth as hours are more flexible.

Winning the Prolific North B2C Campaign of the Year (under £50k) for our City Taxis launch campaign

was one of the proudest moments in the history of Fishtank – even though it happened virtually rather than in the usual big shiny room with lots of tuxedos!

2020 has strengthened relationships between local businesses – we all have to be more understanding and flexible. We’re continually amazed by the fantastic work done by our amazing clients, City Taxis and BHP Chartered Accountants. Both companies have shown throughout this pandemic they can adapt and cater to all their customer needs seamlessly despite the difficulties.

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WINNING IN 2020

BELL & BUXTON PARTNERS, FROM LEFT-RIGHT: CHARLES NEAL, ALEX ROSS & MATTHEW RODGERS

ALEX ROSS, PARTNER, BELL & BUXTON At the start of the year, Bell & Buxton was busy, but in order to compete in today’s legal services sector we needed to grow. As a medium-sized firm we were conscious that referrers believe that 'big is beautiful', and Brexit seemed to encourage lawyers to stay put for job security making recruitment challenging.

When the virus hit the focus switched to coping with the challenges posed by

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working from home. These soon became opportunities, and most of our staff prefer the flexibility which has helped improved service levels to clients. Lawyers traditionally are the last to embrace changes so I’m really proud of the way we’ve found innovative ways of delivering our services whilst complying with restrictions – tales of witnessing Wills through windows or delivering independent legal advice on park benches have made me proud of our adaptability.

We’ve even managed to expand our Will, Trust and Inheritance Dispute Team by recruiting Caroline Deathe.

We also want to shout out Progress Marketing, who helped us set up virtual leadership groups where people have been able to discuss issues, share solutions and steer a path between the ever-changing furlough rules and compulsory business closures.

I’m also excited about our lockdown merger with Ironmonger Curtis. IC are a well-respected commercial

law firm, with a reputation for buying and selling dental practices and specialised employment law services. The merger fitted in perfectly with our desire to grow, as well as providing us with additional services, and we’re hoping to complete the integration by the end of November. Trying to keep individuals feeling like they’re still part of the Bell & Buxton team will be a significant challenge – however, we’re finding reasons to be cheerful as we look forward to a promising year ahead.

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WINNING IN 2020

MATT BUTLER, CEO AND FOUNDER, BRUCE & BUTLER The impact of COVID throughout 2020 has led to, and continues to, drive the speed at which digital change is taking place in organisations across each sector locally.

Many organisations have now embraced a new working environment as more and more employers are supporting a transition to ‘flexible working’ for their

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staff teams where possible.

Digital transformation brings with it a heightened level of risk and scrutiny from business customers, suppliers, data protection regulators, privacy activists, citizens and the judicial community, which is driving the demand for assurance.

We have been very fortunate to have been at the centre of supporting and assisting businesses on both a local and national level during this uncertain transition period. We have ensured we have taken away compliance

headaches while businesses continue to move fast and remain operational.

While often forgotten about, obtaining assurance is vital to actively demonstrate compliance.

Requiring evidence that compliance is taking place at the operational level – and demonstrating that purposeful and sustainable data protection and information security outcomes are being delivered throughout the organisation – has become a boardroom discussion.

We have seen a substantial growth in demand for services we have launched during 2020. This includes on-going penetration testing to ensure systems remain secure to outside and inside threats, ISO 27001 certification, and our intelligent Managed Security Operation Centre (SOC) that employs people, processes, and technology to continuously monitor and improve an organisation's security posture while preventing, detecting, analysing, and responding to cybersecurity incidents 24/7.

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BUSINESS HEROES

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BUSINESS HEROES

20 CHAMBER HEROES

OF 2020 The British Chambers of Commerce launched their UK Business Heroes campaign to recognise and celebrate businesses who supported clients, customers, and local communities throughout the pandemic.

Here in our region 19 superstar businesses were awarded the title – read about all of them … and find out who Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and unLTD picked as the 20th Business Hero for 2020, too!

Memories of 2020 will last a very long time. There have been huge challenges but also amazing stories of resilience and ingenuity.

Through the huge uncertainty and disruption, there have been organisations up and down the UK that have stepped up to become shining lights in a dark and difficult time.

Those businesses rose to the challenge and they asked the question – how can we help? They went on to spend time and resource supporting their clients, customers, local communities and those in need.

