Council appoints architects to work on site of Henry VIII’s fort
Hull City Council is to bring in specialist design team The Manser Practice to help progress plans for the creation of a £1.25m visitor attraction at the site of the South Blockhouse, part of the defences for the city created by Henry VIII, and currently beneath a car park near The Deep.
The Manser Practice will design and develop permanent landscaping, and physical and digital heritage interpretation for the South Blockhouse site, following a community archaeology programme to be delivered this summer. The landscaping of the South Blockhouse site will for the first time create a dedicated visitor space showcasing this unique scheduled monument, and provide visitors with opportunities to learn more about its history.
The archaeology programme will be run by the Council’s in-house archaeologists, Humber Field Archaeology, and give members of the public the opportunity to work with professional archaeologists during excavations of the site and the analysis of the finds once complete. Keen archaeologists will have plenty of time to be involved, as the three-month long excavations will start this summer, with the full archaeology programme lasting until December 2024.
Cllr Paul Drake-Davis, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration said: “It’s fantastic to have such an experienced agency as The Manser Practice on board to help push this exciting project forward.
“The South Blockhouse is an important historical site and this scheme will be a place of education as archaeological opportunities are uncovered, as well as an eventual visitor attraction.”
Keith Emerick, Historic England Inspector of Ancient Monuments, said: “The South Blockhouse is a nationally important site, part of the much bigger Citadel. It’s exciting that this important project is starting, helping to raise the profile of heritage in Hull and giving local people the chance to get involved in the community dig in the summer.”
Fran Oliver, Project Manager of the National Highways’ A63 Castle Street major project in Hull city centre, said: “National Highways always aims to go above and beyond building, operating, maintaining and improving roads and we’re thrilled to have been able to fund work on this project. The South Blockhouse is a fascinating and important part of Hull’s history. We are greatly looking forward to working with The Manser Practice and all our other partners in creating this unique visitor space, supporting communities to become involved in its development and discover more about this incredible Tudor monument.”
The South Blockhouse is a scheduled ancient monument of both national and local importance, unique in its cloverleaf design and rare layout as a self-contained fort. Its construction was ordered by Henry VIII in 1541 to support military campaigns and to protect Hull as a vital port from internal and external threats, working as one element in a larger scheme of state-of-the art defences.
Sheffield Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre reaches key construction milestone
A major new research centre that will help test, certify and deploy new sustainable aviation fuels – the first of its kind in the UK – has reached a key milestone in its construction.
The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre (SAF-IC), part of the University of Sheffield Energy Institute, is set to give the UK much-needed testing capabilities to help producers of sustainable aviation fuels bring their fuels to the market.
Located in the University of Sheffield Innovation District, home to the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) – a hugely successful blueprint for university and industry R&D on the border of Sheffield and Rotherham – the new centre will establish South Yorkshire as the UK’s leading place for R&D in sustainable aviation fuels.
The facility will work in combination with the neighbouring Translational Energy Research Centre (TERC) – a national pilot-scale testing facility that is also part of the University of Sheffield – to support state-of-the-art research and provide much-needed testing capabilities to help prepare sustainable aviation fuels for commercial use.
Together with TERC, SAF-IC will be the first centre in the UK to be able to capture CO₂, produce green hydrogen, convert them into sustainable aviation fuels and analyse their performance all in one single location.
The centre will help to bridge the gap in bringing new sustainable aviation fuels to market. It is able to help evaluate, test and characterise new fuels, which will help to accelerate regulatory approvals of new fuels and aid in their deployment.
Jointly funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the University of Sheffield, construction of the centre has now been completed, and the equipment installation phase will now begin. Development of the inside of the facility is still ongoing, with the centre scheduled to fully open in summer 2023.
Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian, Managing Director of the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre and director of the University of Sheffield Energy Institute, said: “It is fantastic to see the progress of the construction of the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre, which has been a smooth and efficient process thanks, in part, to our contractors, Hobson and Porter.
