Category Archives: North of England

Construction, Construction News, News, North of England

MC Construction completes first phase of multimillion-pound Crewe scheme

A multimillion-pound scheme to transform the civic and cultural quarter of Crewe town centre is under way.

The project involves:

  • Creating a cleared site for a new history centre to co-host Cheshire’s archives;
  • A new pedestrian link between the Lifestyle Centre, Memorial Square and Market Hall connecting into the southern gateway link;
  • A new car park with 31 spaces;
  • A new, two-storey magistrates’ courts entrance;
  • Public realm improvements, including new lighting, paving, seating and planting, bicycle racks, activity space and public art.

Salford-based MC Construction has completed the first phase of the scheme, which involved enabling works to strip out the former library next to Memorial Square where the history centre will be developed, clearing the structure over the existing Civic Centre car park and erecting a temporary entrance to the magistrates’ courts.

MC Construction will begin the next phase in February when it dismantles the former library building and the existing concourse. This phase is expected to be completed by summer 2024.

The works by MC Construction are being undertaken for Cheshire East Council.

Russ Forshaw, managing director of MC Construction, said: “This scheme will transform the civic and cultural quarter of Crewe town centre by providing new and greatly improved facilities for the public.

“Having successfully completed numerous other projects for Cheshire East Council, we are proud to be working with the authority once again and to further strengthen our relationship with this valued client.”

The revamp is being supported by the government’s Towns Fund and Future High Streets Fund.

The history centre, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will co-host the regional’s written and pictorial history collections with a second history centre being built in Hoole, Chester. This scheme has been driven by Cheshire Archives and Local Studies, a shared service of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester councils. The centres will replace the archive service’s current facility and open the collections to new audiences across Cheshire.

The centres will have climate-controlled environments and will feature event and gallery areas to host performances, workshops and exhibitions, more space for people to conduct research and better spaces to make the collections more accessible to the public.

Other professionals involved alongside MC Construction include Bowker Sadler Architecture, Davis Partnership and Wardell Armstrong.

interior design, Interiors, News, North of England

Arighi Bianchi to hold Warehouse Clearance event this Sunday

Macclesfield-based luxury furniture and homewares store, Arighi Bianchi is holding a one-day sale event this Sunday 28th January 2024 offering up to 70% off many designer brands. It’s set to be its biggest clearance event of the year.

The one-off spectacular, which is taking place from 10am to 2pm at the retailer’s Halles Warehouse (Park Road, Macclesfield), will see prices slashed across a wide range of products – from dining sets, sofas, armchairs, bedroom furniture, console tables, home accessories, rugs and lots more. 

Arighi Bianchi is famed for being the North West’s leading interiors destination. Its iconic Silk Road store attracts shoppers from far and wide and is filled with over 25 carefully-curated brands – including Tetrad, Ercol, Cattelan Italia, Stressless, Hypnos, Le Creuset and many more. It is renowned for selling beautiful, modern day classic pieces, with a focus on timelessness and craftsmanship.

“We are giving our store a refresh for 2024 and so we have lots of pieces going into the clearance event as we make way for new stock” says Lucy Mather, Head of Communications at Arighi Bianchi.

“This is a genuine clearance sale, so whatever your style – from contemporary to elegant and traditional – if you have had your eye on any of our pieces in store, then I would urge you to head down to the warehouse clearance to see if you get it at an unbeatable price. It’s set to be our biggest sale of its kind. There is no better opportunity to bag yourself an absolute bargain!

“My advice to shoppers, to get the most of the sale, is to arrive just as we open at 10am on Sunday and have measurements to hand so you can quickly make a decision on big purchases like a sofa or dining table. Maybe have a clear idea on what you want, but be willing to think outside the box and be flexible on things like colours and finishes. We guarantee you won’t be disappointed on the range of products that will be available, and our expert team will be on hand to provide help and advice.”

Lucy adds: ”Don’t forget, our in-store and online sale is also still on with savings of up to 30%. Plus you could head back over to the store after visiting the Warehouse Event to enjoy our newly refurbished café bar and new Caffè AB menu.”

The Arighi Bianchi Warehouse Clearance Event will take place on Sunday 28th January from 10am to 2pm at Halles Warehouse, Park Road, Macclesfield SK11 6TJ. Visit www.arighibianchi.co.uk for more inspiration.

Appointments, Finance and Banking, News, North of England

Unity Trust Bank strengthens Northern team with three new appointments

Unity Trust Bank has announced the appointment of three new Relationship Managers in its North West team, reinforcing the bank’s commitment to supporting its growing customer base in the region.

