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The Association of Financial Mutuals appoints Smoking Gun PR

Creative

Sam Whitear

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19/11/2020

The Association of Financial Mutuals appoints Smoking Gun PR

The Association of Financial Mutuals, the trade body which represents mutual and not-for-profit insurers, friendly societies and other financial mutuals across the UK, has appointed Smoking Gun to handle its PR.

The Manchester agency, which last year scooped two global awards for excellence in measurement and evaluation at the AMEC Awards, adds the AFM to its growing list of clients in the personal finance sector.

Working in unison with its members, customers and other stakeholders, the Association promotes the concept of mutuality by helping members identify with, remain committed to, and contribute significantly to it, while striving to establish a much wider understanding of mutuals.

As part of the brief, Smoking Gun will be working on a project to promote mutuals and mutuality to the wider consumer and trade markets. The project is intended to support AFM members in creating clear and relevant messages about the value of mutuality that can be used in a co-ordinated way to raise the profile of the mutual sector.

Managing director of Smoking Gun, Rick Guttridge, said: “We welcome the AFM to our roster of clients at an exciting period of growth for the agency. Our wealth of experience and expertise in the personal finance market, combined with the AFM’s solid stature in the sector creates the perfect platform for us to deliver results that make a genuine impact for the Association and its member organisations.

“The coronavirus pandemic has seen personal finance really come to the fore, as many people have had to reassess and reprioritise their finances and spending. It is a market that is often saturated with information, so we are delighted to be playing a role in conveying that information.

Martin Shaw, CEO of the AFM said: “The team at Smoking Gun has vast experience not only in consumer media relations, but in the personal finance market as well, through its work with our members such as Unity Mutual. We were immediately impressed by their credentials, energy and understanding of our brief and business challenges. We look forward to seeing where this partnership takes us.”

Northcoders launches deferred payment scheme for all and a new gender diversity fund

Education

Sam Whitear

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19/11/2020

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Northcoders launches deferred payment scheme for all and a new gender diversity fund

Northcoders – the coding school for the North – is launching a brand-new Study Now, Pay Later scheme for those who want to change career and take its 13-week Coding Bootcamp course. The initiative is the organisation’s latest effort to make careers in tech more accessible for all.

This new option will mean that students will not have to pay tuition fees up front with monthly interest free repayments only starting after graduation. Since its inaugural course in 2015, Northcoders has helped around 600 people switch careers into tech. 96% of whom have secured software developer job offers within three to four weeks of graduating on average starting salaries of £25,000.

The only contribution being asked for up front is the cost of the course’s introduction week. To qualify for the scheme, applicants must be a UK citizen.

In addition, women and those belonging to gender minorities (people who identify as non-binary, transgender or intersex) can also claim up to £500 from Northcoders’ Gender Diversity Fund. This contribution can be put towards the cost of their 13-Week Bootcamp fee.

Applicants can study out of Northcoders’ Manchester or Leeds campuses, or choose to join the course virtually through the Remote learning option. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the team is delivering remote learning for people enrolled at the schools’ campuses. Coding Bootcamp students will learn the skills that they will need to become a full-time stack software developer as the curriculum is constantly updated to match the talents employers demand.

Chris Hill – CEO at Northcoders – said: ““Helping people from all backgrounds and all walks of life to access a career in the tech sector has always been a priority for us. Our aim with the new Study Now, Pay Later scheme and the Gender Diversity Fund is to provide another route into the sector for as many people as possible.”

Over the past two years, Northcoders has been selected as one of the country’s brightest tech stars in Creative England’s CE50 list and was named Business of the Year at the 15th Annual Chamber Business Awards. The firm also relocated its Manchester campus to a new 10,000 sq. ft space at Manchester Technology Centre on Oxford Road in early 2020.

PLANNING PERMISSION GRANTED FOR 80 BOUTIQUE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY APARTMENTS IN MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE

Property

Sam Whitear

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19/11/2020

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PLANNING PERMISSION GRANTED FOR 80 BOUTIQUE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY APARTMENTS IN MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE

Planning permission has been granted by Manchester City Council for Beech Holdings to convert Mindel House and neighbouring Bloom Street into 80 low carbon apartments, with Paul Butler Associates acting as the Planning Consultant. The brick Victorian warehouse will undergo extensive regeneration of 50,000 sq ft of space. Mindel House and Bloom Street are thought to be one of the last remaining unconverted Victorian warehouses in Manchester City Centre.