“The building includes some bespoke and highly technical elements, such as an APU acoustic test cell and a high-pressure high temperature combustion test cell. SAF-IC has been built with specialist elements to facilitate hydrogen, zero carbon fuels and advanced combustion research, all of which will help us to carry out vital testing.
“Our SAF characterising laboratory will provide fast, cost effective and unique capabilities for testing new fuels, with the state-of-the-art equipment that no other academic research centre has, such as a GC-GC-ToF-MS, and ICP-OES. Now we will begin the exciting process of installing cutting-edge equipment which will help to make this centre a unique and vital asset to the UK’s aviation industry.”
Sustainable aviation fuels are vital to reducing the UK’s carbon emissions. The UK aviation industry is responsible for around seven per cent of total UK carbon emissions, and this number is growing fast. However, aviation’s reliance on fossil fuels makes it a challenging sector to decarbonise.
Although it’s expected that new technologies will propel planes in the future, for now it’s widely seen that the best option to help the industry decarbonise is to exchange fossil fuels for fuels made from sustainable materials such as agricultural waste and waste oils. Making sustainable aviation fuels a viable commercial option for the aviation sector could reduce UK emissions in 2050 by 32 per cent.
The UK government acknowledged the importance of sustainable aviation by including ambitions for ‘jet zero’ in its Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.
However, any new aviation fuel must undergo significant fit-for-purpose testing before it can be safely introduced to the market. Technology and chemical processes to produce sustainable aviation fuels do currently exist, but many producers, especially SMEs, require support to scale up production and formally test their fuel. SAF-IC will provide this support with access to collaboration space, world-leading next-generation equipment and the expertise needed to carry out key stages of the testing process required to formalise a new fuel.
The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre will heavily invest in supporting SMEs in South Yorkshire as well as work with partners from the aviation industry locally, nationally and internationally.
Companies showcase PPE available for offshore and marine environments
World-leading manufacturers of offshore wind and maritime PPE will collaborate in Hull later this month at a Meet the Manufacturers event, organised by workwear and PPE company ComtecInt along with specialist training provider HOTA.
More than 25 of the organisations’ national and international suppliers, who will explain the features of their products, and gain feedback and ideas from end users to inform future development.
The free event will take place at HOTA’s training facilities on Malmo Road, on June 30 from 10am until 3pm, with outdoor demonstrations of PPE starting at 11am, weather permitting.
Jonathan Isaac, director of ComtecInt, said that the idea was to help people understand the range of highly specialist products available to protect staff working in hostile offshore environments. “This is not a sales pitch and is obligation free,” he said. “It is a unique opportunity to see the breadth of innovative solutions for the offshore wind and maritime sectors all in one place.
“As a re-supplier, I see this event as being beneficial to my customers and the manufacturers. It provides a clear opportunity to discuss past experiences and requirements and will contribute to informing the next generation of niche products which could take safety to the next level.”
Karen Shepherd, chief executive at HOTA, said: “We have worked with ComtecInt for many years and the last Meet the Manufacturer event in 2019 was a huge success. This latest event will showcase our excellent training facilities to top personnel of renewables organisations.”
ComtecInt’s Hull-based UK business has gained a national reputation for its bespoke services to the offshore wind sector, which comprises both supply and testing of safety wear products as well as branded online web shops for customers to easily manage supply of workwear and PPE to staff.
The company recently moved to larger premises at Base Business Space on Chamberlain Road in response increased demand for services, new contracts in offshore wind and to allow for future growth. It started in Hull in 2016 and has a long-established parent company in Denmark.
Manufacturers taking part are Mascot, Bolle, Tranemo, Blaklader, Sievi, Petzl, Ejendals, Skylotec, Aerohealthcare, KASK, Ergodyne, 3M, Tusk, Heightec, Ursuit/Mullion, Spinlock, DMM, Rockfall, Kansas Fristads, Torque Solutions, Ruth Lee, Talking Headsets, Marlow Rope, Ferno and Cresto
University of York and Barclays form partnership to provide business support
The University of York has formed a partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs to provide business support and advice to entrepreneurs and businesses in the city. The partnership will be based out of The Catalyst on the University of York’s Campus East and the recently refurbished Guildhall, which the University recently took over on a 15-year lease.
