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Arkwright Insurance joins forces with one of the UK’s leading price comparison platforms

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10/05/2019

Arkwright Insurance joins forces with one of the UK’s leading price comparison platforms

Arkwright Insurance has joined forces with one of the UK’s leading insurance comparison platforms, Quotezone.co.uk, to bring its home insurance offering to an even wider group of tenants and homeowners.

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in, Arkwright Insurance’s track record of outstanding performance and exceptionally high levels of customer service helped the firm win a prestigious Broker of the Year award from the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA).

Quotezone.co.uk, meanwhile, was an early pioneer of online comparison technology for the car insurance industry, and has since expanded its offering to provide users with free price comparisons for a wide range of other insurance products, including home insurance, motorhome insurance and holiday home insurance.

Headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the Quotezone.co.uk platform was launched by Seopa Ltd in 2005, and has since grown to become one of the UK’s leading insurance comparison websites, generating millions of quotes for its partners each year.

This new partnership agreement between the two brands will offer Quotezone.co.uk’s millions of users an opportunity to explore the value and benefits of taking out a home insurance policy through Arkwright Insurance.

Elyas Mogra, Managing Director of Arkwright Insurance Brokers, said: “At Arkwright Insurance Brokers we’re deeply committed to making the insurance process as simple, straightforward and cost-effective for the customer as possible, which is why Quotezone.co.uk’s easy-to-use platform is a perfect fit for our brand.”

Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk, added: “Arkwright Insurance’s commitment to providing its customers with a truly personal service that makes the insurance process efficient, effective, affordable and easy to understand is the reason the firm was recognised with a Broker of the Year award – and that commitment to customer service is at the very heart of the company’s ethos.

“That’s why we’re delighted that Arkwright Insurance has chosen to partner with our leading price comparison platform,Quotezone.co.uk, and are confident that both the company and our millions of users will greatly benefit from our partnership.”

Cowgills backs Bolton boxer Jack Flatley

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Sam Whitear

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10/05/2019

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Cowgills backs Bolton boxer Jack Flatley

Cowgills is once again supporting boxer Jack Flatley as he goes for the English super welterweight title. Jack, from Farnworth, is appearing on the bill at the University of Bolton Stadium on 11 May and will fight Shropshire’s Craig Morris.

Cowgills has sponsored Jack since turning professional in 2015 and is proud to be supporting him once again as he goes for the title for the first time.

Stuart Stead, a partner at the Bolton-based accountancy and business advisory firm has supported Jack throughout his career.

Jack said: “I’m training harder than I ever have before and am already at my fighting weight. This fight is brilliant for my career and also brilliant to see the rest of Bolton get behind me. The interest and support locally has been phenomenal.

“Without the support of corporate sponsors like Cowgills, I wouldn’t be able to put all of my focus into training. Stuart and the firm have been loyal supporters since the start of my journey and it has allowed me to train and focus on my career. I’m ready for the fight with Morris and would like to thank Cowgills for helping me on this unbelievable journey.”

Stuart Stead added: “Jack combines raw talent with grit and hard work to reach his goals. It’s our privilege to be able to follow his journey and wish him the very best for the night. This latest fight is testament to the investment we, and others, have made to date to help Jack reach another level.”

New clients Clip ‘n Climb and Ultimate Recreation both sign with Toast PR

Blog

Sam Whitear

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10/05/2019

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New clients Clip ‘n Climb and Ultimate Recreation both sign with Toast PR

Toast PR has been appointed to work on international and national briefs for two new clients in the leisure industry, Clip ‘n Climb, the market leader in climbing activity experiences and Ultimate Recreation, the parent company behind four popular names in the UK experiences market: Apocalypse Events, Bunker 51, Star Command Laser Tag and Trapped Escape Rooms.

Clip ‘n Climb has its head office in the French Alps and 250 centres around the world. Toast is working with the brand on a piece of international research exploring activity levels among children and teenagers, as well as promoting a new scoring system – Clip ‘n Score – which enables climbers to track their scores, climbing height and speed via contactless technology. Toast’s work will include media relations, influencer outreach, blog content, social media management and the launch of the brand’s new scoring system.

