UK Asbestos Training Association plans training day with a difference
The UK Asbestos Training Association is to run an interactive training event inside a courtroom in Nottingham in October.
In collaboration with PCR Global Limited, Sewell Law and Ropewalk Chambers, UKATA is staging a full-day interactive and informative event featuring industry updates and a live mock trial.
Kicking off the day, former HSE inspector Emma Wilkinson of PCR Global Limited will present a discussion on what to do “when an inspector calls”.
This will be followed by an update on recent asbestos cases and a discussion on where we are now with mesothelioma by experienced defence solicitors, Gordon Sewell and Jennifer Sewell of Sewell Law.
Jack McCracken, barrister at Nottingham’s Ropewalk Chambers, a specialist in the industrial disease field, will assume the role of Judge and preside over the Victorian Courtroom as delegates are sworn in as a member of the jury. Witnesses will be called to give live evidence to the Court and be challenged under cross examination. Delegates will decide the defendant’s fate, after which Judge McCraken explain how sentencing of a Director or senior manager works if a guilty verdict is reached. He may even hand over the sentencing to the jury.
Submit your entry now for Contractor of the Year at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024
With nominations OPEN until Thursday 5th September for East Midlands Business Link’s annual Bricks Awards, shining a light on the region’s property and construction industry, there are 10 categories available to enter, offering an opportunity to showcase outstanding businesses, teams and projects at the prestigious event.
One such category is the ever-popular Contractor of the Year, which can be entered here.
Celebrating the contractors who work on the project, this award celebrates builders, construction companies and the contractors themselves, and nominees should be those who have gone above and beyond the word of the contract to deliver a truly exceptional service.
Last year the award was won by Bowmer + Kirkland, with Cawarden and EE Smith Contracts runners up. Upon winning, Christian Parnell, regional director, Bowmer + Kirkland, said: “Bowmer + Kirkland is celebrating our first one hundred years this year and as our company was started in the East Midlands and we still have our head office here, it is nice to win something on our home patch. This achievement is certainly testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff.”
With this year’s Contractor of the Year award sponsored by Environmental Consultancy EMEC, Ed Tripp, Consultancy Director at EMEC, said: “EMEC decided to sponsor Contractor of the Year in order to contribute to rewarding exciting and innovative approaches to sustainable development.
“Since Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) legislation became mandatory in February 2024, new developments will need to deliver a minimum 10% BNG and it’s never been more important for Contractors and Ecologists to work together for the benefit of the natural environment.
“Our top advice for any contractors looking to submit an application is to showcase a nature/ecology first approach to their development schemes. We firmly understand the need for new developments in order to drive the economy forward, but we will be looking for contractors who are showcasing an innovative approach to embracing sustainability. Our role as the consultant ecologist is as much about protecting habitats as it is about offering added value advice to the developer so that the communities they create, incorporate diversity.”
Submit your nominations for Contractor of the Year here, before entries close on Thursday 5th September.
Winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 3rd October, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground (4:30pm – 7:30pm) – an evening also offering an opportunity to establish new connections with property and construction professionals from across the region, and hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby.
Other award categories open for entry include: Most Active Estate Agent, Commercial Development of the Year, Responsible Business of the Year, Residential Development of the Year, Developer of the Year, Deal of the Year, Architects of the Year, Excellence in Design, and Sustainable Development of the Year. All entry forms can be accessed here.
The Overall Winner award will also be presented at the event. This award cannot be entered, with the winner selected from those nominated for the event’s other awards. The Overall Winner of the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 will also receive a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000.
Winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 3rd October, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground (4:30pm – 7:30pm) – an evening also offering an opportunity to establish new connections with property and construction professionals from across the region, and hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby.
Other award categories open for entry include: Most Active Estate Agent, Commercial Development of the Year, Responsible Business of the Year, Residential Development of the Year, Developer of the Year, Deal of the Year, Architects of the Year, Excellence in Design, and Sustainable Development of the Year. All entry forms can be accessed here.
The Overall Winner award will also be presented at the event. This award cannot be entered, with the winner selected from those nominated for the event’s other awards. The Overall Winner of the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 will also receive a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000.
Book your tickets now
Tickets can now be booked for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2024 – click here to secure yours. The special awards evening and networking event will be held on Thursday 3rd October 2024 in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground from 4:30pm – 7:30pm.
Connect with local decision makers over nibbles and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region, and hear from keynote speaker Paul Southby, partner at Geldards LLP, chair of the Advisory Board to Nottingham Business School, chair of Broadway independent cinema, trustee of Clean Rivers Trust, chair of Nottingham Partners, board member of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, and former High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.
