An eco-friendly secondary school for 1,280 pupils will be built in Erewash under plans given the go-ahead by the borough council.
The multi-million-pound project – featuring grassy rooftops with solar panels – will see Sandiacre’s outdated Friesland School almost completely demolished along with the former Friesland Leisure Centre, which is on the same site.
A brand new net zero campus will host 31 classrooms and teaching areas, along with a drama studio, library, dining hall, sports hall and fitness suite. A replacement main school block will rise to three storeys.
The project follows the closure of the site’s Friesland Leisure Centre. Only three buildings currently on the campus would remain – the science and technology block, the sixth form block and the performing arts block.
An all-weather pitch and multi-use games area will also be kept, along with three football pitches – but the plans include the installation of amphitheatre-type outdoor seating. This is in addition to a fenced recovery garden for pupils who feel they need a quiet space. There will also be a separate “SEND garden” for those with special educational needs.
Cllr Mark Alfrey, who is Erewash’s lead member for environment, said after the planning committee gave the green light: “I am pleased to see the development of Friesland School’s new campus, a transformative development project designed to support both education and sustainability.
“The new facilities will include environmental adaptations such as grass rooftops, solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations.
“A recovery garden and SEND garden will be included to offer an outdoor calming environment. These types of gardens are designed to stimulate the senses and provide ‘hopeful’ places to rest and process emotions.
“Replacing the main school block, the new development will feature a library, dining hall and fitness suite – providing a tremendous boost for the students of Sandiacre.
“Additionally, the upgraded sport facilities will significantly enhance opportunities for wider community engagement – promoting healthier and more active lifestyles from an early age.
“This exciting project underscores a commitment to fostering an inspiring, sustainable and inclusive learning environment for current and future generations.”
Intelligent Energy (IE), a Loughborough-based hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer, has secured a £17m programme to fast-track development of a new zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell system that could be powering commercial aircraft within the decade.
The award is from the ATI Programme, a partnership between the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), the Department for Business & Trade and Innovate UK. It will support Project HEIGHTS – a three-year drive to develop IE’s current 300kW modular aviation fuel cell platform for use in next-generation aircraft.
Initial applications include Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft and short-range commuter planes. IE’s new fuel cell system – IE-FLIGHT™ 300 – is expected to enter early service in Part 23 aircraft (with up to 19 seats) by the end of the decade, with scale-up plans targeting larger (Part 25) regional aircraft in the 2030s.
The investment comes as aviation faces rising pressure to cut emissions.
A switch to fuel cell systems across eVTOL, sub-regional and regional aircraft, as well as Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) on larger aircraft, could reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 25.6 million tonnes per year. IE estimates the total market value – encompassing both sales and servicing revenue – is £19.6 billion, and scaling up production could create as many as 1,600 new jobs.
David Woolhouse, Intelligent Energy CEO, said: “This programme is about getting hydrogen-powered aircraft in the air, and into service at scale, as quickly as possible.
“We firmly believe that hydrogen will be the primary energy source for flight, initially for smaller aircraft but in the longer term for everything that flies. At Intelligent Energy, we have the IP built on 24 years’ experience to give us confidence that we can be the technical leader in this sector. This project supports us in making our modular system even smaller, lighter and more scalable.”
The project will be supported by the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Coventry University and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).
The funding announcement marks a significant milestone for IE’s aviation division. In February, the company was named as a strategic partner in the Civil Aviation Authority’s Hydrogen Challenge programme.
IE is also expanding its UK operations. In addition to its manufacturing base in Loughborough, the company is enhancing its test and validation capabilities with a new £7.1 million fuel cell test centre opening this summer in Northamptonshire.
As Business Link’s East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025draws closer, marking 10 years of the event, Marketing Derby is encouraging businesses to enter.
John Forkin, managing director at Marketing Derby, said: “This year, in particular, Derby has seen some major regeneration projects come to fruition, including Vaillant Live and Derby Market Hall – and later this year, we will see the opening of the University of Derby’s Cavendish Building, which will be the new home of its Business School.
“There is so much great work going on in the built environment and we would really encourage companies to consider applying to these awards.”
The East Midlands Bricks Awards, which will take place on Thursday 2nd October at Nottingham’s famous Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, celebrates the successes of the property and construction industry in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire.
