The UK’s first ever range of self-contained, integrated eco-systems and associated products have launched to help boost biodiversity and conservation across the country. The range of landmark habitats has been created by BioScapes®, a new business under the Rolawn Group, one of the country’s longest established and leading suppliers of topsoil and turf in a bid to become a leading voice in finding solutions for the challenges facing biodiversity in the UK and around the world. BioScapes® has launched with two different products within the range, the BioCube® and NatureArk®. The products will help to directly offset the negative impact of biodiversity loss, such as by consequence of the construction of housing developments and commercial property. With fifty years’ worth of experience in innovation in the field and the help of expert ecologists to call on, BioScapes® has conducted extensive research and made significant investments over the course of four years to produce this range of products that responds to new targets set by Government within the Environment Bill from the 2019 Spring Statement. The Chancellor indicated it will be mandatory that new English planning developments will be required to demonstrate a 10% increase in biodiversity on or near development sites and deliver a ‘Biodiversity Net Gain’ with the legislation set to officially come into effect in 2023. Globally, investors have committed £3.6bn to nature restoration and conservation as part of the 30by30 initiative, which aims to protect 30% of the planet’s land and water by 2030. The BioScapes® products are suitable for installation in both commercial and residential environments such as, private gardens, new housing developments, local authority projects, roof gardens, commercial sites, retail parks, orchards and general landscaping schemes. The BioCube® provides a combination of wet and dry habitats, supporting process of rewilding through the development of ecosystems which encourage small mammals, amphibians, insects, invertebrate and plants to thrive. It has been launched alongside the NatureArk®, which delivers a similar suite of benefits, and has been specifically developed for implementation in smaller community environments, such as schools, as well as commercial construction projects. The BioCube® is priced at £2,950 and the NatureArk® at £399.95 and have already been successfully implemented by Believe Housing Association, Durham, major housebuilders Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey, as well as six primary schools in Yorkshire and northeast England. Terry Smithson, biodiversity manager and expert ecologist at BioScapes®, said: “Biodiversity is vital to our future and is the fundamental contributor to processes such as pollinating our food, providing clean water and filtering the air we breathe. We upset these systems at our peril. “The loss of woodland cover, and the destruction of peatlands and saltmarshes could render our homes and businesses more vulnerable to flooding. “But no matter how much space you have, you can always make space for wildlife, and the BioCube® provides the perfect solution in this respect by creating a self-contained area, which can be used in a range of environments, and that will support wildlife. “We recognise that developers, architects, business owners and other key decision makers acknowledge the importance of biodiversity, but that many struggle to implement a practical solution – and particularly this is what has led to the creation of the BioScapes® products.” BioScapes® chairman and managing director, Paul Dawson added: “There is no doubt that the natural habitats of the planet are under threat like never before, which makes it more important than ever to educate our stakeholders and the public on the importance of biodiversity and making a positive impact.” “We believe that this innovation will offer housing developers, property planners, builders’ merchants and others a simple, self-contained solution to make a tangible, positive impact on biodiversity, the likes of which we’ve not seen before.”

A new private sector led initiative, strongly supported by the public sector, aims to make the Humber at the heart of the Government’s ambitions to tackle climate change by becoming net carbon zero by 2040. The Humber Energy Board has been launched to act as a single voice for the region, providing co-ordinated promotion of the Humber’s strengths and its assets to a global audience, encouraging investment, as well as ensuring the region is able to communicate directly with Government in the same way as mayoral combined authorities are able to do. Convened by the two Local Enterprise Partnerships across the region, the board has the backing of the Humber Leadership Board, as well as key organisations including the CBI, the Universities of Hull and Lincoln and a number of major companies, including Equinor, Ørsted, British Steel, Phillips 66, Drax, Youngs, Siemens as well as wider industry members such as CATCH and the Humber Freeports. The board was launched at a meeting co-chaired by James Newman, Chair of the Hull and East Yorkshire LEP (HEY LEP), and his counterpart south of the estuary, Pat Doody, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP (GLLEP). In a joint statement both Chairs said: “We were delighted to be able to bring together so many sector leaders to support the drive for the Humber to deliver on this vital agenda for climate change. “The region may be the biggest emitter in the UK, but we also have the best solutions to the issues created by these emissions, with significant activity already ongoing around offshore wind, clean hydrogen production and carbon capture assets, all on a large scale. “Our hopes are that the Government will recognise that this region is vital to its climate change and levelling up ambitions and will work through the Humber Energy Board to ensure a coordinated programme of investment and private sector collaboration.” As a very industrialised region and a key part of UK’s national infrastructure and, as such, a major emitter of carbon, the board will be asking Government to provide a single point of contact at the highest level who can engage with the board on behalf of the many Government departments already involved in this agenda. The board will also be looking to appoint a high-profile independent Chair from the sector who can provide the single voice and advocacy for the region in relation to this agenda, not just to when speaking to Government but across the UK and internationally. The board also plans to engage with the many other projects and programmes already ongoing across the Humber and to provide additional cohesion to avoid duplication and unnecessary competition, while encouraging collaboration. There will also be a need to create some priorities for investment by both the Government and private sector. Darren Cunningham from Phillips 66 said: “We will only progress towards net zero by engaging collaboratively. As an integral part of the Humber Industrial Cluster, the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery is committed to working with others, in all sectors across the Humber region, to drive real progress. We welcome the formation of the Humber Energy Board as an important private-public partnership to further encourage the ‘levelling up’ agenda across this vitally important region.” Richard Gwilliam, Drax’s Head of Cluster Development, said: “The Humber has been an industrial heartland for centuries and now stands on the precipice of a green industrial revolution. If we are to achieve the ambitious net zero targets set out by Government, it is vital that we work together to develop the technologies that will support this goal. “At Drax, we are deploying the crucial negative emissions technology bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). In doing so, we can create and protect tens of thousands of jobs across the region, levelling up the UK and help the nation to reach net zero.”

