News: Specialised Laser Products focus on growth

Rotherham-based Specialised Laser Products (SLP) is targeting £4.5m turnover this year after investing in state of the art machinery and buying its premises on the edge of the town centre.

The company provides laser cutting services for a wide range of industries and has more than 500 clients nationwide. Working across a wide range of sectors, the firm uses ultra-precise methods to laser cut steel and aluminium sheet metal with the finest degree of accuracy.

A £75,000 business loan from Finance Yorkshire is part of a funding package which has enabled the company to purchase the premises it had been leasing.

Established more than 20 years ago to initially support the machine knife industry the firm now employs 29 people at its Canklow Road premises where investment has been made in the latest laser cutting machines.

Duncan Proctor, managing director at Specialised Laser Products (pictured, left), said: "We have been at Ford Park for the last 16 years and as we have expanded we have taken on further units and now occupy the entire site. Buying our existing premises helps secure the future of the business and keeps us at the same location which is ideal for providing our services to customers nationwide.

"The company's customer sectors include engineering, rail, construction and machine knives where it offers a range of materials including mild steel, stainless, aluminium, spring steel, tool steels, copper and brass.

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Duncan added: "We are always looking to improve our systems for the benefit of our customers. Our successful growth has been achieved through our commitment to delivering precision and quality products at all times."

Grahame Lunt, investment manager at Finance Yorkshire (pictured, right), added: "Specialised Laser Products is a successful and profitable business which constantly strives to deliver the very best service and products for its customers. Our investment has helped the company secure its premises and ensured the business and jobs are retained in Rotherham."

Finance Yorkshire's successful investment fund has been extended as the Sheffield city region waits on the £400m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF). Funding totalling £5m has been allocated to Finance Yorkshire by the Leeds City Region LEP and Sheffield City Region LEP, supported by their respective combined authorities. This follows the full investment of Finance Yorkshire's £113m fund in June last year.

Backed by investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Finance Yorkshire provides seedcorn, loan and equity linked investments to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to meet their funding requirements for growth and development.

Specialised Laser Products website
Finance Yorkshire website

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News: Open doors in the Sheffield city region

Free intensive skills help for 2,000 people who have been made redundant, plus a hotline to job vacancies, is available across the Sheffield city region.

"Open Doors," a £2m programme, is available until March 2018 and provides training and skills and links jobseekers to employers with live, long-term vacancies. The service will include mentoring and any re-skilling, training, or up-skilling needed for the vacancies.

The programme has been commissioned by the Sheffield city region (SCR) through the Skills Funding Agency. Interserve Learning & Employment, one of the largest training providers in the UK, is administering Open Doors on behalf of the region.

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Nigel Brewster, vice chair of the SCR Local Enterprise Partnership, said: "This is a programme which will help people in a very intensive way at a time when they need expert support. It is something that the Sheffield City Region has seen a need for in line with its ongoing determination to do things that help the people of the city region."

Open Doors has been launched specifically to help jobseekers find longer-term, sustainable work and boost economic growth; it will also help employers who have a specific skills gap.

Sarah Loveday-Powell, operations manager at Interserve, said: "Our team of advisers are experienced at providing career advice and training and they're passionate about developing people to reach their full potential."

With its head office at Sheffield Business Park, Interserve Learning & Employment formed in December 2014 following Interserve's acquisition of the Employment & Skills Group and its subsequent merger with its existing employability operations, known as Interserve Working Futures.

Open Doors website

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News: Smart Motorway work continues

A series of closures will take place this week as work continues as part of a major smart motorway project to tackle congestion and improve journey times through Rotherham.

Highways England has been working on the £106m scheme on a ten mile stretch of the M1 between junctions 32 (south of Sheffield and Rotherham) and 35a (north of Sheffield and Rotherham). A 20 mile stretch of the M1 between junction 28 (South Normanton) and 31 (Aston) is also benefiting from a smart motorway project costing £205m where four lane running began in April.

The projects include converting the hard shoulder to an extra traffic lane in both directions and variable mandatory speed limits and they deliver benefits at a significantly lower cost than conventional motorway widening, and with less impact on the environment during construction.

The hard shoulder between junction 32 and 34 is currently closed and there will be narrow lanes and a 50mph speed limit in place until the project is completed in March 2017.

Drivers are being warned of a series of closures to allow resurfacing, gantry, barrier and other safety work to be carried out.

As contractors, Costain get to work this week, various parts of the carriageway and slip roads will be closed. Details can be found here.

The closures will take place between 8pm and 6am, and drivers will be able to follow clearly signed diversion routes.

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Arun Sahni, project manager at Highways England, said: "This work will provide drivers with smoother and safer journeys between these two junctions.

"This work will be carried out overnight when traffic levels are at their lowest to keep disruption to a minimum. We are also utilising the closures to carry out other work at the same time to reduce the number of closures and impact on the public."

Environmental assessments carried out on the managed motorway schemes through the Sheffield city region showed there was likely to be an adverse impact on local air quality if the motorway continued to operate at the national speed limit (70mph).

A proposed maximum mandatory 60mph speed limit was discounted by the Government and the latest option could see 60mph speed limits at weekday peak times between junctions 28 and 35a - between 07:00-09:00 in the morning and 15:00-18:00 in the evening.

Highways England is expected to announce any measures to improve air quality when the scheme opens.

Highways England website

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News: Plans progress for £50m Rotherham retail development

Plans for the £50m 12-acre retail, office and leisure development at Waverley in Rotherham are being finalised.

Rothbiz revealed in October that developers, Harworth had appointed Dransfield Properties, the Barnsley-based company that specialises in retail led regeneration schemes, as a development partner for "the piece of the jigsaw" between the residential and commercial developments at its Waverley regeneration site.

The new investment, on vacant brownfield land previously known as Highfield Commercial, is set to include nearly 100,000 sq ft of retail space, including a 24,500 sq ft food store, along with office space, a new five-storey hotel, a medical centre, good quality restaurants and coffee shops, a gym and a bus station.

Attractive landscaping and public realm including multi jet fountains are proposed with around 470 car parking spaces. The developers are hoping to attract "a good mix of independent and national names" and there will be high quality office space created above the retail units as well as attractive walkways, landscaped piazza areas with water features and a "town square" where regular Farmers' Markets can be held.

A screening request was submitted to Rotherham Council in October and a full planning application is scheduled to be submitted in spring 2017.

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Harworth Group chief executive Owen Michaelson said: "We are delighted to partner with Dransfield for this significant development on our flagship site, given their track record across the UK and their absolute focus on quality.

"We expect the local centre to become central to the Waverley community, as it co-joins the AMP [Advanced Manufacturing Park] and the residential area, offering a range of essential facilities and bringing hundreds of job opportunities to the region."

Mark Dransfield, managing director of Dransfield Properties, added: "This is a really exciting project to be involved with. We are delighted to work alongside Harworth, bringing our team's experience and knowledge of delivering retail developments to this new community. Waverley is an exciting development which has great potential for creating a high-quality retail and leisure environment, designed to support the growing community and the wider region."

