Category Archives: North of England

Food & Drink, News, North of England

Top Sheffield chefs give tips on cooking the perfect Christmas dinner

It’s not long until families across the region will be coming together and sitting down to enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner. With many seeing it as the most important meal of the year, it can be a stressful time, which is why two head chefs at Sheffield’s Leopold Square restaurants have issued their top tips for cooking a tip top festive meal.

Both Adam Salim, Head Chef at Leopold Hotel, and Sanjeev Biswakarma, Head Chef at The Botanist, said planning and preparation are the most important aspects so those tasked with the cooking don’t spend all day in the kitchen.

Start with the turkey

With turkey being the most popular choice, Chef Biswakarma has advice to get it right:

“No Christmas is complete without a well-prepared roast turkey and, to achieve that, ensure you choose the right size for your oven – even if you’re serving a different meat, this is still something to consider. As turkey is very dry, to keep it moist and make it a lot tastier, pre-marinate it overnight, then baste with the marinade during roasting.”

Everything has its place

“I find working in a large hotel kitchen means you have lots of everything, whereas at home you don’t, so my top tip is to draw up a hob plan of where the trimmings will be cooked,” said Chef Salim. He added:

“This allows you to know exactly where each pot and pan is going. I find it easier to put a strategy in place with, for example, the carrots at the back, as you can afford to take your eyes off them while they boil, whereas you want to keep the gravy at the front so you can regularly stir it.”

Use the right tools

Chef Biswakarma added:

“Christmas is all about organising and pre-planning. The key is to have the right equipment and utensils for the right dishes. It saves a lot of time and helps to cook dishes perfectly.”
Help out the washer-upper

The last thing you want to be doing after enjoying a wonderful Christmas meal is to spend time washing-up, so Chef Salim suggests using disposable and recyclable trays. He commented:

“At home we don’t have the infamous ‘pot washer’ unlike at Leopold Hotel, so I strongly recommend using disposable foil tins for cooking your turkey and all your trimmings. There won’t be any difference in flavour, but it really will save on the washing up; you want to be cutting as many corners as you can to ensure whoever cooks gets to enjoy the festivities of the day.”

Charity & CSR, Community News, Environment, North of England

Yorkshire-based safety company partners with local community groups to support flood clean-up efforts

Following the recent floods across South Yorkshire, which have cost many their homes and businesses, the UK’s leading safety company, Arco, has stepped in to help in the worst-affected areas, working with local groups and donating protective equipment and flood clean-up kits.

Doncaster Young Farmers mobilised 100 of its members to undertake clean-up operations in Fishlake Village. To keep the team safe, and to assist with the clean-up, Arco donated flood kits and equipment including: Tyvec coveralls, respiratory masks, hard hats, safety glasses, wellies, gloves, mops and buckets, shovels, squeegees and disinfectant. Arco also provided tea, coffee, sugar and paper cups to the team helping them keep going during the clean-up.

In addition to this the local Arco retail store manager in Doncaster, Simon Walshe, quickly identified where Arco could be of help and approached local flood donation centres to see what was needed. Donations of essential kit have been given to St Peter’s Church Community Group (Bentley) and Stainforth Town Hall (Fishlake).

David Evison, managing director at Arco, said,

“As a business with long-standing roots in Yorkshire and a leading safety company, we recognise how severely the floods have impacted many communities and wanted to help those affected.

“Our team’s expertise enabled us to quickly identify the critical issues and best solutions, boost stock of essential equipment and get it delivered to those who needed it.

“As flooding looks set to continue we advise everyone to be prepared, be aware and take action. This time of year is risky for both the public and businesses, as the winter weather takes its toll. We want to ensure our customers are prepared and safe and we can provide expert advice and a comprehensive range of solutions to improve safety whatever the weather.”

Arco, the UK’s leading health and safety expert, has recently launched a campaign to enable businesses and services to deal with extreme winter weather, so they can keep workplaces both safe and open throughout periods of extreme temperatures, heavy snow/rainfall and icy conditions.

To offer further assistance, the safety expert also has a number of advice sheets available online for businesses to download, to aid in the planning, preparation and clean-up of extreme winter weather events including flooding.

