Category Archives: Regional News

Automotive, Logistics, News, North of England

The Zenith and Tiger Trailers relationship continues to strengthen as the manufacturer’s supply nears 500 assets following the latest orders

The relationship between Zenith Trailer Rentals and Tiger Trailers continues to strengthen following the Cheshire manufacturer’s supply of an additional 250 semi-trailers of differing types during 2022 which, when joined by the initial orders placed for 2023, will take the size of the Tiger Trailers fleet that Zenith operates to over 500 vehicles.

Tiger’s supply of trailers to Zenith commenced during 2021, with one hundred tandem axle box vans plus sixty tri axle curtainsiders finished in the livery of the nationwide joinery and furniture end user they were destined for.

During 2022, Tiger has manufactured a significant further volume of trailers for Zenith, comprised an additional one hundred and fifty unbranded tri axle single deck curtainsiders and one hundred curtainsided double deck step-frame trailers with wraparound curtains for operational versatility, some of which carry the branding of a major pet retailer.

The double deck trailers’ bolted decks can be set to any of three positions, prioritising the upper or lower deck, or splitting them 50:50, thus making them ideal for the pallet network amongst other environments. Their roofs slope downwards at the front for aerodynamic and fuel-saving purposes, and the trailers’ bespoke load-securing specification includes the fitment of kites, with straps incorporated at the rear to enable the tying back of the curtains. The double deck trailers will predominantly operate out of Zenith’s Carrington depot to the west of Manchester.

The partnership between the two companies is set to continue strongly, with Zenith having placed its first Tiger Trailers orders for 2023. Earlier on in 2022, Tiger Trailers’ production lines passed a milestone and the manufacturer’s 10,000th trailer was built for Zenith.

Phil Rodman, Managing Director of Zenith Trailer Rentals, says: “We have developed a close and valued working relationship with Tiger Trailers over the last two years and are very pleased with the quality of the trailers manufactured in time and in full manner. The Tiger Trailers assets were built to our exact requirements and form an important part of our sizeable and versatile rental fleet of over 50,000 heavy commercial vehicles, and we look forward to continuing to grow our relationship with Tiger throughout 2023 and beyond.”

Part of the company’s Commercial division, Zenith Trailer Rentals, the trading name of Contract Vehicle Rentals Limited, has a 22% share of the UK articulated trailer hire market. Headquartered in Leeds and employing over 1,250 people, Zenith’s vision is to decarbonise the UK vehicle parc by eliminating tailpipe emissions. The Group has also joined the EV100 global initiative to tackle the electric transport transition, reduce air pollution and combat climate change.

Darren Holland, Sales Director at Tiger Trailers, comments: “We are proud to be supporting Zenith in manufacturing a diverse range of articulated trailers for their fleet, tailored to the required specifications. Tiger’s efficient production practices and continuous investment enable us to build large quantities of trailers to relatively expedient lead times. It’s a pleasure to work closely with Phil and the wider Zenith team and we look forward to continuing to support them over the coming months and years.”

Tiger Trailers is one of the UK’s leading semi-trailer and rigid bodywork manufacturers and operates from a state-of-the-art factory complex including a customer showroom. The company builds the full range of products including moving double decks, temperature-controlled trailers, flatbeds and demounts. The manufacturer’s CSR and ESG initiatives from solar panels and car chargers to tree planting are complemented by the Tiger Safety Team and the road safety programme it delivers to schools.

Awards, News, North of England, Training

Alternative Futures Group Receives Prestigious Princess Royal Training Award

Local health and social care charity, Alternative Futures Group, has been awarded a prestigious Princess Royal Training award presented by HRH Princess Anne at a ceremony in London this week.

The not-for-profit health and social care organisation received royal recognition for accelerating their new starter competency by implementing training to support its recruitment plans, maximising virtual learning and having over 681 new starters in the last two years attaining earlier competence levels.  The training also benefitted the charity in a £ 27k+ cost saving per annum and improved audit compliance and enhanced efficiency.