Businesses, which have been operating for a year or more, will be able to access banking experts, a network of co-working spaces, mentors and learning tools, as well as events and growth programmes for ambitious entrepreneurs and businesses. They will also be able to access over 25 Eagle Labs across the UK.
Investors
The initiative follows a period of consultation with local stakeholders and city partners such as City of York Council, Whitecap Consulting, local entrepreneurs and investors. The partnership is possible thanks to financial support from Boxxe, the York-based digital transformational specialists, whose owner Phil Doye is passionate about entrepreneurship and building long-term sustainable businesses.
Around 140 local companies have been invited to the official launch of the partnership on 24 June at the Guildhall. The announcement of the partnership coincides with a panel discussion on Building York’s Entrepreneurial Culture at York Festival of Ideas.
The event will celebrate the first anniversary of the Good Business Charter, and the launch of Enterprise Works and the Barclays Eagle Lab partnership, and showcase how the City is forming a coalition with innovative partners to respond positively to the levelling up agenda.
Growth
The panel will discuss how York is creating a new approach to supporting entrepreneurs, driving inclusive economic growth and tackling the impact of COVID-19.
Key speakers at the event on Friday include York Central MP Rachael Maskell, entrepreneur and founder of the Good Business Charter Julian Richer and Professor Kiran Trehan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Partnerships and Engagement at the University of York. Chris Winn, Ecosystem Manager from Barclays Eagle Labs will also take part in one of the sessions.
Professor Kiran Trehan said: “We are really excited to be collaborating with Barclays Eagle Labs to help entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive in our City. This partnership forms a key part of the University’s mission to work together with innovative partners in order to establish York as a hub for entrepreneurship, driving inclusive growth in the region in the wake of Covid.
“The Eagle Lab will be based on Campus East and in the newly refurbished Guildhall, allowing entrepreneurs and businesses access to a network of workspaces at the University as well as in the heart of the City. By providing access to experts, mentors and learning tools, the lab will be an important step in building York’s entrepreneurial culture.”
Ambitious
Steve Mullins, Customer Care Director, Barclays, said: “I’m looking forward to expanding the support offered by Barclays Eagle Labs to further deepen our commitment to entrepreneurs in York and the surrounding area.
“Barclays Eagle Labs is committed to supporting the development of entrepreneurship skills and has a mission to inspire and educate ambitious founders and start-ups across the UK to help them succeed.“
Leeds based Stories Flooring hits record high after rebrand
Stories Flooring in Leeds, Yorkshire, has announced its latest figures after undergoing a complete rebrand in November 2020.
Formerly, Lifestyle Flooring UK, due to name similarities and copyright complications with a competitor, a lengthy legal exchange ensued, and Lifestyle Flooring agreed to rebrand as Stories Flooring, meaning essentially, the once established flooring business had to start from scratch.
The timing could not have been worse. The country was in lockdown in the middle of the Pandemic, with the flooring premises off limits. Stories Flooring had to increase its already limited marketing budget for the rebrand, while also discovering ways to continue to trade during lockdown, with stock not readily available due to covid restrictions. For many businesses, this would have been the end.
Surprisingly, Stories Flooring flourished during this time, with figures having hit an all-time high since the rebrand. To date, Stories has secured more than 9.5 million pounds in online sales alone since the rebrand in November 2020.
After analysing the accounts, the company could have doubled its sales if not for stock issues. Stories Flooring also refunded more than 2 million pounds of sales due to supplier shortfalls. Although the success of its already astonishingly high sales was capped, Stories were spurred on to continue to grow.
Founder Yarl Christie said, “Having emerged from a rebrand during the Pandemic, Stories Flooring, really is the success story that everyone needs to hear. We want to encourage local businesses and those within our industry that have been affected by covid to not to give up, because Stories is testament to that.”
