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Leicestershire CCC is excited to announce the signing of left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis on a three-year deal, effective from the 2024 season. The 24-year-old, who will make the move south from Durham to join the Foxes, has taken 125 wickets and scored just shy of 2,000 runs across all three formats during his seven seasons in the north to date. The announcement follows an impressive Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign for the Carlisle-born bowler, with Trevaskis claiming 12 wickets at 26.91 and registering 192 runs at an average of 32 from his seven matches. Such figures included new List A career bests with both bat and ball, smashing a crucial unbeaten 76 in the victory over Derbyshire, while becoming the first-ever Durham player to take a List A hat-trick en route to figures of 4/50 against Worcestershire. Trevaskis has also shown his prominence in T20 cricket, captaining Durham during the 2022 season and sitting sixth in the county’s all-time wicket-taking charts in the format – with 56 scalps snared at 29.62. His best figures of 4/16 arose at Old Trafford in 2018, with the former England Under-19 international’s outstanding final over heralded as one of the finest in Blast history. The then-19-year-old took three wickets and conceded just one run during a match-winning finale to snatch victory against Lancashire. The left-hander has also demonstrated his capabilities with the bat in all formats, averaging above 30 in first-class cricket, 23.04 in List A cricket, and 14.57 while striking at above 125 in the shortest form. Discussing the decision to move to Uptonsteel County Ground, Trevaskis said: “I am very excited to be joining Leicestershire for the next part of my career. “Now is the right time for me to be playing regularly across all formats, which is something that Leicestershire was able to offer me. The team looks in a great place, with talent across the board and quality overseas players. “I’m hoping to make a positive impact and I look forward to helping the club win games in the seasons to come.” Director of Cricket, Claude Henderson, added: “We are extremely excited to welcome Liam to Leicestershire. He has proven to be a tough competitor on the pitch and comes with a great set of skills across all facets of the game, which will benefit the team in all three formats." “Liam is a great addition to our squad for next season and we will have news on more exciting acquisitions to share in the coming weeks.”

A ‘tiny forest’ is to be planted in North West Leicestershire, as Leicestershire County Council continues to work towards its goal of helping to plant 700,000 trees across the county. The council is working in partnership with North West Leicestershire District Council and Earthwatch UK to plan the miniature woodland on the Hermitage Recreation Ground in Whitwick, as part of a wider project by the district council to develop an eco-park on the site. The tiny forest will be made up of around 600 trees and will increase and support the natural habitat and biodiversity of the area. It will be a vital part of the eco-park, which will also feature natural footpaths, and activity areas to encourage families to visit. The trees will all be native species and will be planted close together to encourage growth. Once established, the tiny forest will help to absorb carbon and provide a home for wildlife. Community involvement is a key part of the tiny forest project, with the local community and young people being encouraged to get involved in the planting of the trees and their ongoing care. Several sessions have already been held to give people of all ages – including a session specially for children and young people – the opportunity to get involved with the development of the site and to identify improvements they would like to see. The tiny forest is being funded by a grant from the Forestry Commission’s Treescapes Fund, which is being used for a number of other planting initiatives across the county, plus an in-kind contribution of £7,000 from North West Leicestershire District Council. It is being developed as part of the wider eco-park project, which is being led by North West Leicestershire District Council to create a visitor destination, increase biodiversity and improve accessibility in the area. The creation of this new tiny forest on the Hermitage Recreation Ground will be the first in Leicestershire that we as a council have been involved in, and will be a wonderful addition to the area. It will provide the local community with a green space for walking and exercising, as well as supporting wildlife and biodiversity, improving air quality, and helping to make Leicestershire a cleaner and greener place to live and work. It is a perfect example of partnership working, and will also give a big boost to our goal of planting a tree for every person in the county. Councillor Michael Wyatt, portfolio holder for Community Services at North West Leicestershire District Council, said: “It’s great to be working in partnership with Leicestershire County Council and Earthwatch UK on the tiny forest as part of our plans to develop an eco-park at Hermitage Recreation Ground." “By involving the community, we hope that the project will leave a lasting legacy and continue to teach children about the importance of biodiversity." “Planting the tiny forest is just one of the many ways we are committed to working towards being a net zero carbon district by 2050 and creating more community green spaces.”

