Bakery specialist Butt Foods reaps the benefits of being more environmentally friendly

Bakery specialist Butt Foods Ltd has cut its landfill waste by two thirds, significantly reduced its food miles and introduced energy-saving measures at its Nottingham bakery.

Three years ago the company, which produces a range of bakery products for the UK and European foodservice and manufacturing markets, began looking at ways of reducing its carbon footprint.

After implementing a series of changes, the company – and its customers – are now reaping the benefits.

The move has saved the company £5,000 a year in landfill waste costs alone, cut the number of lorry journeys made in the past two years to deliver naan breads by 58, and has allowed the firm to become more competitive, more efficient and more environmentally friendly, said managing director David Williams.

“We are really proud that we’ve been able to reduce our environmental impact,” he said. “Not only is this good news for our carbon footprint and the environment in general, it’s also good news for our customers because we are operating more efficiently.”

He was inspired to look into ways of reducing waste partly by his son Harrison, now ten.

“He would come home from school and tell me to separate our home waste and behave responsibly as far as the environment is concerned, and when I looked around I realised there was more we could do at our manufacturing unit,” added David.

Butt Foods, which bakes a range of products, including naan breads, flat breads, top loader hot dog rolls, sub rolls, canapé bases and fruit breads, introduced a number of measures to reduce waste and become more efficient. This included:

•  Creating different waste collection points in the bakery and training staff to separate for recycling
• Asking suppliers to alter the way they packaged ingredients by putting them in recyclable containers
• Redesigning the firm’s own packaging to increase the number of items that could fit onto each pallet

The firm, which was established in 1990, and now bakes up to 60 million products per year at its manufacturing unit in The Midway, Lenton Industrial Estate, Nottingham, also installed environmentally friendly compressors onto its blast freezer, which has led to a drop in the amount of electricity the company uses. 

“We blast freeze our products immediately after baking to maintain freshness, and by installing the latest units and replacing older, less efficient, technology we have been able to reduce the energy use of the equipment by 44%,” added David.

The business has cut the amount it sends to landfill from three skips to one skip per week.

Over the past two years, on one line alone, Butt Foods has significantly reduced the number of lorry load deliveries as a result of more efficient packaging and packing on each pallet. Figures show it has been able to send out 1,500 fewer pallets of naan breads, which has resulted in 58 fewer lorry loads, even though overall sales of naan breads have risen 30% in the last three years.

“Not only has it reduced food miles and saved on transport and fuel costs, there have also been associated savings, such as boxes being smaller, using less tape and polythene in bags, and of course there has been less space required for storage here and at our customers’ premises, which is harder to define,” said David.

“Our experience is an illustration of what can be achieved when a company sets out to make itself more environmentally friendly and less wasteful. I am very pleased that the whole team at Butt Foods got behind our efforts. They should be justifiably proud of the results, which show that it’s virtually always possible to become more efficient without compromising on quality or customer service.

“We are also grateful to our ingredients suppliers and to refrigeration engineers Transcool (UK) Ltd who helped us achieve our aims.”

Now the company is switching its attention to making its products more healthy by turning the spotlight on reformulation.

For more information visit www.buttfoods.co.uk

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

Ten out of ten for Croots Farm Shop products

Derbyshire farm shop Croots scored success for its sausages and meat products by picking up ten awards at the Regional Pork Product Excellence Awards Roadshow.

Croots Farm Shop struck gold four times with its homemade sausage roll, Scotch egg, haslet, and pork and apple burger. The farm shop near Duffield also took two silver awards for its pork, leek and Stilton sausage, and its smoked bacon sausage, and a bronze for its pork, apple and cider sausage.

Meanwhile, Croots butcher Richard Bott hit the jackpot in the Young Sausage Maker Category by winning three bronze awards for his pork and wild mushroom sausage, his Toulouse sausage and his sweet chilli and coriander sausage.

Farm shop owner Steve Croot said: “We have won many awards for our homemade sausages, pies and meat products, and the Croots butchers’ counter is renowned across the area for its quality and range, but we are chuffed to have won so many accolades at the BPEX awards, which are judged by industry experts.

