Final teams confirmed for epic football final in support of UK emergency services
After a second successful season, the 2023 Motor Source Emergency Services Football League finals are to take place on Sunday 4th June 2023 at Broadhurst Park Stadium, home of FC United of Manchester.
With 96 teams taking part this season across three competitions including Women’s League, Men’s Open Age League and Veteran’s League, it has been an exciting season for all.
After a combined total of over 400 hours of football played through 270 games and over 850 goals scored, through to the celebrated finals day are:
Women’s Final – West Midlands Police Vs London Fire
Men’s Open Age – North Wales Police Vs Thames Valley Police
Men’s Vets – London Fire Vs Met Police
The Motor Source ESFL was set up in 2019 by two Detective Constables who work for West Yorkshire Police, Andy Smurthwaite and Pete Overton, with the aim to bring together the police service, the fire service, the NHS and the prison service in a competitive UK wide league and the only league of its kind in the UK!
It was during the duo’s involvement in the running of the West Yorkshire Police Team that they realised how limited fixtures were and the difficulties in arranging games. Each of the respective Emergency Services have their own competition but surprisingly there were none that brought the 999 community together. From here the idea of the Emergency Services Football League was born!
Founder Pete Overton said: “Our original aim of the Emergency Services Football League was to help improve the health and wellbeing of those individuals serving in the UK’s emergency services.”
Title sponsors of the league, Motor Source Group offer new car discounts for Emergency Services personnel, saving them on average £6,019 each on their new cars, and have been supporting the ESFL from its initial days.
CEO Steve Thornton said: “It is well documented that Emergency Services professions, although rewarding, are highly stressful roles with significant risks associated with their undertaking, and so when we heard about the aims and benefits of the ESFL we knew instantly that we wanted to help and support.”
The Motor Source ESFL Final matches will be played on Sunday 4th June at Broadhurst Stadium, and will welcome supporters of the teams taking part as well as the local community from in and around Manchester. Everyone is welcome!
Ladies ESFL Final, 12:00 kick off
Mens Open Age ESFL Final, 15:30 kick off
Mens Veterans ESFL Final, 19:00 kick off
Tickets are just £5 for adults and £2.50 for children under 16 and you can watch all three final matches included in your ticket! Get your tickets here: https://tinyurl.com/MotorSourceESFLFinal
Yorkshire law firm makes three high level promotions
Yorkshire-based LCF Law has made three high level promotions across its personal and corporate divisions, with Amjed Zaman becoming a partner and Jennifer Lee and Patricia Obawole both being promoted to associate.
Amjed has spent eight years in LCF Law’s personal law team. Based in the firm’s Bradford office, he specialises in wills and probate, with significant experience in cross border and international estates, advising on succession and tax planning for both UK clients who have assets overseas, and overseas clients with assets in the UK. Amjed acts for clients in many jurisdictions of different religious and ethnic backgrounds.
Amjed is also responsible for training and mentoring LCF Law’s trainee solicitors and plays an active and successful role in business development.
Both Jennifer and Patricia, who are based in LCF Law’s Bradford and Leeds offices respectively, joined the firm as trainees and progressed through the LCF Law Career Pathway programme.
In 2014 Jennifer joined the firm’s conveyancing division, LCF Residential, and was offered a training contract in 2015. Once qualified, she worked in the real estate team before moving into personal law in 2019.
She now works with individuals and families, helping them to manage their affairs and plan for the future, which includes guiding clients through the process of making a will and putting in place powers of attorney. Jennifer also specialises in probate work, supporting clients through emotionally difficult times and handling estate administrations.
Patricia joined LCF Law as a trainee in 2017 and qualified in 2019, when she joined the firm’s corporate team, where she now predominantly works with businesses and charities.
This includes advising them on formations and structures, managing share capital and guiding them through restructures, as well as drafting articles of association, shareholders’ agreements and investment contracts.
Jennifer and Patricia are members of LCF Law’s social committee and organise the acclaimed ‘Next Generation Networking’ events which are aimed at young professionals in Yorkshire with up to five years’ experience in the workplace. Jennifer is also a member of the Board of Trustees for Age UK Bradford District which offers vital services for older people within the local community by providing information, advice and activities to enable them to live their best life.
Amjed said: “After joining LCF Law in 2015 as a newly qualified solicitor, through hard work and with wonderful support and guidance, it’s a huge honour and privilege to be promoted to partner. Our team is renowned for its depth and expertise and I’m looking forward to building on this reputation further.”
Simon Stell, managing partner at LCF Law, said: “Amjed is a popular member of the department and a genuine asset to both his clients and colleagues. He always goes above and beyond in his work and is a superb mentor for junior members of the team. Inviting him to become a partner is the perfect way to reward his contribution and take his career to the next level.