A fun-filled open day and garden party to mark the official opening of Heath Lodge Community Haven on York Road has raised over £500 for the home. Staff at the 30-bed care home, which is managed by Harrogate Neighbours and provides residential and specialist dementia care, arranged an afternoon of entertainment, including prize packed raffle & tombola, live music, games for all ages and homemade cake sale to welcome in the community. Residents, relatives, local councillors, friends and members of North Yorkshire Council all attended to find out more about the care service available through Heath Lodge Community Haven. Chief Operating Officer, Denise McEvoy said: “The move to Boroughbridge is exciting and has already opened up so many opportunities to broaden our care for older people living in the community." “Part of this is our collaboration with Boroughbridge Community Care, where our services aim to complement theirs to support our residents and the wider community, " “In collaboration with Boroughbridge Community Care, we hope to provide additional services into the community, such as our award-winning meals on wheels in the not so distant future.” Karen Parker, General Manager at Boroughbridge Community Care added: “We are delighted to welcome Heath Lodge Community Haven to Boroughbridge, and we look forward to partnering with them to provide the best possible services to people living within our community." “Our car transport scheme providing lifts to medical and wellbeing appointments is just one of the many services we provide and may benefit many residents at Heath Lodge Community Haven.” Following a recent inspection by CQC (Care Quality Commissioner), Heath Lodge Community Haven received a ‘Good’ rating in all areas.

Following 12 years of continuous growth and in preparation to support future expansion plans, alternative finance lender Reward Finance Group has moved its national headquarters to new Grade A office space in the heart of Leeds’ thriving business district. Previously housed in Central House, Reward has relocated to the recently refurbished 12 King Street, where the team in Leeds now occupies 4,000 sq. ft. on the 1st floor. The landmark building underwent an £11m investment last year, to introduce a futuristic workspace with enhanced features such as a cycle spa, roof terraces and a sky lounge. Commenting on the office move, Reward’s group managing director, Nick Smith said; “We had a tremendous journey in our latest Leeds office for more than eight years. At Reward, we’re always looking towards the future, so this move is a major milestone in our expansion plans. The transition into state-of-the-art offices represents 12 years of continuous growth in Leeds and it sets the stage for our plans to further expand the team in the coming months." “We outgrew our previous space due to rapid business growth across the UK, therefore the new office ticks every box. We also place a high priority on the wellbeing of all our teams, so the availability of breakout spaces, improved facilities and enhanced sustainability credentials allows us to provide the ideal environment for all our staff." “Ben Johnson did a fantastic job with the interior design and fit out of the new space, we’re delighted to call 12 King Street our new Leeds home and very much looking forward to the next chapter for our business.” Launched in 2011, Reward provides SMEs with tailored business finance loans and asset based solutions up to £5m and employs 70 staff across five regional offices. The company also recently broke through the £200m loan book milestone for the first time, underlying the need for this relocation to larger premises.

Volta Trucks, the leading and disruptive all-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, has announced an evaluation is underway as part of the brand’s Driving Experience Programme with global transport and logistics company, DSV. The all-electric Volta Zero will be the first zero-tailpipe emission truck on the DSV fleet. The truck will be operating from DSV’s southern hub in Purfleet and will be completing last-mile groupage deliveries in London and the Southeast. DSV will be operating the truck on routes between the hours of 06.00hrs and 19.00hrs, with overnight charging back at their main depot. DSV is a global transport and logistics company that operates in over 80 countries and employs more than 75,000 people. As one of the leading transport and logistics providers, DSV has recognised its influential role in the industry and has raised its sustainability ambitions, committing to reach net zero emissions across its operations by 2050. The Volta Zero Driving Experience Programme offers fleet operators the opportunity to be loaned a truck for an extended period, allowing them to understand how the production-specification all-electric medium-duty truck will integrate into their operations. Volta Trucks is now live with its Driving Experience Programme in the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden, with more markets to follow over the coming months. Chris Heddle, UK Sales Manager at Volta Trucks commented; “We are delighted to see the Volta Zero operational on the roads of the UK as part of our Driving Experience Programme, and to see DSV utilising the vehicle for real-world day-to-day deliveries. At Volta Trucks, we are focused on driving towards more sustainable, safer and healthier cities and have a laser focus on accelerating the electrification of the commercial transport sector.” John Hawksworth, Senior Director for road operation in the Domestic & Distribution at DSV added; “We have researched the possibility of facilitating electric vehicles without impacting service levels for some time and Volta Trucks has provided us with the perfect solution. We are delighted to be part of such a significant innovation in the industry and look forward to evaluating the benefits in the coming months.”