Yorkshire's largest ever brownfield mixed-use development is being brought forward by landowner and developer, Harworth Group plc, and was approved in 2010 as the largest, most complex, planning application ever considered by Rotherham Council who gave outline approval for a new 3,890 home community across 741 acres.

After the site of the former Orgreave coking works was reclaimed, leading housebuilders have built 600 homes, whilst one million sq ft has already been built at the AMP for occupiers such as Rolls-Royce and Boeing.

A high quality local centre will also serve the needs of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMID) where the aim is to develop Europe's largest research-led advanced manufacturing cluster. It will also be encouraged to "act as a draw across the wider area and provide the much needed facilities to ensure the area works as a viable, vibrant and dynamic housing / employment community."

Harworth website
Dransfield website

Images: Dransfield / ADS Ltd

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News: AMRC Composite Centre wins funding

The Composite Centre of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing has won £360,000 in funding to investigate the way composite material is developed for use in automotive components.

The centre has formed part of a UK-wide research consortium tasked with developing innovative new manufacturing technologies and processes for composite material in the automotive sector.

Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the AMRC has a £4.5m state-of-the-art centre supporting the development of advanced composite materials inside the Factory of the Future. The centre works with complex hybrid components and systems, which require manufacturing expertise in both composite and metallic structures.

With funding from Innovate UK, the UK's innovation agency, the consortium will focus on a project to create strong lightweight vehicle and powertrain structures to help vehicles deliver lower emissions. It is made up of seven other companies and research organisations such as Jaguar Land Rover, SGL Carbon Fibres Ltd, the University of Nottingham and Nifco UK Ltd.

Composite assemblies used in automotive manufacturing, such as side impact beams in door panels or roof panelling are created using separate carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CRFP) structural composite components.

These structures are secured by fixtures that are then "over moulded" together using more composite material, this not only makes the final parts more aesthetically pleasing, but can also incorporate additional functional features and details to any completed structure.

The CRFP comes as "preformed blanks" of material which are then cured to the desired shape; it is the development and production of these preformed blanks that the AMRC Composite Centre will be investigating, using state-of-the-art technologies to create a more cost effective process for manufacturing automotive composite components.

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Hannah Tew, partnership lead at the AMRC Composite Centre, said: "Our role within the research project is to look at how the preformed blanks can be made cheaper, faster and stronger, using less material to produce lightweight composite automotive assemblies.

The centre will investigate the use of creating the CRFP material using 3D weaving of commingled fibres and co-weaving of carbon and thermoplastic fibres, instead of the traditional 2D weaving.

Dr Hassan El-Dessouky, composites technical lead, at the AMRC Composite Centre, said: "The 3D weaving will provide different material properties for the preformed blanks than traditional 2D technology, improving performance and making it cheaper and quicker to produce. It is hoped we prove that less material will be needed making 3D woven CRFP more cost-effective."

Research will also be carried out to see if the way the CRFP fibres are orientated during weaving affects the production and quality of the composite material, allowing the team to improve component geometry and "lightweight" the composite material more than standard composites.

The AMRC is also set to receive sign off today for £10m via the Sheffield City Region to fund the development of Phase 1 of its Lightweighting Centre, a project aimed at supporting the manufacturing and research of lightweighting structures and materials.

Phase 1 involves the development of a 8,300 sq ft facility on the Sheffield Business Park to house a 300 tonne hydraulic press and associated equipment and experimental capital equipment required to deliver research programmes for three OEM investments. The scheme is the focus for a number of inward investment propositions. SCRIF funding is sought as part of an overall £25m capital investment project for phase 1.

AMRC website

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News: Real Ale and Music Festival back at Magna

A popular real ale festival is returning to the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham this year.

The three-day event attracts thousands of beer, food and music fans and raises thousands for local charities. Following a switch to a summer date and unable to get a suitable date last year, the Magna Real Ale and Music Festival is back at the former steelworks on March 2 - 4.

Timothy Taylor, the renowned Yorkshire Brewery, is to launch its new beer Knowle Spring Blonde at the Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in March.

The 4.2% easy-drinking yet complex blonde beer is the brewery's first addition to their core range since 1952 and festival organisers are delighted and honoured that South Yorkshire drinkers will get this exclusive and historic opportunity to try the beer at their event.

Named after the Knowle Spring on which the brewery sits, and from where they draw spring water for all their brews, it is a full-bodied beer with floral and grapefruit aromas, spiced orange on the tongue followed by citrus hop flavours to finish.

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Around 150 real ales are set to be on offer, as well as a selection of ciders, wines and foreign bottled beers.

Further details of the event, which has been given the 2017 theme of "Mine's a Pint" to celebrate the proud history of the coal mining industry in South Yorkshire.

Already confirmed for the festival are The Buffalo Skinners and Acoustic Angels who will appear on the atmospheric main hall stage.

This year the festival has chosen to donate all proceeds to the Rotherham Cancer Care Centre which provides valuable and unique support outside of the medical environment for people diagnosed with cancer.

Their volunteers rely entirely on donations to provide a wide range of therapies and counselling.

Magna Real Ale and Music Festival website

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News: Devolution delay creates budget headache for SCR

Delays to a devolution deal between the Government and the Sheffield city region (SCR) has meant that any of the £900m "gainshare" funding is unlikely to be handed over anytime soon.

The deal includes an envelope of £30m a year for 30 years – giving the SCR the power to use new funding to boost local growth and invest in local manufacturing and innovation. In return, the Government will require a directly elected mayor to hold accountability for the new powers.

The SCR will not receive its gainshare investment until the Mayoral Combined Authority powers order, which gives the area the legal tools it need to deliver the deal, has received consent through Parliament.

Following a legal challenge, local authority leaders have stated that it is not possible to hold a Mayoral election in May 2017 as planned and that they would now work towards elections in 2018.

The delay has meant that the LEP, which is responsible for a number of economic development and business support programmes, is set to scale back activity and look at its structure until the guaranteed money from the Government comes through.

Officers are preparing budgets on the basis that no devolution monies will be received, a task made more difficult by the "volatile" income streams such as retained business rates from the SCR Enterprise Zones which are hard to predict. The other main source of income, apart from the Government, are subscriptions paid by local authorities. With the amounts frozen, Rotherham Council is set to pay £226,000 for 2017/18 for LEP and transport-related activities.

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The SCR Executive, which carries out work for the CA and LEP, has recently undergone a major restructuring exercise that would see staffing numbers grow from c. 30 posts to 97 if fully staffed. The capital programme has also grown rapidly, from £0 in 2014/15 to £97m in 2016/17.

With staffing costs an estimated £4.9m (up from £2.6m), the new structure is "not affordable without devolution monies" and work has been carried out on a new draft structure based on 69 staff.

