THE

YOUR GUIDE TO BARNSLEY BUSINESS

INASSOCIATIONWITH

BUSINESS

ISSUE 5

MARCH 2010supporting local business

in Barnsley

2 – THE BUSINESS Friday, March 12, 2010

E N T E R P R I S I N GBARNSLEY

For the full range of Enterprise Hubs now available throughout Barnsleyvisit www.enterprisingbarnsley.co.uk

or contact James Herbert on 01226 249590 for more details

A D V E R T I S E R ’ S A N N O U N C E M E N T

STUDENTS are often described asbeing too laid-back, but aspiringbusiness men and women at TheUniversity of Huddersfield Campus

Barnsley are provingthey are quite the

opposite.

Through a

partnership with

Enterprising

Barnsley, the

university is

encouraging

students

with

business ideas to make their dreams become

reality, by offering them vital support and

facilities needed to get their own businesses off

the ground.

The Business Mine within The University Campus

Barnsley is a free facility that offers eligible

University of Huddersfield students and

graduates a safe environment to test business

ideas whilst benefiting from support, services,

workshops, events and professional mentoring,

over a 12 month period.

Through the Enterprising Barnsley Project, the

Business Mine is also able to offer its members

the opportunity to apply for a Start-up Grant of

£2,400 over six months, or a Proof of Concept

Award of up to £1,000 to help prove whether

their business idea is viable.

In addition the campus provides free entry level

advice and support to members through the a

Services to Business initiative, offering help with

everything from web design to accountancy

and marketing.

Jacquie Asquith, graduate start-up co-

ordinator at The University of Huddersfield,

says support offered at The Business Mine

can be the difference between a

business failing or succeeding.

“It is a difficult period when you first

set up a new business and The

Business Mine basically provide a

helping hand to steer students in the

right direction offering them

as much or as little

help as they

require,” says

Jacquie

“Once the 12

month period is

up the members

can get continued

support through

Enterprising

Barnsley coaches

and Enterprise

Hubs.”

Businesses that are

currently

benefiting from

The Business Mine

include Urban

Recording Limited/Urban Education, set up by

students Carl and Donna Lamb, and Make Music

Yours, run by graduates Scott Swallow and Will

Horton.

Both businesses say The Business Mine’s support

has been essential when developing their ideas.

“I knew I wanted to set up a business in music

but I was a bit scatty with my ideas,” says Carl.

“The Business Mine stopped me rushing things

and helped me refine my ideas so I had a clear

view of what I wanted to do and how to go

about it.”

Urban Recording Limited’s studios record a

variety of musicians from bands and orchestras

to solo artists. Carl and Donna are also working

on taking music recording into schools through

Urban Education.

“We have had financial help from The Business

Mine to help us with sides of the business,” says

Donna. “We had a Proof of Concept Grant for

Urban Recording and have also secured a Start-

up Grant for Urban Education which we are

currently using to set up a website.”

Scott and Will have also benefited from a Start-

up Grant for their business which hosts a range

of school music workshops including bass guitar,

junk percussion, vocals and performance

techniques.

“Without the grant we would be going into

schools empty handed as it paid for the

equipment we needed,” says Scott. “In addition

to financial support, we have also had mentoring

which has taught us to present ourselves in a

much more professional manner.”

Help through the Services to Business initiative is

also making technical and financial matters

easier for the musicians.

“We knew how to put a workshop together but

had no idea about web design or accountancy

which is where Services to Business has been a

great help,” says Will. “It’s been amazing to set up

a business in industry that we love just after

graduating.”

The £4.7m Enterprising Barnsleyprogramme is funded by £2.89m from theEuropean Regional Development Fund,£739,000 from Yorkshire Forward,and other funding sources.

Enterprising Barnsley – Hitting theright notes with aspiring students

It is a difficult period whenyou first set up a newbusiness and those thatdon’t get support often failin their attempts.

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Scott Swallow fromMake Music Yours.

Carl and Donna Lamb from Urban Recording Limitedtry out the equipment at The University of

Huddersfield Campus Barnsley.

Back (l-r):Scott Swallow, Will Hortonfrom Make Music Yours.

Front (l-r) Carl and Donna Lambfrom Urban Recording Limited.

Scott Swallow, left, and Will Hortonfrom Make Music Yours, rehearse at

The University of Huddersfield Campus Barnsley.

Friday, March 12, 2010 THE BUSINESS – 3

TRADE COUNTER UNITS

FOR SALE or TO LET

Claycliffe Business Park,

Barugh Green

Unit 38 3,000 sq. ft.Unit 29 2,500 sq. ft.

FOR SALE or TO LETClaycliffe Business Park

10,000 sq. ft. Retail Unit

TO LETHarborough Hill Road

790 sq. ft. Industrial Unit

Fall Bank, Dodworth5,428 sq. ft. unit2,800 sq. ft. unit

(currently used as body repair shopcomplete with spray booth)

For further details telephone 01226 288388www.bookercommercial.co.uk

Barnsley firmhelps a Londoncouncil win awardA WILTHORPE firm has helpedHarrow Council win a top award.

Bartec Systems at BarnsleyBusiness and Innovation Centre, offHuddersfield Road improved itsservices and helped to cut costs.

This led to the council beingpresented with an award forinnovation.

Director Tim Hobbs said: “As afast-growing Yorkshire-basedcompany, we are delighted ourexpertise in providing innovativewebsite management systems wasrecognised nationally and that wehave been able to make such acontribution to improving theefficiencies of one of London’sboroughs.

“It shows local companies canlead the way in innovation atnational level.”

Chris shows offhis range of tilesCHRIS Andrews has turned part ofthe upper floor of his warehouseinto a showroom. He uses it todemonstrate his range of tileswhich are sold to major housebuilders.

His business, Chris AndrewsCeramics, on Claycliffe IndustrialEstate, Barugh Green, was set upabout ten years ago. Turnover wasabout £800,000 but has dippedsince the start of the credit crunch.

Chris, from Birdwell, worked inthe building trade as a tiler afterleaving school.

His firm employs three and anumber of subcontractors.

Consultancy turns into a family affairGRAHAM Hawkes has turned his trainingand assessment consultancy for gasengineers into a family affair.

His brother Mark helps with training andhis wife Tracy acts as receptionist anddoes clerical work.

Mr Hawkes set up Energy ConsultancyServices in the premises of Tracy’s fashion

boutique, Catwalk, on Market Street,Hoyland. Previously, he founded and ranthe Barnsley Industrial Training Centre onPond Street, Barnsley. He left in April 2008after almost 12 years. ECS normally trainsabout four gas engineers at a time.

They come from all over the country andhave included a Dutchman living in

Glasgow, a Glaswegian living in Angleseyand a social worker from London.

Graham, from Hoyland, said one motivefor setting up the Training Centre hadbeen a shortage of gas engineers.

“Today, the challenge is keepingengineers in the gas industry. Training canhelp that,” he said.

A TRAVEL agency has achieved a turnoverof more than £4m in its first year oftrading. Holidays First at Great CliffeCourt, Dodworth Business Park, waslaunched last April with a team of 25advisers and customer services staff. Theworkforce has risen to more than 30.

Founder Claire Willoughby said: “Thestart we have made is very encouraging. I

feel the main reason for this is ourcommitment to innovation.”

Earlier this year, the agency was namedin the top six most innovative UKcompanies in the Travel Weekly GlobeTravel awards.

The company won the accolade afterspending about £10,000 on computers,software and other equipment to boost

sales. It has also been nominated for theYorkshire and North East Travel Agency ofthe Year title in the Travel AgentAchievement awards next month.

Claire is a former director of ApolloTravel and has held a senior position atCo-operative Travel. Holidays First is amember of the Freedom Travel Group, atrading division of Co-operative Travel.

Travel agency soars with £4m turnover

First-class device: Alan Fletcher with one of his firm’s machines.

A touch of success for ventureTURNOVER and employeesof a supplier of touch-screen machines havegone up over the last twoyears.

Nationwide RetailSystems Ltd on WhaleyRoad, Barugh Green, sawits turnover rise by morethan ten per cent to about£3m.

The number of staff hasgone up by four to about46 in the last 12 months,

The company hasbecome the UK’s leadingsupplier of touch-screencomputers to schools. Overthe last two years, thecompany’s machines havebeen fitted in more than600 schools.

The machines are used bypupils mainly to ordermeals but can also be usedto pay for things likeschool trips and uniforms.

