The team at an East Yorkshire brewery are hosting a unique tasting event in conjunction with a North Sea kelp grower.
Representatives from Wold Newton based Wold Top Brewery will be onboard the Southern Star, home to the SeaGrown Centre, on 8th November to talk about the unique beers they produce from kelp harvested by the SeaGrown team. Wold Top’s Jo Ward and Michelle Savage will talk about the beers they’re brewing from Yorkshire seaweed, Alice Wilkinson from SeaGrown will share information about their unique large-scale seaweed farm and the SeaGrown Centre chef will prepare a selection of snacks to accompany the beer-tasting. “Since 2018, SeaGrown has been sustainably growing and harvesting seaweed right here on the Yorkshire Coast. This planet-friendly crop can be used for many wonderful things, including beer. In 2022, they invited us to brew a seaweed beer, Hold Fast, for them to serve in their café and restaurant and we have recently brewed a second beer, Down the Hatch. We’re looking forward to tasting these and other Wold Top beers alongside some delicious snacks on board the Southern Star,” said Mrs Ward. Wold Top was founded in 2003 and is located on the Mellor family farm at Hunmanby Grange. The team use home-grown barley and water from the farm’s borehole to produce a range of award-winning cask, keg and bottled beers that are available throughout Yorkshire and nationwide. Founded in 2018 by Wave Crookes and Laura Robinson, SeaGrown is Britain’s first large-scale offshore seaweed farm. Their pioneering seaweed farm is producing a sustainable crop year-round – with an ever-expanding range of uses – from foods to agriculture and nutraceuticals to bioplastics.Detailed planning application submitted for Louth development
Developer Charterpoint and housebuilder Snape Properties have jointly submitted a detailed planning application for a site near Louth.
The 12-acre plot off Daisy Way is an extension to the popular Westfield Park and already has outline planning permission for up to 90 new properties.
Now a detailed application has been submitted to East Lindsey District Council for the next stage of the development.
The proposals are for 90 properties, including a mix of one, two, three and four bedroom homes, plus a children’s play area, surface water attenuation ponds, wildflower meadows, sustainable drainage and an amenity lawn for communal informal recreation.
Adrian Goose, CEO of Charterpoint, said: “We are very pleased that Charterpoint and Snape Properties have jointly submitted a detailed planning application for this site off Daisy Way near Louth.
“In conjunction with Charterpoint, Snape Properties has built a flourishing community at Westfield Park and this additional plot will bring more much-needed homes to the town.”
The site, which is bounded by the A16 Louth bypass to the north west and by Westfield Park to the south and east, will be accessed off Daisy Way and will include green infrastructure to provide an attractive quality environment for residents and visitors with consideration given to access for pedestrians and cyclists, enhancement of wildlife biodiversity, sustainable drainage solutions and promotion of use of outdoor spaces for improved mental and physical health and well-being.
Open water, swales and ditches are also included as part of the sustainable drainage strategy to contribute to local biodiversity.
Safestyle UK announces intention to appoint administrators, putting 600 jobs on the line
Safestyle UK, the Bradford retailer and manufacturer of PVCu replacement windows and doors, has announced its intention to appoint administrators.
It follows the news of parties withdrawing their interest in buying the business and comes as the doors of Safestyle were closed, resulting in up to 600 job losses, and the business suspending share trading.
The Board of the main trading subsidiary of the group, H.P.A.S. Limited (HPAS) and other intermediate holding companies in the group, namely Style Group Holdings Limited and Style Group UK Limited, has concluded that they are no longer able to continue trading as a going concern.
As a result, the Board has filed notice of intention to appoint administrators to HPAS, Style Group Holdings Limited and Style Group UK Limited.
A statement added: “Unless financial circumstances change, and in accordance with statutory requirements, the board of these three companies intends to appoint administrators within 10 business days.”
White Hart Hotel to reopen in historic Uphill Lincoln
Following a comprehensive six-month refurbishment, the White Hart Hotel in Lincoln is set to open its doors to the public on Monday 6th November.
Purchased in 2022 by Lincolnshire resident and businessman, Andrew Long, the hotel has been completely transformed and now offers both locals and visitors to Lincoln a truly stylish place to stay, eat and celebrate.
