World War One warship role for Focus Consultants

Heritage and exhibition specialists at Focus Consultants are part of the team restoring the only surviving ship from the World War One Gallipoli campaign so that it can be opened up to the public. 

HMS M.33 is one of Britain’s three surviving Royal Navy First World War warships and is currently in a dry dock in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, next to HMS Victory.   

With the help of Focus, the restoration project secured almost £1.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and now work has begun to bring the ship back to former glory and allow the public to tour her in 2015, in time for the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign she took part in. 

Focus, which has its headquarters in Nottingham and branches in London, Leicester, and in Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, has been appointed as cost consultant and CDM (construction, design and management) coordinator for the scheme. 

“This is the latest in a number of schemes that Focus is currently involved in around Portsmouth Historic Dockyard,” said Focus Associate Eleanor Clarke. “Working with Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust and the International Boatbuilding Training College, we are project manager and quantity surveyor on a development to restore and refurbish Boathouse 4 and create a new £5.5 million Boatbuilding and Heritage Skills Training Centre. 

“We are delighted to have now been appointed on another scheme in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. This project will bring HMS M.33 back to life and will enable visitors to go aboard this historic warship for the first time and explore the stories of those who fought on board.” 

M.33 - a floating gun platform built with the sole aim of hammering targets ashore – became surplus to requirements in the 1980s and was bought by Hampshire County Council in 1990. For nearly 20 years, the gunship has been slowly undergoing restoration work. 

But now the project is stepping up a gear with a £2.4m restoration which is being paid for by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and a Hampshire County Council grant to the National Museum of the Royal Navy. 

Since its creation in 1994, Focus has helped to secure more than £925 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.0 billion worth of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful businesses of its kind in the country. 

It has worked on a range of high-profile projects in the arts, heritage and tourism sector, including some of the major museums across the UK, and important historical and ecclesiastical sites.

For more information about Focus Consultants visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum stages its annual networking event

Around 85 guests attended the flagship event of business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum. 

Staged at Southwell Racecourse, the annual supper is one of the largest networking events for the East Midlands food and drink sector and attracted delegates from across the region. 

The Food and Drink Forum, which is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, has members across the district, including manufacturers, food service operators and businesses providing services for the food and drink sector. 

The supper heard from several key speakers including Beckie Rowland of bakery giant Greggs who spoke about the recruitment of ex-offenders and the importance of this within the community. 

Oliver Brown from Derbyshire family firm Bluebells Real Dairy Ice Cream also spoke about the difficulties milk farmers face and farm diversification as a solution to this. 

He also added that the Food and Drink Forum had played a vital role in helping his company to achieve SALSA approval allowing them to expand to sell to the National Trust. 

Other speakers included Dips Patel from Loughborough-based Mistry and Co. who spoke of their mission to use food to educate and inspire others. 

Key industry figures from across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland attended the event which also featured displays by Nottingham Trent University, The Federation of Small Businesses, Chemex and From The Notebook Ltd. 

Food and Drink Forum chairman Peter Knight said that the food and drink sector had faced an interesting and exciting year, speaking in particular of the success of the Leicester Food Park, with the Forum having recently secured the management of the park in a joint bid with the Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce. 

He said: “I am very pleased with how the first members’ supper at Southwell Racecourse has gone. The evening has been a great success with members’ produce enjoyed by around 85 guests and thought-provoking speeches.” 

Peter Knight also thanked the Local Enterprise Partnership D2N2 for helping the Forum move forward once again. 

Chairman of D2N2 Peter Richardson said the Food and Drink sector was key in creating new jobs. 

He said: “The Food and Drink Forum are vital in providing businesses in the private sector with everything they need to drive themselves forward. 

“In the East Midlands we are at the heart of the UK’s economy and we need to strive to be at the heart of Europe’s too. However, to do this the private sector needs a voice, and the Food and Drink Forum offers companies that voice.” 

The Food and Drink Forum was founded in 1988 as a not-for-profit, membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands. 

Its aims include championing the food and drink sector in the East Midlands, developing strategic influencing partnerships within and outside the East Midlands, and acting as a centre for information and knowledge on all subjects relating to the food and drink sector in the region. 

It also aims to stimulate and facilitate sustainable change within companies of all sizes across the food chain, generate income and secure resources to meet the needs of a high-quality service, and promote the food and drink sector to future employees through education and the raising of skills. 

For more information please visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

The photo shows, left to right Oliver Brown, from Bluebells Real Dairy Ice Cream, Dips Patel and Parisha Mistry, both from Mistry and Co, and Peter Knight, Food and Drink Forum chairman.

