Lincolnshire foundry expands with £250,000 funding package
Grimsby-based specialist engineering company, Fowler & Holden, is set to expand its manufacturing facilities and invest in new machinery following a £250,000 funding package from HSBC UK.
The support from HSBC will allow Fowler & Holden to significantly expand its facilities through the addition of new and repurposed factory space, with the additional space being used to house a new second moulding line and a new plant room – in turn, increasing the privately-owned company’s production capacity by up to 80 per cent and creating up to 14 new jobs.
In addition, the funding from HSBC UK will enable investment in new equipment, which includes a sand recycling machine that will allow the business to re-use 95 per cent of the sand from its casting process, substantially reducing wastage. As a result, there will be a reduced need for sand quarrying, and fewer HGVs will be required for transportation, significantly reducing traffic and CO2 emissions in Grimsby town centre.
Tim Brooksbank, director of Fowler & Holden, said: “The support from HSBC UK has been invaluable in allowing us to fulfil the requirements to secure our domestic supply chain through the expansion of our facilities and investment into a second moulding line.
“Increased government investment into infrastructure coupled with rising international delivery costs has meant that there is more demand for our products and this funding from HSBC will allow us to grow our business domestically and create new jobs to benefit the local economy.
“We’re also extremely proud to be reducing our environmental impact as a result of the support, proving that foundries and manufacturing facilities can also contribute to sustainability.”
Theodora Akuffo, business banking relationship manager at HSBC UK, added: “Fowler & Holden has demonstrated a clear commitment to manufacturing quality products in a more sustainable manner whilst growing its business in a way that benefits the local community, and we look forward to contributing to its future success.”
Carter Towler to assist with Yorkshire Cancer Research’s ambitious expansion
Carter Towler has been appointed by Yorkshire Cancer Research to help the charity fund vital research in Yorkshire through further expansion of its network of shops.
Yorkshire Cancer Research recently started to expand its shop network, and this is already raising hundreds of thousands of pounds to help fund life-saving research in Yorkshire.
The chartered surveyors have been tasked by the charity to find five suitable retail units per year for the next three years.
Commenting on the new instruction, Carter Towler’s Max Vause said: “We first got involved with Yorkshire Cancer Research a couple of months ago when they decided to take over the tenancy of a property we were marketing at The Arcade in Ripon. They explained they were trying to find more similar retail units and asked us to help.
“We are delighted to be working for them; they are the biggest independent regional cancer research charity and have funded hundreds of millions of pounds of research since they were founded in 1925. Our property searches will aim to identify retail premises across Yorkshire. We’re looking for properties that offer high footfall, where there will be high quality stock donations and access to plenty of volunteer staff.”
Tony Graham, head of retail at Harrogate-based Yorkshire Cancer Research, added: “Our shops play a vital role in our fundraising and we are extremely fortunate to have built up a very loyal customer and volunteer base. By having Carter Towler working with us we will be able to scale-up our retail operations quickly and efficiently. By 2025 we are aiming to have 20 outlets.”
Yorkshire Cancer Research is a registered charity that funds pioneering research to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in Yorkshire. The charity aims to save 2,000 lives from cancer every year in Yorkshire and is committed to funding £10m of research each year to achieve this. The charity funds experts who pioneer early cancer diagnosis and discover new and better treatments for people with cancer.
Firms create JV and pledge investment in hydrogen road fuel
Sheffield-based clean energy company ITM Power and Vitol are to invest up to £30m each in development of hydrogen as road fuel by creating a network of hydrogen refuelling stations in the UK.
Under the agreement both firms will hold 50% of Motive in a JV agreement. Motive owns all UK public hydrogen refuelling stations constructed by ITM Power. It was set up as a Group division in 2020 and became a separate legal entity in May 2021. On completion it will operate as a distinct entity with its own board, which will comprise three directors from ITM Power and three from Vitol.
Both ITM Power and Vitol believe that the market for Hydrogen in Transport is on the cusp of rapid expansion, supported by government incentives to accelerate transportation decarbonisation. This new partnership will help facilitate rapid scaling up of production, distribution and demand stimulation for Hydrogen to transportation.
Vitol is aligned with Motive’s strategy to target building large refuelling stations for heavy duty vehicles, such as trucks and buses. Over the past 18 months, Motive has been working to develop deep relationships with a small number of blue-chip heavy goods users in the UK and aims to develop standard 4MW sites around the UK.
