Lichfield & Tamworth Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber Patrons
Contact: Chris Brewerton T: 0845 6036650
Round-up
A Tamworth firm has been given a £20,000 funding boost thanks to a local council business growth programme. The ‘Business Growth Programme 2 (BGP2)’
fund is run by Birmingham City Council and Tamworth Borough Council and has awarded the grant to PI-Kem, which is based at Tame Valley Business Park. As a result, the 27-year-old company has
been able to refurbish its three units into a modern open space which will enable business growth and create more jobs. The company is a specialist supplier of
advanced materials into the science and technology sector, including universities and commercial companies across the world. BGP2 offers grants of between £10,000 and
£1m to support small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have a minimum turnover of 80 per cent generated by business-to-business activity. The programme, which operates throughout Birmingham and Staffordshire, has already created more than 1,600 new jobs. An official opening of PI-Kem’s new offices
took place recently, attended by the Mayor of Tamworth, Richard Kingstone, who said: “A fantastic way to end another amazing Tamworth week. I was lucky to be invited to PI-Kem Ltd based in Wilnecote and see their recent major refurbishment. “It is great to see the company are going
from strength-to-strength and through the help of the BGP2 grant, are employing more people and taking on apprentices. Well done PI-Kem.” Fiona Rouse, operations director of PI-Kem
said: “The awarding of this grant has given the company a significant push forward in its development. We have already employed another full-time sales person and are currently recruiting for a second, something we could not do without the improved premises.”
A Tamworth-based company has provided work experience placements for more than 20 pupils from local schools at its head office over this past summer. Shire Leasing said it decided to help out
after hearing about the number of students struggling to find opportunities that would help them to secure future employment. The company offered work experience in its
legal, finance and IT departments. Shire solicitor Hemesh Chohan said: “Today,
there are barriers facing young people trying to take their first step on to the career ladder. “There’s a fierce amount of competition to
stand out and having high grades is no longer enough. Employers expect applicants to have excellent IT and communication skills, as well as experience in the working environment. “The focus of these placements was on
developing students’ skills and giving them tasks that they could discuss at any job interview. We hope that when they are ready to enter employment they could then point to this valuable contribution and use it to secure their dream job.”
54 CHAMBERLINK December 2019/January 2020 Raising funds is laughing matter
A comedy night organised by Dains Accountants in Stoke-on-Trent has resulted in a cheque of £2,250 being presented to mental health charity North Staffs Mind. Taking part in the event at Genting Casino
were comedians Chris Washington and former ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ star and headline act Daliso Chaponda. There was also a fundraising auction, compered by after dinner speaker and comedian Dave Bryon. Julia Peat, business development manager at
the Dains Stoke office, which is based on Festival Park, co-ordinated the fundraising event and
said: “The comedy night was a fantastic event and was extremely well supported by the local business community, colleagues and their friends and families. Everyone had a fun evening and we were pleased to raise so much money for North Staffs Mind, which is our office charity this year.” North Staffs Mind is a provider of mental health
services in North Staffordshire which works to promote and protect mental health for all Chief executive Karen Wilson said: “We’re thrilled
with the amount of money raised which will go towards the continued provision of vital services for local people experiencing mental health issues.”
Boom for business group as town centre improves
A Tamworth business group has experienced a recruitment boom following the borough council’s campaign to find the best way that the town centre can evolve and grow. The business-led group – ‘Tamworth
Together’ – was initially formed by firms and organisations who wanted to establish a Business Improvement District in the town, which was ultimately unsuccessful. However, the group lived on, and has now
been given new impetus by the council’s ‘Tamworth... What’s Next?’, which sought the ideas of residents, shoppers and businesses, on how the town centre could move forward. The newly rejuvenated group is now working
on a new vision and priorities, and its chairman, Rob Holder, who is the manager of John Lewis Tamworth, said: “Tamworth Together is led by business, for business, and as a result we can add a voice and influence Tamworth Borough Council. “We’ve welcomed lots of new faces to the
table since the ‘Tamworth… What’s Next?’ consultation and are coming together with renewed purpose to see how we can help promote Tamworth as a place which is recognised regionally and nationally.”
Council leader Daniel Cook said: “We had a
fantastic response to ‘Tamworth…What’s Next?’ and the council is busy working through all the ideas put forward to see which can be taken forward. What also came through, particularly from businesses, is that there needs to be a greater sense of community and collaboration among the businesses themselves.
‘We are hugely focused on town centre regeneration as a council’
“This is something Tamworth Together is
striving for, so it made sense for us to bring the two groups of people together to form one big group, all working towards the same goal. “We are hugely focused on town centre
regeneration as a council. We are currently looking at options for the former Gungate Precinct site and we are busy preparing our bid for funding from the Future High Streets Fund. However, we can’t do this alone. We need the support of Tamworth people and
businesses, which is why it’s great to see Tamworth Together growing in number.”
Having a laugh (from left): Stoke office partner Ann Diggins, Karen Wilson, Daliso Chaponda, Dave Bryon and Chris Washington
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