News: New addition to Rothbiz team

Rotherham Business News is pleased to announce a new addition to the Rothbiz family.

Our editor, Tom Austen, and wife, Caroline, have welcomed a beautiful baby daughter, Emily.

Born earlier this month at Rotherham Hospital, Emily is keeping her new parents very busy and is obviously keen to explore the borough and wider world.

Tom Austen, editor at Rotherham Business News, said: "Everyone and everything is perfect."

Images: Tom Austen

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News: New uses for Hamby's legacy projects

The changing face of Rotherham's High Street - as Hamby's prepares to move out, it is exciting to see one of the new generation of entrepreneurs preparing to move in.

Hamby's has recently announced the closure of the shoe shop at the top of the High Street but another Rotherham town centre business - Holy Ghost Tattoo Collective - already has designs on taking on the landmark building.

Based in the nearby historic Imperial Buildings, Emily Dawson - the town centre's first female tattoo artist - manages a quirky tattoo studio offering fully custom designs drawn by each artist on the team in their own individual style. The studio also hosts guest artists from up and down the country offering customers an even greater selection of looks to choose from.

The first studio opened in 2013 and a second studio opened in The Old Town Hall in 2018 to enable the business to offer more services and products to an ever increasing customer base.

Emily, the winner of the last ever Rotherham Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2017, said on Facebook: "Due to us expanding once again, we have secured an amazing new studio in Rotherham. Don't worry though, it is only a few short steps away from our current, main studio in the Imperial Buildings.

"Thank you to all our amazing clients for your continued support! We cannot wait to welcome you all into the spectacular new studio!"

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The changes to Rotherham's historic High Street could not have happened without Chris Hamby (pictured) and it will be sad to see the retailer go. But his legacy will remain.

The former premises of John Mason Jewellers at the top of the High Street was bought and taken over by Hamby's in 2003 and funding was secured from the Heritage Lottery-Funded (HLF) Townscape Heritage Initiative for a new shop front to restore the building to its original appearance.

An even bigger challenge came ten years later when Chris saved the Three Cranes building over the road and created a complex of mixed-used outlets focusing on the listed buildings with financial backing via Rotherham Council.

25 and 27 on the High Street was included on the first Heritage at Risk Register in 1999 and finally taken off in 2015 with the revitalisation complete.

The former Three Cranes Inn, that occupied a timber framed building dating back to the 15th Century, is thought to be the oldest domestic building in the town. It became Hamby's Antique Centre but this too is set to close at the end of March.

It has always been envisaged that the saved premises could return to a pub and this looks increasingly likely following the success of the £500,000 revamp of the nearby grade II listed George Wright building which reopened as a boutique hotel, bar and restaurant last year.

The former Three Cranes Inn was probably built as a merchant's town house around 1600.

The grade 2* listed building is the only timber framed building to survive in Rotherham town centre.

Hamby's website
Holy Ghost Tattoo Collective website

Images: RMBC / Heritage England

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News: Rolls-Royce welcomes Emirates order

Rolls-Royce has secured an order for its iconic Trent 7000 engines to power 40 Airbus A330neo aircraft from Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East.

But the world-renowned engineers say they are saddened by the decision by Airbus to end deliveries of the A380.

Emirates has also ordered 30 Airbus A350 aircraft, powered by the Trent XWB and Rolls-Royce will also provide Trent 900 engines for a further 14 Airbus A380s, taking the total Emirates A380 fleet powered by Trent 900 engines to 33 aircraft.

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The engines will contain turbine blades manufacturing in Rotherham at Rolls-Royce's Advanced Blade Casting Facility (ABCF), the £110m facility on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP).

The Nickel-based superalloys are made from single crystals using the very latest manufacturing techniques. These SX blades generate the power of a Formula 1 racing car and temperature within the high pressure turbine is 1,700 degrees centigrade, hotter than the melting point of the turbine blades themselves, so they have to be coated with a special ceramic and cooled with air passed through the discs and out of a series of precise holes in the blade.

Chris Cholerton, president – civil aerospace at Rolls-Royce, said: "We welcome the news that Emirates is further extending its relationship with Airbus and Rolls-Royce. The addition of Airbus A330-900 and Airbus A350-900 aircraft to the Emirates fleet will make the airline one of the largest users of Trent engines in the world and we look forward to continuing to support them and their customers."

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The agreement supersedes previous deals with Emirates for a total of 52 A380 aircraft powered by the Trent 900 - described in 2015 as "one of the largest ever export orders for a UK company."

With Emirates reducing its A380 orderbook, and with a lack of order backlog with other airlines, Airbus said that it will cease deliveries of the A380 in 2021.

The four-engine A380 is the world's largest passenger airliner. Rolls-Royce secured more than 50% market share on the aircraft, in addition to being selected by the majority of Airbus A380 customers.

Cholerton added: "The A380 is a world class feat of engineering, much loved by passengers, and we are obviously saddened that deliveries will come to an end. We are very proud to have supported the aircraft with our Trent 900 engine. We look forward to supporting the fleet, as the A380 continues to delight travellers, for many years to come."

Rolls-Royce website

Images: Airbus

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News: Master Cutler launches 2019 challenge

Businesses and organisations from across Sheffield and Rotherham came together recently in the elegant and historical Cutler's Hall to be part of the launch of The Master Cutler's Challenge 2019.

The charity challenge was launched in 2008, when the Master Cutler for that year, Gordon Bridge from AESSEAL in Rotherham, invited companies to transform a £50 investment into as much charity fundraising as possible.

Every year has seen the event grow – more than 500 companies have taken part to date, raising in excess of £1m for a range of charities.

The current Master Cutler, Nicholas Cragg, opened proceedings with a speech about the two charities – Rotherham Hospice and St Luke's in Sheffield – and why he has chosen them for this year's challenge.

Jordan, a volunteer with St Luke's also took to the stage to tell her story of her experience of the Sheffield-based hospice and the care and support given to her grandfather Colin and father-in-law Andrew as well as their family and friends at such a difficult and emotional time.

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Rotherham Hospice's head of community services, Helen Preece, gave a speech about the challenges faced by hospice community teams, and the hard work they undertake day and night to ensure patients and families are comfortable and looked after in their own homes.

The businesses and organisations collected their £50 initial investment from the Master Cutler and will now be busy raising money. Previous initiatives included turning the streets of Sheffield into a giant monopoly game, waxing legs, hitch hiking, or riding a bike for 32 hours.

