Category Archives: Midlands News

Job Opportunities, Jobs, Midlands News, News

Job seekers invited to Herefordshire employment event

Supported employment and training charity, Landau, has announced further details to its latest job fair in Hereford, which aims to support even more people into the workplace.

The charity is hosting the event on April 27 at the Shell Store in Rotherwas and has secured more than 40 businesses to promote their latest employment opportunities.

Exhibitors cover a range of industries and sectors and include Balfour Beatty, Wye Valley NHS Trust, Barclays Bank, Lidl and West Mercia Police.

Caroline Richardson, head of employment services at Landau, said: “We’re excited to be bringing back our job fair to the Hereford region, after such a successful event last autumn.

“We know times are tough across the job market, so we wanted to bring together a wide range of hiring businesses for job seekers to speak to directly and make those all-important connections.

“Alongside the jobs fair, attendees will be able to speak with employability experts and organisations that can help job seekers maximise their skills and achieve their objectives.”

The event opens at 10am for a networking session, where business leaders can connect and collaborate with other employers, while the job fair opens to prospective employees at 12 noon.

The free event is being delivered in partnership with The Marches Growth Hub, Hereford Enterprise Zone and Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce.

Landau annually helps in the region of 3,000 individuals back into the workplace or into training schemes through its specialist support. Last year it was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its work in Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility).

Manufacturing, Midlands News, News

New management team injects diversification into Barkley Plastics’ expansion plans

A leading plastic injection moulding and toolmaking specialist has appointed a new senior management team to help it target diversification and international opportunities.

Matt Harwood has become Managing Director of Barkley Plastics, taking over from his father Mark who has become Chairman of the Birmingham-based business.

The former logistics and business development manager will be joined at the helm by Operations Director Steve Smith and the duo are already setting their sights on maximising an £120,000 investment in automation and increasing its involvement in medical, construction and white goods.

This will reinforce the firm’s traditional expertise in automotive, where it continues to produce tools and injection moulded parts for customers including Aston Martin, BMW Mini, JLR, Nissan and Toyota.

“2022 is a massive year for the business as we look to bounce back from the pandemic and the supply chain issues affecting the automotive sector,” explained Matt.

“My Dad has been with the business since the late 70s and MD for the past 14 years, so we all felt the time was right for him to move upstairs and let a new management team build on the excellent platform he has built.”

He continued: “There’s a lot of challenges to contend with, but also a lot of opportunities as we look to take our toolmaking capabilities and injection moulding expertise into new markets, not to mention building on the success of our own interlocking floor product ‘PlasFloor’ by bringing a new home and garden range to market.

“Investment is a big thing for us at the moment. We must explore ways we can be more productive and efficient to help us offset rising energy prices and ensure we deliver competitive products to our global customer base.”

Barkley Plastics, which is a founding member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network, has one of the largest toolmaking facilities in the UK, producing high precision tools capable of delivering 50 million mouldings for distribution domestically and throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

Employing 100 people at its Highgate factory, it can support its expanding client base with initial design and product development, right through to manufacture and assembly, with over 40 modern moulding presses – ranging from 5 to 650 tonne – able to produce the most intricate of components.

The latest investment, which has been supported by WMG and the Made Smarter Programme, has seen the firm purchase six-axis collaborative robots that can work alongside an operator.

This will help improve efficiency and allows the company to utilise staff elsewhere on the production line.

Steve Smith, Operations Director, went on to add: “The focus is undoubtedly on strengthening our automotive partnerships, whilst at the same time using our two-shot moulding, injection moulding and toolmaking expertise to win complementary work in new markets.

“We’ve already had some significant success with this approach, with fire safety products exported to Eastern Europe and a new tooling project to help develop EV/Battery technology for agricultural and off-road vehicles. There’s even a project we’re doing to supply products for underwater boat lighting.”

He concluded: “I think that highlights our engineering knowledge and the vast range of manufacturing capability we can offer. That’s something we’ve got to leverage going forward.”

Barkley Plastics is a member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), a group of seven sub-contract manufacturers and a specialist engineering design agency.

Employing more than 1700 people across 12 different factories, MAN can offer every engineering discipline imaginable, including aluminium casting, automation and control systems, forging, plastic injection moulding, precision machining, high-volume pressing, tube manipulation and welded assemblies.

In addition to Barkley Plastics, its membership includes Alucast, Brandauer, Grove Design, James Lister & Sons, Kimbermills International, PP Control & Automation and Muller Holdings.