 Deposits Relationship Manager Dawn Morris will work specifically with new and existing day-to-day banking customers to understand their needs and support their liquidity and investment requirements, while Relationship Managers Philippa Moors and Andy Matley will support and grow a portfolio of customers spanning a broad range of sectors.

All three will work closely alongside long-serving Relationship Managers, Margaret Porter and Neil Cartwright, and Regional Director John Copping, who leads Unity’s North & Scotland team.

Dawn, who has a long and varied career in banking, will be talking to customers about their plans and strategies and raising awareness about the range of products and services available to help them manage their savings and investments.

Commenting on her appointment, Dawn said: “I’d never considered working for an ethical bank before but when I learned how Unity uses finance to help improve the lives of local communities it touched a nerve.

“Unity’s ethos and values are a natural fit for me and I was excited to join the team.

“My role is to nurture and grow our deposits portfolio. By creating competitive savings products for organisations that share our values and want to create a better society, we are able to use that funding to contribute to positive impact across the UK.”

Philippa said: “I’ve worked in banking for many years as a Relationship Manager, but for the last three years, I’ve been looking after my three children. During that time, I set up a small business delivering sustainable groceries to our local area, which gave me an appreciation of how hard customers work running their own business. When it was time for me to come back to banking, I knew the role at Unity was right for me as I want to help businesses continue to thrive.”

Andy added: “I’ve spent the last 15 years working in commercial banking and joining a bank that makes a real difference to local communities across the UK is a great place to be.”

Unity, whose mission is to help create a better society for all, was founded by the trade union movement in 1984 to serve the common good. Celebrating its 40th birthday this year, it reported a record level of lending in its half-year results in 2023 – exceeding £900m for the first time and growing 9% from the previous year.

John Copping, Relationship Director (North) at Unity Trust Bank said: “I am delighted to welcome three new, highly experienced Relationship Mangers to our growing team here in Manchester.

“As we continue to grow our customer base across a range of sectors, it is important to us that we strengthen our regional network to support organisations across the North.”

Awards, News, North of England

Rutland-Based Business Club Announce Entrepreneur of the Year

The Geoffrey Pointon Entrepreneur of the Year Award was Presented Late Last Year

Rutland-based business club “The Biz Club” are delighted to announce the winner of The Geoffrey Pointon Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2023.

Following the very successful Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, The Biz Club recently announced Mark Batty of Lawnscience in Stamford as the winner of this prestigious award.

All of the applicants were judged by some of the brightest business minds in the Rutland area, paying particular attention to businesses created by innovative and inspiring entrepreneurs making a difference in their community.

Mark was delighted when Dr Sarah Furness, Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, and the guest speaker on the night Geoffrey Thompson, ex-High Sheriff of Rutland presented the award.

“I entered the award as I hoped it would help me to differentiate myself and my business in a crowded and competitive marketplace,” says Mark when asked why he entered.

“The application process was particularly robust involving an initial interview and then a presentation to The Biz Club members at a monthly luncheon in October last year. I was one of two finalists and the members present voted on the day, by way of a secret ballot.”

“I am delighted to have been awarded the prize and already some members have approached me to carry out lawn care services for them.”

In addition, The Biz Club and Uppingham marketing business and sponsor Quibble Digital are helping Mark to increase his online presence with a comprehensive online marketing strategy to attract new customers to his business. 

“This is a huge bonus and one that I hadn’t expected. I’m very much looking to reap the benefits that The Biz Club and Quibble are offering over the next couple of months.” Concludes Mark.

When asked about the award the new chair of the Biz Club Mark Shaw had this to say, “this was a fabulous award and The Biz Club sincerely hopes this award will have a positive impact on the future of Lawnscience.”

The club, alongside Quibble, also hopes to work with Mark and provide some ongoing business mentoring. 

Food & Drink, News, North of England

Panicium acquires The Bury Black Pudding Company

An award-winning iconic producer of black puddings is primed for ‘step-change growth’ after becoming the third acquisition for artisan speciality food group Panicium.

Panicium has acquired The Bury Black Pudding Company (BBP) for an undisclosed sum.

The deal follows Panicium’s acquisitions of handmade cakes and biscuits producer Margaret Hall and specialist potted meats and spreads manufacturer Binghams Food in 2018 and 2021 respectively.

BBP, founded by managing director Debbie Pierce, has expanded into a business with turnover of £11.5m, employing 122 staff operating from a 25,400sq ft factory in Bury.

Graham Norfolk, one of Panicium’s founding directors, said it remains business as usual for BBP and its workforce, adding that the group would invest to further grow the newly-acquired company and build on its strong foundations by introducing new product ranges, increasing its market share and expanding and developing customer relationships.