Charity & CSR, Health and Safety, North of England

Arco raises over £175,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support

Following a week-long programme of fundraising activities to support Macmillan’s ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’, Hull-based safety specialist Arco, raised over £11,192 for Macmillan Cancer Support, lifting the total amount Arco has raised to £179,505 in the 14 years the company has supported the coffee morning initiative.

This year’s fundraising kicked off with a visit from Becky Read, the Regional Fundraising Manager for Macmillan, to provide an overview of the work Macmillan does and how the money is spent.

Arco employees from across its numerous office sites and retail stores decorated workspaces and undertook a variety of fundraising activities such as: department coffee mornings with coffee and cake, playing fun interactive games, undertaking fitness classes and competing in pool tournaments.

The cake decorating challenge, saw contestants having just 10-minutes to create their best safety themed cupcake design before being judged by Pipe & Glass Michelin star chef, James Mackenzie.

To conclude the week, Arco held a company-wide ‘Wear it Green Day’ and ran its famous raffle. With huge company engagement and ticket sales, Arco is delighted with the continued support from its suppliers who always support the raffle by generously donating a variety of highly desirable prizes.

Coordinating the busy week of activities, Karen Narey, Campaign Manager for Arco said,

“We have supported Macmillan for the past 14 years and our colleagues across the country always get involved to raise money for this excellent cause. This year’s total of £11,192 is a real collective effort and I would like to thank everyone at Arco for getting involved.”

Further information about Arco, visit www.arco.co.uk.

North of England, Sport

Everton FC Launches New Fan Rewards Programme

Everton Football Club has launched a fan rewards and loyalty programme in conjunction with Rewards4Football, operated by the UK’s market-leader for sports-based rewards platforms, Rewards4.

The club has worked in collaboration with Rewards4 and its ticketing provider, SecuTix, to create an integrated and tailored loyalty programme which will reward Everton supporters when they purchase their Season Tickets, match tickets and official club memberships.

Tom Cowgill, Director and Co-Founder of Rewards4, said:

“Rewards4Football is the latest addition to our offering, and it is fantastic to be working with one of the biggest clubs in English football.

“Rewarding fans for their passion and loyalty has proved to be a compelling concept in all our sports-based rewards programmes, especially when it can be achieved so seamlessly with one of our exceptional integration partners, SecuTix.

“We pride ourselves on being able to deliver the best possible fan experience and working in partnership with SecuTix has enabled us to provide a fantastic platform for Everton to engage with and reward its loyal fanbase.”

Everton implemented its global SaaS ticketing and audience management platform from SecuTix in 2018, which has simplified the purchasing process and enhanced the experience for fans through the introduction of new technologies and integrations with best-in-class partners such as Rewards4.

David Hornby, SecuTix UK Managing Director, said:

“We’re thrilled to be able to deliver the integration of a programme such as Rewards4Football for Everton FC.

“The simplicity of this integration highlights the agility of the SecuTix platform, which is designed to link up with market-leading third-party providers so we can continually improve the fan experience and offer value on every purchase.”

The move sees Everton become the first Premier League team to partner with Rewards4Football, as the club continues to explore innovative ways to reward supporters for their loyalty.

They will be joining a number of other sports clubs and organisations, including fellow SecuTix clients Lancashire County Cricket Club and Saracens, who are all benefitting from Rewards4 programmes across different sports, with over two million members now making great savings.

As well as being able to collect points on their purchases with the club, Everton supporters will also be able to spend their points with Everton at the check-out stage as part or full payment, courtesy of the integration with the SecuTix platform.

Richard Kenyon, Director of Marketing, Communications and Community at Everton Football Club, said:

“We are continually looking for ways to reward the commitment of our loyal supporters and creating a rewards platform for our fans is something we’ve been working towards for some time”

“The opportunity to make savings on ticket purchases and membership packages will be fantastic for our fans and it made perfect sense to work with an award-winning platform for fan engagement, particularly one that is seamlessly integrated with our ticketing platform, SecuTix.

“We hope to be expanding the redemption offering in the near future to include Everton retail merchandise too.”

The programme will be FREE for all Everton supporters to use and enjoy, by signing up directly on the Rewards4Football website.