Dress code is standard business attire.
Thanks to our sponsors:
To be held at:
Arc Partnership to deliver school improvements worth £8.6m
The latest programme of school infrastructure improvements worth £8.6 million has been unveiled by Nottinghamshire County Council, part of its annual school building improvement work which will be designed and delivered by Arc Partnership, a joint venture between the council and SCAPE.
A dozen schools will benefit from a range of improvements including roof replacements, drainage improvements and energy-efficient lighting and boiler upgrades.
Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Asset Management, Councillor Keith Girling, said: “Investing in our schools’ infrastructure is vital. Young people deserve to study and learn in buildings which are fit-for-purpose.
“We know that some schools were impacted by flooding earlier this year, so those schools most in need of improvements to their drainage systems are being prioritised. We have also secured some government money to help towards this work.
“This latest programme of work will once again help school buildings be more energy efficient and help save on bills. It is all part of a long-term investment plan which has seen various improvements to 67 school buildings since 2021.
“Once again, the vast majority of this work will be carried out by local contractors, which is good news for the local economy.”
Planned improvements for 2024/5 include:
James Peacock Infant school in Ruddington. The school will benefit from work worth more than £1.04 million to upgrade the building’s infrastructure and help improve energy efficiency. This will include new ceilings and lighting, replacing the flat roof covering and insulation and the external cladding. (This is additional funding/works to what has been approved in previous years).
Pierrepont Gamston school will have two sets of improvements: Replacing the roof covering and improve insulation (£250,000) Replace old boiler with an energy efficient one (£205,000)
Woods Church of England Foundation Primary, Woodborough will have £549,000 worth of work to have gas boilers replaced with high efficiency modern equivalent. All heaters and pipework will also be replaced. This is additional funding/works to what had been approved in previous years.
Manor Park Infant and Nursery in Calverton will have £100,000 worth of work will include structural inspection of the floors in a number of classrooms with remedial works as necessary.
Pinewood Infant and Nursery, Killisick will have its roof covering replaced and other work to improve insulation. (£586,000)
Walkeringham Primary in the Bassetlaw area will have £160K worth of works to improve its drainage system after suffering from flooding earlier this year by using the latest techniques to mimic natural drainage, known as sustainable urban drainage
North Wheatley school, near Retford will have similar sustainable urban drainage works after also being impacted by recent flooding, as part of a £170,000 investment.
Berry Hill Primary and Nursery in Mansfield will see a £2.33 million investment to replace roof covering and improved insulation. The ceiling will be replaced as well as improvements to ceiling tiles, lighting, fire alarm systems.
High Oakham Primary in Mansfield will have its pitched roof replaced at a cost of £2.5 million. The work will also include replacement of ceiling, including works to ceiling tiles, Lighting, fire alarm systems and incorporating works identified through the site risk assessments.
Underwood Church of England Primary, Underwood will have £224,310 worth of work to identify and carry out remedial works to rectify water leaks to the Learning Lodge.
Jacksdale Primary and Nursery, Jacksdale, near Selston will have £62,500 invested to install new pumps to the basement to remove standing water and help prevent future flooding.
Maun Infant and Nursery in New Ollerton, £135,000 worth of work will help improve parts of an old drainage system plus replace internal rainwater pipes.
Marketing agency pledges to reveal ‘Derby’s best-kept secret’
South Normanton-based Purpose Media’s pledged to reveal the best-kept secret amongst Derby’s heating engineers.
The company will use giveaways, competitions, incentives and social media adverts to raise awareness of city-based heating engineers S O’Brien Heating Solutions Limited from this autumn onwards.
The campaign is designed to help the company to grow its customer base by promoting its gas and LPG boiler maintenance service to householders and business owners in and around Derby.
Company boss Steve O’Brien said his firm’s history of working for other firms meant that, although it is so well-established and successful, relatively few people knew of it.
He approached Purpose Media MD Matt Wheatcroft for help, having previous collaborating on a number of charity golf days, including an event in June held to raise funds for this year’s Cairns Cup, disability golf’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup.
Purpose began by bringing the company’s website up to speed to ensure that it can process inquiries before devising its marketing campaign, which will include online advertising, literature and commercial partnerships with Marketing Derby, The East Midlands Chamber of Trade, Derbyshire Cricket Club and Derby County Football Club.