Debbie and production director Richard Morris remain in their roles and join Panicium’s senior management team following the acquisition.

BBP has over 50 years’ manufacturing experience and uses a gold medal-winning recipe that dates back over a century alongside traditional production methods.

Black pudding is synonymous with Bury and is part of the town’s heritage, and BBP’s dedication to quality has helped it become one of the leading brands in the UK.

BBP selects the finest quality ingredients and manufactures the healthiest black pudding on the market, with less than three per cent fat and no artificial preservatives. With its high iron and nutritional values, low-fat black pudding has been recognised as a superfood.

As well as its continued focus on the production of traditional black pudding, BBP has developed vegan, gluten-free and chilli varieties.

It has one of the longest-established stalls on Bury’s world-famous market, with generations of families coming to buy its renowned black puddings. The same black puddings are also supplied to major supermarkets, foodservice companies, wholesalers, hotels, butchers and restaurants across the UK.

Debbie began working on her local market at the age of 12 as a Saturday girl and spotted a gap in the market for a quality black pudding on supermarket shelves.

She became business partners with Richard, who had taken over his father’s black pudding business after spending his teenage years working there. Over the years, BBP has grown significantly and remains committed to offering local job opportunities, including taking on apprentices and teaching them skills in the food manufacturing industry.

Debbie said: “Having steadily grown our sales and developed new business, Richard and I decided that it was time to start the next phase of business growth through becoming part of a group that is committed to the quality of its products and maintaining the family values of which we are so proud. BBP is poised for step-change growth and will benefit from investment and market extension available through the Panicium group.

“Our product range is complementary to the Panicium strategy and we share a number of routes to market. Ultimately, our products are consumed by people who love artisan, quality food. We look forward to working with the Panicium team to develop the group’s position as a leading supplier of quality foods.”

Graham Norfolk said: “The Bury Black Pudding Company makes artisan, high-quality, delicious products with a distinctive brand, and complements Panicium’s strategy of acquiring companies in the UK artisan food sector to develop a portfolio of brands characterised by their hand-made, high-quality nature with a distinctly regional identity.”

Awards, News, North of England

Double award win for Caremark Liverpool at the Great British Care Awards

Caremark Liverpool, a leading provider of home care services, is thrilled to announce that it has won the Home Care Workers Award and Home Care Registered Manager Award in the North West regionals of the Great British Care Awards.

The Home Care Workers Award, which recognises and celebrates the pivotal role of home care workers in consistently delivering high-quality care to individuals in their own homes, was presented to Sanju Varghese from Caremark Liverpool. He was commended for establishing great relationships with his clients and demonstrating remarkable sensitivity and compassion.

The Great British Care Awards praised Sanju, stating:

“His ability to build trust with those under his care reflects his genuine and caring nature, ensuring that he can provide them with the utmost support.”

The Home Care Registered Manager Award, which recognises and celebrates individuals with exceptional expertise in efficiently managing the complexities of a home care business, was presented to Sarah Crease, Registered Care Manager at Caremark Liverpool. She won the award for her commitment to excellence and the genuine care she extends to everyone. She is a shining example of leadership as she prioritises clients and staff, ensuring a safe, well-led and caring environment.

The Great British Care Awards praised Sarah, stating:

“She infuses her work with genuine values, wholeheartedly believing in her mission and radiating passion. A truly inspirational woman and a genuine winner—her commitment to excellence is truly commendable. Keep up the amazing work!”

Nabeel Salem, franchise owner of Caremark Liverpool, expressed his pride in the team and their remarkable achievements, stating:

“I am extremely proud of the team at Caremark Liverpool for the remarkable success at the recent North West regional Great British Care Awards. To pick up two prestigious awards is a true testament to the dedication and hard work of Sarah, Sanju and the rest of the team.

“Their achievements highlight the high standards and commitment to excellence that we strive for daily. As we celebrate this success, we look forward to continuing our mission of providing exceptional service and making a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.”

David Glover, Joint CEO of Caremark, concluded:

“We are incredibly proud of the Caremark Liverpool team for their dedication to providing exceptional care. These awards are proof of their hard work and commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of those they serve. Congratulations to Sanju, Sarah, and the entire Caremark Liverpool team for this well-deserved recognition.”

For more information about Caremark and its services, please visit the Caremark website https://www.caremark.co.uk/.

Food & Drink, News, North of England

Hydes opens £3.6M premium dining pub on the Wirral

Leading North West brewery and pub retailer Hydes has launched its first new establishment in five years, following the opening of its latest premium pub dining venue, The Harry Beswick, on the Wirral, Merseyside.