“Jennifer and Patricia have also been very successful and made a big impression since joining us as trainees. Their promotions are recognition of the high regard in which they are held by clients, their fellow professionals and colleagues for their legal expertise, dedicated work and client care.”
New plant for specialty fertilizers to be built in Yorkshire
Yara International has revealed plans to build a new global production plant for specialty crop nutrition products and biostimulants in Yorkshire.
The plant will be one of the largest in the world for these products, which are crucial for achieving food security and combating climate change.
It will be built close to the company’s existing site in Yorkshire, will allow Yara to double the capacity of its YaraVita products when the facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2025 and further expand production capacity if needed. Virtually all the output from the plant will be exported to markets around the world.
“Our specialty crop nutrition products help farmers increase yields and quality without increasing land use. That not only benefits farmers but is also good for the planet,” says Mónica Andrés Enríquez, executive vice president for Europe at Yara International.
“It’s no wonder that this market is growing exponentially. Amid today’s food security and climate change challenges, it’s more important than ever to feed the world with nutritious food while also protecting the planet,” she adds.
Training provider transitions to an Employee Ownership Trust
Ilkley online training provider High Speed Training has transitioned to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT).
The EOT will provide workers with a stake in the company’s performance, which will operate for their benefit.
High Speed Training was founded in 2008 and specialises in online compliance training across a number of sectors from retail and hospitality to construction, education and safeguarding.
This deal comes following a period of record growth and will see co-founder and owner Dan Jordan remaining on the board of directors.
National law firm Freeths advised, with the legal team led by corporate partner Andy Francey, supported by senior associate Megan Atack.
Andy Francey said: “It’s been wonderful to see High Speed Training’s successes and the move to an Employee Owned Trust. This will help to future-proof the business with a strong focus on its workforce. As a trusted client, this deal highlights our strong capabilities in the sector.”
West Lindsey launches grant programme to support businesses
Businesses in West Lindsey have the opportunity to secure grants of up to £15,000 to help with diversification opportunities, improve commercial sustainability, and evolve green infrastructure.
The grant scheme covers three principal areas – capital and revenue grant provision to support business sustainability, capital grants for non-agricultural farm diversification, and capital and revenue grants for agri-tech business development.Councillor Trevor Young, Leader of West Lindsey District Council said: “This programme will support West Lindsey businesses to take advantage of diversification opportunities, improve commercial sustainability and evolve green infrastructure. The transition to a low carbon economy and rural/green growth are reflected as key local priorities in the current West Lindsey Economic Recovery Plan and Sustainability, Climate Change and Environment Strategy”.
Sally Grindrod-Smith, Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities said: “We are working closely with our grant administration partner NBV Enterprise Solutions Ltd, to offer grants to eligible businesses ranging from £1,000 to £15,000.
“The grants – allocated on a first come, first served basis (on receipt of an eligible Expression of Interest) are intended to be flexible in order to respond to local business needs. The Council encourage all prospective applicants to fully review grant guidance, which can be found at: UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund Business Grants | West Lindsey District Council (west-lindsey.gov.uk), prior to submitting an Expression of Interest to ensure their project is eligible for funding.”
The fund is due to close too new applicants in December next year, but may close earlier if all of the Council’s funding allocation is awarded.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and a component of its support for places across the UK. It provides £2.6 billion of capital and revenue funding for investment in local projects to be spent by March 2025.
All areas of the UK will receive an allocation from the fund. The primary goal of UKSPF is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is a top-up to UKSPF, to be spent between April 2023 and March 2025.
The fund supports activities that specifically address the particular challenges rural areas face. It is capital funding only and is complementary to funding used to support rural areas under the UKSPF. For more details on the funds visit the Government’s websites: UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and (Rural England Prosperity Fund: prospectus – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Sheffield Hallam University launches scheme in support of Doncaster businesses
Sheffield Hallam University has launched Help to Grow: Management in Doncaster to support local businesses.
Help to Grow: Management is designed for local business owners and senior leaders operating in small and medium sized businesses, and who are keen to grow their organisation. This 12-week management course is accredited by the Small Business Charter and 90 per cent subsidised by the government.
The University’s Sheffield Business School has supported the delivery of the course to 150 participants since it launched in September 2021. Eligible business leaders can now sign up for the first course to be delivered in Doncaster, starting in November 2023.
Senior leaders in small and medium businesses from any sector that have been operating for more than one year, with five to 249 employees are eligible to apply.