Health & Safety, Midlands News, News

SLT’s Double Health & Safety Accolade Yet Again

Sandwell Leisure Trust (SLT) has once more been awarded the highest possible accolade in the internationally-renowned Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) 2022 Health and Safety Awards.

The Black Country-based charity – which still runs nine leisure facilities for Sandwell Council across the borough – has landed the coveted Order of Distinction (for 16 consecutive annual Gold Awards) and is the only Leisure Trust nationwide to ever achieve this distinction.

Gold Awards are awarded for superior health and safety performance and excellence among companies that primarily offer services direct to guests and visitors – and this latest and 16th continuous accolade is for the period of January 01, 2021, to December 31, 2021.

Lynda Bateman, Chair of The Trust’s Board, says: “The RoSPA Award is the most highly-respected health and safety accolade globally, so we’re extremely honoured again to be recognised as a world-leader in health and safety practice.

“SLT was initially the first Leisure Trust to achieve the RoSPA Gold Award – and also the President’s Award for 12 successive Golds – but to retain the award over 16 consecutive years and be the first Leisure Trust awarded the Order of Distinction, really does demonstrate the consistent high standards achieved by all staff at all the Trust’s facilities.

“Once again we thank and congratulate our teams that continue to work extra hard to monitor and maintain such a safe standard of services for all in Sandwell – especially in these most challenging of circumstances – to have safe and proper practices in place and also provide a COVID-secure environment for staff, customers and visitors across all our sites.”

The RoSPA Awards not only focus on commitment to accident and ill-health prevention, but occupational health and safety management systems, including practices like leadership and workforce involvement. It received over 2,000 entries from organisations around the world this year, reaching 7million+ employees, and is also the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK – recognising the best of the best and organisations that have gone the extra mile, raising the bar for the delivery of safety in the workplace.

Midlands News, News

Free support from CREST to help drive green revolution

Pioneering Shropshire businesses looking to help drive the county’s green revolution were today urged to take advantage of free research and testing.

Experts at the Centre for Research into Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) – based at University Centre Shrewsbury – can provide research and innovation support to SMEs across the county working on green and sustainable innovations.

Marches Local Enterprise Partnership small business champion Dave Courteen said the scheme could play a vital part in helping the drive to Net Zero – as well as offering crucial help to establish new businesses and products.

“This is an excellent example of the support that the Marches LEP and its business support service, the Marches Growth Hub, can help businesses access,” said Dave.

“Part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, CREST is set up to help bring new environmentally-responsible businesses, products, processes or services to market by offering free research and testing support during the development process.

“It is available to businesses in both Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to help develop and test innovative developments which relate to the Environmental Science and Technology sector.”

Examples of businesses which have benefitted from CREST support include:

Caradoc Charcoal: The Leebotwood-based company wanted to make commercial use of sawdust and biochar produced as a by-product of its charcoal production to reduce waste. CREST completed detailed research and the company is now selling biochar as a soil improver whilst further trials are continuing to explore if the addition of biochar has an impact on milk yield/quality and cow/calf health.

Longmynd Travel: CREST academic experts completed research into alternative fuels and their suitability to be used either alongside or as a replacement for a standard diesel combustion engine. This included the likely costs associated with the switch over to these alternative fuels. They completed further research on emerging policy and infrastructure projects related to refuelling, which will be relevant to coach transport.

 Shrewsbury Cup: The founders of Shrewsbury Cup, Sophie Peach and Alison Thomas, wanted to help reduce the amount of cups thrown away every day and came up with the idea of a reusable coffee cup available at point of sale on a £1 deposit return basis. CREST supported with market research to analyse consumer behaviour patterns, and pitch development for Shrewsbury BID.

Project manager Kat Bevan said: “Our work has demonstrated the huge number of SMEs located in the region who are doing fantastic things in the drive to Net Zero. People have come to us with just the outline of an idea, and we have worked with them to advise how they could turn it into a commodity.

“Alternatively, businesses already have a product and we have helped develop it or introduced them to useful contacts at our professional and business networks. We are partnered with the ARLI project at University of Birmingham, which allows us to further our offer – they conduct research into reusing waste streams and alternative raw materials; really useful for the manufacturing industry.”

Marches LEP chief executive Rachel Laver added: “The success of these businesses, and many others which CREST has helped support, shows the value that their experts can bring.

“I would urge any business working to help develop green and environmentally-friendly products or processes to contact the Marches Growth Hub to see how they can help them tap into this excellent support.”

