member

Peerless Plastics & Coatings is celebrating having won a prestigious Plastics Industry Award for their MicroGuard™ Anti-Microbial range of protective, hard coatings, winning the Materials Innovation Award 2021.

Winners of the Plastics Industry Awards 2021 awards were announced Thursday night (2nd December) by comedian Simon Evans at a black-tie gala evening, live streamed from the Waldorf Hilton in London. In announcing the Materials Innovation Award, Judges praised the MicroGuard™ Anti-Microbial project “as an exceptional piece of development for a demanding application”. With 8 finalists it was one of the largest and most hotly contested categories.

“We are very pleased to have won this national award and gain industry recognition. This award belongs to everyone at Peerless Plastics & Coatings and I am very proud of our team who have worked extremely hard over the last couple of years, servicing our customers across many areas of industry…” said Peter Llewellyn-Stamp, Managing Director.

“…Within this MicroGuard™ Anti-Microbial range we now have an Optically Clear hard coating, together with a Matt hard coating and a specialist Anti-Fog/Anti-Microbial coating. Having formulated this range of coatings and proven their performance against a variety of bacteria and viruses we have developed new applications and worked with customers in the UK and Europe on a wide range of projects where superior surface performance is required. Some of the Anti-microbial products launched over the last 18 months include Anti-Fog PPE & Police public order helmet visors, Anti-Fog respirator mouth covers, Covid Screens, desk/table covers and wall cladding.

In addition to Anti-Microbial properties, our coatings make plastics more sustainable by improving surface hardness and chemical resistance, allowing plastic products to stand up against day to day wear & tear and cleaning regimes, extending their useful life…”

Launched in 2001, and held annually in London, the Plastics Industry Awards are dedicated to rewarding innovation and exceptional performance in an increasingly competitive market. Sixteen categories cover materials usage, product design, manufacturing, training and environmental performance, and entries are judged by a panel of industry experts.

For more information about Peerless Plastics & Coatings range of Anti-Microbial, protective hard coatings, click here:

https://www.peerless-coatings.co.uk/coatings-for-plastic/microguard-anti…

For more information on the Plastics Industry Awards, click here:

https://www.plasticsawards.com/PIA2021/en/page/home

Ashtons Legal, one of East Anglia’s longstanding ‘go to’ firms for personal and medical injury claims, is starting 2022 with additional expertise across its teams.  Recent recruits are solicitor Mick Upton into the Personal Injury team, solicitor Penny Tilmouth into the Medical Negligence team, and Ben Needham-Holmes whose role is as a Rehabilitation Co-ordinator.

Mick is delighted to return to the firm, working in a team which offers support to those with traumatic injuries, primarily caused either as the result of road traffic collisions or through accidents at work.

Penny is taking on a range of medical injury claims, including cases of misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose an illness or orthopaedic claims where surgery has been negligent and caused long-term damage to the patient.

Ben, who has a strong track record as a Case Manager in the Midlands, has joined the firm to help ensure that all seriously injured clients are able to access the most suitable rehabilitation as early as possible after their injuries occur. He also supports Ashtons’  Asbestos Disease Team and its Support Group as well as providing support to bereaved families whether this is the result of an accident or medical malpractice. This is a service only provided by a small proportion of law firms with injury services departments and ties in with the firm’s ethos of helping clients and their families in every way possible to get their lives back on track after serious injury or death.

Michael Wangermann, who heads the Ashtons injury services division, says: “An increasing number of law firms have started to wind down their injury claims teams and the expertise is consolidating into those firms with the strength and depth to support clients with injuries of all types and caused by a wide range of types of accident.”

He adds: “Ashtons Legal remains fully committed to this area of the law, including offering a rehabilitation support service alongside our existing Court of Protection team that assists with financial management of large awards. We have been a local market leader as well as acting for clients nationwide for well over 30 years.  In 2021 we were helping approximately 1300 clients post injury.”

Pictured left to right: Mick Upton, Penny Tilmouth and Ben Needham-Holmes.

Nick, who has been a part of the TaxAssist Accountants network for over 12 years, operates shops from Barnsley and Huddersfield and has now opened a shop in North Sheffield in partnership with his wife Pat.

On the 1st October, Nick Brook opened his third shop, on 1 Wadsley Lane in Sheffield and is delighted by the response so far.

“We’ve had a fantastic first week,” said Nick. “The shop has drawn many admiring glances and positive comments from neighbours, passers-by and clients and we are looking forward to becoming an integral part of the local business community.” Nick opened his first shop in Huddersfield in 2006, followed by an office in Barnsley in 2015. Such was the demand for his services in Barnsley, that he relocated his office to a larger, more centrally located shop in the Yorkshire town’s Church Street in 2017. “The shop-front concept is clearly key to my – and TaxAssist’s – success and I think it provides authenticity to our offering and makes us so much more visible to potential clients,” explained Nick. From starting out on his own, Nick now employs eight staff who look after the needs of over 500 clients.

“I am looking forward to working with Pat and my fantastic team of staff to continue the success that I’ve had so far in Barnsley and Huddersfield to North Sheffield and would like to encourage potential clients interested in our services, to pop in for a free consultation,” added Nick. TaxAssist Accountants provides a wide range of accountancy services including tax returns, annual accounts, payroll and bookkeeping and helps a diverse range of small businesses including start-ups, sole traders, limited companies and landlords who operate in many industries. If you are interested in finding out more about joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, please contact our Recruitment Manager Nikki Haythorne on 0800 0188297.  

Exciting news!  We have new team members joining Ignite in January!  Watch this space for more news and introductions.

As world leaders meet in Glasgow at the COP 26 conference to discuss Climate Change, we thought it would be a good time to share what Hudson Architects is doing to help tackle the emergency!

