Refurbished Hull icon revealed after scaffolding is taken down
Regeneration of Hull’s historic Burton building by specialist Wykeland Group has taken a major step forward with removal of scaffolding from the art deco building.
The building, now called Burton House, will ultimately offer 12,700 sq ft of city centre space, set over five floors.
Central to the restoration of Burton House is the replacement of much of the granite cladding which adorns the building. Replacement granite has been sourced from the same quarry in Norway, matching the geographical origin of the original stone.
Jonathan Stubbs, development director at Wykeland, said: “There has, unsurprisingly, been a huge amount of excitement and anticipation surrounding the regeneration of the Burton building. As one of the best-known landmarks in Hull, we’ve approached this project with a great deal of care and sympathy.
“With the scaffolding now removed and the restored exterior of the building revealed, people can envisage how Burton House will transform the entrance to Whitefriargate.
“As the project has progressed, we have had growing levels of interest from potential leisure and retail occupiers of the ground floor and basement accommodation, looking to make the most of this rare opportunity to move into a prime, regenerated city centre space. We expect that demand will further intensify now people can see the quality of the restoration we are carrying out.”
The building’s art deco windows have also been replaced, with new signage to be installed.
Restoration of Burton House is the latest significant city centre regeneration project led by Wykeland.
Wykeland is also currently restoring Hull’s Castle Buildings and reinstating the former Earl De Grey pub, in a £2m project to bring another landmark site back into use.
Yorkshire goat’s milk producer extends Goodness Grant funding to donate £17,000 to five charities
St Helen’s Farm, the goat’s milk producer, has extended its ‘Goodness Grants’ funding pot, to donate almost £17,000 to good causes across the country.
The family-run business, based near York, had initially launched the CSR initiative with a £10,000 total grant pot, encouraging not-for-profit organisations and registered charities to apply for funds of up to £5,000 to support projects which are doing good in their local communities.
However, following a review of the applications, the goat’s milk producer decided to extend its funding – and has now donated £17,000 to five different charities.
The charities include Made-Well near Exeter, which provides experiences for those living with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental illness and loneliness, and Stepping Stones Project in Castle Douglas, whose mission is to ease food poverty and create food dignity by maintaining a “Larder Open to All.”
The grant for the Stepping Stones Project will be used to provide “Kitchen Starter Packs” for those who have been given their own house, but who need support starting out with kitchen basics. The packs will include appliances such as slow cookers and air fryers, to help with cost-effective cooking, as well as kitchen utensils and supermarket gift cards.
Meanwhile the funding for Made-Well will be utilised to resurfacing its inclusive children’s play area, to offer better access for all.
Bill Randles, Managing Director at St Helen’s Farm, said: “When we originally launched our Goodness Grants initiative, we pledged to giveaway £10,000 to good causes. However, while reviewing the applications, we were blown away by some of the work being done across the UK – so we made the decision to increase our funding pot, to allow us to fund projects by five different charities.
“These projects really will deliver ‘goodness’ for their local communities, and we’re pleased to be able to play a role in helping to bring them to life!”
The ‘Goodness Grants’ initiative follows St Helen’s Farm’s CSR work last year which saw it raise over £28,000 for UK charity, Hope for Justice – which works to end modern slavery across the UK.
The five charities receiving funds through the ‘Goodness Grants’ are: Stepping Stones Community Larder and Foodbank, Made-Well, Tremorfa Nursery, Ffrindiau Ysgol Pennant, and Hapurhey Neighbourhood Project.
Tall strengthens leadership team
Digital brand experience specialists, Tall, recently developed a new strategic role for Lucy Evans and promoted Georgia Robson to a new senior leadership role following recent growth within the agency to help deliver a newly formed strategic direction for the business, with ambitious growth plans for 2025.
With 18 years’ industry experience across agency and in house roles, Lucy’s expertise encompasses integrated campaigns, brand strategy and digital. Working with global brands such as La redoute, Parkdean, NSPCC, Marie Curie, Great Lengths and Cloud Nine, Lucy started her journey at Tall in 2019 to strengthen the client relationship and strategy side of the business.
Now, as Head of Marketing, Lucy will be leading the Marketing function with a clear focus on business growth, which, for Tall, is highly ambitious for 2025 as it sets its sights on dominating the digital space for some of the world’s biggest brands.
Stepping into Lucy’s former Head of Client Services role, Georgia Robson will now focus on supporting existing client relationships and growth. With over a decade of diverse experience, Georgia’s expertise is rooted in strategy and creativity.