Tiphaine Lazard, Leisure Product Manager at Clip ‘n Climb, said: “With so many new centres opening up world-wide, appearances at global expos and the launch of our new scoring system, it’s a busy time at Clip ‘n Climb.

“Quality and innovation is central to our business and so we needed to find a partner to communicate this with creativity and confidence.The team at Toast is already delivering outstanding results and we are really pleased to be working with them across B2B, consumer and trade campaigns.”

Visitors to Ultimate Recreation’s sites have included the Beckhams, Elle McPherson, Little Mix and Premier League football teams. Toast has been appointed to work on raising awareness of the activities available at each of its venues as well as brand story development as the company continues to expand. In addition to media relations and working with tourism organisations, the Toast team is developing engaging blog content for Ultimate Recreation’s new website and will be supporting the launch of the new mobile immersive ‘trapped’ experiences later this year.

Nikkayla Henricksen, Group Marketing Manager at Ultimate Recreation, commented: “Toast immediately impressed us with its knowledge of the industry and understanding of our brand. We’re looking forward to working with them as part of our team as we continue to grow our business and develop new and exciting opportunities.”

Julia Mitchell, Managing Director at Toast PR, commented: “We’re delighted to be working with Clip ‘n Climb and Ultimate Recreation – both of which share our ‘work hard, play hard’ philosophy and approach. Leisure activity outside the home and new experiences have never been as popular, particularly among millennials so it’s a great time to be communicating what both these brands have on offer.”

Funding boost will see Sharks working with more ex-forces personnel across North West

CSR

Sam Whitear

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10/05/2019

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Funding boost will see Sharks working with more ex-forces personnel across North West

A community project set up by Sale Sharks Community Trust to help ex-forces personnel reintegrate back into society is set to expand its work into a prison and areas of Merseyside and North Lancashire following a funding boost.

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is partnering with the Trust following the success of the Sharks Forces programme over the past 24 months, which has provided support to more than 500 military veterans and their families across the North West.

As part of the partnership, a new project called ‘Life outside the Camo’ has been set up in order to increase the reach of the programme and help younger ex-service personnel, as well as their families.

The new project will see the Trust working directly with Berwyn Prison in Wrexham, providing support and advice to anyone currently serving a prison sentence with a military background.

Ex-servicemen and women in the Merseyside and North Lancashire area will also benefit from increased support, as the Trust hopes to expand the reach of the project and help even more people across the region.

“The fundamental aim of the new ‘Life outside the Camo’ project is to help give ex-service personnel a sense of belonging in their local communities,” said Craig Monaghan, a former army soldier who helps deliver the Sharks Forces programme.

“We’re particularly looking to help those aged around 40 or younger as I know from experience that at this age, the transition to civilian life can be difficult and there’s often a real stigma attached to asking for help.

“We’ve got some amazing success stories from our work with military veterans already through Sharks Forces, and we can’t wait to build on that with this new project and the support of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.”

Brigadier (Ret’d) Robin Bacon, Chief of Staff at ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, added: “Strong communities can become a fundamental key to helping veterans on their journey after they leave the Army. They provide an important network, a sense of belonging and create a great space for joy with others. We are pleased to be helping Sale Sharks Community Trust with the programme and their work.”

UKFast founders make £5m commitment to young people

CSR

Sam Whitear

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09/05/2019

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UKFast founders make £5m commitment to young people

The husband and wife team behind UKFast has announced they have donated £5m into a newly created charitable trust to give a helping hand to disadvantaged young people.

Lawrence Jones MBE, who set up cloud hosting firm with wife Gail in 1999, is placing the funds directly into the UKFast Community and Education Trust, which seeks to improve the education, training and development opportunities available to young people, particularly within Greater Manchester.

The trust is committed to providing sustainable and lasting support for young people experiencing poverty, abuse, discrimination, exclusion and neglect, building on UKFast’s existing work in the community and in schools. The trust also supports individuals and organisations looking after young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.

For more than a decade, UKFast has run a variety of initiatives as part of its mission to improve digital skills. These initiatives have developed into partnerships with more than 60 schools and colleges and today UKFast reaches 60,000 young people across Greater Manchester and its education team runs more than 500 events each year.

