North West business briefs: Whitecroft Lighting; Blackburn BID; NML; Bowker Ribble Valley; BGEN; Tatton Park

Whitecroft Lighting has secured the contract to supply the internal lighting to Everton Football Club for its new Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium in Liverpool’s docklands.

The deal will see the Ashton-under-Lyne-based commercial lighting specialist manufacture around 14,000 luminaires for the stadium’s main areas, including the concourse, concession areas, press areas, stairwells, corridors, player and staff areas and corporate hospitality.

Whitecroft Lighting said it was awarded the contract due to its experience in successfully delivering complex and high value prestigious projects across the UK, as well as its commitment to supporting the Everton project from initial design to project handover.

Due for completion in late 2024, the 52,888-capacity stadium is currently under construction, with the lighting installation set to start in autumn 2023. Whitecroft will be working with main contractor Laing O’Rourke, M&E contractor Crown House Technologies and design consultants Buro Happold.

Mark Brunt, strategic project director at Whitecroft Lighting, said: “As a North West headquartered business, we’re extremely proud to be involved in this iconic construction project. Our track record of delivering for major contractors, and our experience across contracts such as Manchester Airport and Sandwell Aquatic Centre – where our corrosive resistant lighting was key – demonstrates that we can consistently deliver tailored lighting solutions for large and complex projects.

“Whitecroft’s tailored lighting at Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium will deliver a circular, low-carbon solution that will help the stadium meet all the challenges of a coastal setting and help create an attractive, safe and welcoming environment for fans, players, visitors and employees.”

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BID manager, Catherine Price

Blackburn town centre and retail park businesses have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a third five-year term for Blackburn town centre Business Improvement District (BID).

More than 330 businesses were asked to vote in a secret ballot on whether they wanted Blackburn BID – which originally launched in 2014 – to continue, along with its plans to raise a further £1.5m to spend on projects and initiatives to boost the town centre and support businesses over the next five years.

Of those who responded, 92% voted in favour of a third term of Blackburn BID. The ‘yes’ vote represented 91% of the individual business votes and 93% of the total rateable value of the properties owned and managed by those who voted.

Blackburn BID is a business-led, business-funded partnership set up to deliver improvements in, and add value to Blackburn town centre and its retail parks. Within the designated BID area, a levy is charged to business rate payers which is based on a small percentage of the rateable value for business rates.

Blackburn BID chair, Nicola Clayton, also director of business development and external engagement at Blackburn College, said: “This is fantastic news and a huge vote of confidence from our brilliant town centre and retail park businesses. I’d like to thank all our BID members for their support for Blackburn BID to date and for backing a further investment of £1.5m over the next five years so that we can continue to make real progress with positive changes for the future.”

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Beer lovers visiting National Museums Liverpool (NML) venues can now sample a new set of craft beers, brewed exclusively for museums and galleries across Merseyside.

National Museums Liverpool and local craft brewers, Neptune Brewery, have joined together to develop two tempting craft beers, NML x Neptune Pale (4.5%) and NML x Neptune Lager (4.2%), which are only available in National Museums Liverpool venues.

Working in collaboration with museum staff, Neptune has created two delicious beers with National Museums Liverpool’s ethos in mind. Using local produce and working with local businesses, the two beers represent the museums’ commitment to showcasing the best of local produce, while promoting sustainable creativity.

Julie O’ Grady, Neptune Brewery co-founder and head of sales, said: “Neptune Brewery and National Museums Liverpool share much of the same ethos and commitment to championing creativity and sustainability, and celebrating the best of what our city has to offer. We’re thrilled to have partnered with NML so that visitors, both local and from further afield, can enjoy quality beers brewed up the road by an independent business who are passionate about what we do.”

The partnership between the brewery and the museums first came about during Liverpool’s Eurovision celebrations this summer when a special charity beer, Ukrainian Golden Ale, was created especially for Eurovision as part of National Museums Liverpool’s XTRA events. Kerry Williams, head of creative partnerships and strategic development for NML, said: “Working with the Neptune Brewery team and their team of expert brewers, we are excited for people to come and enjoy their new creation. Keep an eye out for some special one-off events as we work together with Neptune to bring something for beer lovers into our venues.”