Georgia’s core roles will focus on comprehensive strategies for key accounts, ensuring seamless delivery, sustained growth, and client satisfaction for brands such as The LEGO Group, SharkNinja, Tofoo and many more.
This is no new challenge for Georgia who has previously helped industry giants such as Virgin Holidays, Red Bull, Silentnight, Daniel Thwaites, MGA Entertainment, BBC Summer Social as well as many more.
Executive Creative Director, Guy Utley, said: “It’s a very exciting time for Tall right now and the appointments of Lucy and Georgia are a key step towards our ultimate success.
“Their combined knowledge and industry experience is unmatched, delivering high quality work for some of the world’s biggest brands is no mean feat and they do it seamlessly. We have some tall ambitions for 2025 and Georgia and Lucy are the perfect people to help deliver on those goals, so watch this space!”
Inspirational Hull and East Yorkshire businesswomen recognised at Women of Achievement Awards
11 inspirational women were recognised and celebrated at the 2024 Women in Business Women of Achievement Awards, which took place on Friday (15 November).
One of the region’s longest running awards, the biennial awards celebrate the achievements of businesswomen across Hull and East Yorkshire who either run their own business or are excelling in their profession, industry, organisation or charity.
Held at the Mercure Hull Grange Park Hotel in Willerby, the awards were compered by former ITV Calendar News reporter Fiona Dwyer and guests were joined by one of Britain’s most iconic writers, producers and television producers, Janet Street-Porter CBE, as this year’s guest speaker.
Dr Diana Taylor, managing director at Future Humber, was announced as the winner of the Overall Woman of Achievement Award, which was sponsored by Smailes Goldie Chartered Accountants.
An innovative, passionate and visionary leader, Diana has made notable contributions to promote the Humber locally, nationally and beyond. As well as this, she inspires others to achieve, making significant contributions in what can sometimes still be seen as ‘a man’s world’.
Caroline Neadley, chair of Women in Business Hull, said: “At each Women of Achievement Awards, we’re blown away by the amazing accomplishments of the brilliant women in our region. And this year was certainly no different.
“With a room full of 400 guests, there was a real sense of pride and comradery, with those in attendance celebrating friends, family and colleagues. I’d particularly like to thank the Women in Business committee, this year’s award sponsors, and of course all of the nominees.”
Winners also included Sue Perkins, who won the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work building a number of successful businesses that have enabled hundreds of people to realise their career potential. Natasha Barley, CEO of the Sailors’ Children’s Society, won the Outstanding Impact Award for reshaping the future for countless families of seafarers facing crises such as bereavement, illness or family breakdown.
Michelle Taft from the John Good Group was selected for this year’s Judges Award for her dedication to empowering women, driving social impact and championing inclusivity, whilst overseeing a huge growth in funding support by the Matthew Good Foundation.
Dawn Sullivan, co-founder of HU4 Community Trust, won the Voluntary Award for helping to fill a huge void in facilities and community spaces for local residents, providing invaluable support to improve their lives.
Caroline continued: “Our guest speaker, Janet Street-Porter, was all we hoped for and more, and it was great to hear stories and anecdotes from her expansive media career.
“After commenting that she was honoured to be speaking to a room full of so many successful career women, Janet emphasised the importance of trusting and supporting each other, and promoting other women’s talents.
“As she said: ‘Successful career women don’t get where they are by luck – gamblers are lucky, not hard-working women’.
“We also raised over £4,600 for our chosen charity, Hull and East Yorkshire Children’s University, which is incredible.”
Women in Business Women of Achievement Award winners:
New Business Award, sponsored by Sparq
Gemma Wardell, founder and owner of Human Brilliance
Established Business Award, sponsored by NL Group
Emma Dallimore, CEO at Hull & East Yorkshire Mind
Voluntary Award, sponsored by Jadan Press
Dawn Sullivan, co-founder of HU4 Community Trust
Apprentice/Trainee Award, sponsored by Bishop Burton College
Chloe Hammond, head of finance at NL Group
Women in STEM Award, sponsored by Ansell
Julie Shave, tutor and assessor at HESTA
Female Entrepreneur Award, sponsored by Lexus Hull
Vicky Simpson, founder and owner of VCare24
Women Breaking Boundaries Award, sponsored by MKM Building Supplies
Dr Diana Taylor, managing director at Future Humber
Outstanding Achievement Award, sponsored by Pace
Natasha Barley, CEO of the Sailors’ Children’s Society
Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by The One Point
Sue Perkins, owner of Crancher Ltd
Judges Award
Michelle Taft, executive director at Matthew Good Foundation and non executive director at John Good Group
Overall Women of Achievement Award, sponsored by Smailes Goldie
Dr Diana Taylor, managing director at Future Humber
BAE Systems to create new jobs at PLP Bessemer Park in Sheffield
BAE Systems have taken Unit 5 on PLP Bessemer Park, Sheffield, a new 96,000 sq ft, state of the art logistics and industrial facility on which it’s expected to create 50 new jobs.