The Master Cutler Nick Cragg said: "A massive thanks to the challengers, new and returning, who came to the launch of the 2019 Challenge in the Cutlers Hall. Good luck and I wish you every success. Thank you too to the fund raising teams of both hospices who worked so hard to make it happen."

Master Cutler Challenge website

Images: Master Cutler

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News: Gala boss aims for further growth

Rotherham-based Gala Tent has shown double digit growth for January 2019, despite the continued uncertainty around Brexit.

Founded in 1999, Gala Tent is one of the UK's leading producers of marquees, tents and gazebos. It has grown to sell over 15,000 tents and marquees each year, along with around 100,000 event accessories and furniture products. It grew from a table top operation in Grimethorpe to a company with a turnover of £10m having moved into new 53,000 sq ft headquarters at Fairfield Park in Manvers in 2011.

Jason Mace, founder of Gala Tent (pictured second left receiving the latest award), said: "We believe our recent growth is mainly down to trust amongst our many clients, that we are a strong brand producing quality products for the event industry."

Gala Tent has successfully maintained its relationship with several international distributors for its products in Ireland, Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, Malta, Iceland and Holland. With more ambition of becoming an international player in the Marquee business, Jason is hoping to expand on this and gain further distributors around Europe and eventually the rest of the world.

Jason added: "Expansion is the key to Gala Tent's success, tapping into countries we hadn't previously sold in provides us with a wider market to supply to. We hope to become a serious European player in the marquee business over the next few years, with a showroom in every country on the continent."

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On Brexit, Jason said. "I don't see a problem with Brexit. For me, in business there is always a positive in any situation. If you're looking for the negatives, then of course you will find them. I believe there will be a lot of commercial opportunity after we leave the EU, even if there is no deal reached, and I fully intend to grab those opportunities for my business."

The past 12 months have also been fruitful for Mace's other business interests which include the Gala Performance brand, which supplies the Motorsport sector, recording an impressive 95% year on year growth, and holds high hopes of similar growth in the new year. Gala Graphics, which produce wide format print and promotional work, are also expanding in to the branded clothing market this year.

Gala Technology has also seen major traction with SOTpay, a unique payment transfer system which uses a series of rigorous card and customer checks to prevent fraudulent transactions from taking place. The award-winning technology has recently been paired with Cardstream, the UK's largest independent provider of white label payment software and services.

Mace also found time to save the iconic Empress Building in Mexborough.

Gala Tent website

Images: Gala Tent

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News: Rotherham hotel on the market

A corporate hotel in Rotherham has been made available for sale.

Known as the Holiday Inn Express Rotherham – North, the 130-bed hotel was a key development within the £100m+ Waterfront development at Manvers by TCN UK which also incorporates lakeside houses and apartments, commercial space, a boating lake and golf course.

Agents at Knight Frank have now been commissioned to sell the property which has been given a guide price of £4.95m.

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The hotel also has a bar and restaurant plus five conference rooms, free Wi-Fi and free on-site parking.

Specialist hotel developer Heritage London & Hanover Group began construction of the £9m development in 2008 and it opened in late 2009 as the Park Inn by Radisson.

In 2012, the owners engaged BDL Management to operate the hotel on their behalf and it was refurbished and relaunched as The Holiday Inn Express Rotherham North later that year.

Then in 2015, the hotel was added to the growing portfolio of Vivek Chadha's Nine Group which develops and manages multiple branded hotels in the UK and is a major commercial investor in UK real estate.

Nine Group website

Images: Nine Group

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News: Skills Bank back to boost SCR businesses

The Skills Bank is returning to the Sheffield city region (SCR) to enable more businesses to tap into funding to upskill their workforce and grow their company.

The Skills Bank was designed to give employers greater purchasing power and control in how Government funded training is accessed. The aim is to create a demand-led skills system and encourage companies to co-invest in skills support for their own employees. It stems from a strategic aim to increase the number of high productivity jobs in the SCR.

Rothbiz reported last year that contracting was underway after the first phase of the scheme came to an end in March 2018.

Calderdale College has been named as the managing agent following the award of the £5.4m contract via the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). Multinational professional services company, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) were the managing agent for the first phase.

The college will work closely with SCR's Growth Hub team to manage the funding and support local organisations to access bespoke training that responds directly to their needs and supports growth in their organisation.

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James Muir, chair of the SCR LEP, said: "Sheffield city region has an economy of more than £33bn, which has already grown by £1.34 billion between 2013 and 2015.

"Our target as a LEP is to further grow our region's economy by 10% (£3.1 billion) before 2024 – and we are well on track to achieve these ambitions.

"Skills Bank is absolutely key to growing our region's businesses, particularly SMEs. I’m therefore delighted to see that Calderdale College has been appointed, and that the next phase of Skills Bank is soon to launch.

"As well as enabling people to advance their careers, upskilling workers means increased productivity and ultimately more jobs and economic growth for the region as a whole – securing our position as a highly attractive place to start up, locate and invest."

Ebrahim Dockrat, director of commercial services and partnerships at Calderdale College, added: "Skills Bank is a huge initiative for Sheffield city region and we are thrilled to be appointed as the managing agent.

"At Calderdale College, our focus is on helping employers develop the skills they need to grow their business and this programme will do exactly that. We bring a huge amount of expertise from our many years of working closely with the Education and Skills Funding Agency on major funded training programmes. I'm pleased that we can add Skills Bank to our portfolio and look forward to the next phase."

SCR Growth Hub website

Images: Sheffield University

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News: AMRC engineers are multi-talented, it "seams"

Staff at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Rotherham have another opportunity to gather and become more tight-knit over a national TV event with colleague, Alexei Winter, taking part in the latest series of the BBC's Great British Sewing Bee.

Alexei is a project engineer at the AMRC's Machining Group, which has multimillion pound facilities in the Factory of the Future on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham.

Alexei is the second of the centre's multi-talented engineers to take part in a televised competition within the last 12 months, follow Dr Rahul Mandal who won Channel 4's Great British Bake Off last year.

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Having joined in 2018, Alexei's day job is working primarily with CAD-CAM systems, developing new and efficient ways to machine a variety of components in aluminium, steel and titanium.

The 36 year old, who lives in Leeds, brought a wealth of engineering experience to the AMRC, having graduated as an aerospace engineer at the University of Bristol in 2007; he then went onto complete an industrial doctorate there to explore new and innovative devices for harnessing tidal energy in 2013.