To recognise and celebrate these businesses, in early September the British

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Chambers of Commerce launched their UK Business Heroes campaign.

Backed by HRH the Countess of Wessex, the campaign recognises and celebrates organisations across the UK for the work they have done during the pandemic.

The Sheffield Chamber is delighted to say that 19 member businesses in

Sheffield were awarded the royal stamp of approval.

Because you simply cannot have 19 heroes of 2020, a 20th hero has now been hand-picked by Sheffield Chamber and unLTD Business magazine.

From free educational online resources for kids, to outreach services combatting isolation and loneliness for the elderly. From quirky Yorkshire

themed social distancing t-shirts raising money for the NHS, to driving around vital keyworkers to where they were needed most across the region. Businesses across Sheffield stood up and went the extra mile to support businesses and communities in our city.

As we near the end of 2020, Sheffield Chamber wants to applaud and praise the work that these 20 heroes have done.

Read on for some of the stories about how businesses in Sheffield kept the wheels of the economy turning and how organisations across the city went that extra mile as we all responded to the impacts of the pandemic.

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BUSINESS HEROES

HENTONS CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS We understand that times are tough for our clients and the wider business community.

We always put our clients at the centre of everything we do, using our local knowledge supported by our national expertise, from our offices in Sheffield, Leeds, York, London and Thirsk.

As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, we had to adapt the way we operated to ensure we could continue to support our clients, quickly moving our systems to the cloud and deploying online communication tools to empower our team to continue to work from home.

Overnight we went from having five offices to more than 120 offices. Our team are fantastic – we knew if they were given the tools, then they would work tirelessly to ensure our clients were given the right advice and support.

We set up a Crisis Management Team, with experts in payroll, tax, digital and management accounts under one umbrella led by Tim Baum-Dixon. The pandemic is a 21st Century crisis for business – information, adaptability and quick decision-making being the key to survival.

TIM BAUM-DIXON, HENTONS SHEFFIELD-BASED DIRECTOR

As accountants and business advisors, the business community turned to us to help them decipher the government support schemes and announcements. The Crisis Management Team reviewed and distilled every announcement into clear information, sending updates

via all communication platforms. Hundreds of businesses from sectors across Yorkshire and London were given free advice sessions to ensure that they were able to survive.

As the crisis continues to evolve, we continue to share information and offer advice

and support to our clients and the wider business community.

To receive recognition as a UK Business Hero is great for the morale of our team who have worked tirelessly over the past nine months, but the most important recognition is from our clients and those we have helped.

supplies by motorbike to hospitals in South Yorkshire

as well as medication to shielding and vulnerable people in Sheffield.

UTCs are government funded technical schools that provide academic and technical qualifications to 13 to 19-year-olds from across Sheffield City Region to match the skills needs of regional employers.

It’s great to see this national recognition for our students and staff who have applied their technical knowledge and skills to help others and problem solve during the pandemic.

SHEFFIELD’S UNIVERSITY TECHNICAL COLLEGES Sheffield’s two University Technical Colleges have been recognised in the UK Business Heroes awards.

UTC Sheffield City Centre on Matilda Street and UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park on Old Hall Road have been commended after pupils and staff made protective face masks and donated scores of disposable aprons, safety glasses and goggles to

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NHS staff. One member of staff also delivered medical

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BUSINESS HEROES

THE BHAYANI LAW TEAM, WITH MD JAY BHAYANI FRONT-CENTRE

BHAYANI HR & EMPLOYMENT LAW We were surprised and delighted to have been formally recognised by the British Chambers of Commerce and Sheffield Chamber of Commerce as a UK Business Hero.

2020 has been the most incredible year for our firm, in good and bad ways.

Bhayani HR & Employment Law (BL) is fast becoming the ‘go to’ law firm for HR/ Employment Law and Health and Safety in the Yorkshire region. A small firm with only eight employees with a mix of lawyers and HR advisors, the firm showed it could punch above its weight during a time of crisis.

The firm has worked tirelessly to provide businesses essential advice through the minefield of COVID-19, active through a wide array of media channels, and especially for Chamber members, such as

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free webinars and workshops, newspaper articles and advice on local radio. The company also provided free newsletters to an ever-growing nationwide database ensuring up-to-date information was provided to keep companies abreast of employment law implications of the furlough scheme, redundancies and business support provided by the government.

