Category: Business

A CHANCE for residents and businesses to hear regular updates about the Cleator Moor Town Deal as it moves forward is to take place every month.

Cleator Moor secured a Town Deal worth £40.9m last year – with £22.5 million coming from the Government’s Towns Fund and a further £18.4m from match funders.

Now, Bob Metcalfe, Chair of the Cleator Moor Town Deal Board, is to provide monthly updates at an iSH and Town Deal Community Meeting.

The iSH meeting, which has been taking place every month, provides updates on iSH (Industrial Solutions Hub), a wider project of international significance designed to create jobs and opportunities for businesses and organisations to collaborate and enhance skills while harnessing a range of economic and social benefits on behalf of the community. 

From now on the meeting will also include a Town Deal update so the community is kept up to date on developments. The first iSH and Town Deal Community Meeting will take place between 9.30am and 11am on Thursday, April 20 at Cleator Moor Civic Hall.

Bob Metcalfe said: “As a board we want to make sure the Town Deal and its projects are rooted in the community – and we hope this monthly meeting will help to make the programme as accessible as possible to everyone.

“It will offer an opportunity to hear about how things are progressing as well as for people to ask any questions they have.

“Everyone is welcome to attend and I look forward to meeting those who come along.”

The Cleator Moor Town Deal will oversee the delivery of four projects that will provide a long term boost to levels of health and economic prosperity in Cleator Moor, as well as employment opportunities and inward investment.

With the funding secured, work has been ongoing in recent months to satisfy Government assurance requirements and to procure the specialist sector skills required in order to develop the plans in more detail.

The four projects included in the Town Deal are: 

• Enterprising Town – the redevelopment of the existing Leconfield Industrial Estate to create an iSH Enterprise Campus, providing employment and training opportunities for residents in Cleator Moor as well as helping to diversify the local economy. The proposal will create new buildings on site including an iSH Enterprise Campus Hub, the refurbishment of existing units and extensive landscaping. The development of the site forms part of the wider regeneration programme being delivered across West Cumbria by iSH.

• Revitalised Town – to increase activity and footfall around the Town Square by bringing vacant and under-utilised buildings back into active use while creating an attractive new public realm. Uses will include a new cultural community hub and enhanced business space.

• Healthy Town – To enhance existing sports and leisure provision to create a modern multi-purpose centre including an indoor sports hall, flexible studio space, gym and café, alongside wider health and well-being provision. This will improve population health and generate more reasons for people to visit and spend time in Cleator Moor.

• Connected Town – this scheme will deliver a high-quality integrated and sustainable transport network which improves connections between employment, education, amenities and leisure and transforms the accessibility and attractiveness of Cleator Moor.

For more information about Cleator Moor Town Deal visit cleatormoortowndeal.org.uk

We are delighted that Paul Foster, Chair of the Solway Community Power Company, will be sharing with businesses from across the region at our next Business Engagement Event on May 4:

 What SMRs really mean for the region?

 When will it happen?

 What will be needed?

 And how will it work?

Plus businesses will have a chance at the event to help shape the iSH Enterprise Campus Hub. 

THE UK’S LARGEST SPACE EVENT

With the UK contributing 6.5% of the global space market, and ambitions to grow this to 10% by 2030, Space-Comm Expo is where the industry meets, learns, networks and does business.

Dedicated to showcasing the commercial opportunities available within an industry worth £14.8bn to the UK economy, this free-to-attend event is designed to encourage growth across this highly innovative sector.

Supported by key industry associations and influential bodies, Space-Comm Expo showcases the manufacturing supply chain for products, services and solutions supplying commercial enterprises and developments in space.

Held at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, the Home of Pioneering Spirit, this innovative event brings together the entire sector for two days of face to face business and networking.

2023 IS GOING TO BE A LANDMARK YEAR FOR THE UK SPACE INDUSTRY

Join the UK’s largest event focused on the commercial future of space for business, defence and aerospace.