His engineering experience is as varied as his passions outside his career, which include time spent in Cardiff to train as a singer at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, tinkering with home electronics and being a keen sewing enthusiast.

His passion for creating men's tailoring has catapulted him onto the 2019 series of the Great British Sewing Bee which began this week on BBC2.

Alexei started sewing just over two years ago and enjoys using his engineering skills to make precise garments, paying close attention to the smallest detail. Having had MS for more than ten years, which affects the right side of his body, he has had to learn to compensate with his left hand while sewing.

Alexei is also passionate about education, having tutored students in Leeds in mathematics and physics before hearing about the AMRC and successfully applying for a position within the Machining Group. He also recently became a STEM ambassador and is looking forward to helping to inspire the next generation of engineers.

AMRC website

Images: AMRC

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News: Rotherham College students game for developing skills

Plucky catering students at Rotherham College have had their hands busy preparing and cooking an unusual game dish in an exciting workshop.

Rothbiz reported in December on the Teach Too project which ensures that catering and hospitality, travel and tourism and digital students can benefit from more industrial placements, masterclasses and workshops led by industry professionals.

Catering curriculum manager, Will Sibley invited Mark Baines of Braehead Foods, one of Scotland's largest independent food wholesalers, to share his experience with catering students.

Will said: "We approached Mark due to his highly-skilled background, such as working in Jamie Oliver's restaurant, Fifteen, and help us provide our students sought-after specialist skills."

The aim of the Teach Too project is to drive excellence in vocational education and training through collaborative arrangements, encouraging people from industry to spend some time teaching their work, as well as giving employers a direct involvement in designing, planning and developing vocational programmes.

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Mark Baines, chef sales manager of Braehead, brought several raw pheasants and demonstrated to the students how to pluck, prepare and cook the birds to a restaurant standard.

Mark said: "The students have cooked the meat on the bone, performed pan work and have produced a very superior product which is consistent form beginning to end.

"I was so impressed that every single bird they cooked was to a restaurant standard – for them to produce that first time is impressive. I cooked a plate of food they've never cooked before, they went away and replicated it well."

The workshop taught the participating Catering students the entire process of how the food goes from source to plate. Mark explained how the pheasants were sourced in the Scottish Highlands and would be prepared for presentation as a restaurant-standard game dish.

Shauna Hatton, a Level 3 student in Professional Cookery, took part in the workshop. She said: "I now know more about game. When you work as a chef you may be given a full bird and told to make a meal out of it; I think this has helped us prepare for these demands in the workplace."

Louise Priestley, also a Level 3 student in Professional Cookery, added: "I've heard that some places buy pre-packed materials so to see the bird in its' raw form was very interesting; I think this will be useful for working in the industry."

Rotherham College website

Images: RCAT

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News: Brexit tool for local businesses

An online Brexit planning tool has been launched to enable business owners in the Sheffield city region (SCR) to carry out a self-assessment and understand the potential ongoing impacts of Britain leaving the EU.

Rothbiz reported last month that economic growth in the SCR is set to be impacted by Brexit, from problems with exporting for the manufacturing sector to reduced levels of inward investment.

Through the SCR Growth Hub, the gateway for businesses to access specialist support, the online tool covers business strategy and operations, people and skills, export, sales and marketing, finance and innovation.

The tool asks a series of questions and rank the preparedness of the business based on the responses provided.

The planning tool will then provide advice on strengths and weaknesses across the six areas and take a view on potential vulnerabilities, both pre and post Brexit.

Businesses will be provided with a personalised report which will make suggestions on resources that are available, and recommend actions businesses could take to mitigate the potential impact.

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James Muir, chair of the SCR Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said: "The LEP board discussed the importance of encouraging and supporting businesses across the region to prepare themselves and understand the potential ongoing impacts of Brexit on their businesses.

"This online Brexit planning tool is a great way for all businesses, big or small to understand what they need to be thinking about regarding Brexit.

"This will be one of the region's biggest challenges in the coming months and as LEP Chair I will be working with the other board members to ensure that businesses are prepared and that they continue to grow and thrive even after the UK exits the European Union.”

David Grimes, head of the SCR Growth Hub, added: "Nobody can possibly know what the full impact of exiting the European Union will be for every business across the Sheffield City Region, and indeed across the country.

"But here at the SCR Growth Hub, we're ready and waiting with expert advice to support businesses and to help them understand, as much as possible, how to address their potential challenges.

"One common theme we've seen emerging from businesses is that they are waiting to see what happens with Brexit before thinking about how it might affect them and what action to take.

"We're therefore encouraging people to start considering the impacts on their business at a much earlier stage than they may be anticipating – and this Brexit planning tool is an ideal step in that process."

SCR Growth Hub website

Images: SCR Growth Hub

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News: Rotherham records fastest growing economy in the North

Rotherham had the fastest growing economy in the whole of the North of the UK in the third quarter of 2018, according to recent research.

Rotherham's £4.4 billion a year economy was a top performer in 2017 and into 2018, staying at the top of the UK Powerhouse rankings for GVA growth.

The UK Powerhouse study is produced by Irwin Mitchell and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) and provides an estimate of GVA growth and job creation within 46 of the UK's largest cities at least 12 months ahead of the Government's official figures. It uses a range of more timely indicators to create a "nowcast" of GVA and employment for a range of key cities across the UK.

In the latest study, Rotherham is ranked 15th for year on year GVA growth (up from 17th in the previous quarter) - leapfrogging Manchester as the top ranked Northern economy.

GVA, or Growth Value Added, is the increase in the value of the economy due to the production of goods and services. It is widely recognised by Government and policy makers as a measure of local economies.

For Rotherham, GVA in Q3 of 2018 (October, November, December) was 1.4% up on the same quarter in the previous year. This compares to an increase of 2.2% in Q1 of 2018 and 2.3% in Q2 of 2018.

In Q3 2018, the study shows that annual growth for the UK was 1.5%, down from 2.0% in Q3 2017. This slowdown across the country is reflected in a slowing of growth across many of the Powerhouse cities. Topped by Cambridge and Reading, no economy sees growth faster than 2.3% which is well below the top growth rates observed in previous quarters.

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The study also includes estimates of employment levels with Rotherham's Q3 2018 figure at 106,000, up 1.1% on the same quarter in the previous year and ranking 23rd in the study. This is a dip from the 107,000 figure estimated in Q2 of 2018.