The residential scheme, currently known as Mindel + Bloom, will maintain its industrious charm and several of its characterful features – a trademark of developer Beech Holdings who have lovingly restored several other Victorian mills and warehouses within the city. Maintaining these rare features also extends to the landscaping around the development, with a cobbled street between the two buildings. Planning permission has been approved by Manchester City Council.
One side of Mindel House has been gifted to Manchester City Council for a community LGBTQ+ art mural, breathing life into the area and welcoming visitors to Manchester. In recent years, areas of Manchester have been brought to life with colourful murals, with street artists paying homage to local, national, and global heroes and events, creating world-famous works of art visited by thousands.

The heritage renovation will consist of 80 low carbon one and two-bedroom fully-furnished, hotel quality apartments, with underfloor heating, Bosch appliances and bespoke bedrooms and kitchens. The scheme includes a full building communal heating system to aid lower running costs, including heat recovery systems and air source heat pumps. Sustainability is a key consideration for Beech Holdings, who always strive to create developments that work with the planet, not against it.

Manchester Apartments, Beech Holdings’ in-house lettings company, will oversea all lettings and property management of the development. Manchester Apartments is one of Manchester’s leading lettings agencies thanks to the strong demand for their high-end apartments in Manchester.

The development is sandwiched between Kampus and Manchester Piccadilly Train Station, providing great transport links for tenants in Manchester. Kampus is new canal-side neighbourhood with approximately 450,000 sq ft of space, which launched in Spring 2020. The current Bloom+Mindel site is also within walking distance of Manchester’s best restaurants, bars, and shops, making it a popular location for tenants wanting to benefit from Manchester city centre’s world-class amenities.

Beech Holdings commented: “We are marrying Mindel House and 11 Bloom Street together, creating an exciting boutique residence in one of Manchester city centre’s best locations. We are perfectly placed to carry out this development as one of our key areas of expertise is transforming derelict, disused and unloved space into thriving locations for Manchester’s growing number of residents.”

K7 MEDIA HIRES NIKI PAGE AS FACTUAL CONSULTANT

Appointments

Sam Whitear

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19/11/2020

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K7 MEDIA HIRES NIKI PAGE AS FACTUAL CONSULTANT

Global media consultancy, K7 Media, has bolstered its factual expertise with specialist media consultant, Niki Page joining the business.

Named K7 Media’s Factual Consultant, Page will use her extensive knowledge of non-scripted programming to help develop the business’s factual offering and contribute to highly sought-after industry resources.

With over 20 years’ industry experience, Page has held roles within Channel 4, Fremantle and spent six years as Head of Factual and Factual Entertainment Acquisitions at Sky Vision. Most recently, she was VP of Factual Acquisitions at Red Arrow Studios and managed non-scripted acquisitions outside of North America.

Keri Lewis Brown, Founder and CEO of K7 Media, said: “It has been interesting to watch producers of non-scripted programmes find creative and affordable ways of producing whilst following the Covid-19 health and safety rules. Since March, we have experienced an uptake in interest surrounding factual programming and felt it provided the perfect opportunity to expand K7’s expertise in the genre.

“Throughout her career, Niki has played an active role in shaping the non-scripted programming we see today. We believe having such an accomplished consultant on board will help us grow our factual offering and provide additional insight for clients across the globe.”

Page added: “This year has reinforced the importance of factual programming and I’ve been delighted to see the genre gaining more attention than ever before. I am so pleased to be working closely with Keri and the team at K7 Media to share insights and research surrounding the genre.”

K7 Media offers bespoke research and media consulting services to broadcasters, streaming platforms, distributors and production companies. K7 continues to expand its current range of client services, while maintaining the delivery of highly sought-after media reports.

New campaign launched by Greater Manchester businessman urges businesses to donate Christmas Party funds to charity

CSR

Sam Whitear

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19/11/2020

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A new campaign is urging businesses to donate their unused Christmas party budgets to charity, to help overcome a significant drop in funding for good causes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A report by the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (IoF) and Charity Finance Group (CFG) found that charities are expecting an average 24% reduction in funding this year – equating to a £12.4 billion loss of income for good causes as a whole.

Most charities have seen their entire events season wiped out for 2020, while Britain’s largest organised fundraising events were cancelled such as Cancer Research’s Race for Life, and the Memory Walk hosted by the Alzheimer’s Society.