• It’s the most important date in the UK space industry calendar
• It’s the only event that covers the whole of the space supply chain
• Discover new technologies, innovations and applications from over 150 suppliers
• Learn from keynotes and case studies
• Hear influential space industry and government speakers
• Gain knowledge from world-leading authorities & technical experts
• Source new products, services and suppliers with specialist expertise
• Save time finding new suppliers with our 1-2-1 Meet the Buyer sessions

Plus

• Meet the next generation of innovators and disruptors in the Start Up Zone
• Join our invitation-only roundtables
• Save time by meeting our phenomenal exhibitor line-up in one place
• Over 30 hours of free-to-attend high level conference sessions

REGISTER FREE

Enquiries:

T: +44 (0) 1483 934381
E: spacecomm@hubexhibitions.co.uk
W: https://www.space-comm.co.uk/contact/

AN engineering business behind a striking Covid memorial is investing in young people as it looks to build a bright future.

R.A.F Engineering, like many businesses, put its expansion plans on ice to ensure it could deal with the economic impact of Brexit, Covid, war in Ukraine, and increased energy bills.

Now the company, based in Workington, Cumbria, is setting its sights on the growth and diversification which it previously planned.

Rafal Gibki and Aneta Gibka took over the company, formerly Hudson Swan, five years ago, with ambitious plans to develop the business.

Having successfully steered the company through a turbulent economy, Rafal and Aneta are fully focused on building the company.

They are already ahead of schedule on their revised plans after reaching a £1m turnover target last month.

Aneta said: “We had a vision five years ago when we bought the company. Brexit put a hold on a lot of things, then Covid and war in Ukraine.

“We had to fight to survive. We had to reassess what the situation meant for us as a business and manage our cash flow. Now we have stabilised, we can grow. 

“This year we set a target of reaching £1m in turnover and we already reached that last month so we are ahead of where we set our sights on being.

“It helps that even during difficult times we have continued to invest. We have bought five new machines and we have digitised the business through support from the Made Smarter initiative.

“We have also continued to recruit young people and apprentices from Lakes College and have trained them up ourselves.

“Raf has a lot of experience in engineering so young people and apprentices who come here are gaining expertise and knowledge which is standing them, and the business, in good stead.

“We do also want to recruit more experience into the business as well but recruiting young people the way we have has meant that we have been able to continue to grow the company and, with Raf being such a good person to learn from, it has worked well.

“We have also continued to focus on manufacturing quality products and giving good customer service by the speed of our turnaround and delivery times.

“That gives clients trust and confidence in doing business with us and we have managed to grow the company through building this reputation.

“We are very much open to collaboration with other businesses and organisations and are part of the Swimming With The Big Fish initiative with Solomons Europe.”

R.A.F, which employs 15 people, mainly from the Workington and Whitehaven areas, manufactures quality precision engineered and machined steel parts to a range of industries.

Approximately 60 per cent of its customers are in the nuclear industry. It also supplies engineering, food and agricultural clients and plans to supply renewable and defence industries.

Iggesund, TSP, and James Fisher in Cumbria, and Tata Steel in Port Talbot, are among R.A.F’s customers.

Most recently R.A.F Engineering manufactured a striking memorial to commemorate the victims of Covid which has been installed in a garden of remembrance at Workington’s Vulcan Park.

The steel sculpture, designed by Steven Marshall, depicts a pair of hands around the world and was unveiled on March 23.

The business also tries to support other initiatives in the local community including sponsoring sports teams, first aid programmes, and internet safety initiatives for young people.

iSH Managing Director John Maddison said: “I was delighted to meet with Aneta and the team at R.A.F Engineering recently.

“It’s another company in West Cumbria which is doing great things, open to collaboration, looking to diversify into new markets, investing in young people and new technologies and, with its success, looking to help the local community by supporting a range of initiatives.

“Hearing what businesses like R.A.F are doing is another reason why the future is so bright for West Cumbria and why at iSH we are so excited about what can be achieved by further building the area’s capability and showcasing this expertise to new markets regionally, nationally and internationally.”