Looking ahead the study shows that Rotherham's economy is expected to continue to grow with a year on year growth rate of 1.5% forecast for Q3 2019. Job numbers are also predicted to continue to increase and reach 107,200 in Q3 2019.

The latest official figures, which date from 2017/18, have 99,000 jobs in the borough in comparison to 104,000 in 2016/17. Rotherham Council has set a target of the figure rising by 1,000 new jobs each year. A recent report to councillors said that the figure "contradicts all other measures of Rotherham's current economy and feedback from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) indicates that the data is misleading."

The reply from the ONS indicated that the 2016 figure was "optimistic" and likely to be due to over reporting of jobs in the health sector.

The study also looked at three Brexit scenarios. Josie Dent, economist at Cebr, said: "With uncertainty still surrounding what the deal – or indeed lack of deal – between the UK and EU will be on departure day, Cebr's economic forecasts under different scenarios highlight the impact that Brexit could have on the economy, finding that business investment is set to suffer in particular in the months following a potential no-deal Brexit.

"However, our models show that the UK labour market in a no-deal scenario is more resilient than some expect, as the changing nature of employment means firms can be more flexible and adjust without the need to fire employees."

Irwin Mitchell website
CEBR website

Images: Harworth Group

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News: £35m project to create smarter, greener and cleaner steel

Local experts from The University of Sheffield will join with other research and industry partners to work together on a seven-year programme to transform Britain's steel sector.

Liberty Steel, Sheffield Forgemasters and British Steel, which have facilities in the Sheffield city region (SCR), have signed up to the network called SUSTAIN which aims to create, smarter, greener and cleaner steel.

SUSTAIN is supported by a £12.5m investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and will be one of their Future Manufacturing Research Hubs. Led by Swansea University and partnered with the University of Warwick, the network involves more than 20 partners across the UK steel industry.

The announcement is a landmark as it is the first time that UK steel producers and representatives from the manufacturing sector have lined up behind a co-ordinated programme of research. It is also the largest ever single investment in steel research by a UK research council. The plan is that SUSTAIN will be a seed from which much wider research and innovation will grow, drawing on expertise across UK academia and beyond.

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The aim of SUSTAIN is to transform the whole steel supply chain, making it cleaner, greener and smarter, and more responsive to the fast-changing needs of customers. Its work will be concentrated on two areas:

Its work will be concentrated on zero waste iron and steelmaking, aimed at making the industry carbon-neutral by 2040, and on smart steel processing based on more intelligent uses of data to find ways to make industry's processes and products even greener, such as harvesting untapped energy sources, capturing carbon emissions and re-processing societal and industrial waste streams.

The project aims to double UK steel manufacturers' gross value added (GVA) by 2030, boost jobs in the industry to 35,000 and increase productivity by 15%.

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Professor Mark Rainforth from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The University of Sheffield, said: "Steel is fundamental to every aspect of society. Developing higher performance steels with reduced carbon footprint during manufacture is key to reducing CO2 emissions and therefore contributing to the reduction in global warming. This grant brings together all the UK experts in steel to address this critical issue."

Dr Simon Pike, technical director at Liberty Steel, added: "We're proud to be involved in this flagship programme which will help make Britain a leader once again in the global steel industry.

"This initiative fits perfectly with Liberty's GREENSTEEL vision and with our commitment to the development of a new-generation of steels, including our own latest initiative to create new powder metal alloys suitable for Additive Manufacturing.

"We look forward to working with leading scientists and engineers from across the country to make SUSTAIN a big success."

Liberty Steel website

Images: Liberty House

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News: Rotherham Council repairs contract up for renewal

The long term, multimillion pound contract to repair, maintain and invest in Rotherham Council's housing stock is up for renewal.

Tender documents show that the authority is looking to procure two service providers to partner with to deliver repairs, maintenance, compliance and investment works to properties plus communal areas, community centres, boiler houses and garages.

Given a value of £24m, the tender is broken down into two lots, one for North and one for South. The contract is set to start on April 1 2020 and run for five years.

Rotherham's current council housing stock of circa 20,500 dwellings is a mixture of low and medium rise accommodation, with a small amount of high rise stock. These include both traditional and non-traditional forms of construction.

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In 2010 the authority first went out to the private sector.

From a base at Templeborough, Fortem works with the Council to deliver a repairs and maintenance service to 10,500 homes in the areas of Wentworth South, Wentworth Valley, Rother Valley West and Rother Valley South.

The company, then known as Willmott Dixon's property repairs and maintenance specialist, Willmott Dixon Partnerships, secured the five and a half year contract worth £58m with possible extensions up to 2020.

Morrison Facilities Services began a £60.5m contract to maintain council properties in 2010 to repair and maintain 13,000 properties in Rotherham North, Rotherham South and Wentworth North. Mears, the UK's leading provider of social housing repairs and maintenance services, acquired the company in 2012.

Mears operates a national training centre inside Rotherham United's New York Stadium. Discussions have been held around Fortem creating a new academy and bringing additional jobs to the borough.

The deadline for submitting tenders for the new contract is February 14.

Mears website
Fortem website

Images: Fortem

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News: Taylor&Emmet invests in new Rotherham office

Expanding Sheffield solicitors, Taylor&Emmet LLP, has opened its new office in the heart of Rotherham.

One of the leading and most successful law firms in the South Yorkshire and Derbyshire region, Taylor&Emmet provides legal advice to business and private clients with current branches in Sheffield, Dronfield and Bakewell.

Rothbiz reported last month that office space at the heart of the historic High Street in Rotherham town centre was being readied for the law firm. 15 High Street was previously used by The Source and Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce.

The investment is part of the local solicitors' ambitious growth plans and takes its number of offices in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire to five.

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The new Rotherham office is home to residential conveyancing and family law teams, including mediation and childcare specialists. The firm's full range of business and personal legal services will be accessible, however, as space is available for members of other departments to meet clients by appointment.

For the heads of the conveyancing and family teams, Neil Riley and Michaela Heathcote, opening a Rotherham office has particular significance, as they both grew up in the town.

Neil (pictured, third right), who still lives locally, said: "I am excited to be making Taylor&Emmet's unique range of customer-focused legal services available in a convenient location for my fellow Rotherham residents. It is no secret the town centre has faced a number of challenges during recent years, but there seems to be a renewed sense of optimism, following record investment in the borough. I am really pleased we are contributing to its future development."

