North West business briefs: Nexer Digital; Avoira; Vital Life; Redrow; Qualkem Brands

Nexer Digital, the Macclesfield-based human-centred digital design agency, is making rapid progress towards a 50% year-on-year growth in sales after winning new projects for a series of major clients including the Department for Education (DfE), Mind, AstraZeneca and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The UX expert expects to turn over £7m, following £4.6m in 2020, which was a record year for sales in itself. The extension of Nexer’s programme of work with the Department for Education, which it will deliver in partnership with Paper, further strengthens its position as a public sector design specialist.
The firm has seen an expansion in its content, service design and user research teams, taking on 14 new staff during the past six months, as well as significant growth in the technology group, thanks to client wins with ConvaTec, Nest and Nottingham County Council. Nexer Digital has seen huge success in the public sector over the past 12 months, establishing inclusive research and design programmes for UK Research and Innovation, the Money and Pensions Service, the Department for Education (DfE) and the Welsh Digital Transformation programme.
Alongside the new client wins, the company said it will continue to strengthen its approach to building a diverse, inclusive team. While the agency currently has more employees who identify as women than men, the management team has broader diversity and inclusion goals to further the cultural diversity within the team, with objectives to build on Nexer Digital’s status as a Disability Confident employer over the coming year.
Hilary Stephenson, managing director, said: “With everything that has been going on over the past year, I am so proud and impressed with everything we have achieved. The dedication of the team has led to some fantastic new projects and we are on course for another year of record-breaking sales.
“Without winning these new projects, we would not be able to expand our team at the rate we are. The expansion of the team means that we can hire and diversify our workforce which keeps our work fresh, creative and innovative. It is a privilege to be able to work alongside so many talented people from different backgrounds. I am already looking forward to seeing what next year has in store.”
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Victoria Robinson
Bury-based technology solutions specialist Avoira is to ensure organisers and festivalgoers make the right connections at Burrs Live, a brand new festival which kicks off this month at Bury’s Burrs Country Park.
Running for two weeks between August 27, to September 5, Burrs Live will offer a variety of live music, community events, family fun and artisan food. An entertainment-packed schedule will incorporate the Happy Festival, inspired by Victoria Wood, and the well-established Head for the Hills festival.
Having signed up to be Burrs Live’s principal sponsor, Avoira has agreed to provide free wi-fi to festivalgoers, staff and volunteers. Provision of a reliable and fast wi-fi connection will be vital to organisers in ensuring the smooth running of a mobile box office. It will enable on-site ticket sales and barcode scanning of pre-printed e-tickets to help minimise queues at the wristband exchange facility. In addition Avoira will provide free two-way radios to facilitate clear and secure communications across the site.
Festivalgoers will also benefit from a separate free wifi network. This will use the same technology already employed by Avoira to deliver free internet access at The Met, the arts and music centre which is organising Burrs Live. The new deal follows the company’s previous sponsorship of Head for the Hills which, is usually hosted at Ramsbottom Cricket Club.
The Met’s chief executive, Victoria Robinson welcomed Avoira’s support, saying: “We are extremely grateful to Avoira for their sponsorship. It will bring to Burrs Live expertise and technologies which we know from experience will be invaluable in enabling us to deliver the very best experience for festivalgoers. Any festival organiser will tell you that good communications, spanning both voice or data, are absolutely key to the efficient operation and security of a festival.”
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Hand sanitiser producer, Vital Life, has donated 1,050 sanitisers to the Darwen Hygiene bank. The donation comes in support of National Hygiene Week, an initiative set up by The Hygiene Bank to help raise awareness about hygiene poverty, one of the hidden crises faced by people in the UK.
Blackburn company Vital Life’s donations went directly to The Darwen Hygiene Bank, which was created to support those within the Blackburn and Darwen area. The distribution list includes numerous charities such as Hands of Hope, The Billy Project, Ivy Street Community Centre, Salvation Army, Community Helping Hands, DARE in Darwen, as well as several other organisations best placed support with hygiene poverty.
Samina Adam, managing director at Vital Life, said: “We are delighted to have been able to donate to The Hygiene Bank for national Hygiene Week. Supporting local communities is essential to Vital Life, and by donating to The Darwen Hygiene Bank we’re both helping those in need in the region, as well as working to raise awareness of hygiene poverty in the UK.”
