With just three weeks remaining until the highly anticipated 14th Annual Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo, preparations are well underway for what promises to be an exciting and informative event. Sponsored by Team Lincolnshire and the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, the expo serves as a premier networking and knowledge-sharing opportunity for professionals across a wide range of industries, including Property, Construction, Finance, Investment, Inward Investment, Public & Private Sectors, and Professional Services. The expo will take place on 26^th March 2025 at the Bentley Hotel, located in South Hykeham, Lincoln (LN6 9NH), offering easy access and ample free parking for all attendees. The event is the perfect platform to explore new business opportunities, gain valuable insights from industry experts, and connect with key decision-makers. This year’s event will feature three speed networking sessions throughout the morning, offering attendees the chance to engage in fast-paced, structured networking with fellow professionals. These sessions are designed to help individuals build valuable connections quickly and effectively. To close the event, there will be a networking lunch at 2:00 PM, hosted by event sponsors Team Lincolnshire and the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce. Tickets to the lunch are available for just £15 plus VAT and can be purchased at https://businessshowsgroup.co.uk/product/network-lunch-lincolnshire-delegates/. Registration for the event is now open. For more details on the full schedule of exhibitors, speakers, and networking opportunities, and to register, please visit https://businessshowsgroup.co.uk/register/. Event Details: Date: 26^th March 2025 Location: Bentley Hotel, South Hykeham, Lincoln, LN6 9NH Exhibition Opens: 9am Exhibition Closes: 1:45pm Team Lincolnshire & Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce Lunch £15: 2pm-3:15pm Parking: Free parking available

Burton-on-Trent-based IT disposal firm EGO Technology has acquired Bradford-based Ucan Secure IT, expanding its footprint in secure and sustainable IT recycling.

Founded in 2010, Ucan specialises in recycling redundant IT equipment, including laptops, hard drives, mobile phones, and printers. It operates as a zero-landfill organisation serving businesses, schools, and universities across the UK.

EGO Technology says the acquisition strengthens its position in IT asset disposal (ITAD) by integrating Ucan’s recycling capabilities, which focus on recovering valuable materials such as rare earth metals. The move is part of a broader strategy to enhance UK-based IT recycling solutions that ensure compliance and reduce environmental impact.

A Nottinghamshire construction boss who fraudulently removed more than £700,000 from four failing companies and transferred the money to his casino account has been jailed. Wesley Grainger-Smith, 66, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday 28 February. Grainger-Smith had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of fraudulently removing company property at an earlier hearing. The Insolvency Service also discovered around £570,000 in cash deposits paid back to the companies, which investigators believe may correlate with Grainger-Smith’s claim that he paid most of the money back through his gambling winnings. Mark Stephens, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: “Wesley Grainger-Smith removed vast sums of money from failing companies to fund his gambling at casinos. “He cannot have thought he was entitled to recklessly gamble with company money, or that he was acting in the best interests of the four companies where he said he acted as a consultant.

“Directors, or those acting as directors such as Grainger-Smith, will continue to be prosecuted by the Insolvency Service if they deliberately and fraudulently put money out of the reach of creditors.”

Grainger-Smith’s offending took place between 2014 and 2017 when he acted in the role of director for Eagleport Ltd, Smiths Constructions Ltd, Smiths Construction Services Ltd, and Smiths Construction Specialists Ltd. Grainger-Smith said that while he was not the director of any of the companies, he was able to exert influence over the official directors and withdraw the money with their knowledge. Between April 2014 and May 2015, Grainger-Smith removed £230,810 from Eagleport’s account. A winding-up order was made against the company one month later in June 2015. Grainger-Smith then removed £110,250 from Smiths Constructions between April and November 2015, with the company entering liquidation in December of that year. In the five months from February to July 2016, Grainger-Smith fraudulently transferred £84,600 from the bank account of Smiths Construction Services. A liquidator was appointed for Smiths Construction Services in September of that year. Grainger-Smith’s final fraudulent removal of company funds came between August 2016 and February 2017, when he withdrew £276,390 from the account of Smiths Construction Specialists. Smiths Construction Specialists, as with the other three companies, soon stopped trading after the removal of the funds, with winding-up proceedings beginning in June 2017. In total, Grainger-Smith fraudulently removed £702,050 from the four companies, with the funds going into his casino gaming account. Grainger-Smith was declared bankrupt in March 2017 and was banned as a company director for five years in July of that year as a result of his misconduct at Eagleport. He was disqualified for a further 10 years in June 2019 for his misconduct at Smiths Construction Specialists.