“It now means that virtually all of our sausages are award-winning. One of the keys to our success is the excellent pork that we use. Another is the innovative way that we develop new products – it’s something that our customers really embrace. We’re delighted to have won another great batch of awards to add to the scores that have already been awarded to Croots products.”

Richard, 25, joined Croots towards the end of 2013 and is one of three butchers at the farm shop, which is based at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road. 

The BPEX awards roadshow, which was held at Newark, attracted entries from butchers across the region and was judged by industry experts. 

Croots Farm Shop, which opened in June 2008, extended its butchers’ counter as a result of demand and has won many national, local and regional awards for its sausages, pies and other products, which are made in-store. 

All the pork sausages at Croots are made using free range Packington Pork from Barton-under-Needwood, near Burton-upon-Trent. Croots has a range of around 65 different flavours of banger, which it sells on a rotating basis, with between 12 and 14 on sale at any one time.
Croots Farm Shop is open Sundays from 10am to 4pm (Shires Eatery until 3.45pm), and from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm). It is closed on Mondays.

For more information visit www.croots.co.uk

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

Focus Consultants appointed on energy carbon sustainability contracts

Building and property services firm Focus Consultants has extended its geographical reach with two new energy carbon sustainability appointments in the north of Lincolnshire.

The Boston office of Focus has secured contracts to assess and check the environmental credentials of two Scunthorpe residential developments, currently under construction.

Scunthorpe-based TG Sowerby Developments Ltd has appointed Focus as the Code for Sustainable Homes assessor on a scheme of 20 affordable houses and bungalows being built for Guinness Northern Counties in Morecambe Avenue, and on a project to create eight flats for North Lincolnshire Homes in Haig Avenue.

The Haig Avenue development is designed for people with learning difficulties and is a partnership between NLH, the Homes and Communities Agency and North Lincolnshire Council.

As well as acting as assessor for the Code for Sustainable Homes rating, which is an environmental assessment method for rating and certifying the performance of new homes, Focus experts have also been appointed to issue the Energy Performance Certificates and undertake the Standard Assessment Procedures for the two schemes.

“Energy carbon sustainability is one of our key services, and we are very pleased to have extended our reach further north in the county with these two recent appointments from TG Sowerby Developments Ltd,” said senior building surveyor Darren Booker, who is based in Focus’ Boston office in Endeavour Park.

As well as offices in Endeavour Park, Boston, and Manor Farm, Aubourn near Lincoln, Focus has branches in Nottingham, Leicester and London. It provides a range of consultancy services to the construction industry, including construction and property services, project and programme management, energy carbon sustainability support and economic development and funding advice.

For more information visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Press release issued by Louise Duffield, Perfect 10 PR, on behalf of Focus Consultants www.perfect10pr.co.uk

BSP Consulting secures first overseas contracts

Civil and structural engineering firm BSP Consulting has won its first international contracts with appointments on a major highway scheme and building project in Kurdistan. 

The company has secured work in the area as part of a major infrastructure development programme in the region. 

BSP has been appointed by the Ministry of Culture as checking engineer for a new theatre in the capital, Erbil. Work is due to get underway on site on the Holi Gel theatre project shortly. 

The firm has also been appointed to provide project management services on a road scheme in the region’s second city, Slemani. Work on the 40 km dual carriageway, between the towns of Dukan and Chwarqurna, features a number of bridges and is expected to take two years. 

BSP, which has its headquarters at Oxford Street, Nottingham, and branches in Derby, Leicester and Sheffield, now has two engineers in Kurdistan who are overseeing the work. 

“For a while we have been looking at opportunities in the Middle East in places like Abu Dhabi and more recently Kurdistan, and we are very pleased to have secured these two contracts,” said BSP managing director David Sumner. 

“The downturn in the UK construction sector gave us the chance to fully explore areas overseas that were looking for British expertise. Our investment in this over the past few years is now coming to fruition, and we hope that further opportunities will be forthcoming.” 