Free webinars were set up on Zoom in collaboration with Sheffield, East Midlands and Barnsley Rotherham Chambers to support their members. Similarly, these were taken up by SCR Hospitality, The Law Society, Great Inns of Britain, BII and The HR Exchange – all to support their members at no cost.

The firm works across all sectors providing outsourced HR support and legal advice.

One of the firm’s specialist areas is hospitality – clearly the sector has been very hard

hit. Providing the British Institute of Innkeeping member helpline for 10,000 members nationwide, the firm was at the forefront of advice to a distressed membership of independent hospitality businesses. Call volumes went from an average of eight to 60 per day. The BII and SCR Hospitality commended Bhayani Law on their efforts in providing pragmatic, empathetic, and expert advice in plain English.

As a business, while being extremely busy, the firm suffered a reduction in paid work and much of the advice was being offered at no charge. To adapt the business quickly, BL provided its popular fixed-fee Watertight HR Package at a not-for-profit fee which enabled companies to access unlimited support at a time of great need regardless of size or sector.

As more support schemes were introduced by the government, the team

ensured businesses were kept abreast of changes translating complicated legislation into laymen’s terms. The packaged services are usually for a minimum period of 12 months, but the firm offered a threemonth package to see clients through the furlough scheme.

MD Jay Bhayani felt it was her and her team’s duty to help as many companies as possible, providing essential information as and when they needed it. BL is proud to be recognised as a law firm with integrity and is highly regarded within the community.

The outcome has been a huge business benefit, with the expansion of the services to a new Leeds office and lots of good quality paid work coming through the door. It has confirmed Jay’s long-held belief that altruism in business is recognised and rewarded – not only in terms of a sense of ‘doing good’ but in terms of real business benefits.

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BUSINESS HEROES

JENX & JIRAFFE

COUNTER CONTEXT Counter Context delivers public consultation, stakeholder engagement, PR and design for some of the UK’s most transformative energy, property and transport schemes.

Despite restrictions around COVID-19, it’s managed to keep major projects on track by innovating service delivery.

When face-to-face community consultation became impossible, the company moved consultations and stakeholder briefings online and created online exhibitions.

This enabled vital consultation processes such as for new offshore wind energy developments, like the Sheringham and Dudgeon Extension Projects, to continue.

We’ve also kept communication on track for transport, planning, energy and utilities projects across the UK, meaning communities could remain engaged when other sources of information were frozen to keep the UK economy turning.

Counter Context, which has offices in Sheffield, London and Manchester, also strengthened its PR offering by supporting growing businesses with messaging and profile – helping to make 2020 the company’s best financial year ever.

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Staff at leading postural support specialist, Jenx, and its UK distribution division, Jiraffe, have been praised for their work to support children with disabilities and their families during the pandemic after the company received a UK Business Hero award.

The company’s life-changing – and at times, life-saving – equipment and expertise has come to the aid of hundreds of vulnerable children and their families this year.

Jenx and Jiraffe introduced a number of schemes, initiatives and services which have resulted in reduced lead times, enhanced flexibility of service and enabled easy access to vital expert guidance and equipment for those who have needed it most.

Holly Jenkins, director at Jiraffe, commended her team’s efforts during the pandemic.

She said: “Our vision of a better life and a brighter future for children with special needs has never been more important.

During this most challenging year we have adapted our business, providing a lifeline to vulnerable children and their families.

“Staff based at the Jenx factory in Hillsborough were all designated as ‘essential workers’ early in the pandemic, and through a variety of

JIRAFFE DIRECTOR, HOLLY JENKINS

means, Jiraffe helped almost 400 children with the most urgent needs access assessments during the first lockdown, while supporting many hundreds more in other ways.”

Jiraffe’s initial response to the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK and subsequent closure of schools was to hand-deliver equipment free of charge, nationwide to children and families who would ordinarily have accessed this in school.

This was followed by the launch of Jiraffe’s Emergency Posture Provision (EPP) scheme, which offered families a low-cost loan of essential postural support equipment during the first lockdown, along with guidance and advice on best use.

The EPP scheme has since been continued to enable the

EVOLUTED It’s fair to say that 2020 hasn’t been the year we were all hoping for.

The COVID-19 pandemic is, without a doubt, the greatest modern challenge faced by businesses all over the world.