Originally one of the oldest Coaching Inns in the region, the White Hart Hotel is located on Bailgate, one of the city’s most historic streets, within yards of the iconic Lincoln Cathedral and medieval Lincoln Castle.
As well as a tasteful renovation of the bedrooms, the hotel now proudly boasts the fully refurbished and renamed Colonnade Cocktail Bar & Lounge at the very heart of the hotel, the all-new Gibson Club Bar for more relaxed occasions and a wealth of additional wedding and function suites. The hotel’s stylish new Antlers Restaurant, will be opening at the start of December, serving the very finest local and seasonal produce from a host of local suppliers and artisan producers.
Andrew Long says: “Since acquiring the White Hart, we have had ambitious plans to turn it into one of the most elegant and desirable hotels in the region. The comprehensive yet sensitive and respectful refurbishment we have carried out on Lincoln’s most historic hotel should ensure that it quickly regains its reputation as the city’s leading ‘special occasion’ destination for both locals and visitors alike.
“We can’t wait to welcome our guests, old and new to see what we’ve been able to achieve.”
Andrew added: “The White Hart first opened more than 600 years ago as a Coaching Inn and has been one of Lincoln’s premier hotels since being substantially rebuilt and extended in the mid 1800s.”
Hotel General Manager, Paul Noble, said: “We’ve spent the last few months training and developing our highly valued team and getting ready to reopen, so we’re excited to be able to put our carefully laid plans into action.
“Not only have we considerably improved our food offering and menu choices, but we’ve also had a complete overhaul of our renowned cocktail menu to ensure each guest has a truly memorable experience – whether they are visiting for a few hours or staying for several days.”
Andrew Long has also acquired the nearby Judge’s Lodgings, a similarly historic gem close to the White Hart Hotel on Castle Hill. Andrew plans to refurbish and redevelop the Judge’s Lodgings in conjunction with the former White Hart Hotel Garages and 2 Bailgate, providing fully serviced ‘apartment style’ Rooms, Restaurant and Licensed Cafe Bar, together with a high quality Retail Arcade and the continued provision of approximately 30 customer car parking spaces.
New laws create one of UK’s largest-ever procurement rules shake-up
In one of the largest shake ups to procurement rules in UK history SMEs are to be helped to secure a larger share of about £300bn of expenditure every year.
The changes became law following the Royal Assent of the Procurement Act, which, it’s claimed, creates a simpler and more transparent system delivering better value for money, reducing costs for business and the public sector.
The Act places a requirement on contracting authorities to assess the barriers facing SMEs throughout the entire procurement lifecycle, and to consider what can be done to overcome them.
For example, in the area of insurance, procurement processes can unfairly penalise businesses that lack the resources of larger suppliers. The Act makes it clear that contracting authorities must accept evidence that required insurance cover will be in place when a contract is awarded, rather than at the point of bidding. This will save all businesses, including SMEs, from having to incur unnecessary upfront costs.
Significant new powers will enable high-risk suppliers to be put on a public debarment list and be prevented from bidding for some categories of goods or services, such as areas related to defence and national security, while allowing them to continue to bid for contracts in non-sensitive areas.
Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said: “We have taken the long-term decisions that will increase our powers to protect our security in our supply chains and procurement.
“This has included radical steps such as creating a National Security Unit for Procurement and giving Ministers the power to prevent suppliers from bidding for certain products where there is a risk to national security it will deliver lasting change which protects the UK for generations to come.”
Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart said: “This Act is all about supporting British business using the opportunity of Brexit, as we change the way government works so it delivers better for people across the country. In particular, we draw on the new freedoms available to us by leaving the European Union to embrace and best support our small and medium sized businesses. “The Act will streamline the way that companies bid for public contracts, while also giving procurers more room for negotiating prices and innovative solutions with these companies. “These reforms will deliver better value for money, slash red tape, drive innovation and make it easier for suppliers of all sizes to do business with the public sector “It will also be possible to exclude suppliers from bidding for contracts, not only if they’ve performed badly on other contracts in the past, but also based on modern slavery or professional misconduct grounds.” The Government is also committing to publish a timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to China’s National Intelligence Law from central government sensitive sites. Government will also produce an annual written report to Parliament detailing progress on this commitment.Cooked poultry from Grantham wins first Japan export scheme registration
British cooked poultry products from May PArk’s premises in Grantham will soon reach Japanese tables thanks to a new market access deal that will benefit UK farmers, meat processers, and exporters. The industry estimates that this market could be worth over £10 million in the next five years.