LEP Growth Deal finance supports learning for more than 3,000 at Riseholme College
More than 3,000 students and 300 apprentices are benefitting from enhanced learning facilities and opportunities at Riseholme College’s Showground Campus thanks to £7 million in funding from the Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s Growth Deal allocation.
Opportunities to study a range of qualifications from agriculture to applied science complement the LEP’s inception of the UK Food Valley, which will position Greater Lincolnshire’s UK-leading food sector as a top 10 global food cluster.
More than 3,250 further education students have benefitted from the state-of the art facilities since the project was completed, with numbers rising year-on-yerar, even through Covid.
Chief Executive and Principal Bill Meredith said: “Being able to provide over 3,000 students with access to the college’s outstanding provision thanks to this investment is a fantastic achievement.
“An inspiring and engaging learning environment in combination with our specialist technical education, specifically designed to prepare students for industry, is paying dividends with our student achievement rates more than 6.5% higher than the national average.”
Agriculture student Eleanor Hopper completed her BTEC Level 3 Agricultural Diploma, and moved straight into industry and is now a farm assistant at a farm in nearby Langworth. This role enables her to apply all the practical and theoretical knowledge acquired during her course, including crop production, livestock husbandry and machinery operations. Through her broad experience across countryside management, arable and livestock, Eleanor is making a worthwhile and valuable contribution to her employer and the wider region.
Animal Management student Sam Sherriff has benefited from the enhanced animal behaviour facilities throughout his studies for a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma. Showing an aptitude for lab-based work, Sam was awarded Silver in the Pearson’s BTEC Land-based Learner of the Year Awards 2021. Rather than moving into employment following graduation, Sam progressed to develop higher-level skills with a degree in Zoo Management, which will significantly improve his employability and ability to contribute to the region’s economy.
Four promoted at Hull-based chartered accountancy practice
Hull-based 360 Chartered Accountants has announced four new appointments as part of its ongoing growth strategy.
Hannah Lawton and Olivia Sutton are both being promoted to Assistant Managers, while Leah Sanderson and Rebecca Cole are being promoted to Senior Accounts Executives.
Client Services Director Sophie Holmes, who leads 360’s team of accountants, trainees and apprentices, said:“These promotions are testament to everyone’s hard work and dedication. At 360, we strongly believe in mentoring and supporting our team and developing their careers. As we continue to expand, it’s important to ensure we are building a strong team – and we are confident we are doing just that.”
Olivia Sutton joined 360 straight from school as an apprentice four years ago. She is now a part-qualified accountant, having passed her final AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) exams last year. She is currently studying for her ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualifications to become fully qualified as a chartered accountant.
Hannah Lawton, who is also studying for her ACCA qualifications, was appointed in January to work in the 360 accounts team after three successful years at a firm in Driffield.
Leah Sanderson joined 360 as a trainee accountant last year, initially spending time with the firm’s Charities and Corporate team before working across all accounts departments to gain experience in all aspects of accountancy.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Cole joined 360 as an apprentice after completing her GCSEs five years ago. She has almost completed her AAT apprenticeship and will then move forward to her chartered accountant qualifications.
Doncaster Chamber names charities to benefit from Business Awards evening
Two South Yorkshire charities who’ll each receive a share of the proceeds from this year’s Doncaster Business Awards in December have been named as The People Focussed Group and the local branch of RSPCA.
They’ve been identified by Doncaster Chamber President, Andy Morley, to benefit from the Business Awards ceremony, whose attendees will donate the funds and take part in a high-value auction.
The next business awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, December 1, 2022. This time, attendees will be able to participate in an auction, organised by Redtooth Events, with the proceeds being pooled together for a big charitable donation.
Andy Morley said: “The People Focussed Group do incredibly valuable work for our community. The organisation was founded on the principle that those with lived experiences of mental health issues or learning disabilities are ideally suited to helping others with similar diagnoses.
“It’s a large network that offers peer-led crisis support, either in person, over the phone or — as a new way of keeping in touch during the pandemic —through an online platform. Many people in our area would be lost without PFG, as they provide much-needed companionship, encouragement and advice. It’s for this reason that I have named them as one of my chosen charities for the 2022 Doncaster Business Awards.