A report on the draft budget goes before the Combined Authority next week. It states: "It is not now anticipated that the region will receive gainshare in the near-term as uncertainties persist. Accordingly, a medium-term budget will be prepared that allows us to take a longer-term view of existing resource. Activity plans will now be scaled back to meet resource, whilst proposed programme growth will be considered in the context of the capacity of the existing staffing structure."

Council leaders are being warned about the "significant potential growth in revenue programme activity in the skills and employment area in future years, and the concerns around the Authority's ability to adequately resource the activity without gainshare resource.

"Without gainshare the Authority must seriously consider its funding mix and the call upon partners for resource."

Even with a further £37m recently announced from the Government's Local Growth Fund, the LEP's capital spending will require management. The capital funding programme, which totals over £300m, is at risk of clawback from the Government and remains prudently "over-programmed" as projects have a tendency to underspend.

The report also highlights that the region is exposed to "unpredictable costs as the issues around the judicial review and devolution consultation have shown." The SCR Combined Authority has set aside some £200,000 to cover Derbyshire County Council's legal costs and has spent £131,000 to date on its own legal counsel and associated activity, with a further £50,000 expected.

In addition, £104,000 was spent on the flawed consultation that will now have to be carried out again. Budgets for 2017/18 include £320,000 for devolution consultation and £400,000 for legal cost provision.

Sheffield City Region LEP website

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News: Stelrad look to future with new apprentices

Stelrad, the UK's leading manufacturer of stylish modern radiators, has taken on new apprentices at its Rotherham facility as it forms a partnership with the RNN Group.

At its premises at Swinton, Stelrad has taken on five apprentices as production technicians for a two-year period, as part of its drive to provide career opportunities to local young people, whilst introducing new blood into the business.

Stelrad has formed a partnership with local training company RNN Training and the apprentices will divide their time between work based learning on the job at Stelrad and regular skills learning at Rotherham College.

Mark Evans, operational training and competency officer at Stelrad, said: "For the first year, the apprentices will have set time periods across different departments. They start off in the office doing a few days with HR, one day with Credit Control and Purchasing and so on, so they can see the whole Stelrad process in action, from the production of the material to distribution."

This varied and hands-on approach has proven popular with the apprentices, with the new learners commenting that the training was a good opportunity to understand all the different aspects of the business, which will give them insight into which area they would like to progress into after their apprenticeship has been completed.

The idea is to educate the apprentices in "the broad spectrum of the inner workings of Stelrad, from raw material coming in to radiators being sent out at the end."

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Having been an apprentice himself, Mark understands the advantages of learning on the job. He added: "Our operations director and our production manager trained as apprentices as well as me. We all think it's an ideal opportunity for these guys to develop themselves and their skills, and for us to invest in our local community."

RNN Training worked closely with Stelrad to find the right candidates for the apprenticeships, providing everything on the doorstep from support with the slection process to facilities at the group's Dinnington Campus.

Stelrad hopes to expand its apprenticeship intake in the future, branching out into different areas as the partnership with RNN Training progresses. Evans, added: "Apprenticeships are the foundation stone of bigger and better things. So from this, we're hoping to bring in an intake of four or five apprentices every year and the hope is that in three or four years' time, it'll be these guys who are training our other apprentices."

Charlie Grayson, business development manager at RNN Training, added: "This new partnership with Stelrad is an important step in strengthening our connections with local employers and in ensuring that young people continue to learn and develop in an educational environment that suits them best. We look forward to continuing our work with Stelrad in the future."

Stelrad website

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News: Be bold for International Women’s Day

Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber's Women In Business group is on the hunt for bosses and employers across the Sheffield city region who deserve recognition for the positive role they play in enabling women to become future leaders.

Celebrating International Women's Day on Wednesday March 8, the group and the Sheffield City Region LEP, is organising an event that will feature the ATHENA International Awards, which recognise value driven leadership and those individuals and organisations who encourage women to achieve their own leadership potential.

The Tankersley Manor event will feature speakers including Dame Julia Cleverdon, vice president of Business in the Community and special adviser to The Prince's Charities, and an ardent campaigner to increase women's successes at work.

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Rotherham's Julie Kenny CBE, chair of The Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, will also be speaking. Julie is a board member of the LEP, a Commissioner for Rotherham Council and a founder of Pyronix Ltd.

Suzy Brain England OBE and Lisa Pogson, the first female president of Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce will also speak.

Local businesswoman and mentor Jill White, recipient of the Athena International Award last year, will see her successor take to the stage during the evening. A third accolade, the Young Person's Leadership Award, will also be presented.

The Athena Awards run in over 500 communities worldwide. Women in Business are the only licence-holder in the whole of the UK and its chair Jacqui Freeborn, said: "We urge everyone who feels their company, their boss, man or a woman or young person they know deserves recognition to enter the awards and everyone who believes in the huge contribution women make to our region’s economy and community to come and join us on March 8.

"The theme of our event is Be Bold. We are encouraging women to take up positions of influence and leadership, whether it's becoming a governor at a school, mentoring a young person or joining a strategic board. You'll make a difference and you'll grow in confidence."

Nominations must be in by January 30.

Women in Business website

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News: New lettings as AMP continues to flourish

Two more companies have taken space at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the UK's premier advanced manufacturing technology park.

Units 5 - 7 of the popular Evolution development are now home to SBD Apparel and ERIKS UK.

Evolution was one of the first developments on the AMP and offers high quality industrial and "hybrid" units for growing firms, ranging from 2,500 - 27,000 sq ft. In 2012, Harworth Estates, the company created to realise the property assets of what was UK Coal, sold the fully-let, 87,500 sq ft property for £7.2m.

SBD Apparel is a UK manufacturer of premium supports and apparel for strength and fitness training. Worn by elite athletes globally, the brand was founded to design and produce market-leading performance products in conjunction with a team of elite athletes, coaches and health professionals.

Launched at the World Powerlifting Championships last year, the SBD Belt features a Patent Pending fastening mechanism combining the adjustability of a prong belt with the quick operation and tightness of a lever. It combines a high quality leather strap and a cast aluminium alloy buckle.

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ERIKS UK is one of Europe's leading industrial services partner and provides engineering knowledge and expertise to the chemical, food, oil & gas, transportation and power generation industries. The service includes sourcing and supplying industrial products plus installing, servicing and maintaining them.

The ERIKS Group of companies is one of the world's largest industrial distributors with over 50 group companies with branches in 13 countries. With Technology Centres in Barnsley and Doncaster, and a Distribution and Engineering Service Centre in Sheffield, the firm announced last year that it was opening seven new regional hubs.

Damien Wilson, strategic director of regeneration and environment at Rotherham Council, said: "I'm pleased that two more companies have chosen sites on Rotherham's Advanced Manufacturing Park. It underlines the location as the UK's premier advanced manufacturing technology park and we wish them every success."

Property agents, Knight Frank are reporting that the industrial occupational market in Yorkshire has continued to perform well and that the AMP continues to flourish.

