Gainsborough cinema on track for 2025 opening

Stuart Pearcey
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Gainsborough cinema on track for 2025 opening
Building of Gainsborough’s new cinema is said to be well under way by Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co who are managing the project on behalf of client Savoy Cinemas. Scheduled to open in the summer of 2025, the four-screen cinema complex and attendant leisure and retail development are the anchor properties at the heart of the multi-million pound initiative by West Lindsey District Council to regenerate Gainsborough’s historic town centre. Gainsborough is the third Lincolnshire location – alongside Grantham and Boston – for Savoy Cinemas Ltd, a growing regional chain whose other locations include two in Nottinghamshire, one in Northamptonshire and another in South Yorkshire. Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co was appointed last year as the project manager and quantity surveyor by the cinema chain, and work on the new cinema building follows the demolition of old buildings and the clearing of the site. The firm has worked on a number of cinema, leisure and retail projects before, most recently in Lincoln as part of the ongoing Cornhill regeneration project. Eddison’s’ director Daniel Garfoot is leading the project management team. He said: “The site is in the town’s conservation area and has rightly been of archaeological interest given the site’s previous uses down the century. “We are also mindful of the Listed status of neighbouring buildings, as well as the operational requirements of their current traders and occupiers. But it’s our job to steer the project through to deliver the new cinema building in a way that reconciles local sensitivities with our client’s commercial imperative. That’s something all parties are on track to achieve.” James Collington, Savoy Cinemas’ MD said: “We’re glad to be adding Gainsborough as the newest location to our growing portfolio of cinemas across this part of the country.  The fact that our new complex gives new life to a derelict site and is at the heart of the revival of the town centre gives the project extra significance for all involved.”

Charity walks raise more than £4,000 for good causes

Stuart Pearcey
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Charity walks raise more than £4,000 for good causes
Teams from Breckenholme, including representatives from Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil, Charlie & Ivy’s, and The Honest Bean Co, and Wold Top Brewery met at Breckenholme Farm in Thixendale to walk 31 miles across the Yorkshire Wolds to Hunmanby Grange, home to Wold Top. A team of 18 from Breckenholme participated in the walk, with six walking all 31 miles and the rest walking between eight and 23 miles to raise money for HOPING York Street Kitchen. Wold Top’s team included one member, Alex Balchin who did all 31 miles and five walkers who completed between eight and 20 miles to raise money for St. Catherine’s Hospice in Scarborough.. Breckenholme’s co-founder Adam Palmer was one of the walkers who completed all 31 miles: “It was a great team effort from both businesses that raised an incredible amount for the respective charities. It was a fantastic day: good weather made for amazing views and it was very rewarding to see the money rolling in and to have a well-deserved pint of Wold Top at the end!” The team exceeded their £3,000 target and have raised £4,157 to date. Wold Top’s brewery director Alex Balchin added: “St. Catherine’s is a charity very close to our heart at Wold Top as they helped to care for our co-founder Gill at home in her last few months battling cancer. There was great camaraderie en route and we all enjoyed the food and beer at the end. We were delighted to exceed our fundraising target of £500 and have raised £845 to date, with some monies still to come in. Thanks to the team at Breckenholme for organising it: it was a great success.”  