With nominations for the prestigious event now open, it is the ideal time to make your submissions, ahead of the deadline – Friday 15th August.
Entering a company or project for the awards is a great way to showcase your successes, recognise your team’s efforts, bolster morale, and reach our audience of over 60,000 business readers, while also offering a chance to connect with respected professionals.
It’s completely free to enter and making the top three finalists in your category also wins you free tickets to the awards ceremony and networking event, which will welcome Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council and Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands, as keynote speaker.
To make a nomination for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025, please click here, or on the category headings below.
All finalists will have the chance to take home the Overall Winner award, which this year comes with a grand prize of a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000, with the opportunity to split or gift the marketing to a charity of your choice.
Nominations will close on Friday 15th August.
Supporting imagery, video, documents, or links to these, can be sent to bricks@blmgroup.co.uk. Video nomination pitches are also welcome as an alternative or companion to written entries.
New for this year, all entrants will also have the opportunity to be featured on our dedicated nominee showcase on the East Midlands Business Link website, providing space for marketing your achievements. Upon submitting a nomination, we will get in touch for any information, imagery, and video nominees would like to be featured on their showcase page.
The East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025
What: The East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025
When: Thursday 2nd October (4.30pm – 7.30pm)
Where: Derek Randall Suite,Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, Nottingham
Keynote speaker: Councillor Nadine Peatfield – Leader of Derby City Council, Cabinet Member for City Centre, Regeneration, Strategy and Policy, and Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands
Tickets: Available hereDress code: Standard business attire
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With a limited number of sponsorship opportunities remaining, please contact Angie Cooper at a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk to learn more if you are interested in becoming an East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025 sponsor.
A property consultancy has appointed a senior planning expert to its expanding team following a 13-year career in local government and the public sector.
Andrew Johnson has joined Fisher German from Erewash Borough Council in Derbyshire where he began his planning career in 2012.
He brings his wealth of experience in the planning sector, including managing planning applications and decision-making processes, to the ever-growing planning team in the Ashby office.
However, it is in strategic planning and policy development where Andrew’s expertise will benefit Fisher German’s clients across the UK.
He said: “I’ve always enjoyed the theoretical and long-term side of planning – looking at how places evolve and what we can do today to shape their future.
“Having worked on the forward-thinking side of development management, I’m now keen to support landowners and promoters, and to work closely with Fisher German’s development agency team, to bring together strategy and delivery.”
Partner Angela Brooks, who heads up the strategic planning team at Fisher German, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Andrew to the team.
“His strong foundation in public sector planning and clear enthusiasm for strategic policy will add real value to the work we do across the country.
“Andrew brings the kind of insight and mindset that aligns perfectly with our collaborative approach to planning and development.”
A 1.98-acre Grade II listed conference centre and hotel in Leicester has been brought to market following its recent closure. Known as the College Court Conference Centre and Hotel, the University of Leicester is selling the site, which is available through Savills.
Initially designed in the mid-20th century as student accommodation, the five-building complex was refurbished and expanded in 2014 to provide hotel and conferencing facilities. The property features 123 en-suite bedrooms across three buildings, 16 meeting rooms with capacities of up to 200 people, and a comprehensive suite of hospitality infrastructure, including a dining hall, commercial kitchen, lounge bar, and private dining spaces.
Located in the Knighton suburb, just a few miles from Leicester city centre and transport links, the site also offers 105 parking spaces across tarmac and gravel car parks. With its architectural heritage and flexible layout, the property is being marketed for continued hospitality use or potential redevelopment, subject to planning permission.
EMCOR UK has signed a five-year total facilities management (TFM) contract with Cadent, the UK’s largest gas distribution network, covering 67 sites across the country, including key locations in the East Midlands. The agreement spans 50 staffed sites and involves 190 EMCOR UK employees delivering a broad suite of services, from security and catering to asset maintenance and management.
Awarded after a competitive tender, the contract was secured based on EMCOR UK’s technology-led, data-driven approach and its strong engineering track record. The company’s ability to develop a bespoke strategy tailored to Cadent’s diverse estate was instrumental in the win.
Cadent, which operates over 131,000 kilometres of pipeline and supplies gas to 11 million homes and businesses, including those in the East Midlands, will benefit from an integrated service model aimed at improving operational efficiency, safety, and asset reliability across its network. The deal highlights the increasing emphasis on high-performance estate management across critical infrastructure in the region.
