Yorkshire Business Myth Drinks recognised as one of UK’s most impressive firms
Myth Drinks in Yorkshire has been selected as one of the nation’s 100 most impressive small firms by the Small Business Saturday UK campaign, as it kicks off its second decade in the UK.
Myth Drinks is already a multi-award-winning business, creating alcohol free rum for those who enjoy good taste and good times with friends and family.
Founded by Colette Safhill in 2022, it was designed to offer something a bit different that’s not available elsewhere in the market.
Following a nationwide search, it has been chosen as part of this year’s SmallBiz100 line-up, which showcases 100 of the most inspiring independent businesses from across the nation.
Colette commented, “It’s wonderful to be selected as a SmallBiz100 and to have all our hard work recognised alongside the other fantastic businesses across the UK. We launched Myth Drinks to offer something special to customers, because that’s what it’s all about isn’t it. Innovating and creating new products that customers will want to choose time and time again.”
Myth Drinks was profiled by the campaign on August 25th as part of the 100-day countdown to Small Business Saturday UK.
Small Business Saturday will return on 2 December 2023, with a mission to support and celebrate the UK’s 5.5 million small businesses. With small firms facing huge challenges due to the cost-of-living crisis, the campaign is more vital than ever as it moves in to its second decade in the UK.
“It’s fantastic to celebrate Myth Drinks as part of this year’s campaign” said Michelle Ovens CBE, Director of Small Business Saturday UK.
“The impressive small businesses featured in this year’s SmallBiz100 sum up the phenomenal contribution that small firms make to our economy and local communities.”
Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which celebrates small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and to support businesses in their communities.
The campaign was originally founded by American Express in the U.S. in 2010, and the brand remains the principal supporter of the campaign in the UK.
On Small Business Saturday customers across the UK go out and support all types of small businesses, from independent boutiques and eateries to small service and b2b based businesses like wholesalers and digital marketers. Many small businesses take an active role in promoting the day by hosting events and offering promotions.
Over the time the campaign has run in the UK it has engaged millions of people each year and seen billions of pounds spent with small businesses across the UK on Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday attracts huge attention on the day itself, with an impact that lasts all year. Last year the campaign trended at number one in the UK on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), with the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London among those publicly supporting the campaign. Over 90% of local councils also supported the campaign
Businessmen plan cross-country cycle ride to raise charity funds
A group of business professionals from the Humber are gearing up to repeat the 250-mile three-day Bridge to Bridge 4 (B2B4) cycling challenge to raise money for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation ten years after the inaugural ride.
Eight riders will start their journey from Llanfairpwllgwyngyll on Anglesey, riding over the bridge on the Menai Strait. The first leg of the challenge will see them take on a 120-mile route to Bollington, near Macclesfield. Day 2 will provide the riders with a challenging 60 mile trek over the Pennines, and their final day involves a 70-mile ride to the Humber Bridge.
The group is raising money for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation. The eldest son of one of the riders contracted a virus on his spine, causing paralysis from the chest down. Following news from doctors that he would never walk again, thanks to his commitment and determination to rehabilitation and physiotherapy, he is now able to walk with sticks. The aim of this ride is to raise funds and awareness of the ground-breaking research work into a cure for spinal cord injuries being supported financially by the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation.
Participant and Chairman of Forrester Boyd Chartered Accounts, Mike Beckett, said: “This ride will be a real challenge of stamina and determination. I have embarked on a number of cycling challenges over the years but I am really looking forward to this one. Not only because of the route that we will be riding and the great group that I have as company, but also to try and raise much needed funds for this charity. With a firm belief that a cure for spinal cord injury is within reach, it is now more important than ever that we try to support the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation in reaching its goal.”
Other riders taking part in the challenge alongside Mike are, Andrew Cooney, Ronnie Fletcher, Mark Hague, Richard Hardy, Bobby Pye, John Pye, and Grant Stables.
South Yorkshire businesses urged to share employment experiences
South Yorkshire’s trio of Chambers of Commerce want to hear from businesses in their region about their experiences of recruitment and staff retention.
The Chambers are running a repeat of the People Survey to gauge whether or not the situation has improved much for employers over the past twelve months, and to observe any new trends that may be developing.
Among other things, the form asks searching questions about how long vacancies are being left unfilled, what strategies & incentives are currently being used to retain staff, and the necessity of increasing salaries for new starters.
Equipped with these insights, Chambers for Sheffield, Barnsley & Rotherham, and Doncaster will then be better placed to represent the business community on all of these pressing issues.
Feeding into the nationwide Quarterly Economic Survey, the poll also asks organisations a number of questions, about the state of the economy and overall business conditions, including sections on cashflow, turnover, capacity, and price pressures, all of which are repeated in every single iteration of the QES. Meanwhile, there is an opportunity for respondents to explain what more their local authority and national government could be doing to supporting them during these uncertain times.
Encouraging businesses to take The People Survey, the respective Chief Execs for the three South Yorkshire Chambers issued a joint statement: “Last time we ran The People Survey, we discovered that a staggering 89% of businesses trying to recruit at the time were experiencing difficulties. We know that this is a perennial struggle of course, which is why we have decided to circle back around and ask those very same questions again, in order to see if the situation has improved or worsened.
“With that in mind, it is important that organisations take the time to have their say here and to articulate their own experiences. The findings from this survey will enable us to understand the major obstacles that the private sector is facing right now and to really get under the bonnet of this complicated issue.
“As representatives of the business community, we always strive to amplify the voice of South Yorkshire employers and will lobby for meaningful change on their behalf.
“In fact, just last week we published our Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), which outlines 36 practical recommendations for how the skills system in our region can be changed to better meet the needs of employers. We were only able to produce that document with the help of businesses, who kindly shared their insights with us and engaged in the consultation process.
“Their input was instrumental in the creation of the LSIP, and we are asking for it again now with The People Survey, so that we can better understand the issues that organisations are facing when it comes to recruitment and retention. We need as many responses as possible to this questionnaire and it only takes about 10 minutes to complete, yet every single form completed counts.
“As part of the national Quarterly Economic Survey, the results will not only be analyzed by ourselves but also by our umbrella body the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) and will be closely watched by policymakers as well. So it’s important that they’re hearing from South Yorkshire.”
The People Survey is open from now until Monday the 18th of September. Businesse
Doncaster gets green light for second University Technical College
Doncaster is to have a second University Technical College by September 2025, it has been announced, with a focus on the Health & Wellbeing sector.
Dan Fell, Chief Exec of Doncaster Chamber, said: “After a number of high-profile setbacks in recent months, this is a much-needed win for our city and an encouraging sign that we can turn things around.
“The original UTC has been a real asset for us. Indeed, helping to get that off the ground — by chairing its bid, drumming up political support, getting buy-in from the business community and even getting into the granularity of its design— is one of my proudest achievements as Chief Exec of the Chamber.
“I am confident that this new college will open up doors for Doncaster’s next generation of talent, especially those who are determined to pursue careers in health and wellbeing.
“There is always high demand for talent in these areas and anyone who decides to hone the relevant skills will undoubtedly have bright futures ahead of them. Young people who enrol at this second UTC will therefore be in a very strong position when it comes to entering the workforce later in life.
“In terms of employment partners, the college — and by extension its students — will be working closely with the NHS and other big players in the health sector.
“These are certainly promising foundations to begin with but, in order for the new UTC to be every bit as successful as its forbear, we need the voice of business to be at its heart. That’s why I’d like to encourage any other employers who are invested in fostering the next generation of talent to similarly reach out and see what role they can play in the college’s future.
“Once again, I’d like to welcome this much-needed positive news for Doncaster and to congratulate everyone involved for making it happen, especially those at the Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Multi-Academy Trust, who have done so much to diversify Doncaster’s education offer and embed work readiness in what they do. If today’s news is anything to go by, it seems that our city is getting back to its winning ways. And long may it continue.”
Yorkshire-based gym club business expands into Nottinghamshire
The chain of gymnastics clubs named after Leeds-born Olympic medallist Nile Wilson is continuing to expand with the acquisition of a Beth Tweddle Gymnastics centre in Mansfield.
Established in 2019 with the vision of increasing participation in the sport at all levels, the first Nile Wilson Gymnastics Club opened in Dinnington, Rotherham, and was quickly followed by a second club in Bramley, Leeds, last year and a third club in Coventry in early 2023.
The acquisition of the Nottinghamshire gymnastics club enables the business to expand into the East Midlands as it pursues its vision of creating a network of gymnastics clubs around the UK that ‘change the game’ by delivering unique and more engaging activities, balanced against the requirements of gymnastics programmes. The clubs are suitable for all ages, offering pre-school programmes and recreational gymnastics for 4-16 year olds, through to adult gymnastics.
Beth Tweddle Gymnastics will be re-branded as Nile Wilson Gymnastics Mansfield and is already open at Portland Retail Park.
The acquisition completed earlier this month with Nile Wilson Gymnastics once again supported by Leeds law firm Clarion which also advised on its Leeds and Coventry sites. The Clarion team included Caitlin Hare (corporate) and Grace Allison (property).
Luke Sutton, director of Nile Wilson Gymnastics said: “As a group of people, led by Nile, we are laser focused on creating the best possible gymnastics experience for both gymnasts and parents at all our clubs. Our aim is for everyone to leave our clubs with a smile on their face.
