News: Care jobs on the horizon

The Horizon Care Group, who run care homes in Rotherham, is launching a huge recruitment drive to fill 100 new posts.

The group runs Waterside Grange and Anston Brook in Dinnington and Wood Hill Grange in Sheffield and are looking to recruit nurses, support workers, care assistants, kitchen staff, maintenance and cleaning.

They are also looking for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and therapy assistants as part of their drive to introduce rehabilitation as part of the package they offer.

Laura Higginbottom, managing director of Horizon, said: "This is a great opportunity for people to develop their career in care.

"Wood Hill Grange has recently celebrated its second anniversary and Waterside Grange has been up and running for a number of months. The opening of Anston Brook and expansion at our other sites mean that we need to recruit a large number of new staff members.

"We provide excellent facilities, excellent rooms and we need excellent staff to ensure that our provision is of the highest standard.

"Being a local family run business is something that we are extremely proud of and we are delighted to be not only offering fantastic facilities but also boosting the local economy by providing employment for people from across the region.

"Our staff team make a real difference when someone is choosing a place to live and that is why we dedicate so much to selecting and training the right people."

Horizon is a family business set up by the Higginbottom family when a member of the family suffering from Alzheimer's disease needed full time care. Their personal experiences led them to set up the company.

The £5m Waterside Grange nursing and residential care home opened last year, bringing empty office space on the Waterside Business Park back to life.

Horizon Care website

Images: Sterecycle

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News: Martek Marine wins first Russian deal

Rotherham company, Martek Marine, one of the world leaders in the supply of safety and environmental monitoring systems for the shipping industry, has achieved a breakthrough first export deal in Russia to national oil and gas explorer, Gazflot.

The Manvers company supplies ships around the world with products such as marine defibrillators, its Navgard BNWAS system, the Bulksafe Water Ingress Detection System and the Fastcalgas calibration gas supply service.

Part of the huge Gazprom company - the largest extractor of natural gas and one of the largest companies in the world - Gazflot was established in 1994 and carries out geological exploration and subsequent development of continental shelf gas and oil fields in Russia.

Martek has secured a deal to supply calibration gases for a pair of jack-up rig mobile platforms as well as six Navgard BNWAS systems. Gazflot has also signed a record breaking six figure system expansion contract.

Ship owners need to prove that on-board gas detection equipment is operating correctly and accurately. Martek's Fastcalgas service provides certified calibration gas anywhere in the world in order to test and calibrate the gas detection equipment on board vessels.

A BNWAS (bridge watch and alarm system) is designed to monitor bridge activity and detect any operator disability that could lead to shipping accidents. The system monitors the awareness of the Officer of the Watch (OOW) and automatically alerts other staff if for any reason, the OOW becomes incapable of performing duties through an accident, sickness or even a security breach such as piracy or hijacking.

Last year, Martek appointed Ian Bennett as a new regional sales manager for the growing Russian market. Commenting on Martek's first Russian sale, Ian said: "We've already seen a huge take-up in our systems aboard merchant vessels needing to meet the requirements of SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19, but we're also now seeing increasing interest from the offshore market.

"Approved by all the major classification societies, Martek's Navgard is the easiest, quickest and lowest cost system to install."

Martek's latest innovation is a product that will help ship owners meet new regulations for the fitting of Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems on all new ships built since July 2012.

Martek Marine website

Images:Gazflot

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News: Parkgate Shopping earns "Big Tick"

Parkgate Shopping in Rotherham has earned the rare distinction of winning a second Big Tick award for its acclaimed apprentice programme in the prestigious Business in the Community Awards for Excellence 2013, which showcases the best of responsible business in action.

Big Ticks are awarded to companies who have demonstrated positive social, environmental and economic impacts which reflect their own corporate values.

Having gained the 2012 Award for the results of the first year of the initiative run jointly with Rotherham United Community Sports Trust, the management team was jubilant to have repeated the success in 2013.

Billy Smith, regional operations manager at Parkgate, explained: "Following a very successful 2011/12, the second year is proving even more rewarding for the participants. 86 young people within deprived districts of Rotherham took part in diversionary sporting activities and team-building sessions, targeted at hot spot areas and times when local residents were experiencing anti-social behaviour.

"Seven of these young people not in education, employment or training were then selected to take part in a 12-week Get Ready for Work programme.

"18 year old Mused Salem was then selected on the basis of his attitude, effort and all-round abilities for the six-month coaching apprenticeship. It is changing his life and giving him wonderful tools to engage diverse groups of young people. He has already joined the Sports Trust's Cohesion theme of work, delivering activities to bring together different communities across Rotherham."

Adrian Penfold, head of Planning and Corporate Responsibility at Parkgate's owners, British Land, added: "We are particularly delighted that all the hard work that went into developing the programme has continued into its second year.

"It reflects our approach to community investment through British Land's Community Charter and its ten commitments, which aim to ensure that we develop long term relationships and positive impacts with our local communities."

Parkgate Shopping website

Images: Parkgate Shopping

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News: Rotherham to host Yorkshire International Business Convention

The Yorkshire International Business Convention (YIBC), a leading business event in continental Europe, will be held in Rotherham next year.

The brain-child of businessman Mike Firth, the convention began in 1995 and has attracted some of the biggest and most recognisable names from across the globe, including Dr Henry Kissinger, Mikhail Gorbachev, Neil Armstrong, Bill Clinton and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Set to be formally launched at The Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in September, the 2014 event will take place at The Magna Science Adventure Centre on March 28.

