Smart Works Leeds joined by local businesses in mission to invest in the women of Yorkshire
On Thursday, 14 businesses based across Yorkshire attended the launch of the Smart Works Leeds Collective, making a commitment to uplift jobseekers through supporting the charity with vital funds.
The Smart Works Leeds Collective is a network of forward-thinking, dynamic Yorkshire individuals and businesses who have pledged to help the charity support unemployed women across the county into work. Collective members stand for equality and inclusivity. They believe that employment is key to transforming women’s lives, that of their families, and their communities.
Members of The Collective donate either £150pcm or £1500pa, vital contributions needed to run the service. In 2022, Smart Works Leeds helped 630 women find work. This year, the charity are ambitiously aiming to support 1,000 women.
Kate Murphy, Centre Manager at Smart Works Leeds, said: “We were delighted to see so many existing, as well as new supporters at the event on Thursday. At Smart Works we help women with a carefully designed coaching and clothing service, which allows many clients to secure employment and succeed at work. We have a brilliant track record with 69% of Smart Works’ clients securing a job within a month of their appointment.
“The audience who attended our launch event were introduced to the service we offer unemployed women in Yorkshire and heard about how, with their support it will enable us to reach more women and help them gain not only financial stability, but the sense of purpose and identity that securing employment means.
“By joining The Collective, a business, or an individual demonstrates that they share in our mission to help women realise their potential and empower them in their professional pursuits.”
Smart Works Leeds Client Champion Fran spoke at the event about the impact Smart Works has had on her life. Fran is a 43-year-old single parent from Leeds, with a passion for supporting others.
She had been out of work for quite some time when she was introduced to Smart Works by Women’s Health Matters, a local women’s organisation where she completed a course focussed on freedom after domestic violence. Fran left everything when she fled an abusive relationship and has done tremendous work to change her life since.
Smart Works Leeds helped Fran pick a beautiful outfit ready for her interview with a local addiction charity as well as a dedicated coaching session tailored to the role. Following her successful interview, Fran was welcomed back for a Second Dressing where she picked out a capsule wardrobe to support her through her first weeks at work. She is now working with a local addiction charity, an organisation whose services she had previously accessed.
Fran said: “I didn’t know what to expect, but it was just brilliant. Smart Works really helped me. Coming out of a domestic violent relationship, I didn’t have many choices and I had a low opinion of myself.
“Hearing that I looked good, and getting input from my dressers made me feel so much better. I was able to present myself in a professional manner at the interview which helped me secure the role. My dresser just got me! It completely changed my perception of myself.
“My coach was so knowledgeable. She put questions to me that I was actually asked in the interview. I got loads of tips and invaluable advice. I was able to talk about my fears and this resolved a lot of my anxiety.
“Smart Works is empowering, lifechanging and a huge confidence builder. It’s an amazing, amazing service.”
Lincoln High Street store acquired for national card retailer
National card retailer Cardzone has acquired a store in Lincoln.
Occupying a prime location at 304 High Street, the property is in the heart of Lincoln’s city centre amongst numerous national retailers.
Tom Wragg, associate director at FHP, who acted for long standing clients Cardzone, said: “The property had been occupied by Paperchase until their insolvency in early 2023 creating an excellent opportunity for Cardzone to trade their fantastic new Mooch concept.
“I am proud to have played a part in identifying this opportunity and negotiating a new lease on behalf of my client.”
Peter Drewitt of Cardzone added: “I am pleased to have worked with FHP to secure this property, which will be an exciting additional to our new Mooch brand that is being rolled out in selected locations nationwide.”
G&H Group secures funding to help schools and council buildings move towards Net Zero
Leeds-based mechanical, electrical and public health service provider, G&H Group, will support 13 public sector buildings in Leeds, York, Middlesbrough and London, to move closer to Net Zero after securing £2.5m of funding from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, saving 8,000 tonnes of carbon.
