Launch of East Midlands fbe Awards 2016

Overall winner of the East Midlands fbe awards 2015

Nominations are now being invited for the annual East Midlands fbe Awards which recognise and reward the teams behind some of the best construction projects in the region.

New for this year is an additional category – Best Rising Star – which will shine the light on the construction and development sector’s most promising young professionals.

Entries for the awards are expected from across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. 

The categories include Regeneration, Residential, Non-Residential and Rising Star of the Year. The winners of the first three categories will automatically form the shortlist for the Overall East Midlands Scheme & Team Award.

Free to enter, the awards will be presented at an event run by the East Midlands fbe (Forum for the Built Environment) on 6^thOctober 2016 at the City Rooms in Leicester. More than 120 professionals from the construction, development and property sector in the region are expected to attend the ceremony, which will be hosted once again by former BBC East Midlands political editor John Hess, who is now honorary professor in politics at the University of Nottingham.

“The East Midlands fbe Awards are a firm fixture on the calendar of the region’s construction sector, having been staged for several years now. They are the chance for us to recognise and celebrate some of the region’s excellent projects, as well as the teams behind them,” said Jef Todd, regional chairman of the East Midlands fbe and business development director at civil and structural engineering company BSP Consulting.

“I’m delighted that this year we are introducing for the first time the Rising Star of the Year Award, which is open to individuals working within the construction sector in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire or Nottinghamshire, who are under 30 years of age and who have shown outstanding achievements in their field, whether that be in construction, design or associated professional or support services for the industry. We are looking for role models who have made a significant contribution to the built environment so that we can recognise and celebrate the next generation of leaders and influencers in the East Midlands construction sector.”

Details about the awards and entry forms, as well as sponsorship opportunities and tickets for the awards ceremony, are available from http://www.fbeonline.co.uk/east-midlands/events/fbe-east-midlands-chairmans-dinner-and-awards-2016.htm The deadline for award nominations is Friday 19^th August 2016.

The fbe is a national organisation, with branches across the UK and is the longest established networking group for the property, development and construction industries. As well as running the annual awards scheme, the organisation also organises a number of social and other events. The East Midlands branch covers Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

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

Museum appointment for Focus Consultants

Gilbert White's house

Experts at Focus Consultants have been appointed to project manage the redevelopment of Gilbert White & The Oates Collections after supporting a successful Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid to help fund the work.

The company project managed the development of the Round 2 HLF application for the scheme which is planned for the home of the Rev. Gilbert White, the eighteenth century naturalist and ornithologist who is widely regarded as being the first ecologist. The museum also plays host to the collections of two other explorers, Frank Oates and Lawrence Oates.

Hidden treasures, held for years in the archives of Gilbert White & The Oates Collections in Selborne, Hampshire, will become accessible to the public for the first time following the £1.687m grant from the HLF for the redevelopment of the museum. The award will be matched by almost £1m raised by the museum from other sources.

Now, Nottingham-based Focus Consultants has also been retained as project manager for the ongoing delivery of the scheme, which will restore Gilbert White’s stable yard and brew-house, providing a new entrance for visitors. Major improvements will be made to the museum increasing the display space to show more artefacts than ever before.

“This is a great moment for us – the culmination of years of planning and hard work,” said Dr Rosemary Irwin, Chairman of Trustees at the museum. “At long last visitors will be able to see some of the wonderful treasures we hold.”

Among the treasures to be made available to the public for the first time is one of the few surviving original copies of “Aurora Australis”, the first book to be written, printed, illustrated and bound in Antarctica. It was produced by a team working under Ernest Shackleton, leader of the 1907-09 Nimrod Expedition. Worried that his team might be ‘bored’ during the long Antarctic winter, Shackleton took with him a printing press and encouraged his colleagues to write articles for the book which was then printed and bound in boards made from used packing cases. Only around 70 copies of this extraordinary book were produced – the Queen and the British Library are among the others to have copies.