This is the third letting at the development with 75% of the units now let, with only one unit remaining of 294,000 sq ft. This second phase of development at Bessemer Park was completed in Q1 this year and has already seen Unit 3 let to ITM and Unit 4 let to Dormole.
Hugh Chesterton, Development Director at PLP, said: “It is great to have another blue-chip British business join PLP Bessemer Park. This is another stamp of approval for Sheffield’s premier industrial and logistics location.”
Knight Frank, CBRE and Moriarty & Co (part of CPP) are the appointed leasing agents for the development. BAE Systems were represented by Colliers.
Sheffield social enterprise named ‘Winner of Winners’ by the BCC
Sheffield-based social enterprise Green Estate Community Interest Company has been named ‘Winner of Winners’ at the British Chambers of Commerce Business Awards 2024.
The company creates sustainable and resilient urban spaces across the UK to support nature and people. The company was founded in 2003 as a heritage and environmental regeneration project in the Manor area of Sheffield.
The Green Estate team has become nationally acclaimed experts in nature-based solutions and sustainable urban landscaping. Last year, it became one of the first 15 organisations to be given the prestigious King’s Enterprise Award for Sustainable Development.
Green Estate’s success was announced at the annual Chamber Business Awards event at the London Stock Exchange. More than 100 businesses from across the UK were nominated by Chambers across five categories. Green Estate also scooped the Green Innovation award earlier this summer.
Roz Davies, Chief Executive of The Green Estate CIC said: “We’re thrilled to receive this top award which recognises the hard work, optimism and passion of our team.
“Whether it’s in our home city of Sheffield or across the UK, we’re committed to transforming urban spaces so that both people and nature can thrive.
“Being members of our local chamber really does help us connect and grow in our own backyard of South Yorkshire. Driving forward green innovation is more vital than it has ever been – and with a shared vision we can help make a real difference in communities across the country.
Tracy Viner, Executive Manager (Policy and Public Impact) at Sheffield Chamber of Commerce said: “We’ve seen first-hand the incredible work Roz and her team have done in Sheffield and beyond. Their story, and their values, are truly inspiring.
“It’s wonderful to see such a brilliant community-focused business thriving here in South Yorkshire. We know that their success story will help inspire more companies in our chamber network in the years to come.”
Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the BCC said: “The Green Estate are worthy overall winners of this year’s Chamber Business Awards. With sustainability at the heart of everything they do, they are a shining example of how green innovation can transform local communities.”
Australian acquisition and investment in American team sees international growth for Grimsby kids swimwear brand
Children’s swimwear brand Splash About has seen international growth in both Australia and the USA. The company, which is headquartered in Grimsby, has acquired its distribution partner Little Toggs in New South Wales, rebranding the business Splash About Australia Pty Limited, and for the first time the business has hired a team in the USA.
The move into both continents will accelerate relationships with infant swim schools, retailers and facilitate distribution as demand for product increases.
Commenting on the Australian acquisition, Lesley Beach, Joint Managing Director of Splash About International Ltd, said: “The potential for growth in Australia is huge with over 1.8 million children currently learning to swim. We had a strong presence in the market working closely with Little Toggs, but the infant swimwear and accessories market has grown exponentially.”
Lesley continued: “Demand for our Happy Nappy swim nappy has soared due to its technical design which prevents faecal leaks. Unwelcome leaks are bad for business; pools need to close for cleaning and lessons must be cancelled, which results in unnecessary and avoidable expense.
“Insisting on a reusable Happy Nappy to prevent these accidents is a simple, proven cost-effective option, saving operational costs and in turn increasing revenues.”
To facilitate demand, Splash About has invested in state-of-the-art warehouse facilities to quickly fulfil orders and maintain a high level of customer service. In Australia the business is based in New South Wales and will be spearheaded by Little Toggs founder Kylie Hadid and in America, Damien McDonnell is heading up business development in Texas.