As a digital agency with clients from a broad range of industries, we’ve faced our own set of challenges and successes along the way.

Building lasting relationships and helping businesses thrive is at the heart of what we do. It is

EVOLUTED MANAGING DIRECTOR, ASH YOUNG

thanks to these relationships, and having such a great team here at Evoluted, that our clients have stayed with us during this turbulent time.

Our advice and expertise

crucial support of Jiraffe’s team to carry on throughout the winter months.

Most recently, Jiraffe’s innovative Knowledge and Know How scheme was launched as part of its ‘Here to Help’ initiative. The scheme will enable Jiraffe to continue to provide vital services through a dedicated team, covering all products and clinical support needs.

Holly continued: “It’s difficult to put into words how proud I am of the work done by our team during what has been an unbelievably tough year for everybody, but particularly for the children and their families.

“Being recognised as a UK Business Hero is a fantastic accolade, but is no more than our dedicated, committed, innovative and hard-working team deserves.” has helped to support not only our clients across the country, but other businesses in Sheffield, enabling them to stay in business, continue serving their customers, and understand the importance of engaging with digital.

The digital world is, now more than ever, a key part of keeping businesses trading and able to meet the demands of consumers, who have turned online in droves.

As experts in digital, we have been luckier than some.

We’ve seen strong growth in Q4 and are hoping to go into 2021 stronger than ever!

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BUSINESS HEROES

CITY TAXIS At the start of 2020 we were so full of excitement for the year ahead having just rebranded and launched City Electric, City Charity Incubator and the soon to be launched Citygrab.

Then March and the subsequent lockdown hit us

AFFINITY When the doors of lockdown slammed shut on the nation, as an IT provider, a huge emphasis was thrown onto us to ensure clients were able to home/remote work so it was as close as possible to ‘business as usual’.

TRIBEPAD 2020 has been a busy year for Tribepad. When COVID-19 hit we adapted quickly, with some of our clients seeing a huge increase in jobs and applications.

We’ve hired seven new team members since March, allowing us to grow our product and keep offering a fantastic service to our clients. Working from home has become the norm, and we’ve supported everyone in doing this, maintaining our ‘people first’ ethos at all times.

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like a tonne of bricks, and we lost 85 per cent of our work overnight. As a team we mobilised fast to produce strategy, implementation and communication plans.

Our teams and drivers worked hard to produce safe and responsible travel environments. We now have

99 per cent of our vehicles with protective screens, invested more than £50,000 in PPE for drivers and staff, and worked closely with local NHS COVID-19 support teams to ensure those needing essential treatment were able to travel safely to appointments.

Citygrab reopened more than 300 outlets and went from 128 orders a week to in excess of 5000 generating over £3m back into the economy – meaning we were able to donate over £57,000 to local charities including Help a Hallam Child, St Luke’s, Weston Park and Children’s Hospital Charity.

The IT Support team experienced four times as many calls as was normal, and Affinity enabled more than 400 businesses to continue to function with the least amount of disruption possible.

The team also continued their ‘PCs for Charity’ scheme.

Since the scheme was set up in July 2019 it’s helped 34 charities, directly impacting up to 72,000 people.

MD Colin Beaumont said: "We are over the moon to be one of a handful of businesses in Sheffield chosen as a UK Business Hero. In a city that hosts about 30,000

businesses, to be recognised is particularly pleasing.

“During the pandemic we have worked really hard to ensure our clients could continue to work, also supporting Sheffield City Region charities who in turn have provided vital help to people in the area.”

Our software has helped a number of our clients to deliver much needed frontline services – Sodexo have hired staff for COVID testing stations, Tesco recruited thousands of new staff in record time and we provided our Flex freelancer management platform free of charge to allow a Sheffield charity to mobilise 1000 volunteers.

2020 might not have been the year we expected but it’s certainly kept us on our toes!

HALLAM FM

needed it. This was not about making that extra pound – it was about helping each other secure our futures by working together to keep the region moving.

People are listening to more radio for longer than before lockdown. Hallam FM has been the voice of many organisations during the pandemic, supporting businesses to help them bounce back. Going forward, we will continue to allow companies to tap into knowledge that previously may have been out of reach.

In this challenging year, we knew we had to keep our crucial services on air, online and give businesses the support they needed.