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

World’s largest gathering of Shire horses event – date for 2015

The world’s largest gathering of Shire horses will take place on the weekend of March 21^st and 22^nd 2015, it has been announced.

The Shire Horse Society’s Annual Show, which attracts horses from across Europe and spectators from around the globe, is being held indoors at Arena UK, near Grantham, in Lincolnshire.

Around 250 Shire horses are expected at the event and it is billed as the best display of Shire horses in the country. 

“The Shire Horse Society’s Annual Show is the perfect place to see these magnificent gentle giants of the horse world and find out more about the breed,” said Shire Horse Society secretary David Ralley-Davies. 

“It’s the largest event of its kind in the world, and is the chance to celebrate a breed that was once in danger of dying out but is now experiencing a resurgence in popularity, both as a working animal and a riding horse, thanks to a dedicated group of enthusiasts who work hard to ensure that the breed survives.”

As well as the competitions, there will be a range of stands and stalls for visitors to explore.

The annual show, taking place at its new home at Arena UK for the second time, is the opportunity to find out more about this noble breed, see Shire horses shown in style - in-hand, ridden and turned out – and to support the work of the Shire Horse Society, which is the only charity dedicated to the protection, promotion and improvement of the Shire horse. Since 1878 the organisation has been working to protect the breed, which was then known as the Old English Breed of Cart Horse. 

The show runs from 8am until about 10pm on the Saturday to include the championship in the evening. It will be open from 8am until 4pm on the Sunday. Adult day tickets cost £8 in advance, with under 12s and seniors £6, and are available from sales.webticketmanager.com/ShireHS Day tickets will be £10 and £8 on the gate. Free admission to Shire Horse Society members on presentation of their society badge.

Sponsors for the event include botanical brewers Fentimans, Fullers Brewery, Young's Brewery, Boldscan and Fosters Foods.

For more information visit www.shire-horse.org.uk or follow the charity on Facebook or Twitter - www.facebook.com/shirehorsesociety and @saveourshires
Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

J Tomlinson lands ground-breaking solar power role

Construction, maintenance and energy efficiency expert J Tomlinson has been appointed as part of a pioneering community solar investment project.

Chase Community Solar, a community benefit society in Staffordshire, is believed to be the first scheme in the UK aiming to put solar panels on the roofs of council houses funded by a community share offer.

The project aims to raise at least £400,000 to install solar panels on up to 400 council-owned bungalows in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire.

Energy efficiency experts at J Tomlinson have been selected to fit the panels, which are designed to help council tenants cut their energy bills through free electricity generated by the solar photovoltaic panels.

The integrated building solutions company, which is based in Beeston, Nottingham and has a network of regional offices including a presence in Burton-on-Trent, has considerable expertise in the field of PV panels, having fitted more than 40,000 panels over the past four years on a range of buildings including schools, offices, social housing, sheltered housing and private homes.  

Chief executive of J Tomlinson, Mark Davis, said: “Cannock Chase is the second most deprived area in Staffordshire after Stoke-on-Trent, with high levels of fuel poverty. Council tenants benefiting from the solar panels can expect to save up to £250 a year on their energy bills.

“As a company that offers energy efficient solutions as well as energy generation technologies, J Tomlinson is very pleased to be a part of the team involved in this pioneering community solar investment project, which is the first of its kind in the country.”

The firm currently works in the area for Stafford Borough Council and housing associations Midland Heart, Trent & Dove Housing, Bromford Housing and Accord Housing Association on servicing, maintenance and repair contracts.

The company has previously installed photovoltaic panels for Trent & Dove Housing on their head office in Burton-on-Trent, and is involved in gas servicing, maintenance and repairs for the group.

Investors in Chase Community Solar, which is supported by Cannock Chase Council, are being offered a forecast annual return of 7% for the 20-year lifetime of the scheme, with a minimum investment of just £100. Tax relief of 30% under the Enterprise Investment Scheme is also expected to be available. Returns are generated by the government’s Feed-in Tariff subsidy, and any excess funds will be used to build up a local community benefit fund. 

Mike Kinghan, chair of Chase Community Solar, said: “We believe this is the first community energy project in the UK focusing on council house tenants. If it’s successful it will blaze the way for further community energy projects with councils and other social housing providers. There are many more social housing roofs across the UK and there is no reason why every suitable roof should not host solar PV.” 

The next launch night for the scheme takes place in Lichfield on Tuesday November 25^th in the Lichfield Room, Wade Street Church (Frog Lane entrance), WS13 6HL, at 7.30pm. 

J Tomlinson, which is a privately owned company founded in the 1950s, has a substantial heritage and wealth of experience in delivering integrated building solutions tailored to both public and private sector clients.