In addition to swimwear and swim accessories, Splash About has devised a range of flexible Partnership Programmes to work with swim schools globally regardless of their size, which are aimed at helping them drive revenue, operate efficiently, and decrease costs without increasing prices.
Imported US plastics could face tariffs to protect UK producers
The Trade Remedies Authority has recommended putting a new trade remedy measure in place to protect part of the UK’s plastics industry from harm caused by low-priced imported plastics from America.
The product is SPVC, used for items as diverse as water pipes, window frames, food packaging and inmedical products such as blood storage bags. In 2022, the UK used around 450,000 metric tonnes of SPVC in a UK market worth up to £700m.
After investigation, the TRA found that imports of US-made SPVC were undercutting the UK market by an average of almost 27%, squeezing the UK industry with downward price pressure from dumped US SPVC, forcing reduced prices to levels it claims are unsustainable.
The TRA also found that an anti-dumping measure on imports of SPVC from the US would allow the UK industry to compete fairly, enable it to operate closer to its full capacity and potentially increase its productivity.
The provisional proposed duty amount is 38.43%-56.01%, with the cooperating US exporter that submitted relevant data receiving lower rates than other exporters which did not cooperate.
TRA Chief Executive Oliver Griffiths said: “Our provisional finding is that SPVC from the US is being dumped in the UK and that this is injuring domestic producers. Our publication today demonstrates how interested parties that cooperate in our investigations by sharing key data can receive a lower duty compared with those that do not.”
Government to get tough with NHS suppliers over modern slavery
Tough new measures will find public bodies who buy goods and equipment for the NHS in breach of the law if they fail to mitigate the risk of modern slavery in supply chains.
A public consultation has been launched today seeking views on government proposals to prevent goods being sourced from companies accused of exploiting their work force.
More than 21% of NHS suppliers were recently found to be at ‘high risk’ of involving modern slavery in their supply chains. Surgical instruments, gloves, gowns, uniforms and face masks were identified as the five highest-risk products.
Proposed new measures would legally require public bodies procuring goods and services for the NHS to both identify and mitigate risks of modern slavery. Organisations will be required to work with suppliers to identify risks and put forward solutions.
The new regulations will apply to all public bodies procuring health goods and services, including NHS trusts, integrated care boards and local authorities.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The NHS is a public service built on compassion and equality, values which are completely antithetical to the heinous evil of modern slavery.
“These new measures will ensure vital checks are made and public bodies act to stamp out the crimes of slavery and human trafficking. This government will ensure the NHS is a leader in the fight against modern slavery.”
The NHS is the biggest public procurer in the country, and all NHS staff are empowered and encouraged to act as whistleblowers and report on incidents of slavery and human trafficking, supported by staff training courses.
Jacqui Rock, Chief Commercial Officer at NHS England said: “Modern slavery is insidious and needs to be eradicated from the NHS supply chain. While our procurement follows the government’s standard selection questionnaire, which addresses modern slavery risk, there is much more to do.
“We have a responsibility to ensure a zero-tolerance policy to modern slavery – and the more stakeholders that respond to this consultation will help strengthen these measures and help us wipe out this crime in the NHS supply chain.”
Trio of solicitors complete training contracts with Williamsons
Neeve Pearce, Eleanor Young, and Cathy Fairweather have completed training contracts with Williamsons Solicitors during 2024.
Neeve, from Hull and Eleanor, from Hessle, are both practising in the family department.. Cathy, from Gateshead, is practising in the firm’s clinical negligence department. All three have now been formally admitted to the national roll of solicitors.
The 18-month supervised training contracts, in which they gained experience in a variety of disciplines, followed a period working as paralegals at the firm, which operates from Hull, Bridlington and Driffield.
Neeve said she enjoyed being able to make a difference to people’s lives. “In the family department I can help clients through difficult times and also like the fast-paced nature of the work and the courtroom environment,” she said.
Eleanor said that the family department enabled her to work on solving real day-to-day issues occurring in family life. “I have always known I wanted to practise family law but was concerned about the distressing nature and emotional impact of dealing with sensitive cases. My training has helped to address this.”
Cathy, who initially wanted to be a nurse before deciding that the legal side of medicine suited her better, said: “Clinical negligence cases very often follow traumatic incidents for clients, and I find it highly satisfying to be able to bring a little positivity to what can be bleak circumstances.”
Sarah Clubley, a Williamsons Solicitors owner-director, said: “We are always looking to foster the next generation of legal professionals are very pleased that Cathy, Eleanor and Neeve have started their careers with us. We are sure they have a bright future with us and wish them every success.”
