Tag Archives: South West

Business, Business Investment, Politics, South Wales, Wales

Chambers of Commerce announce collaboration to help continue the work of the Western Gateway Partnership

The UK Government’s decision to withdraw funding from the Western Gateway Partnership has sparked a need to maintain cross-border collaboration. In response to the uncertainty now facing economic development between South Wales and South West England, the region’s Accredited Chambers of Commerce are stepping up efforts to work more closely than ever before.

The Chambers of Commerce of Bristol, Gloucestershire, Bath and Wiltshire, under the Business West umbrella, and Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid have agreed to collaborate to help drive their respective economies. This is a natural collaboration for two areas linked not only by their geographical proximity but by the M4 Corridor, the trainline to London and an array of low carbon energy opportunities of the Severn Estuary.

Gus Williams, interim CEO of Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, said: “The commercial and economic interests of our members do not end at the bridge. Working together with the various Chambers under the Business West banner will enable us to identify opportunities for collaboration that can grow our shared economy.

“While there will always be an element of competition between the regions, simply competing against each other is a zero-sum game. It is in the interests of Welsh businesses that they can take advantage of opportunities in the South West and vice versa.”

Phil Smith, Managing Director of Business West, added: “We have a lot of shared interests with the South Wales economy, not least the shared infrastructure. Economic interdependence between the regions has accelerated since the abolition of bridge tolls and there are significant opportunities for us to work together to drive growth.”

News

Admiral and FinTech West announce InsurTech partnership

Admiral has joined FinTech West as an InsurTech partner as they strive to develop further relationships and engagement within the South West.
This latest partnership secured by FinTech West is reflective of the growing influence of the representative body for fintech within the South West. It provides an exciting opportunity for the Insurtech community in the region, alongside its related talent pool, to build better connections with Admiral, a business consistently recognised as a Great Place to Work, and a FTSE 100 company.
The move comes as part of wider discussions across the insurance industry recognising the value of stronger local engagement in the region to help accelerate innovation. Admiral has ambitions to welcome new talent with Bristol and the South West a natural next step being such an epicentre of InsurTech capability.
Alan Patefield-Smith, Chief Information Officer at Admiral comments “This partnership is a great opportunity for us to tighten our connection to the InsurTech community in the South West of England, a region filled with cross-collaboration opportunities that can strengthen our industry, alongside a pool of talented people we can offer exciting careers to.”
Stuart Harrison, Founder of FinTech West adds: “A recurring theme emerging from those in the insurance industry has been greater regional engagement. We’re looking forward to collaborating locally to help increase engagement with Admiral across the region, ultimately supporting the acceleration of innovation in insurance for the benefit of the public UK-wide”.
This appetite for stronger regional insurance connections is also supported by UWE. They have announced a pool of financial support for a series of activities, kicking off with a round table discussion in April to bring regional industry experts together to help define how this is achieved.
Acquisitions & Partnerships, Business Expansion

Premier Forest Products Grows Presence in South West

Premier Forest Products, a leader in the UK’s timber and timber products industry, has announced its latest acquisition with the purchase of a specialist producer of bespoke staircases.

 

Established in 1988 and based in Westbury, Wiltshire, Stairway Joinery Ltd designs and manufactures bespoke staircases for residential and commercial buildings.  With a strong reputation for excellence, Stairway Joinery Ltd is renowned for its skill and craftsmanship in creating individually tailored solutions for its clients.

 

Terry Edgell, Co-founder and CEO of Premier Forest Products, said: “The acquisition of Stairway Joinery Ltd is the perfect fit for Premier Forest as we continue to expand our presence in the south west of England.

 

“The addition of bespoke staircases to our portfolio of products strategically complements the Premier Forest customer offer, helping us to better serve residential and commercial markets. We are confident that the synergies this partnership yields will benefit our customers, while strengthening our market position as a specialist timber solutions provider.”

 

Darren Smith, previous Co-owner of Stairway Joinery Ltd, said: “It is with great pleasure that I can announce we are joining Premier Forest, who are such a powerhouse in the industry. The modernisation opportunities that will come from being part of such a forward-thinking group will enable us to grow our business and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

 

Robert Houkes, previous Co-owner of Stairway Joinery Ltd, said: “I’m very proud of our achievements over the past thirty-six years. We have developed a successful business in a niche market and can now continue our journey with the backing of a thriving, like-minded company. With Premier Forest’s patronage and support, our business will continue to flourish.”

The deal was structured and completed with the support of Acuity Law providing legal counsel, Gambit Corporate Finance who supported the Premier Forest team throughout the deal process, and Kilsby Williams accountants, who conducted financial due diligence.

 

Premier Forest Products is a vertically integrated timber operation engaged in the importation, processing, merchanting, and wholesale distribution of timber and timber products from its multiple sites in the UK.