Visit www.jtomlinson.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Mount Kilimanjaro climb for MD of BSP Consulting

BSP Consulting MD David Sumner is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity next month.

David will be part of a 30-strong group of people tackling the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

“Not only will it be an immense physical challenge to climb a peak that is 19,341 feet above sea level, it will also be an extremely personal one because I am undertaking it to raise money for two causes that are very close to my heart,” said David, who heads up the East Midlands-based civil and structural engineering firm that he co-founded in 1999. 

“My wife Pat has been living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for around 20 years. My aim is to support research into this debilitating condition – in particular, research that is looking at repairing myelin. Myelin is the coating surrounding the nerve fibres of the central nervous system. In MS it is destroyed, which interferes with the transmission of nerve signals and triggers the wide-ranging symptoms of multiple sclerosis.”

David is climbing with three fellow members of Plumtree Cricket Club - Steve Daft, Patrick Shortt and Tony Westbrook – and the challenge will kickstart fundraising for an appeal to develop a second ground at Plumtree in Nottinghamshire, so the club can provide the best facilities for disabled cricketers and encourage more young players, and those who are less able, to take part in the game.

“I am passionate about cricket. I have been lucky to have played the sport since I was a schoolboy, and I would like to encourage those who are less able or less fortunate to enjoy and play cricket too,” added David.

BSP Consulting has its headquarters at Oxford Street, Nottingham, and branches in Derby, Leicester and Sheffield. It operates across the UK, providing a comprehensive range of services to all sectors of the construction industry from architects, project managers and contractors to developers and estate agents. 

The links to the two causes that David is raising money for are www.justgiving.com/David-Sumner/ and 

localgiving.com/fundraising/plumtreecc

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Cherizena launches Christmas coffee for 2014

Coffee specialist Cherizena has unveiled a Christmas cracker with the launch of its limited edition Christmas coffee and its Festive Favourites selection pack. 

Last year, Cherizena sold more Christmas coffee than ever before, as the popularity for flavoured coffees continues to rise. More than three quarters of a tonne of its specially blended coffee was consumed. 

Created by flavouring the Colombian Excelsior medium bean with a tasty combination of rum, hazelnut, cinnamon, vanilla, orange and pecan nut flavours, the coffee has an aroma reminiscent of plum pudding and a delicious spicy, warming taste. 

This year’s recipe has been enhanced slightly with the addition of a little more vanilla. 

Available as beans or ground, regular or decaffeinated, the Christmas coffee is on sale via the internet at Cherizena’s webshop www.cherizena.co.uk and delivered direct to the door via mail order. 

It makes a perfect stocking filler for coffee lovers, fills the home with a festive aroma at coffee time, and is the ideal accompaniment to any festive gathering or a fitting finale to a Christmas meal. 

Priced at £3.25 for a 115g pack, the Christmas coffee is one of a host of around 20 different flavoured coffees created by Leicestershire-based family-run firm Cherizena. Just like all of the coffees in Cherizena’s flavoured range, the Christmas Coffee flavour contains no syrups or coatings.

 The company, which is a specialist supplier of premium, speciality and flavoured coffees, also offers up to 30 single origin coffees and blends – all available by mail order.

The Christmas coffee features in Cherizena’s Festive Favourites selection box, priced at £7. Each presentation box contains three 60g packs of selected coffees - one pack each of Christmas, Irish Whiskey Cream & Italian Roast coffees....a great little gift for a coffee lover. 

For more information or to order visit www.cherizena.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

£½ million grant secured by Focus Consultants for village hall scheme

Funding experts at Focus Consultants have secured £½ million to help a rural community build a new village hall.The £456,225 Big Lottery Grant will enable Mareham le Fen Village Hall near Boston in Lincolnshire to replace a 100-year-old tin and timber hall with a modern, more central facility.The news, which comes on top of an earlier £43,775 Big Lottery Grant also secured by Focus, has special significance for one Focus employee, who grew up in the village, has family living there and who played a key role in helping to secure the grant.

“Focus as a company has helped to achieve millions of pounds in grants for numerous organisations ranging from major museums to large companies, but it was particularly pleasing to learn that we’d successfully secured the Big Lottery Grant for Mareham le Fen, which is the village I grew up in from the age of five and the place that my mum still lives,” said Focus building surveyor Chris Smith, who works in the Boston office of Focus.

“When I heard the village was raising money for a new village hall, I offered our services as consultants, and I am delighted that everything is pointing to a successful conclusion to the plans to build a new community facility in Mareham le Fen.”

Chris worked with members of the funding team at Nottingham-based Focus Consultants to put together reports for the Big Lottery Grant bid. 