Looking ahead, construction is well underway on the second phase of the R-evolution development on the AMP. Set for completion in March, the 52,000 sq ft development will include space to lease targeted at advanced manufacturing occupiers.

Harworth's new "AMPlify" scheme will offer a further 465,000 sq ft of space to occupiers. This includes plots for units ranging from 25,000 sq ft to circa 200,000 sq. ft and offers Design & Build opportunities aimed at high-value advanced manufacturers and their supply chains.

Rebecca Schofield, partner at Knight Frank in Sheffield, said: "The key themes to take from the industrial sector in the region at the beginning of 2017 are that we are seeing speculative development of small-to-medium sized units making a much needed return to the market and we are starting to see continued rental growth and confidence within the market, which augurs well for the future.

"Throughout the industrial market, construction costs have acted as a brake on smaller speculative development over recent years. Occupier demand remains strong amid the shortage of units and we have seen grant and local authority support assist with delivering much-needed stock to the market.

"Overall, the industrial occupational market in Yorkshire has continued to perform well. As with other regions, there is a dearth of high quality existing and new build industrial stock currently available in the area, specifically in the small and mid-sized range units."

SBD Apparel websites
ERIKS UK website
Knight Frank website

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News: Maplin taps into finance for growth

Rotherham-based electronics retailer, Maplin has bagged a new asset-based credit facility to invest in the business.

Wells Fargo Capital Finance UK Limited, part of Wells Fargo & Company announced that it acted as agent and lead arranger for an asset-based credit facility and added that it will be used by Maplin to invest in online capabilities, a new retail store concept and support ongoing working capital needs.

Manvers-based Maplin sells a range of products to tech-savvy hobbyists as well as general consumers and now operates from 217 stores. In store, like-for-like sales were up by 1.4% for Christmas 2016 compare to the festive period last year.

Lindsay Dunsmuir, chief financial officer at Maplin, said: "The refinancing of the business is an important milestone in our transformation project and completing it provides us with the financial resources to deliver our plans. We're delighted with the deal and impressed with the execution skills and delivery from the Wells Fargo team. Throughout the process, they consistently delivered on what they said they would do.

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Steven Chait, managing director and head of EMEA at Wells Fargo Capital Finance, added: "We are pleased with the opportunity to work with a leading speciality retailer such as Maplin. The asset-based credit facility put in place to support the transaction and fund the growth of the businesses demonstrates the increasing capabilities and financial solutions that Wells Fargo Capital Finance can provide its clients."

Online sales continue to grow at Maplin and the retailer said it would accelerate investment in digital, people and stores in 2017. A roll out is expected of a new store format and refreshed branding across the estate, which was first trialled at Cambridge Beehive in November.

Maplin was sold for £85m to new owners, Rutland Partners in 2014. For the financial year to March 19 2016, turnover was £235m, a slight reduction from the £236m recorded in the previous year. EBITDA (earnings before tax) was £12.7m, down from £16.2m.

Maplin website

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News: Closures could leave Wath without a bank

Two leading banks are turning their backs on the Rotherham town of Wath as part of their closure programmes.

Last week, CYBG PLC, the parent company of Yorkshire Bank, announced that the Wath-upon-Dearne branch would close in May as part of plans to reduce its branch network as part of the bank's strategy to create "a truly integrated digital, mobile, telephone and branch service for its customers."

And this week, HSBC announced that its Wath branch would close this year as it brings its branch restructuring programme to an end.

With the previous closure of the Santander branch, Wath could be left with a High Street bank.

Companies say that the decision to close branches reflects a change in the way customers are banking. Since 2011, the number of customers using their bank for day-to-day transactions across the banking industry in the UK has fallen by a third. This ongoing decline in branch usage, married to a sharp and sustained increase in digital and mobile engagement, has driven a shift to providing greater access to day-to-day banking services remotely, on the move and outside of normal business hours.

Over the past five years, the number of customers using HSBC branches has fallen by almost 40%. 93% of customers' contact with the bank is now completed via the telephone, internet or smartphone, and 97% of cash withdrawals are made via an ATM.

Yorkshire Bank said in a statement that its first priority is to its customers and will be "working extensively with impacted customers, local communities and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the transition to their new branch is as smooth and as sensitive as possible, particularly where vulnerable customers are concerned."

It added that; "It is also the Bank's intention to try to find roles for frontline branch staff either within other branches or elsewhere in the Bank, wherever possible" but with 39 branches set to close in 2017, Yorkshire Bank staff will be at risk of redundancy.

HSBC said that it will seek to redeploy as many of the people impacted as possible although it is expected that the planned closure of 62 of its UK branches in 2017 may result in up to 180 redundancies.

Announced last year, the Wickersley, Dinnington and commercial branch at the Sheffield Business Park of HSBC are all set to close on February 17.

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Francesca McDonagh, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management for UK and Europe at HSBC, said: "The way our customers bank with us is changing. More customers are using mobile and internet banking than ever before, innovation such as Touch and Voice ID has proved extremely popular, and fewer people are using branches. More than 90% of our interactions with customers are now through our digital channels – an increase from 80% last year.

"The decision to close these branches ensures a more sustainable branch network for the future as we continue to invest in our digital platforms and our people. We will have fewer but better branches, with more empowered front line colleagues using a greater range of technology to support all our customers' needs.

"Our priority now is to work with our colleagues, our customers and the communities impacted by today’s announcement. We are contacting customers to explain the decision and help them with alternative ways to bank with us. We will offer customers individual sessions to help explain their options or provide help in setting up telephone, mobile or internet banking."

John Healey MP, whose Wentworth and Dearne constituency includes Wath, has reacted strongly to the announcements. He said: "I am angry. The decision of both banks to pull out of Wath is a disgrace. Banks are supposed to be "service" companies but by pulling out of Wath they are badly letting their customers down.

"The banking system had strong support from taxpayers after they caused the global financial crisis and recession in 2008, now they should be standing by their communities.

"Wath is known as the queen of villages but this could rip out the heart of the town.

"I have been in contact directly with the chief executives of both banks to let them know how concerned I am by their decision, and I will do everything I can to get them to change their minds."

HSBC website
CYBG website

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News: Garnett Dickinson goes through administration

Rotherham print group Garnett Dickinson has been acquired out of administration in a deal which has safeguarded 125 jobs.

Based in a £20m state-of-the-art facility in Manvers, the group specialises in large run multi pagination printing and customers include high profile monthly magazines and luxury catalogue brands.

Nicholas Alexander bought Garnett Dickinson Group, with the exception of its digital operation, for an undisclosed sum in 2015 and instigated a restructure of the operations. Alexander had stepped down from the board at Garnett Dickinson after leading a management buyout (MBO) of subsidiary, Acorn Web Offset, in 2013.

Jonny Marston and Howard Smith of KPMG, were appointed as joint administrators to the business on January 24 2017 after the business ran into cash flow difficulties due to operational issues.

