Multi-million pound masterplan role for Focus Consultants

Focus Consultants has been appointed to oversee a £35 million masterplan project in Eastbourne which will breathe new life into the town’s major attractions. 

The scheme aims to refurbish three listed theatres and the international tennis centre, as well as build a new conference centre, to create world-class tourism, cultural and business facilities. 

Funding and regeneration experts at Focus Consultants have been secured to project manage the Devonshire Park development, and are currently in the process of appointing a design team to create concept designs for the project. These are likely to be put before decision-makers at Eastbourne Borough Council next Spring. 

“This is a major redevelopment not only for Eastbourne but for Focus Consultants too,” said Eleanor Clarke, senior consultant at Focus. “It’s a key project that is scheduled to create a range of benefits for the town and for the area, and we are very pleased to be part of the team that will bring this scheme to reality.” 

The ambitious plans include essential repairs to and a complete refurbishment of the Congress Theatre, Winter Garden, a new conference centre between them and an extensive facelift of the tennis centre, which is the home of the AEGON International tournament in June, which proceeds Wimbledon fortnight.  

Nottingham-headquartered Focus Consultants, with offices in London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn near Lincoln, was procured for the work at Eastbourne through the Fusion21 framework - a social enterprise that promotes public procurement as a means to save money and create social outcomes. 

As well as being secured as project manager, the firm is also acting as CDM coordinator. 

Focus, which is celebrating its 20^th anniversary during 2014, offers a range of services in the construction and development sector, including funding and economic development, regeneration expertise, energy consultancy and chartered surveying services. 

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. 

Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, Councillor David Tutt, said: “I’m delighted our masterplan for a new, vibrant Devonshire Park has taken another step forward. It is an extremely exciting project which will make Eastbourne an even more attractive place to live and visit for many years to come.” 

Leader of the opposition, Councillor David Elkin, said: "The Devonshire Park project is an amazing opportunity to restore the theatre area of Eastbourne to its former glory, and truly enhance the level of offer available to both residents and visitors to our town. I look forward with great anticipation to its completion.”

www.focus-consultants.co.uk

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

Nottingham Castle Success for Focus

Focus Consultants has played a key role in securing a major grant for the redevelopment of Nottingham Castle. The Heritage Lottery Fund announced that it has awarded Nottingham Castle with a First Round Pass of almost £13m to help transform Nottingham Castle and bring to life 1,000 years of history.

Focus Consultants has been working with Nottingham Castle Trust over the last two years to help formulate their ambitions for the Castle as a world class heritage attraction and to help raise the profile of Nottingham. Focus was the lead consultant working on the bid, providing project management, bid writing, business planning and cost advice services to Nottingham City Council to develop the successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The total project costs are around £24m and the HLF’s investment will help ensure the Castle’s heritage is brought to life as well as opening up a unique set of caves beneath the site. The project is part of exciting and ambitious plans to regenerate the city as a whole and put it firmly back on the tourist map.

It is the latest high-profile heritage scheme for Focus Consultants, whose head office is at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, with offices in Holborn in London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire.

“The team at Focus Consultants are proud to have been involved in such a prestigious and exciting project, which will make Nottingham Castle a world class heritage attraction and we are delighted that the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund has been successful” said Focus Consultants partner Steven Fletcher.

Work will now take place to develop the project plans in detail before a final application is submitted to Heritage Lottery Fund in Autumn 2015.

Focus, which is celebrating its 20^th anniversary during 2014, offers a range of services in the heritage and development sector, including funding and economic development, regeneration expertise, energy consultancy and chartered surveying services.

Since its creation in 1994, Focus has helped to secure more than £925m 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 further information, visit www.focus-consultants.com

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

Special sausage squad at Croots Farm Shop to mark the World Cup

Derbyshire farm shop Croots has created a special range of sausages to celebrate the upcoming football World Cup and to raise money for charity. 

Butchers at the farm shop near Duffield are renowned for inventing unusual and interesting flavours – and now they plan to add the Bangerooney, the Costa Rican, the Italian and the Uruguayan to the shop’s range in reference to the teams in England’s group D. 

