The town has been chosen to represent the region in the small city category at the national awards which are organised by the Royal Horticultural Society. This follows on from Loughborough in Bloom being awarded the highest accolade at the East Midlands in Bloom awards for twelve consecutive years. Pat Cook, chair of Loughborough in Bloom, said: “It is fantastic that Loughborough in Bloom has been chosen to represent the region at these national awards." “This is credit to all of our board members and volunteers that work tirelessly year on year to keep the high standard we have across the town and I look forward to welcoming the judges in the summer.” The Council’s open spaces partner, idverde, refuse partner Serco and volunteers and community groups from across Loughborough help to look after some of the open spaces, parks, and nature reserves in the town. Councillor Anne Gray, the Council’s lead member for open spaces, said: “A huge congratulations to the Loughborough in Bloom board, volunteers and our partners, idverde and Serco who help maintain our open spaces across Charnwood." “This nomination is testament to them and all the work they put in throughout the year. I wish them all the very best for the judging and the awards ceremony.” The Royal Horticultural Society judges will be visiting Loughborough in the summer to judge Loughborough in Bloom’s work ahead of the awards ceremony in October. Loughborough has represented the region three times before in 2014, 2016 and most recently in 2019 at the Britain in Bloom awards.

Property finance lender MSP Capital has welcomed senior solicitor Dan Curtis as its new Head of In-house Legal. He brings more than 20 years’ property market experience to the Poole-based company, which provides principal development and bridging loans for sums up to £20 million. As well as overseeing MSP Capital’s legal affairs and providing advice and guidance to colleagues, Dan will manage the firm’s five-strong in-house legal team. He joins MSP Capital after 13 years as a Senior Associate Solicitor and partner with law firm Blake Morgan. Among his stand-out deals there, he led the team that advised David Lloyd Leisure on the real estate aspects of its sale to TDR Capital. He also worked with a large health care provider on certifying its care home portfolio of over 250 care homes. Before Blake Morgan, Dan worked for Birmingham practice Wragge & Co, now part of international law firm Gowling WLG, having gained his law degree from the University of Sussex in 2001. The former Poole Grammar School pupil said he was attracted to MSP Capital because of its ‘ambition, entrepreneurialism and genuine passion for property’ across its culture and operations. Dan said: “MSP genuinely wants to help its clients to completion while ensuring rigorous standards are met. I’m a ‘property person’ and, likewise, the MSP team are all ‘property people’ so it seemed like a natural fit." “It’s an ambitious, entrepreneurial business and that, coupled with the team’s deep understanding and genuine passion for property, was the main attraction for me.” Among Dan’s initial aims in post are to streamline the legal and compliance processes that underpin fast, efficient progress on deals so that clients continue to have an excellent experience of the firm. “Our team has been given the freedom to make a real difference to our processes so that we can stand out from competitors,” he said. “MSP’s decision making is commercially driven so we’re taking that ethos and seeing how we can work with the rest of the business to achieve positive results." “We’re keen to challenge ourselves to strike the right balance between commerciality and ensuring rigorous standards.” Looking further ahead, Dan said: “MSP has ambitious growth targets so being part of that journey will be a very rewarding experience. “MSP wants to stand out in the market and ensuring the legal team are part of that will be really satisfying. Given the current market conditions it will be interesting to see who the successful developers and investors are and what sectors of the market really take off.” Reflecting on his career to date, Dan said: “I’ve always been interested in commercial property and in particular the financing of real estate deals and advising on large corporate deals." “At the same time, I’ve enjoyed working with high-net-worth individuals and families on complex deals. “For example, I advised a family on the sale of large parcels of land which had been in their ownership for generations." “It was a complex deal due to site challenges, and required a collaborative approach, but the upshot was that it unlocked land for hundreds of much needed, new-build homes.” Paul Miracca, MSP Capital Managing Director, said: “Dan has a high level of legal acumen coupled with extensive knowledge and experience from across the property market." “We are keen to harness and apply his skills to inform our relationship-led lending and the benefits we bring to our clients through robust, flexible lending solutions.” Among Dan’s immediate colleagues at MSP Capital are Legal Director Neil Woolgar, Solicitor Matthew Lang, Executive Paralegal Jacqui Schott, Legal Assistants Isabella Reale and Sarah Franklin, and Legal Secretary Sandra Dakanyte. Founded in 1981, MSP Capital is a principal bridging and development lender offering funding solutions to property professionals up to £20 million.