Alongside this work in digital skills, UKFast’s team support a multitude of projects, including funding a much-needed breakfast club at Holy Name RC Primary School and providing 22,310 meals for children across Greater Manchester during the school holidays as part of a Holiday Hunger initiative in 2018.

UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones MBE said: “We made the choice to move into this area of Manchester and are proud to be based here. When we did, we made a conscious decision to work with the local community. After all, it’s their home and it’s our responsibility to be a good neighbour.

“When we heard that Holy Name School, just a stone’s throw from our campus, had children who couldn’t afford to pay 20p to attend a breakfast club we made a decision to get involved. Kids can’t sit through lessons and concentrate on activities if they don’t have basic nutrition.

“At the last count we’ve invested nearly £10m in various education programmes in the last decade across Greater Manchester. It’s our intention to raise more funds, raise more awareness and inspire others to contribute. Our goal is to make this fund sustainable to maximise the impact it has over many years.

“We have problems in all of our towns and cities, where kids feel less empowered and further away from the bright lights they see on social media. We believe that one way to bridge this gap is by bringing digital education to the forefront and connecting young people to the opportunities in our industry, tackling the digital skills shortage at the same time.

“This is how we’ll develop deeper relationships and partnerships to make a lasting difference, rather than it just offering short-term financial support. The trust helps us professionalise our efforts and kick-starts a new era with the addition of £5m.”

UKFast is also committing 5,000 volunteering hours annually to community projects through the trust, worth a further £67,000 a year, as well as value-in-kind donations of the firm’s facilities including its auditorium, which has hosted 1,500 young people to date in a series of free cinema screenings during school holidays.

UKFast Director of CSR Russell Feingold, said: “UKFast is passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people in communities across Greater Manchester. There is a huge amount of work to do and the formation of the trust allows us to make a much bigger impact and enable charities and projects to increase their reach and impact. We also aim to inspire and engage other business to do all they can to help disadvantaged young people in the region.”

UKFast Director of Training and Education Aaron Saxton, added: “The trust was originally set up to concentrate our efforts on education, but we rapidly saw the need to extend the scope of the support to the community.”

It’s Gone Viral’s Film division reports 60% surge in work

Blog

Sam Whitear

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09/05/2019

0

It’s Gone Viral’s Film division reports 60% surge in work

It’s Gone Viral, the Manchester headquartered social media marketing company, has seen a surge in the number of projects that it is delivering for film studios after achieving a 60% increase since the start of the year.

The agency’s roster of film studio clients now includes major names such as Lionsgate, Universal, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, BBC Films and StudioCanal.

The firm, which was founded in 2016 by Matthew Thomas, Andrew Trotman and Ryan Williams, produces and distributes video content and viral campaign adverts for international brands across its social platforms. The team is a mixture of content creators, analysts and video producers.

Recent film campaigns delivered by the agency include Nick Frost and Steve Merchant’s Fighting with My Family, as well as HellBoy, Warner Bros’ DC superhero movie Shazam! and Scott and Sid, which was named Best British Film at the National Film Awards. Its next project will be with Daniel Radcliffe for The Playmobil Movie.

Andrew Trotman, co-founder, said: “We only really started developing our Film division in early 2018 so seeing this kind of growth in such a short space of time is fantastic. Thanks to the number of people we are able to reach and the total views figures we achieve, studios quickly realised that we are a credible outlet for their film content. That awareness has seen us move into working with talent which is a really exciting step for the business.”

Andrew added: Our focus is now on building on these foundations and to grow our profile across the film sector. Ultimately we want to become the first port of call for all major cinematic releases.”

NOMA submits plans for 4 Angel Square

Sam Whitear

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09/05/2019

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Development manager MEPC has submitted plans for 4 Angel Square, its latest office project at NOMA, to Manchester City Council, as progress continues at the 20-acre neighbourhood.

The new 11-storey office building will sit on the corner of Corporation Street and Miller Street and is NOMA’s first speculative new build office development, with MEPC looking to capitalise on soaring demand for workspace in Manchester thanks to the city’s continued growth.

