York Handmade plays pivotal role in new Easingwold housing development
York Handmade Brick Company has played a pivotal role in the construction of a new-build housing development in Easingwold.
York Handmade, based at Alne, near Easingwold, supplied tens of thousands of bricks for the Pastures in Stillington Road, a development of nine new quality houses.
The development was completed this autumn and all nine houses have been sold.
The contract was worth £59,000.
Dan Warrington, the developer of The Pastures, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the stunning success of The Pastures. There’s no doubt that our buyers have been impressed by the exceptional build quality, which makes these houses stand out.
“We wanted our houses to be special, which is why we chose York Handmade’s bricks. The quality of the bricks and their appearance are magnificent. We are so pleased with the finished product. We wanted to fit in with the Vale of York vernacular and create a bespoke product which complemented and enhanced the village and I think we have achieved that.
“All nine houses have been sold already and I am sure their attractive appearance, enhanced by York Handmade’s bricks, played an importance part in this.”
Alun Nixon of York Handmade Brick said: “It makes us incredibly proud to hear these words from a successful developer like Dan and it was a privilege to play a part in creating some special family homes in Easingwold. This is a very attractive development, which is providing much-needed local housing and enhancing the community. It is no surprise that it has been a resounding success.
“While we have recently completed some stunning commissions for residential and commercial developments in London and other UK cities, it is vitally important that we continue to provide our bricks to more local Yorkshire developers and for self-builders.
“It is especially gratifying to see how our bricks blend in seamlessly with the quintessentially rural landscapes of a North Yorkshire town. We are deeply committed to North Yorkshire and the Vale of York, where we have been manufacturing bricks for the past 34 years, and it is a real pleasure to see our work being represented locally.”
David Armitage, the chairman of York Handmade, explained that this has been a significant year for York Handmade in the new-build residential sector.
“We have just been highly commended in the Individual Housing category of the 2022 Brick Awards for Green Acres, a stunning new detached house in Effingham in Surrey. The competition at the Brick Awards, the Oscars of the brick industry, is always incredibly tough and we are very proud of this achievement.”
2023 Business Predictions: Edward Ziff, chairman and Chief Executive of Town Centre Securities PLC
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Edward Ziff, chairman and Chief Executive of Town Centre Securities PLC (TCS).
Following the good work of the last two years, I am excited by TCS’ diversified portfolio and the potential of our strong development pipeline. I believe these show we have a sound business that is well placed for the future and can only benefit as more and more people return to normal city life.
However, it is hard to be completely optimistic. Businesses have been through a tough time during the pandemic, and it is a shame to be faced with more turmoil in our world. The Russia/Ukraine conflict and the unpredictability resulting from the situation has led to inflationary and other economic pressures not only on our business, but also those of our tenants including changes to consumer spending, increased property and other expenses, interest rate rises, a weakening sterling exchange rate, increased construction costs and rent affordability.
We remain focused on enhancing value for our shareholders and will continue to look at opportunistic disposals and acquisitions offering significant opportunities once there is further stability in the real estate sector and wider economy.
Considering the balance of the underlying progress we are making in resetting and reinvigorating our business and these macro-economic and geopolitical challenges, I remain encouraged about the many opportunities for TCS and committed to delivering on our accelerated four-pillar strategy and continuing to deliver value for all our stakeholders.
Once again as we take further steps towards returning to normal life, I wish everyone the very best for 2023.
Yorkshire Building Society ranks in UK’s top ten employers dedicated to diversity
Yorkshire Building Society has been ranked tenth in The Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers List 2022/23 in recognition of its continued dedication to workplace diversity.
The mutual climbed six places from last year’s ranking after building on inclusive initiatives such as new colleague networks, a development programme specifically for black, Asian and ethnically diverse colleagues and rolling out strength-based assessments for more inclusive recruitment.
Baljit Singh, talent resourcing and inclusion lead at Yorkshire Building Society, said:”This award reflects another great year of progressing our inclusion and diversity ambitions and we’re all really pleased and very proud that the Society’s commitment to inclusion, equality and diversity continues to be recognised externally.