IRISNDT has acquired James Fisher NDT from James Fisher and Sons PLC. James Fisher NDT has served the Aerospace, Defense, Automotive, Petrochemical, Utilities, and Nuclear markets since 2006, offering a wide array of field and laboratory NDT services. The component testing division of James Fisher NDT, providing quality control of manufactured parts, will continue to operate from its state-of-the-art 33,000 square foot facility, that includes eight radiographic bays, in Deeside, Wales. IRISNDT is a privately-owned NDT, Inspection, and Integrity Engineering company with operations in the U.S.A., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The company serves a blue-chip customer base in the refinery, petrochemical, chemical, agricultural, and power/renewables sectors around ongoing operational activities and maintenance turnaround projects, as well as construction and expansion projects. The company is owned by IRISNDT employees and First Reserve, a global private equity firm focused on energy and related industrial markets, and has 22 branch locations in the U.S.A., as well as nine in Canada, seven in the United Kingdom, and five in Australia. Roman Kyrnyckyj, Managing Director of IRISNDT UK, said: “We welcome James Fisher NDT, its employees and customers to the IRISNDT family. I believe James Fisher NDT to be a great fit for us and together we will become an industry leader in the Northwest. We are also excited about adding the component testing division and Nadcap accreditation.” Marcel Blinde, CEO of IRISNDT, said: “I am convinced that our new employees will have a seamless transition to IRISNDT given our shared views on safety, quality, employee training and development, and customer service. IRISNDT is in growth mode, and we are focused on strengthening our services portfolio in the Renewable, Energy, Aerospace and Defense markets and will continue to evaluate attractive add-on acquisition opportunities.”

If you operate within a small or medium sized business, there is likely to be a range of things you can implement to help it grow. Take a read of the article below to learn some key tips for growing your business sooner rather than later. Hire The Right Staff If you wish your business to grow and be successful, you will need to hire the right staff to begin with. When hiring staff, it will be in your best interest to find employees who will not only be suitable for the role but also seem dedicated to staying with you for the long term. You can make this happen by improving overall job satisfaction, as well as focusing on improving your employee retention rate. The longer you have motivated and dedicated staff, the more they will get to know your business and improve it. Look After Your HR Department Your HR department is essentially the backbone of your organisation. If you neglect it, you could see it negatively affect other parts of your business. This is why you should aim to work with your HR team to help make them the most efficient they can be. There are a few different ways to do that. It will benefit your HR department if you remove time-consuming tasks that can be automated in some way. Not only will this help them focus on more crucial roles, such as managing the employees and caring for their needs, it will help them make less mistakes. One of the ways you can help your team save on time is to implement specific software. This HR-focused software can make it easier for your team to manage tasks such as responding to holiday requests and recording sickness absences. It will be crucial for your business to find the right software to work with. This is why you should look to experts such as myhrtoolkit who provide HR software for SMEs to manage holidays and more. For instance, with myhrtoolkit your small to medium sized business will be able to handle holiday requests through a smart holiday planner, which can help both in the short term and long term. Conduct Unique Marketing Campaigns To reach more potential customers, you will need to embark on unique marketing campaigns. However, it will also benefit you to engage in traditional marketing campaigns too. These marketing campaigns can be both digital and in print, but you may find more success by exploring digital options depending on the nature of your business. For similar reasons, it will also put you in good stead to conduct market research, so that you can exploit the right gaps in the market at the right time and in the right places. One effective marketing strategy comes in the form of social media marketing. You could use popular platforms such as Twitter or Instagram to showcase your products or get your brand out there. It will be important for you to keep your brand style consistent on each social media platform, so that your brand is recognisable for anyone to see. However, bear in mind that some social media platforms will have different audiences that could require a different tone. A classic example of this is with TikTok. However you approach it, ensure that you mix it up to reach as many people as possible.