G&H Group’s projects division secured the funding by working both directly with multi-academy trusts and in collaboration with building surveyors and energy consultants. Work on the 13 projects will be delivered by G&H Group and includes installing ground source heat pumps (GSHPs), solar panels, window and roof fabric upgrades, air source heat pumps (ASHPs) and LEDs. All projects will be delivered by 31 March 2024.
Marc Ambler, operations manager, G&H Projects, said: “We have extensive experience assisting both clients and building surveyors and energy consultants in navigating the PSDS applications process, securing funding and reducing their carbon emissions. Our experienced on-site team will deliver all 13 projects across multi-academies and local authority buildings with all work, on completion saving 8000 tonnes of carbon.”
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) launched the PSDS initiative in 2020, to provide grants for public sector bodies and fund decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures, to help meet the UK government’s Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions 2050 target.
As well as securing £2.5m through the PSDS, G&H Group recently secured eight school projects worth £2m through the government’s Condition Improvement Fund.
Caddick Group’s charity abseil raises more than £20,000
Caddick Group, the Yorkshire-headquartered property business, has raised over £20,000 for charity by abseiling down the face of Moda’s New York Square building at SOYO, Leeds.
The effort raised vital funds for three of the organisation’s charity partners, the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, Candlelighters Trust and Children’s Heart Surgery Fund.
The charity abseil brought together over 60 people including employers, partners and supporters, all eager to contribute to the important cause. Participants took on the exhilarating challenge of descending down the 148ft Moda building, located in the heart of Leeds’ cultural quarter.
Kairen Brown, head of CSR at Caddick Group, expressed her pride in the event’s success, stating: “This brilliant event has not only raised substantial funds for our charity partners but has also brought out team and community closer together.
“As part of our wider commitments as a business, we are dedicated to supporting charitable initiatives that have a real and tangible impact on people’s lives. This event perfectly encapsulates our dedication to making a positive difference and is another example of where we’re supporting our home city.”
Paul Caddick, founder and chairman of Caddick Group, added: “We are immensely proud of the funds raised through this charity abseil.
“Our commitment to giving back to the community is deeply rooted in our company’s ethos, and we will continue to support initiatives that create positive change and improve lives.”
Candlelighters Trust, one of the beneficiaries of the funds raised, expressed their gratitude for Caddick Group’s unwavering support.
Chris Salt, philanthropy manager at Candlelighters Trust, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Caddick Group for their continued support. The funds raised through the event will make a significant difference to the lives of children and families affected by cancer. This remarkable display of support underlines Caddick Group’s dedication to the community and their tireless efforts in making a positive impact.”
Caddick Group recently celebrated their major fundraising milestone of £100,000 with Candlelighters, as they continue to nurture a longstanding charity partnership.
Sheffield solicitor secures recorder appointment
A Sheffield lawyer appointed as a recorder to sit in the civil jurisdiction is believed to be one of the youngest solicitors to be given the role.Carl Jones, a partner at boutique firm MD Law and who specialises in insolvency litigation, begins his formal induction as a recorder this September and should begin sitting by the end of the year – all before he turns 35.Carl was surprised to learn of his recommendation for the position after deciding to apply on a speculative basis.The 34-year-old said: “I am so pleased to have been appointed. I was very surprised to learn I was being recommended for appointment. I’ll be 10 years qualified in September, so I thought it was more a speculative application. “It’s something I wanted to do, but applying was as much about getting experience and going through the process. To actually get appointed, I was very pleasantly surprised.”Carl was appointed a deputy district judge in 2020 and the following year was authorised to sit in the Business and Property Courts in Leeds and Newcastle. He added: “I see this appointment as a recorder as the next step in the judicial ladder. It’s my ambition to become a full-time judge eventually.”Matthew Dixon, founder and partner of MD Law, said: “We warmly congratulate Carl on his recorder appointment. Allowing our lawyers to pursue their judicial ambitions means they can broaden their knowledge and experience, and that can only help enhance the firm’s reputation.”
Manufacturing company fined after employees diagnosed with hand-arm vibration syndrome
A manufacturing company has been fined following reports that two of its employees had been diagnosed with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).
