Bury and Bolton law firm Clough & Willis is celebrating after one of its young solicitors passed her first exam in the prestigious Society of Trust and Estate Practioners (STEP) accreditation programme. It has also announced that Jack Trickett has been offered a training contract in the Corporate and Commercial team.

Rhianna Bateson is studying with Central Law Training which is the leading provider of high quality post qualification CPD training for the legal profession and one of the most respected schemes in the UK.  The qualification is broken down into four modules and Rhianna has passed the first which is Administration of Estate.  Once all four have been completed she will become fully STEP qualified.  Rhianna can now continue to support clients through the estate administration process or related issues ensuing that it complies with complex law and tax rules surrounding estate administration.

Rhianna, who joined the Clough & Willis team in 2017, said: “I’m so pleased to have passed as this really is a milestone in my career. I’m now excited about the next phase of my studies as I continue with my client work.”

Jack Trickett was appointed as a paralegal last year in the Property department. After impressing the firm’s partnership he was offered a full time training contract and will be based in the Corporate and Commercial team. He will be working alongside Guy Lachlan who heads the department.

Lee Marston, managing partner of Clough & Willis, added: “Clough and Willis is all about developing our own talent so myself and the rest of the partnership congratulate Rhianna on her success and Jack on his training contract. Both are real talents and we are excited to see how their careers will continue to develop with us.”

A new £2m mini-golf attraction has opened at The Printworks leisure destination in Manchester after a fit-out by Oldham-based specialist contractor Medlock FRB.

The Amazon rainforest-themed Treetop Adventure Golf venue has two 18-hole courses, called Tropical Trail and Ancient Explorer.

Located on the second floor of The Printworks, the 20,000 sq ft attraction is the first in England for Treetop Adventure Golf, following the success of its site in Cardiff.

Special features include a giant fig tree, a dramatic cascading river with singing frogs, an ancient temple and a mountain zone.

More than 2,000 artificial tropical trees and plants have been brought in to create a lush rainforest atmosphere.

The venue also has a 125-cover restaurant and bar with a Brazilian-inspired menu. There is also an event space for private functions.

As the principal contractor, Medlock fitted out the existing shell in 13 weeks to create the ground floor entrance lobby and the second floor reception, restaurant and bar.

The golf course features were fabricated by scenic theming company Best Constructors.

The attraction is the second major project at The Printworks for Medlock in under a year, following the fit-out of the Lazy Lizard bar and late-night music venue for MAD Ltd Group.

Treetop Adventure Golf owner Discovery Adventure Golf is another key client for Medlock in the burgeoning indoor golf sector.

Callum Ferraby, Medlock’s project manager for the Treetop Adventure Golf venue, said: “We are delighted to complete this scheme at one of the north west’s premier leisure destinations and to see it expand its offering.

“Indoor golf is increasing in popularity and we are pleased to be using our skills and expertise to help the sector develop. It fits perfectly with our strategy of growing our business in the leisure industry.”

London may lead the pack when it comes to business start-ups in Britain, but the latest research from Instant Offices reveals the UK’s other major cities are making a significant contribution to entrepreneurialism in the UK.

Instant’s Entrepreneurial Index ranks the UK’s leading cities by analysing Companies House data and comparing average population in each city with the number of businesses launched there year on year. And this year, Manchester has taken fifth place with Birmingham storming to the top of the league for start-ups.

Despite uncertainty around Brexit, the UK’s start-up ecosystem saw record investment growth in 2017, as according to a report by Deal Room, UK investment grew by 87% to €7.1 billion, which is more than Germany, France and Sweden combined.

According to a Startup Outlook Report, UK start-ups are optimistic with 49% of entrepreneurs saying they are confident in better business conditions in 2018 while 42% said conditions would remain the same. Eight in 10 start-ups plan to expand their teams in 2018.

London leads the pack for total number of start-ups, as would be expected, with 145,993 businesses launched in 2017.  But, on a pro rata basis, Birmingham surpasses the capital as the Most Entrepreneurial UK City in 2018 with its impressive start-up to population ratio.

With significant growth over the past few years, Birmingham’s ability to attract and support early-stage businesses is attributed to its world-class support networks, accelerator schemes and significant infrastructure investment. The completion of HS2 is set to transform the West Midlands, and Birmingham’s sizeable metropolitan economy is predicted to see considerable benefits to boost growth.

Key Cities Ranked

John Williams, Head of Marketing and Research at Instant Offices, said:“While majority of demand still comes from companies looking for flexible office requirements for smaller teams, our data reveals that larger, corporate occupiers are also looking for flexible space in what is proving to be a very competitive market in cities like Leicester.