Edgar Penollar, chief executive of The Hygiene Bank said: “We are incredibly grateful for the donation which Vital Life have given us. Coming from poverty myself, I understand and use that experience to ensure no one else goes without basic hygiene needs. The need for hand sanitiser is at an all time high due to COVID-19 and the donation received will give those in need essential protection by helping them to feel safe when out in public. We can’t thank Vital Life enough and everyone on our distribution list thanks them too.”
National Hygiene Week, which took place from July 5-11, aimed to encourage everyone to ‘Look Up’ and help tackle hygiene poverty in their community. For every sale of hand sanitiser between July 5 to August 5, Vital Life donated one bottle of hand sanitiser to The Hygiene Bank. Thanks to the extensive distribution list, the bottles were spread far and wide across the region.
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Young carers enjoy their day out
Young carers from across Cheshire jumped at the chance to enjoy a much-deserved day out thanks to funding from housebuilder Redrow. Cheshire Young Carers received £1,500 from the company to help facilitate a programme of school holiday respite activities and trips for young carers aged six to 18.
Activities are chosen by the young carers themselves, with a trampolining session, meal at a restaurant of their choice, cinema visit and free time to shop and develop new friendships, just some of the experiences funded by Redrow. The aim of the holiday programme is to help improve young carers’ health and wellbeing and to reduce the negative effects of their caring responsibilities.
Alan Jones, deputy operations manager at Cheshire Young Carers, said: “The holiday programme is a direct result of young carers expressing a real need for respite support during school holiday periods due to feeling ‘trapped’ and lonely caused by their caring responsibilities. The impact of social isolation, and the loneliness which it generates, is now more potent than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
One of the young carers said: “Trips like the day in Cheshire Oaks are a luxury to me. I know it sounds crazy, but to get a day to myself to enjoy a meal out, see friends, relax to watch a film and just be silly trampolining with other young carers is absolutely amazing.” Another added: “It was just what I needed. I haven’t seen a lot of my friends over the last 18 months, so it was just nice to have time away from stressful home life and mix with them again, with adults I know. My family really appreciate the support we get from Cheshire Young Carers.”
Redrow area sales manager, Amanda Hollins, said: “Young carers take on an enormous amount of responsibility within the home throughout the year. We were so pleased to support Cheshire Young Carers’ holiday programme to help give the young people a well deserved break from their caring roles. It was great to see so many smiling faces when they visited Cheshire Oaks and the Coliseum. A shopping trip, cinema visit, trampolining and a meal in a restaurant are activities many young people take for granted but for young carers it’s a real treat.”
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Ian Hill, right, demonstrates the machine
Cheshire hygiene specialists Qualkem Brands is helping a major rail company to stay on track by providing specialist fogging machinery to fight against COVID-19.
A serious COVID-19 outbreak recently shut down Amey Rail’s Manchester Gorton Rd offices, leading to staff being sent home. But Amey Rail is now fighting back with the support of the Electrosan Februus Fogging System which has the capability to spray Hypochlorous at high pressure to create an ultra-dry atmospheric fog which will kill all known germs, but is harmless to humans, animals, and the environment.
Crewe-based Qualkem developed the state-of-the-art highly portable machine to support the fight against COVID-19. It is designed specifically for use with its Electrosan Skin and Surface Anti-viral Spray, a stabilised hypochlorous all-purpose sanitiser which protects against all COVID strains and is completely safe to use. In contrast to alcohol-based products, Electrosan is safe for everyone, including babies and animals.
Ian Hill, national sales manager for Qualkem, said the only way to ensure a complete building sanitation is with atmospheric fogging. He added: “We have undergone 18 months to perfect our portable Electrosan fogging system and to gain Amey Rail as our first customer is incredible. The team at Amey Rail were keen to ensure the safety of their staff, but at the same time purchase a machine that was easy to use, had no harmful chemicals and most importantly no down time for rooms or staff.”
Amey Rail is using Electrosan to sanitise all offices, training rooms, toilets, showers, canteens, and public areas along with vans, minibuses and welfare units. Alan Gray, of Amey Rail, said: “The main attraction of the system was the safety factor and the dryness of the fog, along with the fact of the Electrosan being COSHH free which means it is free of all hazardous substances.”