East Midlands freeport will be an important driver for growth in region’s economy, says Chamber after plans get formal approval
Commenting on confirmation that the East Midlands freeport has secured formal Government approval, East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “A year on from the exciting plans being unveiled for the East Midlands freeport, today’s confirmation is a huge moment for the region – which can now look forward to a huge economic boost in the decades ahead. Following the end of all Covid-19 restrictions in February, this is another big boost for business confidence.
“Our region already has fantastic national and international trading links – something highlighted during the pandemic – and freeport status means we can cement our role at the centre of Britain’s post-Brexit global trading relationship.
“We are in a unique position as the only inland freeport among the 10 designated zones, which is testament to East Midlands Airport’s reputation as the country’s most important mover of international freight and the catalyst for the explosive growth we’ve witnessed in our region’s logistics sector in recent years.
“This free trade zone, which will have a focus on innovation, low carbon and trade, signals the direction of travel for the East Midlands economy – giving investors something tangible to back in order to deliver the inward investment and jobs that will enable growth.
“We’ve already been notified about interest from companies both inside and outside our region that may want to locate themselves at the freeport in order to take advantage of tax breaks at sites including East Midlands Airport, so the green light should pave the way forward for more companies moving into our region.
“For our workforce, it will provide much-needed new opportunities for high-skilled, well-paid and more productive jobs – a key priority of this Government and an important driver of growth for the East Midlands economy.”
Council support for businesses is key to success in the district
North East Derbyshire District Council has pledged its long term support to its businesses, working with them to help them thrive.
The council played an important role in helping businesses who they regulate be compliant and competitive, to help stop any unnecessary costs and burdens on the business, particularly throughout the pandemic and recovery phase.
This friendly advice and support hasn’t gone unnoticed, as a recent survey with food businesses showed glowing feedback for the authority and gratitude for the help and professional manner in which inspectors undertook their visits.
One business owner said, “The inspection was carried out in a very pleasant and professional way. I was given lots of advice and tips which was very helpful”.
North East Derbyshire District Council Cabinet Member for Environmental Health, Cllr Charlotte Cupit said, “We aren’t just about enforcement and being a hard hitting service. We are when we need to be, but the headline of prosecutions, fixed penalty notices and enforcement campaigns only tell part of the story”.
“We work closely with the vast majority of businesses in the district, helping them with regulatory advice and support and guidance so they can thrive and our help is there when needed”.
“This support means our residents and communities who visit these premises can enjoy great quality food and drinks, of which we have many fantastic eateries and café’s to enjoy”.
Theo Phaphitis gives boost to Chesterfield small business
A Chesterfield-based small business has received a massive boost from Retail Entrepreneur and former Dragons Den star, Theo Paphitis.
Last month Jane Helliwell, owner of scent stylist and candle maker, The Scent Styling Company, tweeted Theo about her business during ‘Small Business Sunday’ and was one of six weekly winners to gain a retweet by Theo to his near half a million Twitter followers.
The weekly initiative, set up by Theo in 2010, now has over 3,000 #SBS winners and supports small businesses in the UK. Business and retail entrepreneur and self-confessed shopkeeper, Theo, retweeted Jane’s message to his almost 500,000 followers and as a result her business gained more social media followers, new contacts and a surge in sales.
The Scent Styling Company is also profiled on the #SBS website that is exclusive to all Small Business Sunday winners.
Small business champion and Ryman Stationery, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue chairman, Theo Paphitis, said: “We are thrilled to welcome new #SBS members every week and highlight just how important it is to support our small businesses here in the UK.
“My vision is that everyone who has ever won an #SBS re-tweet from me becomes part of a friendly club: like-minded individuals who can share successes and learnings. The website will also give a valuable profile to the winners chosen and I wish The Scent Styling Company every success.”
Jane Helliwell of The Scent Styling Company added: “It’s fantastic that Theo has recognised our hard work and helped spread the word about what we do to his huge Twitter following. Last week I got to meet him and fellow Dragon Touker Suleyman at the annual #SBS event. He presented us with our certificates and hosted a truly inspirational event.”
New Non-Executive Director to join Derbyshire Healthcare
Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has today welcomed a new Non-Executive member to its Board of Directors.
Former housing director, Deborah Good, commences her role as Non-Executive Director with the Trust today, 1 March 2022. Deborah, who holds a BA and a Postgraduate Diploma in Housing, has spent most of her career in the social housing sector working to improve the quality of services for local communities.
Deborah has experience of serving on various multi-agency boards, including in her role as Executive Director of Customer Experience and Business Support at Solihull Community Housing and as Non-Executive Director at Derwent Living.
Deborah lives in Derbyshire and is a current Trustee of Artcore, a provider of visual arts to diverse communities across Derbyshire.
Deborah said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as a Non-Executive Director at Derbyshire Healthcare.
