MEMBERNEWS IN BRIEF
Spireites shortlisted for national award
Chesterfield Football Club has been shortlisted for a national award to recognise the club that is the most welcoming to away supporters. The Spireites are up against Southampton, Swansea City, Fulham, Cardiff City and Burton Albion for The Football Supporters’ Federation’s Away Day of the Year award. Chesterfield Chief Executive
Michael Dunford said: “We are delighted to be in the running for this award. We are proud of the facilities we offer and we try our best to make it an enjoyable experience for all away supporters who visit the Proact.”
Next Steps makes a visit to Downing Street
A Nottinghamshire businesswoman has attended a reception of the top 100 small businesses at 10 Downing Street. Neena Sharma, Managing
Director of Next Steps HR, was one of a party of business owners who travelled to London from all over the UK. They were chosen after their
companies were named in the Small Biz 100 as part of the celebrations for Small Business Saturday, the nationwide campaign to support, inspire and promote the UK's 5.7 million small businesses. She said: “Going to Downing
Street was a tremendous honour. Events like this are a reminder of how small businesses are the backbone of our economy. It was fascinating to meet everybody and find out what they do and their reasons for starting their own businesses.”
Vigilant branch team wins society staff award
The building society branch team, which prevented a rogue trader from defrauding a vulnerable elderly customer out of £1,800, has been crowned the winner of Hinckley & Rugby’s annual prize for its most outstanding members of staff. The South Wigston team was
selected as the winner of the Jeanette Lewis FAB Award at a staff gathering in Hinckley. The Jeanette Lewis trophy was first awarded in 2012 in memory of a much-missed former colleague. Hinckley & Rugby Chief
Executive Chris White said: “The measures they took to stop this from happening and the support they provided to this member and his daughter, who is also a vulnerable person, makes the South Wigston team a deserving winner.”
8 business network February 2018
Kelmarsh Hall has been transformed thanks to help from Focus Consultants
Focused project brings historic hall back to life
A previously inaccessible area of a Grade I listed hall is being opened to the public following a conservation project which has been managed by Focus Consultants. The scheme at Kelmarsh Hall
and Gardens in Northamptonshire - entitled ‘Tunnelling through the Past’ - has conserved the former stable yard, laundries and the servants’ areas in the basement of the house. Thanks to a £1.3m grant from
the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and funding from Daventry District Council grant scheme, along with the charity’s own fundraising efforts, the history of the lives of the servants at the hall will now be showcased to visitors. Currently just the main living
spaces in the grand Grade I listed hall are open to visitors, and guided tours provide in-depth insight into the history of its famed past residents. But following the conservation project and after the introduction of the latest
‘None of it would have been dealt with so professionally if we had not appointed Focus Consultants as our project managers’
technologies, a full sensory experience of what life was like for those who formerly worked and lived at the property will be available. Tablet devices will help visitors to interpret the rooms in detail, while augmented reality will bring the spaces to life with period characters appearing to tell their story.
Nottingham-based Focus
Consultants, which specialises in delivering high quality heritage projects across the UK, has been involved with the project from the end of 2015 until completion, undertaking a project management role.
Project Manager at Focus Jo
Hardwicke said: “As a company, Focus has wide experience of conservation, restoration and other projects within the heritage sector, and we have been thrilled to have
played a role in conserving and opening up these previously inaccessible areas at Kelmarsh Hall to give the public a glimpse into the history of the servants who lived behind the scenes at this wonderful hall.” Lesley Denton, General
Manager for the Kelmarsh Trust, said: “The Kelmarsh Trust has been so fortunate to work with each and every one of the professionals involved, from our accountants and architects to the designers and interpretation experts. However, none of it would have been dealt with so professionally if we had not appointed Focus Consultants as our project managers. Focus has ensured we got where we are today by solving the problems, and there have been some, in a reassuring and effective manner. I cannot thank them enough.”
LoyalFree makes best start-ups list
East Midlands-based LoyalFree has been named runner up at the 2017 NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the Start up Entrepreneur of the Year category. LoyalFree was up against tough competition, with over 1,000 businesses
entering the awards nationally across a wide range of categories. Now in its fifth year, the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards has
celebrated some exceptional entrepreneurs over the years, many of whom are now household names. Past winners include David Buttress of Just Eat, Julie Deane of The Cambridge Satchel Company, James Watt of BrewDog and Alexander Solomou of TheLADBible Group. Jason Nesbitt, of LoyalFree, said: “We are elated that our hard work has
been recognised in these prestigious national awards. The award is an honour at such an exciting time in our start up journey and we would like to congratulate all other shortlisted entrepreneurs on similar journeys.” Gordon Merrylees, Head of Entrepreneurship at NatWest, said: “It is clear
that entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well and NatWest is thrilled to be able to support these awards to celebrate success with the businesses that are the lifeblood of the UK economy as they start, scale and succeed.”
LoyalFree celebrating their win at the recent NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards
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