NW business briefs: Stockport County FC; Fleetwood Trust; Lancashire Funding Hub; Liverpool One; Kampus; Merseyrail
Stockport County has collaborated with local brewery Runaway to create a new pale ale which will be sold exclusively on matchdays in the County Courtyard and at Runaway Brewery.
‘Cheers, Thank You Pale’ is a four per cent pale ale offering citrus notes with a clean and refreshing bitterness, delivering a modern, hoppy beer, perfect for a Saturday afternoon.
The brew gets its name from Stockport County manager David Challinor’s post interview catch phrase, which is always signed off with “Cheers, Thank You.” Brewed just a mile away from Edgeley Park at Runaway Brewery’s new Stockport home on Astley Street, the partnership continues the County Courtyard’s form for celebrating the best food and drink from across the region, pairing perfectly with County’s Great North Pies.
‘Cheers, Thank You’ was available for fans at the County Courtyard in time for the first game of season against Gillingham on last Saturday. Fans were also treated to a taste of Italy with two homecooked favourites, Meatballs & Spicy Pasta and Veggie Bolognaise.
Mark Welsby, head brewer at Runaway, said: “The club sits at the heart of the town in every sense, so we jumped at the chance to collaborate on this specialty beer. County fans create an amazing atmosphere out of the Cheadle End, which we can often hear down at the brewery. We’re both proud and excited to know our beer ‘Cheers, Thank You’ will be a part of the fans’ match day experience.”
Jonny Vaughan, Stockport County chief executive, said: “Partnering with Runaway further enhances our commitment to supporting local businesses.”
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Charley Wilkinson, Fleetwood Trust CEO
A youth hub being created to transform young people’s lives in Fleetwood is celebrating being awarded a £1m Youth Investment Fund grant. Fleetwood Trust has been awarded the grant to create The Youth Hub, Fleetwood to help young people gain confidence and skills to enjoy a brighter future.
The money will be used to renovate the former Fleetwood Hospital building on Pharos Street and transform part of The Hub Fleetwood community space into a thriving and vibrant hub for young people. The Youth Hub will be part of the phased redevelopment of the former NHS hospital building led by The Fleetwood Trust. It will deliver much needed youth services for young people in Fleetwood and the wider community.
Planning consent for the redevelopment work was secured in partnership with The Prince’s Foundation in November 2020, and since then the first two phases of work have seen new tenants, charity partners and new community facilities established within the building. The trust is already working in partnership with the NHS, Blackpool & Fylde College, The Pantry Food Bank, Regenda Homes, Healthier Fleetwood, Macmillan Cancer and other groups and local businesses who will have a presence in the community-focused building to provide a wide range of services and opportunities.
Welcoming the Youth Investment Fund grant, chairman of the Fleetwood Trust, Fylde-born Lord Tom McNally, said: “I am grateful to our chief executive, Charley Wilkinson, and all who have helped her, in putting together this successful bid. Working in partnership with the young people of Fleetwood themselves, the Fleetwood Trust will use this funding to help meet their needs and priorities.”
With the funding now in place, Fleetwood Trust hopes to be able to open the doors to the new centre next year and complete the revamp by 2025.
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CC Aidy Riggott
Lancashire companies seeking funding to fast-track their growth are being advised to visit a new funding hub which has been launched by Lancashire County Council and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Phase one of the new Lancashire Funding Hub is now live, providing Lancashire business leaders, finance directors, chief finance officers and board members with information about a variety of funding options. It also includes insight from funding experts as well as business owners and managers who have been on their own funding journey.
The hub is designed to provide a single-entry point so people running businesses in Lancashire can better understand their options for external finance. It is in response to a report commissioned by the LEP and conducted by economic and social research consultancy EKOS about Lancashire companies’ use of external finance. Lancashire Funding Hub can be found on the Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub website and includes both debt and equity finance such as Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Growing Places Fund, Innovate UK funding, the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and Rosebud Finance.
The hub will also feature inspirational content including Q&As from well known funding providers in Lancashire and companies from across the county that have grown successfully using external finance. County Councillor, Aidy Riggott, cabinet member for economic development and growth, Lancashire County Council, said: “The work of the LEP and EKOS had identified a need for an informational portal to better connect Lancashire businesses with the available options and Lancashire Funding Hub is a direct response to this recommendation. It will improve our county’s overall finance ecosystem, presenting more companies with the opportunity and ambition to grow at pace in Lancashire using external finance support.”
