Lincolnshire plant supplier acquired by international Agronomy-Services group
Origin Enterprises, the international Agronomy-Services group, providing specialist advice, inputs and digital solutions to promote sustainable land use, has acquisired British Hardwood Tree Nursery Limited (BHT).
Headquartered in Lincolnshire, BHT is one of the UK’s leading specialist wholesale suppliers of bare root trees, shrubs, hedgerow plants and planting accessories to the forestry, farming, estate management, corporate and landscaping sectors.
Sean Coyle, Chief Executive Officer, Origin Enterprises plc, said: “The addition of British Hardwood Tree Nursery complements recent acquisitions and further strengthens the Group’s amenity, environmental and ecological portfolio.
“Tree planting will continue to play an important role to help tackle climate change and restore biodiversity. We welcome British Hardwood Tree Nursery to the Group and look forward to working with the team, utilising their expertise in offering planting advice, horticulture and the supply of quality plants.”
Gateley “pleased” with performance as revenue grows
Legal and professional services group Gateley says it is “pleased” with the group’s performance for the year ended 30 April 2023.
A new trading update highlights a year of further revenue growth, which the business says demonstrates “the resilience of the group’s diversified business model.”
Revenue for the year is expected to be not less than £161m, a 17% increase on the prior year (£137.2m), with underlying adjusted profit before tax expected to be in line with market expectations.
Rod Waldie, Chief Executive Officer of Gateley, said: “I am pleased with the performance of the group, in what has been a challenging year politically and economically. I would like to thank our ever-expanding client base for their trust and support and our people who continue to work tirelessly to constantly deliver for our clients.
“Whilst the macro challenges facing the economy remain, we look forward to continuing to grow and diversify the business further, both organically and via acquisition. We remain committed to our purpose of delivering results that delight our clients, inspire our people and support our communities, and deliver strong returns for all of our stakeholders.”
Easby Group snaps up Matrix Electronics
Easby Group, the North Yorkshire-based specialist electronics company, has acquired Matrix Electronics, an electronics kitting and supply chain solutions provider.
The deal has been completed by its subsidiary business, Delta Impact, and is a major milestone in Easby Group’s strategic development to become the independent technical distribution partner of choice, for a full range of added value services across electronics supply chains.
The announcement follows the £24 million management buy-out of Easby Group which was backed by NVM Private Equity in February 2022.
Delta Impact MD, Eamon Francis said: “This is a significant step in our goal to be the electronics industry leader in kitting and tailored solutions that help customers to optimise their electronics supply chain performance. On a personal level, I am delighted to be welcoming David Piddington, Delta Impact’s founder, back into the business.”
Matrix Electronics MD, David Piddington said: “We are thrilled to be joining the Easby family. The Matrix and Delta Impact businesses are highly complementary and the merger of skills, knowledge and shared values in our new combined facilities will take us to new heights and create the next chapter in our growth story.”
Easby Group chairman, Jonathan Simpson-Dent said: “We are excited to bring together two dynamic and focused businesses under Eamon and David’s joint stewardship. This is an important step on our journey to expand Easby Group into a real market leader in electronics supply chain solutions.”
Developer plans to start Leeds housing project this month
Work is due to start on site this month for 54North Homes to build 58 affordable and sustainable homes on Railway Street in central Leeds, close to Quarry House.
The scheme will include 28 one-bedroom, 25 two-bedroom and five three-bedroom apartments designed to a high specification throughout.
Built on the site of the former Yorkshire Rider Social Club, the homes will be energy efficient, with heat pumps providing hot water, EV charging points and cycle storage to facilitate green travel.
They will also have a flexible layout, including workspace areas to accommodate the increase in home working.
Outside will be landscaped with grass and trees to enhance biodiversity and each of the ground floor apartments will have their own garden.
The £12m scheme is the first new-build development to be built by affordable housing provider 54North Homes, which manages over 3,000 homes throughout Yorkshire.
The new development has been designed by Brewster Bye Architects and will be built by Caddick Construction. Grant support has been provided by Homes England Strategic Partnership funding, Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, through its devolved Brownfield Housing Fund.
Joanna Chambers, director of assets and growth at 54North Homes, said: “We have been working closely with Leeds City Council for almost four years to develop the plans for this attractive new development and are excited that building work is finally beginning.