Companies still have products and services they need to market and there is demand from consumers. The change is how the two meet, which is where Hallam FM and the Chamber came in.

We sent out a message to say we can help and worked together to support whoever

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BUSINESS HEROES GRIPPLE Sheffield manufacturer Gripple took extremely seriously the damaging effects of the pandemic on staff, local businesses, communities and hospitals.

Staff and management helped in positive, and some ‘wacky’, ways by applying their innovative minds at this employeeowned company.

Social distancing t-shirts, with Yorkshire-twist messages, were produced for staff and sold online, raising £2,000 for the NHS. Social protocols were put in place to protect staff and prevent the virus spreading.

Face shields and screens for people working in close proximity were designed in-house plus a way to open doors without touching handles, with 800 donated to local NHS hospitals.

Some were sold to suppliers with all proceeds going to Gripple’s charity of the year, Weston Park Cancer Care.

SOME OF THE TEAM AT SCCCC

SHEFFIELD CHURCHES COUNCIL FOR COMMUNITY CARE

task to assign those Sheffield Businesses, organisations and charities, amongst their members, who had made a Sheffield Churches Council positive impact during 2020. for Community Care (SCCCC), Tom Sutton, head of policy a charity on the frontline of & representation at Sheffield helping older and vulnerable Chamber, said: “We’re people in Sheffield delighted that through the throughout the pandemic, UK Business Heroes initiative has been recognised as a UK we are to be able to recognise Business Hero. the valuable work that SCCCC Key services we provide undertake on a daily basis. include help for people being We’re aware of the challenges discharged from hospital, that our elderly community and our renowned ‘Good face with isolation and Neighbour Scheme’ which loneliness pre-COVID. seeks to tackle loneliness in ‘’In lockdown, it became people over 65 years old. even more of a challenge to During the pandemic SCCCC provide support and a friendly has also set up a popular Penpal face to our elderly whilst scheme, and introduced a new keeping them safe. SCCCC’s Inclusive Community Care rose to that challenge. project, which aims to reduce “Helping to source PPE at loneliness and isolation in the a time it was in high demand city’s older ethnic minority and adding extra outreach groups. services to combat isolation The Sheffield Chamber of and loneliness are just a Commerce were given the couple of examples of their

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exemplary work. The Business Hero status is extremely well deserved and recognises the contributions made from their dedicated team and volunteers.”

This is not the first time we have been given royal recognition, receiving the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2017 for our work with their volunteers, the highest accolade a charity can receive.

Mark Storey, chief executive officer of SCCCC said: ‘’To receive royal recognition for our work during the pandemic is a huge honour.

Our staff have worked tirelessly to support our older communities, keeping them connected throughout lockdown.

“Thank you to Sheffield Chamber of Commerce for the recommendation – recognition is gratefully received but never expected.’’

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS SHEFFIELD AND CROWNE PLAZA, ROYAL VICTORIA HOTEL Honestly, 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for almost all of us.

At our Holiday Inn Express Sheffield City Centre Hotel, we were immensely proud to have been able to play a small part in supporting the needs of frontline staff that needed to stay in Sheffield during the lockdown.

At our Crowne Plaza, Royal Victoria Hotel, we were delighted to have been selected to accommodate the Snooker World Championship Qualifier in a bio secure environmental bubble. Our team have been incredible in their efforts to look after our guests, and I can confidently say that no property in the city will have worked better in supporting our clients.

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BUSINESS HEROES

UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Sheffield has worked hard to support the region’s people, businesses, cultural sector and economy.

At the same time as making significant changes to the way it operates to keep its students, staff and wider community safe, the University refocused its world-leading research and innovation to aid the national and international fight against the virus.

The University’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and Nuclear AMRC were part of the

INVESTORS IN COMMUNITY Investors In Community recognised that a call to arms was needed in these very uncertain times.

We contacted charities up and down the country letting them know that they could register on our unique platform for free to ask for donations, then put as many projects on the platform as they wanted with no hidden costs.

We contacted businesses large and small and explained for a period of time we were removing all

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Ventilator Challenge UK Consortium to produce thousands of life-saving medical ventilators.

Its scientists have been sequencing UK COVID-19 genomes as part of a national project and researchers have been investigating the psychological impact of lockdown, and developing techniques that could allow wastewater to be used to locate infection hotspots.