Management consultancy BFY Group has restructured into an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), transferring ownership from its partners to its 45 employees. The Nottingham-based firm, which focuses on transformation and change within the energy and utilities sectors, aims to reinforce its people-first culture and safeguard sustainable growth under the new structure.
The move follows a broader trend among UK consultancies adopting the EOT model, which enables staff to own the business indirectly via a trust. This setup is often used to enhance staff engagement, succession planning, and tax efficiency, while maintaining business continuity and preserving core values.
BFY Group has experienced increasing industry recognition in recent years, including listings in the Financial Times and Consultancy.uk for top-tier consulting services, as well as being featured in the 2024 Sunday Times Fast Track rankings for growth. The transition to employee ownership positions the firm to deepen its client relationships and maintain operational consistency amid sector change.
Growth Capital Partners (GCP) has signed an agreement to invest in Nurtur Group, a provider of lead generation, marketing automation, and data insight software to the estate agency and home mover market.
Under the leadership of CEO Damon Bullimore and alongside majority shareholder, Toscafund, Derby-headquartered Nurtur has grown its SaaS solution, extended its product offering and grown headcount to over 200 people across Derby and Coimbatore, India.
Nurtur has developed commercial relationships with the largest estate agency groups in the UK, helping to generate and convert more leads, increase operational efficiency, and deliver tangible ROI on sales and marketing spend.
Damon Bullimore, CEO, Nurtur, said: “We are delighted to have received investment from GCP. We specifically targeted GCP as a partner due to their specialism in investing in technology businesses, excellent track record of supporting value creation and the supportive partnership style they offer.
“Nurtur is at a critical point of its evolution. Our products deliver efficiency, ROI and insight for clients, enabling them to become data driven and automated. We are extremely excited about our new innovations which are already driving value for clients.
“At the same time, we extend a sincere thank you to Toscafund, for their invaluable support and partnership over the years, they have been an outstanding investor and a significant contributor to our growth journey.
“We believe that GCP is the right investor to support us through this next phase of growth, and we are looking forward to the partnership.”
The partnership between GCP and Nurtur will support the business in building on its market position in the UK by deepening its client relationships and technology partnerships while investing in innovation and new products, including its new conversational AI solution and global referral system.
Matthew Siebert, Toscafund partner and Nurtur NED, said: “Toscafund has been invested in Nurtur and its predecessor since 2015 and has been delighted to help underpin the growth of this exciting software business over the last 9 years. We are equally as pleased to continue to support the next phase of growth backed by GCP.
“Damon and the whole team have built a unique suite of products and services that are resonating with clients from SoHos to enterprise customers. As the business enters its next phase of growth, by adding a new specialist investor such as GCP will ensure a strong footing for Nurtur to move forward with confidence.”
Alex Thomson, partner, GCP, said: “We have been following Nurtur for several years as the business has invested in its product suite, delivered value for clients and grown the team.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Damon and the Nurtur team at such an exciting point in the company’s journey. They have built an industry-leading platform serving a clearly defined market with deeply embedded technology and an impressive track record of growth. We look forward to supporting the team as they scale the business through the next stage of its evolution.”
Professional services group Gateley has made 15 promotions across its legal and consultancy businesses in its Nottingham office.
Headlining the promotions is corporate lawyer Will Bowler, who has been made partner.
He is joined by real estate lawyer Alex Smith who becomes legal director, banking lawyer Megan Kirby who is promoted to senior associate, and corporate lawyers Rosie Butler and Sophie Holdsworth, as well as commercial dispute resolution lawyer Katie Shaw, all of whom are promoted to associate.
In addition, there have also been a raft of promotions across Gateley’s consultancy businesses. Within Adamson Jones, Gateley’s dedicated patent and trade mark practice, Chris MacDonald and Natasha Walker have been promoted to legal director, focusing on patents and trade marks respectively, as well as Cory Stobart who becomes senior associate.
There have also been five promotions for Gateley Smithers Purslow, the multi-disciplinary surveying, engineering and architecture consultancy arm of Gateley, including Jonathan Marshall and Kartar Soar being promoted to regional manager, Andrew Maude to head of expert witness, Fraser Galloway to technical standards manager and Zoe Hiller to senior building surveyor.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Aldridge has been promoted to senior quantity surveyor at Gateley RJA, the chartered quantity surveying consultancy.