Debbie Francis, chair, Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, said: “By better connecting Lancashire’s funding community with businesses, we will not only inspire more homegrown companies to use external funding to grow, we will also enhance Lancashire’s economic offer to wider audiences. For example, the Funding Hub will help Lancashire create a stronger proposition for foreign-owned companies who want to base themselves here and expand. In addition, it will allow us to promote LEP initiatives such as the £20m Growing Places Fund and encourage start-ups and scale-ups from a variety of sectors to explore the wide range of funding pathways which are available through our partners.”
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Liverpool One dining
Retail centre, Liverpool One, has launched a cash back rewards scheme as its 15th anniversary celebrations continue.
Liverpool One Rewards will give loyal visitors the chance to earn cashback in more than 55 dining and entertainment venues at the site, including restaurants, bars, food to go, cafes, as well as entertainment and leisure venues.
The new initiative is the first of its kind from Liverpool One and comes as the retail and leisure destination marks 15 years since it first opened, serving as a special ‘thank you’ to those who have visited for more than decade and a half. Liverpool One’s F&B sales year to date have seen an upsurge of nine per cent with impressive average footfall figures for restaurants, bars and cafes of 14,000 per week. During Eurovision, restaurants, in particular, excelled with a sales increase of 78% over the whole competition period, peaking on the finals Saturday with an uplift of 87% compared with 2022.
Donna Howitt, place strategy director at Liverpool One, said: “We’re thrilled to be celebrating 15 years of Liverpool One and it’s fantastic to look back at the incredible brands we have worked with over the last decade and a half. It seems the perfect time to launch our rewards scheme and we’re looking forward to introducing it to both those who are regular visitors, as well as those who new and want to explore what’s on offer.
“We want people to take full advantage of our incredible offering of bars, cafés, restaurants and leisure facilities with the added incentive of cashback from every pound spent in food, drink and entertainment at Liverpool One counting towards the cashback.”
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Jamie Tones
Aussie-inspired Manchester start-up, Bondi Bowls, is set to bring its brand of healthy fast food to a new home at Kampus.
Bondi Bowls has announced it is set to open its first permanent base this summer at the garden neighbourhood, developed by HBD and Capital&Centric. It will bring its flavour-packed salad bowls, soup bowls and smoothies to punters, eager to make healthier food choices on the go.
Fresh from sun-kissed years in Sydney, Australia, founder Jamie Tones returned to the UK to set up the fledgling eatery. Established from his home as a delivery-only service during the pandemic, he garnered a loyal following for the fresh flavours of his alternative fast food which led to successful residencies at Hatch and Escape to Freight Island. The Kampus store will be the culmination of a long-held ambition for the 30-year-old chef, who’s worked at restaurants around the world but had a dream to have his own space.
Jamie Tones said: “We always hear people in the city complaining about the lack of options when it comes to healthy food they can grab quickly. Australia does that really well, with healthy fast food that has real vibrancy and personality that you don’t really get here in the UK. We’re taking that inspiration from Bondi Beach and bringing it to life in the heart of Manchester at Kampus – with super nutritious bowls that pack a real flavour punch. Kampus is a real foodie neighbourhood that totally fits with the Bondi Bowls vibe. Laid back, green, friendly – we can’t wait to open this year and start serving people craving something new.”
Jamie’s labour of love is the latest indie signing for the Kampus rental neighbourhood, which continues to add names to it its line-up of independent operators. Bondi Bowls will set up shop just off the lush communal garden, with its nearest neighbours being Pollen bakery. They’ll join fellow food indy operators Nell’s Pizza, Yum Cha, the Beeswing wine bar and kitchen, Great North Pie and the recently-opened Madre among others.
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New 777 Class train
More than 155,000 journeys were made by golf fans on the Merseyrail network to travel to and from The Open, which took place near Hoylake on the Wirral peninsula in July.
All lines on the network saw an increase in passenger numbers as people from across the globe descended on the course to see the best golfers in the world vie for the greatest prize in the sport. The network saw an average increase of around 20,000 extra journeys each day during the eight-day event, which started with the first practice on Sunday, July 16, and ran through until the final on Sunday, July 23.
Merseyrail ran a special timetable for the event, with a 10-minute service running between Hoylake station and Liverpool city centre from Wednesday, July 19, to Sunday, July 23. It also hosted the prestigious Claret Jug in Liverpool Central station the week before the event started, helping to get the region into the celebratory mood.
Jane English, Merseyrail acting managing director, said: “Yet again Merseyrail delivered a fantastic experience on an international stage for the thousands of passengers who travelled on our services during the week.
“It was great to receive such positive feedback about the event organisation and the service we provided, including from many of our international passengers. We were also able to showcase the new Class 777 trains in passengers service for the first time on the West Kirby Line.”