Taylor&Emmet website

Images: Taylor&Emmet

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News: Pricecheck again in International Track 200

Pricecheck has again made it in the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 - the lists that ranks Britain's mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales over the last two years.

Pricecheck is a leading supplier of international branded consumer goods, working predominately in the health and beauty sector, dealing with discounted clearance stock.

This is the sixth time in nine years the fast-growing company has been recognised. It won the prestigious Queen's Award for International Trade 2015.

Pricecheck, which ranked at 130 in the list, now operates in more than 80 countries worldwide.

The second generation family owned business was established in 1978 by the parents of Mark Lythe and Debbie Harrison (pictured), who now run the company as joint managing directors. Officially opened in 2016, the ambitious firm moved to new premises at Beighton Link Business Park in Rotherham where an annual turnover of £73m was reported for the 2017-18 financial year – representing an increase of £18.1m on the previous year.

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Mark Lythe, joint managing director at Pricecheck, said: "Pricecheck has bold growth plans which will see further expansion across existing and new territories in the next six years.

"We've consistently featured in the Sunday Times International Track 200 and this is the sixth time in nine years that Pricecheck's growth has been recognised.

"In 2011, when we first appeared, our exports had grown from £2.2m to £5.3m. Now they stand at £32.3m. It's a fantastic accolade and always encouraging to see our growth recognised externally."

Rothbiz reported last month that the firm is targeting £200m turnover by 2025, with 50% of revenue coming from exports.

Also on the International Track 200 for 2019 are Cooper & Turner, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of bolts, nuts and washers used in the energy, rail, construction and other engineering sectors. It has facilities at its Templeborough Works in Sheffield and at Canklow in Rotherham, where the focus is on the wind energy sector. International sales reached an annualised £46.2m last year.

Pricecheck website

Images: Pricecheck

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News: AESSEAL wins prestigious national business award

Rotherham-based manufacturer, AESSEAL has won national recognition at this year's prestigious EEF Future Manufacturing Awards.

With its global headquarters at Templeborough, the £170m turnover company manufactures mechanical seals for a wide range of industries, including oil and gas, food, water, mining and pharmaceuticals.

The Engineering Employers' Federation (EEF) is the UK trade organisation dedicated to the future of manufacturing. Its Future Manufacturing Awards highlight the resilience, determination and ingenuity of the UK's manufacturing community, providing a fantastic opportunity to showcase everything that is great about the industry.

Rothbiz reported in November that AESSEAL had been successful in the regional EEF awards.

AESSEAL won the Developing Future Talent award, sponsored by Randstad Inhouse Services. This award recognises the manufacturer that has done the most across the country to build skills, talent and develop their employees internally and promote engineering and manufacturing careers through activities within the community.

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A panel of judges drawn from business leaders, industry experts and academics were suitably impressed, stating: “This company demonstrated a multi-faceted approach to developing young talent within the sector. This included a schools outreach programme, an award-winning manufacturing apprenticeship programme, support for initiatives to attract and support women in engineering, and a dedicated team including a member of the Enterprise Adviser Network, Prince's Trust Mosaic Mentors and apprentice ambassadors."

Michael Rich, test house manager at AESSEAL, said: "This award is testament to our hard working and dedicated team, and we are delighted to have won. We put a lot of work into developing our people and to be recognised for this is magnificent. I'm thrilled that we have former apprentices here with me tonight celebrating this award."

Sally Cleary, managing director of Randstad In-house Services, said: "The competition within this category was fierce, the entries were truly inspirational and is testament to the talent the industry is nurturing. As an in-house recruitment partner to so many of the UK's manufacturers, we work hard to support our clients in providing solutions within the sector skills shortages. This is why it was so important for Randstad to be part of the recognition of future proofing inspiring talent and celebrate and share in your success stories. I'd like to thank all of the finalists and congratulate AESSEAL on their win on the night. AESSEAL is a great role model to entice more talent into manufacturing."

Stephen Phipson, CEO at EEF, added: "Developing future talent is vital for all manufacturers. The sector is changing at a phenomenal pace so I encourage other manufacturers' to take a leaf out of AESSEAL's book by taking positive steps in up skilling their workforce and preparing for change."

AESSEAL website
EEF website

Images: AESSEAL / EEF

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News: Rotherham's "Old Bank" up for sale

A big balance is required for anyone willing to take on a bank job in Rotherham town centre.

Rothbiz reported last year that the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) branch was one of 162 branch closures announced by the taxpayer-backed group after it decided that NatWest should become its primary customer facing brand in England and Wales, and Royal Bank of Scotland its core brand in Scotland.

The group, which has also recently closed its Swallownest and Wickersley branches, vacated the town centre in November.

Now, agents at Avison Young (the real estate company formerly known as GVA) have been drafted in to sell the prominent 11,324 sq ft property.

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The property at the foot of the High Street extends over basement (complete with strongroom), ground, first and second floors and comes with ten parking spaces at the rear.

With the freehold up for sale, offers are being invited in the region of £425,000.

The agents believe that the premises are suitable for A3 planning uses (Cafes and Restaurants) and A4 (Drinking Establishments), subject to securing planning permission.

1 - 9 High Street has its history in the Sheffield & Rotherham Joint Stock Banking Co Ltd which was a past constituent of RBS. The bank was established in 1792 by famous Rotherham steelmakers, the Walker brothers; along with Vincent Eyre, agent of the Duke of Norfolk (the principal landowner in the area); and William Stanley, a local businessman described as a "gentleman well-known and much respected at Rotherham."

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The bank renamed Walkers & Stanley in 1829 and in 1836 the business was sold for £27,000 to a new joint-stock company, Sheffield & Rotherham Joint Stock Banking Co. The bank grew rapidly but the business was not without problems. Major accounting deficiencies were discovered during the 1840s and bad debts soared during the local commercial depression of the late 1870s.

In 1907, with a paid-up capital of £256,000, the bank was acquired by Williams Deacon's Bank Ltd of London and Manchester. This was later acquired by RBS.

The Grade II listed building was built in 1892 possibly on the site of the "OLD BANK / FOUNDED 1792" as the sign above the doorway reads. The impressive building is notable for its polished granite columns.

Images: Avison Young

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News: Origin Broadband moving on after CVA approval

Origin Broadband seems to have relocated to Rotherham town centre from its Manvers base having secured a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) with its creditors in order to keep trading.

Rothbiz reported in December that the internet company had been hit by high costs and bad debts as it tried to press ahead with ambitious growth plans.