As part of the transaction, Motive has entered into a framework agreement with ITM Power, under which Motive appoints ITM Power as its preferred supplier for up to 240 MW of electrolysis equipment to support Motive with the development and roll-out of new green hydrogen refuelling stations. Motive has also appointed Vitol as its preferred supplier for up to 240 MW of electricity demand, which will provide green power to the network of new refuelling stations.
Graham Cooley, CEO, ITM Power PLC and a Director of ITM Motive said: “The establishment of a joint venture between ITM Power and Vitol brings another valuable strategic partner to the Group. Vitol’s scale and market reach, combined with our expertise, will provide Motive with a pathway to become a much larger and more valuable business with multiple options in due course for realising value for our shareholders.”
Chris Bake, head of origination, Vitol, added: “Vitol aims to be at the heart of the energy transition. Hydrogen has a key role to play in decarbonising transport and ITM Power’s leading proprietary Gigastack electrolysers can produce green hydrogen at scale and cost efficiently. Our partnership will enable us to build Motive into a gas-for-transport company for the future, complementing our other sustainable transport initiatives, from LNG/biogas network Liquind, through to fleet EV solutions.”
New floating ecosystems project for Lincoln City
As custodian of the Lincoln Brayford, City of Lincoln Council is supporting the area’s latest floating ecosystems project.
Studies have shown over the years the three islands at Lincoln Brayford have provided a valuable refuge habitat for a wide diversity of species from otters and swans to ducks, fish and pollinators.
The project has been jointly funded by the Environment Agency, Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and City of Lincoln Council and project teams from the Lincolnshire Rivers Trust, along with local volunteers, have already begun planting up and extending existing biohavens and launching new ones on the Brayford.
Cllr Bob Bushell, Portfolio Holder for Remarkable Place and Addressing the Challenge of Climate Change at City of Lincoln Council said: “We recognise the importance of the Brayford for wildlife within the urban context of the city.
“We are committed as a partner of the Brayford Trust and custodian of the area to enhance our natural environment and do all we can to improve and develop this wonderful space in the city.
“I look forward to seeing this area continue to thrive for the wide variety of species which call the Brayford home.”
Gail Talton, Senior Project Officer at the Lincolnshire Rivers Trust added: “We are delighted to be delivering the second phase of our Brayford Pool Project and increasing the existing habitat for wildlife and for the people of Lincoln to enjoy.
“It is even better that we can engage the local community this time and we are looking forward to the possibility of phase 3 in the future, so watch this space!”
David Rossington, Secretary of the Brayford Trust said: “The Brayford Trust is pleased to be working with the Lincolnshire Rivers Trust, the University of Lincoln and other partners to provide floating biohavens along parts of the north wall and the east wall of the Pool.
“The work is part of a pilot programme to maintain high environmental standards across the Brayford and if successful will be extended further.
“The Brayford Trust is always pleased to receive ideas from the public on further ways in which the Pool can be maintained and improved for the benefit of all.”
Cllr Ric Metcalfe, Chair of the Brayford Trust added: “This is a great initiative, as custodian of the Brayford Pool, the Trust is delighted with this work to protect and enhance the pool’s ecosystem.”
Hot Topic – Greater Lincolnshire LEP responds to Chancellors spring statement
Pat Doody, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, talks to Business Link on the Spring Statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak:
“The Chancellor quite rightly focussed on the war in Ukraine, and the impact that may continue to have on global economies. He took some welcome steps to sustain confidence in the economy, but he did not go far enough to impact the current challenges facing businesses, especially SMEs in places such as Lincolnshire.
“Our businesses tell us that they are facing several compounded financial pressures with growing inflation, energy costs, supply chain challenges and an increasing cost of living.
“There was also little direct reference to investment in a low-carbon economy, and how we get nuclear, hydrogen and onshore wind investment working for us.
“However, his proposed tax plan to incentivise business investment from next year is good news, and we look forward to seeing the detail on transforming productivity with measures such as capital allowances, R&D reforms and a revised apprenticeship levy on the agenda.”
Are cyber risks increasing? Take these precautions, advises online payments specialist
Increasing levels of sanctions on Russia are leading to an increased threat of cyber attack, warns online payment specialist Takepayments Ltd.
Amongst firms surveyed by the company fears are greatest amongst businesses in engineering, manufacturing, and the law, which has prompted the company to ask James Bore, Director of Bores Security Group, to provide tips in staying safe online.