Representatives from BSP have travelled to the Middle East on a number of occasions for a series of meetings and trade exhibitions ahead of securing the work.The contracts mark the first overseas developments undertaken by BSP.

“Since forming almost 15 years ago, we have gradually expanded as a company and we now cover the whole of the UK. The recently won work in Kurdistan is our first international development, however,” added David. 

As an oil-rich region, Kurdistan is investing heavily in infrastructure, including roads, hospitals, schools, housing and cultural amenities. The Kurdistan Regional Government has a large spending programme underway which involves major public schemes.

BSP is now registered to operate in the region, which is part of Iraq, and hopes to be involved in additional projects in the future, said David. 

The company 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

Top museums success for heritage and cultural experts Focus Consultants

Focus Consultants is celebrating a link with four of the top 20 free museums and galleries in the UK recommended by The Guardian newspaper. 

The company has worked on many high-profile museums across the UK, including the National Army Museum in Chelsea and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, which was named UK museum of the year in 2012 by the Art Fund charity.

Now four museums that Focus has worked with or is currently involved in have been named on a top 20 list of free family friendly museums recommended to visit by The Guardian. 

They are the V&A Museum of Childhood in London, St Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff, Coventry Transport Museum and Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry. 

Focus Consultants, which has its headquarters at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, and has branches in London, Leicester, Boston and near Lincoln, specialises in creative approaches to securing funding packages. The firm has worked to help many significant heritage, ecclesiastical, arts, culture and leisure schemes gain grants from a range of funding sources. 

Since establishing in 1994, Focus has helped to secure £1 billion worth of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK.   

Partner at Focus Consultants, Kevin Osbon, said: “It’s great news to see that so many of our projects have made it onto this list of recommended museums and galleries to visit. Focus is proud to be part of the teams that are creating such high quality destinations that are filled with interesting and interactive activities for families.”  

The firm worked for the V&A on a multi-million pound redevelopment of the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, which houses the V&A's national collection of childhood-related objects, including dolls' houses, toys and games, furniture and clothing. As well as overseeing the redevelopment, Focus also secured the funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), which both made significant contributions to the successful opening of the project in early 2007. 

At St Fagans, Focus helped the project to secure £11.5 million - the largest ever grant award in Wales by the Heritage Lottery Fund - and was then appointed project managers and cost managers for the open air museum near Cardiff. The St Fagans project is now out to tender with works due to start on site shortly. 

Focus was strategic lead on the creation of the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum initiative - a £12m complete redisplay of the museum and art gallery including the creation of Coventry History Centre and the development of a huge glazed canopy to effectively turn the building around 180 degrees… completely changing its orientation so that it could be linked to Coventry Cathedral and Coventry University via a major public square.  

Focus is also lead consultant on a project to create an internationally significant transport heritage attraction by redeveloping Coventry Transport Museum, which has received initial support for a £4.9m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and £3m from the European Regional Development Fund.  The complete redisplay of Coventry Transport Museum is about to start on site. 

The Guardian published its list as part of the newspaper’s ‘How to see the world for free (or almost)’ series.

Visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

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

Thrill-seekers sought for skydive in aid of Nottingham Hospitals Charity

Daredevils still looking for a challenge in 2014 are being invited to take the plunge and join a charity skydive in aid of Nottingham’s hospitals.

Adventurous patients, staff and members of the public are being invited to sign up to the sponsored event – and help raise money for charity in the process.

Nottingham Hospitals Charity is looking for volunteers to take part in sponsored tandem freefall parachute jumps from 10,000 ft at Langar Airfield in Nottinghamshire on either Sunday 16^th March or Sunday 15^th June 2014.  

Participants need to raise a minimum of £395 in aid of the charity, and can nominate which area of the hospital they would like to support. In return, they will receive training and get the opportunity to complete an exhilarating skydive strapped to an experienced instructor.

 “Many people like to set themselves a challenge each year, and we’d urge those who haven’t already done so to think about undertaking a sponsored skydive in 2014,” said Barbara Cathcart, Chief Executive at Nottingham Hospitals Charity.