UK poultry meat has been exported to Japan since a market access deal for fresh and cooked poultry was secured in 2021, but Avian Influenza outbreaks in the UK have led to restrictions on the trade.
The new agreement enables smoother trade of cooked poultry meat, meaning that additional high-value exports to Japan can be made. Moy Park, one of the UK’s largest poultry meat producers, is the first to be officially registered to export cooked poultry to Japan under this agreement from one of its facilities in Grantham.
Japan is renowned internationally for its stringent food safety and import control regime, as well as for its taste for high-quality, varied cuts of meats. The opening of this market for UK cooked poultry products demonstrates Japan’s confidence in the high standards of UK poultry production methods.
Negotiations were led by Defra and their Agriculture Attaché and colleagues based at the British Embassy in Tokyo, with support from the British Poultry Council, South Kesteven District Council, and the Food Standards Agency.
Ayeisha Kirkham, Head of Service (Public Protection) at South Kesteven District Council said: “The district council has overseen food hygiene regulation at Moy Park in Grantham, one of Lincolnshire’s largest employers, for several decades. It has been a pleasure working with the company and other agencies to help them satisfy the high expectations of the Japanese officials who visited the site.
“Supporting economic growth and local businesses is a priority for the council, including global food export at a time when import and export has presented national challenges.”
Beatriz Curran, International Business Development Manager at Moy Park said: “We are incredibly proud to be the first UK business set to benefit from this fantastic export opportunity. As a company, we are wholly focused on the highest standards of food safety, integrity and animal welfare and so we are thankful to collaborate with industry and partners to successfully reach this new market.
“With the momentum from this progress, we are confident that we can grow this export opportunity even further across our facilities given the technical excellence, focus and energy of our talented team and partners.”
£60k loan secures some jobs and creates others for walking stick company
York-based walking stick manufacturer Neo Walk is to expand, hire three people and safeguard nine jobs thanks to a £60k loan secured by the Business Enterprise Fund.
From an idea born a decade ago in Lyndsay Watterson’s kitchen the company now sends acrylic walking sticks to customers worldwide.
As the sole director of Neo Walk, Lyndsay has steered the company toward international acclaim, selling their elegant walking sticks exclusively through its dedicated website.
In 2007 Lyndsay contracted MRSA after a medical procedure, resulting in irreparable damage to her left leg. Three years later, at age 43, she made the courageous decision to have her leg amputated.
She swiftly adapted to using a prosthetic leg and trained to be a circus performer and took part in the 2012 Paralympics Opening Ceremony in London.
Recognising the immense potential of Neo Walk, the company sought support from the Business Enterprise Fund. BEF responded by delivering a £60,000 loan which was backed by the Recovery Loan Scheme. The seamless four-week loan delivery process involved Lyndsay working closely with Chris Conroy, investment manager at BEF.
The impact of this financial support extended beyond Neo Walk. It significantly boosted working capital, leading to the creation of one full-time job and two part-time positions, while also safeguarding nine existing jobs.
Lyndsay said: “Life may present unexpected challenges, but it’s in our power to turn them into opportunities. Neo Walk is not just about walking sticks; it’s a symbol of resilience, individuality, and the limitless potential within us all.”
Chris Conroy, investment manager at BEF, said: “The investment reflects our commitment to supporting women-led businesses with the finance they need to start or grow their business and impact the communities they serve. Supporting Lyndsay and Neo Walk has been incredible. Lyndsay’s tenacity and dedication to innovation is awe-inspiring. We are honoured to be a part of her remarkable journey and wish her every success as she continues to grow the business.”
Recently, Neo Walk joined forces with Christina Applegate, a renowned American actress who, despite her recent diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, continues to inspire millions. Together, they unveiled a limited-edition walking cane, symbolising strength, elegance, and the indomitable spirit.
Leeds engineering services group acquires nuclear manufacturing specialist
Renew, the Leeds-based Engineering Services Group supporting the maintenance and renewal of critical UK infrastructure, has acquired the entire issued share capital of T.I.S. Cumbria Ltd (TIS), for a total cash consideration of £4.7m.