Chairman of Mareham le Fen Village Hall Committee, Graham Beacham, said: “We were delighted by the news that the village has been awarded this Big Lottery Grant, and would like to thank the team at Focus for their hard work and expertise.”

The village hall committee, which has also successfully secured grants from Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council, is now waiting to hear from other funding sources it has applied to before embarking on building work. The committee hopes that building work may start in spring, with completion six months later. 

It is planned that the new hall will be used seven days a week to host dance and fitness sessions, arts and crafts activities, a luncheon club, social events, and meetings. The new hall will also be a venue for private functions such as weddings and christenings, and will be more central for the village, safer and with access to car parking, and will be wheelchair friendly.

In 2012, Focus Consultants successfully helped villagers in Heydour in Lincolnshire to secure £458,133 funding from the Big Lottery Fund to build a new community centre. The money allowed the village to tear down the old World War One officers’ mess hut and replace it with a modern and versatile community facility. The £750,000 project was completed a year later.

Focus, which also has offices in Aubourn, Lincolnshire, in Holborn, London, and in Leicester, is a specialist in helping clients to secure grants, and since its creation in 1994, the company has helped to secure more than £925 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.0 billion worth of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful businesses of its kind in the country.

For more information on funding available for communities please visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk or contact the funding and economic development team on 0115 976 5050.Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

BSP Consulting uses its engineering expertise from Canary Wharf to Cornwall

East Midlands-based civil and structural engineer BSP Consulting has been appointed to work on two key projects in Canary Wharf and Cornwall.

The company is working on a scheme to improve bathing water quality off the Cornish coast, and is also part of the team that is paving the way for a major new residential development in Canary Wharf, London.

Tunnelling experts Active Tunnelling has appointed BSP on both schemes to design shafts and pipe-jacked tunnels. 

Principal engineer at BSP, Paul Hammersley, said: “These two sites are miles apart, both in terms of distance and location. However, in both tunnel and shaft design BSP’s expertise has been very important to help ensure the success of the schemes.” 

The Cornish project for South West Water is part of a £3 million investment in bathing water quality at East Looe, which is expected to benefit the tourism industry across South East Cornwall. It involves building a 1,040 cubic metre underground storage tank in Liskeard. The extra capacity in the sewerage network will reduce the number of storm discharges into the East Looe River during extremely wet weather, and is designed to improve bathing water quality ahead of the European Union's revised Bathing Water Directive coming into effect in 2015. Construction work is due to be completed by early 2015.

An additional 300 cubic metre storage tank is also being constructed at a privately owned site on land next to the A38 and is connected to the main shaft by a pipe jacked tunnel. Shafts have also been designed by BSP engineers for Modbury and Ivybridge as part of this scheme.

Meanwhile, BSP is also working with Active Tunnelling at a site in Canary Wharf. The company’s engineers have designed pipe-jacked tunnels and shafts so that existing foul and surface water infrastructure can be diverted around the site to allow the construction of a multi-storey apartment block. Newfoundland is set to become a visual landmark not only for Canary Wharf but for the city of London, and will resemble the famous ‘Gherkin’ in style.

BSP Consulting, which is based at Oxford Street, Nottingham, and has branches in Derby, Leicester and Sheffield, is celebrating its 15^th anniversary in 2014. The company employs around 50 staff, and operates across the UK.

For more information visit www.bsp-consulting.co.uk.

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk.

British Sausage Week success for Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire

Derbyshire farm shop Croots has won two awards in a competition to mark British Sausage Week, which runs from November 3^rd to 9^th. 

The farmshop at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, near Duffield, scooped a gold award for its pork sausage and a silver award for its Italian sausage. 

The competition for butchers and retailers is run as part of the national annual celebration of the British banger, and the two awards presented to Croots means the farm shop has now won more than 70 awards for its sausages, meat products and home made items. 

“British Sausage Week is all about celebrating the diversity of the traditional British banger, which is something that Croots fully supports,” said Steve Croot, who runs the farm shop. “We love creating new flavours of sausage, and are renowned for our sausages. It’s always great when we receive awards for them.” 

Croots’ pork sausage is made using free range pork from Staffordshire. The Italian sausage, which contains pork, basil and mozzarella, was originally created as part of the shop’s World Cup sausage range last summer. 

The shop has won scores of awards for its products since opening in 2008. Croots was also a runner-up in the Best UK Independent Food Retailer 2010 category of the Observer Food Monthly Awards. The year before, it was named in The Independent’s top 50 best food shops. 

Earlier this year, owner Steve Croot was named the Derbyshire Food Hero for 2014.

Croots Farm Shop is open daily from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm). Croots runs Fresh Fish Thursdays between 9am and 1pm on Thursdays.

For more information visit www.croots.co.uk 

@crootsfarm_shop

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk