The Business Magazine - South West & West Midlands

NPK Recovery poised to advance fertiliser aims with Bristol Pride event 🏳️🌈🌱 NPK Recovery, a start-up from University of the West of England, will be collecting pee at this year's Bristol Pride in a bid to turn it into a sustainable fertiliser. The aim is to transform the waste product into something to address some of the problems facing the agricultural sector, including rising costs and low yields from synthetic fertilisers and to use this as a potential model at other large-scale events. The company will collect around 2,000 litres of urine from Bristol Pride, a music festival, which celebrates the LGBT+ community, before using it for testing and development. Turning it into fertiliser involves introducing bacteria that unlocks nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and other nutrients within it so it can be absorbed by crops. "The price of fertiliser has shot up in the last couple of years and the UK’s last remaining fertiliser factory closed in 2022," said Hannah Van Den Bergh, founder of NPK Recovery, which is based at UWE Bristol's enterprise and innovation centre Future Space. Continue reading... https://lnkd.in/eCurGS_P #technology #innovation #agriculture #pride #bristolpride #events #businessnews #businessintelligence

Best of Coventry and Warwickshire showcased at Champions event 💪🏆 Coventy and Warwickshire's world-wide business impact was celebrated at the latest Champions event, which saw over 130 delegates gather at the Butts Park Arena in Coventry. Chris Allen, managing director of London electric vehicle company London EV Company (LEVC), which makes the iconic black cab, and is owned by Chinese conglomerate GEELY, said the region's global automotive reputation was as strong as ever. He said that colleagues in East Asia hold the West Midlands, which is home to the majority of the automotive experts in the UK, in high regard for its "manufacturing prowess". Lisa Hughes, chief financial officer for the Royal Shakespeare Company, also talked about the company’s presence in America and its work helping UK schoolchildren access Shakespeare. She also spoke about... Continue reading... https://lnkd.in/e5D_XQma Keystone Project Solutions, Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, PLMR Advent , Coventry Rugby Club #champions #events #awards #ukbusiness #growth #businessnews #businessintelligence

Bristol's machine learning chipmaker Graphcore bought by SoftBank Group Corp. 🤖🏦 Bristol's Graphcore, which makes artifical intelligence (AI) chips, has been bought by Japan's investment titan SoftBank for an undisclosed sum, it emerged on Friday. It is the latest UK tech company to be bought by SoftBank, which acquired in 2016, the Cambridge-based chip designer Arm for £24 billion. Graphcore will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of SoftBank and continue to operate under the Graphcore name. Graphcore co-founder and CEO Nigel Toon said... Continue reading... https://lnkd.in/eupPYu4g #technology #innovation #AI #finance #banking #accounting #manufacturing #engineering #businessnews #businessintelligence

Richborough unveils Cotswold Oak Ltd. as partner for Worcestershire development 🏘️🤝 Worcestershire-based construction firm Cotswold Oak is poised to develop up to 40 new homes at a site in Kempsey in the county following a land sale. Land promoter Richborough, announcing Cotswold Oak as development partner, said it followed a competitive tender process and the site, off Brookend lane, would include accessible green spaces and natural play areas. "Congratulations to Cotswold Oak and the landowner on this exciting sale," said Hannah Deverell, disposals director at Richborough. "We are especially pleased that Cotswold Oak is Worcestershire-based and can’t wait to see the new homes taking shape. Huge thanks go to our in-house team and supporting consultants for their efforts in bringing this scheme forward, including our planning, technical and urban design specialists. Continue reading... https://lnkd.in/e4UJ4ehG #reveal #announcement #property #construction #development #housebuilder #residentialproperty #realestate #businessnews #businessintelligence

Worcester engineering firm takes lease on new premises, negotiated by GJS Dillon Commercial Property Consultants ⚙️🏢 Worcester engineering firm Herriott Precision Ltd has moved into its first business premises in Martley - a 1,558 sq ft modern industrial unit. The company, which provides solutions to clients across multiple industries, including medical, aerospace , oil and gas and renewables, has taken a five year lease on the site, negotiated by Roy Wilkes at GJS Dillon, on behalf of a private investor. Herriott Precision was established five years ago by Joshua Herriott, who has an extensive background in precision engineering. He said... Continue reading... https://lnkd.in/e8tWRZq9 #engineering #manufacturing #property #commercialproperty #realestate #negotiation #businessnews #businessintelligence