‘Xmas Party Heroes’ is the brainchild of Mark Hawthorn, the CEO of investor Landmark Group, based in Bolton.

It is expected that Christmas parties will effectively not be able to happen this year, with England currently in a second national lockdown until at least December 2.

With Covid-19 causing most businesses to hold socially distanced celebrations or virtual parties on video platforms, Xmas Party Heroes encourages companies to donate any unused funds to a charity of their choice.

Xmas Party Heroes has so far raised approaching £1,000,000 now in less than a week.

Companies that have already pledged money to charities through Xmas Party Heroes include Timpson, Property Alliance Group, Urban Splash, FK Group and Barratt Developments – and the number is growing.

James Timpson OBE, CEO of Timpson, said: “This is a great idea for companies to help others when they can’t celebrate Xmas with their colleagues. I’m amazed it’s not been thought of before.”

Mark Hawthorn said: “We all know that Christmas is going to be different this year. Due to public health restrictions traditional Christmas parties simply aren’t possible so businesses large and small are choosing to swap them for smaller, socially-distant or virtual celebrations instead.

“We also know that fundraising for charities has been decimated by Covid with many charities unable to run the events which generates the income to sustain them – we hope that Xmas Party Heroes raises awareness of this issue and can help raise some much-needed funds.

“Just over a week ago I started considering our Christmas plans. It was rather obvious that there is little scope for the usual traditional entertaining and events which led to the simple conclusion that we should give all the allocated funds to charity.

“I then discovered that over £1bn is spent in the UK each year on Xmas entertaining by businesses. The vast majority of this will now go unallocated in 2020, so we started the Xmas Party Heroes campaign to get businesses to divert funds to charities, which are more in need than ever.

“I only had the idea a week ago and after making a few calls to sound it out, I’ve been inundated with people wanting to get onboard. The reaction so far shows there is the potential to raise tens of millions of pounds for charity.

“There will be lots of unspent Christmas party budgets this year and this campaign offers a really simple and effective solution that many businesses may not have considered.

“With the help of my team, we’ve launched a Xmas Party Heroes website to support the campaign and keep the momentum going. All we ask is that businesses let us know how much they have donated so we can keep a running total and help make a massive difference to those who need it the most.”

Xmas Party Heroes is being inundated with interest from businesses including FTSE 100 members and SMEs as well as charities keen to adopt the idea to spread word of the movement. In fact, we are currently engaging with so many charities who are now using this campaign to amplify their own fundraising efforts that we can hardly keep up with the requests for information about it.

Landmark Group has donated the funds for its Christmas Party and more to OnSide Youth Zones, a charity building a national network of youth clubs for youngsters aged eight to 19.

Kathryn Morley, CEO of OnSide Youth Zones, said: “We’re delighted to receive this £15,000 gift from the Landmark Group as part of the tremendous Xmas Party Heroes campaign. This gift will help us deliver support through Youth Zones to thousands of young people in disadvantaged areas across the country.”

Property Alliance Group has donated funds to Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.

Jon Haward, Executive Director at Ronald McDonald House Charities UK, said: “The #XmasPartyHeroes initiative is a fantastic way for businesses to show their support for charities at this time, in lieu of the money they would have spent on their Christmas party.

“We are so grateful for the ongoing support from Property Alliance Group over the past few years. It’s incredible they are getting involved in our Christmas Bedside Appeal by being a Xmas Party Hero; Their support will help keep families close to their child in hospital this Christmas.”

Victoria Russell, Director at Property Alliance Group added: “Charities need support more than ever in 2020 and Xmas Party Heroes is a great way to raise a significant amount of money and awareness.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has hit disadvantaged communities the hardest, with increasing numbers of children and young people that would not have previously been identified as vulnerable, now moving into thresholds of higher need.

“Unemployment is increasing, loneliness, food poverty, issues relating to emotional health and wellbeing are all on the rise, which create additional demand and pressure on public services. “It’s great to see so many businesses getting behind this idea and helping to raise much needed funds.”

Charities of all sizes that fundraise for many different causes have voiced their support for the Xmas Party Heroes initiative.