Garnett Dickinson Print Ltd had a turnover of £17.2m and made an operating loss of just over a £1m in the year to September 30 2015.

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The joint administrators have now confirmed that Garnett Dickinson has been sold in a pre-pack deal to GD Web Offset Limited, a vehicle incorporated for the purposes of the acquisition. The deal saw all of the trading business and assets sold to GD Web Offset Limited whose directors are Paul Mursell of EWO Media in Essex and Jeremy Spring of Aspenlink, a company that converts some twenty five thousand tonnes of paper a year.

With 130 employees, five roles were not part of the transaction and have therefore been made redundant.

Jonny Marston, partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said: "This transaction secures a large number of jobs and the continuation of operations at an important printing site in Rotherham.

"We wish the business well in the future under new ownership."

Managing director Mark Bennett departed Garnett Dickinson in December.

The original Garnett Dickinson business started in 1858 in the back of a busy stationary shop where it first published the South Yorkshire Advertiser. The Rotherham Advertiser is now published by Regional Media Ltd, a company which also has Alexander as a director and acquired the publishing business and assets from Garnett Dickinson in 2015.

Garnett Dickinson website

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News: Rotherham sites considered for potential HS2 parkway station

Wales, Bramley and Hooton Roberts are on a shortlist for a potential parkway station on the main HS2 line between London and Leeds.

The Government is carrying out a study into a potential station on the main HS2 line in South Yorkshire after it opted to back proposals to re-align the route through the region.

The new option proposes that HS2 services between London and Sheffield would take a spur off the new north-south high speed line and travel directly to the existing Sheffield Midland station using the existing railway line. Instead of travelling into a new station at Meadowhall, the HS2 line to Leeds would travel east of Rotherham following the M1 and M18 before heading through the Dearne Valley.

The new recommendations would cut journey times on services heading to Leeds, York and Newcastle, and would also reduce the cost of the project by around £1 billion but it did not commit to creating a connection back onto the HS2 mainline north of Sheffield Midland, or to a parkway station on the mainline. This left local MPs stating that areas would "take all the disruption but receive none of the benefits."

The Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling asked HS2 to study possible sites for a parkway station in October and a report is due back early this year.

Alongside Wales, Bramley (pictured) and Hooton Roberts in Rotherham, also on the shortlist is Mexborough, Hickleton and Clayton in Doncaster plus sites at Hemsworth and Fitzwilliam before the proposed new HS2 depot at Crofton in West Yorkshire.

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Paul Griffiths, development director at HS2 Ltd, confirmed the locations and told the BBC: "Whenever we develop part of the route we look at a wide range of options and these are the places we have focused our attention because there are already roads there and there is already access. But we are at a very early stage of the development here and people shouldn't get too hooked up on these because it is early stage.

"We were asked to look at a parkway station by the secretary of state as a way of spreading the benefit of HS2 by providing additional access onto the railway for a wider area."

At the end of 2016, Sir David Higgins, non-executive chair of High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd, discussed the reasons for the changes in South Yorkshire. He also said: "We are looking at a parkway on this new line which would be between Wakefield, Doncaster and Rotherham. That will open up to a lot of people who have no services whatsoever at the moment.

"It is extremely close to the A1/M1, which as time goes on is becoming more and more of a critical corridor for access. Being able to have a parkway there that would be able to take traffic off that motorway I think in time will be seen as very attractive."

With no budget set for a Northern loop or a parkway station in the region, the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership is seeking "a clear and unequivocal commitment to constructing the loop north of Sheffield to the main HS2 line" and assurances that "parkway station intentions are genuine."

When the initial route passing through Meadowhall was announced in 2013 it was revealed that HS2 had discounted Thurcroft, Bramley, Hellaby and Wath upon Dearne as locations for a potential station when experts first examined the possibility of the high speed route running to the east of Rotherham.

HS2 Ltd has arranged a number of events for residents to find out more about the high speed rail project and how it will affect the Rotherham area. The consultation on the proposed changes to the route closes on March 9.

HS2 Ltd website

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News: Invest in people as part of industrial strategy

Professor Sir Keith Burnett, vice-chancellor and president at The University of Sheffield has used a column in a national publication to highlight that the investment made locally in developing the next generation of engineers is just as important as investing in land or equipment.

Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the University's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is a world-class centre for advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value sectors.

In a comment piece for Times Higher Education, Burnett discusses the AMRC Training Centre where 600 apprentices are making use of the state of the art facilities in Rotherham.

Sir Keith, who trained as an experimental physicist at Oxford, talked about the Government setting out a new industrial strategy and the national shortage of apprentices and engineers. He discussed how too often the two are separated as those who sit behind a desk and those that get their hands dirty - but not at The AMRC where they are one and the same.

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He told the magazine: "As well as our graduate engineers we needed more technicians for the very latest kit and so we trained some of our own specialist apprentices. These apprentices were privileged. They were soaking up the processes that would be needed in the future of manufacturing and so we found we were training just the sort of people that our industry partners also wanted. They asked us not just for research but for some of these wonderful people. In fact, they would pay us to train the youngsters they would employ.

"It was a new route for us or for any university like ours, but our home is in a place once known globally for the quality of its skilled trades, so we decided to train a much larger cohort. We set about building a training centre with the Government support and a new chapter opened.

"One of the most important things in education at any level is that a trainee should be able to progress from the more straightforward to the more complex throughout their course. Students are be able to start with the things we can first teach in the laboratory and workshop and progress to making computer models of the manufacturing processes they are working on, all the time building with it the conceptual understanding of what they are learning and why it matters: hand (literal or mechanical) and mind united.

"And now we have nearly six hundred apprentices who are doing just that."

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Since taking on its first 140 apprentices in autumn 2013, the £20.5m Training Centre has grown rapidly into an award-winning centre of excellence. Apprentices have opportunities to progress on to postgraduate courses, doctorates and MBA levels. Sponsoring companies range from global leaders such as Rolls-Royce and Tata Steel to local high-tech supply-chain companies.

Burnett added: "The initial response to our work speaks volumes for British culture. Instead of applause I was first asked, why is a University like Sheffield getting involved with this low-level stuff?

"But people then saw us take student apprentices from the estates of Sheffield and Rotherham and train them in the finest manufacturing centre in the world. They saw the enthusiastic response of local firms to these young people who could transform their productivity. The director of global manufacturing at Rolls-Royce described these wholly educated young people as "a new kind of engineer." People changed their minds and became our supporters."

AMRC Training Centre website

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News: Work to do to attract young people to Rotherham town centre

Council bosses are highlighting an improvement in the percentage of young people feeling safe in Rotherham town centre following the publication of the latest schools survey, but fewer pupils say they visit regularly.

The Borough Wide Lifestyle Survey has been carried out since 2006 and this year saw 2,806 pupils take part from 12 schools. It is considered a valuable tool by the Council, helping to provide an idea of what young people understand and can enable the council to tailor services towards young people. Issues covered include food and drink, education, sexual health, bullying and safety.

