Rutland businesses are set to unlock new growth and innovation opportunities, thanks to a partnership with regional universities.
Rutland County Council has launched the new Rutland Innovative Businesses Support (RIBS) project, spearheaded by Loughborough University (LU) on behalf of the Civic Universities Partnership with De Montfort University (DMU) and University of Leicester (UoL). This project is set to bolster the growth of Rutland’s businesses.
The RIBS project leverages the collective strengths of the three universities to offer Rutland-based entrepreneurs and businesses unprecedented access to expertise, innovation support, specialist equipment, and facilities.
With a proven track record of regional, national, and international business support, the universities will assist businesses in scaling through innovation and create collaborative partnerships that benefit the local economy.
Council launches new business innovation initiative with universities
271-bed student scheme completes in Nottingham city centre
Unite Students has completed a property in Nottingham city centre geared towards returning 2nd and 3rd year students, as well as postgraduates.
The £34 million development, Bromley Place, on Lower Parliament Street, provides 271 beds and incorporates an existing late-Victorian, three-storey building, preserving the historic features from the original site. The building, a former Argos store, was repaired and repurposed as part of the project, which includes a roof terrace and gym.
Bromley Place has the lowest embodied carbon of any development in the company’s current and recent pipeline. A low-carbon cement substitute – containing a fine powder left over from making iron and steel (ground granulated blast furnace slag) – was used in the build.
Low energy LED lighting and high efficiency heating and cooling systems have also been installed, further improving the environmental performance of Bromley Place. The new property fully adheres to Unite Students’ sustainable construction framework, which aims to achieve net-zero carbon in construction and operation.
This property adds to Unite Students’ Nottingham presence, which includes 705-bed Morriss House, which opened for the start of the 2023/24 academic year.
Tom Brewerton, Group Development Director at Unite Students, said: “We’re delighted to have completed Bromley Place for the 2024/25 academic year. This is a unique property, right in the heart of Nottingham city centre, that has been built especially for returning students and postgraduates, but is suitable for all with its impressive facilities.
“We’re very proud that Bromley Place was built within a 12-month period. It incorporates a late Victorian building and has the lowest embodied carbon of all our new-build properties to date. Along with 705-bed Morriss House, which we opened last year, we are proud of our offerings for Nottingham students.”
Nottingham legal tech company appoints head of operations & team performance
Nottingham-based legal tech company, ReviewSolicitors, has appointed Jack Hickey as head of operations & team performance.
The fast-growing firm, based at Aspect Business Park, currently partners with over 4,000 solicitors, helping them gather and showcase client reviews, ensure transparency and improve service for legal professionals across the UK.
Jack’s appointment marks a significant step in ReviewSolicitors’ ambitious expansion plans, which aims to double its workforce (currently just over 40) over the next two years.
CEO Michael Hanney said: “We are delighted to welcome Jack on board to the leadership team. He brings fresh ideas and experience in the business world to help us on the next stage of our journey.”
Hickey joins the team after three and a half years in national business news and media, where he played a key role in shaping industry discussions and building visibility for both his publications and his clients.
Prior to his media career, Jack was deeply involved in politics, having run for Parliament in Leicester West under Prime Minister Theresa May’s leadership.
Commenting on his new role, Jack said: “Once Michael, Paul, and I spoke, I knew this was an exciting opportunity for the next chapter in my career. The company’s service offerings, coupled with the new SRA guidance, mean they are a crucial partner for solicitors in the UK and I look forward to helping them drive the business forwards.”
Global Academy launches new fire safety qualifications with focus on practical skills
Global Academy, the training division of Global HSE Group, has launched three new fire safety qualifications designed to equip professionals with the practical skills and knowledge needed to ensure fire safety compliance.
Complementing its existing Fire Door Inspection course, each course has 3 days of practical experience and upon completion receive an industry recognised qualification.
The new courses, accredited by the Awarding Body of the Built Environment (ABBE) are nationally recognised and demonstrate Global’s drive for excellence and elevating professional knowledge in the fire safety sector. They include:
- Understanding and Installing Passive Fire Protection
- Understanding, Maintaining and Repairing Fire Doors
- Understanding and Installing Fire Doors
Farmers tell the Chancellor what they need from her first budget
Previous Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered the last Budget in spring, which saw some welcome assurances on agricultural property relief and devolved funding for rural areas, but also faced criticism from the NFU on the removal of tax reliefs for Furnished Holiday Lettings.
New chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver the budget on 30 October after which MPs will spend several days debating the plans before being asked to approve the proposals.