Among the activities will be staff discounts for companies which sign up as customers and a sponsored takeover day when the Rams take on Norwich City at Pride Park on September 28.
Matt said: “I’ve known Steve for about 18 months and we have sponsored golf events together, so I was only too happy to help him raise his profile to help him attract customers in the city.
“Steve’s company is extremely successful and his potential customer base is huge but, as he admits, he has a very low profile in the city, so his company is almost like Derby’s best-kept secret.
“We’re looking forward to helping him change that. We started by ensuring his website was optimised and have put together a campaign for both B2C and B2B audiences which will get going when the weather starts to cool down and people start thinking about their heating from September onwards.”
347-acre Rushcliffe plot hits the market
An area of land which is situated on a prominent and well-known location in Nottingham has come onto the market with potential for agricultural grazing or a range of outdoor leisure pursuits.
The 347-acre plot comprises grasslands, forests and open water with an abundance of natural habitats. The land is adjoined to Holme Pierrepont Country Park and the National Watersports Centre.
Land development and property consultancy Mather Jamie has been appointed to sell the land by the current owners, with bids invited in excess of £4.5m.
Gary Kirk, Director of Mather Jamie, said: “This is an extremely rare opportunity to acquire a large parcel of land with potential for a variety of uses, situated on the fringe of
Nottingham with exceptional potential for development of a variety of alternative uses.”
The land was formerly subject to sand and gravel extraction which has created the wetland habitat and large body of open water. Quarrying activities, which started in the area in the
1940’s, ceased in approximately 2004.
Alternative uses considered within the current particulars include buildings for agriculture and forestry, outdoor sports and recreation including leisure uses and other potential
alternative uses for the site.
Chamber-Toyota partnership brings energy efficiency to life for SMEs
SMEs in the East Midlands are learning first-hand about energy efficiency measures being implemented at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Derby, thanks to a new initiative between the global powerhouse and East Midlands Chamber.
The fully funded Energy Reduction workshop, part of the Accelerator project funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, provides a rare opportunity to experience a practical demonstration and shop floor observation with Toyota Energy Specialists. Decarbonisation and how the company has applied sound energy costs management are high on the agenda.
Feedback from businesses at the first workshop in July was that Toyota’s step-by-step explanations about its improvements, supported by visual aids and storyboards, will provide immense value when it comes to implementing their own energy-saving measures.
Penny Engineering Managing Director Robin Penny said: “To be able to see firsthand how a premier, worldwide manufacturer reduces its carbon footprint is very valuable for an SME. I can’t think of any work environments where this could not be applied.”
Midland Lead Managing Director Francoise Derksen said: “I operate a manufacturing plant and our energy reduction and sustainable manufacturing is an important focus. We have made lots of investments but we now need to look at behaviours and change our way of working. Lots of great ideas today.”
East Midlands Chamber Deputy Chief Executive Diane Beresford said: “SMEs gaining such valuable takeaways from Toyota’s practical observations and shopfloor demonstrations was exactly what we wanted.
“Toyota Manufacturing UK has over 30 years of energy kaizen experience which has resulted in significant energy reductions, technological breakthroughs and all that means when it comes to improved competitiveness. Supporting SMEs in accessing this know-how means widening the impact of Toyota’s efforts and investment in this area.”
Flint Bishop gears up for ambitous growth strategy
Law firm Flint Bishop has announced its incorporation from Flint Bishop LLP to Flint Bishop Limited. This strategic move comes on the heels of the firm’s most successful financial year to date and is designed to support its ambitious growth plans in the coming months.
For the fiscal year ending 30 April 2024, Flint Bishop achieved record-breaking results with annual turnover climbing to over £21m. The firm’s workforce has also expanded significantly, surpassing 250 employees for the first time in its history.
Commenting on the firm’s transformation, Qamer Ghafoor, Chief Executive of Flint Bishop, said: “Our incorporation marks a pivotal moment in Flint Bishop’s journey. This change in structure will enable us to pursue our aggressive growth strategy more effectively, including planned organic expansion and strategic acquisitions. We are immensely proud of our staff, our culture, and the clients we are working with.”
Ghafoor further elaborated on the firm’s strategic focus: “As we move forward, we will concentrate on five key areas: profitable growth, financial performance, development of our clients and people, management of risk, and enhancing our brand and reputation. Our new corporate group structure will allow us to develop brands and non-legal services, building scale without compromising our culture.”