Arco the UK’s leading safety company has begun using environmentally conscious recycled threads at its clothing centre in Preston. Following a successful pilot with supplier, Madeira, Arco, the UK’s leading safety company, has introduced recycled threads from Madeira’s Polyneon Green range into its personalised workplace clothing embroidery and decoration service. Polyneon Green threads are made from 100% recycled PET bottles, reducing carbon emissions associated with virgin thread production and reducing the amount of plastic in the environment. Over the course of 2022, when the trial began, 62% of the cones supplied from Madeira were Polyneon Green. So far in 2023, 67% of the total cones supplied to Arco have been with thread made from the alternative. In addition to the thread being made from recycled materials, the boxes that the cones are packaged in are made of 66% recycled cardboard and they themselves are fully recyclable, the protective wrapper used for each cone is also 100% recyclable. In total, 1.148 tonnes of recycled threads have been used in the clothing centre since the trial began. According to a recent study by the European Environment Agency, EU consumers discard 5.8 million tonnes of textiles annually, two thirds of which from synthetic fibres. This accounts for around 13% of all plastic waste globally. Jim Harbidge, Head of Sustainability at Arco, said: “At Arco, we work in partnership with our suppliers, customers and relevant bodies to develop and provide responsible solutions for safer businesses." “Switching to recycled threads is an example of how Arco is taking action for a safer tomorrow and making it easier for our customers to meet their sustainability and circularity goals and to be confident in making more responsible purchase decisions.” Stephen Crossley, General Manager of Arco’s Clothing Centre, said: “Working closely with our supplier, Madeira, we have successfully implemented important changes to the thread we use for our embroidery and decoration services." “Our job is never completed when it comes to sustainability, so, as the Polyneon Green range continues to develop, in terms of colours and finishes, we will seek to source even more of the threads we use from this range.” Andrew Maylor, Managing Director of Madeira, said: “As a long-term supplier of embroidery threads to Arco, we are proud to be working in partnership with them to help take action for a safer tomorrow." “Our Polyneon Green range was created in response to the global demand to reduce plastic bottles. With Polyneon Green, we are reducing the amount of plastic in the environment and making the textile industry more sustainable. Our aim is to continue to develop the range further so that our customers can source all of their threads from Polyneon Green.”

Bramble Energy, an innovator in fuel cell technology, has announced the opening of its new state-of-the-art headquarters in Crawley, West Sussex. The expansive new facility, which includes a world-leading hydrogen innovation and development hub, is a multi-million-pound investment representing the company’s extraordinary growth since launching in 2016. Founded as a university spin-out, then developed in the garage of co-founder and CEO Dr Tom Mason, Bramble Energy has rapidly gained momentum with its revolutionary fuel cell technology based on cutting-edge printed circuit board (PCB) technology. The remarkable business growth has led to the demand for a larger facility that can accommodate Bramble Energy's projected expansion and support the scale up of its technology to transform the hydrogen fuel cell industry. The facility, Atrium Court, spans almost 34,000 square feet, more than three times the size of its previous premises. The sprawling facility is prepared to accommodate Bramble Energy’s growing workforce, which has increased tenfold from just eight staff in 2020 to over 80 today. At the heart of Atrium Court lies the Hydrogen Innovation Hub, a world-leading research, development, and testing facility dedicated to hydrogen fuel cells, electrolysers and sensors. The facility can support every element of their technology development and critically, scale it up. Concepts can be taken through from the R&D phase all the way up to production-ready technology, as well as test fuel cells producing single digit Watts up to multi kW sizes required to service the heaviest of mobility industries. Dr Tom Mason, Bramble Energy co-founder and CEO, commented: “We are extremely proud to move into our new, state-of-the-art headquarters, which represents a major milestone for Bramble Energy. Our success and growth has been phenomenal in a very short amount of time, which is in no small part to our technology but also the support we have received and having a talented and dedicated team." Our world-leading Hydrogen Innovation Hub at Atrium Court will significantly contribute to levelling up the UK’s hydrogen and fuel cell testing capability. It will play a crucial role in our future development as we revolutionise the shift towards cleaner and sustainable energy solutions.” Bramble Energy’s breakthrough innovation in hydrogen fuel cell technology and design utilising its PCB-X™ Platform, is solving the key challenges in the production of hydrogen fuel cells and accelerating the hydrogen mobility industry with the world's first printed circuit board (PCB) hydrogen fuel cell. The patent-protected solution means it can design, manufacture, test, and ship a PCB fuel cell in a matter of weeks, at a game-changing significantly lower cost than the typical industry standard. Financial support has been instrumental in Bramble Energy's growth trajectory. As well as raising equity finance through VCs, UK Government-funded initiatives have been well received. Bramble Energy successfully secured £5 million in funding in July 2020, raised an additional £35 million in February 2022, and in May 2023, was awarded £12 Million in funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre to provide its fuel cell technology to a hydrogen bus project.

