North West business briefs: Eurovision; Baltic Market; Charley Chau; The Sculpts; Wirral Met College; Exchange Chambers
Train and rail services have been extended during the Eurovision Song Contest, which Liverpool is hosting on behalf of last year’s winner, Ukraine, during the next 10 days, when more than 100,000 visitors are expected to descend on the city.
Merseyrail services will run into the early hours after the Grand Final, which finishes at 12.30am on Saturday, May 13, with departure times for some services as late as 2.40am. Services will also run until after midnight on the night of the Big Eurovision Welcome on May 7. Passengers are warned that James Street station, the closest to the event arena, will be closed for periods.
Liverpool City Region buses will also continue on key routes until the early hours following the events on 7 and 13 May.
Announcing the transport plan, Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, said: “We’re expecting tens of thousands of visitors to descend on the Liverpool City Region for a week-long celebration of music, dance, fun and frivolity. A world class spectacular deserves world class transport, and visitors will be able to enjoy the best that our region has to offer.
“I’m enormously proud of the investments we’ve made to deliver a publicly-owned, public transport network run in the interests of the public, including our £500m trains and fleet of new hydrogen buses. By organising these additional late night services in our region, we’re ensuring that Eurovision fans and locals will get the service they deserve and won’t have to cut the party short.”
With the Mersey Ferries set to help people cross the river in late night services on May 7 and 13, a park and ride scheme on May 7 and 13, and shuttle buses to help travel between fan zones throughout the two weeks, the city region’s transport network is gearing up for the global event which is expected to attract around 160 million TV viewers.
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Liv Alarcon
Baltic Market, Liverpool’s street food market, has welcomed a new trader, in La Bistroteca, created by female chef Livia Alarcon, which will specialise in European bistro food that draws from her decade-long career so far.
Livia, 26, became head chef of Maray at just 21 where she was featured and awarded for herself and her team’s cooking in the Good Food Guide 2017 and 2018, as well as going on to be part of the BBC’s Chefs’ Brigade, travelling across six countries with Michelin Star chef Jason Atherton.
Livia lasted the whole series and was then offered a job at Atherton’s Pollen Street Social in London, but she turned it down to return to Liverpool where she then became head chef at Queens where she cooked for Jay Rayner who reviewed the restaurant. Since then, Livia has cooked all food served on TV show Boiling Point, before launching her first solo project at Baltic Market which, since opening in June 2017, has welcomed more than 50 restaurants and more than 100 market traders.
Oliver Press, co-founder of Baltic Market, said: “When we started Baltic Market almost six years ago, our intention was for it to be a space and incubator for start-ups, new concepts and up and coming chefs. La Bistroteca by Liv is all of those things. Not only that, but Liv is also one of the best chefs in the city and beyond, so it’s very exciting that she’ll be cooking and sharing her dishes at Baltic Market.”
Livia Alarcon said: “This concept is based on various bistros around Europe. As an avid traveller and keen food enthusiast and chef, I have been fortunate enough to spend most of my childhood experiencing different parts of the world and I believe this has really shaped my direction with food and my own cooking. The Baltic Market attracts a new wave of guests of all ages, from the city, as well as further afield, and I’m really excited to get in the kitchen.”
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Christine Chau
Manchester-based luxury dog bedding business, Charley Chau, recently joined a group of 100 British business founders at the Great British Entrepreneurs Reception at No. 10 Downing Street, hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt to recognise and celebrate the contribution of entrepreneurs in the UK to the British economy.
Charley Chau co-founder, Christine Chau, was invited to join this prestigious event having previously won, along with her sister and co-founder Jenny Chau, Family Business Entrepreneurs of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2018. Since winning the award, Christine has been a member of the GBEA judging panel.
Both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor spent time speaking with entrepreneurs from a wide array of business sectors, with the Prime Minister thanking the entrepreneurs for the contribution that their work makes to the British economy. The Chancellor also made a speech, sharing some personal insights into his own entrepreneurial journey and acknowledging the risks and difficulties faced by entrepreneurs in the UK, while also praising the determination and resilience shown by entrepreneurs up and down the country in their business ventures.
Christine and Jenny co-founded Charley Chau as a quirky hobby after endless frustrating searches for good quality, stylish dog bedding. From hand-stitching beds on the sitting room floor, the sisters launched Charley Chau in 2010 with just one dog bed design, their now signature Snuggle Bed, but the brand now has a collection of more than 15 styles of luxe dog beds to suit dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes, with happy customers in around 60 countries.