“I am keen to bring my experience within the housing sector, my passion for health and wellbeing and my qualities as a leader to help inform the work of the Board.”
In addition to attending Trust Board meetings, Deborah will be a member of the Finance and Performance Committee, overseeing all aspects of financial management and operational performance. She will also sit on the Audit and Risk Committee, which ensures that the Trust has an effective system of integrated governance, risk management and internal control.
Deborah replaces Dr Julia Tabreham who had been a Non-Executive Director at the Trust since September 2016 and retired from her role at the end of December last year.
Selina Ullah, Chair of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am looking forward to welcoming Deborah to our Board of Directors. Her wealth of experience will bring an excellent perspective to the Board. It is with great pleasure that we introduce a new colleague who will support the work of the Trust in establishing ways to improve our services to those in the communities we serve.
“I would also like to say a collective thank you to Dr Julia Tabreham for her contribution to the Trust over recent years. We have hugely benefitted from Julia’s experience and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.”
Non-Executive Directors use their skills and experience to bring an independent perspective to the Board and to challenge the Executive Directors in decision-making and on the Trust’s strategy. Collectively they work as a Board to:
- Formulate plans and strategy
- Ensure accountability
- Shape culture and capability
- Commit to the highest standards of probity, integrity and governance
- Ensure that the Board acts in best interests of patients and the public.
Giant Mantsinen 300 from Finland Heads West to ABP Port of Immingham
The world’s largest hydraulic crane is heading to the port of Immingham in a £3 million investment by Associated British Ports (ABP).
Supplied by Cooper Specialised Handling Ltd, the UK’s leading independent port equipment supplier, the crane, model Mantsinen 300M Hybrilift is currently being built by Mantsinen in Finland.
In their early years, the forerunners of today’s 300M were material handlers and have become popular with UK ports for their speed of operation. They have historically however been ‘small cranes for small vessels,’ an ideology that Mantsinen blew away with their 200 series machines in 2008 and the launch of the 300 in 2018. These super-sized machines now have the reach and capacity to serve panamax size vessels and can handle as much as 1500 tonnes per hour – far greater than the rope crane equivalents.
Simon Bird, Regional Director for ABP Humber said: “Our investment in buying the world’s largest hydraulic crane shows our commitment to ensuring we have the best plant and equipment on the ports to service our customers’ needs. We’re also thrilled to be the first company in Great Britain to have this giant on our port’.”
ABP already operate a fleet of smaller Mantsinen machines across its network of 21 ports, but this will be the first 300 in the fleet and the first delivery into England – Cooper’s first being delivered to Belfast Harbour in 2019.
The machine weighs in at 365 tonnes (without attachment) and is diesel powered by an EU stage 5 Volvo 16 litre diesel engine. ABP have opted for an 18.5m curved boom and 14m stick and the machine has a wheeled undercarriage of 6 axles with 4 wheels per axle. The machine will also come supplied with Mantsinen’s cab riser to enable the operator to position the cab in the optimum position over the hold to gain a direct line of sight. The machine also is supplied with a range of automatic and semi-automatic attachments that also reduce the need for direct labour in the holds thus enhancing safety further than if stevedores were slinging.
David Cooper, Executive Director of Cooper Specialised Handling said: “ABP have enjoyed high uptime and operational performance with their Mantsinen fleet since 2016, and we are thrilled that ABP have opted for the biggest of them all. It seems quite appropriate that the UK’s largest port by tonnage should invest in a machine that can handle the most tonnage per hour”
The new machine is anticipated to arrive as a complete unit in Immingham in April on a direct shipment from Finland together with two 95ER machines destined for Ipswich.
Terra to purchase 27-acre Lincolnshire site for £67m mixed-use development
Terra has agreed terms with a private landowner to purchase a 11Ha (27.3-acre) site in the Lincolnshire market town of Boston.
A hybrid planning application is currently being prepared for a £67m mixed-use development featuring 315 new homes and a care home.
Located off Toot Lane, under two miles from Boston town centre, the site has an expired Outline Planning Approval, granted in 2016 by Boston Borough Council. Terra’s hybrid application will be a detailed submission for the first phase of 100 homes, with the proposed care home and the balance of the additional 215 residential units covered by an outline plan.
A large expanse of Public Open Space and a fully-equipped play area will create a focal point for the scheme.
Jordan Langdon-Bates, land and development director of Terra Strategic, said: “With so many employment opportunities close by, Boston is an attractive and affordable place to live. The scale of this well-located site will enable the creation of a high quality new community of eco-efficient modern homes within easy reach of town centre amenities and local schooling.
“This immediately available site could help to meet South East Lincolnshire’s annual housing targets at a time when there is a considerable shortfall in the number of new homes being built across the UK. We are looking forward to working with Boston Borough Council’s Officers, Local Councillors and all stakeholders to move forward with our plans.”