Yorkshire digital marketing firm acquires web development agency

Tess Egginton
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Yorkshire digital marketing firm acquires web development agency
Accelerant has acquired web development agency Burrwalk, transitioning more than 50 of Burrwalk’s clients into its own portfolio. The acquisition sees the agency more than double its own client base, taking the overall tally to more than 90. Established in November 2023 by Tom Coates, Accelerant is a digital marketing agency based in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, offering marketing services including website development, SEO, branding, social media and digital design. The agency will initially deliver website management and hosting services for its new clients, prioritising a seamless and interruption-free transition. Coates believes that the integration of Burrwalk’s client base, which includes small to medium-sized businesses from throughout the UK, aligns perfectly with Accelerant’s ambitions for growth. Accelerant Managing Director Tom Coates said: “We are excited to welcome Burrwalk’s clients into the Accelerant family and look forward to managing their online presences moving forward, as well as driving their own growth through our marketing offering. “Adding to our existing base of close to 40 active clients, this is a major early milestone for Accelerant, underpinning significant expansion and entrenching additional stability for the business following a successful first six months. “Our priority is to ensure business as usual for Burrwalk’s clients during this transition, although we are also relishing the opportunity to explore additional marketing potential that can further benefit these businesses.” Burrwalk was a specialist website development and management agency, based in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, owned and operated by Lee Burrett, an experienced IT specialist and web developer. He said: “After many successful years of building Burrwalk into a specialist web development agency, I am thrilled to see our clients in the capable hands of Accelerant.” Lee now intends to focus on business interests outside of the sector following the completion of the sale to Accelerant. The acquisition was facilitated with the advisory support of Accelerant consultants Phil Taylor-Guck, Adam Matich and Mindaugas Bendikas, and Bruce McLeod of Ad:Ventue.

Lincoln emerges as promising location for successful AI enterprises

Stuart Pearcey
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Lincoln emerges as promising location for successful AI enterprises
Lincoln ranks fourth in newly-published research about the best UK locations for AI enterprises, with the region’s other major cities not even making the top 20. The report is by BusinessFinanced.co.uk. Called AI Business Rankings 2024, it identifies the 59 leading towns and cities in the UK for artificial intelligence (AI) enterprises. Evaluating key factors that contribute to a thriving AI ecosystem, the report is said to be invaluable for a variety of stakeholders, including entrepreneurs and start-up founders looking to establish AI businesses, investors and venture capitalists seeking lucrative opportunities, policymakers and government officials aiming to foster AI development, and educational institutions preparing the future AI workforce. The report ranks 59 locations across the UK, identifying Cambridge as the top location for AI businesses. The rankings are based on a detailed evaluation of AI-related job vacancies, the number of AI-related businesses, online search volume for AI-related terms, and the 5-year business survival rate. It sais smaller locations like Lincoln and Gloucester are emerging as promising locations, offering high business survival rates and growing interest in AI technologies. The top 20 towns and cities are: 1. Cambridge 2. Bristol 3. Reading 4. Lincoln 5. Newcastle upon Tyne 6. Southampton 7. Gloucester 8. Slough 9. Oxford 10. London 11. Bournemouth 12. Milton Keynes 13. Chelmsford 14. Warrington 15. Cardiff 16. Exeter 17. Cheltenham 18. Belfast 19. Glasgow 20. Manchester

North Lincolnshire businesses sign up to Safer Nights charter

Stuart Pearcey
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North Lincolnshire businesses sign up to Safer Nights charter
Businesses and workers from Brigg’s Pubwatch have signed up to the Safer Nights NL charter. Many night time economy venues are part of Pubwatch and have signed the Safety at Night Charter, pledging to take the safety of everyone seriously. It shows venues are being proactive in improving safety of those working in the night time economy and members of the public who want to enjoy socialising safely. This follows on from the Safer Nights NL being successfully launched in Scunthorpe. The campaign sees venues being trained in bystander training, how to use bleed kits and First Aid training, and given details on Ask Angela and spiking and ‘One Punch’ awareness.  The charter was created by the North Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership, which includes North Lincolnshire Council, Humberside Police, Humberside Fire and Rescue, Ongo, the National Probation Service, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB and the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner. North Lincolnshire CSP has also teamed up with WalkSafe, the UK’s most downloaded personal safety app. It features a safety map that will show the safe space venues in Scunthorpe and Brigg venues. The app has local safety information on the map’s menu button in addition to WalkSafe’s personal safety tools like WalkSafe Journey Sharing, Follow Me and HomeSafe.  Chief Superintendent Paul French of Humberside Police, said: “As part of our local Safer Nights North Lincolnshire partnership, we are delighted to support the launch of Pubwatch in Brigg and the initiative of the Walk Safe App extending its coverage across our local communities.   “Humberside Police are absolutely committed to working with our communities and our partners to ensure everyone can have a safe and enjoyable experience when out and around North Lincolnshire.” 