Professor Conor Moss, Dean of Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting senior leaders from Doncaster SMEs to further develop their ideas, their people and their businesses. We have delivered this leadership programme to over 150 participants and have seen the impact the Help to Grow: Management course has had on SMEs in building resilience within their businesses and in driving growth. As a civic university we’re committed to our region and to working with even more Doncaster leaders and businesses.”
Cllr Glyn Jones, Deputy Mayor, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Business, City of Doncaster Council said: “It is so important right now for businesses to be able to access high quality business support and I see the next round of the Help to Grow: Management cohort as being a vital tool in helping local businesses thrive, grow and succeed.
“I would encourage eligible SMEs in Doncaster to sign up for the next Help to Grow: Management course. Not only will it help to boost performance, resilience and growth, it’s also a great opportunity to meet fellow business owners and share challenges and new ideas.”
Jade Dyer, Business Director of Doncaster Chamber, said: “This is excellent news for Doncaster’s SMEs, who have the opportunity to access comprehensive training and personalised coaching on a wide array of different topics. Growing a business is a daunting task, fraught with unique challenges, so having a scheme that covers all of the essentials like this is indeed a tremendous asset.
“With modules covering how to innovate, how to build resilience and how to future proof, there is a lot of invaluable material here that will help fledgling SMEs navigate the complexities of the modern business world.
“What also sets the scheme apart is the fact that it’s been specifically designed to accommodate the busy lives of entrepreneurs. With content spread out into digestible portions — over a 12-week period — participants will be able to balance it alongside their day-to-day business operations, which we know is a top priority.”
Lucy Prior, Business Growth Director at Doncaster-based Trough-Tec Systems, attended a previous course. She said: “I’m more equipped to take on these challenges because that simultaneous learning helped me identify where challenges might occur rather than how to deal with challenges that already existed, so it’s helped me pre-empt quite a few things. It’s helped me reinforce a lot of things that I either already knew or that I’d read about or learnt about or seen in other places.
“It’s helped me network with a group of peers that I wouldn’t have ever met beforehand. Networking with them and learning and sharing our problems and how to overcome them together has been invaluable.”
Leeds paint maker protects buildings on America National Parks
a natural paints expert and CEO of
Leeds-based linseed paint manufacturer Brouns & Co is collaborating with the National Park Service of America to help ensure the buildings and other structures across its 424 are maintained sustainably.
In the first transatlantic collaboration of its kind, company CEO Michiel Brouns delivered a workshop on the use of linseed paint, which is ideal for maintaining the wooden and metal elements of any building. Attended by materials conservators, historical architects and preservation craftsmen from the National Park Service’s Historical Architecture, Conservation and Engineering Centre, the event took place in Lowell, Massachusetts.
He said: “The National Park Service cares for thousands of important properties within its portfolio, along with gates, fences; wooden, iron or steel bridges, and linseed paint, a centuries-old, natural way to protect timber, metal and plaster from exposure to the elements, will help to preserve them for future generations.”
US demand for the Brouns & Co’s environmentally-sustainable products is growing exponentially, with orders to the States increasing by more than 120% over the past year. A series of landmark restoration projects in the US have recently been completed using the firm’s linseed paint, in New England, Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia.
He added: “It’s vital to spread the word about this sustainable replacement for plastic-based paints. I now visit the US regularly to deliver workshops to key groups such as this one from the National Park Service, they hold the key to us making the switch to all-natural linseed paint, with no plastics or VOCs, on a large scale.”
“The team from the National Park Service were super enthusiastic and, having tried and tested linseed oil paint in Wyoming in the past, we showed them how to use it on timber, steel, copper, brick and a puttied window frame.”
Jack Glassman, historical architect and project specialist at the National Park Service, said: “Michiel’s presentation about the past and present use of linseed oil paints was informative and compelling and we had a hands-on opportunity to apply linseed oil finishes to samples of unfinished and previously painted wood and sheet metal.
“He explained the production process and the environmental benefits and delineated the various architectural applications for linseed oil paints. The long-term performance, spanning centuries in some cases, and many benefits of linseed oil products, was impressive.”
Praise for Sheffield’s West Bar at The Yorkshires
West Bar Sheffield has been recognised by leading professionals in the Yorkshire property sector for exceptional skill involved in its conception, design, and execution.
The major regeneration project received a special award at the prestigious ‘The Yorkshires’ Commercial Real Estate Awards 2023’ as a key ‘disruptor’ in commercial real estate over the last twelve months.
The Yorkshires (formerly The Yorkshire Property Awards) is the most highly regarded property event in the calendar, attended by over 1,000 property professionals. The annual awards at Rudding Park Hotel raises charitable funds to support The Yorkshire Children’s Charity.