“We’re committed to building a more inclusive and welcoming place for all to work. I’m looking forward to seeing what more we can achieve with the plans we have in place for next year and beyond, but for now, we celebrate how far we’ve come to make the Society a better workplace.”
Compiled by Inclusive Companies, the UK list acknowledges and ranks businesses which are most consistent throughout the whole tenure of their organisations and encompass all types of diversity. Now in its seventh year, it has become the definitive cross-industry index harnessing both best practice and innovation with the goal of driving inclusion for all.
Jobs saved as Grantham hotel sold out of administration
The Olde Barn Hotel in Grantham has been sold out of administration, seeing all jobs saved.
The sale to an unnamed buyer comes after the hotel fell into administration for the third time.
It had previously been rescued by Shepherd Cox Hotels (Grantham) Limited in 2020, part of the Shepherd Cox Hotel Group.
The Olde Barn Hotel has over 100 bedrooms, a leisure club, restaurant and function facilities.
Nicholas Barnett, administrator at Libertas Insolvency Practitioners, said: “I can confirm that following an extensive marketing campaign (that took place prior to my appointment), a sale of the business and assets took place shortly after my appointment as administrator of the company.
“I am pleased to report that all employees were transferred to the purchaser and as such there will be no redundancies.
“Furthermore, the purchaser is honouring all pre-paid future bookings, so the hotel continues to trade and customers will not be affected.”
Two join Nuclear AMRC exec team to get more UK firms into the sector
Two nuclear industry leaders have joined the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre executive team to help more UK manufacturers win work in the sector.
Liz Gregory has been appointed to the new role of Supply Chain & Skills Director following a key role in delivering the nuclear sector deal, while Tom Purnell joins as Business Development Director from Frazer-Nash Consultancy.
“I am really excited to have Liz and Tom join my team,” says Andrew Storer, CEO. “The Nuclear AMRC has been central to so many key subjects for the sector, and now is the right time to strengthen the lead team so we can provide the increased support needed to ensure UK companies win work.
“Liz and Tom have a huge amount of relevant experience and will be great assets to the organisation, which we have already started to benefit from. I really look forward to working with them.”
The Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre helps UK manufacturers win work across the nuclear sector, in new build, operations and decommissioning.
Small firms resist move to cashless society, research discovers
Two in five small firms don’t want to see a move towards a cashless society, according to new research from iwoca, one of Europe’s largest small business lenders,.
The analysis finds that around half (46%) of small firms use cash each month, while a third use it every week.
While three in ten small businesses have reduced their use of cash since the start of the pandemic, the majority are using it to the same extent, with some even seeing greater demand from customers. Over half of SMEs say their use of notes and coins has remained stable despite the increase of contactless and online payments being rolled out during the pandemic, with more than one in ten companies seeing an increase.
SMEs still use cash for a variety of reasons, with flexibility for customers coming out on top. Nearly six in ten businesses back cash to promote consumer choice (57%), while a quarter are concerned that card payment costs remain too high (24%).While the use of cash has declined among many small businesses, iwoca says SMEs are evenly split on whether cash should be phased out in future. Two-fifths say that they want to keep using coins and notes with their customers, while the same proportion wants to stop using them entirely.
Colin Goldstein, Commercial Director at iwoca, said: “For hundreds of thousands of small businesses, access to physical money is still essential for the day-to-day running of their company. Yes – the pandemic has moved more businesses towards contactless payments, but the real story here is the strong resilience of cash. From coffee shops to hair salons, restaurants to construction sites, it seems that SMEs want to continue using coins and notes long into the future.”
Yorkshire entrepreneur rescues Joules subsidiary The Garden Trading Company from administration
A Yorkshire entrepreneur has rescued The Garden Trading Company (a subsidiary of Market Harborough-based Joules Group PLC) from administration, saving all 53 jobs.