Eddisons secures new tenant for Lincoln’s Carlton Centre

Stuart Pearcey
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Eddisons secures new tenant for Lincoln’s Carlton Centre
The Carlton Centre in Lincoln is the location chosen by soft play leisure business, Bounce Central for its first venue in the East of England, confirms Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co who acted on behalf of the landlord in the letting of the premises. Unit 20 at the Carlton Centre, two miles north of Lincoln city centre, gives Bounce Central more than 8,500 sq ft in which to host its trampoline and soft play equipment open sessions, scheduled classes, parties and events. Established in 2016, the family-run business already has two successful venues in the North West – Salford and Oldham – and, in looking to branch out to the East of England, had been seeking a suitable location for a number of years. Bounce Central MD James Fearn said the business landed on Lincoln for a number of reasons. “Having grown up in the area, I know Lincoln very well and opening up a Bounce Central branch in the East of the country has been part of our business growth plan. “Lincoln has changed a lot since my childhood. Recent regeneration and investment in the city centre, in particular, sees the area raising its game in responding to changing habits and expectations of a young and vibrant demographic. It’s a market and a vibe we want to tap in to.” Bounce Central’s new venue at the Carlton Centre is currently being fitted out and is scheduled to open on 20 July. The new Lincoln operation will take the company’s total headcount to 75 staff, adding to its current number of 53 across its North West venues. James Butcher of Eddisons incorporating Banks Long & Co, who led the agency deal in the letting of the premises to Bounce Central, said: “The Carlton Centre is the largest retail park in the immediate Lincoln area and is a popular neighbourhood centre. “There are over 10,000 people living within easy walking distance of the centre and it has over 450 parking spaces. It’s an ideal location for an operator looking to bring a leisure offer to add to that of established high profile retailers at the centre. “We’re happy to have played our part in securing Bounce Central as the new occupier and, in doing so, providing a warm welcome home to a Lincolnshire lad.”

Businesses get new guidance from Security Industry Authority

Stuart Pearcey
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Businesses get new guidance from Security Industry Authority
The Security Industry Authority has published new guidance videos for business users, licence holders and licence applicants. Six new videos on the Authority’s YouTube channel provide helpful guidance to business users, licence holders and licence applicants in an easy-to-understand format. The new videos are:
  • Guide to the SIA’s business services
  • Setting up an SIA business account
  • Using the SIA’s Licence Status Checker or Licence Pay Only services
  • Keeping your SIA online account up to date
  • Telling the SIA when something changes
  • Overview of the Public Space Surveillance (CCTV) licence
Iestyn David, the SIA’s Head of Licensing and Service Delivery, said: “It’s important we give our customers quality advice and guidance to support them with the application process, and that we provide the information so that customers can easily self-serve any queries they have.

“We’ve been reviewing the advice and guidance we make available to customers to identify what more we can do to make the information more visual and easily understood. The new videos were developed as part of a wider review by our licensing team, keeping the customer experience at the forefront throughout.

“We will continue to monitor our contact strategy and continuously improve the advice and guidance we publish to help make the application process as straightforward as possible for new and returning customers.”

The Security Industry Authority is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the United Kingdom, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA’s main duties are the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme.

Bradford College secures £2.6m grant for energy-efficiency works

Tess Egginton
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Bradford College secures £2.6m grant for energy-efficiency works
Bradford College has been awarded a £2.6 million grant for energy-efficiency works that will contribute to national net-zero targets.

Delivered by Salix and run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Phase 3c Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) aims to slash energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.

The Scheme targets public sector buildings that still use fossil fuels for heating, hot water, and catering. In total, more than £530 million of funding is being handed to schools, hospitals, fire stations, universities and other public buildings across the country to help tackle climate change.

With a Bradford College contribution taking the funding total to over £3 million, the project will connect the David Hockney building and Advanced Technology Centre to the Bradford Energy Network by March 2026. Networks such as this produce heat on a large scale from the same source to buildings that are separated by miles.