Hudson Architects is already committed to the RIBA Climate Challenge, pledging to design with a climate conscious trajectory in order to reach net zero by 2030. This year we have also turned the lens inwards; examining how our practice can make internal improvements to ensure that a sustainable ethos purveys throughout our office culture.

A starting point for this has been signing up to the UK Government’s SME Climate Hub and joining the Norwich Business Climate Leaders initiative. The latter has been launched by Chris Sargisson and his team at The Norfolk Chamber, who we are working closely with to help pave the way for other Norfolk businesses to follow.

The SME Climate Hub initiative provides tools and resources for businesses who sign up to a commitment to tackle climate change – at Hudson Architects we have committed to:

• Halve our greenhouse gas emissions before 2030;
• Achieve net zero emissions before 2050;
• Disclose our progress on a yearly basis

The Climate Hub has collated a range of calculators we can use to measure our greenhouse gas emissions – from our office energy use, employee commutes to work and travel to meetings – so we can assess where we are, and where we need to get to. Corporate accountability is a cornerstone of the initiative, meaning we have committed to publishing an annual report on our progress.

If we are to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and keep global temperatures in check we think it’s vital that everyone does what they can – from governments down to individuals – to help tackle this climate emergency. At Hudson Architects we want to go even further than these Climate Hub commitments and review much more about our business operations – looking at creative ways to reduce our waste, reviewing our office supplies, and sharing resources among employees.

In the coming weeks we’ll be explain more about how we are doing all these things, in the hope that we might inspire others to join us; and we’re also looking forward to teaming up with the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and the Norwich Business Climate Leaders initiative – as they “set the exemplar of change and help save the world!”

More Information on the Norwich Business Climate Leaders Initiative HERE.

More Information on the UK Business Climate Hub HERE.

You can view this origianal article from Hudson Architects HERE

Want to get seen at the top of Google, fast?

Google Ads can get your business in front of the right people right when they’re searching for what you offer. It’s a great way to generate leads while your SEO builds steady, long-term visibility in the background.

We run targeted Google Ads campaigns designed to drive results, without wasting your budget.

Here’s how we do it:
• Targeting people ready to buy
• Writing copy that gets clicks (and customers)
• Tracking every lead, click, and call
• Regular updates you’ll actually understand
Used alongside SEO, it’s a powerful way to grow your business, now and in the future.

Let’s talk about setting up a campaign that brings in new enquiries fast, while building your visibility for the long haul.

Book a free call and let’s get things moving.

Professionally qualified migrant?

Need help to navigate the UK job market?

We are here to help you … https://globallyonward.org/job-seekers

Happy New Year and a big welcome to our new specialist Diversity and Inclusion associates, Kate and James.

They will both be partnering businesses in their Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging agendas.

Want to hear more? Give us a call on 01603 904 011 or have a read of our case studies: www.ignitepeoplesolutions.co.uk/

Howes Percival has appointed family law expert, Sally Harris as a director. She joins the leading law firm from Steeles Law where she was a partner and head of the family law team.

Sally is focused predominantly on financial remedy cases, having specialised in family law for nearly 30 years, she has detailed and wide-ranging experience of all issues arising from relationship breakdown. She is a compassionate family practitioner with long experience in private law Children Act proceedings and regularly advises on post and prenup agreements. She is a member of Resolution and a trained collaborative lawyer.

Client feedback to the Legal 500 (the authoritative guide to the UK’s leading law firms) describes Sally as ‘well respected locally as a strong, pragmatic, experienced and client focused lawyer.’ and a ‘calm and collected but also a formidable opponent’.

Commenting on the appointment, Justine Flack, a partner and head of the family law department at Howes Percival said,

“We pride ourselves on recruiting experienced, hands-on professionals and giving clients direct access to those senior experts. So, I’m delighted to welcome Sally to the firm. She is highly regarded, and in addition to bringing extensive experience, she has strong technical skills and a great reputation for her work.

“We continue to experience increased demand for family law services. Many people have re-evaluated their relationships during the pandemic and we are now seeing this referred to as a direct cause of the breakdown. More couples are choosing to live together, so advice about co-habitation agreements is also on the increase. This involves us being able to take a holistic approach by working with our colleagues in private client and property. Likewise, more people are seeing the benefit of pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements. While the nature of the work constantly changes, assisting high-net worth individuals in divorce proceedings with complex assets is still the core of our work.”

Justine Flack continued,

“No fault divorce is scheduled to be introduced in April 2022 enabling couples to part ways with mutual consent. Neither spouse will have to take the blame, which is hoped to make the process easier for all involved. We think there could well be a rush of instructions in the New Year, ahead of the new regime. No fault divorce is aimed at making divorce less confrontational, and as a trained collaborative lawyer, Sally will offer this very effective form of alternative dispute resolution.

“Alternative dispute resolution provides an opportunity for people to work through the things they need to sort out following a separation to enable them and their family to move on with life in a positive way. The pandemic exacerbated court delays and backlogs, so people should also consider alternative dispute resolution to resolve their problems rather than going to court.

“To meet the increasing demand for our family law services, we will also be appointing two new senior associates to the team in the new year.”

 

Howes Percival’s Family Law team provides a fully integrated and comprehensive service for high-net worth individuals and family businesses. The team works closely with other legal experts within the firm to advise on all aspects of relationships and family matters, including those relating to children, property, family and farming businesses, estates, wills, probate, trusts and tax.

All Howes Percival family lawyers are members of Resolution, a national organisation of family lawyers and other professionals committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes. Whilst the team will strive to get the best result for clients by agreement, they are also experienced litigators and will represent clients’ interests in Court robustly when necessary.

For more details on Howes Percival’s Family Law team, click here.