Diversity, HR News, North of England

Manchester Pride Partners With Local National & Regional Organisations To Beta Test New Standard For Equality & Inclusion

A number of national retailers, public sector services, local businesses and education institutions are coming together with LGBT+ charity Manchester Pride to put inclusion and equality at the forefront of their organisations.

This list, which is made up of organisations that will be the very first to beta test the charity’s new All Equals Charter, includes Manchester Metropolitan University, Enterprise Rent-a-Car Greater Manchester, Auto Trader UK, UKFast, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside Council and Tameside & Glossop CCG.

National statistics show that ⅓ of LGBT+ employees have hidden their LGBT+ status at work for fear of discrimination and research carried out by the charity over the past year has revealed that over 40% of LGBT+ people in Manchester have faced discrimination so Manchester Pride has launched an initiative to enable organisations to combat these figures by creating inclusive environments for LGBT+ people to thrive within.

The charity has produced the All Equals Charter to help create a consistent approach to diversity and inclusion across the region. It will help businesses and organisations to understand how to recognise and challenge any form of discrimination through the provision of a thought-through support system guiding them to achieve a truly diverse, inclusive and equal workplace.

The charity’s rigorous consultation process has left it to recognise the diversity and multitude of experiences within LGBT+ communities and that some LGBT+ people face discrimination and inequality based on characteristics additional to their gender identity and sexuality. The All Equals Charter has a keen focus on intersectionality to ensure that it tackles all forms of discrimination in the workplace.

Mark Fletcher, chief executive for Manchester Pride, said:

“We believe that everyone deserves their whole selves to be accepted without exception.

“During our initial research period, we discovered that LGBT+ people in Greater Manchester are experiencing alarming levels of discrimination against other protected characteristics in addition to their sexual orientation in spaces deemed to be safe for LGBT+ people.

“We wanted to do something about it.

“In developing what has now become The All Equals Charter we have created a platform for us to work with businesses and organisations across Greater Manchester to take a look at everything from their procedures and policies relating to discrimination to the training and education offered to their workforces to create the optimum environment for LGBT+ people to thrive, whether this be at work or at play.”

Discrimination is seen to have an extremely negative impact on the mental health of an individual. Research has shown that LGBT+ people are significantly more likely to have experienced a mental health condition and of those surveyed 72% reported having had mental health problems as a result of work.

Whilst the All Equals Charter is focused on improving the health and quality of life of LGBT+ individuals, research has also proven that organisations with strong “diversity climates” (i.e., inclusive work cultures characterised by openness toward others and appreciation of individual differences) are likely to have teams with increased job satisfaction and knowledge sharing resulting in higher levels of productivity and an increase in profitability.

In fact more diverse teams tend to be more innovative, with studies showing that when employees see their organisation is committed to supporting diversity there’s an 83% increase in their ability to innovate.

Manchester Pride is working with a number of local, national and regional businesses and organisations to be the first to test the charter and its processes.

Helen Robinson, D&I and community engagement manager from Auto Trader UK said;

“Auto Trader is proud to partner with Manchester Pride. We believe

“Diversity and Inclusion is at the core of creating an excellent culture within the workplace and have worked hard ourselves to create the culture we have today. We are excited to join Manchester Pride’s new ‘All Equals Charter’ and collaborate with organisations and members across Greater Manchester for the benefit of our colleagues, our customers and our communities.”

Stuart McKenna, equality and diversity manager, human resources & organisational development directorate, Manchester Metropolitan University said:

“At Manchester Metropolitan University, we are absolutely delighted to be involved in the development of the Manchester Pride All Equals Chartermark.

The University has a longstanding and positive partnership with Manchester Pride, through our annual support for the Manchester Pride parade, and throughout the year with our support of Superbia, Pride’s year-round calendar of cultural events.

We are particularly excited about the proposed intersectional principles of the charter which seek to tackle all forms of discrimination and inequality faced by LGBT+ people in Greater Manchester.

We hope that our involvement with the Charter will help the University build on some exciting work we have already undertaken and allow us to showcase some of this work and share some of our good practice with other charter participants.”