The firm has already begun implementing its growth plans, with several key initiatives underway:
- Recruitment of lateral hires and experienced staff across multiple practice areas
- Expansion of the firm’s national presence and market recognition
- Diversification of client base and service offerings
Entrepreneurial appetite returns to East Midlands after change in government, but economic backdrop remains mixed
The number of new businesses set up in the East Midlands has begun to rise once more, after a steep and sustained fall in May following the announcement of the General Election.
This is according to the Midlands branch of national insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 and is based on a monthly analysis of regional start-up data from business intelligence provider Creditsafe.
R3’s figures indicate there were 2,249 companies set up in the East Midlands in July, which is a rise of 5.04% in comparison with the June figure, and 8.33% higher than the 2,076 start-ups in May.
R3’s data also show some improvement in the wider local economy as debts owed by East Midlands businesses in liquidation decreased by 10.95% last month against the previous month, and by 37.11% compared to January.
The broader economic picture remains unpredictable, however, as the number of East Midlands companies with late payments on their books has risen steadily since the start of the year, reaching 23,917 last month compared to 23,194 in January.
R3 Midlands chair Stephen Rome, a partner at Penningtons Manches Cooper in the region, said: “It’s encouraging to see entrepreneurs becoming more confident and willing to push ahead with their new business plans. Lower inflation and the prospect of greater sales opportunities appear to be having some effect.
“However, we have yet to see the full impact of the General Election on the economy and purchasing decisions, and many directors of potential start-ups – and existing businesses – are concerned about customer demand, staff turnover and meeting regulatory requirements.
“With economic instability a driving factor, the new Government has committed to a number of policies designed to boost our local business community. The pledge to reform business rates to be fairer may benefit many East Midlands companies, particularly those in the retail and hospitality sector.
“Plans to introduce legislation to tackle late payments, if effective, will improve cashflow for local businesses – especially valuable for vulnerable start-ups – and could free up resources to allow firms to focus on investment and growth rather than chasing up overdue invoices.
“Such measures will, undoubtedly, take time to introduce. Therefore, R3’s advice to any directors worried about the viability of their company, start-up or otherwise, is to seek professional help and to do it as soon as possible. Many R3 Midlands members offer a free initial consultation to those who wish to explore their options.”
Derby investment fraudster gets 15-year bankruptcy restrictions
A former investment firm director from Derby has become subject to stringent bankruptcy restrictions after duping people into handing over money in an investment fraud.
Andrew Paul Bird, 60, from Church Road, Quarndon, was handed the maximum 15-year restriction after the Official Receiver discovered he had knowingly misled investors and exposed them to the risk of losing money for his personal gain.
Robin Dury, Official Receiver at the Insolvency Service, said: “Andrew Bird purposely deceived people who trusted him into handing over money for what they believed to be secure investments.
“We are pleased that these lengthy Bankruptcy Restrictions will prevent him causing further harm to people, by curtailing his business activities for a long time.”
Bankruptcy Restrictions prevent Bird acting as a company director without the court’s permission, or borrowing more than £500 without declaring that he is subject to the restrictions. They also prevent him taking up certain roles in public organisations. Bird was first made bankrupt in November 2016, and later became subject to a five-year interim Bankruptcy Restrictions Order, which was imposed by the courts in January 2018 to prevent him causing further harm while he awaited a criminal trial for his fraudulent actions. The interim order was made on application by the Official Receiver following an investigation into Bird’s affairs as a bankrupt. The investment scheme purported to use money from investors to trade on a trading platform and return a profit on their investments. But between 1 January 2011 and 31 August 2016 Bird knowingly gave false information to investors for his own personal gain, and received an eight-year jail sentence at Nottingham Crown Court on 1 August 2024. The Official Receiver secured a signed undertaking by Bird, in which he agreed to be bound by the bankruptcy restrictions until 24 January 2033 – extending them for a full 15 years, from the date of the interim order in January 2018. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted the undertaking on 15 July 2024. Bird did not dispute that he had acted dishonestly by misleading 13 different parties – including both individuals and couples – to invest in a scheme which exposed them to potential losses. His actions were a breach of the Fraud Act 2006.Corby looks for volunteers to boost Towns Deal Board.
North Northamptonshire Council are seeking new members for the Corby Towns Deal Board.
The Council would like to continue the success of the Corby Town Deal Board, which meets every six weeks via Teams, and is looking for voluntary representatives to join the Board and bring their skills and local knowledge to assist with the development and completion of the Town Fund projects.
It is seeking individuals who can reflect and represent different sectors across Corby such as communities, business, charity, culture, educational and heritage interests of the area and can make a meaningful contribution to the Board.