The two staff members at Ross & Catherall Limited – a company that manufactures and supplies metal bars for the aerospace and automotive industries – worked at the firm’s Forge Lane site in Killamarsh, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, in 2019.
The two employees carried out a variety of tasks, which included the use of vibrating tools, throughout the company’s manufacturing process.
Both operators used these tools for extended periods of time, over a number of years, without adequate systems in place to control their exposure to vibration.
RIDDOR reports submitted by Ross & Catherall Limited in May 2019 revealed the employees had been diagnosed with HAVS.
The RIDDOR reports prompted a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation.
The HSE investigation found there was no hand-arm vibration risk assessment in place prior to, and at the time of the workers’ diagnoses, to identify what level of vibration the operators were exposed to. There were also no control measures in place to reduce exposure levels, with reasonably practicable measures only being implemented following HSE’s intervention.
Health surveillance was also inadequate. This was not carried out annually and there was no initial health surveillance assessment for new operators. Additionally, referrals were not carried out in a timely manner for those employees displaying symptoms of HAVS.
Ross & Catherall Limited, of Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £7605.37 in costs at Derby Magistrates’ Court on 17 July 2023.
HSE inspector Lindsay Bentley said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to assess the risk from exposure to vibration, put in controls to reduce this risk and ensure that health surveillance is adequate to identify symptoms in a timely manner.
“HAVS can be a life-changing condition which impacts all aspects of your life. Prevention of vibration damage is key and there is plenty of guidance available for employers to help them protect their employees’ health on the HSE website.”
This HSE prosecution was supported by HSE enforcement lawyer Nathan Cook.
West Yorkshire woman’s company aims to elevate the value of British wool
Fourth-generation farmer and wool champion Kate Drury has recently been named as one of 50 winners of Women in Innovation Awards for her attempts to increase market share for sustainable ropes for uses as diverse as dog leads, sheep halters, and offshore kelp farms.
Her Mytholmroyd-based company Sustainable Rope offers a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic rope, reducing microplastic pollution, by championing British wool and its value.
Kate is passionate about supporting British sheep farmers and championing wool and its value. She says not only does sourcing all her wool through the auction – where graders take about four years to learn their skill – give her both assurance and insurance, it also allows her to support all 35,000 sheep farmers as opposed to just one if she were to buy direct from the farm gate.
Kate, who was elected as a British Wool board member in 2021, is passionate that her rope can move from farm to consumer while being made solely in the UK, meaning she has oversight of the entire supply chain. The long-term aim is for her innovation to increase demand for wool, and, in turn, increase the return to Britain’s farmers.
She believes that in the face of tough wool prices and a difficult market the key is investing energy into innovation.
“Things must change because the market is not sustainable as it is. We know what we can head for but it’s the how we do it that is the issue. I want to empower farmers. Currently, their return is resultant of the market, so we’ve got to change that.”
The way to do it, she says, is to look beyond the traditional markets for wool and highlight the scope of innovation the fibre offers.
“There’s a lot of research around innovation within the product, but we need innovation in new markets that have never used wool, which is where I’ve positioned my company,” she adds.
Bowmer + Kirkland construction site first to power tower crane and heavy equipment with batteries
Bowmer + Kirkland believes it is the first construction company to use battery energy to power most of its equipment on site.
A project at West Bar, in Sheffield, is probably the first site in the country where the tower crane, mast climbers, hoist and temporary site supply to two buildings are all powered by only two batteries – this has saved 27 tonnes of CO2 in just the first two weeks of using this energy source.
The successful implementation of this sustainable energy is the culmination of years of research and development.
Initially B+K’s research and persistence recognised the carbon savings associated with the Punch Flybrid kinetic energy recovery system.
Developed for Formula 1 to recover energy from regenerative braking systems, the Punch Flybrid system uses a robust and durable flywheel energy storage system to significantly downsize generators powering tower cranes and other dynamically used equipment on site.