“We have some major development plans for our club in Mansfield and it will become a centre point for gymnasts and coaches in the Midlands. Our overall business continues to go from strength to strength and this acquisition is another step forward in an exciting journey that we have mapped out.”
Caitlin Hare of Clarion adds: “It’s really satisfying to see such a successful Yorkshire-based business continuing to grow and expand beyond the region. We look forward to work alongside the Nile Wilson Gymnastics team as it pursues its ambitious vision.”
Hull businessman shortlisted for national industry award
Tony Prescott, the managing director of Hull-based GTS UK, has been shortlisted for a prestigious, national industry award.
The MD is in the running for Logistics Leader of the Year at the 2023 Logistics UK Awards for his work in founding the logistics firm and overseeing its subsequent growth.
Launched from his home office in 2015, Tony has evolved GTS UK into a team of 13 staff managing customs, intermodal transport, supply chain management and trucking divisions, now working out of its Springfield Way headquarters in Anlaby. The company also employs six HGV drivers.
Tony said: “I’m so proud to be shortlisted and get this acknowledgement from within my industry. The shortlisting should also be viewed as recognition for my incredible team; they are a key part of my success and the continued growth of GTS UK.”
The Logistics UK awards are one of the leading awards events in the industry and celebrate achievements in the road, rail, sea and air sectors as well as operators, manufacturers, logistics and support industries.
Nominees will be judged and selected by the Logistics UK Board and announced at an awards ceremony on 7th December in London.
Leeds’ 18-century Brookfield House receives half a million pound renovation
Tailored office providers, WorkWell, is celebrating 50% occupancy pre-let, following a £500,000 investment to redevelop the Leeds-based 18-century manor.
Purchased by the Corrigan family in 2002, Brookfield House has been the home to Leeds-based businesses for the last 21 years. Currently undergoing an extensive renovation, the office space is set to open in September 2023 and is already signing up new customers ahead of its launch.
Located next to Brookfield Court on Selby Road, the renovation of Brookfield House will create access between the two impressive red-brick office buildings, and will feature new office space, an open plan kitchen, a new reception and additional meeting space including two new meeting rooms and a 16-person boardroom available to the public for corporate bookings.
Oliver Corrigan, Managing Director at WorkWell, said: “Brookfield House has proudly been a part of the WorkWell portfolio for many years, and my family has personally farmed the area for 50 plus years, so we’re thrilled to be able to create a greater future for the building while respecting its incredible past.
“At WorkWell we’re proud to offer a different way of working with Leeds businesses. Our approach is not just about offering an office space with four walls. Each office park within our portfolio perfectly balances aesthetics with functionality, to create a purpose-designed office space which aligns with our member’s company values and purpose.”
Designed by northern-based creatives, Ekho Studio, the former manor house will combine impressive aesthetics with performance-enhancing technology and will feature 9,000 square feet of workable space set amongst 100 acres of accessible countryside.
Scunthorpe firm wins contract with offshore wind farm
Scunthorpe-based AMS Trenchless will undertake specialist works at the landfall site at Weybourne, North Norfolk where the offshore cables meet the onshore cables connecting the Ørsted wind farm to the National Grid.
Using Horizontal Directional Drilling – a method of installing ducting, pipes and cables beneath existing infrastructure without disruption – AMS Trenchless will install underground cable ducts that allow export cables to be pulled to land from a jack-up barge without using trenches or disrupting the existing sea defences.
This contract builds on the existing relationship between the east-coast firm and Ørsted following successful works for both Hornsea 1 and Hornsea 2 offshore windfarms.
Hornsea 3 will consist of up to 231 offshore wind turbines, located approximately 120 km off the Norfolk coast and 160 km off the Yorkshire coast. With a capacity of around 2,85GW, Hornsea 3 will be capable of producing enough low-cost, clean, renewable electricity to power over 3 million UK homes. The project is currently working towards taking a Final Investment Decision.
Luke Bridgman, Hornsea 3 Senior Project Director, said: “After successful collaborations with AMS Trenchless on the Hornsea 1 and Hornsea 2 projects, we look forward to AMS utilizing their specialist expertise and understanding of gigawatt-scale projects to deliver further great work on Hornsea 3. Orsted and our key supply chain partners continue to engage with local suppliers to deliver this ground-breaking project, with this announcement today further testament to our commitment to support the further growth of the UK supply chain.”
Matt Waterson, AMS Trenchless Operations Director, added: “AMS has a long-standing relationship with Ørsted, having previously completed directional drilling works to land offshore cables on both Hornsea 1 and Hornsea 2 projects. We would like to thank Ørsted for the award and very much looking forward to working together again on Hornsea 3.”