Under the undisclosed deal, TIM Group Holdings (TGH) will work with the current management team to continue to deliver “exceptional quality” home and garden products.
TGH, founded by Yorkshire entrepreneur Tim Whitworth, is a private equity house that uses independent capital to invest in and partner with businesses of varying sizes.
Tim Whitworth, managing partner, said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with a business with such great history and provenance, along with an unrivalled product range. We are extremely impressed by the management team and have great confidence in supporting and investing in their future.”
Ryan Grant and Will Wright from Interpath Advisory were appointed joint administrators to The Garden Trading Company on 16 November 2022.
Founded in 1994, The Garden Trading Company takes inspiration from both the British countryside and city lifestyle trends to develop products for consumers and some of the world’s leading retailers.
Laurie Houghton, Managing Director of The Garden Trading Company, said: “I’m delighted that TIM Group Holdings shares our vision and commitment to both our customers and our team to support our ambitious plans in growing both the brand and product range in the future.”
Ryan Grant, Managing Director at Interpath Advisory and joint administrator, said: “The Garden Trading Company had grown rapidly to become a leading retailer of distinctive garden and homewares, so we’re pleased to have achieved this outcome which ensures the business will continue to trade, and which safeguards over 50 jobs. We wish the management team and TGH all the very best for the future.”
The Garden Trading Company was advised on the legal aspects of the deal by Eversheds Sutherland. The buyer, TGH was advised by Freeths LLP.
Bank of England announces ninth rate rise in a row
The Bank of England has increased the base rate from 3% to 3.5%, in the face of historically high inflation.
Marking the ninth rise in a row, it adds more pressure on businesses’ margins during the cost of doing business crisis.
Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) national chair Martin McTague said: “Today’s rise in the base rate was widely predicted, but there is also a sense in the air that the decision to go for an increase – with today’s the ninth in a row – may be less of a one-way bet in coming months.
“This time last year, the base rate was just 0.1%. The precipitous climb in borrowing costs in under 12 months has hit small firms hard, eroding their margins at a time when many are struggling with the very cost increases which prompted the Bank of England to increase the rate in the first place.
“Energy costs are by far the biggest driver of the inflation that businesses and consumers are experiencing, and interest rate increases are doing little to rein in energy bills, while making it harder for small firms to keep the lights on.
“SMEs are collectively carrying £33 billion extra in debt, much of it index-linked, compared to January 2020, before Covid hit. Every basis point increase means extra pressure for those on floating rates, and a disincentive to apply for finance for firms looking to grow and invest.
“Our Small Business Index found that in Q3, nearly two in five small firms applying for finance were offered a rate of 8% or higher, compared to a quarter of small firms in the same period in 2021.
“This was supposed to be the recovery period, where the economy got back into gear, with small firms providing the engine of growth. The cost of doing business crisis has knocked that plan off course, and many small businesses are wondering – amid strikes and disruption, near rock-bottom consumer confidence, and continued rises in input costs – how they will stay afloat.
“The Government’s forthcoming announcement on how it will support businesses once the Energy Bill Relief Scheme comes to an end must have a compelling offer for small firms, one in four of whom say they plan to close, downsize or restructure in the absence of a sufficient level of energy support after March.
“Many small businesses are struggling at the moment. They need certainty and support, to help them make the most of the festive season, and enter the new year in a spirit of optimism.”
Alpesh Paleja, CBI lead economist, said: “Another big interest rate rise from the Bank of England doesn’t come as a surprise, in the face of historically high inflation. However, with global price pressures starting to wane, along with the economy set to fall into recession, it is likely that we’ll see smaller interest rate rises for the foreseeable future.
“Nonetheless, high inflation and weakening activity will continue into 2023, putting strain on many households and businesses. With monetary policy focused on tackling inflation, the government must use economic levers to stem the severity of an oncoming downturn, but also to address the UK’s persistent weakness in investment and productivity. We cannot afford to have another decade where both are stagnant.”