The Gilbert White’s House is the latest in a long line of heritage sites that funding and development experts at Focus Consultants have successfully supported in their bid applications to the HLF.

Partner Steven Fletcher said: “It is great news that the Heritage Lottery Fund is to support the development at the museum which will enable it to work towards achieving long-term financial sustainability, whilst preserving the estate. The Rev. Gilbert White is world renowned for his contributions to the literature of natural history, and Focus Consultants is delighted to be playing a part in helping to preserve this site and his legacy for generations to come. We are looking forward to project managing the scheme, as it moves forward.”

Focus, which is based at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, with offices in London, Leicester and Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, specialises in creative approaches to securing funding packages and delivering high quality projects across the UK. Since its creation in 1994, Focus has helped to secure more than £953 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.3 billion of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful companies of its kind.

The museum project, which is currently seeking planning consent and will be completed in the Spring of 2018, has also received substantial support, in the form of finance and architectural services, from Hampshire County Council, with donations also coming from numerous major trusts and foundations. Support has also been received from long-term supporters of the museum, such as the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.

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

Event marks the opening of BSP Consulting’s new Leicester office

Guests at the opening of BSP Consulting's new office in Leicester

East Midlands civil and structural engineering company BSP Consulting staged a social networking event to mark the opening of its new, larger premises in Leicester.

The firm has literally gone up in the world after expanding and taking on more staff, and has moved to a new floor in the building in De Montfort Street that it has occupied since the end of 2007. The new premises doubles the previous office space and can accommodate the growing team at BSP, which currently numbers 11 in the Leicester office.

To celebrate the occasion, BSP organised a social networking event for clients, associates and members of staff, mainly from the Leicester and Leicestershire area, which attracted around 50 guests

BSP Consulting associate director Paul Elphick said: “BSP has steadily grown its Leicester office and presence in the county since first opening premises here more than eight years ago, and it was great to be able to welcome so many clients and associates to the official opening of our new, larger office.

“It proved the perfect chance to mark the occasion, and also for our associates and clients in the construction and development sector to network and catch up.”

BSP Consulting, which has its headquarters in Nottingham and also has offices in Derby and Sheffield, provides civil, structural, traffic, transportation, geotechnical and environmental engineering services across the construction industry. An award-winning business, the firm operates across all the major sectors, including health, residential, retail, leisure, education, rail and industrial. 

The Leicester office is currently working on a number of schemes in Leicestershire and the Midlands, including refurbishment schemes with Loughborough University, multi-storey student accommodation in Leicester, residential housing schemes, site investigations, flood risk assessments and traffic impact assessments direct for Leicestershire County Council, and has been involved in several high-profile projects in the area, such as Brooksby Melton College and the new HQ for Dunelm.

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

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

J Tomlinson named in top 200 Nottinghamshire businesses

J Tomlinson CEO Mark Davis

Expanding construction services company J Tomlinson has been named as one of Nottinghamshire’s top businesses in an annual poll – moving up nine places from last year’s ranking.

Working with the Industrial Economics and Finance Division of the Nottingham University Business School, the Nottingham Post has created a list of the top 200 companies in the county, based on turnover. It follows a similar exercise in 2015, carried out for the first time.

This year, J Tomlinson was ranked as 66^th – moving up from last year’s 75^th position.

The list was unveiled at the launch of the 2016 Top 200 Companies magazine at Nottingham’s Crowne Plaza Hotel, which was attended by J Tomlinson CEO Mark Davis, who said: “This list showcases the breadth of businesses within Nottinghamshire and highlights their importance on a local, regional, national and international scale in terms of the numbers they employ, the products and services they provide, and their key role in the economy. 

“As a Nottinghamshire company founded in the 1950s, J Tomlinson is proud to be named in the top 200 businesses in the county and delighted to have moved up nine places which reflects the steady and sustainable growth that we are experiencing as we continue to expand and increase our workforce.”

