Business-led community groups will deliver new event spaces, improved shopfronts and street art thanks to £2million of investment into neighbourhoods by Sheffield City Council. The funding will support local high streets and improve public spaces areas to create vibrant, thriving neighbourhoods. Across Sheffield, 23 projects will benefit from investment from the Economic Recovery Fund, which was developed as part of Sheffield’s Covid Business Recovery Plan and has already invested £2.2m into the city’s high streets since 2021. Funding has been approved for projects including a new short-term event space on Northern Avenue, Arbourthorne, which will host events, workshops and drop-in sessions for local residents and businesses; a new community orchard in Crookes, and new heritage trails and events in Ecclesfield. In other areas, new bins, benches, murals and improved shop fronts will help brighten up high streets, encourage people to shop local and provide spaces for the local community to meet and socialise. Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Skills Committee, said: “It is fantastic to invest more money into our local communities and to hand over funding to groups who know their areas best and can deliver improvements to benefit local residents. “More than half of these projects are in Sheffield’s most deprived areas and I am proud that we are awarding funding to those areas that need it most. We have seen some creative and ambitious projects, including tree planting in Firth Park, a herb garden and street art in Westfield, and a programme of events for Christmas, Eid and Lunar New Year for London Road. “As a member of the steering group for the Economic Recovery Fund, it has been brilliant to see the passion, commitment and enthusiasm of business and community groups who are determined to create thriving high streets which residents can be proud of. I am looking forward to supporting these groups as they deliver their projects, and seeing the finished results.” Councillor Zahira Naz, Chair of the Finance Committee, said: “Investment from the Economic Recovery Fund will provide a much needed boost for local high streets still feeling the impact of the pandemic. “By improving how neighbourhoods look, funding events and attractions, and supporting initiatives to encourage people to shop local, we’re helping to attract visitors, generate community pride and improve business confidence. I’m looking forward to seeing the positive impact these 23 projects have on their local area.” On London Road, the team will create a new collective identity for the area with new banners, planters and a mural for the Alderson Road car park. They’ll also bring people together with a programme of events for Eid, Christmas and Lunar New Year. Abdullah Khalid, who owns a business on London Road, said: “This is a really exciting time for our group. We’re planning a variety of activities to make London Road cleaner and safer for residents and businesses. “This includes a borrow bank of equipment to keep the area tidy; multicultural events bringing the community together; improvements to the car park and shop fronts, to uplift the area; and creating a brand for London Road. “We expect to deliver a more attractive and welcoming environment, and tackle antisocial behaviour. We want more people to use their local area and businesses, and celebrate the unique diverse community we have on London Road.” In Greenhill, money from the Economic Recovery Fund will be used to plant new greenery to enhance the central area of Greenhill and a promotional campaign encouraging people to shop local.

Leeds is set to take its place in the national sporting spotlight once again after being confirmed as the host city for the UK Corporate Games 2024. The event is the country’s largest multi-sport festival for businesses, with thousands of competitors from hundreds of companies coming together in a different city each year to network and build team spirit as they go for glory at everything from karting and golf to tennis and dragon boat racing. And today organisers announced the success of a joint bid by Leeds City Council and the University of Leeds to host the Games in 2024. Running from July 25 to 28, the event will be held at a range of venues across the city, including the John Charles Centre for Sport, Sports Park Weetwood and the Brownlee Centre. The Games, it is hoped, will further strengthen the reputation of Leeds as a sporting heavyweight, with the city in recent times hosting high-profile occasions such as the AJ Bell World Triathlon Championship Series and the Westfield Health British Transplant Games as well as a number of fixtures at last year’s Rugby League World Cup. Today’s announcement also comes as the LEEDS 2023 year of culture continues to burnish the city’s credentials as a place that can confidently deliver innovative, large-scale events which capture the public imagination and create magical lifelong memories. Next summer’s Games are expected to generate more than £2m for the local economy and will showcase Leeds to visiting business people as an attractive option if their company is considering relocation or expansion. Working alongside both the organisers and the university, the council will also use the insight it has gained from staging previous big events to produce a sustainability strategy designed to make these the most eco-friendly Games yet. Doug White, director of the UK Corporate Games, said: “We are delighted to announce that the city of Leeds will host the 2024 UK Corporate Games. We’re extremely excited to work closely with Leeds City Council and the University of Leeds to make this the best UK Corporate Games ever. “Leeds is a fantastic city, and we know all our Games competitors and competing organisations will share our excitement. Leeds is one of the UK’s foremost cities for growing enterprises and we want to provide all businesses with the opportunity to get involved in this memorable event. “The Games bring people and companies together from across the UK and Europe and provide businesses and their employees with an opportunity to team build, promote health and wellbeing through sport and network as well as promote their brand.” Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, culture and education, said: “We’re delighted that Leeds has been chosen as the host city for the UK Corporate Games 2024. It’s a real feather in our cap, so thank you to the organisers for bringing it here and well done to all those from the council and the university who worked on the bid. “I’m sure the event will be a great example of how sport can unite people and inspire them to reach their goals through determination, positivity and teamwork. “It will also be a perfect opportunity to showcase Leeds’s strengths as both a passionate sporting city and a brilliant place to do business. “Everyone involved can look forward to a typically warm Leeds welcome – roll on next summer and the start of the action!” Rob Wadsworth, director of campus innovation at the University of Leeds, said:  “We’re delighted to be chosen as the hub for this fantastic city-wide festival that will bring people together from across the UK and Europe. Under the expert eye of our conferences and events team and supported by a range of services from across the university, I am confident we’ll help create one of the most memorable UK Corporate Games yet. “Thanks to our unrivalled sports facilities, we are well versed at hosting prestigious sporting events including the Rugby League World Cup and the British Transplant Games. We look forward to working with partners across the city to add another respected event to this list with the UK Corporate Games!”

A Lincolnshire IT business – which started life in a understairs cupboard – is celebrating its 21st anniversary. LCS IT Solutions has grown from a one-man band to a business employing 10 people – and it continues to focus heavily on future expansion. Today the busy specialist, whose staff work on a hybrid basis, is based in professional premises in Washingborough from where it services micro enterprises, SMEs of all sizes and also supports a range of schools. Celebrating its achievements, Managing Director Anthony Bryant said: “Thinking back, the business had a rather Harry Potter-esque start in life, but our brand of magic must have worked, when I stop and realise where we have got to today!” After being made redundant in July 2002, Anthony and his wife Claire headed down to the pub, then camped out overnight, whilst mulling over their next move. That September Anthony, a former IT manager with a large muti-national company, immediately started work on creating the LCS brand from scratch despite never having had any experience in brand creation. In 2006, the fledgling venture switched up a gear. Anthony moved his business into a spare bedroom and Claire joined him to help with the rising number of accounts. It was a busy time all round as this tied in with the arrival of their first son, Louie. His brother Charlie was born two years later. By 2012, with the arrival of surprise son number three, Ted, the Bryant family had run out of bedrooms! LCS IT had also grown to employ four people, so it was time to find a new home for the business and they rented a little office nearby, in Washingborough. By 2015, further success led the firm to relocate to its current home in the village. Claire said that the fact that it is straight opposite the local pub is “pure coincidence!” That milestone also saw the couple tweak their business’s name to LCS IT Solutions, to reflect its growing range of services. 2020 turned out to be a memorable year for every company as Covid breezed in and acted as a major disruptor. In common with others, LCS IT Solutions examined the way in which it was working and took action to ensure it could continue supporting and delivering to clients during what ran into several lockdowns. “We responded by getting all of our clients up and running from home – and that entailed working with over 1,000 users. Sadly, our own team members were also forced to work remotely for the best part of the year,” said Anthony. “In line with the way in which hundreds of companies are still working today, we organised two Teams meetings each day to catch-up with everyone and keep our staff fully in the loop about the latest developments,” said Claire. “We are still doing that today and, depending on the individual needs of individual staff, hybrid working continues to be the way forward.” LCS IT’s core services include IT support, project management, consultancy, Cyber Security and managed telephone services. “The technological developments since we started out are massive. The largest growing area is Cyber Crime, but we are proud to be Cyber Essentials Accredited,” said Claire. “We’ve been building a close working relationship with the police and the East Midlands Cyber Crime Unit who were our partners in an educational event we ran for clients earlier this year. “We are keen to keep educating our clients, which is why we constantly create new resource they can use to educate their staff in ways to help safeguard against hacking attempts.”

More than 15 million people visited Sheffield in 2022, bringing an estimated £1.35billion boost to the city’s economy. Tourists spent money on accommodation, food and drink, culture, shopping, and travel, which helps bring money into the city and create jobs. The visitor economy supports 13,285 full time equivalent jobs in Sheffield. Cultural events, sporting fixtures and Sheffield’s growing reputation as a city break destination has helped the city attract tourists in 2022. The Women’s Euros brought football and footfall to Sheffield. City centre footfall increased by more than 10,000 (22%) and all of the city’s hotel rooms were fully booked during match days. Whilst the Rugby League World Cup brought thousands more sports fans to Sheffield. Events run by local businesses also helped make Sheffield more attractive to tourists. Markets like Peddler street food market and Pollen flower markets continued to thrive and annual events like World Snooker, Tramlines and Art in the Gardens brought sports, music and arts fans to the city. Sheffield has been named the ‘second best city to visit’ by TimeOut and its reputation as The Outdoor City attracts city break visitors who enjoy adventures from climbing to stand up paddleboarding to exploring our open spaces on foot. Having the Peak District on Sheffield’s doorstep is an added bonus for visitors. These adventure opportunities sit alongside culture and heritage and live music, which adds to Sheffield’s tourist offer. This is the first year since 2019 that the visitor economy has not been affected by covid restrictions. The value of Sheffield’s visitor economy is now only 1.2% below its pre-pandemic level. Figures show that Sheffield’s visitor economy recovery is in line with other major cities across the UK. Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Skills Committee, said: “We all know how brilliant Sheffield is because we’re residents of the city. It is fantastic to see that tourists are keen to visit and experience all the Sheffield has to offer. “The pandemic was an incredibly challenging time for our visitor economy and it is good to see that recovery is on track and that visitors are returning to Sheffield. A strong tourist offer is good for our city and its residents, it creates jobs and boosts our economy. “In autumn, Sheffield’s proposed Destination Management Plan – a long term plan for tourism in the region will be considered by the Economic Development and Skills Committee. The plan follows July’s announcement of the South Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership by Visit England and will bring together unique attractions and visitor experiences from across the region to attract more visitors to South Yorkshire. “From world-class sporting events to local artisan markets, adventures on the edge of our city in the Peak District, visits to our museums, galleries and theatres, and of course, shopping trips. I am proud that Sheffield has attracted so many visitors, providing a welcome boost to the city’s economy.”

Doncaster Central MP Dame Rosie Winterton has met businesses in her constituency to give them the chance to say what they believe should be her priotities. The event was organised by Doncaster Chamber, whose Chief Exec Dan Fell said: “This roundtable in particular covered a lot of ground, with us touching upon a diverse range of topics that are especially pertinent right now. Among other things, the discussion spanned themes like: the availability of net-zero support; A.I. and its ever-evolving suite of capabilities; how we can more effectively attract & retain talent in Doncaster; and various issues related to planning, housing and development. “It was a really productive session and I would like to express my gratitude to all of the attendees for contributing to this important conversation and for offering their expert insights. Of course, I’d also like to thank Dame Rosie herself for giving up her time to listen and for her incredible candour. “We have previously said that — following on from all of the setbacks of recent months — Doncaster urgently needs to get back to its winning ways and that now is the time for coming up with fresh ideas. I believe that we were able to do just that at this roundtable and that we have come away with some exciting homework that will hopefully put us on a trajectory towards a more prosperous future.” Dame Rosie added: “It is my ambition to make Doncaster one of the most business-friendly cities in the UK. Making sure that we are listening attentively to the voices of local employers and entrepreneurs —  so that we can learn what matters most to them —  is therefore of the utmost importance. After all, they are the ones who have the answers, insights and solutions that we need. “It was a real privilege to attend this roundtable last week and to have the opportunity to engage with such incredible businesses from across my constituency. Lots of great ideas were generated here about what more we can be doing to support businesses, to attract them into the area, and to ultimately give Doncaster the brightest possible future. Now we must act on them.”