The Princess Royal Training awards reward UK employers with outstanding training and skills development programmes and that can evidence exceptional benefits to their business.

Paul Taylor, Head of Learning & Development at AFG comments, “This award really reflects all the hard work from all the AFG team when it comes to welcoming new starters and training them to the highest standards possible. Ensuring that every member of the AFG team understands best practice and the needs of those that we support is so important.  We were delighted to be awarded this accolade by HRH Princess Royal.”

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds said: “The Princess Royal Training Awards demonstrate how training and development can open opportunities and attract new talent to industries with significant skills gaps and labour shortages. Yet again, this year’s recipients have shown the range and depth of learning and development that is taking place in their own organisations to shape growth and positivity, from the power of skills development to address issues such as improving diversity and inclusion, through to programmes to address the ongoing impact of climate change. As we all work towards a net zero future, we hope to see even more training programmes recognised for their work in supporting this vitally important issue, amongst many other areas that create organisational and people development.”

The leading Health and Social Care provider, Alternative Future Group supports over 800 people with a range of learning disabilities and mental health issues across the North West of England.

Charity & CSR, Finance and Banking, News, Wales News

Applications open: Lloyds Bank Foundation gives £5.5m to small specialist charities

Small and local charities across Wales can now apply for unrestricted grants of up to £75,000 from Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales. It is the first funding opportunity opened since the Foundation launched its ‘Building a Better Future’ strategy earlier this year.

Specialist charities with an annual income between £25,000 and £500,000 can apply for a three-year, unrestricted grant of up to £75,000. The Foundation’s focus is working with small specialist charities tackling complex issues, where its combination of unrestricted funding and capacity building support will have the greatest impact, helping these charities thrive beyond the lifetime of their grant.

Unrestricted grants from Lloyds Bank Foundation will allow charities complete flexibility to use the funding however they see fit, including to cover salaries, rent and utilities, which have become ever more challenging due to the cost-of-living crisis. Through long-term funding, development support and influencing policy and practice, the Foundation helps charities make a life-changing impact, building a more just and compassionate society.

This funding programme incorporates lessons learned from the last five years, which the Foundation recently published in its Lessons for Funder Practice report. These include, how offering unrestricted grants and tailored capacity building support to small frontline charities allowed for stability and growth; how having lighter touch processes and streamlining does not sacrifice due diligence; and how relationships and collaborations unlocked new opportunities and educated the Foundation on when to lead and when to follow.

 

Amazing Grace Spaces, a charity in Newport, Wales, working with people experiencing homelessness and addiction, was supported by the Foundation with a two-year unrestricted grant of £50,000. Caroline Johnson, Director of Amazing Grace Spaces, explains: “Whilst the funding gave us the breathing space to plan, it was the fantastic non-financial support that gave us the skills to understand what we needed to consider and how to evaluate it – and it has completely transformed where we are as an organisation.”

 

Paul Streets, CEO of Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, said: “Small and local charities play a vital role in helping people overcome complex issues and barriers, like homelessness and domestic abuse and particularly in these challenging times. We’re passionate about working with these specialist charities because their size and understanding make them best placed to reach, engage and support people and make an impact where others cannot. All of our funding for this programme is unrestricted, so charities can use it as they think best. By providing unrestricted funding as well as access to a range of capacity building support, we help small charities be more impactful in their mission to support people overcome complex issues.” 
Lloyds Bank Foundation will open for this funding programme from 29 November until 3 March 2023. The Foundation will open two additional funding programmes in 2023 for small charities led by and for Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, and D/deaf and disabled people. These three programmes total £11m, a part of the Foundation’s 2023 investment into small and local charities. For more information, visit www.lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk

News, Wales News

Head of ACCA Cymru/Wales responds to the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget

‘The support for Welsh businesses is welcome’

Yesterday the Welsh Government published its Draft Budget for 2023-24, building upon the spending plans set out in the 3-year Budget published last year and allocating additional funding which Wales received following the Autumn Statement.

In addition to helping to protect public services and the most vulnerable, a rates support package for businesses was also announced to ease financial pressures during the current recession.