J Tomlinson, based at Lilac Grove, Beeston, increased its turnover from £42.5 million in 2013 to almost £51 million in 2014 – the year the rankings are based on. Since then turnover at J Tomlinson has risen significantly and is scheduled to be £84 million in 2016.

The company, which works across the West Midlands, East Midlands and Yorkshire, currently employs more than 400 people and offers services in construction, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance, mechanical and electrical engineering, facilities management, and energy efficiency and renewables.

Companies were eligible for inclusion in the listing if they are active (i.e. not in receivership or dormant), their registered office is located within Nottinghamshire and they report independent accounts.

The comprehensive list includes internationally known household names, such as Boots UK, who topped the poll for the second year running, vehicle retailer Pendragon in second place, and retailers Sports Direct and Wilko in third and fourth place.

It also features a number of J Tomlinson’s client, including W & J Linney, and suppliers, such as Michael Pavis.

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

Construction sector networking event held in Nottingham

Three companies working across the development and construction sector joined forces to stage a networking event in Nottingham.

Civil and structural engineering firm BSP Consulting, planning consultancy DLP Planning and Roythornes Solicitors came together to host the event for 50 guests at the Riverbank Bar & Kitchen, near Trent Bridge.

The BBQ and networking evening provided the chance for professionals in the sector to catch up on the latest trends and news for the development and construction industry, and to chat about existing and upcoming projects and opportunities in the East Midlands.

“It’s good to get together with others who work in development, in an informal environment, and everyone seemed to enjoy renewing acquaintances and making new contacts,” said BSP Consulting business development director Jef Todd. “It’s an exciting time in the sector, with lots of key schemes underway in the region and others in the pipeline.”

BSP Consulting, which is based in Oxford Street in Nottingham, and also has offices at Pride Park, Derby, De Montfort Street, Leicester, and Solly Street, Sheffield, provides civil, structural, traffic, transportation, geotechnical and environmental engineering services across the construction industry.

An award-winning business, the firm operates across all the major sectors including health, education, residential, leisure, retail, rail and industrial.

DLP Planning operates from nine offices across the UK, specialising in providing town planning and development advice to a broad range of private and public sector clients throughout the UK. DLP Planning Ltd has extensive and wide-ranging experience in all forms of planning and development from small scale domestic projects to major strategic growth proposals, in both urban and rural areas.  

The East Midlands office opened in 2013 and originally operated from Castle Donington, Leicestershire. In May 2015, due to expansion, the East Midlands office relocated to Nottingham city centre. 

Roythornes solicitors is one of the leading property law firms in the UK with clients including some of the country’s biggest developers, as well as major blue-chip companies, family businesses and private individuals. Roythornes provides a comprehensive range of property services, including planning, infrastructure, social housing, environmental and dispute resolution. The firm has a strategic and objective approach meaning it offers not just legal advice, but commercial risk management and extensive industry expertise and experience.

For more information, visit www.bsp-consulting.co.uk www.dlpconsultants.co.uk or www.roythorne.co.uk

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

Gruntled Pork Crackling snack launched by Salty Dog Brands

A new premium pork crackling snack has been added to the Salty Dog and Darling Spuds stable, with the launch of Gruntled Pork Crackling.

Available in three flavours, Cornish Sea Salt, Habanero and English Mustard, the snack is aimed at pubs, bars, hotels, cafés and other hospitality outlets, as well as delis, farm shops and other retailers and has already been snapped up by fine food and drink retailer Booths.

The pork crackling is double cooked, so it is lighter and easier to eat than traditional pork scratchings, and the brand is entirely gluten and MSG-free across all flavours. It is currently available in 40g bags.

The Gruntled brand has been created by Dave Willis, who co-founded cool crisps, nibbly nuts and gourmet popcorn brand Salty Dog in 2003 and feisty flavoured crisps and toasted corn kernels brand Darling Spuds in 2010 along with wife Judy. 

