NW business briefs: Sleeve It; Whitecroft Lighting; Electricity NW; Robinsons Brewery; Oldham town centre; JD Foundation
Bamber Bridge-based Firesleeve manufacturing company, Sleeve It, has secured a £210,000 loan from Lancashire County Council’s Rosebud Finance, managed by GC Business Finance.
Established in 2003, Sleeve It manufactures insulation materials, protective sleeving, ‘E’ glass sleeving, and identification products. It supplies its products globally to a range of industries, including hydraulic, automotive, aerospace, military, marine, and rail.
The investment from Rosebud will allow Sleeve It to increase its manufacturing capabilities as the business sets its sights on obtaining more international customers. By increasing the speed and capacity of manufacturing, the business will be able to offer more flexibility and competitive pricing, attracting a broader client base from an increasingly interested global market.
Since securing the loan from Rosebud Finance, Sleeve It has also expanded its team, taking on two new hires who will sit within its sales and production teams, in line with both its short and long term business growth plans.
Sharon McKie, Director at Sleeve It, said: “We have already established a strong presence in the UK manufacturing industry and have ambitions to continue this success worldwide. We are keen to expand our current offering to the Irish market, as this currently remains untapped, and the funding from Rosebud Finance will help us achieve this, as well as looking further afield. I look forward to seeing what is next for Sleeve It as we continue to innovate and remain competitive in the market.”
Jonathan Nelson, Fund Manager at Rosebud Finance, said: “Sleeve It is a great example of the vast amount of innovation talent that sits within Lancashire. Having worked with Sharon and the team to secure the loan, it’s an exciting time as they gear up to continue expanding internationally, as well as developing a new product range that would be a first for the industry. I look forward to seeing what they will achieve next.”
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Ashton-under-Lyne Currys
North West commercial lighting manufacturer and supplier, Whitecroft Lighting, has completed a major project to install innovative LED lighting systems in almost 80 stores across the UK for electrical retailer Currys, including North West branches in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.
But rather than completely replacing the outdated lights, Whitecroft used its pioneering Relight system to reuse as much of each store’s existing lighting infrastructure as possible. This reduces the huge amounts of waste normally generated by major electrical refits, an important requirement for Currys as part of its 2040 Roadmap to Net-Zero strategy, which sets out how the company is reducing the carbon it produces.
Whitecroft’s Relight low-energy LED lights have been installed in customer showrooms, office areas and even car parks, enabling Currys to reduce its energy consumption, helping to further cut its carbon emissions and shrink its electricity bills. Tom Gardener, Senior Facilities Manager for Currys, said: “Due to the sharp rise in energy costs in recent years, our business cases for lighting energy efficiency were flying through, particularly as the quickening returns on investment were suddenly very attractive.”
In total 77 Currys stores, mostly bigger out-of-town branches, were refitted across the UK by Whitecroft in a project that took just six months to complete.
Richard Williams, Commercial Manager at Whitecroft Lighting, said: “Currys had a clear approach to embedding circularity in its retail operation and was already a big recycler of consumer electrical goods. However, we saw an opportunity to extend this ethos beyond retail to its lighting by reducing waste in its facilities management.”
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Victoria Turnham
Major funding has been awarded to the North West to tackle decarbonisation and energy resilience challenges across the region.
Engineers from Stockport-based power network operator, Electricity North West, will use the £300,000 funding to carry out feasibility studies into two potential ground-breaking projects which will help accelerate the region to net zero.
One project, CoolDown, will explore the impact of increasing use of air conditioning in homes and offices and the impact on the power network. The project will explore the opportunities for flexibility to help balance electricity demand throughout the day. A second project, LDES NODE, will analyse different types of technology, such as pumped hydro, hydrogen, compressed air and batteries to assist with long-duration energy storage (LDES).
Funding has been secured from Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) of which in the past 12 months, Electricity North West has been awarded more than £1.4m to develop and research other net zero projects it has which are still ongoing.
Victoria Turnham, Electricity North West’s head of network innovation, said: “We’ve got a track record of developing world leading technology right here in the North West, so it’s great to be recognised again with more funding. It’s our role to ensure the network is ready and as one of the most digital electricity networks in the world, we need to constantly look at ways to operate more smartly and efficiently. Both projects could provide major benefits to customers and businesses in the region, and I look forward to seeing the results.”
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New Bulls Head bar
Stockport-based Robinsons Brewery has invested £500,000 in regenerating The Bulls Head pub in Castleton, including the introduction of a coffee shop, named the Cow Shed.
Internally, the Bulls Head has benefited from a full refurbishment, with the installation of a brand new timber bar, complemented by new rustic flooring, and old black beams sandblasted back to their natural golden oak colour.
Five en-suite bedrooms have been restored, with each room carefully furnished to create a relaxing atmosphere.
The Cow Shed coffee shop will serve a range of cakes, doughnuts, sandwiches, and paninis.
In-house designers at Robinsons have formed a designated seating area with festoon lighting and planting where customers can admire the breathtaking views of the famous Mam Tor.
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Sacha Lord and Cllr Shah
A new taskforce is being created to help revitalise Oldham town centre’s evening and night time economy. Businesses across the hospitality, entertainment and cultural sectors alongside key public services will come together to kickstart efforts to make Oldham the place to go for an evening or night out once again.
And Greater Manchester’s Night Time Economy Adviser Sacha Lord is supporting the town’s drive to create a unique new offer by hosting a special Evening and Night Time Economy Round Table to bring all interested partners together on Friday, March 22.
Sacha Lord said: “Oldham has big plans for the local economy – and you can see it through the changes and developments taking place. I am a massive believer in harnessing the power of partnerships and local people to develop fresh new plans.
“We all want a vibrant, welcoming and successful night time economy for the town. I hope this Roundtable will be a place for creativity, ideas and to develop and new vision and taskforce to deliver it from every part of the cultural, hospitality and public sectors.”
Oldham Council leader, Cllr Arooj Shah, said: “If we’re going to make Oldham the place to go again for local people and visitors, we need to do something different. Only by working together can we develop fresh new propositions to attract people across our diverse communities back into the centre on a night.”
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JD Foundation
The JD Foundation has pledged patronage support to Salford Youth Zone (SYZ) within the first four years of its creation and development. This support will see an assigned grant of £100,000 over four years, as well as providing dedicating support to members through opportunities and experiences.
Since 2019, The JD Foundation has also supported SYZ’s sister Youth Zone in Manchester, HideOut Youth Zone, as a Founder Patron, offering financial contributions and opportunities such as Duke of Edinburgh, employment and enterprise activities. The JD Foundation is now encouraging other local businesses and philanthropists to join them in becoming a Founder Patron.
JD Foundation Manager, Adam Warriner, said: “At The JD Foundation our vision is to help young people achieve their unlimited potential. Over the last 18 months we’ve done some amazing work with HideOut Youth Zone, and we’ve seen the incredible impact this has had – it’s fantastic what we have seen in terms of change, in terms of opportunities for young people and change within the local community.
“We are excited to continue our work with the Youth Zone team as we become the newest Founder Patron of SYZ. I’d implore everyone to go and visit a Youth Zone and see first hand the work they do.”
Senior Philanthropy Manager of SYZ, Amanda Coverdale, said: “Founder Patrons are a group of individuals and companies united by a determination to give young people somewhere safe to go, something positive to do and someone trusted to talk to. Patrons are key to the success of a Youth Zone – by becoming a Patron of SYZ, you will be part of the Youth Zone story and change the lives of thousands of young people.”