 

Lloyd Powell, Head of ACCA Cymru/Wales, said:

“ACCA welcomes the support provided for Welsh businesses in the draft Welsh Government budget announced yesterday. We recognise the difficult decisions that the government has had to make in extremely challenging times and applaud the focus on protecting vital services. The package of business rates support worth more than £460m over the next two financial years announced in the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget will be welcomed by the Welsh business community as a way of protecting jobs and enterprises.

“Although the £40m of extra money provided for supporting green transport is relatively modest, the Welsh Government’s continued commitment to tackling issues of climate change even in these difficult financial times is also another step in the right direction, and builds on the spending announced in last year’s budget.

“However, given the pressures facing businesses across Wales and in all sectors, particularly with high inflation and very high energy costs, we urge the government to work closely with the UK Government to address the energy support for businesses after 31 March, as the uncertainty is a cause of huge concern to businesses.”

Charity & CSR, Midlands News, News

Sigma Connected donates £5,000 to help vulnerable people at Christmas

Business process outsourcing provider Sigma Connected has donated £5,000 worth of supermarket vouchers to 50 financially vulnerable people to help them cope with the expensive Christmas period.

Sigma, which offers ‘white label’ customer contact centre services across the energy, water, retail, financial services and telecommunications sectors, has given £100 vouchers to 50 people identified through its ground-breaking ReachOut initiative which supports customers who are struggling to manage their bills due to financial, mental health or other personal issues.

The company launched ReachOut in 2020 with the initiative gaining international recognition and winning countless awards over the past two years for how it has assisted and signposted vulnerable people to access the best possible support with a range of charities.

Gary Gilburd, CEO of Sigma Connected Group said: “I am proud that alongside our clients we are a business which is aware and acts on the big issues affecting people and communities.

“Our ReachOut initiative is part of that. It is unique as it allows our Pathfinder team to successfully engage with hundreds of people every week who are struggling to pay their bills. They are people we help to get back on track and therefore we asked the team to identify 50 people who they felt a £100 supermarket voucher would help.

“Christmas is a special time but more than anything, I hope it makes things that little bit easier for people we know have had a tough time coping personally, financially or mentally.”

Sigma Connected is headquartered in Birmingham. It offers contact centre services from its offices across the UK, South Africa and Australia.

News, North of England, Tech

News: Symatrix Experiences Dynamic Growth Following Rapid Expansion in Headcount

Employee numbers more than double in 2022, with revenues set to grow strongly for a third successive year

Symatrix, a Manchester-based Oracle HCM and ERP partner, has nearly doubled its headcount in 2022 from 56 at the start of the year to just over 100 today following record growth. In line with this, Symatrix projects over 35% growth in revenues in the financial year to February 2023, building on the 18% recorded in the previous financial year. Sales for this financial year have also grown more than 100% year-on-year.

To support the company’s ongoing expansion, Symatrix is looking to increase employee numbers by another 50% over the next 12 months to over 150, based on its ongoing success in winning new customers and identifying future opportunities. The company boasts a record pipeline for solutions delivery for next year, both for its consulting and managed service offerings.

Over 60% of Symatrix revenues currently come from the public sector. But the business also has strong footprints in retail, higher education and professional services. Critically too, Symatrix continues to provide increasing value to existing customers, with over 50% of its total revenues being recurring.

Chris Brooks, Managing Director of Symatrix, said: “We are very proud of our performance in these challenging times both in terms of winning net new customers across multiple sectors, including some very large contracts, but also with regard to our success in winning more work from existing customers. This is testament to our strong engagement process and our ongoing focus on quality, customer experience and customer satisfaction.”

Symatrix’ expansion into India is a key element of its growth. In 2021, the company launched a new wholly-owned division, Symatrix Global IT Services, supported by an office in Delhi. It has built an experienced team, all of which have a minimum of ten years’ Oracle experience, and is already making a significant contribution to projects run out of India, as well as the UK.