His latest venture brings a new range of snacks to the market, but with the pedigree of the Salty Dog and Darling Spuds brand behind him.

“The alternative snacks market continues to grow, with flavour and indulgence two of the key drivers of consumer demand, and the new Gruntled brand has bags of both,” said Dave. “Pork scratchings have always been a guilty pleasure of mine, so I thought to myself “why be guilty? What can we change?”. 

“Now I am exceedingly proud to introduce Gruntled to an unsuspecting world! We’ve taken the finest pork, cooked it twice, which makes it lighter and less tooth breaking than traditional scratchings. We’ve then seasoned it with completely natural flavours, making sure that there’s nothing unsavoury like gluten or MSG inside.”

Gruntled Pork Crackling is available from Chiltern Snacks - telephone 01494 776006 or visit www.chilternsnacks.co.uk. Minimum order is usually £60, but for retailers a special introductory offer of three cases – one of each flavour and each containing 20 packs - for the price of two is available until 30^th June 2016. A case of mixed flavours is also available for a limited period.

Gruntled snacks are being offered in display cases of 20 bags, or the same display case of 20 with a loose clip strip inside, or in larger volumes for bigger operators.

The RRP for 40g bags is 90p. Visit www.getgruntled.co.uk for more details.

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

CIOB-sponsored workshops by Construction Leaders Club turn the spotlight on business generation

Construction business growth expert Terry O'Mahony

Smaller construction sector companies could be at risk if they concentrate only on the technical aspects of the business and fail to plan for the future.

That’s the view of business growth expert Terry O’Mahony who blames the demise of some companies during the last recession on a lack of foresight and strategy.

His East Midlands-based Construction Leaders Club has teamed up with the Chartered Institute of Building to offer two workshops which will turn the spotlight on ways that SMEs in the region can focus on business development, gain a deeper understanding of how prospects and clients interact with their business and how this can be developed to strengthen relationships, maximize profits, and help protect themselves for the future.

Designed for those working in or associated with the construction industry, the two half-day workshops have been created specifically for people occupying management and technical roles who want to enhance their knowledge, skills and capabilities.

“It’s all too easy in any business to get wrapped up in carrying out the day-to-day technical work but it’s crucial that an eye is kept on the future and on planning for that,” said Terry. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with the CIOB, which is the construction industry’s largest professional institution and whose remit is the education and development of its members and the wider industry population.  

“These workshops offer a great opportunity for delegates to gain a deeper insight into the workings of business development; what it takes to develop, manage and strengthen client relationships effectively; and how to make time for business generation, which is crucial for every business to survive.”

The first half-day workshop - Maximising Sales through Exceeding Expectations - takes place on Wednesday 8^th June and the second half-day workshop - How to make time for Business Generation – will be held on Wednesday 13^th July. Both start at 8.30am at Risley Hall Hotel, just off junction 25 of the M1, and cost £97 per person for CIOB members and £147 per person for non-CIOB members.

The Construction Leaders Club was established in Nottingham three years ago by Terry O’Mahony as a networking and business growth organisation supporting businesses and individuals related to or associated with the UK construction industry. As well as monthly networking events, CLC also runs a number of development programmes and workshops for individuals including a Mastermind Programme, aimed at business owners and senior decision makers, and a Rising Stars Programme for high potential individuals who want to step-up to the next level.

CLC and its related business support services is the only business growth, leadership and management development organisation for the construction industry to be awarded a Chartered Building Consultancy status - an accreditation granted as part of the Chartered Institute of Building’s Chartered Building Consultancy Scheme.  CLC can also award CPD credits for its networking events, workshops and programmes.  

For more details or to book visit http://www.constructionleadersclub.com/ 

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

Haughton Honey proves to be a sweet deal for investors

Premium honey brand Haughton Honey has created a big buzz by smashing through its £80,000 crowdfunding target and collecting more than £112,000 in investments.

Over 200 investors backed the six week campaign which was launched to support the next stage in the company’s growth. 