Urbo (West Bar) Ltd, a joint venture between Urbo Regeneration and Peveril Securities, was commended alongside Sheffield City Council for completing a ground-breaking deal to secure £150 million funding from Legal & General.
This agreement represents the largest single city centre investment deal that Sheffield has ever seen, and enables delivery of the first phase comprising 100,000 sq ft of Grade A office space offering the largest floorplates in the city and meeting significant ESG commitments. It will also deliver Soho Yard, 368 Build to Rent residential apartments to be owned and managed by L&G, alongside a 450 space multistorey car park within a high-quality public realm.
West Bar as a whole is a £300 million regeneration scheme on a 7-acre brownfield site on the Inner Ring Road between Sheffield’s Kelham Island, Cathedral and Castlegate Quarters in Sheffield city centre. It is to comprise one million sq ft of space including over 565,000 sq ft of office accommodation with amenity, public realm and over 525 apartments. The project expects to create up to 8,000 new jobs when completed.
The Yorkshire Disruptors Award celebrates regionally significant projects that move the market for everyone. West Bar was selected by judges as the crème de la crème of achievements in Yorkshire, making waves with a material effect on the surrounding environment.
Specifically, West Bar was commended for the unwavering commitment of the joint venture team who dedicated a huge amount of time and financial resource in putting the development together, evolving the masterplan and driving the design and assembly of a commercially viable site, despite difficult macroeconomic conditions.
A spokesman for Urbo (West Bar) Ltd said:“To complete this deal with the difficult economic headwinds was especially challenging but perhaps the biggest complexity has been the many years of site assembly work, negotiating with landowners and tenants of 103 separate property titles within the development boundary. We worked hard to secure alternative and improved premises for these occupiers such that zero jobs were lost through the process. This was backed by a full compulsory purchase process including a full CPO Public Inquiry and ultimately secured 100% freehold ownership with vacant possession, paving the way for our deal with Legal & General. This is a rare and excellent example of best practice approach to area-wide urban regeneration.”
Completion of this landmark funding deal and the start of construction on the first phase, with completion expected in 2024, has established West Bar as a regionally important large-scale regeneration project for Sheffield. This was completed against the odds and after many years of careful work at a time of unprecedented economic challenge.
Yorkshire-based confectionery manufacturer continues acquisition drive
Zubrance Ltd, the holding company of the Serious Sweet Confectionery Group, has acquired the entire share capital of John Bull Wholesale Limited and the wholesale/private label business of John Bull (Confectioners) Ltd, based in Bridlington.
The new company will trade under the name of The Real Candy Co Limited. All employees remain employed and have been transferred to the new company.
The Serious Sweet Confectionery Group (SSC) now covers a wide range of Private Label and Branded product capabilities together with a significant confectionery manufacturing footprint.
The Serious Sweet Company based in Harrogate specialises in the manufacture and supply of own-label & white-label premium crafted sugar confectionery to all key UK retailers together with a number of international retailers on several continents, supported by a dedicated innovation team.
The Real Candy Co based in Bridlington, focuses on the manufacture of a wide variety of predominantly own label & white label sugar confectionery to many sales channels in the UK along with a wide variety of trade customers, thanks to its flexible manufacturing footprint
SSC Brands, also based in Harrogate, now comprises a number of fast-growing premium challenger confectionery Brands acquired between 2022 – 2023 with an RSV in excess of £10m including: Mallow & Marsh, Mighty Fine, Mr Stanleys, Real Candy Co, and Ultimate English.
The addition of The Real Candy Co significantly grows SSC’s manufacturing capacity and enrobing capabilities together with the ability to support both new and existing customers with a range of products, formats and solutions.
In today’s market the demand for truly premium, worth-it treats has never been stronger as consumers become ever more discerning with their confectionery choices. It will also allow SSC to develop a more sustainable manufacturing footprint in the years to come.
Rob Whitehead, director of SSC, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the team at John Bull into the Serious Sweets family. Completing this acquisition changes the game for Serious Sweets, significantly enhancing the products and formats we can offer customers, and growing our capacity.
“We have a strong investment programme to build on the great work done by James and Jo-Anne and we’re very excited about what the future holds. Our management team has strengthened significantly including our broader innovation and marketing skills – key to keeping customers happy and meeting their every need.”
James Hodgson, owner of John Bull, said: “We’re very pleased to have passed on our wholesale/private label business to a team who will invest and develop the site here in Bridlington. We will now be focussing on our Retail, Leisure and John Bull-branded confectionery business. The opportunity for both companies to really focus and capitalise on future consumer demand looks strong.”
