In Brief: Lumiere meeting, IT specialist scoops award, and more

A MEETING was set to take place today between council officials and representatives of businesses who claim they have been affected by the halting of building work at the Lumiere scheme in Leeds.

A spokeswoman for Leeds City Council said Councillor Andrew Carter, deputy leader of the Council, would discuss fears that the delay to work at the proposed residential skyscraper was creating an eyesore that was affecting the performance of businesses in the area.

The representatives were set to discuss whether the area can be cleaned up.

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LEEDS-BASED IT Networks specialist SICL has been named Networking Reseller of the Year 2008 at the prestigious CRN Channel Awards held at the Battersea Evolution arena in London’s Battersea Park.

The company won the top award after beating off competition that included most of the industry’s established sector leaders.

The award, which is voted for by the UK business community, including SICL customers, is in recognition of the company’s in-depth technical skills combined with the highest levels of customer support and services.

Formed in 1995, SICL specialise in the design, installation and support of corporate IT data and voice communications networks for many of the region’s leading organisations including Yorkshire Water, Bradford Education Department, West Yorkshire Fire Service and The Yorkshire Air Ambulance Service.

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THIS year’s Business in the Community’s Awards for Excellence 2009 are now open for entries.

The awards are an opportunity for UK plc’s to recognise those who are leading the way in responsible business.

Stephen Howard, chief executive, Business in the Community said: “We have always said that responsible business is just good business and in the current climate it’s never been more important. The Awards for Excellence celebrate powerful examples of businesses that have recognised this and as a result have had a positive impact on society and their business. The search is now on to find the inspiring examples that are out there for the 2009 awards”.

Last year’s Company of the Year, The Co-operative Financial Services, was recognised for its customer-led ethical policies including promoting financial inclusion and ecological sustainability.

For more information visit www.bitc.org.uk

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ACCOUNTANTS Claire Redmayne, Kerryl Carter and Danielle Vaughan, all from Armstrong Watson, have been presented with a gold Worldskills UK medal from James Cracknell, OBE at a glittering awards ceremony in London.

The official awards ceremony for Worldskills UK winners was held at the IMAX theatre, London. The girls were awarded the top prize in the Association of Accountancy Technicians (AAT) category after battling against six other teams to win the final round of the contest in June.

Worldskills UK is a portfolio of 70 skills competitions designed by leading industry experts and training providers aimed at students, trainees and employees. Run annually the aim of each competition is to encourage young people and adults across the UK to excel in their vocational skill area.

This is the first year that the winning team has been eligible to participate in WorldskillsUK after studying for the AAT Accounting Qualification – Level 3.

Sue Kirkham, partner at Armstrong Watson said: “All of us at Armstrong Watson are immensely proud of the trio’s achievement and it is testament to their hard work, professionalism and dedication that they won the AAT category against some very tough competition.”