The fully-funded support includes research collaborations, bringing products to market, feasibility and testing, lab facilities on site, masterclasses and workshops.

It can include initial short term business support, support from Crest’s business development managers, access to a team of academic experts and state-of-the-art laboratory and opportunities to involve students in research projects.

For more information visit https://www.marchesgrowthhub.co.uk/support/3511/

Midlands News, News

Home purchase secures future care of elderly in Shropshire town

The provision of long-term care for elderly people in a Shropshire market town has been secured after a leading county provider completed on the purchase of one of its long running sites.

Coverage Care Services has operated as a tenant of The Cottage Christian home on Granville Road in Newport for the last 10 years.

However, at the end of last year, the organisation’s board of directors agreed to purchase the building from the landlord to ensure both continuity of care and save costs.

Debbie Price, Chief Executive of the not-for-profit care company, said: “We’re delighted that our purchase of The Cottage Christian home is now complete.

“It’s terrific news for Coverage Care Services and couldn’t have come at a better time as we are also celebrating delivering a decade of care within the local Newport community.

“This purchase not only means that we can continue to provide top quality care for years to come for people who want to remain in the town, it also means we have greater control over how we can improve and enhance the building and overall living environment for our residents now and in the future.

“Moving forward, we have already planned for some general maintenance work to be carried out as well as some internal decoration and we look forward to this work taking place.”

Coverage Care Services is the county’s largest independent care provider, operating 12 homes of various sizes across multiple locations.

This latest purchase means the organisation now owns several of the sites from which it operates including Montgomery House in Shrewsbury, New Fairholme in Oswestry, Greenfields in Whitchurch, Innage Grange in Bridgnorth and Lightmoor View near Ironbridge.

The 40-bed home in Newport offers general nursing care as well as specialist packages for people requiring palliative and respite care.

It is managed by Julie Stevenson, who, alongside staff, has worked hard to ensure the home has an active role in the community.

Julie said: “We have a tremendous team of caring, hardworking professionals at The Cottage Christian and every one of us is proud of the work we do and care we provide.

“Since taking over from the previous operators just over 10 years ago, the organisation has been determined to establish positive links with the local community, businesses and health providers and we are thrilled that this purchase means we can continue with those partnerships and deliver the level of care that we have become recognised for locally for many more years to come.

“We will be having a few mini celebrations at the home over the next few weeks and we look forward to continuing our work within the Newport community.”

 

Midlands News, News, Sustainability

Wolverhampton manufacturer Rothley makes sustainability promise

Interior accessories manufacturer Rothley is continuing its ongoing commitment to a sustainable and ethical process of manufacturing and production, promising all new products to be chrome-free and in recyclable packaging.

This year, Rothley has launched its new antibacterial handrail and utensil rail kits, both of which adhere to the new company guidelines.

Industry professionals will have the chance to see and test the new antibacterial handrails at the National Merchant Buying Society (NMBS) show taking place on 6th and 7th of April at the Coventry Building Society Arena. Rothley will have four stands at the trade show, known to be UK’s leading exhibition for independent builders, hardware, timbre, roofing, plumbing and heating.

Other products by Rothley will also be exhibited, including tube and fittings, profiles, handrail kits and twin slot shelving.

The antibacterial rail and utensil rail kits are available now and merchants can register interest in stocking the product at the show or through the Rothley website.

Simon Cox, sales and marketing manager at Rothley, comments: “All our new products by Rothley will be chrome-free and sent in recyclable packaging, with some packaging made from recycled materials – meaning that consumers can make sustainable DIY choices without compromising on choice or quality.

“Our team is looking forward to meeting trade professionals at the show and sharing with them a first look at the new kits, as well as information on some of our existing products. NMBS members will also be able to get an exclusive discount on the day of the show.”

George Boyd has been the first UK store to stock the environmentally friendly kits, and consumers can purchase them online now.

Dario Capaldi, digital marketing manager at George Boyd, says: “For over 170 years George Boyd has built a reputation for providing traditional ironmongery with exceptional design and reliable quality. By partnering with Rothley, we saw this as a fantastic opportunity to not only stay true to these principles, but also add a new layer of decorative style that will appeal to the ever changing needs of our customers.”

If you are a UK based trade customer you can order Rothley products from www.rothley.com.

Accounts and Accountancy, Midlands News, News

Shrewsbury accountancy firm relocates following sustained growth

DRE & Co Ltd, the chartered accountancy and taxation firm established in 1957 with offices across Shropshire and Mid-Wales, has announced the successful relocation of its Shrewsbury base as it seeks to capitalise on its continued growth.