To cheer on the England team, the Bangerooney is returning to the shop’s sausage squad following its popularity four years ago when Croots ran a similar fund-raising effort for charity during the 2010 World Cup. 

Ten per cent from the sale of each World Cup sausage will be donated to Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, which is one of Croots Farm Shop’s adopted charities this year. The charity was established in 1891 to give disadvantaged Derbyshire children holidays in Skegness, Lincolnshire, and currently provides 450 holiday places per season for boys and girls aged from eight to 14. 

“We had a great response from our customers when we created special sausages to mark the World Cup in 2010 and raised more than £300 for a local charity,” said Croots Farm Shop owner Steve Croot. 

“Our butchers have been experimenting once again and have designed some excellent flavours to celebrate the tournament this time round.” 

The Bangerooney, named after England striker Wayne Rooney, contains pork with Croots Cow Juice Ale, which is a traditional old English sausage recipe. 

The Costa Rican is made of spicy beef, while the Uruguayan is a tasty combination of pork and chorizo. Pork, tomato, mozzarella and basil have been combined to create the Italian sausage. 

The pork used in the sausages comes from Packington Free Range Pork, in Staffordshire, while the beef hails from R & M Heath (Richard & Margaret) at Hazelwood Hall Farm, Hazelwood, Derbyshire. 

The World Cup range kicks off in store on May 30^th and will be on sale throughout the tournament, which runs from June 12^th to July 13^th, subject to availability. 

Croots Farm Shop has won scores of awards for its sausages and meat products, including Great Taste Awards, the ‘oscars’ of the fine food industry. Two years ago the farm shop in Wirksworth Road developed an Olympig range of sausages to mark the London Olympics, which raised several hundred pounds for Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre. 

Opened in 2008, Croots was 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.

Croots Farm Shop is open daily from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm). Croots runs Fresh Fish Thursdays between 10am and 4pm on Thursdays.

For more information visit www.croots.co.uk  

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

Golfers get in the swing of fundraising with Focus Consultants

A £250 cheque has been handed to charity following an annual golf day staged by Focus Consultants. 

The company, which specialises in funding and economic development, project management, chartered surveying and energy, staged the event at Belton Park Golf Club in Grantham. 

Players donated £250 in the raffle, and the proceeds were presented by Focus Partner Trevor Newton to Jamie Davenport from Macmillan Cancer Support to help fund Macmillan nurses. 

Trevor, who is based in the Boston office of Focus, organised the event along with Associate Craig Gould, who is based at the company’s Nottingham headquarters. 

The event, which has become an annual date on the Focus Consultants’ calendar, attracted players from across the East Midlands. Twenty seven clients, associates and staff took part in the charity day. 

Trevor said: “It was great to see so many clients at our charity golf day, and I am very pleased that we have been able to support the very valuable work carried out by Macmillan nurses with our donation to charity.” 

Focus Consultants, which has offices in Nottingham, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, and in Holborn, London, specialises in funding, research and economic development, project and programme management, construction and property services and energy services. The company works on private and public projects across the UK. 

More than two million people are living with or beyond cancer in the UK today.This figure will rise to four million by 2030. An estimated 27,927 people are living with cancer in Lincolnshire today, and every year approximately 3,800 people are diagnosed with cancer in the county. 

Macmillan Cancer Support’s Jamie Davenport said: “We are very grateful for the donation from Focus Consultants. £27 could pay for a Macmillan nurse for an hour, helping patients and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support that prevents people feeling like they’re facing cancer alone.” 

Focus chose to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support as the charity is currently providing support to a colleague and family. 

If you or someone you know is affected by cancer please call free on 0808 808 0000.

Visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk for more information about Focus Consultants, which is based at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, with offices at Holburn in London, Princess Road East, Leicester, Endeavour Park, Boston, and Manor Farm, Aubourn near Lincoln.

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

Business award won by civil and structural engineer BSP Consulting

Civil and structural engineer BSP Consulting has been praised for the way it tackled the downturn in the construction industry and has been rewarded with an accolade for its efforts.