Underlining its strong performance in the region, Symatrix was recently recognised in the India Top 500 Startup Awards. The company has also now received ISO27001 information security accreditation for its India office, which builds on its achievement of the same standard in the UK in 2013.

In terms of service offerings, “We are seeing great traction from our BPO Payroll Service, which is one managed service that has really grown for us this year. That’s a positive message on top of the really strong performance we are seeing from areas like support and testing,” said Brooks.

Symatrix has also become one of the first Oracle partners to achieve multiple successful implementations of the Oracle HR Help Desk solution, a tool that helps HR teams manage queries more efficiently. In addition, Symatrix has already seen significant customer interest in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). In parallel, the company recently completed several projects, whereby it successfully migrated customers from their in-house solution to Oracle Cloud.

“We already have the skills today to not only carry out that migration but also manage it afterwards,” added Brooks. “In fact, we are already managing the solution for a couple of the customers who have adopted OCI. Moving forwards, we are confident that this is an area that will drive even further growth for us.”

About Symatrix
Founded in 2000 with the specific focus of providing services and expertise to organisations looking to implement and leverage Oracle HCM, Symatrix has come a long way since then. Today they provide end to end managed services for HCM and ERP on premise or in the Cloud. More specifically, Symatrix delivers operational services, consultancy, training and ongoing support for Oracle HCM and ERP Cloud and Oracle’s PeopleSoft and E-Business solutions.

Symatrix is an ISO27001 and BACS-accredited Oracle Partner and the only company to provide a fully managed payroll on the Oracle Cloud solution. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.symatrix.com.

Education, Education News, News, North of England

Bradford College Awarded £5.8m for Garden Mills Project

Students at Bradford College are to benefit from state-of-the-art facilities after a multimillion-pound investment from the Higher Education Capital Fund.

The Office for Students today (8 December) announced Bradford College has been awarded £5.8 million for the Garden Mills project. This will see the building on the college campus grounds transformed into flexible higher education STEM training and educational facilities for digital, science, and allied health subjects.

Bradford College is one of a hundred colleges and universities that have been awarded a share of £432 million to invest over the next three years in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment and help level up more opportunities for people to gain the skills they need to progress.

The maximum amount on offer per provider was £5.8 million – an allocation that only five colleges managed to secure, including Bradford College.

A further £57 million has been awarded to 20 higher education providers for 2022/23, who specialise in areas including science, agriculture, business as well as creative and performing arts.

Chris Webb, CEO & Principal of Bradford College, said:

“The Bradford College Garden Mills project is an exciting development that will create cutting-edge facilities for higher-level STEM teaching in one impressive five-storey building. Digital, science, and allied health professions will gain a flexible training environment to accommodate expected growth in the industry.

“Aligned with our vision ‘to create a better future for all through education and training,’ the sustainable regeneration project will work with specialist employers such as Specsavers to enhance the student experience, create aspirational graduate opportunities, and counter regional skills shortages.

“Our strategic objectives include delivering curriculum that meets the needs of students, employers, and our community, and providing an outstanding student experience. This ground-breaking opportunity to upskill Bradford in vital sector areas will support regional economic growth and goes hand-in-hand with our value of inspiring students.”

Garden Mills will enhance the College’s existing STEM science and digital facilities located in the David Hockney Building and Advanced Technology Centre (ATC). The plans incorporate two new flexible science laboratories, a prep-room, six higher education digital IT labs, an ophthalmic dispensing suite, clinical suite, a real-life work environment with consulting/testing booths, and a collaboration space alongside academic teaching spaces.

The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:

“Investing in education and skills will unlock future growth, boost productivity and help build the skilled workforce of the future. That’s why we’re spending £490 million to support high-quality teaching and world class facilities in universities and colleges right across the country. Whether it’s in aerospace engineering or green tech, this funding will provide young people with the support they need to build a great career.”

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:

“This investment is about making sure students get the highest quality training in key subjects which are driving economic growth. That means access to top of the range facilities which prepare people for the workplace, filling skills gaps and levelling up the whole country. From Yeovil to Durham, we are backing the industries of the future and giving people the skills they need to succeed.”