Adam Turley is an intellectual property specialist based in Carlisle. He is a Director and head of the Carlisle office for McDaniel Law, a specialist intellectual property law firm, and the largest dedicated intellectual property law firm in the North East and Cumbria. Adam has particular expertise in helping businesses identify, secure and protect their intellectual property and commercialising intellectual property as an asset

Adam will be sharing his knowledge at a Brunch and Learn Event at Eagle Labs Cumbria  The Bus Station, Bransty Row Whitehaven CA287XE on April 25, 9.45am onwards.

09:45-  Join us for a Breakfast Buttie

10:00 – Adam will give a presentation

10:30 – Q&A

11:00 – onwards – Drop in one-to-one sessions available with Adam

Please click below to Register

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brunch-and-learn-protecting-your-intellectual-property-tickets-600294826987

A CO-FOUNDER of a trailblazing initiative brings her far-reaching experience and innovative thinking to an organisation focused on creating more than 700 jobs.

Miranda Kirschel, who set up and led the Women in Nuclear UK (WiN UK) initiative and received an MBE for service to equal opportunities in the nuclear industry, has joined iSH (Industrial Solutions Hub) as Regional Representative.

Miranda, who was also Head of European Business Development for Atkins, an Executive with EY, and Head of Business and Innovation with Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, is excited to be joining iSH, which aims to transform communities across West Cumbria through employment opportunities which increase the region’s capability.

Miranda, who lives in West Cumbria, said: “I am excited by the opportunity to be part of a regeneration programme which is supported by Government and key stakeholders in Cumbria and to have the opportunity to help put West Cumbria on the map for business, innovation and technology.

“iSH will engender collaboration and innovation, production of technology and manufacturing. We will be creating jobs, helping with training and skills and raising visibility of the capability in the region, nationally and internationally.

“It is my job to join the dots, to bring businesses and stakeholders together to enable programmes to happen which will promote the capability of West Cumbria and attract inward investment. This will lead to more diversity and less dependency on one sector and one client for the long-term benefit of the region.” 

iSH aims for opportunities it creates to be open to all so its programme positively impacts on society, from the businesses and organisations who collaborate on opportunities, to the way it improves people’s lives across communities.

Miranda will be a strong advocate for delivering on that mission. “A lot of people out there have a lot to offer. We need to be more open about how we talk about capability and see a person for their strengths and what they can do, not focus on what they can’t do.”

Miranda, who started in her new role with iSH on Tuesday, March 14, said: “I am here, ready and driven, to do a fantastic job for Cumbria and to serve, and deliver for, West Cumbria. I am very excited about the opportunity and am 100 per cent committed to making this a success.”

John Maddison, iSH Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to have attracted a candidate of Miranda’s calibre and are very excited about what she will achieve with the iSH team as our Regional Representative through collaborating with a broad range of businesses and organisations locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

“Miranda brings skills and expertise which immediately add to iSH’s capability and, equally importantly, she shares the values and ethos which are so important to all the team at iSH in terms of what, why and how we are delivering for the region of West Cumbria, including for the area’s people, communities and the environment.

“We have already identified lots of exciting opportunities to collaborate with businesses, industry, research and development organisations, academia, communities, and stakeholders which will help increase the region’s capability and deliver on iSH’s mission.

“I am delighted that, as Regional Representative, Miranda will be helping to bring those opportunities to fruition.”

iSH is also recruiting for an Operations Director, Investment Lead and Senior Project Manager. There will also be future roles for a Project Controls Officer, Business Liaison Officer, Community Liaison Officer and a Project Management Apprentice.

Earlier this year £20m of Levelling Up Fund investment was awarded by government to Copeland Borough Council for the iSH Enterprise Campus, to fund phase two of redevelopment at Leconfield, Cleator Moor.

iSH is also supported in its activity by funding from Cleator Moor Town Deal Board which, working with Copeland Borough Council, secured a provisional offer of £22.5 million from the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund initiative last year. 

As well as being supported by Copeland Borough Council, iSH is also backed by Sellafield Ltd, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership.

Cyber Security awareness is essential for SMEs in 2023.