Located, since 1994, in a five-storey townhouse on Claremont Bank in the town centre, DRE & Co’s Shrewsbury team has a client-base that spans individuals, partnerships, LLPs, companies, charities and trusts across a wide range of business sectors.  The firm has enjoyed year-on-year growth, but the senior team became increasingly aware of the limitations that the layout and location of its existing premises presented.

Kieran Pinches, a senior member of DRE & Co’s Shrewsbury team, comments:

“Over the past 28 years, we have welcomed countless businesses and individuals through the doors of our Claremont Bank offices and seen many of these to go on to achieve quite remarkable things. 

“However, there have been many changes in that amount of time, and we became aware of the need to find a more appropriate home to meet the needs of our Shrewsbury client base both today and as we continue to grow.”

Following investment in Kingsland House in the Abbey Foregate area of the town, a comprehensive refurbishment programme was undertaken, and DRE & Co’s Shrewsbury team officially moved in earlier this month.

A Grade II listed building arranged over four floors, Kingsland House offers flexible accommodation which is 40% larger than the firm’s previous Shrewsbury base and which, significantly, offers on-site parking.  Kieran continues:

“The last two years have highlighted to many the importance of trusted business advisers working alongside them both in respect of their personal affairs and at all stages of their business lifecycle.  We take this role very seriously and take great pride in the work we do for our clients. 

“We’ve made a significant investment in the IT infrastructure at Kingsland House so that the building is future proofed as far as possible.  Likewise, we continue to invest in our team which has grown consistently since day one.  The move to larger offices will enable this to continue, supporting the ongoing development of talented young professionals who serve our much valued and varied client base.”

Midlands News, News

Clean Air Power appoints Ian Borley as advisor

Leicestershire-based sustainability specialist, Clean Air Power, has appointed Ian Borley DL as an advisor.
Ian is an award-winning business consultant who specialises in change management. He was previously at KPMG in the East Midlands for over 20 years, working his way up to senior partner and leading their Midlands Enterprise practice. Since retiring from KPMG in 2020, Ian has been running his own consultancy practice and he is also a non-executive director of the National Space Centre.
Clean Air Power is helping deliver the transition from fossil fuels to decarbonised transport with net zero emissions. Founded in 1991, the company provides technology and systems that improve performance and reduce the impact of public and private transport on the environment. Its clients include Volvo, DHL and Mercedes.
Ian said: “It is clear that we need to find alternative sources of power that do less damage to the environment, but which are still practical and cost-effective to the end user. To my mind, hydrogen is a great alternative to fossil fuels – particularly in industrial applications where electricity is just not a viable option. So, I’m delighted to be joining the team at Clean Air Power, who are doing a tremendous job of bringing to market proven technologies that make hydrogen engines work.”
Dan Skelton, CEO of Clean Air Power, said: “We’re delighted Ian is joining us, as his wealth of knowledge and expertise will be vital in supporting this period of our expansion.
“Net Zero Carbon is high on the agenda both locally and further afield, so now is the ideal time to further raise our profile and make clear the benefits of hydrogen power in helping remove fossil fuels from sectors such as automotive, rail, marine and construction. This includes supplying our hydrogen technology to overcome some of the major barriers currently blocking quick implementation of these zero emission fuels.
“We’re looking forward to working with Ian to help accelerate decarbonisation and the move to zero emission power. The need to tackle the impact of fossil fuels has never been more important than it is now.”
Ian was a member of the CBI’s East Midlands Regional Council, was Chair of Leicestershire Business Voice, and has served on the boards of the National Forest Charitable Trust and the Richard III Visitor Centre.
He has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by De Montfort University and was formerly Leicestershire’s ‘Non-Executive Director of the Year’. He was commissioned as Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire earlier this year.
Midlands News, News

Eyes on the sky: East Leake pupils benefit from donation of bird watching kits

Pupils at a primary school in East Leake are furthering their efforts to observe and help local birds, thanks to a donation from a local housing developer.

Leading housebuilder David Wilson Homes – which is building a range of properties at The Skylarks in the village – has donated £200 worth of bird watching kits to Brookside Primary School, to enable schoolchildren to continue their birdwatching efforts as spring approaches.

The bird watching kits donated by the housebuilder contained sets of mini binoculars, bird feeders and bird food.

The RSPB’s Big Schools’ Birdwatch, which took place throughout January and February, enabled schools to take part in a countrywide project to monitor birds in their local areas.