In his letter to the Chancellor NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “It has been reassuring to hear the new government recognise that food security is national security.”
The NFU President said he was heartened to hear the Prime Minister’s words when he delivered a keynote speech at the NFU’s Conference last year, saying that a Labour government would seek a new relationship with the countryside and farming communities on this basis.
“What farmers, growers and the public now need to see are practical policies that deliver on this shared mission,” Tom added.
Local partners celebrate as new homes complete in Holmewood
Representatives from emh group, North East Derbyshire District Council, Homes England and Tanbry Construction recently met to celebrate the opening of Ellen Gardens in Holmewood, North East Derbyshire.
Ellen Gardens is an affordable housing development, providing a mix of shared ownership homes and supported living accommodation. The homes are built on land which formerly housed a disused care provider’s office, which was demolished to make way for the residential development.
Ellen Gardens was designed to maximise the potential of the site while also addressing local housing needs and integrating support services for the community. The site is now home to 7, 2 and 3-bedroomed houses, and a block of 11 supported living apartments and a dedicated care office known as ‘Ellen House’.
Ellen Gardens was delivered by emh through its Strategic Partnership Programme with Homes England, and in partnership with North East Derbyshire District Council who made a financial contribution to the scheme, and development partners Tanbry Construction.
Chan Kataria, Group Chief Executive at emh, said: “It has been fantastic to come together with our partners to celebrate the completion of this wonderful new scheme, which provides much-needed homes to the local community. Thank you to North East Derbyshire District Council for their support on this scheme.
“We are proud of our strong partnerships that enable us to deliver these high-quality new homes to meet the needs of local people. We look forward to welcoming new residents to their homes over the coming weeks.”
Cllr Nigel Barker, Leader of North East Derbyshire District Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see these houses completed, providing high quality, affordable accommodation for our local residents.
“We made a commitment to provide more affordable homes in the district and I am delighted to see this development completed through the fantastic work of our partnership with emh, Homes England and Tanbry Construction.”
Derby law firm establishes new joint venture
A Derby law firm has joined forces with two North East businesses to create a new ‘super estate agency’, to handle every aspect of a home move, plus legal and ancillary services.
Sort Legal, whose head office is in Derby and has a hub in Cardiff, has teamed up with South Shields-based mortgage brokers Hello Mortgage and estate agents, Estatio.
This joint venture will see the launch of a series of main branches and smaller hubs to provide a ‘triple-threat’ of estate agency, mortgage and protection advice, and legal services, from various regional locations and bring employment and apprenticeship opportunities to the local area.
The first new branches have opened in South Shields and Teesside.
Keith Ahmed, Group Managing Director, said: “We are excited to be joining forces with Hello Mortgage and Estatio to create what we believe has the potential to become a powerhouse of the conveyancing sector.
“Offering all three services under one roof offers numerous benefits to our clients – as well as the convenience, offering complementary services can reduce the complexity of buying a property, obtaining a mortgage and handling all legal matters.
“Integrating our services in this way will also lead to improved communication and co-ordination amongst the different departments, reducing delays and speeding up the whole conveyancing process as well as enhancing levels of customer satisfaction.
“We are initially rolling out our new combined branch and hub in the North East, but have plans to expand to other areas in the North in the coming months.”
Local IT company supports charity’s ambitious fundraising target in ‘Row the Atlantic’ event
Independent IT consultancy, 3RS IT Solutions, is helping to put the fun back into fundraising by sponsoring a ‘Row the Atlantic’ event which will see teams of rowers travel the equivalent of 5,836 kilometres over six weeks.
Organised by the Teamwork Trust, a charity which is dedicated to supporting people who are living with learning disabilities, autism and mild mental health issues, three events are scheduled to take place from Monday 14th October-Friday 6th December, covering the Trust’s centres in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough.
As the official sponsor for the Wellingborough event, 3RS IT Solutions has also made a £500 donation towards the Trust’s ambitious fundraising target of £20,000.
“The Teamwork Trust does a huge amount to support people with additional needs in Northamptonshire,” says Leila Souch, director, 3RS IT Solutions.
“Our son Reuben is living with autism and is the inspiration behind the fundraising that we do. So, it’s a real honour to be supporting the Trust who do so much to support people living with autism.”
All funds raised during the event will be used to help empower Teamwork Trust’s service users to set up and run new social enterprises, all of which will be chosen and championed by them.
“Everything we do at Teamwork supports adults with autism, learning disabilities or mental health challenges and the Row the Atlantic event is our most ambitious fundraiser yet,” said Judy Caine, fundraising & volunteering executive at Teamwork Trust.