Substandard cyber security could negatively affect a company’s ability to function, its reputation, and legal obligations to keep business, client and supplier data safe.

UK businesses face an ever-increasing cyber threat, with four in ten businesses (39%) having had a cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months,.

31% of businesses and 26% of charities estimate they were attacked at least once a week.

Join Gary Martin of David Allen IT Solutions and Tony Wilson of Indelible Data in this focused session to find out some simple steps you can take to help protect your business, learn how to minimise the risk of cyber-attacks, keep your business operating and keep data safe.

Discover more about Cyber Essentials certification, the advantages of pen testing and how they can improve your business. 

By attending this event you can aim to increase your understanding of cyber security, ask questions and take steps to protect your all-important data, with the opportunity for one-to-one security advice and guidance.

This is a FREE event and lunch will also be provided.

Register here:-  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lunch-learn-cyber-security-with-indelible-data-and-david-allen-it-solutions-tickets-511851972027

A global, multi-billion-pound design and engineering firm has opened the doors of  a new workspace in Cumbria.

Stantec, a global leader in sustainable engineering and design, has chosen Cleator Moor to be the home for its new Cumbrian office.

Stantec employs more than 27,000 people, with over 3,000 based in the UK. The firm plans, designs and delivers iconic projects around the world which help communities develop and grow sustainably.

The move into its new office on Earl Street is a culmination of Stantec’s longstanding commitment to the Cumbrian region and the people who live and work there. 

In the past, Stantec has supported improving connections and investment in the region’s infrastructure. The company has also worked closely with Sellafield, helping this important Cumbrian site maximise the value of its portfolio.

Stantec will have a new home in the same office as React Engineering in Phoenix Court. The two companies will collaborate, supporting each other on local and national business opportunities. 

Stantec’s Neil Crellin, who leads the new Cleator Moor office, commented: “Our new office space in Cleator Moor will allow us to lay down roots and firmly establish our presence in the region while deepening ties with local clients and partners.

“My family has long been a part of Cumbria’s past, it’s good to think that I can be part of its bright future. I’m very much looking forward to building on our commitments to communities in and around Cumbria, but also enjoying the incredible countryside in this beautiful corner of the world.”

Phil Redfern, Managing Director of React Engineering added: “We’ve been collaborating with Stantec for several years and it’s fantastic to see such a prestigious global organisation establish a local presence in the town of Cleator Moor. I’m excited about what the future holds in terms of supporting each other on new business opportunities and I am looking forward to further strengthening our working relationship.” 

Skills Bootcamps – part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, helping everyone gain skills for life – offer bespoke training solutions to bridge existing skills gaps within high demand sectors.

Cumbria LEP has teamed up with experts in the field to run of skills bootcamps in Cumbria in March.

Applications are now open for all of the Skills Bootcamps.

These include Green Skills, Technical and Digital, Welding, Logistics, Construction Trades and Management, Certificate in Tourism and Visitor Economy Management, Certificate in Upland Management and Certificate in Project Delivery Bootcamps.

Details of the some of the Skills Bootcamps which can be booked today are:

3D360: Intro to Additive Manufacturing and 3D CAD Skills Bootcamp (Level 3)
Date: Inductions throughout March
Course teaches learners the ability to design, 3D Print and understand how to design for Additive. Each learner builds a Creality Ender 3 to take away and keep.

INFO@3D360PRINTER.CO.UK 01942 901 360

Skillsfix: NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Safety & Health

Date: Inductions throughout March

NEBOSH National General Certificate is ideal for managers, supervisors and anybody with health and safety management responsibilities.

INFO@SKILLSFIX.CO.UK 01539 563458

BTP Cumbria: Construction Skills Bootcamp

Date: Inductions throughout March

Opportunities on successful completion could include:

Full-time employment;
Skills for life;
Wage ranging from £10 to £25 per hour;
Self-employment;
Travelling the world;
Running your own business

INFO@BTP-CUMBRIA.CO.UK 01229 826262

3D360: Digital Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 Skills Bootcamp (Level 3)

Date: Inductions throughout March

Course teaches learners the ability to design, 3D Print and understand how to design for Additive. Each learner builds a Creality Ender 3 to take away and keep.

