▲ Blackburn’s The Making Rooms has secured a £55,000 grant to support a project which collects unwanted laptops and uses them to help teach digital skills in the community. The finance was allocated by Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity Hubbub, which together launched the Time After Time fund in 2022 to tackle the UK’s growing e-waste problem.
▲ Shortly after announcing that it would launch a new veterinary division, Blackburn- based manufacturer Pets Choice acquired the Vet’s Kitchen pet food brand from Pets’ Kitchen.
▲ Blackburn College has been chosen by the Institute of the Motor Industry to pilot a new hydrogen vehicle qualification. Through its state-of-the-art Hybrid Electric Automotive Training (HEAT) centre, opened in 2022, it will deliver Level 2 and 3 hydrogen vehicle awareness qualifications aimed at those already working in the industry.
▲ Three Lancashire tourism businesses won awards at the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2024: The Secret Garden Glamping in Skelmersdale scored gold, with La Locanda in Gisburn and Winter Gardens Blackpool both achieving bronze.
▲ Preston-based PWA Planning Group has been acquired by NFU Commercial Holdings – the commercial services arm of the National Farmers Union.
▲ Plans for a 120-apartment, 19-storey building in Preston city centre have been granted approval seven years after first being proposed. The building, which will become one of the city's tallest, is to be constructed on Moor Lane facing the University of Central Lancashire’s newly developed University Square.
▲ Burnley-based electrical contractor and facilities management provider QUEST has expanded into Yorkshire, opening a new office near Leeds.
▲ Roast Mutton Lakeland Butcher, which was founded in Kendal in 2021 by Lancashire- born Robert Unwin, has opened a sister site in Wrightington. The business was named Butcher of the Year at the Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards in 2023 and 2024.
▲ A £1.5m project to create a new annex at the Greater Lancashire Hospital in Preston is now underway. Phase one of the project will include a state-of-the-art ultrasound suite, dedicated physiotherapy and gym areas, seven consulting rooms as well as a reception to the clinical suite.
William Lancaster Director, Ember Energy
SOLAR POWERS £21K ENERGY
COST SAVING While the slight fall in energy costs may leave us feeling optimistic, let’s not be fooled into forgetting that costs are still well above the ‘pre-energy crisis’ levels.
Bills remain around 59 per cent above their winter 2021/22 levels. So, what can you do to protect your operations against fluctuating costs and spiralling energy costs?
Last February, one Lancashire business, MAD Engineering, decided to take matters into their own hands by having a 90KW commercial solar panel installed. The impact, 15 months on, has been outstanding.
The solar panels have relieved MAD Engineering of a significant financial burden, resulting in a saving of over £21,000 in energy costs over the last year.
They have met over 40 per cent of MAD Engineering’s energy demands, generating over 96,500 kWh of energy and reducing electricity consumption by 62,000 kWh. This not only benefits their pocket but also the planet.
▲ The QS Company has acquired new business premises at Alliance House Office in Preston's city centre. The move brings better facilities, space for future growth and has become the home of fellow local business Studio John Bridge Architects.
DOWN
▼ Workers at Studio Retail in Accrington are facing job losses as part of a proposed company restructuring exercise, according to Usdaw. The union, which represents staff at the home shopping site, owned by Frasers Group, says it will enter into consultation talks about the proposed changes to the business, which it described as “devastating news”.
▼ The number of North West businesses in liquidation who owed money to their creditors rose by more than two-thirds in April 2024 when compared to April 2023,
according to research from R3, the UK’s insolvency and restructuring trade body. There were 336 companies in the region in liquidation who owed money to their creditors in April.
▼ Hundreds of much-loved pubs across North West were in serious danger of pulling their last pint, the GMB union warned in April. It claimed more than 350 Stonegate pubs across the region could close after the company issued a profit warning. The pub company’s brands include Slug and Lettuce, Yates and Walkabout.
The obvious financial gains are complemented by the pride of contributing to environmental sustainability. The solar panels have led to impressive environmental benefits, including a 25 per cent return on investment and a reduction of 95 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
This success story highlights the long- term financial savings that are achievable through solar panel installations. If you’re looking for professional and practical solutions to cut costs and future-proof your operations against rising costs, the time to think about solar panels is now.
Here at Ember Energy, we can help you acquire grid connections FREE of charge. Give us a call to get started.
william@emberenergy.co.uk 07464 729759
www.emberenergy.co.uk/ ember-energy-lancashire/
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