Designed by Manchester-based architects SimpsonHaugh, the Grade-A office building will bring over 2,000 new workers to NOMA, joining the community of businesses, residents and creatives who have already made the area their home.

In addition to providing 200,000 sq. ft. of premium office space, shops or restaurants will be provided on the ground floor and new public realm as part of a much-improved link to One Angel Square, which will be crucial to unlocking the other new-build development opportunities.

Paul Pavia, head of development at MEPC, said: “Major corporates from not just the UK but across the globe are looking to base some of their operations in Manchester, thanks to the city’s strong civic leadership, thriving culture and leisure scene and increasing transport and digital connectivity.

“4 Angel Square will bring some much needed supply to the Manchester office market, with demand for high quality workspace outstripping supply and we’re excited to be submitting our proposals to the city council.”

Bruntwood Works celebrates opening

Sam Whitear

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08/05/2019

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Bruntwood Works, has marked the opening of a brand new community space at its Atria development in Bolton with a special celebratory event.

Bruntwood Works has enhanced the facilities on offer for businesses at Atria with the development of the new community space, which will provide a place for people working within the building to connect and collaborate.

Atria is home to a wide range of innovative businesses. Building residents and guests enjoyed a celebratory event complete with prosecco and pies to mark the launch of the new space.

The event also included an update from David Lloyd Bolton which provided Atria customers with exclusive offers, a theatre performance from Bolton Octagon Theatre’s Creative Engagement Team and a talk from the Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

The central community hub features a bright, creative, and welcoming design and includes a range of useful spaces including hot desk options for individuals and groups, private working locations, informal meeting spaces, and an event area, which will also host a dynamic events programme.

Casual seating areas encourage customers to work collaboratively and the hub also features a drinks station, where all building customers can enjoy free tea and coffee while they work.

Andrew Cooke, regional director at Bruntwood Works, said: “It’s brilliant to be celebrating the launch of our new space at Atria, which will offer our customers a fantastic place to mingle and meet for a coffee, grab a chat or even collaborate on a project in one of the breakout spaces.

“Flexible community spaces like this are key to creating positive working environments where people feel welcome, comfortable, and inspired by their surroundings and we hope the new space will help the formation of new community networks and boost collaborations between businesses based at the site.”

Northern Automotive Alliance partners with Business Manchester

Sam Whitear

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08/05/2019

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Northern Automotive Alliance partners with Business Manchester

A new partnership has been formed between the Northern Automotive Alliance (NAA) and Business Manchester, which aims to bring a new level of automotive expertise and sector awareness to our readers.

The NAA is an independent, not-for-profit company, which provides a membership service, combined with a project management delivery function, to the automotive community. The NAA supports micro-companies through to our local major vehicle manufacturers, such as Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley, Vauxhall and McLaren, offering a diverse service using its established networks. This includes the provision of training, events (one per month), funding applications and strategic, business and technical advice.

The NAA have a large number of members located in Greater Manchester, with close links with Manchester based organisation such as the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and Made Smarter. The NAA covers a significant region, with members across the North West, Yorkshire and Humber, communicating with over 2,000 automotive companies across the North of England on a regular basis.

Observed Andy Mann, Group Editor, Business Manchester: “The NAA is a strong believer in partnership and collaborative working with both industry and the public sector, as well as working closely with organisations such as BEIS, DIT, Universities, local Councils and LEPs. This exactly matches the aspirations and vision of Business Manchester, where we work with businesses to promote their good news stories and demonstrate that Greater Manchester is a great place to live, work, relocated and do business.”

Commenting on recent developments, NAA’s Chief Executive, Rowan Egan added: “The NAA exists to support the UK automotive sector, but also works with many organisations and companies across numerous different sectors, such as aerospace, marine, chemical and software (to name but a few).

“The automotive sector has changed more in recent years than ever before, and this trend is set to continue with the introduction of AFV (alternative fuelled vehicles) and CAV (connected autonomous vehicles). These vast changes bring new opportunities for companies who have not traditionally been in the automotive supply chain.