Launching in 2011, Origin has developed its own infrastructure and now host the sixth largest broadband network in the UK. Supplying phone and internet services to businesses and homes across the UK, Origin aims to reach 250,000 customers by 2020.

As part of the growth plans, earlier in 2018, the firm moved from Doncaster to the 53,665 sq ft Unit 7 at Callflex Business Park, Manvers which the firm said "offers an even bigger opportunity for growth."

Now the firm has switched its address to the Old Town Hall in Rotherham town centre. It comes after a CVA was approved at the end of the year.

It is thought that the CVA has lead to a number of redundancies.

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Struggling companies can use a CVA to pay creditors over a fixed period. 75% approval from unsecured creditors is needed to complete a CVA which enables the company to continue trading.

Documents show that Origin Broadband creditors are owed a total of £4.48m and that 100% of creditors voted to accept the CVA.

By far the biggest creditor is BT plc, who were owed £3.68m. Other large creditors include media company Awin (£260,000) and Castan Ltd (£325,000) - the firm that progressed plans for housing within Building 7 on Callflex Business Park back in 2016.

A charge was filed in October relating to a loan facility between Origin and FCFM Group - the owners of The Old Town Hall.

Financial statements filed with Companies House show that Origin Broadband posted a full year loss to March 31 2018 of £7m but funding of £6.75m was secured from investors during and after the financial year to return the business "to a positive net asset position combined with increased cash funds."

The results added that the high growth experienced by the company saw significant up-front costs combined with overhead costs and prudent bad debt assumptions.

Work had been ongoing to secure venture capital and other investment.

Origin Broadband website

Images: Origin Broadband / Merryweathers

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News: Rotherham primary schools host "GullyFest" days

Gulliver's Theme Parks and Work-Wise have partnered up to provide an opportunity for school children in the Rotherham area to engage in GullyFest Days.

Gully Mouse, the Gulliver's gang and Work-Wise have been going into schools to explore jobs and careers within the leisure and visitor economy sector, in a fun and interactive way.

The programmes have been conducted as a part of Work-Wise's Get Up to Speed initiative - inspiring skills and employability. Children were treated to age-appropriate learning about team work, customer care, communication and decision making (to name but a few). Now the GullyFest days are completed, participating children have been tasked with a GullyFest Challenge.

The mission is to incorporate their learning to design a themed area for the new Gulliver's Valley Theme Park; develop a business idea that could operate within the new park; or create a new Gulliver's character to represent it - working as a team to complete the task to the best of their ability.

The GullyFest Challenge Showcase and final will take place on the March 27 at the Get up to Speed Showcase event Magna Science Adventure Centre.

There are five participating schools: Todwick Primary School; Wales Primary; Harthill Primary; Kiveton Park Meadows Junior School; and Anston Hillcrest Primary School.

Mrs Spencer, year 4 teacher at Wales Primary School, said: "What an experience for the children this has been! Totally unique to their usual school routine. It has been a great journey with Gulliver's and Work-Wise to offer this opportunity to our children, who have all taken so much from it. They are all really excited about the new Theme Park!"

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John Barber, chief executive and co-founder at Work-Wise, added: "The children have all been fantastic and we are really looking forward to see what they manage to do in their challenges! Having the children engaged in Gulliver's Adventures has been a lot of fun and we're really thankful to Gulliver's for their partnership."

Work-Wise is an employer inspired and led charity initiative for engineering, manufacturing and related sectors to support the development of young people so they have the knowledge, skills, aptitude and opportunities for employment within the Sheffield city region.

Dean Kimberley, director of guest services at Gulliver's, said: "Gulliver's is a family-run business and the communities surrounding - especially children - are very important to us. We want to do all we can to support the aspirations of youngsters. Becoming involved with Work-Wise to provide the GullyFest Days in schools has been a fantastic experience. We would definitely want to do this again in the future and are looking forward to seeing what ideas the children have!

"Often children have ideas that adults would never dream of, it's also possible some ideas will be implemented in our Gulliver's Valley Theme Park Resort here in Rotherham."

Gulliver's Valley website
Work-Wise website

Images: Gulliver's / Work-Wise

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News: Housing plan for former Rotherham training centre

Plans have been revealed for a site in Rotherham where the former council buildings have been destroyed by fire.

Rothbiz reported on the large 2017 fire at the former Millside centre in Dalton where investigators were unable to determine if it was started deliberately.

Now a planning application has been submitted for the site of the former learning and development centre, which was sold off by Rotherham Council.

The proposal from applicant, Mr Tufail, is to demolish the fire-damaged centre and re-use the site for 20, 3-bed houses and 12, 2-bed apartments with a total of 55 parking spaces and the apartment block is set to be three storeys.

A Mews Court access is proposed which utilises the existing access point. The existing bus stop on Doncaster Road may need to be relocated.

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The site is allocated for residential use in the Rotherham Local Plan. 25% of the development would be required to be affordable housing as this standard is required on all schemes of 15 units and over. A housing association or the Council could purchase the units at less than market rate.

The freehold of the site, which includes former school buildings, went up for sale at auction in January 2017. Totaling 1.46 acres, the site includes buildings with a footprint of approximately 10,000 sq ft and comprised predominantly single storey brick buildings with interlocking pitched tiled roofs.

Auctioneers, Mark Jenkinson & Son, sold the lot for £175,000 in 2017.

Images: Peak Environmental Solutions

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News: Rotherham business park secures £1.47m funding

A £5.5m project to create new industrial space in Rotherham is underway following agreement between developers EV Waddington Ltd and The Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

60,000 sq ft of high quality industrial and manufacturing space for SME occupiers is being created at Northfield Business Park after a £1.47m grant was approved from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) managed by the MHCLG.

The development on Forge Way at Parkgate by EV Waddington offers ten units in two-terraces providing much needed industrial and manufacturing accommodation for the South Yorkshire region.

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Developer Tony Waddington said: "This funding continues our aim to attract new companies to the city region, with the right commercial property offer.

"The premises have been designed with the utmost flexibility and are suitable for manufacturing and industrial use and the units can be combined to accommodate larger requirements where required."

Rebecca Schofield, partner at the Sheffield office of Knight Frank, which acted for EV Waddington and helped provide market advice to secure the ERDF grant, added: "The accommodation is ideally located within the Parkgate area of Rotherham and offers a range of unit sizes to appeal to the local and regional market."