Andrew Macmillan, partner and office head in Nottingham, said: “We are extremely proud to be able to celebrate 15 well-deserved promotions today across our team, which is testament to the exceptional results that have been achieved as we continue to exceed our clients’ expectations.
“To have promotions across so many different sectors, and within our consultancy businesses, highlights not only the breadth of services we can offer to clients from this office, but also the expertise and depth of talent we have within the team. We look forward to supporting them as their careers continue to progress and congratulate them all once again on their achievements.”
Elsewhere in the East Midlands there were also promotions at two of Gateley’s consultancy businesses with Anna Polton made senior quantity surveyor at Gateley RJA in Kibworth and Gateley Smithers Purslow’s Lincoln-based Jake Soden promoted to regional manager.
Founding partner of multi-disciplinary company Focus Consultants, Kevin Osbon and his wife Victoria Osbon have undertaken a mammoth effort for charity, raising more than £6,000 for Alzheimer’s Society after losing three people close to their hearts.
Kevin, 60, supported by Victoria, also 60, successfully completed his challenge of walking over 900 km of the Camino Way Frances from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago in Spain. In total, Kevin walked 909 km or 565 miles in 35 days of trekking – the equivalent of 1,227,080 steps.
His endeavour, supported by Victoria for two thirds of the Camino Way Frances, has raised thousands for Alzheimer’s Society in memory of his Aunty Carmel Taylor, his good friend and Nottingham Casuals RUFC legend Derek Hunter, and his next-door neighbour of many years and adopted grandmother to his children, Margaret Pulham.
All three passed away recently due to complications associated with Alzheimer’s or Vascular Dementia within a three-month period which inspired Kevin and Victoria to take on the challenge.
It was particularly tough for Kevin, from Fiskerton, who has had six knee operations, including major rebuilds of both sides following sporting injuries.
Both Kevin and Vicky’s feet, knees and hips all took a real hammering from having to trek 25 km to 30 km a day in weather ranging from heavy snow over the Pyrenees to thirty degree roasting heat in the Meseta plains.
Kevin, who lost 10 kilos after burning 5,000 calories a day, said: “It was an amazing and memorable challenge and we’ve had the most incredible, emotional experience.
“We met some wonderful people, encountered huge generosity and support, and walked through fantastic areas, including mountains, grasslands, villages, towns and other communities.
“We’re so grateful to everyone who donated to our fundraising effort, which will help with research into the devastating condition of dementia.”
One of the main sponsors of the effort was Focus Consultants, the multi-disciplinary consultancy company founded more than 30 years ago by Kevin, which is based in Nottingham and has offices in Leicester and London.
As an experienced walker, Kevin was nicknamed ‘Saint John’ for his first aid and rescue of several pilgrims – providing everything from blister plasters, bio-freeze for sore feet and ibuprofen gel for sore legs, knees, hips and backs.
On one memorable occasion he coerced a Spanish local to drive into the mountains to rescue an Australian police officer who had a six-inch infected blister and ended up in hospital for three days before she was allowed to continue the trek.
Kevin has many highlights from walking the Camino Way Frances including climbing 1,200 metres up and out of Frances over the Pyrenees mountains into Spain in rain, sleet, snow with huge painful hailstones whacking down; the amazing sight of hundreds of miles of grassland and wild flowers on the Meseta Plains in all directions like a ‘sea of green’ as far as the eye could see; experiencing a 16-hour electrical and communications blackout in Viana; amazing heritage and architecture including cathedrals, monasteries, churches, public and historic buildings and impressive sculptures and landmarks along the Way; and meeting fellow pilgrims walking the Way, and hearing stories from all over the world about their journey and reasons for taking on the huge challenge.
Coincidently he also met three men – Bob, Steve and Tim – from his neighbouring home village of Averham, Nottinghamshire who were also walking the Way.
The Camino Way Frances is an ancient pilgrimage route and reckoned to be the most famous of the Camino de Santiago routes.
If you would like to contribute to the fundraiser, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/kevin-osbon-6 to make a donation.
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With a limited number of sponsorship opportunities remaining, please contact Angie Cooper at a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk to learn more if you are interested in becoming an East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025 sponsor. 