Students benefitting from the funding will have access to high-quality training environments in vital subjects that will help get more people into jobs with higher wages, plug local skills gaps and support economic growth.

Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the OfS, said:

“Investing in modern buildings and innovative equipment will help universities and colleges in England prepare students for their future careers. Modern labs and state of the art technology help students learn with the best facilities. The investment will also increase the provision of short courses that provide flexibility to boost the skills of the workforce.

“Competition for funding was strong, with high-quality applications from across the sector. The OfS-funded projects will ensure current and future students have a positive experience while studying expensive-to-deliver subjects that are strategically important to society. Taxpayers will feel these benefits too, as the investment will boost local and regional economies and support environmental sustainability.”

The multimillion-pound investment allocated today builds on the £150 million provided to higher education providers by the OfS in 2021/22.

Image: The David Hockey Building which houses some of the existing Bradford College STEM science and digital facilities.

Bristol, Cardiff, Construction, Construction News, Education, News

Welsh fabricator wins trio of school projects across the UK

LEADING Cardiff-based fabricator Dudley’s Aluminium has secured three projects in the education sector across the UK.

The first build will be St Ederyn’s School in Cardiff (artist’s impression above). The new home for St Mellons Church in Wales Primary School, St Ederyn’s will provide pupils and staff with a modern, state-of-the-art learning environment when complete.

Dudley’s Aluminium will be working with Halsall Construction Ltd on the build and will install Metal Technology System capped curtain walling, ‘Hi’ windows and ‘Hi’ doors, in addition to automatic entrance doors and automatic opening windows.

Metal Technology System products will also be used on the fabricator’s second build as part of refurbishment works at Lord Williams’s School in Thame, Oxfordshire.

Teaming up with Borras Construction Limited, Dudley’s Aluminium will install Metal Technology System capped curtain walling, Hi’ windows, ‘Hi’ doors and brise soleil on the new English block and state-of-the-art accessible ICT suite.

The third project will see Dudley’s Aluminium work with Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd on the expansion of Baytree SEN School, Clevedon.

It is the only school in North Somerset designated to provide education to children with profound and complex learning difficulties. The new site will create additional school places and has been designed to be sustainable and energy efficient.

The fabricator will install Kawneer capped curtain walling, windows and manual doors, as well as automatic entrance doors.

Colin Shorney, Managing Director at Dudley’s Aluminium, said: “It is a great privilege to be working on these three schools, helping to meet local demand for quality learning environments and opportunities for students across the UK.”

An artist’s impression of the Baytree SEN School Clevedon

Since 1993, Dudley’s Aluminium has offered clients full in-house design and production facilities, completing many successful and prestigious projects within the education, health, commercial, retail and defence sectors throughout the UK and Channel Islands.

Dudley’s reputation for quality has been recognised with several industry-related accreditations. The company is CHAS accredited, Constructionline registered and BM Trada certified to manufacture enhanced security products to align with PAS24:2016 and BS 4873.

Bristol, Contract Wins, Greater Manchester, London, News, Swansea

Made Tech awarded £10m new contract with the Home Office

Made Tech, a leading provider of digital, data and technology services to the UK public sector, has been awarded a new contract with the Home Office, worth c.£10 million to the Group over a 24-month period with a six-month extension option worth a further c.£2 million.

The Home Office is transforming its services by introducing several new digital systems. Made Tech will work alongside the Home Office team, providing a number of digital, data and technology services.

Made Tech won its first one-year contract with the Home Office in May 2021, worth c.£4 million and secured an additional c.£2 million for the fulfilment of a six-month extension option. The contract award announced today represents a renewal and expansion of the initial contract.

 

Rory MacDonald, CEO of Made Tech, said: “Made Tech’s growth continues to build momentum, as we expand our activity with critical government departments helping them deliver key initiatives. We are delighted that the Home Office has chosen to partner with Made Tech once again, as it demonstrates its confidence in our ability to deliver digital technology and our growing reputation within the market.”