Business, Events

Cardiff Capital Region at UKREiiF 2024

Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) is attending UKREiiF in Leeds from 21 to 23 May to showcase £15 billion of investment opportunities and spotlight the Region as one of 12 Investment Zones selected by UK and Welsh Government last year.

UKREiiF, the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum, is a three-day conference that aims to connect people, places and businesses including the key players and decision makers within the public sector, built environment, investment and real estate markets to drive significant sustainable investment.

This year Cardiff Capital Region will be attending as one of the two sponsors of exhibitor Western Gateway, the pan-regional partnership for South Wales and Western England. The other sponsor attending is Bristol and Bath. CCR will use Western Gateway’s pavilion as a base for meetings and networking.

Attending the event for CCR is Anthony Hunt, Leader of Torfaen County Borough Council and Chair of CCR’s Committee and he said: “UKREiiF is an excellent opportunity for us to sell our Region’s competitive strengths, ambitious investment and development opportunities to key decision makers, future investors and partners. This annual event is now firmly on the calendar for investment opportunities within the UK and complements our international activities at expos such as MIPIM.”

CCR Chief Executive Kellie Beirne is speaking at several events during UKREiiF and is very positive about CCR’s participation: “Our proposition is strong and compelling with unique offers such as Aberthaw Power Station attracting more interest, I’m confident that our economic potential will continue to grow.”

Find out more about UKREiiF: https://www.ukreiif.com/

Appointments, News, South East England News, Wellbeing, Wellbeing News

Bridge Health & Wellbeing Boosts Clinical Team with New Sports Massage Therapist

Family-run clinic Bridge Health & Wellbeing in Christchurch, Dorset, is delighted to welcome another experienced sports massage therapist to its growing clinical team.

Alice Loveridge (SM, MA, CPT) is a Level 3 Sport Massage Therapist, trained in Deep Tissue, Pregnancy and Post Natal Massage and a Medical Acupuncturist. She qualified in 2017 and completed her acupuncture training in 2018. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer.

Alice has worked with numerous sporting teams, including the Netherlands cricket team, helping to manage injuries and providing deep tissue relaxation treatments. She relocated to the New Forest from the Channel Islands in 2023 after working in a busy Sports Clinic in St Peter Port and setting up her own Sports Massage and Medical Acupuncture clinic.

A keen sportswoman herself, Alice is an active member of Lymington Cross Fit + Hyrox and will compete in the European circuit later this year. An accomplished table tennis player, Alice represented Great Britain at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and Guernsey at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Paul O’Connell, co-founder and lead physiotherapist at Bridge Health & Wellbeing, said, “We are delighted to welcome Alice to our team. With three massage therapists, we are able to offer a variety of sports massage and remedial massage services, as well as specialist services in pregnancy massage, post-natal massage and acupuncture. Discomfort, aches and pains are warning signs that something is not quite right in our bodies. Massage therapy can unlock soft tissue, decrease muscle tightness and provide welcome relief.”

Bridge Health & Wellbeing is a friendly, family-run clinic in the heart of Christchurch in Dorset, with high quality physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, sports massage and rehabilitation services,  expert Pilates, yoga classes and other wellbeing classes, and state-of-the-art gym facilities all under one roof.

Whether you need help with pain or an injury or just want to stay fit and healthy, come and join them for the journey. Book your appointment now at www.bridgehw.com or call 01202 473800 to speak to their friendly team of wellbeing experts.

Health, News

“It’s been a fantastic three years, yet it feels like we’re only just getting started.”

Paul & Louise O’Connell, founders of Bridge Health & Wellbeing, reflect back as their business celebrates its’ third anniversary.

After months of planning and building work, Bridge Health & Wellbeing opened its doors in July 2019. Founders Paul & Louise O’Connell were excited to bring their physiotherapy and Pilates skills together and create a bespoke, welcoming health and wellbeing clinic which could be at the heart of the local community. A unique space with an integrated approach to healthcare that put clients first.

The clinic, situated on Bridge Street in Christchurch, got off to a good start. Paul’s physiotherapy appointments booked up, and Louise’s Pilates classes proved popular. At the beginning of 2020, they welcomed their first sports massage therapist Ella on board, expanding the range of services on offer.

Then COVID hit, and everything stopped. With their entire family income dependent on their new business, Paul and Louise had to adapt their services, all whilst juggling homeschooling their two young children. Despite worrying times, they transferred to Zoom classes and YouTube treatments and never gave up their dream of running their own business. Reopening later in 2020, the company has been on a rollercoaster since then of reopening and shutdowns, PPE and adjustments.

As the business celebrates its third birthday in 2022, Paul and Louise have been reflecting on the journey.