The results showed that young people visiting Rotherham town centre has reduced again. Respondents who said they visited Rotherham town centre regularly (at least once a week), was up to 40% in 2014. For 2016 this is slightly down to 26% (732 of pupils) from 27% in 2015. 10.6% (299) young people said they had never visited Rotherham town centre.

The survey shows that the main reason that young people go into the town centre is for shopping (50%) with other reasons to attend a football match at New York Stadium and to meet friends.

On the issue of safety in Rotherham town centre, 2015 results showed that just 18% of pupils said they felt safe in town centre and 82% said they did not feel safe. The questions for 2016 survey were changed slightly to ascertain how safe young people are feeling; with the options of always feeling safe, sometimes feeling safe or never feeling safe replacing yes I feel safe or no I don't feel safe.

Overall the 2016 results show that 24.6% of pupils said they always feel safe, 45.4% said they sometimes feel safe and 19.3% said they never feel safe.

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When asked about Rotherham bus station, 2015 results showed that 15% of pupils said they felt in this location and 85% said they did not feel safe. Overall the 2016 results show that 23.6% of pupils said they always feel safe, 38.3% said they sometimes feel safe and 16.1% said they never feel safe. 22% of pupils overall said they have not used the interchange.

Following reports of concerns of safety at bus stations the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) updated information on their websites and put in place reporting mechanisms.

The draft capital strategy from Rotherham Council included an ambition to invest in "Improvements to the Transport Interchange, to address current condition and public safety issues. The aim is to create a new, brighter, safer environment and address some of the issues around CSE in and around the existing Interchange."

A refurbishment of the car park and interchange, estimated to cost some £12m, could begin this Summer.

Pupils were also asked to rank what they felt the biggest risk was to their safety in the town centre. The top risk reason was the fear of large groups/gangs. A perceived lack of visible security (for example police, wardens) has improved as this is now rated as the 9th in the risk list, replaced in 3rd place by protests and marches.

Pupils ranked Better CCTV and Fewer Large Groups/Gangs as ways to improve the town centre to mitigate the risk of children and young people feeling unsafe.

The survey also showed that 31.7% of pupils said that they would not recommend Rotherham as a place to live, a reduction from 34% in 2015. 37.5% also said that they would not like to be living in Rotherham in ten years' time. This is a reduction from 48% who gave this response in 2015.

A new town centre masterplan is in development and will include potential cinema and leisure developments alongside a new £12m higher education campus that could eventual see 1,000 students based in the town centre.

Next month sees the launch of a new placemaking strategy for the borough with distinctive themes, ideas and imagery that help to tell the Rotherham story set to be used as a way of promoting the borough to potential investors, visitors and workers.

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News: Funding boost for Innovation District

The emerging Sheffield-Rotherham Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMID) has secured further funding from the Government - with more to come.

The Sheffield city region (SCR) has secured £37m in the latest round of the Government's Growth Deal programme.

The Local Growth Fund money is set to be used to support for SCR's Integrated Infrastructure Plan, opening up new employment sites and delivering new homes, with particular priority given to developing the AMID and securing growth at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Funding is also set to support a new programme to give targeted skills support aimed at securing greater learning outcomes amongst particular groups of disadvantaged learners.

The Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) was hoping to secure much more funding from the latest round of the Government's £1.8 billion Local Growth Fund. It asked for £107m to be invested in local infrastructure in the priority areas of the AMID and Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The full investment would have unlocked 12,500 jobs, 6,600 home, £220n of private sector investment and an economic boost of £2.7 billion.

Recognising that high value manufacturing can be key to driving innovation, productivity and exports, civic leaders have committed to the idea of "supercharging" the areas of advanced manufacturing in the Sheffield-Rotherham Economic Corridor. Based around the expanding Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham and surrounding Enterprise Zone, the aim is to develop Europe's largest research-led advanced manufacturing cluster.

A masterplan for the potential Innovation District is being produced that will be used as a bidding document for accessing monies through the Government's Growth Deal and other funding sources. In the previous devolution proposals, the leaders asked for a £250m commitment to the Sheffield City Region, based around the Innovation District as a national demonstrator for place based innovation programmes with LEPs. It added that "Government investment will be matched by company investment at 50% and further leveraged through local resources to deliver a £600m science and innovation programme over five years."

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Sir Nigel Knowles, Chair of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, said: "Our strong public-private partnership and our proven track record of delivery for the residents and businesses of the Sheffield City Region has helped secure these additional local growth fund resources. We now have an investment programme totalling over half a billion pounds that we're investing in priorities such as building an Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District, growing Doncaster-Sheffield Airport and creating a super-connected city region at the heart of the national economy."

In the Government's Autumn Statement it is was announced that £1.4m had been secured by the SCR to develop plans to provide high quality access to AMID, supporting and enabling growth.

Solutions are being explored to improve capacity at Junctions 33 and 34 of the M1. Multimillion pound work has already taken place to widen exit slip roads and roundabouts at J33 and Rotherham's capital strategy includes a £45m plan to widen the Parkway to three lanes between the M1 and Catcliffe.

Cllr. Denise Lelliott, Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy at Rotherham Council, said: "The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District is ideally situated in the heart of the UK and we are very proud to see it fast becoming the UK centre of excellence for research, manufacturing and technology. This funding will allow us to investigate and put a good case forward for an improved infrastructure to support this expanding area, leading to faster journeys and encouraging further future growth in the district."

In addition, a £40m property fund is expected to support commercial development in the AMID and over £20m of funding is being finalised for the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre's (AMRC's) new Lightweighting Centre over the Parkway on the Sheffield Business Park.

Images: Nuclear AMRC

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News: Clintons closes remaining Rotherham store

Sorry you're leaving. Card retailer Clintons has closed its Rotherham town centre store - the last of its outlets in the borough.

Clintons has over 400 store locations across the UK. and the College Street store was one of the national stores that remained open after the retailer plunged into administration in 2012.

The stores in the Old Town Hall and at Parkgate Shopping were not part of the deal to save the company which was bought by Lakeshore Lending Limited, a subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation. Part of the same company, the Birthdays store opened at Parkgate in 2008 as a concession.

28-30 College Street, occupied by Clintons, as sold at a 2013 auction for £300,000. 24-26 College Street. the adjacent property which is currently home to Card Factory, sold prior to the same auction. Both lots went up for auction a year previous and failed to sell.

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Sale documents from the auction show that a five year lease for the Clintons unit was signed in December 2011 with the retailer paying £40,000 per annum. Card Factory's ten year lease was listed as £60,000 per annum starting in August 2006.

Walker Singleton is currently advertising the 4,800 sq ft Clintons unit at £40,000 per annum. The 2,937 sq ft Card Factory unit is currently being advertised by Lambert Smith Hampton.

Clinton Cards was the UK's largest specialist retailer of greetings cards and related products with in excess of 750 stores and 2011 revenues of over £360m across its two retail brands, Clinton Cards and Birthdays. The company is now managed by Schurman Retail Group.