UK charity, the Hamish Ogston Foundation has announced nearly £29million in crucial funding to heritage skills training in the UK and around the Commonwealth, marking the largest private commitment to the cause in history. The funding is designed to help bring the sector back from the brink of a decades-long global heritage skills shortage which is threatening historic buildings and places around the world. This new funding is granted to four organisations, English Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland, Commonwealth Heritage Forum and Cathedrals’ Workshop Fellowship, and will support a complete range of training, from hands-on practical craft skills to strategy building, administration and financial planning for projects to preserve and protect historic buildings around the world. Up to 2,700 heritage conservation apprentices and trainees will be financed by these latest grants from the Hamish Ogston Foundation. 19 commonwealth nations stretching across five continents will benefit from the funding, from Fiji and Bermuda to Pakistan and Ghana. Under the instruction of heritage conservation experts, the trainees will learn the centuries-old techniques required to maintain and repair historic buildings across these nations including stonemasonry, carpentry, joinery and flint knapping. Some of the identified buildings which will benefit from this new wave of funding from the Hamish Ogston Foundation include England’s Canterbury Cathedral and Bury St Edmunds Abbey Church Ruins and Abbey Gate, the Herbarium at the Botanic Gardens in Kolkata, India, and New Zealand’s Christchurch Cathedral. The Hamish Ogston Foundation is a UK-based grant making organisation supporting third party projects in relation to health, heritage and music in the UK and abroad. The organisation is headed by former businessman, now philanthropist, Hamish Ogston CBE who has bequeathed his entire fortune to his Foundation. A total of £43 million has now been committed by the Hamish Ogston Foundation to heritage skills training, which is financing the training up to 3,300 heritage conservation apprentices and trainees globally. The Foundation’s existing collaborations are with some of the world’s best-known heritage conservation charities, including Historic England, National Trust, The Prince’s Foundation and the World Monuments Fund. By funding heritage initiatives, it is Hamish Ogston’s goal to create financial sustainability in the heritage conservation sector, encouraging others to join the movement to protect historic buildings around the world for the enjoyment, benefit and appreciation of generations to come. Hamish Ogston, CBE, Founder of the Hamish Ogston Foundation said: “A sustainable, future-facing ecosystem of heritage conservation expertise is what is needed to solve the chronic skills shortages and gaps in the heritage sector, and to ensure the survival of some of the greatest historic buildings around the world." “With this new funding, we hope to establish such an ecosystem, so that more young people, no matter who they are or where they come from, can access the unique opportunity of a career in heritage conservation through one of our skills training programmes. We aim to inspire the industry and to establish a coherent and accessible training infrastructure for those looking to learn skills in heritage conservation.”

A Leicestershire girls football club that has more than 180 players on its books is appealing for help to find a permanent home following a new surge of interest prompted by the current World Cup. East Goscote United (Girls and Women) Football Club was founded 11 years ago and has grown to run 10 different age group teams from age four upwards, but is struggling to find nearby pitches on which to play, with facilities often claimed by more established boys sides. Darren Foster, chair, explained that the success of the current tournament in Australia and New Zealand was putting more and more pressure on the club to simply find places to play. “We’ve been gradually developing the club for a decade or more but when big tournaments happen – such the Lionesses winning the Euros last year at Wembley – we see a lot of girls take an interest in the game for the first time and join the club. Something similar is happening this summer with the World Cup." “On the one hand, it’s great. We know from experience that once someone shows interest, the vast majority stay with us for years and it’s a joy to see their desire to learn and the fun they have but on the other hand, it does create issues because it’s not easy to find pitches on which to play, especially within easy reach of our part of Leicestershire." “We often find that the best local pitches are used by well-established boys’ teams. Now, there is nothing wrong with that and we don’t want to create a girls versus boys situation, but it is very much the case that longstanding arrangements are often in place for boys clubs that sometimes don’t have anything like the number of players that we are attracting.” Simon Riley, founder of the club, added that if the club was given or was able to buy a piece of land, it could establish a permanent base on which all of its sides could train and play. “If we were able to get a commitment of this kind – and we realise it is a very big ask – then we would be able to accommodate everyone who wants to get involved and meet the kind of interest in football that we are seeing from girls." “Also, if we had a piece of land, we should be able to potentially access external help from organisations that support the development of grass roots football, very much placing us on the next level." “We’re very keen to hear from anyone who may be able to help us directly or who has any ideas. We have a lot of girls who want to play football and sometimes not enough facilities for them all to do so successfully.”