“It’s been a dramatic first three years for our new business. We knew that the first few years would be tough. But we never expected to be dealing with a global pandemic. Having to shut our doors just seven months after opening was heartbreaking. Our clients have been so supportive throughout, and we have come through it even more determined to support our local community and make our business a success. Despite all the challenges, we’re immensely proud of everything we have achieved.”

They certainly have achieved a lot in just three years. The clinic has grown from a team of just Paul and Louise to a group of multi-skilled experts, including three receptionists, three physiotherapists, three sports massage therapists and a chiropractor. They now offer 20 studio classes a week from a team of six studio instructors. They also work with several local businesses on workplace wellbeing.

Paul and Louise have continued to invest in the clinic facilities, opening up a third treatment room and expanding the rehabilitation gym to include new equipment. They have managed to hold several events, including a yoga wellness workshop, a Sporting Upper Limb Masterclass in March 2022 and an open evening this May.

The business plans more wellness events, workplace wellbeing seminars and further professional development Masterclasses. They are also hoping to welcome a junior physio that can train and develop under Paul’s guidance and continue expanding their range of wellbeing classes.

“We are really looking forward to being able to host more events,” Louise added. “Events were a huge part of our original business plan, to bring people in our local community together to focus on their health and wellbeing. Hopefully, finally(!), we can get started on all those things we wanted to do in the first three years that had to be put on hold due to COVID restrictions.”

Awards have been some of the highlights of the last three years, with Bridge Health & Wellbeing winning Best Family-Run Health & Wellbeing Clinic – UK at the GHP Private Healthcare Awards 2022 and Best New Business at the inaugural Christchurch Business Awards. The company has also been shortlisted in the StartUp Awards, Family Business Awards and Business Leader awards, to name a few.

Let’s hope a calmer few years lie ahead for this dynamic couple.

Bridge Health & Wellbeing is a friendly, family-run clinic in the heart of Christchurch. From their bespoke health and wellbeing clinic on Bridge Street, they offer high-quality physiotherapy, chiropractic, sports massage and rehabilitation treatment, Pilates, yoga, and other studio classes, all under one roof.

Awards, News, South East, South West, Wellbeing News

Bridge Health & Wellbeing wins Best New Business at Dorset Business Awards

Bridge Health & Wellbeing is delighted to have been crowned Best New Business at the first-ever Christchurch Business Awards in Dorset.

Organised by Marketing West Events, the Christchurch Business Awards were designed to celebrate the most inspiring businesses across Christchurch. A total of 14 awards were presented at the lunchtime event held at the Captain’s Club Hotel & Spa, in categories ranging from Café, Pub & Entertainment venue of the year to excellence in customer service.

Nigel Reeve, Director at Marketing West Events, said he was delighted by the range of businesses who took part in the awards, demonstrating the diverse nature of the Christchurch economy. “Overall, we had 202 entries and nominations, which for an area the size of Christchurch is huge”, he commented.

The awards judges were impressed with the vision and dedication of Paul and Louise O’Connell, founders of Bridge Health & Wellbeing, who followed their dream of setting up their own business together. After opening its doors in 2019, the company was off to a good start, but then the pandemic hit. Paul and Louise adapted by using Zoom and YouTube to continue to reach clients and never gave up. Now with restrictions eased, the business is thriving with more staff, more services and more treatment rooms.

Paul O’Connell, co-founder and lead physiotherapist at Bridge Health & Wellbeing, said: “We were absolutely thrilled and very honoured to win the Best New Business award. We’d like to thank our clients for their fantastic support. The past three years have been a rollercoaster ride with some real highs and lows. But this award win is definitely up there as one of the highlights. We are very proud to be a part of our fantastic local business community. It has been so supportive since we launched our business.”

As sponsors, Bridge Health & Wellbeing had the pleasure of awarding the Employee of the Year award to Alice Smee from Hoburne Parks and Golf Clubs. Judges were impressed by the glowing comments on Alice’s nomination, describing her as “A person totally focused on achieving the best for both the company she works for and the customer/clients she deals with. An employee that is an asset and merits the award for her enthusiasm and always going the extra mile.”

Bridge Health & Wellbeing works with several local businesses across Christchurch, Bournemouth and Poole to keep their employees healthy so they can give their best at work. Their workplace wellbeing services include fast access to physiotherapy, chiropractic and sports massage treatment, rehabilitation and wellbeing classes and DSE assessments.

From their state-of-the-art clinic on Bridge Steet, Christchurch, Bridge Health & Wellbeing provides physiotherapy, chiropractic, sports massage and rehabilitation services, and Pilates, yoga, and other wellbeing classes.

News, South West

Best of the South West: Bridge Health & Wellbeing shortlisted in StartUp Awards

Dorset-based Bridge Health & Wellbeing has been named one of the most exciting new businesses in the South West after being shortlisted in the StartUp Awards 2022. It is the only Dorset business to make the shortlist in the Business-to-Consumer Services category.