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Bowker Ribble Valley, in Osbaldeston, has confirmed a new partnership to provide INEOS Grenadier support vehicles for the 2024 Legend Fires North West Stages.

The partnership means the rally will return next year, after a year’s hiatus, with three INEOS Grenadier vehicles exclusively driven by safety-trained professionals during the event. The 2024 Legend Fires North West Stages will be the opening round of the Probite British Rally Championship and the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Championship. It will feature 58 stage miles over 10 special stages on closed public roads across Lancaster, Wyre and the Ribble Valley.

The iconic event will take place on March 22-23, next year. The rally will kick off with a ceremonial civic send off from Garstang’s High Street and a triumphant return for a champagne finish, marking innovative and spectator-friendly features of the event, supported by Garstang Town Council. The rally will be hosted at Myerscough College’s Bilsborrow campus, serving as the Rally Headquarters, Central Service and Scrutineering location.

Richard Rawlings, for Bowker Ribble Valley, said: “The Legend Fires North West Stages attracts thousands of people each year. It is a great opportunity to see some of the best rally drivers in the country competing on some of the most challenging and exciting roads in Lancashire. We can’t wait for the event.”

Rally director, Mark Hothersall, from Legend Fires North West Stages, said: “Having Bowker Ribble Valley on board as our support vehicle supplier is a fantastic addition to our event. The 2024 Legend Fires North West Stages promises to be the best yet. The rally’s return is a testament to the dedication of all involved, and we can’t wait to deliver a rally that we hope lives long in the memories of rallying enthusiasts and the local community.”

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St Vincent’s pupils

Warrington-based BGEN, the engineering firm driving the energy transition, has launched a STEM and sustainability partnership with Warrington’s (Penketh) St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School.

Through interactive curriculum-linked classroom lessons, inspiring site visits and the donation of 20 Chromebooks, pupils will be introduced to real-life examples of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) subjects in action.

BGEN’s experts are working with St Vincent’s staff to develop the programme and have met with the School Council, made up of pupils, to share details of the partnership. The collaboration supports BGEN’s commitment to ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) and its strong community engagement. It will bring engineering to life and shine a light on the breadth of exciting future careers young people can enjoy in the industry.

BGEN will also help the school improve its energy efficiency and carbon footprint, while reducing its running costs, by making a significant contribution towards its switch to LED lighting. This is expected to reduce the school’s energy costs by more than £2,700 a year and cut its annual CO2 emissions by two thirds. Oliver Groarke, head of future markets at BGEN, said: “STEM education encourages curiosity, exploration and inspires a lifelong love for learning. We’d like to think that perhaps we’ll see some of the pupils become engineers in the future – maybe at BGEN.”

Dominic Vernon, headteacher at St Vincent’s, said: “Environmental education is very important, and we know that STEM subjects provide the foundations and tools for future employment opportunities. The launch of this partnership – which combines both areas of learning – makes for a very exciting start to the school year and for many more to come.”

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Tatton Park marketing manager, Caroline Jackson and David Clayton

Tatton Park has launched a signature botanical gin which boasts sensational flavours from plants foraged from its formal gardens, featuring an aromatic blend of sweet lavender, sage, and wild golden marjoram from the Walled Kitchen Gardens and Hinoki and Sawara cypress leaves from Tatton’s iconic Japanese Garden.

The signature gin is inspired by Tatton Park’s unique collection of plants from around the world. For every bottle sold a donation will be made to the Tatton Park Charitable Trust, a charity set up in 2005, with the purpose of developing education and conservation projects for the benefit of the public in and around Tatton Park.

The gin is distilled in small batches by local, award winning Big Hill Distillery based in Mobberley, Cheshire, which has worked closely with Tatton Park’s head gardener, Simon Tetlow, to create a perfect balance of unique garden botanicals. Tatton’s first signature gin highlights its iconic 100-year-old Japanese garden which is one of the finest in the country.

David Clayton, co-founder, and distiller said: “We’re very proud to produce this first gin for Tatton Park. From the moment I started to explore the vast gardens with Simon Tetlow, it became obvious that we had the opportunity and the challenge, to create something very special that does justice to the rich ingredients on offer across the garden zones.”

Tatton’s new gin will be on sale from December 1.