A leader in speculative development, Rotherham-based Waddington provides the region with industrial, commercial and office accommodation to let.

Paul Mercer, managing director at Mercer & Co, who helped secure the ERDF grant award, said: "This latest addition to the EV Waddington development portfolio will help enhance the competitiveness of SMEs and accelerate development in the region. It will help to accommodate up to 174 new FTE jobs and generate £75m GVA over the next 10-year period thanks to ERDF support."

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The units will be finished to a specification to include 6.5m eaves; connection to all mains services; full height roller shutter loading door and fitted office accommodation over two floors. The units will be constructed to a BREEAM very good specification including solar panels to each unit and are fibre enabled.

As well as the new plans for Northfield, E V Waddington Limited has already developed Vantage Park in Sheffield, Shortwood Business Park in Barnsley, and Aldwarke Business Parks and Chesterton Court in Rotherham.

EV Waddington website

Images: UKSE

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News: Software firm backed up by support in Rotherham

A Rotherham-based software and systems development firm has hired a strategic consultant as a permanent employee – after first working with him thanks to the support and advice of a local business support service.

Business Careware, which provides software to help clients manage meeting spaces and event availability, was keen to grow both in the UK and internationally.

Managing partner Paul Sykes contacted the Rotherham Investment and Development Office (RiDO) to see if it could help in its role as a delivery partner of the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub Enhancement Project.

The ERDF-funded project offers a range of support aimed at high growth companies and RiDO Key Account Manager, Andrew Klinkenberg undertook an evaluation of Business Careware's current position, the challenges it faced and the opportunities available to it.

He recommended the appointment of an external consultant to help develop a strategy from an objective, outsider's perspective to help with their growth ambitions.

The consultant's plans and ideas were so impressive that he ultimately accepted the offer of a position at Business Careware to continue driving further growth.

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Paul Sykes, managing partner at Business Careware, said: "We have worked with RiDO for a number of years; in fact, the assistance it provided was one of the benefits that we identified when deciding to relocate to Rotherham following our acquisition of the business.

"I knew it would be able to help us when we decided we wanted to grow the business, but the support we have received has exceeded all my expectations.

"It has helped us accelerate our growth plans, develop opportunities that we would otherwise not have had access to, and develop our approach – not least with the suggestion of bringing in a strategic consultant who has since joined our team."

As a direct result of the support from RiDO, Business Careware is now hoping to expand into the US market with new contracts and relationships.

Paul added: "It has been fantastic for us and I would definitely advise other local businesses not to hesitate. The sooner you get in touch with RiDO, the better."

The Enhancement Project provides businesses with intensive one-to-one support from a Key Account Manager and access to free Masterclasses delivered by private sector experts.

Business Careware website
RiDO website

Images: Business Careware

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News: Judge dismisses case over INEOS planning decision

A judge has sided with oil and gas exploration and production business, INEOS, and dismissed a legal case to overturn a planning inspector's decision to approve proposals for a test drilling well in Rotherham.

The community group Harthill Against Fracking (HAF) brought the challenge against the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government over a decision of the Planning Inspectorate last year.

The case relates to INEOS submitting an updated travel plan before the public inquiry where it was successful in obtaining planning permission. Rotherham Council had initially set out its stance that it would refuse the plans on transport and ecology grounds.

The application provides temporary permission for a maximum of five years and the operation will involve various site investigation surveys and site preparation before a period of drilling, coring and testing. A well is set to be drilled to approximately 2,800 m using a drill rig of maximum 60 m rig height followed by three months of testing.

Mrs Justice Andrews DBE heard both sides of the claim that whether, in refusing the request from HAF to adjourn the planning inquiry so that they could consider new highways material, the planning inspector acted in breach of the rules of natural justice.

The case, heard in Leeds at the start of the year, showed that HAF relied on the Council to make the running in terms of opposing the appeal and calling expert evidence in opposition to INEOS on the two grounds of refusal.

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Rotherham Council complained to the Planning Inspectorate that it had insufficient time to read, digest and respond to the new report from consultants AECOM, before it had to serve its own evidence.

INEOS argued that, although the AECOM report was 140 pages long, there were only nine pages of operative text describing the changes in the enhanced traffic management plan.

The authority's transport planner went on to state that the updated plan provided mitigation to his earlier concerns and reasons for refusal. The Council's planning board did not agree and the Council's position on the appeal remained one of opposition to the grant of planning permission on grounds of highway safety.

The Inspector ruled that the AECOM report should be accepted in evidence without an adjournment. INEOS representatives would answer questions on the report on day one before representations in the second week of the inquiry, in order to giver interested parties further time.

Solicitors for HAF argued that the timings and the decisions taken by the planning inspector were unfair.

The judge concluded: "The Inspector's refusal to adjourn the Inquiry and the reasonable and proportionate measures he adopted instead to cater for the position of interested parties, including the claimant, did not deprive the claimant of a reasonable opportunity to challenge INEOS's case and put his and HAF's opposing case on the appeal. There was no procedural unfairness, and there was no material prejudice. This statutory challenge must therefore be dismissed."

Images: INEOS / Turley

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News: Opening date for new campsite at Rother Valley

Happy campers can now book a pitch at the new £3.7m caravan site within the popular Rother Valley Country Park (RVCP) in Rotherham.

Plans were approved last year detailing how six hectares within the Greenbelt site would be used to create an attractive caravan site which complements the country park and combines with the leisure facilities.

The site will offer 129 pitches for touring caravans and motorhomes, plus space for 34 tents, along with modern toilet and shower facilities, a reception block with café bar, a shop for visitors and a children's play area.

With work well underway by contractors, Geo Houlton & Sons Ltd, an opening date has been set for April 12.

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The site has been named Waleswood Caravan & Camping Park (there is already a Rother Valley Camping Caravan Park down South).

Pitch prices range from £24 per night, for a small tent pitch, to £39 per night for an extra large "super pitch" for a large motorhome or caravan.

The operators are hoping that the site will gain "AA 5 pennant" standard for its facilities and services.

The camping and caravan site is an "invest-to-save" initiative from Rotherham Council with the income generated putting £339,000 each year back into Council coffers. It is set to benefit from the opening of Gulliver's Valley in 2020 - the new £38m leisure development on adjacent land.

The contractor's construction programme has a completion date of March 4 and it is hoped to initially operate on a trial basis.

Waleswood Caravan & Camping Park

Images: RVCP

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News: Bid to retain SCR's future leaders

A new course developed by Sheffield Hallam University in partnership with employers is aiming to stop the "brain drain" and keep leadership talent in the Sheffield city region (SCR).