Managing director AlanFletcher said a big contracthad been won in Croydonwhere about 100 schoolshad had the machines

fitted.He said teachers and

education officials couldcontrol things such asmenus, find out whatmeals children enjoyed andmonitor ingredients ofmeals. “The machines havetaken the stigma awayfrom children on freeschool meals, cut queuesand decreased the chanceof a child being bullied onthe way to school andhaving his or her dinnermoney stolen.

“The machinery has alsoled to children eatinghealthily. In some deprivedareas, a school dinner canbe the only square meal achild will get all day,” saidMr Fletcher.

He added the machineshad also cut out the needfor staff to go to banks todeposit money.

The firm was establishedin Dewsbury, WestYorkshire, in 1980 andmoved to Barnsley aboutnine years ago.

• Static Officers • Mobile Patrol • Key Holding • Alarm Response • Special Events • Canine Unit • Retail Storeguards • CCTV Installation and Monitoring • Youth Nuisance Problems •

• Static Officers • Mobile Patrol • Key Holding • Alarm Response • Special Events • Canine Unit • Retail Storeguards • CCTV Installation and Monitoring • Youth Nuisance Problems •

Ala

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•Canin

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nit A

larm

Resp

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•Canin

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nitEstablished 1985

We now install CCTV systems to rent or buy. Please call for more details.1 Great Cliffe Court, Great Cliffe Road, Dodworth, Barnsley S75 3SP

Telephone 01226 298492

“Celebrating 25 years in business”1985 - 2010

6 – THE BUSINESS Friday, March 12, 2010

South Yorkshire ChambersEvening NetworkingWednesday 14 April at the

Rutland Hotel, Sheffield(5.30pm registration)

The South Yorkshire Chambers drawtogether members from Barnsley &Rotherham, Doncaster and SheffieldChambers of Commerce to meet ina relaxed atmosphere and network.

Price: £19.99 + VAT members,£40 + VAT non-members

Inaugural ChamberSnooker Challenge

Thursday 6 May at World SnookerAcademy, English Institute of Sport,

Sheffield (5.30pm start)

16 players from Barnsley and Rotherhamwill compete for the inaugural inter-

Chamber championship. Businesses fromthe two towns will meet head-to-head

over the green baize with refreshmentsand networking throughout the evening.

Price: £30 + VAT to Chamber members,£50 + VAT to non-members

Women In Business EventWednesday 17 March

at theMagna Centre,

Rotherham(9am start)

Blue Peter presenter, Diane LouiseJordan, will be the guestpresenter at this event.

She may be best known as atelevision presenter on Blue Peter,Songs of Praise and Grandstand,but Diane also has a wealth of

business acumen to impartwhich will be extremelyinteresting to delegates.

For the past ten years, Dianehas been running her ownproperty company and, asan accomplished speaker,

launched Chronicle21,offering bespoke talks

and training.

Price: £30 + VAT toChamber members,

£40 + VAT to non-members

Chamber DigestA Guide to Forthcoming Chamber Events

For further details, contact your local Chamberoffice at the address below

Business Innovation CentreWilthorpe Barnsley S75 1JL

e-mail: info@brchamber.co.ukwww.brchamber.co.uk

Chamber phone number:0844 414 5100

he question I am askedmost about my variousroles at the Chamber

of Commerce is ’what doesthe Chamber do?’.

The follow-up question isalways ‘why should I be amember?’

The transport working groupanswers both of thesequestions. The chamberprovides many services such ashuman resources, legal adviceand export help, but it is theworking groups which reallyget their teeth into local issuesthat affect not only businessesbut the community.

A good example of this is theBarnsley Northern Relief Road,a bypass that will link theDodworth junction of the M1to Claycliffe roundabout.

It will make a huge differenceto congestion in the towncentre and around the hospitalby providing an easy link fromthe M1 to the north of theborough.

A welcome side-effect is thatresidents of our northerncommunities will have journey

times to the M1 cut drasticallyand the quality of life will beimproved for those living inHigham, the hospital area andDodworth Road.

The Northern Orbital, as it isknown at the council, has beenon the drawing board formany years, but the Chambernoticed that it seemed to bemissing from the new LocalDevelopment Framework (thecouncil’s planning master planfor the next ten years).

Initially, we were told it hadbeen dropped but, throughvigorous lobbying, the workinggroup has been given thereassurance that it is back onthe agenda and a detailedstudy is now being carried out– a real difference that theChamber has made tobusinesses and residents inBarnsley.

