Manchester’s Cunning Plan Marketing is celebrating this week after winning a four-way pitch to become the agency of choice for Warrington’s Business Improvement District (BID) project.

The place marketing campaign for Warrington is part of a £1.8million investment that will improve services and entertainment in the town – making Warrington town centre cleaner, greener and a better place to shop, work and spend leisure time.   

The BID proposal was approved last year and promises to put Warrington firmly on the map thanks to a five-year business plan, which includes marketing an exciting schedule of events, improved retail support, more green spaces, enhanced safety and transport links and a suite of services to help businesses thrive in the town.

Cunning Plan will work with the BID team to promote Warrington Town Centre as a destination to over 100,000 residents within a ten-mile radius of Warrington, increasing footfall through the promotion of a single brand for the town. The Altrincham-based agency is tasked with creating a fully-integrated marketing campaign that includes branding, website design and build, social media management, content creation, stakeholder relations and PR. 

Dawn McElroyChair of the Warrington BID team said: “Since BIDs were introduced in 2004, over 250 have been approved, now it’s Warrington’s time to shine!  We have lots of exciting plans and need to make sure that the people of Warrington and further afield know about them. 14 north west agencies tendered for the project but Cunning Plan’s approach to the brief impressed us all; their experience, creativity and passion for the project made them the obvious choice for such a high-profile project.”

James Adam, Managing Director at Cunning Plan said: “Our goal is to give Warrington an individual, authentic identity that everyone can get behind. We’ll be working closely with the BID, the business community and those living on the outskirts of Warrington to create a place marketing campaign that truly sets Warrington apart from its neighbours. It’s a hugely significant time for the town and we’re very excited to be a part of the journey.”

Cybersecurity firm Secarma Ltd has taken a 13.3% stake in Shearwater Group PLC, in a deal worth £7.4m.

The transaction sees Secarma, a leading provider of penetration testing and cloud security solutions, sell its legacy Pentest subsidiary to Shearwater.

Consideration of £7.4 million is to be paid by Shearwater through £6.7 million in new ordinary shares and £0.7 million in loan notes.

The assets being sold include the Databridge Software Division, which owns and operates a cloud-based platform-as-a-service software package. Databridge is licensed to customers on a recurring revenue basis and integrates IT service management platforms and ticketing systems.

Following the transaction, Secarma will continue to employ a 40-strong team of penetration testers and senior management and is owned by UKFast founder and CEO Lawrence Jones MBE.

Jones said: “Secarma continues to go from strength to strength and we have laser focus on the direction we want to take the business.

“Two decades’ experience building and supporting cloud platforms with UKFast, and working closely with customers, has given us clear insight into their needs. Our fast-growing cloud security division is where we’re focussing our attention.

“We’re building out some really innovative recurring revenue products to give peace of mind to our customers.”

Secarma continues to foster an ever-closer partnership with British hosting giant UKFast, also owned by Lawrence Jones MBE, addressing the overlapping needs of their respective customer bases and service offerings in response to the significant rise in cybercrime.

Jones said: “Within UKFast, we’re developing our Security Operations Centre, our Threat Monitoring service and just this week we announced a £4m investment in our global DDoS protection network, DDoSX. These products sit incredibly well alongside Secarma’s cloud security division.”

Shearwater has a longstanding relationship with Secarma and will continue to collaborate across certain projects.

Shearwater Group chairman David Williams said: “Secarma is going to be a meaningful shareholder in Shearwater Group and we’re looking forward to working closely together for the benefit of all parties.”

Jones added: “There’s a symbiotic relationship and close synergies between the two businesses.”

Salford-based MC Construction has begun work on Manchester Airport contracts worth more than £3m, including the new private terminal PremiAir.

The family-owned company is the main contractor for PremiAir, which is due to open in the summer, and for a refurbishment project at a 42ft tower which will be the new base for airfield operations staff.

MC Construction won the contracts under a building services framework to which it was appointed last year.

The company has previously delivered a £450,000 upgrade to a 48,000 sq ft hangar used to service airfield vehicles such as passenger buses, aircraft tugs and baggage trucks. Its facilities services division has also carried out projects under the framework.

PremiAir has been designed by Jacobs and will be the first facility of its kind at a major UK airport.