1. Backup. Back up everything in at least some form separately from your business devices, and test the backups. Nowadays, if you’re using good cloud storage services, they can provide a high level of availability, screening for any known malware, and online storage that business owners can access from anywhere they need for a low cost rather than having to invest in expensive backup hardware. Given the cost of good cloud storage these days, business owners can either identify the most important things to backup or in most cases just ensure absolutely everything data-related is replicated online.
2. Be aware of malware. Malware is any malicious software. There are various different kinds, including viruses, and just like human viruses, no protection will be perfect. Protecting your business from malware is about hygiene – business owners should make sure that their antivirus or antimalware software is installed and turned on (there are good, free options as well as commercial ones, but do your research), make sure staff are not downloading and installing anything dodgy, do regular patching or turn on automatic updates, set up firewalls on machines, and try to avoid using USB sticks or memory cards – with cloud storage these should be largely unnecessary anyway.
3. The hygiene extends to phones and tablets as well. Turning on password protection, using some of the tools business owners are most likely already paying for to make sure devices that go missing can be found, or wiped, keeping everything up to date, and if they use public wifi assume everything they’re doing is visible to someone so don’t do anything sensitive.
4. A few words about passwords. If business owners have the option, secure passphrases (a collection of random words strung together or written in a sentence) are much more secure and easier to remember than a scrabble of letters and symbols. Business owners should also, for anything sensitive, use two-factor authentication – Google and Microsoft provide their own free Authenticator apps, and another good one is Authy – with an app installed on their phone or tablet.
5. Don’t get hooked. The vast majority of attacks happen because of malicious emails, commonly known as phishing emails. There are lots of lists of tips about how to avoid them, many of which are highly technical, but as a very basic piece of advice I usually say that if any message (email or voice) is asking a business owner to do anything out of the ordinary, or causing any sort of emotional response (excitement, fear, etc) then take a few seconds to verify it. To do this do not use any of the contact details provided in the e-mail, instead use a phone number they know to be right, a live chat page on a website, or any other method they know to be safe to confirm that the e-mail is genuine.
Sandra Rowley at Takepayments Ltd said: “Cyber security should ultimately be taken as seriously to a business owner as taking out business and liability insurance. More than one in five small business owners created a website for their business during the pandemic according to our recent report, and cyber security should come as a top priority for any business looking to move online. Unfortunately, as further sanctions are implemented towards Russia, the threat of cyber security attack’s could increase so now is more important than ever for businesses to implement as many cyber security measures as they can to ensure their business is protected as much as possible.”
Council signs new agreement with Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park
Sheffield City Council has signed a new agreement with Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, supporting ambitions for the flagship site to 2025.
The former Don Valley Stadium site has been transformed in recent years, putting Sheffield firmly on the map as the home of applied innovation and cutting-edge research.
There has also been a wealth of investment at the site, focusing on creating a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and developing a national centre of excellence for health and wellbeing research.
Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is one of the most exciting regeneration projects in South Yorkshire, promoting an integrated approach to health, wellbeing, and sport in Sheffield, as well as nationally and internationally, through education, research, community participation and professional sports.
Cllr Mazher Iqbal, Executive Member for City Futures: Development, Culture and Regeneration, said: “We’ve seen Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park go from strength to strength in the past few years and it has established Sheffield as a major player in the world of health and physical activity.
“There has been a real community effort in pooling all of the knowledge and talent we have across the city to create a centre that will benefit not only our residents but people across the world.
“It is fantastic to see pioneering work being done right here in our city. We plan for Sheffield to lead the way nationally, inspiring others and transforming lives in the future.
“We have already seen the boost the Park has provided to our local economy and by extending our agreement we are paving the way for more jobs and opportunities for our city.
“We will continue to provide our support, and I look forward to seeing the next stage of exciting developments.”
Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park forms an important part of the pioneering Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMID), which will drive new innovation-focussed training and business activity – connecting local people to emerging opportunities, creating new jobs, and new wealth for the region.
The ground-breaking work being done at the Park to understand and improve people’s health will have a direct impact on enhancing quality of life.
Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is already home to the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, iceSheffield, an Oasis Academy, a University Technical College and Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre.
In the coming weeks, the Community Stadium will be completed alongside the 3G pitch, and the Community Arena will start construction, adding further world-class sport and activity facilities to the Park.
£9m funding has recently been confirmed from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund to develop a new National Centre for Child Health Technology, which will focus on technology to provide the world’s most advanced healthcare for children and young people.