Founder Crispin Reeves said: “We’ve got high ambitions for Haughton Honey. Demand for pure, raw honey is growing in the UK and we feel there’s tremendous export potential too.

“I’m thrilled that so many investors have come on board to support us as we continue to expand, and would like to thank everyone who’s got involved. Some 98% of businesses that apply to CrowdCube don't get selected and of those 2% that do, only half successfully fund.

“It's been a gruelling four months of due diligence, promotion, meetings, sleepless nights, and answering thousands of queries but we smashed it.”

Some 211 investors swarmed to get a taste of Haughton Honey – with £112,870 in total being invested.

The investment pledged to the Cheshire-based company will be used to recruit more bee farmers, expand markets and raise awareness of the brand, which was launched in 2014. 

Since 2014, the firm has steadily expanded and recently began supplying the fine food retailer Booths, as well as The Protein Works, a large sports nutrition brand owned by Alliance Boots, which has just launched a co-branded Cashew Nut Butter Luxe product containing Haughton Honey.

The honey is available via more than 80 regional sales outlets across the North West and Midlands, as well as through premium supermarket Booths, which started stocking Haughton Honey at the beginning of April 2016 and which has almost 30 outlets.

During the crowdfunding campaign alone, which was operated through CrowdCube, the company secured eight new independent retailers across the Midlands and East Anglia.

The honey market within the UK is worth £119.5m per annum, with healthy annual growth. UK sales of jams, spreads and honey grew 5.9% in the year up to October 2015, with growth in honey sales alone between 2014 and 2015 increasing by £9.8m year-on-year.

During 2015 Haughton Honey packed and sold over 8,000kg of English honey and anticipates requiring more than double that amount during 2016.

The company, based at Radmore Farm, Haughton, near Tarporley, bottles raw honey which comes straight from the hive, is cold extracted and never pasteurised which means that it retains all of the natural enzymes and proteins that make English honey so special. It is also 100% natural and pure and features traces of dandelion, chestnut, blackberry, clover and other wildflowers.

For more information about Haughton Honey visit www.haughtonhoney.com

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

Expanding civil and structural engineering firm BSP Consulting moves to larger office

BSP Consulting's Leicester team

East Midlands-based civil and structural engineering company BSP Consulting has gone up in the world and moved to larger premises on the floor above its office in Leicester.

The expanding team has outgrown its Leicester base and has now moved to a new floor in the building in De Montfort Street, which doubles its existing office space.

“Since opening our Leicester office at the end of 2007, with three staff, we have gradually grown as we established ourselves in the city,” said BSP Consulting associate director Paul Elphick. 

“We have added new services to the portfolio of services that we offer from this office, including traffic and transportation engineering and pre-planning services, and this has been one factor in expanding the team here.

“As the market has grown, we have responded by increasing staff numbers across all our services to ensure we continue to meet our clients’ needs across the Leicestershire region and beyond, and had outgrown our initial space.”

The firm, which has its headquarters in Nottingham and also has offices in Derby and Sheffield, now employs 11 staff in Leicester out of a total of around 50 employees.

It is currently working on a number of schemes in Leicestershire and the Midlands, including refurbishment schemes with Loughborough University, multi-storey student accommodation in Leicester, residential housing schemes, site investigations, flood risk assessments and traffic impact assessments direct for Leicestershire County Council, and has been involved in several high-profile projects in the area, such as Brooksby Melton College and the new HQ for Dunelm.

“Our Leicester office has become an integral part of the construction sector in the city and county, and we are very pleased that we have been able to find suitable premises so close to our previous office for BSP to expand into,” said business development director Jef Todd. “The move has been seamless and it is business as usual for the team.”

BSP Consulting provides civil, structural, traffic, transportation, geotechnical and environmental engineering services across the construction industry. An award-winning business, the firm operates across all the major sectors, including health, residential, retail, leisure, education, rail and industrial. 

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

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