“There is a significant need for more affordable housing in central Leeds and this scheme will regenerate a currently unused area of land into a vibrant living space close to the excellent transport links and amenities the city centre has to offer.”
The land at Railway Street was sold by the council to 54North Home
New appointments aim to enhance impact of science on agriculture
Land-based academics Dr Dave George and Professor Jonathan Leake have been appointed as the new Chair and Vice Chair of the Farmer Scientist Network, a group supported by farming charity the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.
The Network works with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society to advise policymakers in the UK and beyond on issues such as farming practices, food security, sustainable productivity and the ways in which new science and technology can solve problems and underpin innovation in agriculture.
Jonathan Leake is the New Farmer Scientist Network Vice Chair. He’s Professor of Plant-Soil Interactions at the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, whose areas of interest include soil health, regenerative agriculture, the use of leys in arable rotations to regenerate beneficial soil organisms, carbon sequestration, soil structure, and the use of minimal tillage.
He said: “We are at a very exciting place in farming and science where there is a lot of unrealised potential to link them together.
“Scientists need to be better informed about farming’s challenges and farmers need a better understanding of the ways in which science can help to make their farms more sustainable, environmentally and economically.”
The Farmer Scientist Network, guided by its new leadership team, will now work with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society to effect positive innovation in the industry by working with the crop and livestock sectors. Through a series of events, farmers are being offered opportunities to learn about regenerative techniques that are being adopted to drive farming profitability and productively in harmony with the environment.
Recruitment specialist launches new construction site services brand
Following the dissolution of a competitor, apprentice to boardroom talent solutions provider Nicholas Associates Group (NAG) has acquired a number of key construction labour contracts and has launched a new brand called Cra-Cro Site Services which will specialise in helping skilled, experienced construction workers and tradespeople find jobs across the UK.
Cra-Cro is an original brand name used by NAG founder Nick Cragg when he launched his first company back in 1975. The brand has been revived and will sit alongside the NA Construction brand which recruits professionally qualified roles such as quantity surveyors, commercial managers and site management professional roles in order to differentiate and complement each specialism.
Cra-Cro Site Services will focus on the recruitment of skilled construction workers such as brick layers, plasterers, joiners, electricians, plumbers, painters, decorators and general labourers and will be able to place over 100 labours in work each week. Working with both local subcontractors and leading construction companies, the new division currently has contracts to provide skilled labour to Seddon Construction, Horbury Group, and Henry Boot.
The new company will be led by Steve Davies who will report to Paul Brammer, Managing Director of NAG, and work alongside Matt Wainwright who is head of NA Construction recruitment.
Paul Brammer said: “NAG brands are renowned for delivering exceptional experiences to both the employer and the employee. Our intention is to develop Cra-Cro Site Services as the go to specialist recruiter trusted by construction firms to source and place reliable and highly competent temporary construction workers.”
Operating from a UK wide network of over 33 offices, the Cra-Cro Site Service and NA Construction team are recruitment experts and specialise in helping companies improve their talent acquisition and engagement strategies.
Hessle food group signs supply deal with Pets at Home
Hessle-based food producer Cranswick has signed a new supply partnership deal with pet care company Pets at Home to supply dry dog food from a site at Lodge Farm in Lincolnshire under their brands of Wainwrights and Step Up.
Supply will start in the second half of the financial year following initial production and stock building during the summer. This will place Pets at Home as Cranswick’s lead strategic customer from the facility.
A spokesman for Cranswick said the move cemented the company’s strategic ambition to grow its share in the pet food business, and represented a significant growth opportunity for the group, which will continue to be supported by future capital expenditure in new capacity and capability.
The pet food market is worth £3.7bn per annum and is grew at 14% over the last 12m.
Croda tower with Universities to develop sustainable polymers
Snaith-based Croda International is to work with the Universities of Nottingham and York to develop novel, sustainable polymers for everyday liquids like personal care and crop protection products, and in doing so eliminate millions to tonnes of plastic waste.
Their objective is the development of biobased and biodegradable polymers for liquid polymer formulations.