Staff and students have also led voluntary initiatives to 3D print face shields for healthcare workers and support frontline NHS and care staff with childcare and shopping. charges, and they would be able to access projects in order to support not only the charities but also their own employees’ wellbeing.

The IIC team worked around the clock, to ensure charities and business got the right support and we were able to match them in partnership.

We are proud to be recognised by the Business Heroes but believe the true heroes are the individuals and businesses who have given to the charities, and the amazing work delivered by those charities in the most challenging of times.

THE SHEFFIELD COLLEGE The Sheffield College has been named as a UK Business Hero for going the extra mile to help our local community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the first lockdown in March 2020, all parts of the organisation have pulled together to enable college life and learning to continue, supporting a diverse community including 16 to 18s, adult learners and apprentices.

SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY Sheffield Hallam University is proud of its civic role and wants to be a beacon for what a university can do for and with its community.

In the face of the immense challenges of 2020, the University rapidly pivoted its areas of strength to support the community through a range of effective initiatives across health, education and the economy while continuing to deliver an excellent teaching and learning experience for more than 30,000 students.

The University tailored its business support offer to

College staff have also cared for key workers’ children, helped make personal protective equipment for the NHS and delivered vital emergency supplies.

The College is an anchor institution in the city, providing academic, vocational and professional qualifications for more than 14,000 students a year.

The recognition is thanks to the fantastic efforts of our staff, who have supported our students and the wider community during the pandemic. provide a range of practical advice and expertise to help businesses meet the challenges created by the pandemic. The Sheffield Innovation Programme (partfinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)) delivered 22 webinars to more than 40 regional SMEs, covering topics from digital wellbeing while working from home to postal packaging. In addition, the ScaleUp 360 programme (also ERDF funded) redirected support to the severely affected hospitality sector with the provision of expert advice and knowledge-sharing through free webinars.

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BUSINESS HEROES

TWINKL Jonathan Seaton, co-founder and CEO of Twinkl, said: “Our mission is to help those who teach and we knew we needed to support educators, and their pupils, during this year more than ever.

"The team recognised how Twinkl’s online educational resources could help as schools began closing or prepared to close as a result of COVID-19. We immediately offered free access to our whole catalogue of resources – more than 630,000 at the time – to teachers, parents and carers around the world and created a bespoke Home Learning Hub to support home-schooling.

“Everyone at Twinkl has been in awe of the things people have done to support pupils and children, and we are humbled to have been part of keeping the world learning during such a difficult situation. Although children are now back in the classroom, the team is still committed to continuing to support teachers, parents and carers in any way we can.”

THE 20TH 2020 BUSINESS HERO! HUTCHINSONS PVC SOLUTIONS Nineteen Sheffield City Region organisations were selected as UK Business Heroes, but, as it’s 2020 (and who doesn’t like a round number?) Sheffield Chamber and unLTD wanted to feature one more!

Hutchinson’s PVC Solutions are our pick for the 20th – a family-run, UK leading manufacturer and supplier of high-quality spray booth curtains, workshop dividers, lorry curtains, bespoke van covers and a range of other PVC solutions.

Founded by director Darren Hutchinson, it

was an idea that started in a small unit at the bottom of the garden and with the help of his son Luke Hutchinson, a newly appointed director at Hutchinson’s, the business has grown year-on-year and is now operating out of a large commercial unit in Chesterfield.

Luke said: “Just as we were planning on moving into our new, large commercial unit, COVID-19 hit and we found ourselves with furloughed staff and a business to keep afloat. However, there was a bigger problem facing the healthcare workers around us who could not find suitable PPE to protect them.

“So we set out making free visors for our frontline

workers across the UK. We worked long hours and got people from across the community involved, to make the PPE that was so desperately needed by our healthcare workers.

“By the end of our first week we had made more than 1,000 visors and were sending them across the community. Word soon spread and we set up a Facebook group and over the next few weeks funded, assembled and distributed thousands of visors to hospitals, care homes and essential workers throughout the surrounding areas and the UK. We are proud that even in our tough times, we were able to help the people around us.”

20TH 2020 BUSINESS HERO – RUNNERS-UP WESTON PARK CANCER SUPPORT Weston Park Cancer Support is a frontline support service, giving patients and families emotional, practical support and guidance. We promise patients, their families, and carers that we are together, at every step.