Based in Cumbria, TIS is a nuclear manufacturing and fabrication specialist. In line with the Group’s strategy, the acquisition enhances Renew’s nuclear services offering by immediately doubling manufacturing capacity and strengthening Renew’s position in the growing nuclear decommissioning and new build markets.
Paul Scott, Chief Executive Officer of Renew, said: “This acquisition will allow Renew to continue to support its existing clients and take advantage of increasing demand across the decommissioning and new nuclear build programmes.
“The added manufacturing capacity will allow Renew to better support its existing clients, as well as strengthening its broader market position.
“TIS represents an excellent strategic fit with our existing multidisciplinary nuclear capability, which offers attractive long term structural growth opportunities underpinned by highly visible committed regulatory spend in a sector that we know extremely well. I am delighted to welcome the management and staff of TIS to the Renew family.”
Concept Life Sciences carves out Bradford business
Integrated drug discovery, development and manufacturing organisation, Concept Life Sciences has carved out its Bradford analytical chemistry business to Cormica, the specialists in testing services for medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Both Concept Life Sciences and Cormica are part of private equity house, Limerston Capital LLP and sit as part of its healthcare portfolio.
The deal will include the transfer of all employees based at the Bradford site to Cormica. They will remain located at the Bradford office and business will continue as normal.
The divestment of the Bradford business represents a strategic move for Concept Life Sciences, allowing the company to sharpen its focus on its core service offerings, spanning from drug discovery to early-stage development pathways.
Mark Hammond, CEO of Cormica, said: “Cormica has an ambitious growth strategy, trained on full service regulated testing across, physical, chemical and microbiology. We know the Bradford business and its team well and the opportunity to strengthen our expertise in analytical chemistry will significantly strengthen our market position and provide an enhanced service to our customers.
“The deal made sense on a variety of levels, and, thanks to our existing relationship, was relatively simple to facilitate. We are now looking forward to integrating the team into Cormica and to identifying the immediate opportunities this will bring.”
Ben Cliff, CEO of Concept Life Sciences, added: “It has been a busy year for the business, and we have had the much-needed chance to review our operations and our longer-term strategy which will help us to realise the company’s full potential.
“Bradford has been an important part of our story so far however its offer aligns much more closely with Cormica which has a shared customer base and audiences. This deal will allow us to concentrate on our core service lines, working with our highly skilled team to drive our work in key markets.”
Lindum Group starts work on £5m plan for York Racecourse upgrades
Lincoln-based Lindum Group is redeveloping part of York Racecourse to create extra lawns, bars, betting facilities, and food stands in the seventh project it has undertaken at the venue in the last eight years.
These upgrades are at the venue’s southern end, around the Bustardthorpe Stand, as part of an ongoing plan to enhance the overall experience of visitors.
The £5m scheme will include demolition of the existing facilities and construction of the new Roberto Bar, upgrades to the Theakston Bar, and a new William Hill betting areas.
Lindum York MD James Nellist said: “We are thrilled to be returning to York Racecourse, where we have developed a fantastic relationship over the years, including the full redevelopment of the Northern End, County Stand Enclosure and the Course Enclosure.
“Being based in York and employing local people means we all have a strong connection to this historic racecourse. We are thrilled to be involved with the continued development here at York, and hope people will enjoy the new facilities for many years to come.”
Work will also include the installation of PV solar panels on the existing roof of the stand to improve sustainability at the Racecourse and reduce some of the running costs.
It is expected the work will be completed in time for the 2024 racing season. William Derby, Chief Exec and Clerk of York Racecourse, said: “These improvements are another sign of the clear vision held by the York Race Committee to ensure we remain one of the world’s best racecourses. The Committee has a track record of investing in the facilities, race programme, and visitor experience.
“This latest chapter aims to improve the facilities for racegoers in the Grandstand and Paddock area, following similar recent investments elsewhere. As a summer venue, we want to provide lawns to enjoy, however we are mindful of the Yorkshire weather, so we are looking to repeat the success of the canopy that sits above the John Carr Terrace.
“Practical concerns around a better arrival experience, more loos and easier access to both food and drinks and how we better support our race day team, all form part of this ambitious scheme.”
