North West Business Briefs: Abbey Logistics; Hope Capital; FWP; GC Business Finance; Peach Law

Bag-to-bulk site

Specialist bulk logistics company Abbey Logistics has been awarded a recycled polymer and materials handling contract from Viridor, the UK’s biggest recycling company.

Working in partnership with more than 150 local authority and major corporate clients across the UK, Viridor has the UK’s largest network of 300+ advanced recycling, energy recovery and landfill diversion facilities. These sites specialise in supporting manufacturers to reduce their reliance on virgin plastic and are some of the most sophisticated plastic recycling and reprocessing plants in the country.

Abbey Logistics is partnering with Viridor through the logistics company’s bag-to-bulk facility on the Wirral, where Abbey takes delivery and provides storage of recycled plastic flakes in one tonne bags. The flakes are then decanted into bag-in-box shipping containers for onward distribution to Viridor’s customers throughout the UK and Europe.

Abbey is handling recycled polymers from Viridor’s Polymer Reprocessing Facility in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, which processes plastic bottles, segregating and processing the material further to produce deodorised HDPE compounds and Clear PET flakes.

The high quality of these recycled polymer grades can be directly substituted for virgin material in the manufacturing of many new plastic products and packaging. This significantly reduces waste to landfill and the environmental impact of waste processing and manufacturing from virgin plastic.

Mike Ellis, Abbey Logistics’ business development director, said: “Since opening in 2018, our bag-to-bulk facility has attracted customers from across the polymers sector thanks to being close to Liverpool Port, our storage space and our UK wide bulk tanker transport network. Customers are using us as a one stop shop for reformatting and transport to reduce costs and complexity in their supply chains.”

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Jonathan Sealey

Liverpool-based Hope Capital has announced it has joined the Mortgage Market Alliance, a collaborative new platform for the mortgage and specialist finance industry, which focuses on promoting the availability of property finance for an increasingly diverse range of consumers.

The Alliance was established in 2020 to drive business to the mortgage market through a programme of consumer information and education.

By Hope Capital joining the platform, it will have an opportunity to contribute to education campaigns about the availability of property finance, including bridging finance, and its uses for a diverse range of consumers. The call to action for these campaigns will always be that consumers should seek professional advice with the hope this will help to grow the potential of the intermediary market.

Jonathan Sealey, Hope Capital chief executive, said: “Our priority is to create unique and innovative products which meet the needs of individual borrowers and their specific projects. It is, therefore, our responsibility to raise awareness of these solutions to intermediates and provide insight into the various borrowing options available.

“Educating brokers and borrowers about the specialist finance market is essential, especially at a time where the industry is maturing and growing to help those looking to access fast finance.”

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The proposed facility

Frank Whittle Partnership, the Preston-based architect, design and masterplanning practice, has designed a new specialist family support centre which will be built at St John’s Hospice in Lancaster.

It means the hospice can provide a haven where children and young people who have lost close relatives can grieve and get the help and support that they need after the £750,000 project in the grounds of the hospice was given the go-ahead by city council planners.

Work is set to start soon and the two-storey building could be completed by the end of the year to coincide with the hospice’s 35th anniversary.

St John’s Hospice has been providing palliative care for a wide range of life shortening conditions in North Lancashire and the South Lakes since 1986. The existing ‘Lodge’ building on Slyne Road will be demolished to make way for the modern, purpose-built, facility.

Neil Ainsworth FWP partner, who is architect on the project, said: “The new centre will deliver improved facilities and space that will allow the hospice to provide a wide range of support services for the community. We’ve designed a very special building for therapy and play. We’ve used natural lighting wherever possible and have looked to create calm and friendly spaces throughout.”

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Paul Breen

Social impact lender GC Business Finance has seen huge demand for Bounce Back Loan (BBLS) funding since being accredited in November 2020, with 400 jobs secured as a result of loans provided in the local area.

With the deadline for the BBLS extended to March 31, GCBF is now calling for any eligible firms in Greater Manchester to apply for a Bounce Back loan.

In November, GCBF became the first lender in the UK accredited to provide BBLS to be backed by a local authority, managing £10m of emergency funding from Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). The fund targets eligible SMEs unable to access Bounce Back loans from their own banks and which are based in and trading from Greater Manchester. GCBF is offering BBLS loans of up to £50,000 packaged with integrated business support in a local approach unique across the UK.

As part of the Growth Company, GC Business Finance works alongside GC Business Growth Hub and other sister businesses to provide a tailored combination of financial and business support to SMEs across Greater Manchester.

The loans, which are 100 per cent guaranteed by the Government, are estimated to be eligible for approximately 98% of Greater Manchester SMEs. Paul Breen, director at GC Business Finance, said: “We have seen extraordinary levels of demand from Greater Manchester SMEs for this support, emphasising a key funding gap that still exists for businesses looking to recover and grow following the impact of the pandemic.”

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Peach Law’s new office

Peach Law, a bespoke employment law and HR consultancy, has relocated to bigger offices in Cheadle Hulme.

The firm moved offices last week, literally moving across the road to leased space at Metropolitan House in Station Road.

The new location is around three times bigger, giving Peach a greater opportunity to expand and enabling it to attract and recruit new talent.

The office design includes a casual breakout area and meeting room with a great focus on collaborative working.

Managing director, Lindsey Bell, said: “This move is extremely exciting and supports our growth strategy in being a key player in the HR and employment law sector. We have been able to put our own personal stamp on where we work, making it a great place for our staff to work together.”

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