North West business briefs: Warrington Credit Union; St Helens Chamber; Oldham Council; Kingsland Drinks; 64 Trust

Warrington Credit Union has joined forces with Wigan-based Unify Credit Union to offer customers online services, making saving and affordable loans products more accessible to support people in managing their money.

Unify Credit Union already operates in Wigan, Chorley, South Ribble and Skelmersdale. Following the merger, Warringon Credit Union’s headquarters at St Margaret’s Community Centre will remain open.

Graham Fielding, chairman of Warrington Credit Union, said: “Over the past 12 years, we have provided ethical and affordable financial services to thousands of people in the town. With the strength of Unify Credit Union’s online offer which will enable our members to request withdrawals, apply for loans and check their balances, we’re hopeful that many more Warrington residents will be able to access financial services from an organisation that genuinely cares about helping them take control of their money matters.”

Credit Unions are a financial co-operative, meaning any person who saves and borrows with them becomes a ‘member’. Members each have an equal share of the credit union and the profits that it makes – meaning money stays within the local area.

Angela Fishwick

Angela Fishwick, chief executive of Unify Credit Union, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer our services in Warrington at a time when affordable loans and easy ways to save are more important than ever.

“Warrington Credit Union already has a strong membership base of 1,500 in the town, and we can’t wait to build on this and offer quicker, easier ways for more people to manage their money with their local credit union.”

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St Helens Chamber

St Helens Chamber’s guidance services team is offering redundancy support to local people who need it, now the furlough scheme is coming to an end. The redundancy support service ranges from help accessing funding for training to CV and interview preparation and is delivered by qualified careers advisers at St Helens Chamber.

Mike Unsworth, career guidance manager at St Helens Chamber, said: “Unfortunately, as the furlough scheme comes to an end, we are expecting to see more redundancies being made by companies who can’t afford to keep staff on. We are already working with a few businesses who are in the unfortunate position of needing to make redundancies, and our team are ready to support anyone who finds themselves in the same position.”

St Helens Chamber’s support is completely free and impartial, as the National Careers Service for St Helens. Advisers can help people write or update their CV, brush up on their interview skills, and apply for jobs, as well as providing free short training courses which add valuable skills to any CV.

Mike added: “We understand that this time can be traumatic and upsetting, but I would say to anyone facing redundancy to try not to panic – there is support available to help you back into work as soon as possible. Our National Careers Service team keep up to date on the latest labour market information and can match up your skills to industries you might not have even considered before. We will work with you as much as you need to get you back on your feet.”

Any businesses anticipating needing to make redundancies are encouraged to get in contact with the chamber to find out how it can support them and their staff. Mike said: “We have worked with employers on a number of occasions and visited workplaces where redundancies were being made. No matter the size of the business or scale of redundancies, whether its one or 100, we can work with you.”

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Oldham

Oldham Council has launched a new grant fund to support Oldham businesses to accelerate their growth projects. The Oldham Business Growth Fund has been created to help businesses whose growth plans were affected or put on hold as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Grants of up to £20,000 are available for eligible businesses whose investment projects will result in growth and new jobs for local residents. Growth can be either new products or processes that will result in increased sales and employee numbers.

The Oldham Business Growth Fund will provide a grant of up to 50% of total eligible costs. Priority will be given to applications from the manufacturing, creative and digital sectors, those with a high economic impact (jobs) and that focus on innovation and carbon reduction (net zero).

Cllr Shoab Aktar, cabinet member for employment and enterprise, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to get your business growth plans back on track. We know the pandemic has had a massive impact locally – but the entrepreneurial spirit in Oldham is as strong as ever. We’re investing in you to help you and your business to come back stronger and in doing so, you can support your community to access new jobs and opportunities.”

The scheme is being launched with support from GC Business Growth Hub, which provides free support to businesses of all sizes in Greater Manchester. Visit www.businessgrowthhub.com for more details.

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The Iconic Estate

Kingsland Drinks has announced a new partnership with the second largest and one of the most awarded Romanian wine producers – The Iconic Estate – in a move to further broaden its offering and fly the flag for Central Eastern European wines in the UK.

The Salford-based wine importer and distributor will add a comprehensive Romanian range to the portfolio at three price points – entry, mid and premium – available to the UK retail and hospitality sectors under clearly defined brands. From the end of October 2021, Kingsland Drinks will be importing and distributing four entry level wines from the Rhea range (Feteasca Neagra blend, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir) – the name is inspired by the mother of Zeus, who personified the earth.

The Iconic Estate is already familiar with the UK market due to historic links with CHorley-based Halewood. Under the new partnership with Kingsland Drinks, The Iconic Estate, now owned by the Alexandrion Group, will share its know-how and passion for Romanian wine production. The winery has proven technical expertise and excellence and holds the BRC accreditation, which many wineries in Romania do not.

Kathryn Glass, wine buyer and educator at Kingsland Drinks, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with The Iconic Estate to bring their quality and accessible wines to the UK market. Their wines are authentic, distinctive, credible, well made and really demonstrate the breadth of wines available from Romania at various price points, using native grapes and globally recognised varietals.”

Dragos Plopeanu, regional export director Europe, CIS and China at The Iconic Estate, said: “We’re excited to embark on this new partnership with Kingsland Drinks and it marks a real shift in our global strategy. Kathryn and the team really got under the skin of our wine portfolio and identified the optimal range for the UK market with wines such as our Feteasca Neagra standing alongside world renowned grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon.”

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Fans Supporting Foodbanks

The 64 Trust charity has given £5,000 to support a new food pantry being set up in North Liverpool.

Fans Supporting Foodbanks, founded in 2015 by West Derby MP Ian Byrne and Everton fans Dave Kelly and Robbie Daniels in response to rising food poverty linked to the austerity programme implemented by the Government from 2010, will operate the food pantry out of the Vauxhall Neighbourhood Millennium Centre based on Blenheim Street.

The food pantry will provide essential food items – such as bread, cereal, tins of beans, rice, pasta as well as good nutritious fruit and veg and fresh meat – for individuals struggling to make ends meet. It will form part of the Fans Supporting Foodbanks network, and the pantry will be accessible to people locally to the VNC Centre as well as from across North Liverpool.

The 64 Trust has given the £5,000 grant as part of its wider mission to help local causes which deliver long lasting change in communities. It has given £200,000 through its legacy funding to Vauxhall, St Joseph’s, and Holy Cross in the city centre. The donation has been used to provide youth provision and wider community activities. Anne Lundon, trustee of the 64 Trust, said: “We are delighted to be able to support such a vital initiative which will go some way to alleviating food poverty in the Vauxhall area of the city.”

Robert Daniels, founding partner of Fans Supporting Foodbanks, said: “Fans Supporting Foodbanks are committed to fighting food poverty in our communities. We must never forget that food poverty in this country is a political choice and as such it should be illegal to deprive school children and adults of one of the fundamentals needed for existence – this is why Fans Supporting Foodbanks are running a campaign to have the Right To Food enshrined in law.”

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