Chamber Patrons Chamber Patrons Greater Birmingham Chambers’ leading supporters


Moonstruck: Judith Armstrong with the Tim Peake display


To infinity... and Millennium Point


Birmingham’s Millennium Point has been shortlisted to host British astronaut Tim Peake’s spacecraft as part of its next journey. The Science Museum Group and


Samsung came together to create The National Tour of Tim Peake’s Spacecraft and Space Descent VR, announced in September last year. The shortlist of five venues was announced by Ian Blatchford, director of the Science Museum Group. The national tour of the Soyuz


TMA-19M, used for the Principia mission, will inspire a new generation as it travels around the country to help tell the story of Tim’s journey into space as the first European Space Agency astronaut to travel to the International Space Station. The Soyuz spacecraft – which


weighs approximately 1.5 tonnes – will be combined with accompanying Space Descent VR, a virtual reality adventure voiced by Tim Peake himself, which enables visitors to experience the journey from the International Space Station back down to Earth. Judith Armstrong, CEO of Millennium Point, said: “We were thrilled to hear we’d been shortlisted and are now very much hoping to make it as the chosen venue for the next step on the Soyuz tour. To be able to inspire the next generation of would-be scientists, astronauts and indeed anyone who fancies a trip in a spacecraft would be our privilege. Our fingers are crossed that the judges see us as the right choice.” The winner of the competition


will be announced on 9 March at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.


30 CHAMBERLINK March 2018 Vision: An impression of WSP’s Mailbox headquarters


Engineering professional services giant WSP is to move its regional headquarters to The Mailbox in Birmingham after agreeing a major office pre-let. WSP will occupy 47,000 sq ft of


newly-refurbished, Grade A office space for its new West Midlands’ headquarters, with a further option to increase the let up to 55,000 sq ft.


With 7,640 people based across


the UK, WSP provides technical expertise and advice across a broad range of sectors including


real estate, infrastructure, transport, healthcare, and energy. In Birmingham, WSP has been


involved in some of the most significant redevelopments in the city, including 212 Broad Street, the Radisson Blu Hotel, Snowhill 3, Grand Central, and the Bullring. The Mailbox is already home to


the BBC, Harvey Nichols department store, restaurants by Michelin- starred chefs Tom Aikens and Atul Kochhar, the boutique Everyman cinema and a host of other high-end restaurants and retailers.


WSP’s future home is currently


undergoing extensive refurbishments to deliver a high quality workplace which will bring up to 700 staff from across the region into one centrally- located home. Matthew Wherry, head of


corporate real estate at WSP, said: “The Mailbox provides an exciting opportunity for us to create a great workspace for our employees. “Its central location, superb local amenities and canal-side setting all serve to enhance our ability to support our clients in the region.”


‘Mr McDonald’s’ in restaurant relaunch


Chamber patron and McDonald’s franchisee Douglas Wright has relaunched his Solihull restaurant in the latest stage of a £10m refurbishment programme. The McDonald’s outlet in Solihull High Street has


undergone significant refurbishment with a complete refit and refresh. This comes on the back of a period of significant


growth for Wright Restaurants who have also acquired two McDonald’s restaurants in Walsall, located in Rushall and Reedswood. The Solihull refurbishment and the two new


restaurant acquisitions were backed by fellow Chamber patron Royal Bank of Scotland. The newly-refurbished 250-seat Solihull restaurant


has been updated as part of McDonald’s ‘Experience of the Future’ project and benefits from innovative self-order kiosks as well as traditional table service. There is also access to free wi-fi, while some tables


have interactive tablet computers for customers to enjoy while they dine. Douglas Wright is a long-standing McDonald’s


franchisee, setting up his first outlet in Lichfield in May 2003 and now operates 17 sites across the Midlands.


Updated: Douglas Wright (left) and Paul Faulkner at the refurbished Solihull McDonald’s


Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce chief


executive Paul Faulkner attended the reopening, along with Solihull Borough Council leader Bob Sleigh. Mr Faulkner said: “Wright Restaurants have been


huge supporters of the Chamber over the past year and we are delighted to see Doug continuing his investment across the region.”


Contact: Henrietta Brealey T: 0121 607 1898


Mailbox move for WSP


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