SME: Sheffield’s Business and Intellectual Property Centre, Beatson Clark, Leeds Road Dental

SHEFFIELD’S Business and Intellectual Property Centre is celebrating more than 2,000 business people coming through their doors since launching a year ago.

Inventors, designers and graduates have all booked into the centre at the Central Library on Surrey Street.

Almost 240 attended free one-to-one clinics with a patent attorney as well as Business Information and Intellectual Property workshops.

Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards, acting cabinet member for neighbourhoods at Sheffield City Council, said: “We bid for external funding from the British Library to set up the centre and it’s making a positive difference for people with good business ideas and existing businesses wanting to protect their intellectual property.

“We’re helping people research their business plans and our staff see people whose confidence grows as they learn more and more using our services.

“We’re always here to help and provide free access to the specialist information that people need. Pop down and see what’s on offer.”

The Business and Intellectual Property Centre is supported by British Library and is one of eight centres based across the country. Sheffield’s centre is running its first ‘Make it in March’ event this year as part of the Sheffield Year of Making 2016.

The first event is on Wednesday, 2 March and is for anyone interested in finding out how to manufacture, design and package their ideas for market. On Wednesday, 9 March there will be a ‘Meet the Makers’ fair.

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A CRAFT beer brewery has chosen Yorkshire glass manufacturer Beatson Clark to design its new range of bottles.

Beatson has designed a 330ml amber bottle for Ridgeway Brewery in Oxfordshire.

Peter Scholey, co-owner of Ridgeway Brewery and its sister company Beer Counter, said: “While the UK ales market has long been mostly in 500ml bottles the 330ml market is growing.

“For some time there has been a variety of 500ml bottles available but the choice in 330ml has been very limited, so Beatson Clark’s initiative to offer subtle changes to a standard range provides the opportunity to do something about that.”

“Right now craft canned beer is very trendy – bizarrely there is even an idea in some circles that a can is somehow better quality than glass packaging. That notion is complete rubbish!

“Canned beer is inevitably inferior because of the difficulties in eliminating oxygen from the package, and even more so when small-scale packaging is considered.”

Alison Hughes, business development manager at Rotherham-based Beatson Clark said: “We can customise our standard containers by having the brewery’s name, logo or strapline embossed onto the bottle. This is more cost-effective than investing in a fully bespoke design and it allows for the bottle to be manufactured in smaller volumes.”

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TWO dental practices have merged in Bradford.

The Leeds Road Dental Practice acquired Harrogate Road Dental Surgery with the help of funding from the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Operations have been transferred to the Leeds Road premises. All staff have been maintained and all patients transferred to the new practice as part of the deal.

Owners Matt Parrott and John Sinclair have developed a new surgery created in the Leeds Road building as well as refitted and invested in the redevelopment of the existing buildings.

Matt Parrott, director of Leeds Road Dental Practice said: “John and I are delighted that the acquisition has been a success and we are pleased to be welcoming the patients from Harrogate Road Dental Surgery to our newly renovated home.

“The expansion of the practice has long been a business objective of ours and when we saw the opportunity to acquire Harrogate Road Dental Surgery we jumped at the chance.
“The practices are a great fit, both focussed around providing a high standard of care to families and their close proximity meant a merger would be an ideal solution for both practices.”

Duncan Schofield, healthcare manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland said: “The new facilities that have been created at Leeds Road Dental Practice are excellent and I am pleased that we have been able to support Matt and John with their new business acquisition. They both have a great reputation in the industry and provide a high standard of care to their patients.”