“The push for electrification, in particular, brings significant opportunities for companies who have expertise in power electronics, electric motors and battery technology, but also for any company who can make contributions towards ‘light-weighting’, thereby making a car more efficient.

“Often these contributions are made through unique designs and creative use of materials or composites – a particular strength of the North West, which goes back to its history of working with textiles and lightweight metals. Similarly, for CAV, it is believed that technology and software companies working in sectors such as gaming, will be critical in the development of autonomous vehicles and a whole new CAV supply chain.

“The UK government has recognised these significant changes in technology, and the need to support the automotive sector in the UK, by offering a range of grant funding and support to UK companies, who wish to take on new opportunities, such as those offered by APC (Advanced Propulsion Centre), Meridian (for CAV research) and the Faraday Challenge (Battery research). At the NAA, we can help a company identify these grant funding opportunities and support the application process.

The NAA would like to speak to any companies currently operating in, or with aspirations to work in, the automotive sector. Membership ranges from £360 to £2,050, depending on the size of your company. To experience the benefits, the NAA is happy to offer any company interested in membership, a complimentary ticket to one of its monthly networking events.

The NAA is extremely proud of its reputation as the best automotive networking platform in the North. This view is reflected by Sally Hepton, Director of Government Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility at Bentley Motors: “Promoting the North West and the wider North as a great place to invest is vitally important to the automotive sector. The NAA plays a fantastic role flying the flag for Northern automotive and supporting small, medium and large companies to prosper”.

For more information about the NAA and how to join please contact info@northernautoalliance.com or visit the NAA website

Digital audit just the job for Halecroft

Blog

Sam Whitear

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07/05/2019

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Digital audit just the job for Halecroft

A recruitment agency based in Hale has increased annual turnover by 67% to £1 million following support from GC Business Growth Hub.

Halecroft Recruitment provides bespoke executive-level recruitment services and work across different sectors, including human resources and accounting, on a local, regional and national level.

Wanting to ensure that the business continued to grow, owner Tricia Bullman contacted the Hub, part of The Growth Company, looking for support developing a new marketing campaign that utilised social media and other digital channels.

Having undertaken an audit of the firm’s digital resources, digital growth advisor Chris Murphy helped the company by redesigning and relaunching its website so that the site would perform better in online search results. Furthermore, Chris also trained the Halecroft staff on how to use e-mail marketing software, so that the company would be able to distribute its content and have the means to analyse the success of the mailshots. Finally, Chris also helped the agency to more effectively utilise its social media platforms, showing Tricia how to use paid targeted advertising on both Facebook and LinkedIn to find potential candidates. By using the detailed audience-building tools both platforms offer, which allow advertisers to target users by a range of factors including demographics, geography, interests and behaviours, it meant Tricia and her staff were able to target ads at the right people, improving the Return On Investment (ROI) of the firm’s advertising budget.

As a result of Chris’s support, Halecroft’s website traffic has increased by 1,000%, with site conversions increasing by 70% and enquiries into the business increasing by 80%, thereby meaning turnover has now reached the £1million mark.

Such has been the breadth of the company’s new digital marketing efforts, it became clear to Tricia, who had been carrying out most of the marketing activities herself, that it was time to hire a dedicated marketing executive too. Given the company’s new digital know-how, Halecroft has now launched its own digital marketing arm, helping other companies find the people they need to ramp up their own online presence.

Tricia Bullman said: “I initially contacted Business Growth Hub as I wanted to get our message across to a completely different audience and reach out to new markets.

“All the practical support from the Hub has been fantastic, with Chris helping us to set clear objectives and a strong call to action with our new digital messaging.

“Even more helpful has been the encouragement we’ve gotten though – the phone calls and emails, congratulating us or suggesting something new we might want to try really have made a difference.”

Chris Murphy said: “I really enjoy passing on my digital expertise to help businesses in the region grow, and it’s always satisfying to see that support result in such clear improvements for those I have helped.

“Tricia and her team were very receptive to my suggestions and have acknowledged the importance of digital marketing by taking on a new staff member to ensure these efforts are maintained going forward.”

Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit the Business Growth Hub website for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services. This and other GC Business Growth Hub projects are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM Business Growth Hub project designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester.

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