Goole freeport tax site submitted to Government to unlock investment opportunities
The footprint for the freeport tax site in Goole has been submitted to Government, with the aim of unlocking prime inward investment opportunities.
The 200-hectares Goole freeport site, which is split into two plots separated by the M62 motorway, offers investors a range of highly-attractive benefits.
In recent years, Goole has established itself as an investment hotspot, attracting major developments by blue chip businesses including train builder Siemens Mobility and FTSE-listed chemicals specialist Croda.
It is expected confirmation of the Goole freeport tax site – one of three within the Humber Freeport area – will spark further significant investment in the East Yorkshire town.
Goole benefits from excellent transport links via road, rail and sea, with access within minutes to the M62 and onward to Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool, and across the UK via the national motorway network. It is also connected to global shipping opportunities via the Humber Estuary.
Simon Bird, Chair of Humber Freeport, said: “Submitting the footprint for the Goole tax site represents an exciting and significant milestone for Humber Freeport.
“Each of our three tax sites – in Hull, Goole and Immingham – offers something completely unique. The Goole tax site benefits from a strategically significant location, suitable for advanced manufacturing and other sectors, with easy access to the M62 motorway, excellent rail connections and port links to the Humber Estuary.
“Goole has seen major investment from global companies who have already seen the huge opportunity it presents. Freeport status further enhances that opportunity, opening up new corridors of development and economic growth.”
The Humber region was granted Freeport Tax Site Status in 2021, with a total portfolio of 600 hectares of land available for investment across the three sites.
The Goole tax site is a large, undeveloped plot of land adjacent to the existing Goole 36 Enterprise Zone. The Enterprise Zone is already home to Guardian Industries’ glass plant, a Tesco distribution centre and – following construction of the Tom Pudding Way link road to open up the remaining development plots – Croda’s new international distribution centre.
The University of Birmingham also recently announced plans to develop a £15m rail research centre, next to the RaisE business centre within the Enterprise Zone.
The formal boundary map for the Goole freeport tax site has now been submitted to Government.
Businesses investing in the tax site can benefit from accelerated capital allowances, stamp duty and land tax relief, business rate relief, and no employer National Insurance contributions for the first three years.
Councillor Anne Handley, Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “The Council has been working closely with the Humber Freeport Company to support tax site development. This is a major step forward in formally establishing the site at Goole.
“Once approved, the freeport will create a natural extension to the existing Goole Enterprise Zone, providing a wealth of opportunity for new job-creating investments.
“Such investments will not only be good for Goole, they will also have a positive impact on the growth of the wider UK economy.”
Humber Freeport’s mission is to drive hundreds of millions of pounds of investment and generate at least 7,000 new jobs.
Several companies have already announced plans to invest on freeport sites within the Humber region, including Siemens, rare earth exploration company Pensana and green hydrogen specialist Meld Energy.
Demolition starts for the UKs largest open-die forging line
Demolition has started at an iconic Yorkshire plant to facilitate construction of the UKs largest open-die forging line.
Parts of Sheffield Forgemasters’ site at the north of Brightside Lane, are undergoing controlled demolition to create space for a 13,000 tonne Heavy Forge, which will be housed in a new 12,700 sq m structure adjacent to the Sheffield to Meadowhall train line.
Sections of disused Forge and Foundry buildings, dating from the Victorian era, will make way for the new facility, creating one of the most efficient open-die forging operations in Europe and the largest of its kind within the UK.
Steve Marshall, Manufacturing Transformation Director at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “It has taken two years of planning and enabling works to bring us to this milestone, where we start to expose the footprint for our new forging line.
“Much of the structure earmarked for demolition has been out of use for some time. We have created a secure partitioning wall which fully isolates working parts of the site from the controlled, piecemeal demolition process.”
Remediation works for the site, have included dismantling internal steel structures, stabilisation of the ground, pile-driving to create a base for the segregation wall and meticulous identification and removal of any contaminants.
Steve added: “We have employed large numbers of specialist contractors to reach the point at which the proposed site is environmentally sound and meets all health and safety requirements for demolition, including creation of a new access road onto Brightside Lane.
“From this point, the work becomes much more measurable, as we begin to open up the space that the new Forge will fill.”
The recapitalisation team at Sheffield Forgemasters, responsible for the Forge project, estimates that more than 25,000m3 of spoil will need to be excavated for foundations to support the vast press, with 4,500m3 of existing concrete to be crushed.
Steve continued: “The whole project is working to the best environmental standards, so all spoil from the site will be graded and recycled as far as is possible.”
It is estimated that the multi-million GBP project will see completion of the foundations by 2025. The new facility will service defence and commercial work in sectors such as civil nuclear power.