Used in a number of day-to-day items including crop protection and personal care products, these special polymers for liquids provide the key function of emulsification and stabilisation, without which widely-used items wouldn’t meet consumer requirements. Despite their critical part in formulations, there has so far been no coordinated effort to develop more sustainable versions, and it is estimated that more than 36 million tonnes (enough to fill Wembley Stadium 32 times over) of these polymers are not recovered after use, entering the environment as plastic waste.
Dr Ian Tooley, Vice President – Chemistry at Croda said: “Croda’s ambition to be the most sustainable supplier of innovative ingredients is key in our drive to find sustainable solutions for these widely used polymers. We are excited to be partnering with these like-minded, innovation driven universities to help bring sustainable, biobased and biodegradable alternatives to our markets.”
Steve Howdle, Professor and Head of School of Chemistry at University of Nottingham said: “Working with our industrial and academic partners we will create new sustainable polymeric materials that are going to have an impact on our supermarket shelves. I’m excited.” Professor Helen Sneddon, Director of the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, University of York added: “This is a great opportunity to further explore the potential of bioderived, biodegradable soluble polymers, understanding the different properties they can offer relative to current petrochemically-derived ingredients, and having an impact in an important, and often overlooked area.”Companies come together to celebrate Net Zero journey
UK holiday home builder Willerby has taken part in a major event focused on how businesses can play their full part in the drive to net zero.
Willerby’s CFO Sue Allan and Project Manager Duncan Collins joined a panel of business leaders and shared news of the company’s progress on its sustainability journey.
They were joined on stage by former BBC Science Editor David Shukman, former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Amber Rudd and Hull City Council leader Mike Ross at an event celebrating the first year of the Oh Yes! Net Zero initiative.
The collaborative campaign has so far been backed by more than 150 organisations from across the Hull and Humber region, together employing more than 46,000 people. The campaign supporters are all committed to reducing their carbon footprint and supporting the transition to a net zero economy.
Leading businesses supporting the Oh Yes! Net Zero campaign include Willerby, global consumer health and hygiene company Reckitt, FTSE 250-listed food producer Cranswick and Ideal Heating.
As a major employer in Hull and market leader in the UK holiday homes industry, Willerby has invested significantly as it pursues environmental excellence across all its operations.
Sue said: “Every business, large or small, must play their part in meeting the challenges of climate change, but for many it can be difficult to know where to begin when it comes to reducing your carbon footprint.
“At Willerby, we started the process by understanding the impact of all of our operations and examined our supply chain and where we source materials and products from.
“We’ve made strong progress so far on converting our sites in Hull to run on renewable, clean energy, and we have also encouraged our staff to consider their own actions and how they can play their part.
“If every person starts by making simple, small changes to the way they travel to work, the products they consume and their behaviours, then it adds up to make a significant difference.”
National Grid opens public consultation on power line plans to connect Hull to Nottinghamshire
National Grid is inviting communities in the East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire to comment on proposals for a new electricity power line project which will help deliver the UK’s energy security strategy and net zero targets.
The eight-week public consultation runs until 27 July, and will share proposals for a new high voltage electricity power line connecting North Humber to High Marnhan.
National Grid says the way electricity is generated in the UK is changing rapidly, transitioning to new sources of energy like new offshore windfarms, and it has to change its network to suit.
The company’s existing power lines between the North and the Midlands have insufficient capacity to accommodate the increased power flows from new sources of renewable electricity, so it’s proposing to build about 90 kilometres of new 400,000 volt overhead power line, between new substations at Creyke Beck and High Marnham, to increase the capacity of the network. The proposed corridor for the new line runs close to an existing overhead power line for much of the route.
Rachel Tullis, Project Director for National Grid said: “The government’s net zero target means an increase in new renewable electricity generation such as wind and solar power.
“We’re proposing new infrastructure which will connect this green energy from areas around the Humber and in the North Sea to the grid and allow clean electricity to power homes and businesses across the Midlands and to the whole country, boosting our home-grown energy security and progress towards net zero.
“As we continue to develop our plans, we want to work with local communities and organisations to ensure local employment, skills and opportunities for local businesses are delivered in the East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire.
“This consultation launch is the beginning of our engagement with communities and stakeholders along the proposed route corridor and we encourage people to share their views.”
Members of the public can take part in the consultations and speak with National Grid’s team by attending consultation events and online webinars, or by visiting nationalgrid.com/nh-hm