Bradford has one of the UK’s largest Air Source Heat Pump installations. Buildings on the Bradford district heating network will benefit from an 85-90% reduction in emissions, contributing to a city-wide reduction in emissions of approximately 8,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in the first phase of the network.

Bradford College is one of 189 public sector organisations nationwide that were awarded grants for heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency schemes. Work will also cover improvements to hot water distribution systems, pipework insulation, and emitter and substation upgrades.

Pamela Sheldon, Head of Projects at Bradford College, said: “Bradford College is committed to reducing its carbon footprint. This latest funding will be a huge boost to our decarbonisation strategy.

“Over the last two years, Bradford College has secured nearly £32 million in funding incorporating the PSDS grant. This substantial investment is helping us to rethink, reshape, rework, and rebuild aspirational new sustainable facilities in the heart of Bradford.”

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme was launched in 2020 and Phase 3 of Scheme was announced in 2021 to reduce fossil fuel usage and make public buildings more comfortable and efficient to heat. Phase 3c is the latest funding released by the Department for Energy Security to achieve net zero targets.

Director of Programmes at Salix Ian Rodger said: “Climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time and we are pleased to be working with Bradford College on reducing its carbon footprint.

“Our teams will work closely with the college as they progress their decarbonisation journey, ensuring these buildings not only become more energy efficient but better places in which to work and study.”

Alongside this grant, other upcoming Bradford College capital work includes improvement of the fabric of buildings for optimum thermal performance, the incorporation of high levels of natural daylight to reduce artificial light sources in new buildings, energy-efficient LED lighting and optimising lighting control, as well as adding social value by targeting local SME labour and supply chains.

Harrogate firm facilitates MBO at £35m turnover tile business

Stuart Pearcey
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Harrogate firm facilitates MBO at £35m turnover tile business
Harrogate-based CorpFin has been instrumental in a management buyout of UK tile specialist Johnson Tiles, which has a turnover of £35m at its base in Stoke on Trent. The deal, which precedes a comprehensive restructuring of the business to safeguard the future of the respected British brand, was led by Chris Silverwood and Tony Norwood, partners at corporate finance and restructuring specialists CorpFin. The management team, led by MD Stephen Dixon, commercial director Rich Kelsall, procurement director Jason Bridges and finance director Melanie Birks has assumed full control of the business having acquired it from former owner Norcros Plc with the full support of all parties. An £8m revolving credit facility was sourced by CorpFin from Allica Bank, led by Ian Flaxman, head of growth finance, to provide working capital facilities to the new entity. Chris Silverwood said: “In a challenging time for UK manufacturing, the future of the business demands a root and branch review of strategy in order to establish new firm foundations for success, and the MBO enables the first stage of that process.” Tony Norwood added: “This was a highly complex situation successfully navigated due to the collaborative and pragmatic approach of the management team and Norcros, both of whom recognised that an MBO was in the best interests of all staff, customers and shareholders. “The transition to a fully outsourced model, alongside the secured funding package, will allow Johnson Tiles to maintain its market leading position following the buy-out and ensure that the company is ideally placed to benefit from future growth.”

Sheffield building products supplier gives profit warning

Tess Egginton
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Sheffield building products supplier gives profit warning

SIG, a Sheffield-based supplier of specialist insulation and building products, has warned of lower than expected sales and underlying operating profit.

In a trading update for the year ending 31 December 2024 to date, the business noted that market conditions have remained challenging, with subdued demand in the majority of its markets, reflecting ongoing softness in the building and construction sector.

With weaker than expected trading in recent weeks and a more cautious view of the timing of any potential market improvements, the Board now expects 2024 full year underlying operating profit to be in the range of £20m to £30m – below the current analyst range of £36.7m to £43m.

The company also highlighted a Group like-for-like (LFL) sales decline versus the prior year’s May and June of 7%.

SIG said it “continues to perform well relative to its markets and is also continuing to drive cost reductions and efficiency initiatives, which support the continued expectation of a stronger second half performance and will help drive higher profitability as markets recover.”

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