Construction site generators are inherently inefficient. Adding a flywheel to store kinetic energy, however, introduces efficiency, dramatically reducing fuel consumption and reducing carbon emissions.
Generators on construction projects are typically sized for peak loads. However, most of the time they run at low load factors, which results in poor fuel economy and high emissions. This is especially the case when running equipment like tower cranes, which oscillate between total idleness and full power.
On average B+K runs 20 tower cranes and 200 mast climbers on their sites at any one time; traditionally powered by generators. Bowmer + Kirkland conducted months of research into Flybrid feasibility and testing with their supply chain and instigated a first year roll out of the tech nationally across their construction sites ensuring B+K were the first UK contractor with multiple Flybrid units on one site.
From January – July 2023 using the Flybrid product alone, Bowmer + Kirkland saved 450 tonnes of carbon/172,000 litres of fuel.
Pushing the boundaries further led the team, in conjunction with equipment supplier Select, to investigate the possibility of battery power to enhance sustainability on site. As a result B+K was the first to power two tower cranes from one battery unit on trickle charge using a mains grid connection – this saved 98 tonnes of CO2 in just three months.
That pilot scheme was so successful that on their West Bar site in Sheffield, they are powering the tower crane, mast climbers, hoist and temporary site supply to two buildings via only two batteries on trickle charge. They are now looking into to using green renewable power to trickle charge the batteries – which would reduce carbon emissions even further.
To enable B+K to do this and change long-held attitudes and habits, they organised a number of pilot trials for the Flybrid and battery technology, involving all parties to demonstrate reliability and capability in reducing fuel consumption and realise carbon savings.
To support this, the team formulated a self-populating carbon spreadsheet and included all combinations of lifting equipment to demonstrate to site managers the fuel and carbon savings, which was instrumental in persuading them to adopt the technology. Equipment was tested to operating limits which was only made possible by the technical experience and dedication from B+K’s group crane team to drive innovation.
Flybrid and battery technology is now a standardised offering across Bowmer + Kirkland sites.
Bowmer and Kirkland director, Matthew Cruttenden, said: As the company strives for our zeroby40 target, our group crane team has been instrumental in changing attitudes and increasing awareness and understanding of sustainable energy sources available.
“Traditionally, construction sites have powered plant with diesel-guzzling generators. Our operational staff now understand the possibilities open to us to protect the environment, reduce our emissions and save money.
“Our development and collaboration with specialist suppliers has revolutionised the way we power our site operations – who would have thought we could power an entire site by plugging into a couple of battery units on trickle charge? Within the construction community we are leading the way with our research and innovations.”
Under new rules sellers of illicit cigarettes could face £10,000 fine
With more than 27 million illicit cigarettes and 7.5 tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco seized under Operation CeCe in its first two years, new powers have been introduced for anyone selling such products.
From now on penalties of up to £10,000 for any business or individual who sells illicit tobacco products. The sanctions will bolster the government’s efforts to tackle the illicit tobacco market and reduce tobacco duty fraud.
The new powers will also see Local Authority Trading Standards given the ability to refer cases to HMRC for further investigation. HMRC will administer the penalties and ensure the appropriate sanction is applied and enforced.
Operation CeCe is a joint HMRC-National Trading Standards operation which has been working to seize illicit tobacco since January 2021.
Nis Bandara, HMRC’s Deputy Director for Excise and Environmental Taxes, said “Trade in illicit tobacco costs the Exchequer more than £2 billion in lost tax revenue each year. It also damages legitimate businesses, undermines public health and facilitates the supply of tobacco to young people.
“These sanctions build on HMRC’s enforcement of illicit tobacco controls, will strengthen our response against those involved in street level distribution, and act as a deterrent to anyone thinking that they can make a quick and easy sale and undercut their competition.”
North Yorkshire Council pledges to level playing field for contract-seeking SMEs
North Yorkshire Council has pledged to give more support and guidance to SMEs to help them compete effectively with larger competitors to secure public sector contracts.