The StartUp Awards National Series has been launched to recognise the booming startup scene across the UK, which has accelerated since the pandemic began. Supported nationally by BT, EY, Dell & Intel, the programme will celebrate the achievements of the amazing individuals across the UK who have turned an idea into an opportunity and taken the risk to launch a new product or service.

Over 2,500 applications were received in response to the Startup Awards National Series’ first-ever call for entries.

Paul O’Connell, Founder and lead physiotherapist of Bridge Health & Wellbeing said: “When we opened our doors in July 2019, my wife and I were so excited to realise our dream of bringing our physiotherapy and Pilates skills together to create a welcoming wellbeing community in Christchurch, Dorset with state-of-the-art facilities. It’s certainly been a rollercoaster ride since then, dealing with the impact of COVID. But our clients have been amazing and made it all worthwhile. Being recognised for all our hard work in national awards like these is very humbling.”

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, the creator of the StartUp Awards National Series, commented: “New firms are important for generating economic prosperity, employment opportunities and innovation. We’ve been blown away by the standard of entries in this first year and truly look forward to crowning the winners in June.”

The South West final will take place at Propyard in Bristol on 28th June 2022.

Louise O’Connell, co-founder and Pilates teacher, added, “We can’t quite believe that from all the amazing new B2C service companies across the entire South West we made the shortlist of just 4! We will proudly represent Dorset as the only Dorset-based finalists in our category.”

Bridge Health & Wellbeing is a friendly, family-run clinic in the heart of Christchurch in Dorset, with high quality physiotherapy, chiropractic, sports massage, rehabilitation services, expert Pilates and Yoga classes and all under one roof.

Charity & CSR, News, South East

The Bath Works raises an incredible £4,700 for Home-Start South East Dorset

Independent, family-run bathroom retailer, The Bath Works, has raised a fantastic £4,709.35 for local families charity Home-Start South East Dorset.

From their flagship showroom in New Milton and Studio in Bournemouth, The Bath Works specialise in the design and supply of bathrooms and tiles. Run by a husband-and-wife team, Steve and Kate Ware, the company was keen to do something to support local families.

Kate Ware, Sales & Marketing Director at The Bath Works, said: “As parents of two girls, Steve and I know just how tough parenthood can be. Charities like Home-Start give struggling families a lifeline and the vital support they need to get through difficult times. Childhood can’t wait, and the charity’s absolute heroes help parents and children who need it most.

We were delighted to support their life-changing work by donating a portion of each bathroom sale during the first month of the year to Home-Start. We are absolutely thrilled to have raised such a staggering amount, thanks to the amazing support of our customers.”

Caroline Pope, Community & Corporate Engagement Manager at Home-Start South East Dorset, said: “We can’t thank The Bath Works enough for their massive donation. The money they have raised will make a huge difference and help us continue to fund volunteers and support families here in our local community. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”

The Bath Works also supported the Home-Start South East Dorset ‘25 for 25’ campaign. To celebrate the charity’s 25th anniversary year, they set out to find 25 businesses to each support a struggling family. They achieved their target, raising a staggering £20,000 to help 25 families get back on their feet and change a child’s life.

Home-Start South East Dorset supports families living across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, as well as the Purbecks and areas as far north as Cranborne and as far west as Wareham. Since 1995 they have helped over 3,500 local families and supported over 10,000 children through a network of over 600 amazing volunteers.

Healthcare, News, South East

Bridge Health & Wellbeing welcomes new physiotherapist as it expands clinical team

Family-run clinic Bridge Health & Wellbeing in Christchurch, Dorset is delighted to welcome experienced physiotherapist Victoria McIntrye to their team.

Originally from Scotland, Victoria has a strong football background. Before moving to England, she spent five years at Hamilton Academical Football Club, rising to Head of Physiotherapy. Over the past five years, Victoria has been a physiotherapist at AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal FC and lectured at Solent University. She is a committee member of the Football Medicine & Performance Association.

Paul O’Connell, co-founder and physiotherapist at Bridge Health & Wellbeing, said “We are delighted to welcome Victoria to our team. She brings a real wealth of knowledge to our clinic. Victoria can treat all musculoskeletal issues but has a special interest in breathing and its effect on performance. Her football expertise will be useful to the players from Weymouth Football Club that will be visiting us for treatment as part of our health and wellbeing partnership.”

Bridge Health & Wellbeing is a friendly, family-run clinic in the heart of Christchurch in Dorset, with high quality physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, sports massage and rehabilitation services,  expert Pilates and yoga classes and state-of-the-art gym facilities all under one roof.

Whether you need help with pain or an injury or just want to stay fit and healthy, come and join them for the journey. Book your appointment now at www.bridgehw.com or call 01202 473800 to speak to their friendly team of wellbeing experts.