easyJet holidays, the UK’s fastest growing tour operator, has today outlined its new animal welfare policy, which includes a commitment to only offering experiences that do not threaten the welfare or conservation of animals and their important role in the global environment. The policy incorporates ABTA’s animal welfare guidelines, and, with an ambition to ensure it is industry leading, was created in consultation with several animal rights organisations including World Animal Protection. Following the announcement of the policy, the tour operator will also work closely with hotelier partners to educate and inform on the importance of animal welfare. The new policy, which sees easyJet holidays not promoting or offering any attractions which may be harmful to animals within their tours and activities programme, including captivity attractions such as zoos and marine parks, animal performances, animal rides and sporting events involving animals. This is the latest in a host of initiatives taken by the company including tackling food waste in hotels, providing GSTC training to hotelier partners, making transfers electric and offering lesser known alternative destinations such as Akureyri in Iceland. easyJet holidays has also partnered with UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) to help develop the first environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework for tourism businesses, co-designing a measurement tool that is meaningful and feasible for better monitoring and management of the impacts of tourism. Matt Callaghan, easyJet holidays’ Chief Operating Officer, said: “As one of the largest tour operators, we’re committed to being an industry leader when it comes to responsible travel. Our own research tells us that sustainable travel experiences are important to our customers, so we want to make it easy for them to holiday better." “We’re passionate about the protection and respect of all forms of nature in the destinations we offer holidays to, which is why we’ve made the decision to not offer or promote attractions that may exploit animals within our tours and activities programme." "We know tours and activities are a brilliant way to experience our holiday destinations, so we look forward to continuing to offer more sustainable and responsible experiences for our customers to further enhance their well-deserved holiday.” Katheryn Wise, Wildlife Campaigns Manager at World Animal Protection UK, said: "easyJet holidays has really stepped up for animals with this strong and ambitious animal welfare policy. From the outset easyJet holidays have been clear that they are committed to offering their customers responsible, wildlife friendly travel options and it has been a pleasure to work with a company focused on listening to their customers and choosing not to profit from captive wildlife entertainment." "It is through working together and commitment like this that we can truly expect to see lasting change for wild animals across the world."

For years it has been well known in Rugby League circles that the two major cities where professional rugby league stadium facilities have been deficient have been Wakefield and Bradford. Friday night demonstrated, should anyone be in any doubt, the economic regeneration that can be achieved by investing in rugby league facilities. The marvellous and wonderful travelling Bulls support must be scratching their heads as to why Wakefield Council recognise the value of investing in rugby league while their own does not. In the past couple of years Wakefield Council has provided £6M, to be shared between three professional clubs Castleford, Featherstone and Wakefield Trinity, with a further £11M to reacquire the historic Belle Vue site and for the building of the new Neil Fox MBE Stand. In meantime Odsal Stadium, equally if not even more iconic, has remained under invested in and is slipping backwards relative to all other mainstream rugby league venues. Bulls Chairman Nigel Wood OBE said, “Friday night was difficult in many ways but it also reminded us all of what actually can be achieved when a Local Authority understands the value of providing a 21st century facility for its rate payers to enjoy top class sport." “I’ve visited Belle Vue for half a century and it’s never looked better, well maintained, well lit, big screen, in the main covered and a with a splendid new main grandstand. Credit is due to the new owner Matt Ellis for putting on a great show in front of 7000 plus people, but he and everyone acknowledges that the catalyst has been the overdue re-development of that famous old ground." With Castleford advancing their own plans and Featherstone already being in good shape, Wakefield District is starting to catch up on the facilities. Which leaves Bradford and Keighley cast adrift as the outliers. Wood added “From the Humber to Mersey Elite Rugby League is now staged in great facilities. Leigh, York, Widnes, Saints, Warrington, the list goes on and on. The Bulls is now a stable and positive club thanks to the hard work of many, many colleagues, volunteers and sponsors, but there is only so much that a group of well-intentioned volunteers can actually deliver." "The solution to the riddle simply has to involve the public purse, like it has done at every other ground redevelopment over the past 30 years, and we would urge our civic leaders to grasp the nettle and collaborate with us in delivering a permanent solution to facilities issue for the benefit of the public of Bradford and the supporters of the Bradford Bulls.”