The Salford-based brewer acquired the landmark building on Telegraph Road in 2022 at a cost of £1.3million. The acquisition of the building was Hydes’ first property acquisition since 2018. 

 

Unused for over a decade, Hydes spent the past six months and invested over £2.3 million into transforming the town’s former police station into a premium pub dining venue serving a quality food and drink choice. 

Hydes has named the pub ‘The Harry Beswick’ in recognition of the original architect of the building. Born in Chester in 1856, Harry Beswick was county architect for Chester from 1895 until 1926, responsible for designing over 40 buildings including numerous police stations and school buildings.

The transformation began in early summer this year. The iconic building, originally built in 1911, underwent an extensive renovation, retaining many of the building’s original features, with design enhancements and touches reflecting the station’s proud police force history.

Part of the renovations include an extension to create cosy dining including a spacious outside dining area with the addition of a welcoming sun-facing terrace and a car park, resulting in a positive contribution to the street scene, and overall vibrancy of Heswall town centre.

 

With almost a decade of experience with Hydes at some of its most successful premium dining pubs, Roy Wilson has been appointed as general manager. Roy successfully managed The Hornsmill in Helsby, near Chester, since 2018. Prior to this, he was at The Jolly Thresher in Lymm.

Hydes operates nearly 50 pubs ranging from Lancaster in the North to Stoke-on Trent in the Midlands and across to North Wales including a wide selection of premium dining destination outlets and traditional community pubs. Hydes currently operates one other establishment on the Wirral, the Boathouse in Parkgate, Neston.

 

The Harry Beswick offers a varied menu of classic and contemporary food dishes with traditional roast dinners served all day on Sundays, plus Hydes’ comprehensive range of cask and keg beers, and an extensive wines and spirits selection. 

Managing director of Hydes Brewery, Adam Mayers, said: “The building and restoration is simply stunning and we’ve created a destination venue in keeping with the area. We have worked tirelessly to ensure The Harry Beswick delivers a memorable experience for customers with a quality, contemporary new design scheme and feel, combined with a premium dining and drinking offering and Hydes’ standards of customer service.  

“Acquiring the building was a long time in the making and our first for five years. The pandemic put a hold on acquisitions and we focused on our existing pub estate. With the opening of the Harry Beswick, we feel the wait has most definitely been worth it.”

 

The acquisition and opening of The Harry Beswick represents an ongoing multi-million pound investment programme across the Hydes’ estate. Last year, Hydes committed over £4.5m to refurbishments of pubs across its estate and has increased that investment substantially throughout 2023 and 2024, with further acquisitions planned for next year.

Roy Wilson, general manager of The Harry Beswick, added: “After being left for years, it’s great to see such an iconic building open once again and bustling with guests. It’s an outstanding building and the investment to restore it to its former glory, fully retaining its significant heritage and history, has always been very important to us and our customers. First impressions on our opening weekend have been overwhelmingly positive and together with my enthusiastic and talented team, we’re looking forward to creating an experience that will see guests returning regularly.”

Hydes, with its brewery in Media City, Salford, was formed in 1863 and supplies beers to wholesalers, pub companies and other brewers throughout the UK and a pub retailing estate of nearly 50 pubs across the North West of England and North Wales.

 

Pictured (above): Roy Wilson (front, centre), general manager at The Harry Beswick in Heswall, with some of his team

Law, News, North of England, Yorkshire

Yorkshire Law Firm Opens 18th Regional Office

One of Yorkshire’s leading law firms has opened its second office in South Yorkshire, taking its total network of offices to 18.

Based in Doncaster, Ison Harrison’s new office, located in Cavendish Court, will be managed by Dayne Bailey-Mayfield, a licensed conveyancer who has been with the firm for a year.

Dayne has 12 years of conveyancing experience and specialises in residential sales and purchases.

 

The team at Doncaster also includes family law executive, Kate Camm and Jessica Haigh, associate solicitor in wills and probate.

Kate has worked in family law for over 15 years and joined Ison Harrison in April this year. She specialises in private children matters.

Jessica, a private client solicitor with five years’ experience, joined Ison Harrison in 2021. Jessica is STEP (Society for Trust and Estate Practitioners) qualified, which is an international recognition of specialist knowledge and experience in wills, trusts and probate.

 

Ison Harrison became a 100% employee-owned business in early 2022. Since becoming owned by its employees, the firm has experienced significant growth in the number of clients that it acts for and the opening of its 18th office further strengthens the firm’s presence within the region. This is the second new office the firm has opened since becoming entirely employee-owned.