The Clintons branch on Fargate in Sheffield city centre has also recently closed. Remaining South Yorkshire stores can be found in Sheffield, Barnsley and Doncaster.

Highlighting the national picture, December's like-for-like sales growth on the UK's high streets was -0.1%, according to BDO's High Street Sales Tracker (HSST). The negative figure means the UK has now seen four consecutive Decembers with no high street sales growth.

Office of National Statistics (ONS) retail figures revealed that retailers saw a strong end to 2016 with sales in the final quarter up 5.6% on the same period last year, although the amount bought fell between November and December once the effects of Christmas are removed. Online sales increased year-on-year by 21.3%.

Clintons website

Images: Walker Singleton

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News: Auction at liquidated training firm

An auction is taking place today at Brinsworth Training's premises in Rotherham after the well-established training firm went into liquidation.

A leading engineering and manufacturing training provider, its training premises at Templeborough boast an extensively equipped machine shop along with specialist equipment for Mechanical Engineering, Electrical, Electronics, PLC, Instrumentation & Control, CAD CAM and Rapid Prototyping.

A meeting of members and creditors was held in December to discuss the proposed liquidation of the business under the supervision of Gareth Rusling and Ashleigh Fletcher of business advisers Begbies Traynor in Sheffield.

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The advisers at Begbies Traynor were subsequently appointed as liquidators and Ellis Willis & Becket auctioneers were brought in to recover revenue for the creditors by selling off everything from swivel chairs to CNC machines.

The business advisers said that the business experienced falling revenues leading to cash flow problems making it unviable to continue trading.

Documents filed at Companies House show that the company had a deficit of some £400,000. Preferential creditors - the staff and redundancy office, and NatWest Bank are owed £26,000 each. Unsecured non-preferential claims include a £147,000 tax bill from HMRC and £100,000 from employees and the Redundancy Payments Office.

With £125,000 owed to trade creditors, the biggest bill is for Tata Steel, whose site the training academy was based.

In 1995 the EITB (Engineering Industry Training Board) closed down, leaving a great need for apprenticeships training. Three former employees of the EITB recognising the demand for this knowledge and in 1998 seeing there was a niche in the marketplace formed a centre for training in engineering. Brinsworth Training was wholly owned by managing director Mick Crossley, a former Rolls-Royce manufacturing engineer, and worked with many of the region's top firms such as Firth Rixson, AESSEAL, Premier Foods, KP and Safestyle.

In 2014, the Academy of Manufacturing and Engineering Excellence (AMEE) was established at the centre with the target of training up to 800 young people and placing 300 jobless into apprenticeships.

Images: EWB Auctions

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News: Millions in funding for key Rotherham projects set for approval

Over £10m of funding is set to be approved by Sheffield city region (SCR) officials for key regeneration projects in Rotherham - including the £12m Higher Education Campus and the revamp of Forge Island in Rotherham town centre.

The RNN Group has been successful in securing £3.5m from the Sheffield city region skills capital fund - a £13m pot for training space, workshop or launch pad facilities.

The SCR combined authority is set to sign off the bid at the end of January and proceed to Full Approval and Award of Contract.

The Centre for Higher Level Skills project involves the construction of a 35,500 sq ft campus in Rotherham town centre which is set to be built on the site where the former Victorian hospital at Doncaster Gate was controversially demolished by Rotherham Council.

The papers explain: "The centre will offer an employer driven curriculum providing the skills and competency training provision that best meets the needs of the local economy and is focused on key growth sectors.

"The curriculum offer will focus on higher level vocational training, apprenticeship, degree apprenticeships and foundation degrees. The Centre for High Level Skills will also be used to deliver full cost commercial training, host small conferences (aimed at employers and learners at the centre), seminars and other stakeholder activity such as business, skills and employment groups."

The bid would lead to the creation of 200 jobs and hopes to assist over 1,000 people in boosting their skills over the next five years.

The funding has a clawback clause of 30% based on learner number outcomes. In November, Rothbiz reported on Heads of Terms being issued by Lloyds Bank to the RNN Group for a loan of £4.5m to replace the existing Rotherham Council loan, together with £6m to fund the Higher Skills Centre project.

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Also set for sign off by the SCR combined authority is funding for £1.2m of transport improvements to support the proposed £37m leisure development adjacent to Rother Valley Country Park and expansion of the Vector 31 commercial development.

A £759,000 grant is to be matched with £384,000 from Rotherham Council for improvements to four existing junctions on the A618 and A57 network with traffic lights and extra lanes.

A bid for funding from Rotherham Council for its plans for a new £43.5m leisure development on Forge Island has been amended. The value for money indicators for a £1.5m grant have not been met but the money could still be forthcoming in the form of a bridging finance facility.

The upfront money is needed to acquire the site from Tesco, demolish the old supermarket and clear the site and enhance its attractiveness to future developers to deliver a leisure and cultural quarter (hotel, cinema plus A3 uses).

Further phases of the project include £6.1m of council investment in works relating to site remediation, flood issues and infrastructure works such as bridge repairs.

Phase 3 involves the procurement of a development partner to drive forward the development of the site for leisure and culture in partnership with the Council – including two adjacent sites for residential development. This will deliver 38 direct net jobs and six indirect net jobs.

The proposed £7m acquisition of the AMP Technology Centre is unlikely to be signed off by the end of January as due diligence on the Council's proposal continues.

Images: RNN Group / Bond Bryan

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News: National steel strategy would support Rotherham economy

It may not employ the numbers it once did but Rotherham is still reliant on the steel industry and its value to the local economy should not be underestimated.

This week sees the All Party Parliamentary Group of Steel and Metal Related Industries publish its industrial strategy for steel - "Steel 2020: Forging a future for the British steel industry." The report lays out a blueprint industrial strategy for the UK steel industry that will enable it not only to survive, but to thrive.

Rotherham Council believes that Government support on technology development and clarity on future policy would help the world-class steel-making operations in the Sheffield city region.

The APPG includes the three Rotherham MPs and its inquiry took evidence from across the steel industry and its supply chain, and from the shop floor to the boardroom.

Steel 2020 contains 43 tangible policy recommendations to create a level playing field with an investment friendly environment created by the Government. The recommendations focus on much-debated issues such as energy prices, exports, procurement, business rates, supply chains, skills, R&D and union relations.

Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon and Chair of the Steel 2020 sub-committee, said: "The UK steel industry has been hamstrung by government policies that place our steel industry at a significant disadvantage, by comparison to global competitors. It is a testament to the professionalism, skill and dedication of the workforce that the industry has been able to keep pace and continue to innovate, but without radical and urgent policy action the industry, and the communities represented by the APPG, could be facing a future of perpetual crisis and decline.

"If we continue along the current path, characterised by a government whose attitude can best be described as a toxic combination of incompetence and indifference, we will see the further decline of the industry and our communities.