Magna is the UK's first science adventure centre and is set in the former Templeborough steelworks. It is a family attraction with more than 100 hands-on exhibits designed to explore the four elements of air, water, earth and fire. It also hosts regular school trips and has event space that can cater for anything from 30 people up to 3,000.

This year, YIBC was held at Bridlington Spa, attracting 700 delegates and speakers.

Mike Firth, founder of YIBC, said: "We are delighted to be bringing our event to Rotherham and the Sheffield City Region. We will deliver a full day of World Class speakers who will inspire, educate and entertain our delegates.

"The YIBC experience works equally well for all sizes of business. The networking opportunities are second-to-none and over the years many have commented on deals done on the day. Our aim is to send delegates away buzzing with ideas.

"The convention helps to prove that even in this difficult economic climate, problems can be tackled and overcome in a variety of ways.  A new idea, working smarter, a change of direction or even, as the Dalai Lama put it, abandoning greed.

"It's also a fantastic way of celebrating the business success of Yorkshire, and especially, as it's being held in the town, the continuing success of Rotherham."

Councillor Roger Stone, leader of Rotherham Council, added: "There's no doubt about it, Rotherham is a business success. From the world-leading Advanced Manufacturing Park to the burgeoning town centre, Rotherham is buzzing with business.

"We're incredibly proud to be able to welcome, and host, The Yorkshire International Business Convention. It's a prestigious event which has helped to further put the region on the map in terms of business innovation and advancement.

"YIBC will bring the kind of speakers, and guests, which have graced the convention in the past two decades. "I'd like to thank Mike for all his hard work and enthusiasm in bringing the YIBC to our town, I can't wait.

"Having business leaders from not only Yorkshire, but the entire country, here in Rotherham will be a fantastic business boost for the town, as they will get to see the incredible strides made here in terms of investment and innovation."

A report to the Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development earlier this year outlined proposals for the council to underwrite the event, up to a maximum sum specified. It was noted that this sum will not be required should the event reach its target for sales and sponsorship. Members requested information about the experience of other local authorities in hosting this event.

YIBC website

Images: Magna

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News: No objections to new IKEA

Rotherham Council is unlikely to submit any objections to the proposed 37,000 sq m IKEA store at Meadowhall, Sheffield, subject to a number of conditions.

Plans were submitted in May for a new £60m furniture store with a restaurant and bistro plus a 1,000 space car park on the former Betafence site located off Sheffield Road, next to the Meadowhall Retail Park.

Rotherham Council has been consulted due to the close proximity of the application site to the Rotherham Borough. The main issues with the proposal affecting Rotherham would include the impact on Rotherham town centre; on traffic levels within the borough and the impact on air quality.

The proposal is for a retail use in an out of centre location and so applicants have to explain why other preferred locations were not suitable, and that the proposed development will not have an detrimental impact on nearby town centres.

A number of locations were discounted in the long search for a site in the Sheffield area. This included the civic site in Rotherham town centre, discounted as it is currently being redeveloped to provide a new Tesco store. Forge Island, the site of the current Tesco store, was also discounted, as it is has been earmarked by the council as its preferred location for a new cinema and theatre.

In a council report, Rotherham planners agreed with the appraisal of the two Rotherham sites and added that neither of the sites are large enough to accommodate an IKEA of a flexible format.

The information supplied with the planning application identifies that, although a negligible amount, the proposed development will have a bigger percentage impact on Rotherham town centre than the centres of Sheffield, Barnsley and Doncaster, in terms of it drawing trade away.

Total draw trade to IKEA from the Rotherham study area is estimated at £350k, with a trade impact in 2018 of 0.47%. This compares to a total draw trade to IKEA from the Sheffield study area (including developments at Sevenstone, The Moor and Hutton Buildings) of £2.76m (0.28% in 2018). Barnsley (including the proposed Market & Peel Street schemes) has figures of £900k (0.22%) and Doncaster (including the proposed Civic and Cultural Quarter) has figures of £1.03m (0.23%).

However, the applicants admit that, as the goods on sale at IKEA are not comparable to goods usually on sale in town centres, it is likely that the proposal will draw the majority of its trade from other retail warehouses in out of centre retail parks such as Parkgate Shopping and Canklow Meadows in Rotherham and Crystal Peaks and Drakehouse Retail Park in Sheffield.

Planning officers in Rotherham agree with this and add "that the proposed development would have limited impact on Rotherham town centre given the limited range of furniture retailers within the centre."

The impact on the surrounding transport network is a major issue with Rotherham officers asking that all traffic to and from the M1 to the development be directed from Junction 34 so as not to exacerbate the significant pressure around Junction 33.

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) has asked for significant sums of money from the applicants to help support the surrounding bus and tram services and a contribution to the new Tinsley Link road and Bus Rapid Transit system that links Sheffield and Rotherham.

Conditions for Rotherham Council not objecting to the scheme, that will result in a net addition of 190 new jobs, also include the submission and approval of a Travel Plan for shoppers and staff, assurances that the impact of the development on air quality is acceptable and that a condition be attached to any permission to ensure that the development is occupied by one single operator and is not subdivided into smaller units at any time.

Members of the planning board at Rotherham Council will discuss the plans and decide whether to submit an objection at a meeting this week.

IKEA website

Images: IKEA

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