The new legal practice will provide a full range of legal services for both business and private clients ranging from new build and conveyancing to family law and wills and probate matters as well as being able to draw on the wider expertise in the firm for commercial clients.

 

Doncaster manager, Dayne Bailey-Mayfield, said: “It’s great to see Doncaster thriving since it gained city status. I am excited to be a part of this through the opening of our new office, enabling us to connect with the local community, build relationships and provide support with any legal requirements.”

 

Ison Harrison managing partner Jonathan Wearing, said: “Opening our 18th branch is another major milestone for the firm as it’s our second office in South Yorkshire. We opened our first in the county in Barnsley in 2019. This newest opening represents a continuation of our progressive growth strategy, helping us to broaden our offering of the full range of legal services through a network of offices spanning the Yorkshire region. We are very much looking forward to establishing the Ison Harrison name in Doncaster and wider throughout South Yorkshire.”

Ison Harrison employs more than 250 staff across Yorkshire, offering the broadest range of legal services in the region.

 

The firm has over 10 Law Society accreditations including Lexcel, Clinical Negligence, Family Law, Immigration & Asylum, Conveyancing Quality and SRA Higher Courts Rights – civil and criminal.

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Pictured above: Ison Harrison’s managing partner Jonathan Wearing (left) with the team at the new Doncaster office.

Driving, News, North of England

North East Drivers Most Likely to Have Personalised Number Plates, Say Researchers

NORTHERNERS are the likeliest group to be driving around with a personalised number plate.

New data reveals people in Cleveland are splashing more cash than any other motorists on private plates.

It was one of five northern locations including Darlington, Crewe, Wakefield and Blackburn, to appear in a top ten hotspots for sales.

Walsall, Chelmsford and Telford, along with Tweedale and Harris in Scotland, completed the top-ten which has been compiled by analysts at National Numbers.

The UK’s personalised number plate market is now worth an estimated £260m a year, and the Treasury has cashed in on billions from private plate sales since their inception.

Now, after crunching data* from over 32,000 sales, experts at National Numbers are revealing who’s in the driving seat when it comes to the highest number of purchases.

Commenting, Paul Hill, from National Numbers, said: “The top areas for sales were actually found to be towns and rural areas – with the north of England and Scotland coming out on top.

“Big cities, like Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Bristol came lower down the list – possibly due to having lower car ownership per head of population as well as better public transport links.

“In England, there is still a strong presence in what might be called the ”Bollinger Belt” surrounding the capital. In particular, areas like Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, Sawbridgeworth and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire together with Ingatestone, Chigwell and Ongar in Essex.”

Explaining why private plate sales appears to be bucking the cost of living crisis he continued: “They are a great way of expressing their character out on the roads – whether that be with a name, their favourite hobby, or a joke.’

“Personalised plates are also a great gift, and a lot of our customers purchase them on behalf of a loved one. Ages, years of birth and nicknames are really popular for this purpose.

“We also see personalised number plates being bought for various other reasons. Lots of people buy a private plate in order to hide the age of their car, or to show prestige. We also see number plates that relate to the make of the vehicle, with combinations like BMW being fairly popular.”

Mr Hill said plates to indicate a driver’s favourite football team were also still hugely popular.

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*About the data: The number plate experts have consulted their extensive database and based the research on a sample size of 32,000 purchases made across the United Kingdom. The results are based on sales per head of population, and from this National Numbers have created this interactive map to showcase the data.

 

News, North of England, Technology

Connectus Group Announces Three New Staff Appointments

ONE of the region’s fastest growing tech firms has appointed three new members of staff to its team. Connectus say the appointments will further strengthen their operations which now sees them serving more than 450 customers across the North of England and Midlands.

The appointments see Sarah Williams join as a Project Support Administrator based at Connectus’ Salford Community Stadium Office in Salford.

She’s joined by Saif Raja, who will operate as a Finance and Administration Assistance based at Connectus’ Doncaster office at Gateway East.

Sarah and Saif are also joined by Callum Casey who will join the engineering team in his final year of an IT apprenticeship based at Salford Community Stadium offering first line support to customers.

Commenting, Roy Shelton, the CEO of Connectus , said: “All three appointments have been made to strengthen our back-office team so ensure we maintain our customer centric approach which underpins our growth over the past few years with a view to maintaining our 99.47% average customer satisfaction over the past 12 months.

“These three appointments now mean we have generated six new FT positions over the past 12 months supporting our growing customer base which is now +450 businesses across the North of England and Midlands and provides further resources to enable our next phase of growth.”