The council expects to spend more than £600 million spent on contracts with the private sector during the current financial year alone.
A small and medium-sized enterprise called Go4Growth was recruited in 2021 to design a programme to bridge the gap between smaller enterprises and the public sector. This work has helped smaller, local and diverse organisations to develop the practical skills to enable sustainable growth through accessing and securing opportunities with the public sector.
Go4Growth offers free support for companies aiming to work with the council and other public sector organisations. Through this partnership, 250 suppliers were supported in 2021/22, with 86 per cent categorising themselves as micro-businesses or sole traders and 14 per cent stating they are small businesses.
Go4Growth’s director Gill Askew said: “Since we were recruited in 2021, we have built strong and productive working relationships with the public sector in North Yorkshire.
“We have been able to deliver support to small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary and community and social enterprises across the county to hundreds of local providers.
“The single council will provide greater access to a broader marketplace of providers who want to secure growth within the public sector, both directly and indirectly with the authority.
“It means that we will be able to increase the breadth of support we are giving, ultimately supporting more local economic development.
“We’re really excited about what the future has to offer and we’re looking forward to providing more support to help North Yorkshire’s businesses and voluntary organisations to grow.”
The launch of a single authority to cover the whole of North Yorkshire will bring in millions of pounds of savings by having contracts for a single organisation, helping counter the challenging inflationary pressures amid the cost of living crisis.
Council leader Carl Les, said: “We recognise the important role that smaller businesses play in the success of North Yorkshire’s economy, bringing in vital investment and supporting tens of thousands of jobs.
“As a council, we have a firm commitment to helping these smaller enterprises flourish, and they are key to helping us deliver services to hundreds of thousands of residents across the county.”
North Yorkshire’s economy is heavily slanted towards smaller businesses and there is a total of more than 32,700 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises alongside 90 large businesses in the county.
Contracts with small and medium-sized enterprises worth hundreds of millions of pounds were signed by the previous eight authorities that merged to form North Yorkshire Council, which launched at the start of April.
The former North Yorkshire County Council alone spent £549 million on procurement during the last financial year, including £269 million with small and medium-sized enterprises – 55 per cent of the total figure.
Of the 5,021 suppliers which the county council worked with during 2022/23, a total of 2,765 were small and medium-sized enterprises and the ambition is to increase this number even further with the launch of the new authority.
In 2022/23, 55 per cent of the total spend was within the local economy, which resulted in the county council working with 2,145 local suppliers. A total of £62 million of the county council’s spend – the equivalent of 11 per cent – was with 703 regional suppliers.
By joining up services and maximising spending power in its first few years, North Yorkshire Council is set to recoup between £30 million and £70 million, which will become annual savings.
However, the high rate of inflation and growing demand for services such as adult social care will mean difficult decisions and creative solutions will be needed to realise the multi-million pound savings.
Deputy leader and executive member for finance, Cllr Gareth Dadd, whose portfolio includes procurement, said: “The opportunities that we have now as one council to provide efficiencies of scale by signing contracts for a single organisation are set to bring millions of pounds of savings.
“These will be especially important as we face such a challenging financial situation with the current level of inflation and the cost of living.”
In the past 12 months, one of the largest procurement exercises, the Social Care Approved Provider Lists which delivers support to people in residential settings, their homes or providing day services, has been secured.
The work involved in the exercise highlighted some of the barriers which the voluntary and community and social enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises report when trying to do business with councils.
A tailored engagement programme was developed to support providers through the application process and encourage more smaller enterprises to engage with the public sector. So far, 70 per cent of providers – a total of 216 – which have been appointed to the list in North Yorkshire are small and medium-sized enterprises.
The new Procurement Bill, which is due to be introduced by the Government within the next year, will provide more opportunities of making procurement quicker, simpler and more transparent while still delivering value for money and including specific criteria in deciding the award of contracts.
It is hoped that this will level the playing field for small and medium-sized enterprises and drive economic growth across the UK by reducing costs and making it easier for businesses which are bidding for contracts.