Brookside Primary School took part in the event, which helped to educate children about local birds and inspire pupils to celebrate the species that regularly flock to their gardens.

Gary Kenny, Headteacher at Brookside Primary School, said: “The donation of bird watching kits and feed has been welcomed here at Brookside School. Our children have enthusiastically watched the bird species visit the feeding stations and learned about the types of birds they share their locality with. Thank you to David Wilson Homes for the kind donation.’’

Rachael Harrison, Sales Director at David Wilson Homes East Midlands, said: “To thank Brookside Primary School pupils for their impeccable efforts during the Big Schools’ Birdwatch, we wanted to pass on our kits which we hope will help attract more birds to their school’s grounds.

“We hope our donation will benefit the school’s birdwatchers and provide a more eco-friendly environment, providing local birds with greater access to vital resources.”

For more information on the properties David Wilson Homes is building at The Skylarks, visit https://www.dwh.co.uk/new-homes/dev001010-the-skylarks/ or call the sales team on 033 3355 8483.

Midlands News, News

Room Shield seals Ezisan deal and new Board Advisor appointment

A major high-profile appointment is set to help a Midlands hygiene specialist realise a £multi-million opportunity for its revolutionary sanitising solution.

Room Shield, which was formed by entrepreneurs John Donnelly and Kevin Parr, has attracted Hamish Taylor as a Board Advisor to help it build a clear marketing story for its Surface Shield HOCL (hypochlorous acid) products and to broker new relationships in key sectors.

The former Procter & Gamble specialist, head of brands at British Airways and CEO of Eurostar UK Group will bring his vast experience of building customer-centric journeys and creating a compelling narrative to educate the marketplace on the benefits of the solution, which is cleaner, safer and faster than existing offers.

He has already used his corporate background and consultancy career to introduce the firm to several blue-chip clients that might be able to benefit.

The appointment comes just a few weeks after Room Shield signed a strategic partnership with Ezisan to use Surface Shield in all the company’s nano fog dispensers.

“I have to be really excited about an innovation or product and John and Kevin definitely sold a compelling story about their venture and the massive potential it has,” explained Hamish, who has delivered presentations to hundreds of corporates in 43 different countries.

“HOCL is a water-based hypochlorous disinfectant formula that kills 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.99% of viruses and can be used in all environments, including bars, food preparation areas, restaurants, gyms, hotels, transport, schools and workplaces.”

He continued: “What Room Shield has done successfully is found a way of bringing a fully accessible range of products to the general public, and this unique market position is something we plan to capitalise on with distributors and strategic partnerships like the Ezisan deal.

“My main role will be to use all my experience with building brands to find a way where we can place the customer at the centre of the Surface Shield story. This is going very well and something we will look to ramp up in the coming months.”

By increasing the shelf life of its HOCL formula, Room Shield has made the sanitising solution accessible to all and there is no safer and more effective product currently available.

Approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it will protect against bacteria and viruses and, importantly, will help prevent the dermatological issues that can arise from using too much hand sanitiser that has alcohol or sensitising chemicals present.

The strategic deal with Ezisan is a major breakthrough and will see Surface Shield used in all of its nano fog dispensers that are already being used at events, in hotels and places of work, including at the BBC in London.

“The aesthetically pleasing unit is an easy-to-use, no touch solution that can sanitise a person’s hands, mobile phones, hotel key and credit cards in seconds,” added Kevin Parr, co-founder of Room Shield.

“Ezisan has exclusively agreed to use our HOCL formula in all of its dispensers, predominantly due to its cleaning performance and the fact it leaves no residue or liquid behind. It’s also very cost effective, with 1.5 litres of our solution able to sanitise up to 10,000 people.”

Rob Searle, Director of Ezisan, added his support: “When we researched the performance of the various solutions available, Surface Shield was identified as the fastest, safest, and most effective product available.

“Our orb units are design and manufactured in the UK, so it’s great to be able to have a fellow UK company as our exclusive partner on the project. There’s lots of interest in our system, which automatically activates, can be desk or floor mounted and ensures no drips or splashes that you sometimes get with gels/liquids.”

Kevin concluded: “2022 has got off to a great start, with the Ezisan deal and Hamish Taylor joining us a board advisor, which is a real coup for us.

“We’ve got first market advantage and there is nobody better to help us create a compelling customer story that will help drive demand for Surface Shield both in the short and long-term.

“There’s a £multi-million opportunity out there, but we need to educate, educate and educate. If we get this right, growth is exponential and will result in many new UK jobs.”