Terra has appointed Nottingham-based planning and design specialists Nineteen47 to draw up the fresh plans for the scheme. A range of two-bedroom apartments, bungalows, and two-, three- and four-bedroom houses will be proposed. Hawthorn Tree Primary School is located opposite the entrance to the site, with the rest of the immediate area being predominantly residential in character.
Fast growing independent veterinary group secures £3m funding
ThinCats, the Leicestershire-based alternative lender to mid-sized SMEs, has supported South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire based independent veterinary group, The Pet Vet, with £3.1m in growth funding.
Founded in 2011, The Pet Vet remains a vet-owned, independent practice, bucking the trend of corporatisation in this sector. The organisation is led by Managing Director, Dr Mel Fuller.
With surgeries across South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, each of their 4 sites is purpose built and equipped with the latest technology.
Dr Mel Fuller, Managing Director at the Pet Vet, said: “The funding secured from ThinCats will enable us to deliver our ambitious plans to improve and expand the services we offer. Every surgery will benefit from the funding, further enhancing our workplace environment, customer experience and patient care, and aligning with one of our core Values: ‘We strive to be better everyday’.”
Ben Kimball, director business development, ThinCats, said: “It is fantastic to support ambitious businesses like The Pet Vet, but it is even more rewarding given I have known the business for over 8 years, and understand their importance to the local communities they operate in. It was great to work with the team at Parsons on the transaction, and we look forward to seeing The Pet Vet go from strength to strength.
Dr Rob Jones, owner and chairman at The Pet Vet, said: “We are delighted to secure this funding as we aim to continue on our strong growth trajectory over the next few years. Our success can be attributed to the hard work of our knowledgeable team and our passion for delivering excellent patient care. Thanks to ThinCats we can look to provide our services to even more families in the future.”
The funding, advised by Parsons Accountants, will help fund the next phase of growth as the management team look to double the size of the business. Legal support for ThinCats was provided by Andrew Curtis & Marie Pugh at Clarion Solicitors.
LPT is recruiting two non-executive directors
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) is recruiting two non-executive directors to fill current vacancies and join the trust board.
The trust is looking to recruit local candidates who live in the Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland area to share their commercial and financial expertise to chair the Finance & Performance Committee and the Audit Committee.
“We are keen to recruit local candidates in order to make a positive difference to the lives of the one million people served by the trust,” said Cathy Ellis chair of LPT. “As a non-executive director you get to help influence how the NHS improves the health and wellbeing of local people.”
LPT delivers services around mental health, community health and learning disabilities to children, young people, and adults of all ages, across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Our vision is to create high quality, compassionate care and wellbeing for all.
The health of people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland varies considerably. LPT and its partners in the Integrated Care System are working to improve the health and wellbeing of the population.
Cathy continues: “We are proud of our staff and how they have stepped up to great since the launch of our Step up to Great strategy in 2019. We know that staff have embraced it to focus on nine key improvement areas, which has led to positive changes in quality and safety, despite the Covid pandemic.
We know we have more to do. Through our refreshed Step up to Great strategy we will focus together with local and regional partners on great health outcomes, through great care, a great place to work and being an important part of our community. The Trust Board plays a key role in achieving this vision.”
The trust is looking for candidates from a diverse background with relevant financial or commercial expertise gained at a senior strategic level in a large, complex organisation ideally with financial and business qualifications.
The deadline for applications is Friday 18 March 2022 and people interested can have an informal and confidential discussion with Cathy Ellis before submitting an application.
Expanding vintage clothes wholesaler takes pair of Pride Park units
An expanding vintage clothes wholesaler has ended its search for new premises by settling on a twin-set of warehouse units on a prime Derby business park.
Fox Vintage Wholesale, international suppliers of on-trend vintage clothing, has completed its relocation to two adjoining warehouses at Pride Park.
The property transaction was handled by William Speed of Salloway Property Consultants, who was “thrilled” to assist the growing Derby company: “It is great to see the success of an up-and-coming company lead to the expansion of its property requirements.
“Fox Vintage is a family run business with three siblings being the directors who have seen their company take off over the past couple of years. I am sure the new premises will provide an ideal platform for the company to continue its success story.”
Roxie from Fox Vintage was excited to start a new era for the business: “We had just outgrown our previous premises and were struggling for space. This new property really provides us with what’s required to grow the business and put into action a lot of new ideas that have been bubbling for the past couple of years.”
William Speed added: “These units are part of the high spec Ivygrove development at Royal Scot Road on Pride Park which remains Derby’s premier business park. In a short period of marketing, there was considerable demand and the letting to Fox was completed quickly.
“The market for such units has emerged from the pandemic period in very good health and we are finding demand is outstripping supply by some margin.”
New City Masterplan set to transform University estate