“Of course it’s not for the faint-hearted, but those who have skydived previously say it’s a pretty memorable experience.”

Last year Nottingham University  Hospitals Trust chief executive Peter Homa took part in a skydive for the Charity, along with his wife and daughter. Peter said: “The three of us all wanted to do something to support the hospitals through fundraising and the skydive was a fantastic experience for us, really exhilarating and fun. By fundraising for Nottingham Hospitals Charity, we can all make a difference towards improving services for our patients, visitors and staff.”

Nottingham Hospitals Charity exists to benefit patients, staff and facilities at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust’s City Hospital, Queen’s Medical Centre and Ropewalk House campuses. Donations are used to enhance patient care by providing added extras such as specialist equipment, medical research and staff development.

Participants in the skydives can choose which area they wish to support, such as Nottingham Children’s Hospital, breast cancer research, Hayward House hospice, the Cystic Fibrosis Campaign or any other part of the hospitals.

Anyone interested in taking part or signing up should contact Nottingham Hospitals Charity on charity@nuh.nhs.uk or 0115 9627905.

To find out more about Nottingham Hospitals Charity, to make a donation or to get involved in fundraising, go to www.nottinghamhospitalscharity.org.uk

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

Organisations given grant advice by Focus Consultants and architects Purcell

Millions of pounds worth of grants are available for heritage, cultural and arts organisations and projects….but the key is in finding the best way to unlock them.

That was the message for representatives from organisations across the Midlands and beyond who were given an insight into how to go about sourcing funding for capital schemes.

Experts from Focus Consultants and architects Purcell staged a seminar aimed at unravelling the process of applying for grants and other funds. As well as highlighting the opportunities, the event turned the spotlight on how to overcome challenges and obstacles.
 

The seminar, which was held at Nottingham’s Council House, also focused on creative ways of maximising assets to help towards resourcing projects. 

It attracted delegates from cultural organisations across the Midlands and beyond that are involved in the conservation, restoration, regeneration and development of arts and heritage projects and initiatives.

Kevin Osbon, a partner at Focus Consultants, whose head office is based at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, and a speaker at the event, said afterwards: “Over the past 20 years, Focus Consultants has helped to secure £1 billion worth of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK. We specialise in creative approaches to securing funding packages, and have worked to help many significant heritage, ecclesiastical, arts, culture and leisure schemes gain grants from a range of funding sources.
 

“Via the seminar, we wanted to share some of the expertise we have built up over the years and offer some signposts to organisations that could benefit from the funding available.” 

The audience of around 120 delegates also heard from Niall Phillips, head of design at Purcell, who focused on several schemes that the company had worked on and highlighted the importance of partnership working, as well as the key role that volunteers could play in projects.

The company has studios across the UK and in Asia Pacific, and the seminar marked a year since Purcell opened a studio in Nottingham. Purcell is working on a number of schemes in the area, providing heritage consultancy advice and architectural services. Most recently, the practice prepared a Conservation Management Plan for the Malt Cross which contributed to its successful Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid. Focus Consultants led the process to secure £1.8m for the original complete restoration and refurbishment of the Music Hall.

Service manager for museums and galleries at Nottingham City Council, Ron Inglis, shared the grant-seeking experiences he had been involved in for a number of Nottingham projects, including the multi-million pound improvements at Wollaton Hall.

The seminar was told by Kevin Osbon that Focus dealt with around 100 different sources of capital and revenue funding, and outlined some of the key ones. He explained that the role of LEPs (Local Enterprise Partnerships) was very important, as European funding awards would be considered and approved by these organisations.

“Now is the time to liaise with and make your case for funding support to your LEPs as European funding is likely to come on stream in the summer,” he added.

Kevin highlighted some of the Nottingham projects that Focus had been involved in, including the Nottingham Playhouse Sky Mirror, Broadway Media Centre and the New Art Exchange, and talked about the funding packages that the firm had helped to secure for these schemes.

“Funding opportunities come and go,” he told the audience. “Keep your networks. Keep looking. I am pleased to say that we have had lots of success and I hope we can help you with securing funding for your projects and initiatives.”

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