Cheltenham law firm announces two new hires ⚖️🤝 Growing Cheltenham law firm Frank Smith & Co Solicitors has boosted its wills, trusts and probate department with two new hires. Experienced solicitor Sue Senkbeil has been appointed alongside legal executive Michele Bysouth. Together, they boast more than 35 years in private client law. Sue said: "The firm's values of taking a friendly yet professional and pragmatic approach align directly with my own, so I have no doubt that it will be a seamless transition during which I can offer clients clear and helpful advice in a sensitive and understanding manner. "I have been in law for a long time, so have had plenty of time to hone my skills and develop an expert knowledge on a range of areas, in particular wills, trusts and probate. I am excited to put that knowledge to good use but also to learn from and work with an impressive team." Michele has over 15 years of experience in law and eight years working specifically in wills, trusts and probate. She said... Continue reading... https://lnkd.in/e2_5kXZP #law #legal #announcement #jobs #careers #recruitment #hiring #solicitor #businessnews #businessintelligence

Royal Agricultural University report puts cultured meat under the spotlight 🥩🔍 A new report from a team led by the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, has shown how using by-products from farming could scale up cultured meat production and bring down costs. This type of agriculture sees meat produced by culturing animal cells in a lab. Simple forms of such meat like mince and nuggets are already possible. The report entitled 'Culture Clash? What cultured meat could mean for UK farming' looked at various issues and the university team partnered with nine UK farms to explore what cultured meat mean might mean for them. It also investigated the threats and opportunities as seen by a wide range of UK farmers. "The environmental cost of meat production globally means we need to throttle back, and widening the range of safe, tasty, and affordable alternatives to traditional meat can help," said Professor Tom MacMillan, Elizabeth Creak Chair in Rural Policy and Strategy at the RAU, who led the study. Continue reading... https://lnkd.in/eT8HQGbk #report #meat #food #research #science #technology #innovation #education #businessnews #businessintelligence

West Midlands small businesses secure over £120M equity investment last year 💼🤝 A total of 71 small business equity deals worth over £120 million were completed in the West Midlands in 2023, according to the British Business Bank's annual small business equity tracker. The figure was 21% less than in 2022 but this was reflected across the overall UK market, where equity investment for small businesses has returning to 2019 (pre-pandemic) levels, following record levels in 2021 and 2022. Notably, the West Midlands accounts for a higher share of Bank-supported deals than deals across the overall equity market. "Despite an overall downturn in the equity finance market and continued challenges involving the higher interest rates, the Bank is encouraged to still see such a strong desire for business growth and entrepreneurship across a variety of sectors in the past year," said Tracy Sherratt, senior manager, UK Network West Midlands at the British Business Bank. Continue reading... https://lnkd.in/efxwVHQx #smallbusiness #SME #finance #funding #investing #equity #ukbusiness #businessnews #businessintelligence

South West tech leaders gather in Bristol to discuss sector's future ⚙️🤝 Scores of participants were at this year's Tech Leaders’ Summit in Bristol in the wake of the General Election to outline a roadmap for the sector in the south west region. Held in Clifton, the summit on July 9, was organised by regional cluster Tech South West and built on work on the Look South West prospectus - the first such document for the South West of England tech sector. According to the prospectus, net zero technology including marine, agritech, biotech, clean energy and environmental science in the region generates £24.1bn turnover, while South West startups are 17% more likely to be operating after five years than those based in London. The event featured discussion groups and workshops and delegates formed action plans, focusing on things like investment, net zero, and a response to the new Government, ahead of a live vote to understand priorities. Continue reading... https://lnkd.in/eW5gxBxA #technology #innovation #leadership #future #forecast #businessnews #businessintelligence

Small businesses cheered by Cheltenham Zero Business grant funding 💼🪙 Innovative small businesses in Cheltenham have received a share of £120,000 of funding to improve their energy efficiency, reduce carbon and save money. The 19 SMEs, which were successfully awarded the money from the Cheltenham Zero Business Fund, all focus on a diverse range of projects. A full list can be seen HERE. One successful applicant was Beechurst Serviced Apartments | Certified B Corporation ®. Angie Petkovic from the firm said the grant would be put to "good use as part of our capital expenditure in our infrastructure, supporting us with energy and carbon saving measures". "These include extending our solar panel array and battery facilities, solar-enabling our hot water system, and looking at centralised controls for heating for example." Continue reading... https://lnkd.in/edskxcW4 Cheltenham Borough Council, Leckhampton Surgery, Albright IP Limited, Purslane Restaurant #smallbusiness #SME #ukbusiness #finance #funding #investing #businessnews #businessintelligence