So, what other things are weup to on our transport workinggroup? We continue to lobbyfor better links to Robin Hood(Finningley) Airport atDoncaster.

We believe this is a real

alternative to Leeds Bradfordand Manchester for Barnsleyresidents if only we could onlyget a better range of flightsfrom the airport.

There has recently been goodnews from Easyjet on thisscore, particularly the newAmsterdam route which givesonward connections to mostworldwide airports. A stickingpoint to the expansion ofRobin Hood is, however, thepoor access and the Chamberis working to force directaccess from the M18.

We have also had muchsuccess lobbying for thereopening of the WoodheadTunnel. There are three tunnelsunder Woodhead, one ofwhich is used for electricitylines. The Chamber wants tosee the others upgraded togive us new and importantlinks to Manchester and theNorthwest.

So there we are – yourChamber of Commerce atwork and making a realdifference to the businessesand people of Barnsley.

Working totackle local

issues

What can be achieved at theChamber of Commerce? Transport

working group chairman CliveWatkinson, right, explains

T

Friday, March 12, 2010 THE BUSINESS – 7

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8 – THE BUSINESS Friday, March 12, 2010

Barnsley companies should getready to be inspired, motivatedand educated at the town’spremier business to businessexpo, BarnsleyWorks. Now inits third year, the 2010 event isbigger and better than ever.

It takes place on 13th May at BarnsleyMetrodome, and promises the Barnsleybusiness community a great opportunityto showcase its products and services,network extensively, and receive guid-ance and advice on a variety of relevanttopical issues.

Free Seminar Programme

Central to the event is an impressive freeseminar programme geared up to tacklesome of today’s most pertinent businessissues. Delegates will learn from publicsector procurement specialists how theycan secure contracts; from digital special-ists how to effectively use the internet tomarket their business, and from guestspeaker, former BBC Apprentice star,Ruth Badger about creating successfulbusiness with little financial outlay. Ruthwill also be offering Barnsley companiesheavily discounted rates for her “Miracle

Business Masterclass” which will takeplace later in the year.

There is also a business speed dating ses-sion where companies can effectivelynetwork with up to 39 other businesses

in an atmosphere conducive to doinggood business.

As in previous years, the event is relevantto all companies in Barnsley, no matterwhat their trading status, market sectoror age.

Quality Leads

Companies who exhibited last year werevery impressed with the quality of thedelegates who attended, and the valu-able leads generated. Local businessmanAndy Chesterton of IT firm, Praxsoftcomments: “We had a number of posi-tive leads on the day. If anyone wants todo business in Barnsley, they need toattend this exhibition.”

Tracey Lally of Talent Recruitment adds:“The quality (of delegates) was good,with everyone being potentially a goodprospect. The ability to speak to a widerange of businesses in one place and linkdifferent organisations together wasinvaluable.”

The event this year is being sponsored byBarnsley Development Agency, TheWork and Skills Board and Business Link,with support from a wealth of other

business organisations who will be onhand to offer valuable free guidanceand support, including Barnsley andRotherham Chamber of Commerce, TheChartered Institute of Marketing and theFederation of Small Businesses amongstothers.

Network withLike-Minded People

Carol Cooper Smith of BarnsleyDevelopment Agency (BDA) comments:“Every one who is in business in Barnsleyshould attend this event. Not only doesit present a crucial opportunity to net-work with like-minded people, the kindof advice on offer here usually comeswith a price tag, but this is all free.”

John Foster of The Work and Skills Boardadds: “The aim of BarnsleyWorks is togive Yorkshire companies a day in theyear when they can really boast abouttheir products and services, and reap thebenefits of giving business to one anoth-er. We are very pleased to be associatedwith such a positive inspirational eventthat puts Barnsley on the map as a greatplace to do business.”

Town’s Premier Business to Business Expo is Free to Attend

BarnsleyWorksis Back witha Badger!

If anyone

wants to do

business in

Barnsley, they

need to attend

this exhibition.

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A D V E R T I S E R ’ S A N N O U N C E M E N T

Guest SpeakerRuthBadger

Exhibition space is available. To reserve a stand, please visitthe website: www.barnsleyworks2010.co.uk or call Lisa Druryon 0113 287 5910. The event is free to attend as a delegate.

Please register your attendance on the website.