INFO@3D360PRINTER.CO.UK 01942 901 360

FUNDED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

100% funded for self employed or unemployed.

Employers contribute to the cost of training if they want to use Skills Bootcamps to train their existing employees – large employers (over 250+ employees) contribute 30% of the cost, and small or medium employers (SMEs up to 250 employees) contribute 10%.

Existing employees may need time to study and attend classes depending on their working hours and status and the flexibility of the course.

Book today to secure your place.

MORE CONTACT INFO:
skillsbootcamp@thecumbrialep.co.uk
https://www.thecumbrialep.co.uk/skillsbootcamps/

IT’s a freezing, frosty, early March morning, yet spend a few minutes with James Long and Jo Iles and there’s a warm, welcoming light in the world.

Let’s be clear James and Jo’s business ambitions burn bright. They have expansion plans which would excite any entrepreneur. But they are doing it all in the right way – the ethical way – and bringing with them the supportive community from the place they now call home.

London, Hong Kong, Cleator Moor might not be everyone’s obvious career journey. But with respective recruitment and teaching careers in two of the world’s most vibrant cities behind them, family circumstances brought James and Jo to Cumbria.

Like many who fall in love with Cumbria it was a holiday trip to the Lake District that sparked their own business venture. 

As visitors, they couldn’t find a suitable gift which was designed and manufactured in the county that they felt was sufficiently ‘of the place’ – hence the Lakeland Lights Company was born.

James and Jo had spent some time in Iceland and found the scenery, the place, the people of Cumbria suited them in a similar way.

They were no strangers to dark winters and lighter summers, and they set about creating candles and scents which would embody Cumbria’s unique locations.

That’s why you will find a candle named after the Cleator Moor community, alongside such Lakeland icons as Crummock and Coniston, and Whitehaven, Whinlatter and Wasdale.

James and Jo use the most environmentally friendly methods that you’d expect from a couple so in tune with the landscape around them. Their candles are handmade in small batches using the highest quality natural ingredients. They also have a story behind every candle.

Jo, brought up in Southport, and James in Peterborough, have travelled and lived all over the world. 

Their varied work and life experience have given them a perspective of UK and worldwide business that, when it comes to Lakeland Lights, helps them make objective, strategic decisions while also protecting the authentic place brand they have created.

They started with three products in 2019 – Buttermere, Whinlatter and Honister. Three years later they have 25 scents and Lakeland Lights candles are in 35 outlets across Cumbria, mainly in independent businesses who have been mutually supportive.

That further expansion ambition is never far from the surface. They long since found out their kitchen wasn’t big enough to keep up demand. They now have a bespoke production operation in Phoenix Court in Cleator Moor.

James said: “We heard about the Towns Fund investment coming to Cleator Moor and it made us think that this would be a great place to be and to start a business.”

It was an astute business move. The Cleator Moor Town Deal Board, with the support of Copeland Borough Council, was successful in its application to the Government’s Towns Fund last year which resulted in an award of £22.5m, and an additional £18.4m secured from match funders, for four exciting projects in the town. In January this year a successful bid by Copeland Borough Council to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund also resulted in a further £20m being awarded for the development of the nearby iSH Enterprise Campus at Leconfield, only about half a mile from Lakeland Lights’ front door. Cleator Moor is definitely a community on the up.

But long before the investment for the area was confirmed, Jo and James said it felt like home.

Jo said: “We immediately felt part of the community here and everyone has welcomed us. There’s a real kindness and warmth to the people here. Basing our business in Cleator Moor was absolutely the right thing to do.”

The West Cumbria community supported them from the beginning, buying their products at local markets and retailers. And it was that community support which was to prove so priceless, and a lifesaver in many ways, to James and Jo during the pandemic.

“When 90 per cent of your business is wholesale for the retail market, and those retail outlets are shut for the best part of a year, and you are a new business, you know you are going to need something special to survive and come out the other side,” said James.