The team at a Bradford garden centre is supporting a local child’s appeal for a new kidney. Bradford teenager, Uqbah Mohammed, has stage five chronic kidney disease and has to undergo dialysis three times a week. Her aunt, Naila Khan, approached the team at Grass Hoppers at Tong Garden Centre as a potential location for the BBC to film an appeal to find a donor. As Mrs Khan explains: “We requested for the filming to take place at Grass Hoppers due to this being Uqbah’s favourite play area. With Uqbah’s special needs, we wanted her to be filmed in a place where she would be happy and comfortable; therefore, we couldn’t think of a better location.” Yorkshire Garden Centres’ Group Head of Play, Caroline Ellis said: “We were delighted to welcome Uqbar and her family to Grass Hoppers to launch the appeal for a potentially life-saving kidney donor. We were able to create a special session for the family to have the play area to themselves. We wish them every success with their search for a donor.” Potential donors would need to be blood group O and ideally come from a South Asian background, but people of all ethnicities are invited to contact leedskidneyappeal@nhs.net to find out more. “Thank you and all your wonderful team at Grass Hoppers for their immense support before, on the day and now. Uqbah and our whole family is greatly touched by all the kindness!” Tong Garden Centre occupies a 19-acre site in Tong village. It is one of Yorkshire’s biggest independent garden centres with 11,600m2 of retail space and parking for up to 700 cars. It is part of the Yorkshire Garden Centres (YGC) group that also owns Tingley Garden Centre and the former Stephen H Smith’s Garden Centres in Otley and Harden, Bingley.

The team at a Yorkshire coast whisky distillery is celebrating after reaching the final in two categories of a regional business award. Hunmanby-based Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery ’s Filey Bay Single Malt Whisky has been shortlisted in the Rural Product of the Year category and marketing director, Jenni Ashwood, pictured, has reached the final in the Rural Rising Star of the Year category of the seventh Yorkshire Post Rural Awards. Spirit of Yorkshire MD, David Thompson, is delighted with the news: “Although we ship Filey Bay whisky all over the world, Yorkshire is at the heart of everything we do, so it’s a great honour to be shortlisted in these prestigious awards that celebrate the best of Yorkshire’s rural businesses.” Spirit of Yorkshire faces competition from Glencroft, Mr Moo’s and Tancred Farm Shop in the Rural Product Category and Mrs Ashwood is up against Heather Challis, Rowan Simms and Jamie Teasdale for the Rising Star award. The team will learn whether they have been successful at an awards ceremony at The Pavilions in Harrogate on Thursday, 28th September. Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery is home to Yorkshire’s first single malt whisky, Filey Bay, and is one of only a handful of field-to-bottle distilleries worldwide that grows 100% of the barley used in its whisky production.

Blue Ocean Wave Charity wins prestigious award for Best Performing Arts Centre in London at the 2023 SME Awards Director of Blue Ocean Wave, Jolene Dias, established the charitable organisation back in 2009, and launched in the UK in 2021 to bring the performing arts to her local community, and open up the world of music, dance and theatre to everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, background, religion, ability or disability. Jolene Dias said: “This is an extremely proud moment for me and Blue Ocean Wave. I'm extremely excited to win the title of Best Performing Arts Centre in London. It is hard to find the words to describe how much this means to not only myself but also all the students that come through our doors each and every day. “When launching Blue Ocean Wave I wanted to share my love for music and performing arts to everyone, especially those who can find it difficult to access these services in traditional settings, and this award gives us just the boost we need to carry on with our work and keep achieving in the future.” Now in its seventh year, SME News’ UK Enterprise Awards programme is continuing to present the best of the best across a wide span of industries and sectors. The companies within this year’s programme have rich, distinct knowledge which has done more than inspired us – they each elevate their respective industries and set a trail ablaze for the future generations of business to come.