 

About Made Tech

Made Tech is a provider of digital, data and technology services to the UK public sector. Founded in 2008 and now with a headcount of over 480 and offices in four UK locations (London, Manchester, Bristol and Swansea), Made Tech provides services that enable central government, healthcare and local government organisations to digitally transform.

Made Tech’s purpose is to “positively impact the future of society by improving public sector technology”. To achieve this the company has four key strategic missions: Modernise legacy technology and working practices; Accelerate digital service and technology delivery; Drive better decisions through data and automation; and Enable technology and delivery skills to build better systems.

Investment, Investment News, News, Property, Wales News

Property investment platform Invesourced launches

Two young Welsh property entrepreneurs have launched a new business, an online marketplace designed to disrupt the way in which property investors find and make decisions around investment opportunities.

Invesourced has been launched by Shane Williams, a property sourcing specialist, and Kelly Hopkins, a property investor, who met via a business transaction earlier this year. After comparing their experiences, they developed an idea Williams had been working on that they believe will revolutionize the sector. The business launches with four full-time staff from a headquarters in Caerphilly.

Invesourced is an online marketplace connecting property investors to property sourcers across the UK. It allows users to share their respective investment profiles and investment opportunities and ultimately connect to secure lucrative opportunities. It represents an efficient, streamlined solution for a market that is currently fragmented and sometimes unregulated.

Professional property sourcers specialize in finding properties (commercial or residential) that are either undervalued or where the valuation would be significantly uplifted by a renovation or a change of use. They will do the relevant calculations and package the opportunity to investors in return for a fee, usually a percentage of the purchase value.

For property investors, working with property sourcers can save a lot of time and facilitate access to deals and opportunities they would not otherwise see. However, the market is disjointed, the two sides often using WhatsApp Groups, social media groups or mailing lists to flag and discuss opportunities.

Invesourced aims to change that. The platform allows property sourcers to upload multiple deals, packaged ready for investors; these can then be viewed by multiple investors filtered by their investment appetite around price, risk, geographic region and type of property.

Invesourced will take a percentage of the property sourcer’s fee. Sourcers will need to be compliant, meaning they will have professional indemnity insurance, an ICO registration, Property Ombudsman or Property Redress Scheme membership and be compliant with anti-money laundering regulations. The company is developing a way to assist and work with non-compliant sourcers, which will partly involve mapping out a route to help them become compliant.

The company’s founders each represent one of the two sides of the business model. Williams is a self-taught property sourcer who has been operating independently until now. He met Hopkins when he sourced a deal for her. After discussing their respective frustrations with the market, they revisited an idea Williams had been working on and launched Invesourced.

Hopkins is an avid property investor who juggles this passion while currently being on maternity leave from her role as an accountant for the NHS.

Their aim now is to build the business into the go-to online marketplace for property investors and sourcers, making the market more efficient in the process.

Williams, founder and director of Invesourced, said:

“As a professional property sourcer, I have seen first-hand the frustrations and inefficiencies of this market. More than anything, I like helping people. That’s why our goal is to make Invesourced, a one-stop property shop, not only advertising the best off-market deals, but also by incorporating a property professional directory and developing communities for both investors and sourcers to share tips and help each other.

“I truly believe this idea has the potential to achieve that on a big scale. We have already seen strong interest from both investors and sourcers who understand the benefits and the time it will save them. I am excited to be launching this venture with Kelly and feel this will be the start of a much bigger journey for all of us.”

Hopkins, co-founder and director of Invesourced, added:

“We are very excited about this new venture, which we believe has the potential to disrupt but ultimately streamline the property investment market.

“As a property investor currently on maternity leave from my job as an accountant for the NHS, the opportunity arose to get involved in a company whose aim is to streamline the process of property investing. I have seen first-hand the way the market works currently, and I know this will improve the process significantly.

“I felt it was an opportunity too good to miss (albeit at a very busy time in my life). I am very excited to be partnering with Shane to create a possible market game change. We are very ambitious with three staff as well as Shane already working in our new premises. We are already seeing strong interest from both investors and sourcers but we believe this is just the start.”