Jo stresses what a tough time it was for any start-up: “Because we didn’t have two years of accounts history, we had no access to furlough, self-employment benefits or any other government support schemes during the pandemic.”

The couple did receive grant funding from Cumbria Chamber of Commerce to revamp their website and they quickly pivoted to an online business with kerbside delivery drops within a 10-mile radius. The community of Cleator Moor and surrounding area backed them so much that their car was full of candles every day!

“By the end of lockdown, thanks to the community’s support, we had switched to a 60% wholesale, 40% website business which was much healthier,” said James.

They also had to completely change their supply chain in everything from fragrance to wax, glass to boxes.

Quite an environment for their daughter Robin to arrive into in June 2021. Now 20-months-old she looks very at home by the kitchen table where so many family-owned operations have their business discussions.

In October 2021 and committed to being a Living Wage employer, James and Jo took on their first recruit, Emily Bryan, from Ennerdale, who started out as a workshop assistant and is increasingly taking more responsibility in the manufacturing process

Jo said: “Emily has been brilliant for us. We want to employ more people. We are passionate about bringing manufacturing and industry back – in a new way – to this part of the world.

 “People think there’s nothing made in Cleator Moor anymore. It feels good to be playing a role in changing people’s perceptions and options about the town.

“Cleator Moor is a very positive place to be. We feel very fortunate to have found this place. It’s a home away from home and we want the community to be proud of what we are doing here.

“It gives us a real sense of pride that people really value what we are trying to achieve here. That’s where the satisfaction comes from.”

For Christmas 2022 James and Jo chose to give back to the community which has been so supportive to them by donating 10% of their profits from their special Robin’s Brow candle to 365-marathon man Gary McKee’s charities – Hospice at Home West Cumbria, and Macmillan Cancer Support. So far £1,000 has been donated to the cause.

They have also started 2023 with exciting expansion plans which have to stay under wraps for the time being. Definitely a case of watch this space. You get the feeling James and Jo’s business story has only just begun.

UK Research and Innovation (UKR) is offering a funding opportunity with this pre-announcement: Prosperity Partnerships: early-stage collaborations (pilot).

Status: Upcoming

Funders: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Funding type: Grant

Total fund: £10,000,000

Award range: £250,000 – £750,000

Publication date: 2 February 2023

Opening date: 2 March 2023 9:00am UK time

Closing date: 9 May 2023 4:00pm UK time

Last updated: 9 February 2023

Apply for funding to support ambitious early-stage research business-academic collaborations on their way to becoming strategic partnerships.

Proposals will:

• be business-led but co-created and co-delivered by the industrial and academic partners
• address research areas and challenges based on EPSRC’s strategic delivery plan

We encourage micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) involvement.

Industry contribution will be at least 50% of the total grant value.

EPSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost of the project, which can be up to £750,000, with a maximum duration of 3 years.

We will hold a webinar for this opportunity.

This is a pre-announcement and the information may change.

More information will be available in early March 2023.

For further details visit:

Pre-announcement: Prosperity Partnerships: early-stage collaborations (pilot) – UKRI

Don’t miss out on Eagle Labs next Lunch and Learn event with Amentum on February 27 at noon.

These free sessions have been very popular with some great feedback – places are limited, so please be quick to register.

Business cases and risk management

Business Cases are used to evaluate up the costs and benefits of a suggested course of action or present the argument for a new investment, product, or way of working. 

The business case is therefore often at the core of the decision-making process within an organisation. Learn about the critical elements that make up a successful business case and how risk management tools are used to understand, analyse and mitigate the threats and opportunities to achieving these objectives.’

Food is provided at the event.

Register below:-

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/essential-business-skills-lunch-learn-with-amentum-tickets-529368825407

Join Cumbria LEP at the LEP Conference Centre, Redhills, Penrith on March 2 for a Business Finance Workshop to find out the latest information Cumbria’s businesses need to know about finance, the funding landscape and proposed changes to the tax system.