Laura Woodcock, Head of Community Relationships, Central, at Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “In these difficult times young people with cancer face uncertainty and isolation like never before. It’s refreshing to see campaigns like Xmas Party Heroes which aims to unite organisations in coming together to support charities at a time when they most need it. The current pandemic has had a huge impact on our ability to raise funds. Every pound pledged for Teenage Cancer Trust via Xmas Party Heroes is vital in supporting our specialist services for young people aged 13-24 with cancer.”

Rachel Laycock, Senior Corporate Fundraising Manager at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We’ve lost a number of fundraising events this year but we’re hopeful the generous support of businesses across the UK could help us turn things around. We fundraise for vital treatment, research and care projects for the children’s hospital and that funding benefits the 280,000 young patients our hospital sees each year.

“Anyone who wishes to support us through Xmas Party Heroes can be assured their donation will make a significant difference to our young patients – not just at Christmas, but throughout the year.”

Tess O’Callaghan, Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager at the NSPCC, said: “We’re really excited to be part of the #XmasPartyHeroes campaign. This year has been really tough for children and young people across the country, with the coronavirus restrictions turning their lives upside down. The NSPCC has remained here on the front line to help vulnerable children and their families, but we need your support to ensure that we can continue to provide that lifeline over the Christmas period.”

Paul Jackson-Clark, Director of Engagement at Parkinson’s UK, said: “It is fantastic to see an initiative like Xmas Party Heroes encouraging companies to support charities like Parkinson’s UK by donating the funds that would otherwise have been spent on Christmas parties. The coronavirus pandemic means that the festive season may be a little different this year – but there are still plenty of opportunities like this to support good causes.”

For further information, visit www.xmaspartyheroes.co.uk or follow @XmasPartyHeroes #xmaspartyheroes on Twitter

Accountants and business advisors Beever and Struthers deliver Government programme to grow Greater Manchester Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Business support

Sam Whitear

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19/11/2020

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Accountants and business advisors Beever and Struthers deliver Government programme to grow Greater Manchester Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Peer Networks programme will help businesses to emerge bigger and better from COVID-19 downturn

Accountants and business advisors Beever and Struthers are playing a key role in a pioneering Government programme to help Greater Manchester small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow and succeed.

The Manchester-based firm is the only accountancy firm in Greater Manchester to be a delivery partner of Peer Networks, a national peer-to-peer networking programme provided and fully funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Delivered locally by GC Business Growth Hub in partnership with Beever and Struthers and fellow delivery partners, the Peer Networks programme runs from 1st December to March 2021.

Designed for ambitious SME owners wanting to expand their business by tackling challenges, the free to attend initiative offers a total of 18 hours of interactive group learning via six online sessions and additional one-to-one coaching, all provided by trained facilitators and tailored to an SME’s specific needs.

Key issues to be addressed include leadership and management, financial planning, marketing, human resources, increasing sales, attracting and retaining staff, restructuring and addressing the effects of Covid-19.

By completing Peer Networks, the Government believes that SME leaders can overcome personal and business challenges, identify and act upon opportunities and build a trusted network of connections to support their business.

To join Peer Networks, SMEs in Greater Manchester must have been trading for at least one year, employ a minimum of five staff, have a turnover of at least £100,000 and aspire to improve their performance.

Mark Bradley, partner specialising in SMEs at Beever and Struthers and contact partner for Peer Networks, said: “As the only accountancy firm to be a delivery partner of Peer Networks in Greater Manchester, we’re proving our commitment to help our valued SME clients to grow and realise their true potential.

“Alongside our expert guidance as business advisors, we believe Peer Networks will prove to be an invaluable and dynamic tool for ambitious business owners determined to emerge bigger and better from the economic downturn caused by Covid-19.”

For more information or to apply for Peer Networks, please visit: https://www.peernetworks.co.uk/enquire

Make Events continuing PIVOT delivers a pair of senior hires

Creative

Sam Whitear

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19/11/2020

0

Make Events continuing PIVOT delivers a pair of senior hires

Make Events’ successful PIVOT strategy sees the continuation of the company opening new revenue streams to fight against the global pandemic, as well as the requirement to hire two significant new roles.

As part of their new service offerings, they have identified two permanent and significant senior hires, Head of Content Development and Head of Design for Make Events, alongside a restructuring of the team to ensure continued success.

Holly Moore, Founder and CEO comments: “We are continually looking to PIVOT to not only survive this challenging period but to thrive. The hire of Mark Leeming as Head of Content Development will support our overall brand proposition as we create a stronger intuitive service offering. The recruitment of Elliot Garner as Head of Design further establishes our investment in the Content Studio, as we establish a dedicated design function for our new and existing clients.”