Despite a belief to the contrary, only 22% of 2015 graduates who gained employment were still working in the SCR by 2017 - this is significantly lower than in other northern cities.

Research conducted by the University found their main reasons for leaving were a lack of better jobs and progression opportunities and wages being higher elsewhere.

The Professional Practice in Organisational and Regional Change Leadership (PGDip), for both graduates and non graduates, will start in May 2019.

Cllr. Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council, said: "It is really important that we have a highly skilled workforce to drive the local economy across the Sheffield city region. We want people to have real opportunities for career development, so they in turn strengthen our local economy. That is why I welcome the work being undertaken by businesses working with Sheffield Hallam University to develop, nurture and retain talent in our area.

"The new programme at Hallam will be a valuable contribution to this and will support with regional challenges that we all face."

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Conor Moss, director of business engagement and employer partnerships at SHU, added: "As a resident of Sheffield for nearly 20 years, I know only too well what a great place our region is to work and live.

"Enterprising and vibrant urban communities coupled with beautiful countryside presents an attractive offer for anyone. That's why there are some extremely talented individuals active across our region - both home-grown and those who have chosen to stay here, often after coming to study at one of our two world class universities.

"However, whilst we have seen significant regional employment growth and some outstanding new developments in recent times, we all know that we need to do more. The region suffers from low productivity, our economy is building from a low base and there is fierce competition to attract new talent.

"It's a recognised fact that an above average percentage of talent chooses to start their career here immediately after graduating from university. However, perhaps not so well-known is that an above average number choose to leave two or three years into their career - depriving our region of the next generation of dynamic, future leaders."

Researchers spoke to 173 workers within 37 public and private small, medium and large organisations within the SCR.

Graduates said things that would keep them in the area included the right job, development opportunities, geography - with the area and family ties being a strong pull - and the prestige, size, reputation and culture of their employer, including attitude to work life balance.

Learners will spend 18 months studying while they work and the cost of the course is met by the employer.

SHU website

Images: SHU

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News: Plans approved for Rotherham town centre renovations

Proposals to convert two historic buildings in Rotherham town centre have been approved.

Rothbiz reported in November that plans had been submitted to convert part of a prominent corner building at the foot of Rotherham town centre's regenerated High Street into a gym.

However, shortly after, a new set of plans for 38-40 College Street were submitted to use the first floor as offices.

The three storey, self contained building with a Portland Stone façade went up for auction in 2017 and sold for £245,000.

Applicants, Finematch Ltd, a London-based property company, has already secured planning permission to convert the second floor into five apartments and is addressing what it calls "dead space" between the ground floor retail space and the second floor which is currently a snooker hall.

The plans, now approved by Rotherham Council, also include subdividing the two vacant ground floor units into four smaller units.

Previously Burton's, one ground floor unit was recently used by That's Entertainment and the second unit was vacated by Eastwood Domestics. Though not a listed building, the property is on Rotherham Civic Society's local list which compiles properties of architectural or historic interest.

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Across town, a planning application has also been approved for the conversion of the Old Post Office building on Main Street / Market Street for commercial and residential use.

The plans are from Mark Mcgrail, owner of SME Environmental Holdings, and follow on from a £500,000 revamp of the George Wright Building - a Grade II listed "hidden gem" - which reopened as as boutique hotel, bar and restaurant. This followed on from the completion of the 1915 Bar & Bistro on Domine Lane.

In approving the proposals, Rotherham Council planners concluded: "It is considered that the proposal supports the strategy for the town centre by providing opportunity for further quality food and drink provision and contributing towards the urban residential population."

The Old Post Office has most recently been used as offices for the likes of Rotherham Rise, Direct Learning and Ant Marketing. It has around 6,600 sq ft of floorspace over four flours.

Six residential units could be created on the first and second floors - a mix of studios, one and two bedroomed apartments - with separate access from the bar and restaurant on the first floor and cellar.

The historic building adjoins Westgate Chambers where work is underway on a £10m regeneration scheme.

Images: Acuitus / Google Maps

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News: Busy 2019 for Magna

A number of new and returning high profile events are being brought to Rotherham in 2019 in the unique surroundings at Magna.

Set in the former Templeborough steelworks, Magna is a family attraction with more than 100 hands-on exhibits. Millions of pounds have been invested in conference facilities at the centre which is operated by a charity, the Magna Trust.

Events include a performance to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Ska and 2-Tone on February 16 and Bruce Foxton and Russell Hastings From The Jam are set to perform in March.

The flexibility of the former steelworks is set to be used to its fullest in April when 50 headline acts in five huge arenas bring the biggest names in old skool dance, house, trance, hardcore and garage together for 90's Fest.

Magna is frequently used for sporting events including televised darts tournaments, Tae Kwan Do competitions and regular boxing nights for England Boxing and semi-pro organisations. At the end of February, 26RR Promotions are providing the opportunity to meet boxing legend Tyson Fury at a meet and greet event which includes a live and unscripted interview with no filters and plenty of stories.

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The popular Magna Mayhem event is back during February half term which sees the space converted into an indoor inflatable adventure zone.

On March 27, the popular Get Up To Speed (GUTS) event returns. GUTS, one of North of England's largest careers exhibitions connecting science, technology and engineering global giants such as Rolls Royce, Boeing and McLaren with the next generation workforce of over 2,500 school children. This year GUTS has added an "Apollo 50 Moonbase" and a new "Construction Zone."

Magna recently secured a landmark 10,000th event booking for Get Up To Speed 2020.

John Barber, chief executive of the Work-Wise foundation which manage GUTS, said: "We are delighted to be the 10,000th event booking at Magna. It is the icing on the cake as 2020 will also be the 10th Anniversary of Get Up To Speed, so a double celebration. Since moving GUTS to MAGNA in 2015 the event has gone from strength to strength and this is in no small part due to an amazing venue, incredible support and positive attitude we receive from the MAGNA team. That's why we keep coming back!"

Kevin Tomlinson, chief executive at Magna, said: "Our strapline is "One venue. Limitless Possibilities" and as we celebrate our 10,000th event booking, never has this been more appropriate. We have literally hosted every possible event and we want to say a big thank you to every customer who has come to Magna over the years. Our facilities and team are second to none and we can't wait to welcome the next 10,000 events to Magna."

Magna website

Images: Magna

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