Refurbished Leeds Media Centre opens its doors
The leader of Leeds City Council, Cllr James Lewis, and the chair of Unity Enterprise, Sharon Jandu OBE, have jointly unveiled a plaque to celebrate the opening of a fully refurbished Leeds Media Centre as a prime location for aspiring entrepreneurs to achieve their business dreams.
Internal and external works on the building in Chapeltown got underway last autumn to install a new roof and windows, and remodel two floors to create 12 new business units together with a specially designed business hub equipped with hi-tech virtual facilities.
The £1.8 million scheme, delivered by Unity Enterprise – a not-for-profit subsidiary of housing association Unity Homes and Enterprise – in partnership with Leeds City Council, was part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.
Leeds Media Centre is owned by the Council and managed by Unity Enterprise on a long-term lease.
Addressing a large gathering of guests at the unveiling ceremony, Cllr Lewis said he was delighted to see the project delivered on time and on budget.
He said: “This is something we are really proud to be part of, to see a building we own as a Council being renovated into a new phase of its life as part of our work in developing an inclusive and stronger economy in Leeds. I firmly believe that only happens when everyone in the city can fully engage.
“We are clear that entrepreneurialism and innovation are not just things that involve a small number of people with high qualifications.
“It’s actually about letting people in the city use their graft and talents to grow businesses and make a good living for themselves.
“I really look forward to hearing about the success and growth of the project in the years ahead.”
Sharon Jandu OBE, Unity enterprise chair, said: “I’ve seen how tirelessly my Unity colleagues have worked to pull this together. The Council has really understood the purpose and values of exactly what Unity Enterprise is all about.
“I lived in Chapeltown for eight years and a lot of my family is still here. This centre is exactly what we need – really creating those business opportunities and helping local communities.
“I am so pleased that Leeds City Council has had that vision. Rather than putting something like this somewhere else, putting it into the heart of Chapeltown so that communities can engage is so important.
“They feel that it belongs to them – those values, that purpose, building that trust with local communities on their doorstep. That is really powerful.”
Welcoming guests to the centre, Cedric Boston, Unity Homes and Enterprise Chief Executive, thanked the Council and Unity staff for completing “one of the most difficult and complicated projects” he had been involved with, adding, “they have done a fantastic job.”
He said: “At Unity, we believe that ingenuity is everywhere.
“What we’re trying to do with this project is to give people in the surrounding community an opportunity to realise their ambition to start their own business.
“So many people in communities spend their whole lives without being able to showcase their talent and what they can offer. This project, in a small way, is trying to offer some people an opportunity to showcase their talent to the world.
“We have got a great group of people behind it and some really fantastic partners. Hopefully we will be here meeting the needs of generations for quite some time to come.”
Small Business Commissioner takes over as patron of Youth Enterprise Bank in Hull
UK Small Business Commissioner Liz Barclay has been appointed as the new patron of the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank.
She takes over from Tony Robinson, who is to stand down after 10 years in the role designed to help the JCYEB and Hull City Council to support innovative young people in Hull and promote enterprise skills.
Cllr Paul Drake-Davis, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for regeneration and housing, said: “The council is delighted that such a high-profile national figure as Liz has taken up the position of patron of the JCYEB in Hull.
“Tony has been a great champion of our work in Hull in supporting enterprising young people and I thank him for his service. The council is looking forward to working with Liz and our partners at the Youth Enterprise Bank”.
Liz said: “Sometimes, opportunities come along that simply leave you breathless. Being asked to step into the shoes of Tony Robinson as patron of John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank is one of those.
“Tony has been battling for micro businesses for many decades and his passion for the success of young entrepreneurs is legendary. He will be a hard act to follow, but I will be delighted to try.
“The work of Hull City Council with micro businesses and young entrepreneurs is a template for the rest of the UK. I will do all I can to support both.”
Tony added: “It has been a great privilege to have served as patron and work with Hull City Council in supporting micro businesses and young people, in particular meeting the enterprising young people during Global Entrepreneurship Week and meeting those on the Making Changes for Careers Programme at their Open Day events.
“Collaboration is essential to small and micro business sustainability. A supportive community of independent business owners with their customers, suppliers, families and friends ensures that changing needs, trends and economic conditions are met, all of which the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Banks does.
“I am extremely pleased that Liz has agreed to take over as patron. She has a great reputation in supporting small businesses even before taking up the role of Small Business Commissioner and I welcome her to my ‘home city’ of Hull.”
New to self-assessment for tax? You have two weeks to register
HM Revenue and Customs is reminding anyone who is new to Self Assessment for the 2022 to 2023 tax year that they have just two weeks until 5 October to tell HMRC and register.