"However, as this report shows, another path is possible and achievable. With strategic action from government and the industry we can build a better future for the British steel industry, we can trigger a modern manufacturing renaissance, we can re-balance the British economy, and we can forge a new, more resilient, kind of growth."

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Rotherham Council provided written evidence for the report. The authority's response stated that national strategy for manufacturing and steel would support the local economy.

The Council said: "Rotherham is reliant on the steel industry and its value to the local economy should not be underestimated. However, whilst the industry has been hit hard over the past decades, in Rotherham, a restructuring of the steel industry into higher-value products and diversification has meant for example, until late, an upturn in the speciality arm of Tata.

"With further support on technology development and clarity on future policy, this trend could continue, developing a world-class steel industry, supplying high value manufacturing and boosting the UK's position as a technology-led economy.

"Locally, this opportunity to grow the sector and develop it further could stem the decline and impacts upon the local economy and in time offer growth for the industry, jobs for local people and increased spend in the local economy. Successful and profitable industry in turn links to the sense of place and pride in the borough that has been developed over so many years."

The report highlights the national importance of the Speciality Steels sites in South Yorkshire which produce aerospace steels for one in three aeroplanes in the world.

Rotherham Council's evidence also highlights the 420 companies in the Sheffield city region that are in Tata Steel's local supply chain, employing thousands of workers - from taxi firms to industrial services providers. It adds that the steel industry in the borough has a combined business rates bill of over £4m, with Tata Steel's multiple sites responsible for £3.1m per annum, of which 49% is currently retained by the Council.

Images: Tata Steel

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News: New head chef at Rotherham hotel

The Carlton Park, Rotherham's largest independently owned hotel, is hoping to turn up the heat in its kitchen this New Year, after appointing a new head chef who is aiming to bring a true taste of Yorkshire to guests.

Paul Spruce, 34, began his catering career learning from celebrity chef Andrew Turner, who helped to pioneer the concept of grazing in restaurants across Europe and featured regularly on a range of cookery programmes including Masterchef and Saturday Kitchen.

Drawing on the wealth of experience and knowledge Andrew shared with Paul, he landed a role as head chef at a leading Sheffield hotel, before launching his own catering company which specialised in private dining functions. Paul will be responsible for overseeing a team of eight chefs, which have recently been awarded a five star food hygiene rating.

Since joining the Carlton Park, Paul has developed a brand new menu, drawing on inspiration from locally sourced fresh produce which will include a combination of popular favourites as well as a range of changing seasonal specials. The new menu will feature a range of appetising dishes including a selection of salads, burgers using the finest Yorkshire beef as well as a changing selection of gourmet dishes and traditional family favourites.

Under his leadership, Paul is helping his team to learn the art of butchery and fish preparation, with daily fresh fish dish available, but crucially, he has spent time building relationships with a number of local farmers and food producers, sourced as closely as possible, with almost 90% of produce travelling less than 50 miles from gate to plate.

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Jason Gossop, sales manager at the Carlton Park Hotel, said: "Like every hotel, the kitchen and restaurant is the jewel in the crown of our offering. Paul brings with him lots of energy, drive and experience and through the efforts he has already made, we've been able to support a number of new local producers and farmers. Paul's first new menu reflects this commitment, placing seasonal produce and fresh ingredients at the heart of the hotel's food offering.

"Last year saw Carlton Park celebrate its 35th anniversary and to coincide with the celebration we wanted to launch a brand new menu offering a range of dishes created using fresh locally sourced fish, 100% Yorkshire beef and seasonal specials from warm, hearty soups for the colder, winter months to healthy and refreshing salads."

Paul Spruce, head chef at Carlton Park hotel (pictured, second left), added: "Joining the hotel is an exciting new challenge. I've inherited a good team around me who share my passion and fondness for creativity and although I've only been at Carlton Park for just a short period of time, I've been made to feel very welcome.

"The new menu I have developed celebrates the best of all things Yorkshire, but perhaps equally importantly I'm helping to pass on the knowledge and expertise I have learned during my career to the next generation. Skills like fish preparation and butchery are vital to producing high quality dishes and because every dish is cooked fresh from scratch, it means that special dietary requirements can easily be accommodated."

Carlton Park Hotel website

Images: Carlton Park Hotel

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News: Xeros targets textile sector

Xeros, the cleantech company based in Rotherham, has revealed that textiles is the first of its new target markets for its patented polymer beads.

Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP), Xeros is a Leeds University spin-out that has so far been deploying its special polymers in the laundry and leather tanning industries where they can massively reduce the amounts of water needed.

Having raised a further £40m in a share issue at the end of 2015, the AIM-listed firm has boosted its R&D and engineering teams as it commercialises the technology. The group's strategy is to develop and commercialise Intellectual Property to deliver significant water and chemical savings to large scale global industries. Xeros' patented technology can be applied in partnerships with other companies across an increasing number of sectors.

The firm has now announced that the third area of focus for development of its technology will be the textile sector.

Rothbiz reported last year on the progress being made on the third generation of polymer beads. Three specific applications were selected for further R&D within the Xeros Technology Centre on the AMP and scale trials were pencilled in. The company has been coy about the new applications but say that they are as big as laundry and leather and should have a shorter development lifecycle.

The group has also provided a trading update which highlighted that major commercial relationships were in development and the award of Approved Supplier status for Hilton hotels in the Americas, which comprises an estate of over 4,300 hotels now with access to Xeros' cleaning technology.

The US has been the target market in laundry with partners approved to sell, install and commission Xeros machines. 316 have been installed and the company has increased its commissioning capacity to meet demand and introduced its new 16kg machines to the market.

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The Group also said that it continued its detailed discussions with several globally recognised OEMs to incorporate Xeros' technology in Commercial and Residential washing machines.

Targeting the $50 billion leather processing market for the deployment of its polymer beads, Xeros has signed a heads of terms with Wollsdorf Leder Tannery in Austria for a ten-year contract to convert its entire re-tanning processes to Xeros' technology in 2017. It follows from successful trials and four European tanneries committed to trials in December with two currently underway, including one with a globally recognised brand. The Group now has a dedicated commercialisation team in place.

On the new area of textiles, Xeros said it has started small-scale trials and that all early indications are that the technology can reduce the chemistry, water consumption and effluent in textile manufacturing. Work is now underway to cover application areas with Intellectual Property registration.

Mark Nichols, chief executive of Xeros, said: "We continued to make excellent progress in the execution of our platform strategy. The endorsement of such leading organisations as Hilton and Wollsdorf further validates the benefits of adopting our polymer technology.

"We have identified textiles as the third area of focus. It is a sector which is very water and chemical intensive and therefore holds significant potential for our technology.

"We are in advanced discussions with a number of globally recognised brands as we look to accelerate the adoption of our technology. We look forward to reporting on further progress in 2017. We are confident of increasing the penetration of our chosen markets."

Xeros website

Images: Xeros

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