UKFast’s managing director Gail Jones said:

“To hear that a third of LGBT+ people have hidden their status at work out of fear of discrimination is hugely disappointing. Our team has developed a strong relationship with Manchester Pride, supporting the launch of the Charter at UKFast Campus and proudly showing our colours at the parade every year.

“We’re delighted to continue to work alongside Manchester Pride and promote LGBT+ equality.”

Those who sign up will be given access to a members’ area of the charter website where they will have access to a digital toolkit to guide them through the process.

They will be asked to complete a self-assessment which will explore the organisation’s policy position and procedures for dealing with discrimination, recruitment and staff training. It will consider if these policies and procedures are adequately communicated to assist employees and promote a feeling of security amongst the workforce that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.

The next step will be for the Manchester Pride team to conduct a ‘Health Check’ for the organisation and provide feedback and suggestions for an action plan. The plan may advise on the creation of policy and procedure or for those with existing policies it may focus on how to record data about incidents that occur and the importance of sharing it with relevant agencies.

This will culminate in a full Assurance Review to receive accreditation. The whole process should take approximately 10 – 12 weeks for an organisation to complete.

Mark continues;

“We are carrying out beta testing of the All Equals Charter to ensure that we have a robust, comprehensive and workable process for all industries, sectors and sizes of business. I am keen to see how the years of research will translate into real change within the organisations who sign up.

“The businesses that have chosen to beta test with us are already committed to inclusion and equality so they will be well placed to work closely with us to refine the process so that it is best in class. Throughout the process we will be encouraging businesses to share experiences and take learnings from each other to promote a best practice and consistent approach to diversity and inclusion across the city.

“As a charity that works tirelessly to promote and raise awareness for LGBT+ issues and the fight for equality across the city this is a very exciting time for us.”

Following the beta testing period the All Equals Charter will launch in early 2020 and will be open to any business or organisation operating within the region.

The All Equals Charter is a Manchester Pride initiative and any profits from the charter will be reinvested into the Manchester Pride Fund to support and enhance the lives of LGBT+ communities.

To find out more visit www.charter.manchesterpride.com or call Manchester Pride on 0161 831 7700 or email charter@manchesterpride.com.

image source: The Independent

Brexit, Business Software, EU, North of England

‘UK Businesses would not have been ready for Brexit’, reveals survey

As the original deadline for Brexit passes today, new research from global software consultancy Thoughtworks reveals that almost two in three businesses would not have been ready.

The research reveals that almost two in three UK businesses (63%) admitted they would not be ready for Brexit by 31 October.  26% of businesses said they need a further 6-12 months to get their company Brexit-ready – it seems that the EU extension will therefore come as good news.

The national survey asked 1,026 business leaders how long it would take their business to adapt to the key regulatory, economic and data issues that will come as a result of Brexit.

There was little variation between a hard or soft Brexit on business readiness (37% for both scenarios). Only 14% of business said they were already fully prepared for Brexit –  and whilst this rises to 37% being ready by 31 October – the majority are calling for more time, with 9% of respondents saying they will never be ready.

The ThoughtWorks study also explored business sentiment across UK cities. Whilst London is seen to be at the centre of Brexit debate, it was firms in Leeds and Birmingham that were most likely to be fully prepared for the key impacts of Brexit (for both a deal and no deal scenario).

In Manchester, business leaders were most likely to say they needed an additional 6-12 months to be ready for the impact of Brexit on their company (39%).  Some were calling for even more time – around a quarter of businesses in the Newcastle said they needed until 2021 to be ready (23%) – and some businesses in Liverpool needed five years (13%). Looking at the regional picture, businesses in Scotland and the north were least likely to be prepared for Brexit on 31 October.

How long businesses need to adapt to the key regulatory, economic and data issues that will come as a result of Brexit

Already prepared 14%
By 31 October 23%
3 months 16%
6 months 13%
12 months 13%
2 years 6%
5 years 4%
10 years 1%
Never be ready 9%

How long businesses need to adapt to the key regulatory, economic and data issues that will come as a result of Brexit: Percentage of business that are ready now or will be by 31 October – by city.