It will offer guests a pay-as-you-use ‘private jet experience’ while flying in and out of Manchester on commercial airlines, with secure parking, a personal greeting, faster baggage processing, an elegant lounge with complimentary food and drink, dedicated security and passport channels and a chauffeur-driven car to take them to and from their aircraft.

As well as building the single-storey terminal, MC Construction is undertaking drainage, road and car park works at the site, which is next to the Runway Visitor Park.

MC Construction has also begun work on an overhaul of the former IDLEx tower which is attached to Terminal One.

The tower – whose initials stand for International Departure Lounge Extension – was previously used by airfield operations staff and the airport telephone exchange, but was mothballed some years ago.

It is being brought back into use as part of the huge Manchester Airport Transformation Programme and will once again be the base for the airfield operations teams.

The scheme involves creating offices and a conference room on the top floor of the five-storey tower, with rest rooms and a kitchen on the third floor. MC Construction is also undertaking works on the ground floor to create storage and locker facilities.

Marwa Derouiche of Jacobs is the project manager. Halliday Meecham is the architect.

David Lowe, managing director of MC Construction, said: “We are thrilled to be working on these projects for our valued client Manchester Airport.

“The PremiAir terminal is a prestigious scheme which will transform the guest experience, while it is pleasing to see the IDLEx tower being brought back into active use as part of the airport’s transformation programme.”

Marwa said: “The IDLEx was in desperate need of refurbishment and we are all excited to see the finished result. Airfield operations are looking forward to moving into their new office space, which offers great views of the airfield.”

Chase de Vere Medical, which has offices in Manchester and Preston and provides independent financial advice to the medical profession, is delighted to announce a partnership with the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM).

FMLM was established by all the medical royal colleges and faculties in 2011. It is an independent charity and the UK professional home for medical leadership, with the primary objective of raising the standard of patient care by supporting doctors and healthcare organisations to improve medical leadership. Its 2,200 members and fellows are a combination of senior medical leaders, consultants, doctors, trainees and students.

With the new partnership, FMLM members will be able to benefit from expert independent financial advice from Chase de Vere Medical on the NHS Pension Scheme, retirement strategies, investment services, financial protection and estate planning. They will also have access to a wealth of articles, guides and events on these subjects, which are specifically designed for medical professionals.

Andrea Sproates, Head of Chase de Vere Medical, said: “Our partnership with FMLM is a great fit. We have 65 independent financial advisers based around the UK who specialise in providing financial advice to the medical profession, and we are committed to providing their members with informative events and access to information to ensure they make the most of the pension and other benefits provided by their employer and of their wider personal finances.”

Peter Lees, Chief Executive and Medical Director of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management, said: “We are pleased to introduce Chase de Vere Medical to our members. As industry experts, we believe their independent, specialist financial advice and planning will be a major benefit for our members, wherever they are in their medical career, and will provide valuable support those with questions or concerns around the NHS Pension Scheme.”

Swinton Electro Plating Ltd., based in Pendlebury, Manchester, is delighted to have recently won its second successive marketing award from its industry peers, the Surface Engineering Association (SEA).

The SEA is a trade association that endeavours to be the voice of the industry and aims to highlight the positive contribution that the UK treatment industries have made to current technology employed around the world.

With over 50 years’ experience in hard chrome, electroless nickel plating and refurbishing services, Swinton Electro Plating utilises its strength in having one of the deepest hard chrome plating facilities in Europe, to supply clients globally.

Commented Godfrey Evans, Managing Director, Swinton Electro Plating: “These awards are testimony to our hard work in building our reputation and credibility with our customers, potential customers and associated supply chain. Without the support of them, our employees and the local community, we could not have achieved our continuing growth, particularly in our export markets.

“Through effective marketing, Swinton Electro Plating has established a reputation for being the supplier of choice for engineering coatings and services. Something which we are extremely proud of.

“We specialise in industrial applications and our bespoke products are hard wearing, corrosive and friction resistant and we can significantly extend the shelf life and operational performance. Also, as one of the UK’s leading metal finishers, we constantly analyse our activities to eliminate pollution and improve environmental performance.

“We are proud of our achievements over the last 50 years and look forward to striving to continually improve and be a great representative for our industry.”