“Meanwhile, I have also selected the Doncaster, Rotherham & District branch of the RSPCA. Everyone is no-doubt familiar with the important work that this organisation does on a national scale, rehabilitating and rehoming animals across the country, but our local team is especially inspiring.
“As one of the oldest RSPCA branches in the country, they have been around since 1965 and have looked after so many animals in that time. Of course, they will always need more support so that they can carry on doing this good work and help even more. As such, I am proud to announce that the Doncaster community is rallying behind them with this year’s Business Awards.”
Women move into construction and engineering jobs in greater numbers
Hundreds of women have got construction and engineering jobs thanks to support from the Department for Work and Pensions partnership with charity Women into Construction, as latest figures reveal there are almost two million more women in employment since 2010.
Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP said: “It’s fantastic to see women climb the ladder – especially in a sector like construction – and support to progress is on hand at jobcentres around the country.
“Almost two million more women are in work than in 2010, and while our Work Coaches are focused on getting people into jobs, they are also doing great work supporting people to increase their hours, lift their income and progress.
Jacqui Wordsworth, Director of Business Development at Women into Construction, said: “It’s been great seeing talent develop. We are so proud of all the women that we have helped succeed in their careers, within construction and engineering, through our partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions.
“Working within construction is a fantastic opportunity, no matter what gender you are, with huge amounts of potential for progression. We’re committed to Change the Face of Construction by helping more women into employment in this sector and help them succeed through in-depth 1-2-1 support including training, mentorship and work experience.”
Women into Construction has been partnering with DWP to support unemployed women into the construction sector since 2008. The partnership supports those DWP jobseekers who wouldn’t ordinarily consider a career in this sector to explore their options in a supported environment, thanks to the in depth 1-2-1 support provided by the Women into Construction team.
Council’s plans to buy Freshney Place move a step closer
A plan for Freshney Place Shopping Centre to be bought by North East Lincolnshire Council has moved a step closer, following approval at the Council’s Cabinet meeting yesterday [22 June 2022].
The Grimsby centre went into receivership earlier this year, and the deadline for bids for its sale closed on Tuesday [21 June 2022]. The council has confirmed a bid has been submitted but the final decision to purchase the centre must have Full Council approval. The plan will be discussed at a special meeting in July.
Cllr Philip Jackson, leader of the Council, said: “It is vital that we take this course of action to make sure we can continue to deliver our transformation of the urban heart of Grimsby. If we don’t buy the centre, it could be bought by someone who is unwilling to invest and the decline of the heart of our town centre would be devastating.”
The centre makes up 60 per cent of the town centre’s retail offer, supporting one in five jobs within that area.
“The move to secure the centre will safeguard a critical part of Grimsby town centre’s economic and community infrastructure,” continued Cllr Jackson. “Ensuring it retains a competitive retail and service offer is key to safeguarding up to 1,700 jobs within Freshney Place and Top Town Market.
“If this is approved, subject to due diligence, we would be looking to appoint external asset managers with significant experience to run the centre on a day-to-day basis with the council taking an ‘arms-length’ approach.
“To enable this regeneration to continue, Freshney Place, a huge space in our town centre, must have a stable future. If this becomes Council-owned, this would mean that we could take Freshney Place into account when we’re looking at the transformation of the whole of our town centre, potentially bringing in different offers, using the centre in different and more modern ways to reduce its current over-reliance on retail.”
Grant funding from Central Government, including the Towns Fund, has already seen significant transformation in the town centre with projects still under way. These include Garth Lane, St James Square, the new Onside Horizon Youth Zone and the conversion of St James House into an E-Factor Group businesses centre and hub.
The plan, if approved by Full Council, is to acquire Freshney Place using the national Future High Streets Fund (FHSF) money. The Council would then bid for replacement money to continue the FHSF work at the western end of Freshney Place and Victoria Street through the ‘LUF (Levelling Up Funds) Round Two’ process.