Elliot has worked in a number of event agencies during his 7-year career. His work ethic is accustomed to working in a fast-paced environment juggling a broad range of corporate jobs and is experienced in working with some very established client names such as Travelodge, Very, Hitachi and Superdry. His unique ability to be flexible in his approach makes him the perfect recruit for an event company as he can design collateral that blends both digital, print and live experiences.

Elliot comments: “Accepting the role of Head of Design at an agency like Make Events is an exciting opportunity for me. Working in an agency that is fast paced, reactive and creative, enables me to have a diverse role where every day is different. I look forward to what the future holds.”

Mark comes from a film and photography background and has developed his skill set in the arts and entertainment field. He has worked in a multitude of industries including Film, TV, Theatre, Fashion and Creative Direction. He has a huge passion for eclectic art, foreign film and interiors which is often filtered throughout his work.

Mark comments; “I am first and foremost a creative storyteller and love to combine my skillset to engage an audience. I’ve always wanted to work in a company that recognises the integral role of creative content in defining the proposition and service offering of the agency. The work we are creating here is always fresh and unique and I am excited about what we will deliver for our clients in the future as we move forward together”

Holly continues: “We are still in the process of recruiting and interviewing for the position of MD for Make Events, which will be fundamental to ensure the continued growth and success of the company.

“Along the way there have been some necessary redundancies, but these have been kept to a minimum and the company continues to support these individuals in the next step of their careers.

“With the events industry landscape changing week by week, we believe it is our positive approach to the situation that has seen us succeed. We hope to be able to continue to deliver exceptional events, both live and virtual, as well as grow our new services which will require further recruitment.”

Over the last 6 months, Make Events has expanded their services to include; virtual events, a content studio offering graphic design, branded printing, video creation and photography, expanded their prop shop, created a bespoke gift box solution and re-branded its sister company, HM Events, offering private parties.

Made in Manchester Awards 2021: Deadline Extended

Awards

Sam Whitear

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19/11/2020

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Made in Manchester Awards 2021: Deadline Extended

It’s been a busy old month! We’ve been inundated with requests to extend the deadline as Sunday’s original deadline crept up on some of you.

Your prayers have been answered! We’re delighted to be able to extend the deadline once and once only to:

Sunday 22nd November 2020 at Midnight

If you’ve begun your nomination but haven’t yet completed it, don’t miss this final deadline!

If you haven’t yet started your MiMA nomination – now is your chance to take advantage of our extension.

The 2021 MIMA categories are:

• APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR

• BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

• MARKETING & CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

• BUSINESS OWNER / ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

• FINANCE PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

• GRADUATE OF THE YEAR

• LAWYER OF THE YEAR

• PA/EA/BUSINESS SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

• PROPERTY PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

• RECRUITMENT PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

• HR/TALENT PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

• TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

• MANAGER OF THE YEAR

• TEAM OF THE YEAR

• LOCKDOWN HERO AWARD

Chairman’s Rising Star Award – To be announced on the night!

If you’re aged 35 or under and have overachieved this yearthen make sure you nominate yourself or a colleague today!

This year’s awards will be held virtually and attendance will be free, so there really is nothing to lose!

To find out more and to enter visit www.madeinmanchesterawards.co.uk

The Made in Manchester Awards 2021

Date: Thursday 4th February 2021

Time: 06.30 PM – 08.00 PM

Venue: Virtual (booking and joining instructions will be released in the coming weeks)

For sponsorship opportunitieshttps://www.mimamcr.com/sponsorship.html

Peer to peer lender banking on success with Sharks deal

Finance

Sam Whitear

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19/11/2020

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Peer to peer lender banking on success with Sharks deal

Premiership Rugby Club, Sale Sharks, have agreed a three-year partnership with peer to peer business lending platform, Huddle Capital

The partnership will see the firm sponsor the team’s new training kit as well as taking exclusive stand sponsorship at the AJ Bell Stadium

Sale Sharks have tied up a new commercial partnership with peer to peer business lending platform, Huddle Capital.

The Leeds-based business, which supports the growth of UK SMEs with business loans, will become the club’s official training kit sponsor ahead of the 2020/21 season, which is due to kick off towards the end of November.