Christine said: “Jenny and I are accidental entrepreneurs – our idea for a fun hobby took on a life of its own and I felt incredibly honoured to be in the company of so many great British entrepreneurial superstars at No. 10 Downing Street, representing a niche family business from the North West of England. My overwhelming memory of drinks at No. 10 will be how wonderful it was to see the determination and hard work of so many British entrepreneurs recognised in Downing Street.”
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Richard Bennett
Unique Manchester-inspired homeware and lifestyle brand, The Sculpts, has won a major contract to create and supply the Manchester Museum, one of the city’s most esteemed institutions, with a bespoke tile collection.
Coinciding with the renovation of the museums’ Oxford Road site, The Sculpts has been commissioned to create two new MANCHESTER letter tile series, along with an illustrated history of the bee in art and culture. The themes for the custom-made collection reflect the museum’s commitments to sustainability, biodiversity, and inclusivity, which have been depicted in detail throughout the new illustrations in The Sculpts’ distinctive style.
At the helm of the brand, which creates surreal yet soulful designs that pay homage to the industrial spirit of the city and its surrounds, is illustrator and architect Richard Bennett. The designs are brought to life by Richard to feature across its distinctive range of ceramics, prints, and textiles. Strongly evoking the heart and heritage of Manchester, intricate detail and meaning lies behind each and every design.
The listing marks the latest of several prestigious collaborations for the firm. After only establishing in 2020, The Sculpts has attracted a lot of interest already, with a growing number of retail outlets in the North West and beyond stocking its products. Existing partners include the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Central Library and the National Trust.
Richard said: “Collaboration is at the heart of our creative philosophy, and our partnership with the Manchester Museum has been a fantastic opportunity to explore and celebrate the archives and culture of such a respected establishment. We have ambitious plans for the brand going forward, with several exciting announcements to make in the coming months, including the opening of our very own retail space.”
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Wirral Met is the first college in the Liverpool City Region to be accredited by Mayor Steve Rotheram’s Fair Employment Charter.
The Mayor’s Fair Employment Charter encourages businesses to pay staff a Real Living Wage, clamp down on the use of zero hours contracts, provide mental health support, encourage flexible working and engage with trade unions.
Sue Higginson, principal of Wirral Met College, said: “This is an incredible achievement for us as an employer, this demonstrates our commitment to creating a healthy, inclusive, and fair workplace for our staff, and we are the first college in the region to have successfully achieved this.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “Being properly paid for the work you do in decent, safe conditions should be the absolute minimum any of us expect when we go to work. Developed in partnership with workers, businesses and our trade unions, my Fair Employment Charter wants to guarantee it.
“The Charter is about shining a light and promoting good employers who do the right thing – and we know that there are plenty of them in our region. I want our area to be known as the best place in the country to live, work or run a business – and the more businesses we can encourage to join us on this journey, the faster we can make that ambition a reality.”
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Jonathan I’Anson
As part of its ongoing commitment to inspire people from all backgrounds to pursue a career in the law, Exchange Chambers has expanded its mentoring scheme to support students across the North.
Having originally piloted the scheme with L8 A Better Place, a community development project in Toxteth, Liverpool, Exchange Chambers barristers in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds are now actively engaged in a series of mentoring initiatives. In total, 27 students aged 16-36 have enrolled onto Exchange’s mentoring scheme and are now receiving advice, support and practical guidance. In considering applications to the scheme, Exchange prioritised students from diverse backgrounds and those without family links to the profession.
Earlier this month, Exchange hosted its first Day in Court event, with mentees visiting Liverpool Crown Court and meeting judges and barristers. Similar events are planned in the future.
Criminal barrister, Stella Hayden, has helped to develop Exchange Chambers’ mentoring programme. She said: “Our expanded scheme provides students across the North with access to a barrister mentor who can advise and support them to develop key skills and areas of knowledge by providing an insight into a career in the law. As a progressive barristers’ Chambers, we are committed to achieving equality in representation within the legal profession. We want the composition of Chambers to reflect the community we represent.”
Jonathan I’Anson, Exchange Chambers chief executive, said: “Our mentoring scheme aims to inspire students from non-traditional backgrounds to consider a career at the Bar. As one of the country’s largest barristers’ Chambers it is our responsibility to drive equality and diversity by opening doors and proving opportunities. We are proud to do so.”