The event on March 2, 1.30pm-4pm starts with a networking lunch at before guests will hear from our guest speakers on a range of issues. Our speakers will then discuss how they see finance for business working through 2023 and beyond before taking questions from our business attendees.

Agenda:

• 1330 – Arrival and networking lunch;
• 1400 – Welcome and Introductions (Jo Lappin, Cumbria LEP);
• 1410 – The business view (John Coughlan, CLEP Board Member);
• 1415 – The economic context (Jo Lappin, Cumbria LEP);
• 1425 – Funding for businesses strategic overview (Delyth Edwards, British Business Bank & Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund);
• 1440 – What support is there for Cumbrian businesses? (Alison Powell, Growth Company Finance);
• 1455 – R&D Tax Credit system proposals & Capital Allowances (Aaron Larvin, Armstrong Watson);
• 1510 – Supporting our local SMEs (Paul Foster, Cumbria LEP);
• 1520 – Panel discussion and Q&A;
• 1600 – Close.
• REGISTER NOW

iSH was delighted to host Copeland MP Trudy Harrison for a visit earlier this week which included a tour of what will become the iSH Enterprise Campus at Leconfield, Cleator Moor.

As well as discussing the exciting future which iSH and partners are creating for the wider region, iSH was also pleased to be able to showcase two SMEs already achieving regional, national and global success from their bases on Leconfield.

Both Capalex and Forth are proud to provide employment and training locally and to develop the capability of their people. Both also have ambitious plans for the future built on decades of innovation, collaboration and delivering world-first solutions to industry challenges.

These are just two exciting examples of several SMEs, businesses and organisations across West Cumbria which give iSH every confidence in delivering on its mission to facilitate a diverse commercial cluster that harnesses the unique skills of the region and creates sustainable opportunities for the direct benefit of the people of Cumbria and the UK economy.

Our Managing Director John Maddison said: “Our thanks go to Trudy for taking time out of her busy schedule to visit iSH and for taking such a keen interest in our activity to support the regional and national economy and how that in turn benefits our local communities. 

“Thanks also to the teams at Capalex and Forth for sharing their own expertise, innovations and plans which will help drive the area forward and demonstrates the enormous potential of what iSH and partners can achieve at the iSH Enterprise Campus and beyond.”

Trudy Harrison said: “It was fascinating to hear how through collaboration iSH will further develop world-class capability across the region, including from a campus at Leconfield, which will lead to more diverse employment, skills and training opportunities widely accessible to the people of Copeland and which will have a direct benefit to our communities and environment.

“In Capalex and Forth it was also exciting to see first-hand how two innovative businesses – proud to have their bases in Cleator Moor – are achieving success on the national and global stage. Congratulations must go to them and all companies in Copeland who through the expertise and skills of their people, and innovative, solution-focused, forward thinking, are achieving that success and helping the region become known for its industrial capability.

“I was delighted to support Copeland Borough Council’s recent successful bid to the Levelling Up Fund for the iSH Enterprise Campus and look forward to returning in the near future to see how iSH and organisations in the region are continuing to progress at pace and maximising the exciting potential this Government investment brings for the benefit of the whole area.”

iSH Managing Director John Maddison opened up opportunities for future collaboration to help the wider West Cumbria economy when he attended the Nuclear Week in Parliament at the beginning of the month.

John attended four fantastic sessions – the Urenco Global Panel Event: ‘Generation Climate – Embracing the Voices of Youth in Nuclear’ hosted by Virginia Crosbie; Rolls-Royce SMR: ‘Ask an Engineer’ hosted by Stevenson, John; the British Nuclear Showcase Reception hosted by Lord Iain McNicol, and the Skills and Apprenticeships Fair hosted by Charlotte Nichols.

John said: “It was inspirational to see Cumbria so well represented at the careers fair, including some brilliant apprentices and graduates who have benefited from our fantastic network of local colleges. It was great to see them representing their organisations so well at the Houses of Parliament.”

All the events were offered an important opportunity to hear about the vast array of world-class work going on in the nuclear industry across the length and breadth of the country.

iSH looks forward to working with others on how best to move forward with innovation and collaboration, ensuring that there are clear pathways into training and employment and that opportunities are maximised to regenerate communities across West Cumbria.