New Self Assessment customers could be someone who has set up a side hustle to earn money in addition to their PAYE job or disposed of cryptoassets, says HMRC; they may be newly self-employed or a new landlord renting out property. Whatever the circumstances, if a customer has any income that they have not already paid UK tax on, they need to register for Self Assessment.
Customers can use HMRC’s online checking tool on GOV.UK to quickly assess whether they will need to complete a tax return. And they can use the step-by-step guide to check what they need to do to file their first Self Assessment tax return.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “If you are new to Self Assessment and unsure how the process works – HMRC is here to help. We have a wealth of resources and guidance available on GOV.UK to help customers register, sign up to the online services and complete their tax return. We want to help customers get their tax right first time, just search ‘Self Assessment’ on GOV.UK to find out more.”
Business graduate shortlisted for top award
University of Bradford business graduate Sonya Byrne has been shortlisted for a top award after developing a concept to sell virtual copies of her own fashion creations.
Sonya, from Bradford, who enrolled on the School of Management’s Executive MBA in 2020, designed non-fungible tokens to go alongside bespoke women’s fashion items, which she also created.
The concept formed part of her end-of-year project and garnered a score of over 90% – and now her efforts have also been recognised by Masters in business accreditation body AMBA, which has shortlisted her for its MBA Student of the Year Award 2024.
Judges praised her “exceptional entry” and invited her to attend the final at Park Plaza London Riverbank Hotel, next January.
Sonya spent 15 years working for some of the biggest names in fashion – including Inditex, Miroglio and BESTSELLER – before starting her own business, Avie-studio.com, with husband Liam.
She said: “I’m thrilled to have been shortlisted for the AMBA Student of the Year Awards. It is a prestigious award from an organisation that is globally recognised; and of course, Bradford’s School of Management is AMBA-accredited.
“Completing my MBA at Bradford has been one of the best things I have ever done. I have already worked in industry and overcome many challenges, but what the MBA did was give me the tools, and a formal language to better understand some of those processes and management tools.”
Recruitment specialists boost IT team
Apprentice to boardroom recruitment solutions specialists Nicholas Associates Group has further strengthened its IT team following the appointment of Daniel Ryan as an IT service delivery manager.
Based at the company head offices in Sheffield, Daniel has over 18 years’ experience and previously worked in the Legal Sector managing global 2nd Line IT Teams based in the UK, USA and APAC regions. He is an SDI Certified IT Service Desk Manager and also ITIL Certified.
In this new role, Daniel will cover a large range of responsibilities to ensure the efficient delivery of IT services to all divisions and branches within the group. He will also assist with aligning the strategic goals of Nicholas Associates Group with the IT function.
Commenting on his appointment, Daniel said: “The challenge of the role really interested me, and the values and vision of the company were things that aligned with what I was looking for in the next step of my career. I have also never worked in the recruitment sector, so a fresh challenge was very appealing.”
Planning permission granted for housing development near Louth
New homes are coming to Louth after developer Charterpoint received outline planning permission to build up to 90 new properties on a 12-acre site off Daisy Way.
East Lindsey District Council has approved the outline application for a mix of one, two, three and four bedroom homes, plus a children’s play area, surface water attenuation ponds, wildflower meadows, sustainable drainage and an amenity lawn for communal informal recreation.
The site is an extension of the popular Westfield Park.
Adrian Goose, CEO of Charterpoint, said: “We are very pleased to have received outline planning permission for this site on the edge of Louth. It will provide additional much-needed, attractive housing for individuals and families in an area close to the services and amenities that the town offers.
“Charterpoint has extensive experience of delivering quality schemes and we look forward to drawing up detailed designs for this site and extending the popular community that we have created at Westfield Park.”
The site, which is bounded by the A16 Louth bypass to the north west and by Westfield Park to the south and east, will be accessed off Daisy Way and will include green infrastructure to provide an attractive quality environment for residents and visitors with consideration given to access for pedestrians and cyclists, enhancement of wildlife biodiversity, sustainable drainage solutions and promotion of use of outdoor spaces for improved mental and physical health and well-being.
Charterpoint also plans to incorporate open water, swales and ditches as part of the sustainable drainage strategy to contribute to local biodiversity.
The exact number and mix of new homes on the site, which is currently fallow land, will be defined during detailed design stage.
Half of all firms say cost of borrowing is having a negative impact
New research by the Insights Unit at the British Chambers of Commerce shows nearly half of firms say the cost of borrowing is negatively impacting their business.
A survey of 726 organisations has found:
- 46% of firms overall said it was having a negative impact.