As part of the three-year deal, the Huddle brand will also feature as a sleeve sponsor on the club’s new home and away strips, as well as taking on exclusive sponsorship of the south stand at the club’s home ground, the AJ Bell Stadium.

The move is part of a national drive by Huddle to raise awareness of its business and peer-to-peer finance, which brings together lenders and borrowers through an online platform.

Sale Sharks will also work with Huddle on educating players, staff and the Community Trust around the benefits of peer to peer investment and the increased interest in social lending.

“We’re delighted to welcome Huddle Capital as one of our new commercial partners for the 2021 season,” said Mark Cueto, Commercial Director at Sale Sharks.

“Huddle are doing great things in terms of providing more access to the peer to peer lending and investment market, and educating firms and individuals on the benefits. They’re a fast-growing business and join us at an exciting time for the company with big ambitions for the future.

“It’s great to see that next season is already shaping up to be a strong one for us in terms of the commercial backing we’ve received from sponsors – both new and renewed support from existing partners – and we look forward to building a really solid relationship with the team at Huddle moving into the new season.”

Emily Rackham at Huddle Capital said: “We’re really excited to be working alongside a top Premiership Rugby side like Sale Sharks. The club works alongside some really high-profile brands and is full of players with worldwide appeal, so we’re thrilled to be joining.

“Huddle was set up to provide more access to peer to peer lending for businesses and individuals, but also to increase awareness that this option exists as a very credible alternative to more traditional methods of borrowing or investing.

“We’ve achieved some fantastic growth recently and we’re really keen to increase this further through the power of the Sale Sharks brand and network of partners.”

Made for Manufacturing programme offers SMEs the chance to kickstart 2021

Business support

Sam Whitear

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18/11/2020

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MANUFACTURERS in Greater Manchester are being invited to start 2021 with a fully–funded programme aimed at enhancing manufacturing excellence and enabling growth.

Made for Manufacturing will empower leaders from small, medium and large businesses across the city region to improve their quality of service and product, ensure better lead times, and reduce their overall business costs.

Run by GC Business Growth Hub, the second Made for Manufacturing programme launches in January, with applications open now to manufacturers who are focused on improving efficiencies and growing their workforce.

The group-based course will take place over a 10–week period. It offers tailored advice and support from expert speakers, peer–to–peer learning, plus one-to-one support from an expert Manufacturing Advisor based within the Hub, part of the Growth Company.

What sets Made for Manufacturing apart from more time-intensive courses is that it is delivered in short dynamic online sprints; this enables leaders to identify opportunities and put them into practice quickly without halting business momentum.

Its combination of virtual tours looking at good industry practice, workshops and engaging practical activities enables manufacturing leaders to hold a mirror to their company – and commit to actions that will lead to continuous improvements.

Andy Mosley, Print Manager at Manchester Manufacturing Group Ltd, one of the businesses in the first programme, said: “We hope the course will help us to benchmark our current procedures against industry best practice – identifying processes that fall short, then using the techniques learned to implement and make the necessary changes.

“We’re looking at finding brand new ideas to take away to further improve ‘right–first–time, on–time delivery’, product quality, waste management and environmental impact, whilst also helping us to strengthen communication within the company.”

Programme Manager and Manufacturing Advisor, Nick Brandwood, said: “One of the major benefits of Made for Manufacturing is that it enables manufacturers to build a support network with other high calibre business leaders on the course.

“Having the support of alumni who share the same passion will be most valuable as these businesses look to the future, after a turbulent year for the industry.

“Anyone interested in taking part should get in touch soon because we have just 10 places that will go quickly. There’s no better way to start 2021 than by showing you your business really is Made for Manufacturing.”

Over the past five years, GC Business Growth Hub’s Manufacturing Team has worked with 600 manufacturing companies, delivering a £20m– plus increase in sales and supporting the creation of more than 300 jobs.

Made for Manufacturing sessions are designed to share ideas, offer support, and pinpoint practical actions as a prelude for manufactures to return to the shop floor, engage with their teams and deliver long-lasting improvements.

The 10-week programme begins w/c 11 January and ends in May. Businesses have until 27 November to apply at businessgrowthhub.com/madeformanufacturing.

For further details, contact bghmanufacturing@growthco.uk or call 0161 350 3050.

Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit www.businessgrowthhub.com for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services. GC Business Growth Hub is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and is also supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester local authorities.

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