The East Midlands-based company re-shaped its strategy to spread the risk across different sectors and avoid having all its eggs in one basket during tough times. This approach has led to the firm winning an award in the Nottingham Post Business Awards 2014.

The judges praised the way that East Midlands-based BSP had developed a marketing push to widen its customer base, which left the business well-placed to make the most of the upturn in the economy.

Business development director Jef Todd said: “When the downturn hit we had two choices – sit back and let it happen or get out and fight. We decided to spread the risk and move into different sectors, investing in marketing when other people weren’t. It took dedication and the passion of the management and the staff working together to achieve progress. And it proved to be a winning formula.

“We were absolutely thrilled to win the award, at what is one of the region’s most high profile awards ceremonies.”

As a result of its strategy, BSP Consulting increased its share of work in the rail, education and primary care sectors. Recent contracts include projects at Brooksby Melton College, Loughborough University and at Network Rail’s Super Depot in Derby. This complements the work that the firm carries out in the housing, retail and commercial sectors.

BSP, which has its headquarters in Nottingham and branches in Derby, Leicester and Sheffield, is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2014. The company employs around 50 staff, and operates across the UK. Earlier this year, it announced its first overseas contracts on projects in Kurdistan.

“We were very proud to be alongside two household names – Hillarys Blinds and Trent Bridge Cricket Club – as finalists in the Nottinghamshire Sales and Marketing Award at the Nottingham Post Business Awards, and delighted that we beat off such strong competition to take the title,” said Jef Todd.

The awards were presented at East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham. The Sales and Marketing Award was handed to BSP Consulting by Lasse Hogberg, of De Vere Venues, who sponsored the award.

BSP Consulting provides a comprehensive range of consultancy services in civil, structural, geotechnical, transportation and environmental engineering to all sectors of the construction community, from architects, project managers and contractors to developers and estate agents.

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

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

Fresh fish and seafood introduced at Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire

Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire is to introduce a weekly fresh fish special event as part of its expansion plans.

The farm shop near Duffield is launching Croots Fresh Fish Thursdays, with all sorts of fish and seafood on sale – direct from Grimsby Fish Docks.

Starting from Thursday May 8th and running each Thursday between 10am and 4pm, the new service coincides with Croots opening seven days a week and extending its Sunday opening hours as a result of customer demand.

“We asked our customers if they’d be interested in fresh fish and seafood, and the answer was a resounding ‘yes’ so we’re very pleased to be teaming up with Shaun’s Fish Lincolnshire to offer his range of fish and seafood – direct from Grimsby Fish Dock - once a week on a Thursday,” said Steve Croot, who runs the farm shop at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road.

The range will include fresh salmon, large haddock fillets, large cod fillets, plaice fillets, seabass fillets, rainbow trout fillets, skate wings, red bream, natural and yellow smoked haddock fillets, smoked kippers, smoked mackerel, fresh mackerel, smoked salmon slices, smoked salmon pate, smoked crab pate, crab claws, dressed crabs, tuna, mussels, cockles and other sorts.

Croots Farm Shop recently announced it was expanding to open seven days a week after previously being closed on Mondays since the farm shop launched in 2008.

The farm shop sells products from more than 40 producers from within a 50-mile radius, as well as items from further afield. It is renowned for its high quality sausages and meat products which are made in house.

It has won a number of Great Taste Awards, which are regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the fine food industry, and was a runner-up in the Best UK Independent Food Retailer 2010 category of the Observer Food Monthly Awards and named in The Independent’s top 50 best food shops the year before.

Earlier this year, owner Steve Croot was given the accolade of Derbyshire Local Food Hero 2014 at the Derbyshire Food and Drink Awards.

From May 5th, Croots Farm Shop will be open every day from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm). Croots Fresh Fish Thursdays will take place between 10am and 4pm on Thursdays.