Permasteelisa Group, the global leader in the design, construction and installation of technically advanced building envelopes, has been appointed to deliver the glazing and cladding at St. John’s Wood Square, a prestigious new development in the heart of London. The St John’s Wood Square project is the redevelopment of the 5.5-acre former St. John’s Wood Barracks, previously occupied by the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery. The residential development will comprise nine buildings, ranging in height from three to six storeys, offering a total of 179 residential units. Permasteelisa will design, engineer, manufacture and install over 15,000 sq m of custom-made architectural cladding across all blocks. For the main elevations, largely made up of precast elements, the company will supply tripled glazed punched windows and sliding doors, balustrades and metal balconies. In addition, specific elements will be provided for the wrap-around glazing, roof mansards and external 'veil' structures that slope against the vertical walls within the penthouses, as well as the glazing that will occupy the ground floor on the street front. The design phase of the work has already begun at Permasteelisa’s design centre in Italy, where the bespoke elements of the façade will also be assembled in its specialist manufacturing facility. On site work will start at the end of 2024, with scheduled completion of the façade works planned for the summer of 2026. Liam Cummins, Permasteelisa Group’s CEO, comments: "We are proud to have been chosen for such an exclusive project as St. John's Wood Square which, due to its size, logistic complexity and challenging timeline is the ideal project to further demonstrate our ability to meet the needs of our customers' expectations.” Nicola Calzolari, Executive General Manager for Permasteelisa in Italy, adds: “This new contract confirms once again the strategic importance of the London market for Permasteelisa." “For St. John's Wood Square, our team in Italy is responsible for the delivery of the entire design and production of the customised façade elements, whilst our colleagues in the UK will ensure the efficient management of all on site activities.” “We are already enjoying our work on the design phase and our UK colleagues look forward to starting the installation on site by the end of the year and to seeing the project façade works successfully completed by summer 2026.” John Conboye, Executive General Manager for Permasteelisa in the UK, adds: “Being part of this prestigious scheme will add to our already impressive portfolio in London. As a Group, we have delivered many of the capital’s iconic developments including The Shard, 22 Bishopsgate, 20 Fenchurch Street (a.k.a. the Walkie Talkie building) and significant residential projects at Battersea Power Station.” Permasteelisa Group is the leading global contractor in the design, engineering, project management, manufacture, installation and after-sales service of technically advanced building envelopes. www.permasteelisagroup.com