  In event of a no deal Brexit In event of a deal Brexit
Leeds 57% 46%
Birmingham 47% 41%
Bristol 40% 29%
Cardiff 38% 33%
Nottingham 36% 34%
London 36% 32%
Glasgow 33% 36%
Edinburgh 31% 31%
Manchester 30% 33%
Liverpool 29% 29%
Newcastle 28% 22%

Brexit readiness by sector

Businesses in the construction sector were those most likely to say they would be ready for the impact of Brexit by the end of October – whereas those in manufacturing and the education sectors were least likely to be fully prepared. Businesses in retail (31%), health (29%) manufacturing (29%) were most likely to say they would need a further 6-12 months to adapt to the key regulatory, economic and data issues that they believe will come as a result of Brexit.

How long businesses need to adapt to the key regulatory, economic and data issues that will come as a result of Brexit: Percentage of business that are ready now or will be by 31 October – by sector.

  In event of a hard Brexit In event of a deal Brexit
Construction 41% 38%
Tech & Media 40% 40%
Health 39% 34%
Retail 35% 36%
Finance 35% 39%
Public Sector 33% 34%
Manufacturing 30% 30%
Education 29% 35%
Professional services 27% 20%

Brexit readiness by business size

The ThoughtWorks research also found that the size of a business also had a bearing on its perceived readiness for Brexit. Nearly a quarter of small  businesses (23%) said they were prepared for the upcoming deadline compared to just (7%) of larger companies[1].

Kevin Flynn, Director at ThoughtWorks UK commented:

“After a period of unprecedented economic and political uncertainty, we asked businesses around the UK how prepared  they were for the key regulatory, economic and data issues  they believed will result from Brexit. It is a concern that the majority of businesses surveyed  say they do not feel they are ready, and this changes little for the deal or no deal Brexit scenarios.

“In the weeks ahead, we will look more closely at how businesses plan to adapt to the new post-Brexit era. Supply chain disruption, employment of EU citizens, the falling value of the Pound and transfer of data between the UK and EU are key issues cited today as challenges for businesses. There will no doubt  be opportunities from market uncertainty and we expect to see the tech gap widen, as tech-centric agile businesses adapt quickly whilst those whose technology holds them back will likely fall behind or struggle to survive.”

For more information visit: www.thoughtworks.com

Environment, North of England, Transport

Warrens Group announces major investment in new biofuel powered fleet

Leading waste recycling and sustainability firm, Warrens Group has announced that it has updated the company’s fleet with four new vehicles that run on biofuel.

The Newton Aycliffe-based business, which is committed to converting all of its distribution operations to fossil-free sources by 2025, has taken delivery of trucks that rely on biomethane gas and generate 84% percent less carbon dioxide than diesel.

The vehicles make Warrens the first food waste recycling company in the UK to power its HGV waste collection vehicles with biogas converted directly from its own food waste customers.

Warrens Group director Antony Warren, said:

“As a company, we pride ourselves on our forward-thinking, we’ve always been early adopters of the latest technology and methods. We took delivery of our first bio-fuelled vehicle in September last year and had always planned to add more.”

The new biomethane powered trucks will be in operation six days a week, with refuelling carried out on site at the Newton Aycliffe facility. They will collect food waste from existing customers including pubs, restaurants, schools and supermarkets across the North East.

Adam Warren, director of Warrens Group, said:

“We firmly believe that a sustainable business is a better business. Sustainability is something we advocate to all organisations and communities, as we support their efforts to address the environmental issues caused by traditional methods of waste disposal. By powering our own fleet on the biogas it collects, we are demonstrating that when it comes to sustainability, we really do practice what we preach.

“We believe that if big business and industry fuelled HGVs on gas made from renewable sources, carbon emissions would be almost eliminated. This development is timely because the adverse effects of poor air quality on human health and climate change are two of the most pressing environmental issues we face today.”

Gas industry expert and managing director of CNG Services, John Baldwin, said:

“The HGVs on the UK roads have a disproportionate environmental impact; whilst they represent only 5% of road vehicles, they consume around 25% of road diesel and are responsible for around 27% of roadside NOx and 18% of transport-related CO2 emissions.

“The acquisition of trucks that are powered by the biomethane gas they help to generate means CO2 emissions are reduced by almost 100% – which could very possibly give Warrens Group the lowest carbon footprint for collection of food waste on the planet.”