- 9% said it was having a positive impact.
- 45% said they were not directly impacted.
- The business-to-consumer sector (such as retailers and hospitality firms) are far more likely to report negative impacts, rising to 61%.
Bluecube names new non-exec director
Lincoln-based Bluecube Cloud Services has appointed Nicholas St John as Non-Executive Director, joining the firm after 35 years’ experience in ICT, telecommunications, mobile and insurance technology.
MD Paul Reams said: “We are excited to add Nicholas to the board of Directors at Bluecube and I know that the depth of experience he brings will be a huge asset. As we reach our 15th year in business we are also experiencing fast growth and this is something we are determined to manage responsibly. Nicholas will be specifically focusing on strategy and reporting as we develop our place as a leading MSP in the East Midlands region.”
Mr St John said: “I am extremely proud to be joining the board at Bluecube. This is an opportunity to work with a talented team and be part of an opportunity for significant and rapid market growth.”
Wilkin Chapman welcomes ten new trainee solicitors
Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire’s largest law firm has welcomed ten trainee solicitors to its Grimsby, Lincoln, Beverley, and Wolds offices.
The new cohort includes Alexandra Vilbergsdottir, Chloe Beckett, Emma Johnson, Harriet Costello, Jessica Bowen, Lauren Brighton, and Molly Hodges (Grimsby); Henry Dixon (Lincoln); Alexandra Tock (Beverley); and Katherine Hardcastle (Wolds).
The expansion of the trainee solicitor programme strengthens the firm’s commitment to continue to grow its own lawyers for the future, providing the individuals with the skills and experience needed to become qualified solicitors and the opportunity to pursue a long-term career with the firm.
The two-year contract provides trainees with hands-on experience in a number of different areas of the law, split into four six-month placements across the firm. Trainees are also provided with the opportunity to spend time at more than one of the firm’s four offices to experience different clients and work.
Lisa Boileau, partner and head of the private client division of Wilkin Chapman, said: “We believe that investing in the next generation of legal professionals is crucial for the future success of our firm. We have a long history of producing exceptionally well trained and very able lawyers.
“As part of our trainee solicitor scheme, we attract talented and ambitious individuals who are eager to learn and develop their skills with us and to pursue a long-term career with us at the firm. Last year, we took on seven trainee solicitors and this year we have awarded a total of ten contracts.
“When possible, we like to start our future trainees with us as paralegals, so that when the time comes to begin their training contract, they are already used to our systems and already feel part of the firm’s friendly and close-knit community. We’re excited to see what the future holds for our new trainee solicitors as they commence their training contracts and look forward to supporting them on their journey towards a long and rewarding career in law.”
Harriet Costello, trainee solicitor at the Grimsby office, said: “During my time as a paralegal at the firm, it became clear to me that the friendly, professional environment at Wilkin Chapman was one that I would like to undertake my training in. The firm is full of incredibly talented professionals who are experts in their fields and who it is fantastic to be learning from.
“With Wilkin Chapman being such a well-respected, large firm in the area which offers such a wide array of services, I saw the scheme as a great opportunity to explore a variety of legal sectors, before settling upon an area to specialise in – which made it my first preference for a training contract.”
As well as training by the side of experienced lawyers, these successful individuals will also attend relevant internal and external training courses throughout their contract to equip them with the skills required of a practising solicitor, all paid for by the firm.
Bringing together service leavers at the Gen Dit Network event
Forces Cars Direct recently had the honour of attending the Gen Dit Network event at the unique ABC Building in Manchester, where service leavers and ex-military met to discuss transition, veterans in business and to offer help to those that may need it.
The Gen Dit Network is a group based on LinkedIn that is very simply a safe space for anyone that is leaving the Military to find help and advice. In the group are veterans that have been through the resettlement process, recruiters and veteran-friendly businesses that offer employment, and a whole range of other people that simply want to help the ex-forces community. Follow and join the group here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12642379/
Forces Cars Direct attended the North West meet up for this group organised by Chris Shaw and Jim Holland, with people attending from further a field too. Inspiring talks were delivered by Andy Reid MBE, James Wilthew and Dr Andrew Steele.
Comments from attendees included:
“What a fantastic day it was. A really valuable demonstration of how the network works.”
“Great afternoon. Good to swap stories and to make some really useful connections.”
“A highly useful afternoon. Great venue. Great food. Great company.”
“What a fantastic event. Looking forward to being part of more.”
There are some exciting times ahead with the Gen Dit Network and Forces Cars Direct are proud to be able to support this important group.
Click here to find out more about the Gen Dit Network and join future events.