The University of Dundee is leading an international collaboration with the intention of developing the first vaccine for Strep A. Experts from the University’s School of Life Sciences are teaming up with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and South Korea’s International Vaccine Institute and Gyeongbuk Institute for Bio-Industry to develop the first recombinant glycoconjugate vaccines for the bacteria. The research is part of a £2.3 million project funded by the RIGHT Foundation. “Strep A is a deadly pathogen, but at present there is no vaccine against these bacteria,” said Dr Helge Dorfmueller, Principal Investigator at Dundee and lead scientist of the collaboration. “Our preclinical data shows that our novel approach can deliver a universal Strep A vaccine that is affordable for all. This RIGHT Foundation Product Development Award allows us to expand our development using our engineered methodology to build and evaluate vaccine candidates that target Strep A bacteria.” Group A Streptococcus – commonly referred to as Strep A – kills more than 500,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organisation. While deaths in the UK are not commonplace, an outbreak in 2022 claimed at least 30 lives and generated widespread public concern. Group A Strep bacteria can cause a variety of illnesses, including mild disease like scarlet fever and strep throat, but also severe invasive disease including sepsis, meningitis, ‘flesh-eating disease’ and if left untreated, rheumatic heart disease, that often leads to heart failure and death. Dundee is one of the world’s leading centres for life sciences research and Dr Dorfmueller and his team will lead on the development and evaluation of recombinant glyco-conjugate vaccine candidates. They will utilise technology patented by the University, which fuses together the Strep A carbohydrate and pathogen specific proteins – both Strep A vaccine candidates – on specific sites of the protein to produce a “dual hit” vaccine, which prompt antibodies to respond to both parts. Dr Dorfmueller’s work has been supported by the University’s Research & Innovation Services, which helps to maximise the impact of research carried out at Dundee and facilitate strategic relationships with industry. “We know that if Strep A is left untreated, then it can prove fatal. A vaccine for Strep A offers a crucial solution to enhance the lives of millions of people worldwide,” added Dr Dorfmueller. “We are excited to partner with our distinguished new collaborators, which will allow each of us to push the boundaries of our research and bring new hope to anyone at risk of Strep A disease.” Professor Brendan Wren, Co-Director of the Vaccine Centre at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, added, “Group A Strep bacteria cause devastating disease, particularly in children." “We look forward to working with the University of Dundee and the International Vaccine Institute to develop affordable Group A Strep vaccines using novel technology, particularly for individuals in low income countries where they are most needed.”

A Glaswegian with over three decades experience in the hospitality industry has taken the top post at Kimpton Blythswood Square and voco Grand Central in Glasgow. Marcello Ventisei has been appointed Cluster General Manager for the iconic properties in the IHG portfolio. The newly created position will see Marcello continue in his current role at voco Grand Central while also taking the reins at the five star Blythswood Square address. After only eight months in his current post at voco Grand Central, the newly expanded remit will see Marcello take overall responsibility for the management of both city centre properties while working alongside the onsite teams to maintain the hotels positions as go to destinations for leisure and business. Glasgow born and bred, Marcello brings a wealth of industry experience having held key leadership roles in prestigious hotels and resorts across the UK since beginning his career at the prestigious Grand Hotel in Brighton. With his roots firmly in the city, Marcello is passionate about building on the heritage and reputation of both properties: “My career in hospitality has taken me to destinations across the globe. I’ve worked and stayed in some of the most beautiful properties in the world but nothing comes close to the charm, character and style of these properties. Made even more special by the fact they both reside in my own city." “While the properties both have their own story and individual offering, they also share so many similarities that I can’t wait to make more of. I’m fortunate to have such a wonderful, established team who will play a key role in delivering and upholding the highest standards of hospitality.”

A giant bundle of joy has been born in Bedfordshire at Whipsnade Zoo. The southern white rhino calf, tipping the scales at 45kgs, was born on March 7, to mum Jaseera and dad Sizzle at the UK’s largest zoo. The baby boy was born after a very quick four-minute labour to 13-year-old Jaseera - who was pregnant for 16 months with the calf. Rhino keeper Mark Holden said: “This is Jaseera’s first baby, and it's been great to see her maternal instinct kick in. Jaseera has been nursing the calf and has been very protective of him. All the signs of a perfect rhino mum.” Within two hours of being born, the tiny rhino started to take his first wobbly steps with Mum close to his side. “Southern white rhinos are born with over-sized, rubbery feet, which they ‘grow into’, so the calf was understandably quite wobbly when he first started to walk. But he’s a fast learner and a week later he is now zooming around, exploring his cosy indoor den.” Mark added that the new calf was extremely precious: “Sadly, these magnificent creatures are still being hunted in the wild. The poached horns are primarily used for traditional medicine in Asia, due to mistaken beliefs that the horns have healing powers. Last year in South Africa alone around 500 white rhinos were killed for their horn, that’s more than one a day.” According to the IUCN, there are 10,000 mature southern white rhinos left in the wild, with numbers continuing to fall. ZSL, the conservation charity behind Whipsnade Zoo, estimates the illegal wildlife trade is worth US$23 billion a year. ZSL is working around the world to stop the illegal trade through pioneering border detection in epicentres of illegal wildlife networks, establishing anti-poaching patrols and working closely with governments around the world. The new calf was born as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), to help create a genetically diverse and healthy back up population in conservation zoos like Whipsnade. Mark added that dad Sizzle, has been a vital member of the EEP. “Sizzle has had 15 calves at Whipsnade Zoo, and those calves have gone on to produce 37 grandchildren around Europe and he’s also got 13 great grandchildren. He’s an incredible bull.” And the little one, will hopefully follow in his dad’s footsteps. Visitors will be able to visit the calf and Mum in the indoor dens at the White Rhino house, at Whipsnade Zoo. The calf will remain inside for the next two weeks while the pair bond, before the little boy is introduced to the ‘crash’ (a pack of rhinos) later this month. To find out more or to buy tickets, visit here:

Possobilities and The Courtyard Pantry, two north Glasgow based organisations who provide meals in some of Glasgow’s most deprived areas, have received a much-needed boost from the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust to facilitate their breakfast club projects. The Courtyard Pantry Enterprise relieves financial hardship by providing food security to those who need it most through the operation of a food pantry and community hub. Last year they received a £10,500 donation from the Trust to provide discounted goods, food, and refreshments to the local community. Their breakfast club pilot will run from March until the end of June at their Pantry Hub premises in Wester Common, on weekday mornings. The aim is to provide an opportunity for children and parents to access good quality, nutritious food to help them maintain a balanced diet. Located near both High Park and St Cuthbert's Primary school, the Pantry Hub is in a prime location for parents and children to visit prior to heading to school. The Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust will help to subsidise the Courtyard Pantry’s Breakfast Club with a £3,000 donation. Dale Todd, Managing Director of The Courtyard Pantry Enterprise, said “We are delighted to have Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust support our Pre School Breakfast Club. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and we want to ensure that all children and their parents/guardians who live in and around Wester Common start their day on a full stomach.” Possobilities, who have run local breakfast clubs in the past, will re-start the club in their Denmark Street building, serving local school children and their families a hot breakfast. The Trust has pledged a sum of £10,000 to get the club back up and running and provide accessible transport to school. Melanie Fyfe, Manager at Possobilities, expressed the organisation’s gratitude for the funding, saying, “A massive thank you to Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust for their generous donation and ongoing support to Possobilities. With this will be able to run a free healthy Breakfast club 5 days per week and provide transport to the local school in a fully accessible minibus." “This is a major boost for us, the local community and local schools. The Trust’s support is invaluable to Possobilites, and to the wider community and we look forward to our continued work in the future.” David Facenna, Director of Corporate Culture at Allied Vehicles Group added, “The food offered by Possobilities and The Courtyard Pantry will, in many cases, be the only meal that families eat together, and a lot of the children in this area would not eat before school without access to these services." "Allied Vehicles Group is a family business, and a local business with our roots in Possilpark, and we’re delighted to support these brilliant, family-focused, local initiatives.”

Sheffield Hallam University has welcomed the first cohort of business leaders from Barnsley and Rotherham to the government-funded Help to Grow: Management programme. The group of 22 senior leaders from 21 different small and medium-sized businesses started the 12-week course this week, with the first session held at Wortley Hall. Help to Grow: Management is designed for local business owners and senior leaders who are keen to grow their organisation. It is accredited by the Small Business Charter and 90 per cent subsidised by the government. The University’s Sheffield Business School has supported the delivery of the course to 180 participants since it launched in September 2021. One of those taking part is Becky Senior is Client Experience Manager at Folio Albums in Barnsley. She said: “I am on this course to gain new knowledge and experience in business and management that I can help to grow the company I work for. I’d like to gain more confidence in my position and I think working with people in similar situations from other businesses.” Another member of the latest cohort, Amy Moore, Project Manager, Prima Industries Ltd. based in Rotherham added: “I signed up for Help to Grow as I have not previously had any formal management training, and I hope the programme will give me a well-rounded introduction to all the areas the course covers. As part of a growing ecommerce business, I am particularly interested in how we can use digital technology to simplify our processes and improve productivity.” Professor Conor Moss, Dean of Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting senior leaders from Barnsley and Rotherham SMEs to further develop their ideas, their people and their businesses. We have delivered this leadership programme to over 180 participants across Sheffield and Doncaster, so it is great to be able to extend this to reach all areas of South Yorkshire. “We have seen the impact the Help to Grow: Management course has had on SMEs in building resilience within their businesses and in driving growth.”