Scarborough Group International, the development partner for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, is about to submit a forward investment masterplan for the next phase of development which is expected to generate over 5,600 high value jobs and includes the creation of an Innovation Centre to support fledgling businesses in the health, wellbeing, sport, and activity sectors.
Construction begins on landmark park for Sheffield city centre
Construction of Pound’s Park, the landmark new public space in Sheffield city centre, is set to get underway this month.
Local firm Henry Boot Construction have been appointed to undertake the work, which is expected to take approximately 9 months to complete.
Named after Sheffield’s first chief fire officer, Superintendent John Charles Pound, the park will be located on the former fire station site between Rockingham Street, Wellington Street and Carver Street. The car park that was located on the site is now permanently closed to enable the works.
Pound’s Park is the latest phase of the Council’s Heart of the City scheme, which is transforming Sheffield city centre.
The park will bring Sheffield’s Outdoor City ethos right into the heart of the centre, providing an expansive, accessible green space for everyone. As well as creating a dedicated space for walking, cycling, active play and relaxation, it will also provide another quality spot for outdoor events.
Cllr Mazher Iqbal, Executive Member for City Futures: Development, Culture and Regeneration, at Sheffield City Council, said: “We’re delighted to see Pound’s Park getting underway. It’s beautifully designed and provides another world-class public space to further complement the Peace Gardens, Charter Square and improvements taking place in Castlegate to introduce new vibrancy and greenery to that historic area.
“Pound’s Park will provide a new focal point for families and will help improve both the physical and mental wellbeing of city centre visitors, workers and residents. By prioritising walking and cycling, the park also demonstrates the Council’s commitment to encouraging active lifestyles and sustainable travel.”
Tony Shaw, Managing Director for Henry Boot Construction, said: “We are delighted to be appointed on Pound’s Park and add it to our growing portfolio within the city. Working on a game-changing green space in The Outdoor City feels particularly special to us.
“The concept of city centres, and how we use them today, continues to change rapidly. With more people choosing to live and work in the city centre, we understand the pivotal role that public spaces and green landscaping play in enhancing wellbeing and sustainability.”
Work on Dewsbury Riverside development set to begin in April 2022
Improvements to the Dewsbury Riverside area are set to begin in April 2022. This marks the first phase of development for a substantial new housing allocation.
The site was marked for development as part of the Kirklees Local Plan in 2019. It will deliver up to 4,000 new homes over the next decade. As the aim is to create not just new homes but new communities. The project will also deliver infrastructure including schools, open spaces, and local facilities.
The Dewsbury Riverside site is currently home to 25 allotments which are in use by the public. This first stage of work will focus on replacing these plots and adding more, resulting in a total of 43 plots in a new location. This part of the project received planning permission in June 2021. Kirklees Council have contracted local construction firm Casey Ltd. to complete the bulk of work during this stage.
There will be a new vehicle entrance created on Ravensthorpe Road, along with a new car park and drainage improvements. Perimeter fencing, gates, kerbs and edging will also be installed. A site-wide water supply will also be installed – this will service the newly placed allotments. The council will also be helping existing allotment holders move to the new site.
Throughout this work, there will be management of dirt and dust around the site and adjacent roads, to minimise any negative impact on local communities.
Once started, these initial works should take around 20 weeks to complete. The full Dewsbury Riverside project will take shape alongside the Dewsbury Blueprint over the next ten years.
David Shepherd, Strategic Director for Growth and Regeneration at Kirklees Council, said: “This work marks the start of yet another great project set to regenerate Dewsbury and its surrounding areas. Ambitious schemes like this are all about realising Dewsbury’s potential and are part of our commitment to making the area a great place to live, work and visit.
“Once completed, this project will have delivered thousands of new homes in an area with great transport links, at the heart of our North Kirklees Growth Zone – a long-term regeneration programme that will build on these links and develop Dewsbury as a strategic employment location within the Leeds City Region.
“Not only will this development help meet the growing need for housing – an issue faced not just in Kirklees but nationwide – it will also introduce a wealth of new green space to the area and give local residents an environment they can really enjoy.”
Business Information Officers to continue supporting Sheffield for another year
Information Officers who provided much-needed support to businesses across Sheffield during the pandemic are set to continue their work for another year.
The officers are highly experienced business people with expertise in finance, hospitality, retail and more.
Since their introduction in 2020, they have offered advice and guidance to local businesses to help them recover from Covid as well as look towards the future and growing their businesses.
And their work isn’t over as Sheffield City Council has committed to funding their posts through the Economic Recovery Fund for another year, until March 2023.