The team adapted very quickly in light of COVID to ensure that we could continue to deliver support to those affected by cancer.

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Overnight, our healthcare professionals went from seeing clients in our support centre, to adapting to working from home and developed the services online – in the first six months of lockdown they took more than 3,119 calls for help and support, and this grows each day.

CHARLES H COWARD LTD Charles H Coward Ltd, prior to the outbreak, had forecast for seven per cent growth in 2020, the addition of new

customers in 2019 and improvements in our manufacturing techniques driving this increase.

We are coming out the other end of the pandemic with a more accurate figure around 16 per cent growth.

April and May tested our resolve with the complete lockdown of key industries we supply, but with some diverse thinking and continuing our proactive approach we explored new lines of business as well as opening up to work we may

otherwise not have taken on.

To meet this increase in production, we have taken on three full time members of production staff, a new financial manager and welcomed on board our latest junior apprenticeship. With unemployment unfortunately on a sharp rise we are proud we can offer these secure job roles.

Growth is set to continue into 2021, with key markets we supply all forecasting growth in their sectors which is great news for the UK, with Brexit also looming.

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CHARITIES

STEEL CITY MARKETING’S CHARITY ZOOM WORKOUTS RAISE OVER £1000 FOR LOCAL CHARITIES Sheffield branded merchandise experts Steel City Marketing marked their 40th year in business via Zoom with a month of fitness workouts.

Businesspeople were invited to join the team in a mini workout consisting of 40 seconds of four exercises. Steel City also invited wellbeing experts, fitness gurus and business leaders to start their sessions off with a motivational tip or message including James Wilson (The Sleep Expert), Natasha Gilson (Miss Motivator) and Gary Butterfield (Everyday Juice Ltd).

The premise was to start the

day off feeling both physically and mentally energised and ready for the working day ahead.

MD James Biggin said: “What started as a fun Joe Wicks style workout to raise morale with other businesses, developed into a wonderful community and became a morning ritual for myself and those involved! I was blown away by the support we received, in particular from our generous suppliers and those who donated to the three life changing charities we raised funds for.”

Steel City Marketing raised £1,211.25 which has been split

THE STEEL CITY TEAM HELPED RAISE OVER £395 FOR THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHARITY

between Cavendish Cancer Care, The Children’s Hospital Charity and Weston Park Cancer Charity.

You can still donate to the cause here: https:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ Team/SteelCityMarketing

SHU sports teams come together to help those in need

Sporting students at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) have donated hundreds of items to local foodbanks and run thousands

of miles in aid of charity to help those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of SHU’s Students’ Union sports teams

ran a variety of initiatives, including the women’s lacrosse team which focused its charitable activities around improving the lives of women by donating 54 bras to Oxfam.

The team also raised £890 for local domestic abuse charity IDAS by collectively running more than 2,800km during lockdown and the club’s officers undertook mental health training to

create a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment for its members.

Megan John, chair of the lacrosse team and an education, psychology and counselling student said: “We are delighted to channel this positivity into raising awareness of important issues such as breast cancer and mental health issues as well as fundraise for local charities.”

Frenchgate teams up with XP Schools and Doncaster Foodbank for Chocs and Socks campaign Frenchgate Shopping Centre is teaming up with Doncaster Foodbank and XP Schools to participate in their annual charity festive fundraising initiative, Chocs and Socks.

Frenchgate is working with Year 7 pupils from both XP and XP East schools in the Chocs and Socks project, which asks for donations of a bar or box of chocolate and a brand-new pair of socks.

Donation boxes will be located at both Guest Services in Frenchgate Centre and inside XP School.

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The donations will then by distributed by Doncaster Foodbank as Christmas gifts.

Karen Staniforth, assistant general manager at Frenchgate,

said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has left many people in situations of crisis that requires the use of food banks, and so our team at Frenchgate are very

humbled to be able to help out at this time.”

Sandra Edwards, project manager for Doncaster Foodbank, said: "Bringing a little joy in the form of a small gift for Christmas is a wonderful idea, especially in the current climate we found ourselves in.”

Gem Vayro, Assistant Principal at XP School, said: "Every expedition our students work on has some impact beyond the school and connects with our local community.”

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Wear your Christmas jumper in the office or for zoom meetings and support Sheffield Children’s www.tchc.org.uk unLTDBUSINESS.COM

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