Art enthusiasts across Cumbria have the chance to meet a renowned contemporary British artist and find out more about her work. Former Windermere school pupil Kitty North will be at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa on the afternoon of Wednesday 27 March 2024 to talk about ‘Buildings in the Landscape’, her latest exhibition which is on display at the hotel. The ‘meet the artist’ event from 2:30pm to 5pm has been organised in partnership with British art specialists Gavagan Art. It will allow budding artists and keen collectors alike the opportunity to chat with Kitty about her paintings and the inspiration behind them. The gallery display at Low Wood Bay features some of Kitty North’s most prominent works, including Moonlit Night, her painting of Levens Hall and The Old Rectory, once home to the English poet John Betjeman. A former ‘artist in residence’ at Levens Hall, Kitty has been the driving force behind a number of prominent art projects across Britain, including commissions at Bolton Abbey and Chatsworth House. English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues executive chairman Simon Berry says: “Kitty’s exhibition here is bringing her paintings to a wider audience. This event is taking that idea a step further to allow art enthusiasts to talk to her informally about her experience as a leading colourist and what continues to inspire her in her paintings.”

Poppy PR is celebrating after being appointed to propel the UK’s largest supplier of pneumatic tube systems into its next growth chapter. Nottinghamshire-based Aerocom (UK) Ltd has officially engaged the Castle Donington public relations firm after a trial campaign to promote an innovative fire suppression device proved to be ‘red hot’. Having built its reputation through the supply and installation of advanced pneumatic tube systems, Aerocom (UK) has since entered other markets, including fire suppression and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Tom Hughes, managing director of Aerocom (UK), initially signed the Poppy PR team up to raise awareness of the Fire Stixx Advanced PRO, which can automatically extinguish electrical and lithium battery fires in seconds. The national campaign hit the media and generated dozens of enquiries for Aerocom (UK). Tom has made no secret of how impressed he has been by the agency’s 'blazing' success in recent weeks. He said: “I’d seen the difference that good PR can make for other brands, and I knew that I wanted to work with another local business on this project." "When I saw that Poppy-PR was based in Castle Donington, close to where I live and not far from where Aerocom (UK) Ltd is located in Beeston, it felt like the perfect match.” Aerocom (UK) Ltd is a long-established British market leader in pneumatic air tube systems, having supplied for many years to most of the NHS’s largest hospitals, as well as private hospitals, commercial, logistics and industrial operations. Tom said: “Although I’ve only been working with Poppy PR for just over a month now, I’m already getting lots of enquiries from new clients who have seen our story online, including from fire chiefs and housing associations." “It’s already opened doors for my business that were previously closed due to a lack of PR presence. In terms of fire suppression alone, this campaign has really helped to shine a spotlight on this potentially life-saving device.” Poppy PR, which won the Best Creative and Media Agency category at the Business Masters Awards in October, is run by Tina Clough alongside business partner Phil Stubbs. Tina said: “We’re proof that you don’t have to pay London prices to get big results, and more and more often, we are finding that business owners want to shop local and receive a more personalised service that’s closer to home." "We still have a raft of clients who have used us for seven or eight years now, and we put this down to the fact that we are really personable and we like to make the 'dark art of PR' more transparent." “The number of enquiries we are receiving from prospective clients has increased massively since we won the Business Masters award, which shows just what good PR can do for a business!”