News in brief: Conference centre welcomes mothers; Cheese wins accolade and more

A BRADFORD company has become the first conference centre in Yorkshire to pro-actively welcome breastfeeding mums.

Award-winning Gumption Centres is supporting The Bradford District NHS’s ‘Breastfeeding Welcome Here’ campaign to encourage more mothers to breastfeed in public venues.

Based in the city centre’s creative quarter opposite the National Media Museum, Gumption Centres has designated one of its conference rooms to allow mothers who run a business to call in and breastfeed their babies in between attending meetings and their general working lives.

The scheme started as part of Bradford’s breastfeeding strategy to improve rates locally where only 63% of mothers start to breastfeed their babies.

Gumption co-owner, David Robertson-Brown, said: “Our aim is to help as many people as possible in business and with more and more mothers either running their own business or involved with companies at a senior level, we look forward to other centres following suit so this is no longer an issue for women.

“As well as being able to provide this facility, we also support the Bradford breastfeeding strategy that has worked really hard to encourage more mums to breastfeed and allow their babies to receive the healthiest start in life possible.”

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THE Professional Ethics Network – run by the Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre at the University of Leeds – has announced details of its next event.

William Young from the Sustainability Research Institute at the University will speak at the next event and discuss how business can focus on the ethical consumer.

Of particular interest to the retail industry, but of wider interest to other organisations, the event will take place from 6.15pm to 8.15pm on December 4 at the University’s IDEA centre.

At the session, Dr William Young will discuss his research into consumer spending patterns and environmental motivation.

For more information contact Cathy Lean on 0113 343 7795 or email c.a.lean@leeds.ac.uk with details of any dietary requirements.

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ARTISAN cheesemaker Shepherds Purse of Thirsk, North Yorkshire, has won gold at this year’s World Cheese Awards in Dublin for its traditional handmade cheese, Yorkshire Blue.

Ninety judges from around the world joined 50 Irish judges in Dublin to taste 2,400 cheeses from almost every cheese-making nation competing for the coveted accolades, the biggest in the 20 year history of the awards.

Yorkshire Blue was voted the best in the Blue Veined cheese made in the UK category.

The cheese was chosen from a record number of entries which demonstrates the range and diversity of the huge variety of cheeses now available.

Yorkshire Blue is made with100% Yorkshire cow’s milk and is based on a continental style recipe highlighted by its soft, creamy texture.

Judy Bell, chief executive of Shepherds Purse Cheeses, said: “To pitch our cheeses against competitors world-wide and win makes me so proud. I am delighted to be an ambassador for great British cheeses and for my home county of Yorkshire! This success is a testament to the absolute dedication and passion that my team has in producing the finest cheeses from the most wholesome and best quality ingredients.”