Sustainable energy company teams up with marine farmers to explore environmental benefits of seaweed
Sustainable energy company Ørsted has teamed up with Yorkshire marine farming company SeaGrown to explore the potential of using seaweed farms to boost ocean biodiversity.
The new partnership aims to develop biodiversity monitoring and measurement guidelines for offshore seaweed farms.
SeaGrown already runs an offshore seaweed farm in the North Sea and, with the right species and setup, the partners believe seaweed farms could be provide a useful tool to help support native species and habitats.
Seaweed, also referred to as marine macroalgae, is becoming widely recognised by a number of international organisations to provide a huge range of benefits to the marine environment. SeaGrown and Ørsted have set out on a mission to establish data around the potential of seaweed as an ocean-climate solution by trialling a range of monitoring technologies including eDNA, remote cameras, and sonar.
Recently, seaweed cultivation has been explored as a carbon sink, with the potential to absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide – perhaps even more efficiently than trees. Much of the utility of seaweed as a carbon sink, however, will depend on how the seaweed is used once it has grown. There are currently no internationally recognised approaches to measuring carbon removal by seaweed, but there is huge potential for this to be an important part of the carbon puzzle and unique role our oceans play to mitigate climate change impacts.
Farming seaweed is also being considered for its contribution to improving biodiversity in our oceans – not only does it remove carbon and produce oxygen, it can also provide a substrate for marine organisms to grow on and act as a shelter for juvenile fish.
Seaweed species such as kelp grow rapidly via photosynthesis, so they use only sunlight and the naturally occurring nutrients in the sea. Not only is it fast growing, it is also extremely nutritious and grows in most of our oceans. It is therefore no surprise that it has been collected in the wild by humans for thousands of years and cultivated actively since at least the 1600s.
In busy marine areas like the North Sea, multiple users depend on access to the ocean for their livelihoods and a number of areas have also been designated for the protection of marine species and habitats. Seaweed farming may have the potential to improve these ecosystems, but it must be sited in a way that works in harmony other sea-users – SeaGrown’s pilot seaweed farm off the coast of Scarborough has been carefully located with this in mind.
Wave Crookes, Operations Director at SeaGrown, said: “Through this forward-looking project with Ørsted we are seeking to establish the best way for seaweed farming to assist ecologically-conscious operators such as Ørsted to minimise their impact and work in harmony with the marine environment to generate the green, renewable energy we all need.”
College takes over Old Bakery to create Lincoln’s only not-for-profit fine dining venue
Lincoln College has taken over the Old Bakery on Burton Road and made it the only not-for-profit fine dining restaurant in the city, and help plug skills gaps in catering and hospitality across Lincolnshire.
Using a grant for the Lincoln Towns Fund, the College bought the restaurant and invested in a dining room and kitchen refit, before opening the doors to the public again this week.
Further Towns Fund money has been invested in the College training kitchens at its Monks Road campus to mark the launch of the Lincoln School of Hospitality and Catering.
Level three college students and apprentices will get the opportunity to work alongside the Head Chef Barry Dawson at the Old Bakery as part of their “Finishing School” preparation to enter the workplace.
Mark Taylor, Lincoln College Director of Business Development, said: “When the previous owner put this place on the market we saw it as the perfect partner to the Lincoln School of Catering and Hospitality.
“Our new Old Bakery manager Chris and Head Chef Barry will continue to serve the best fine dining food in the city, but we’ll all be working towards a much bigger training solution for the county.
“Our catering, front of house, barista and mixology students will get to learn from Barry and Chris and work in a real-life industry setting that has the highest standards. This will enable us to produce really experienced, productive apprentices for restaurants, pubs and bars across the county.
“We also want to work with local business to deliver new courses to their staff to ensure the county’s tourism and hospitality sector has the highest standards of delivery and customer service.”
Old Bakery Manager Chris Wilson said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity for me personally and it’s really going to enliven the local scene. Every penny spent in the Old Bakery will be reinvested in education and training from now on – that’s a totally new concept.