“Service users, staff, volunteers, and supporters at our centres in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough will take part in the rowing.
“We’re delighted to have 3RS IT Solutions as our Wellingborough sponsor and their donation of £500 is very generous. To help reach our target distance, we welcome fellow businesses and those in the community to show their support by registering to row. Together we can really make a difference.”
A celebratory event for all supporters will be held at the close of the event, with prizes given for teams who row the furthest.
If you are interested in rowing for Teamwork Trust, visit www.teamworktrust.co.uk
Professional services group welcomes 11 new hires in Nottingham
Professional services group Gateley has made 11 hires across its legal and consultancy businesses in Nottingham.
The appointments include newly qualified lawyers Alice Martin who has joined the construction team and Jessica Snape who will be based in the corporate team.
They are accompanied by legal trainees Beth Eady, Megan Holland and Symra Khan along with Charlize-Li Clarke who is joining as a graduate solicitor apprentice – the first for the Nottingham office. Over the next two years, they will rotate through four six-month seats across a number of specialist practice areas.
These latest hires are part of 22 newly qualified solicitor and 27 legal trainee appointments recently made by Gateley Legal across its UK offices.
In addition Adamson Jones, Gateley’s dedicated patent and trade mark practice, has recruited Michael Constant as a trainee trademark attorney and William Handley as a trainee patent attorney while Gateley Smithers Purslow (GSP), the multi-disciplinary surveying, engineering and architecture consultancy arm of Gateley, has appointed Georgia Buttress as a graduate building surveyor, Louis Brown as a graduate engineer and building surveying apprentice Chloe Smith.
Gateley Nottingham now has a 149 strong team after Gateley RJA, the chartered quantity surveying consultancy, relocated its West Bridgford-based team to Park View House in September this year.
Andrew Macmillan, partner and head of the Nottingham office, said: “I am excited to welcome these latest arrivals to our growing Nottingham office. They are a testament to our stellar training and development programme and demonstrates our continued investment in Nottingham and ambitious plans to grow all areas of the business.”
Engineering company raises £18,500 for hospice in memory of much-loved colleague
An engineering company which tragically lost one of their colleagues to cancer has raised £18,500 in his memory for Cynthia Spencer Hospice.
T&W Civil Engineering in Northampton dedicated their 2024 annual golf day to their friend Jamie Collins, who spent his final days at the hospice last year.
Jamie worked at T&W Civil Engineering for 14 years and was very highly regarded amongst his peers, who dug deep to collect cash in his name.
A total of 80 golfers took part in the event at Collingtree Golf Club, which included the golf contest, hole sponsorship, a raffle, a small auction, a DJ and a bottle bonanza on the putting green.
Adam Burchnall, finance director, said: “Having lost Jamie, this charity is close to our heart and the fundraiser acted as a small thank you for the support that Jamie received.
“Hopefully he’d be pleased. He was a very quiet man, but he was instrumental in developing our young engineers, who are now fully fledged, and he’s left his legacy in the business through that. Raising this money is our tribute to him. Jamie worked for us for a long time and people here were very close to him.
“Needing the services of Cynthia Spencer Hospice is everybody’s worst nightmare and although there’s nothing you can do to change that situation, the money we donate allows families to spend their final days focusing on their time together. We are proud that the money that has been raised will now help other people in a similar situation to Jamie.”
When he fell ill, Jamie’s role was adapted so he was able to work in the office rather than on site. His father attended the meal after the golf competition and was touched by everyone’s efforts.
Not only did both staff and customers take part and donate, but three businesses that T&W Civil Engineering work with also gave generous £1,000 sums to add to the pot.
Adam added: “This is the most money we’ve ever raised on a golf day. It’s not been a buoyant construction market or a time of prosperity so the fact that people were so generous on the day was hugely appreciated.
“We couldn’t believe how much money had been raised but when you realise that they need to raise £2 million a year they need a lot of days like ours to make that target.”
Corporate Partnerships Fundraiser Lead at Cynthia Spencer Hospice Nina Gandy said: “T&W Civil Engineering have raised an incredible £18,500 following their recent golf day in memory of their colleague Jamie who was cared for by us during 2023.
“They had such fantastic day and a great range of prizes for their raffle too. Businesses who attended were exceptionally supportive enabling them to raise such a fantastic amount of money and we are very grateful to everyone involved.
“You too could help us to reach our fundraising target. Our Make A Difference, Your Way campaign allows the whole community to support us in whatever way best resonates with them. Every small act of kindness has a big impact.”