For more information visit www.croots.co.uk

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

Leicester pop-up restaurant The Smokehouse becomes permanent fixture in the West End

A pop-up restaurant in Leicester has been so successful that now it’s to become a permanent venue on the city’s dining scene.

The Smokehouse opened above the O bar in Braunstone Gate for four weeks towards the end of last year. The exciting culinary concept brought a unique style of Southern-American inspired smoked food to Leicester and received rave reviews.

It re-opened its doors in February as a pop-up as a result of popular demand.

Now owners of The Orange Tree Group, who run the O bar, have decided that The Smokehouse will become a permanent fixture in the area, after receiving so much positive feedback.

“Customers have really voted with their feet, so we’ve opted to keep The Smokehouse open, which we hope will add to the regeneration of Braunstone Gate and the West End area,” said Orange Tree Group director Ben Hings.

“We’ve been delighted to hear how much customers have enjoyed eating at The Smokehouse, and so pleased that they have continued to support this new venture, which we feel is something unique on the Leicester dining scene.”

Chef Liam Watson has developed a menu that includes a range of smoked food, created using an authentic grill imported from the States, with some meats smoked for up to 14 hours.

So far, he’s served up more than 1,200 main dishes, or ‘big smokes’ as they are referred to on the menu. Fourteen-hour pulled pork has proved to be the most popular main dish listing.

As far as side dishes go, mashed potatoes topped with garlic and chive butter has proved a winner with customers tucking into almost 400 portions. And when it comes to puddings, it’s the sticky toffee and maple pudding served with salted caramel bourbon sauce which has been most popular.

A selection of craft beers is being served up to complement the dishes. 

Liam has now been joined by a sous chef in the kitchen after the decision was made to keep The Smokehouse open permanently.

“The Smokehouse is a new concept for Leicester and I’m really pleased that the feedback we’ve received from diners has been so positive,” said Liam, who has experience of working in rosette standard kitchens.

The news that the venue is to become permanent coincides with Westival – the music street festival taking place on Sunday May 4^th on Braunstone Gate. Organised by pubs, bars, restaurants and businesses in the West End, it is being held for the first time and aims to encourage crowds to the area. It will feature stalls, bands and other entertainments, and has been funded through Leicester City Council’s Gateway Improvement Scheme.

Liam will be running a Smokehouse stall at the event, selling a selection of favourite dishes. He will also be at Leicester’s Summer Food and Drink Festival at Leicester Market on 25 May.

The O bar is part of the independent Orange Tree Group of pubs and bars in Leicester, which also runs The Orange Tree in High Street, The Lansdowne in London Road, and The Basement in Wellington Street. It also operates The Orange Tree and The Kelso in Loughborough, as well as The Orange Tree in Nottingham.

The (Pop up) Smokehouse @ The O bar received a string of rave reviews when it opened first time round.

Leicester food blogger Tim Burke said: “Here was very good, down-to-earth flavour-led food at fair prices...You should try it while it’s here. I’m certainly going back.”

Customer Emma Rees said: “Outstanding food and brilliant service - tastiest food we've eaten in ages.”

Customer Emily Horwill said: “The food was AWESOME! Really good value for money.”

Customer Karen Cheesman said: “Had a meal here last night, one word FANTASTIC!!”

Comments shortly after it opened in February included the following:

“I think that the American barbecue theme worked perfectly here, the concept was a very good one and the food tasted wonderful.” Blogger Toby Elkington at Flavoursome Feast.

“The braised beef burger really stole the show.…who knew beef could melt like that with deep and exciting smokey flavours.” Blogger Harriet Ruff at The Sunnier Side Up.

“My absolutely favourites were the melting pulled pork chilli con carne with sour cream and the heavenly mash.” Blogger Emily, from Recipes and Reviews.

“As the good quality vanilla ice-cream started to melt into that sauce I was reflecting there was no more pleasurable experience available in Leicester that night.” Blogger Tim Burke from www.riponia.wordpress.com

The Smokehouse is open from 6pm Tuesday to Saturday. For bookings, telephone 0116 255 8223 or to find out more, visit https://www.facebook.com/thesmokehouseleicester

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