AN initiative which recently won £40m backing to help create more than 700 jobs across West Cumbria has made its second appointment to its own team.

Hannah Pears, who is passionate about working with partner organisations to give young people the best possible life chances, has joined iSH (the Industrial Solutions Hub) as Education Liaison Officer.

Hannah, from Whitehaven, has spent the last 11 years working to give young people opportunities in education and employment having worked with Northumbria University, University of Cumbria, Lakes College, The University of Law, and Hello Future, a partnership of universities, colleges and employers working to improve access for young people to higher education in Cumbria.

“I am really excited to start with iSH,” said Hannah. “iSH is such an important programme for the people of West Cumbria. It’s great to be involved from the beginning.

“Having worked with many young people through education and outreach, I am passionate that every young person should have the support they need to access opportunities.

“I think in many ways life is getting harder for young people wherever they live.

“Social media comes with its negatives. Youth clubs and youth experiences have been cut to almost non-existent over the last ten years. 

“Young people have also had to experience education turbulence and social disruption during the pandemic.

“Then when you look at West Cumbria where young people can be so isolated because of the infrastructure, you realise that it can be even harder here.

“That’s why I am so determined that young people here should be able to access opportunities and cultural experiences to benefit themselves and the communities around them for the future.

“When I first talked to John Maddison (iSH Managing Director) and Steve Wilkinson (iSH Operations Director) we were talking about robotics and AI and it inspired me.

“I think it’s brilliant that iSH will be helping give young people access to big city opportunities and bringing that to their doorstep and showcasing what the future can hold for them.

“I also love that iSH is all about collaboration. It’s not about doing all of this ourselves. It’s about working with local partnerships and employers to fill in the gaps.

“My role is to make sure that, through collaboration, young people who might otherwise not have had opportunities, will have clear pathways and the support they need to access training and employment that iSH will help create across the region.

“That’s what I will be focusing on and working with other organisations and groups to help make that happen.”

Brought up in Caldbeck, and having attended Caldew School, Dalston, near Carlisle, Hannah has lived in Cumbria and Newcastle.

John Maddison, iSH Managing Director said: “We are delighted to welcome Hannah to the team. She has lots of expertise and experience of helping young people, who might otherwise get overlooked, access opportunities, which is such a vital part of our programme.

“Hannah also brings that energy, enthusiasm and ability to collaborate with other organisations, businesses and individuals, which is the way we work at iSH, mapping the gaps and then working with others to enhance the region’s capability.

“It is an approach which is enabling us to press ahead with initiatives which are bringing opportunities to businesses, organisations and people of all ages in the region.”

Hannah is the second of ten initial appointments iSH is making as it builds its team to deliver a programme to create more than 700 jobs, enabling industry, businesses, academia, and community to come together and collaborate to enhance skills, increase capabilities, and regenerate communities across West Cumbria.

Latest job opportunities with iSH include: Regional Representative, Operations Director, Investment Lead and Senior Project Manager.

There will also be roles for a Project Controls Officer, Business Liaison Officer, Community Liaison Officer and a Project Management Apprentice.

These latest positions come on the back of iSH opening its office in Cleator Moor town centre where it has appointed Lynn Huddart as its Office Manager.

John Maddison said: “As we build our team we will further accelerate our work to bring a range of economic and social benefits to the community through projects which will create training and employment opportunities and have a positive impact on people, the economy, and the environment.

“As with our first two appointments we are looking for people in these latest eight roles who share our passion and ethos for making this happen.”

Last month £20m of Levelling Up Fund investment was awarded by government to Copeland Borough Council for the iSH Enterprise Campus, to fund phase two of redevelopment at Leconfield, Cleator Moor.

iSH is also supported in its activity by funding from Cleator Moor Town Deal Board which, working with Copeland Borough Council, secured a provisional offer of £22.5 million from the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund initiative last year. 

As well as being supported by Copeland Borough Council, iSH is also backed by Sellafield Ltd, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership.