A Lincoln school’s commitment to developing career skills with its pupils is being highlighted at a national conference next month.

The “exemplary” work done by Sir Robert Pattinson Academy will be the focus of one of a number of sessions at the annual Careers Education & Guidance Summit in London.

The academy has been chosen as a leading example of how schools and local business can work together to provide students with valuable skills and experience.

Sir Robert Pattinson’s head teacher Helen Renard, work experience and careers co-ordinator Angela Todd and one of the school’s key supporters Neil Everatt, CEO, of Lincoln-based Software Europe will present their tips on how to engage with employers.

Among the other speakers at the event will be Sam Gyimah MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare; Karen Adriaanse, Ofsted’s National Adviser for Careers Guidance Employability and Joe Billington, Director for the National Careers Service.

The conference in Paddington is designed to give delegates from all over the UK get an understanding of new policy and an opportunity to engage with Ofsted, careers providers, award winning schools and colleges, employers and universities.

Helen Renard said: “We are absolutely delighted to be invited to present at such a prestigious event and equally pleased to be able to do so alongside one of our supporters, Software Europe.

“The school really does put a great deal of commitment and time into helping its pupils prepare for a successful and fulfilling career and providing them with the key skills they will need in the world after education.

“Our partners in the community are crucial to the success of our endeavours and it will be great to showcase how we work together for the benefit of the pupils and local business.”

Neil Everatt, CEO of Software Europe, said: “The partnership between the company and the school has been a very positive experience and has allowed us to support the school and help develop the right skills for the workforce of the future.

“To be able to showcase this growing collaboration to a national audience is exciting and, I hope, will help others across the UK benefit from our knowledge.”

Well-known Lincoln auctioneer Ian Walter has just boosted his already impressive CV – after bringing down the gavel on his most unusual job yet!

In addition to his wealth of experience in land and property matters, the senior partner at JHWalter is now also recognised as the man who auctioned the 25 colourful sculptures which formed the hugely popular Lincoln Barons’ Charter Trail this summer.

Bidders in the packed “saleroom”, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, went wild for the statues and left Ian extremely proud to have raised a staggering £167,000 for the national food bank charity The Trussell Trust.

The trail was one of the highlights of the 800th Anniversary Year of Magna Carta, but 2015 is also a milestone year for JHWalter, as it has seen the firm celebrate 225 years in business.

This feature interview was first published in issue 52 of the Lincolnshire Business weekly magazine, now available to read at www.lincsbusiness.co. Subscribe to the email newsletter to receive the latest edition in your inbox this Friday.

Ian joined the firm in 1978 when he was 23. He went into the office on a Monday morning after his father Colin had died on the previous Friday, aged 51.

The Barons’ Auction marked the latest charity sale conducted by the firm – Ian also auctioned 12 lots at the Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Dinner in Lincoln Cathedral this year, raising £30,000, and stonemasons’ sculptures created during the European Stone Festival, which took place on the Cathedral’s East Lawn in 2013 and raised £50,000.

He uses his most treasured gavel on such occasions and during the firm’s County Property Auctions.

“It was made especially for me and given as a gift by someone who had seen me conducting an auction. I was completely taken aback, but obviously delighted, although I’ve never seen that man again to this day!” said Ian.

So do you actually get a different kind of buzz auctioning Barons to when you are standing in a farmyard in the pouring rain selling tractors, combines or ploughs or rallying rival bidders to shell out good money for an unusual house or prime farm land?

Definitely.

Born for it

“I was born into a family of auctioneers and I am a seventh generation member of our family to be an auctioneer. We have been conducting sales in Lincolnshire since the 1790s, but I’ve certainly never sold anything like the Barons before. It was a unique experience,” said Ian.

“The sale certainly benefited from very good exposure. Many people were automatically sent catalogues and it was great to see the Lincoln Barons raise £167,000, when a concurrent auction of 25 other Barons in Salisbury raised £58,000.

“Before we started, I had no sense at all that they would go for up to £11,000. What I really expected was that the auction would make about £50,000 at the end of the day.

“There was a really good vibe and a fantastic atmosphere in the room as the auction got underway. Naturally, you try to make this sort of event fun. Charity auctions are all about engaging with people and it’s vital to establish an immediate rapport with potential bidders,” said Ian.

“There were a lot of friendly faces in the audience, but also many people I didn’t know. One genuine bidder particularly captured my attention because he kept bidding generously for several barons. I was rooting for him to clinch the last Baron, but he was unfortunately outbid.”

JHWalter sees itself as a key player in the local community. Ian conducts the charity auctions for free and sees them as a way of giving something back.

The full cover interview with Ian Walter is available to read in full here. For the latest dispatch of business news from across Lincolnshire delivered in your inbox every Friday, subscribe to the Lincolnshire Business magazine.

The Select Lincolnshire Food, Drink and Hospitality Awards 2015 – 2016 saw five Lincoln businesses scoop a top prize.

The event, held at the new Riseholme College Showground Campus on October 27, saw Lincoln Tea and Coffee Company, Lincoln Minster School, Angels Desserts, Manor House Stables and The Tower Hotel rise to the top.

The annual awards, run by Select Lincolnshire for Food, recognise and reward the people and businesses behind Lincolnshire’s billion pound food and farming industry.

Angels Desserts received a Highly Commended in the People’s Choice Award following a public vote, it was pipped to the top spot by Manor Farm Shop.

Other Lincoln businesses that achieved Highly Commended awards included Lincoln Minster School for Teaching Establishment of the Year, The Lincoln Tea and Coffee Company for Wholesaler of the Year and The Tower Hotel which collected Highly Commended awards for Hotel of the Year and Venue of the Year.

Uncle Henry’s Farm Shop, just north of Lincoln in Greyingham won Producer of the Year and Retailer of the Year, as well as taking Highly Commended for Tearoom of the Year.

Hemswell Court, at Hemswell Cliff, won Venue of the Year, and Pepperpot Tearoom at Hall Farm Park, South Kelsey near Market Rasen was won Tearoom of the Year.

Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Member for Economic Development, said: “We’ve had some fantastic winners this year, proving yet again that Lincolnshire’s food and drink is some of the best in the world. My congratulations go to the winners, and Select Lincolnshire will continue to do all it can to spread the word about all the county has to offer.”

Gillian Richardson, Business Development Manager for Select Lincolnshire for Food, added: “I would like to congratulate all the winning and highly commended businesses. There is no doubt that what we have in Lincolnshire is among the very best in the UK’s food and farming industry, and it continues to grow from strength to strength every year.

“Winning such a prestigious county award is a great achievement. I would like to thank all the businesses for the valued contribution they make to Lincolnshire’s renowned food, drink and hospitality industry.”

Well-established national retailers could stand side by side with a restaurant or cafe in the new-look Corn Exchange, which is hoped to be completed by Christmas 2016.

Lincolnshire Co-op Chief Executive Ursula Lidbetter was speaking after City of Lincoln Council granted planning permission for phase one of the £12 million Cornhill Quarter redevelopment.

The first phase of development will see the removal of the modern extension surrounding the Corn Exchange, revealing the original building and creating refurbished units for shops and restaurants.

Around five units will be created in the Corn Exchange and the first floor of the Grade II listed building will be brought back into use.

The creation of five units does not necessarily mean that five new businesses will come to the site, as a retailer may wish to lease a number of units.

Ursula said: “We’re open-minded about exactly what businesses would come into the units but what I’d really like to see is a mix of really good retailers that fit with that area and probably a restaurant or a cafe spilling out into the street.

“When you strip off all the modern extensions you could have a cafe culture down there as long as the sun shines which of course it does all the time in Lincoln!”

Work on site could begin in spring 2016, with the Corn Exchange project to be completed by the end of the year at the earliest, and the mid Sincil Street redevelopment hoped to be finished by Christmas 2017.

The mid Sincil Street renovation focuses on numbers 30a to 35 and will introduce another several units to the block.

The buildings will be extended back and within the existing historical facades, new shop fronts will be created.

A walkway will go through number 33, linking to the multi-storey car park being constructed as part of the plans for the transport hub, which was also given planning permission by city councillors at the same meeting on October 28.

Ursula said: “Sincil Street is a wonderful, quirky area, with a mix of national and local traders.

“But it has suffered and needs this investment so we’ve got the bit between our teeth, we’ve got the money in the bank, we’ve now got the planning permission, and we’re raring to go.”

Before plans were approved, the majority of existing tenants in the Corn Exchange Market had identified suitable alternative accommodation for their businesses.

Lincolnshire Co-op has confirmed that agents Banks Long & Co will continue to work with tenants – including the fruit and vegetable traders – and City of Lincoln Council to ensure a smooth transition to new trading locations.

“We’ve been working hard over the last six or seven months with each trader to ensure that they’ve got somewhere to relocate their business,” Ursula added.

“We need the local traders and with more footfall and activity arising from this development, I’m confident that everybody’s business will flourish and prosper.

“So many city centres around the country are really struggling because they haven’t invested and all the business goes out of town.

“We’ve managed to buck that trend and the Cornhill Quarter and the transport hub are an absolutely vital part of making sure that our city centre powers forward and doesn’t fall behind.”

A brand new Bargain Booze off-licence shop will open its doors in Lincoln this weekend with free bottles of wine being offered to its first paying customers.

Businessman Jay Modhvadia, is set to launch the store in Nettleham Shopping Centre, Wolsey Way, Lincoln on Saturday, October 31 at 10am.

The discount drinks retailer will sell a wide range of beers, wines and spirits at up to 10% cheaper than the major supermarkets.

To celebrate its opening, the new store will be giving away a free bottle of Jacob’s Creek wine (187ml) with any purchase for one day only.

Bargain Booze Lincoln will be home to wines from 20 regions, all selected by Bargain Booze’s Master of Wine, Susan McCraith, who travels the globe in search of new and exciting products.

Customers will also be able to pick up to 200 beers, ciders and spirits, including craft ales.

Jay Modhvadia owns a number of Nisa stores in Birmingham and has now taken his expertise into the off-licence retail market.

The new store in Nettleham Shopping Centre will be Jay’s first Bargain Booze and his first store in the area.

He said: “I’m delighted to be part of the Bargain Booze franchise and look forward to serving the local community. The promotions and range of products available at these stores is something that has always appealed to me and I know will also appeal to my customers. From cask ales to award winning wines, there will be something for everyone.

“To celebrate our opening weekend of trading, we will be giving away a free bottle of Jacobs Creek Wine with any purchase for one day only. We look forward to welcoming customers from Saturday.”

Lincolnshire Co-op has given its Washingborough shopping precinct a new lease of life with an investment of nearly £750,000.

Work has seen cladding fitted on buildings, improved paving and lighting and new greenery planted to update the look of the precinct.

The Lincolnshire Co-op food store and pharmacy on site have also undergone renovations to improve the services they are able to offer the local community, while the post office will also benefit from the update.

The food store has been extended, allowing for a greater range of products, while the floor, fixtures, fittings and lighting have been replaced and a new entrance has been created for the shop.

As well as giving the store a fresh new look, the fridges now use a heat reclamation system specially designed to reduce the store’s carbon footprint by using less energy.

Lincolnshire Co-op Store Development Manager Matthew Wilkinson said: “The precinct was due a bit of a facelift and we hope that it will encourage the community here in Washingborough to really make the most of their local shops.”

Close by on the precinct, Lincolnshire Co-op’s Washingborough Pharmacy is also looking fresher, having benefitted from a refit to change the flooring, lighting and shelving as well as new signage both inside and out.

The dispensary has been redesigned and rebuilt to create more work space and storage space for the staff members who work there, allowing them to continue to offer a range of services including health checks and advice.

Accuracy Checking Technician at the pharmacy Clare Burford said: “The pharmacy has always been a nice place to work and now it’s even nicer – our consultation room has been freshened up with a lick of paint and the whole place is more welcoming for our customers.”

A report which has kickstarted Living Wage Week has revealed that at least 70,000 working people in Lincolnshire are earning below the living wage.

Audit, tax and advisory service KPMG stated that 451,000 working people in the East Midlands are paid below the advised living wage (£7.85 outside of London).

The report, published on Monday, November 2, highlighted that 29% of all employees in the county earn less than the living wage – higher than the East Midlands average of 26%.

In Lincoln alone however, the rate is in alignment with the UK average, with 23% earning less than the target rate.

The research showed that while the UK-wide median wage is £11.61, the East Midlands falls behind at £10.60.

The East Midlands areas with the highest proportion of people on less than the living wage are North East Derbyshire at 37%, High Peak with 36% and Mansfield with 36%.

Ian Borley, East Midlands Senior Partner at KPMG, said: “While nationally, the past year has seen an increased awareness of the living wage amongst the UK public and 2000 UK employers now accredited by the living wage Foundation, the picture in Lincolnshire and the East Midlands still lags too far behind.

“Despite an increase in median wage, it can’t be right that 29% of our county’s workers are earning below living wage. And although Lincoln is in line with national average, we have to recognise our county’s workers are spread far beyond our main city.

“With the cost of living still high, the squeeze on household finances remains acute, meaning that the reality for many is that they are forced to live hand to mouth. In Lincolnshire, it is clear that there is still more to be done if we are to eradicate in work poverty, especially in the more rural areas of our region.”

Partners in Lincoln are coming together for Living Wage Week from today, highlighting the benefits employers get from using this rate of pay.

For more information on how to become accredited, people can visit the Lincoln Against Poverty website here.

Councillor Ric Metcalfe, Leader of the City of Lincoln Council said: “I strongly encourage any employers that pay the living wage, or are switching to pay the living wage, to join the register by filling in a simple online form that takes only a few minutes to complete.”

As Living Wage Week kicks off in Lincoln and beyond, organisations and businesses across the city are encouraging employers to get on board with the initiative.

In order to demonstrate the benefits that living wage commitments can bring to businesses, employees and the local economy, the City of Lincoln Council has launched a video featuring employers.

Living Wage Campaign from City of Lincoln Council on Vimeo.

Lincoln Living Wage Forum, a partnership of organisations and businesses across the city commissioned the video to highlight the benefits of using this rate of pay.

The three-minute piece features Kelly Evans, Director of Social Change UK, Reverend Canon John Patrick, Subdean of Lincoln Cathedral; Councillor Ric Metcalfe, Leader of City of Lincoln Council and Angela Andrews, the city council’s Chief Executive, all giving their views on why it’s important to pay the living wage.

Kelly Evans said: “We believe in giving our staff fair pay for their work and the living wage is the best way for us to do that.

“Not only does this show we are an ethical employer, but as a business we’ve seen real benefits from paying staff this way, including greater productivity and our employees taking fewer days off sick.

“I would really encourage anyone who is considering paying the living wage to find out more.”

Reverend Canon John Patrick says in the video: “It’s a matter of fairness and making sure people are given a fair wage. It’s not a matter of luxuries, it’s about the necessities – the basics of life.”

Lincoln Living Wage Forum is currently running a free accreditation scheme that city employers can sign up to.

It works on a three-star rating:

• One star for paying the living wage
• Two stars for paying the living wage and using living wage suppliers, or paying the living wage and employing staff fairly
• Three stars for paying the living wage, using living wage suppliers and employing staff fairly

Councillor Ric Metcalfe said: “The city council made the decision in 2013 to pay all its staff the living wage as a minimum as we believe that not only is it ethically right to do so, but evidence has shown that it brings real benefits to the employer as well.”

Any organisation or business that joins the register, of which there are currently 19, will be sent a window sticker with their appropriate star rating.

For more information on how to become accredited, visit the Lincoln Against Poverty website here.

Earlier on he first day of Living Wage Week, a report was published revealing that at least 70,000 people in the county are earning below the living wage.

Lincoln faired relatively well on the scale, aligning with the national average rate of people signed up to the initiative – 23%.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) is moving its Sleaford headquarters to a Lincoln premises, which was recently given a £1 million makeover.

LCHS opened the Sleaford headquarters at Bridge House, Lions Way, in 2011 but in a bid to move more staff under one roof, is relocating all 127 HQ staff to Lincoln by the end of November.

In total, some 270 staff from Bridge House, Welton House in Lincoln, Greetwell Place in Lincoln and administrative staff from John Coupland Hospital in Gainsborough, will move to Beech House, Lincoln.

Beech House, on Waterside South, has recently seen a £1 million investment from property owners Investors in Lincoln, with work carried out by Lindum Construction.

The trust says no Sleaford services will be affected by the move. The Riversdale Clinic will remain open and staff will still be working in the community in the town.

Andrew Morgan, LCHS Chief Executive, said: “We want to say a very hearty thank you to all of the businesses and the general public of Sleaford for making us feel so welcome here.

“Unfortunately, the building here at Sleaford no longer meets our needs and we are moving staff over to a more suitable building in Lincoln.”

The trust has 2,500 staff who care for thousands of patients every day in community hospitals, health clinics, schools, children’s centres and also deliver care to patients within their own homes.

Suzanne Bradley, Head of Estates and Facilities Management at LCHS, said: “Having more clinical and non-clinical staff in the same building will lead to more joined up working and better lines of communication.

“We can continue with more in-house training and avoid off-site costs.

“We have also invested in an upgraded telephone system which will enable us to reduce call costs and some of the car journeys for staff thanks to the improved technology such as video conferencing.”

Beech House was refurbished through a two-phase project. Phase one saw the ground floor handed over to LCHS in September and phase two saw the first and second floors completed and handed over this week.

Lindum Construction Managing Director Simon Gregory said: “As a local construction company, owned by its employees and employing local contractors, it has been particularly rewarding to be able to use our skills and expertise to reinstate a prominent building in the city such as Beech House.

“Situated on Waterside South, its history starting out as part of the ‘titanic’ works, this building has been brought back into use and now provides modern office facilities with as many of the existing features as possible having retained during the sympathetic renovation and refurbishment works.”

Current 01529 telephone numbers will be automatically transferred to Lincoln numbers for a period of six months. and new numbers will be advertised.

We’re now into Living Wage Week – an annual, UK-wide celebration of the living wage and the employers who pay it.

The city has its own Living Wage Forum and is currently running a Making Lincoln Living Wage campaign, encouraging businesses and organisations to use this rate of pay and bringing all those who do together in an online register.

The household incomes of working families have been firmly in the spotlight in recent times with debates on changes to tax credits and the increased minimum wage level from next April.

The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that firms will recoup the cost of the new minimum wage by reducing staff hours which it believes will have an impact on the lowest income people.

However, we have heard from businesses supporting our Making Lincoln Living Wage campaign that higher salaries can improve the profit margin through greater staff productivity and morale.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies reports some interesting findings from analysis it has conducted:

Working age households currently eligible for benefits or tax credits containing someone in paid work will lose, in net terms, an average of £556 per year, and working families with children eligible for benefits or tax credits will lose an average of £1,127 per year, as a combined result of the tax credit changes / new minimum wage.

The new minimum wage will not compensate households, in aggregate, from losses ensuing from benefits changes. This is because the estimated gain from the new minimum wage, after tax, is £3.5bn, but £12.5bn will be cut from the benefits bill.

The average losses from tax and benefit changes in deciles 2, 3 and 4 (some of the poorest tenths of the population) were £1,340, £980 and £690 per year, respectively. In the ‘better case’ estimates, these same groups are estimated to gain a much lower £90, £120, and £160 from the new minimum wage.

There are a number of sectors of employment in Lincoln that fall into the category of being traditionally low paid, and while the city-wide Growth Strategy aims to create jobs across a range of sectors and pay levels, there is a way that employers can do their bit now to help address the issue of low pay.

That’s by paying their staff the living wage – an hourly rate (£7.85 outside of London) that’s calculated on covering the cost of a decent minimum standard of living.

Evidence shows that not only does it benefit the employee, it also gives real benefits to the employer with lower sickness rates, increased productivity, substantial cost savings on recruitment and induction training, significantly lower rates of staff turnover and showing a business or organisation to be an ethical employer.

The city council has been a living wage employer since 2013 as we believe that not only is it the right thing to do, but that no-one deserves less than a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

If you want to know more about the living wage there’s a host of information on our website here.

Living Wage Campaign from City of Lincoln Council on Vimeo.

They say diamonds are forever, and in jewellery tycoon John Greed’s eyes the appeal of a timeless product is the key to success. With a booming online enterprise and enviable prowess as an innovator in retail, he must be doing something right — as his Lincoln-based company is looking at a turnover this year of £12 million.

John Greed Jewellery Ltd, which stems back to 1991 when John arrived in Lincoln with £100 and a pushbike, now employs 50 members of staff and sells 4,000 units a day at its Firth Road warehouse in the city. The company is one of the biggest jewellery retailers in the UK with a flagship Lincoln store, coupling in-demand brands with iconic in-house designs.

This feature interview was first published in issue 53 of the Lincolnshire Business weekly magazine, now available to read at www.lincsbusiness.co. Subscribe to the email newsletter to receive the latest edition in your inbox this Friday.

With further expansion on the horizon, 48-year-old John describes his online operation as a “fairy tale”, and he thanks the virtual world of the internet for the rapidity of his business’ growth. Savvy initiatives in marketing brands like Pandora have seen the firm outsell even the retailer itself. But the products of John’s designer eye weren’t always accessories.

Brought up in Twickenham, John went to boarding school at Christ’s Hospital in Horsham. He then became a student in product design at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts in London. On finishing his degree he became a model maker in London before taking his skill across the continent, all the while holding on to a trusted bicycle as a semi-professional.

“I met some amazing people,” he said. “I cycled across Europe twice, hitchhiking at night and living hand to mouth.” Coming into contact with some of the richest people in the world, John learned some motivating outlooks. “If you live in the Mediterranean and you want to commision a billion pound boat, you’re not going to see anything for two or three years, so what you want is to show your mates a model. Making models for extremely rich people, I would be invited to lots of parties. What I picked up was there was an attitude of ‘anything is possible. Just do it and send me the invoice later.’

“So I thought ‘I’ll do a bit of that’. Even now I don’t see anything holding me back. I just do it.”

An appetite for innovation

Without hesitation, John names Pandora as his biggest competitor, despite getting his big break from the brand. “We have a strange relationship. They rely on us, we rely on them. I buy the stock from them but they are our closest competitors, we are their closest competitors. I’ve still sold more Pandora online than they have and yet they are Pandora. What’s key though, is I don’t want to become my competitor.”

It was John’s skills in creative solutions and data mining that led to an idea that he says is his solution to the next “big thing in jewellery” – personalisation. “Not on the High Street have come from nowhere in the last five years. Why? Because of personalisation. Personalised products sell well because someone parts with their cash when that product is worth more than their cash. It’s an enhanced product, and it makes business sense because it doesn’t cost the producer much.

“Twenty years ago I’d have sat here hand stamping bracelets, but for my business now I need quantities of thousands a week to make it work. I have a lot of experience in machines and making things work, so we designed lasers, got them made in China and imported them back here. I designed and created the tooling and the work flows, so now for example I engrave Pandora beads and our own stuff using lasers on a scale that you just couldn’t imagine.

“Others have tried it. My competitors have wasted lots of money having a go, and I’m sure they will, but I’m not standing still either. By the time they manage to do it I’ll be another milestone down the road.”

Read the full interview in issue 53 of the Lincolnshire Business weekly magazine and find out about John’s one big career regret.

All previous issues are now available to read at www.lincsbusiness.co. Subscribe to the email newsletter to receive the latest edition in your inbox this Friday.

Lincolnshire Co-op’s 244,000 society members are in line for an increased dividend payout after the organisation noted an 11% rise in profits across its businesses.

A positive trading year in the 2014/15 period saw sales rise by £6.6 million to £293 million and profits, before payments to members, go up by £2.2 million to £20.9 million.

Members who go to the society’s annual meetings in November will be asked to approve a dividend bonus of 85p per £1 of dividend collected during the year.

If given the go-ahead, members will share £1.56 million on top of the £1.83 million paid out during the year – a total of £3.39 million. It’s an average return of 3.1% to each member on the value of their shopping.

During the year, the society’s net assets grew and now stand at £282 million. Lincolnshire Co-op also paid two profit share bonuses to its 2,800 staff, totalling an extra week and a half’s wages.

Sales were up by 4.3% across the society’s 83 food stores, with its own bakers Gadsby’s based in Southwell, recording an increase of 7.4%. The Love Local range, which features local meat and goods from small producers, saw sales rise by 11%.

Pharmacy teams in the Co-op’s 48 outlets dispensed 5.2 million prescriptions and income went up by 4.4%. Sales in the society’s 13 travel branches grew by over 9%.

In addition, income from the society’s 18 funeral homes, the florist and crematorium rose by 13.1%.

Some £17 million was re-invested into outlets and property – including 40 refurbishments and the new Tritton Road Funeral Home in Lincoln, new food stores in Dunholme, Newark, Washingborough Holbeach and Worksop, plus a relocated travel branch in Louth and post office in Holton le Clay.

Lincolnshire Co-op’s Community Champions scheme links Dividend Card holders to good causes near them. Every time members shop, a donation goes to that group. This year, 694 organisations shared in £184,000 raised by the scheme.

Some 814 Co-op staff volunteered during the year, giving a total of 7,596 hours to the community.

Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Co-op Ursula Lidbetter said: “We’re proud to be a co-operative and our continued success enables us to pay our members a good dividend, which is their share of the profits.

“We’re really delighted that more people are joining Lincolnshire Co-op too – this year we welcomed more than 19,700 new Dividend Card holders, bringing our total membership to over 244,000 local people.

“A positive performance also means we can reinvest in our services and in our communities. Trading conditions are tough out there. To record such a good result despite that is exceptional and I’d like to thank all of our hard working staff and our members and customers, who continue to support their local co-op.”

A new £1 million expansion for Lincoln Security has seen the company move to a bigger premises and take on seven new staff after outgrowing its previous office.

As part of the move, the company also created a Trade Counter for trade and domestic customers, which launches on November 9 and will stock a wide range of security and related products. This will help the company to deal with a bigger flow of customers and will provide an extra presence within the city.

Although the store will remain on Lincoln High Street, all other operations including administration, finance and engineering will now reside at the new head office on Whisby Way in the newly renovated 12,000 sq ft building.

The new office is now able to offer a modern working environment and showroom facility for customers.

The company has also been developing a new, innovative product called eLOQ after being awarded a two year government grant from Innovate UK. eLOQ is a smart key system, which provides access control and audibility without the need for power in the locks.

Peter Corlett, Marketing & Business Development Manager of Lincoln Security, said: “We work with the University of Lincoln to develop software for our new product called eLOQ , we now have two software developers full-time, an entirely new venture for the company. This product will allow the company to enter new market sectors and compete against the few manufactures who offer a similar product.

“This partnership received financial support from the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships programme (KTP). KTP aims to help businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge technology and skills that reside within the UK knowledge base. KTP is funded by Innovate UK along with the other government funding organisations.”

For the latest dispatch of business news from across Lincolnshire delivered in your inbox every Friday, subscribe to the Lincolnshire Business magazine.

Business-minded young people in Lincolnshire began a new journey to growing their talents with the help of already experienced talents at the new EBP Mini Exec Club.

On Wednesday, November 4, 20 young people from a range of Lincolnshire schools attended a dinner at The DoubleTree by Hilton in Lincoln and each was introduced to a mentor from a local business.

The new Mini Exec Club is an idea born out of the Exec Club – a bi-monthly networking dinner organised by Streets Chartered Accountants and Langleys Solicitors LLP.

Twenty senior directors of local companies were involved.

Lincolnshire schools were invited to nominate a young person to attend the event and be paired with a chief executive, who was their host for the evening.

The young people had the opportunity to talk to their allocated partner about their particular industry and ask general questions about the world of work.

At the end of the evening, the young person and the business mentor discussed how to continue their relationship through telephone calls, by email, with visits to the workplace, support with university and job applications and a work experience placement.

The EBP gave advice to the businesses on working with young people and on good safeguarding practice. A follow-up dinner is planned for June 2016.

Elaine Lilley, chief executive of The EBP said: “This is a great opportunity for the worlds of business and education to interact, and to give young people an insight into the world of work.

“I am hugely grateful to members of The Exec Club for their willingness to give up their valuable time to support the project, which is part of a wider drive to nurture and retain local talent and tackle skills shortages in the county.

“To this end, The EBP has recently launched a new service called ‘Communitree’, which offers a recruitment service to local employers by sourcing and shortlisting young people for jobs.

“Communitree staff will coach the candidates in appearance and dress code, punctuality & time management, written & oral communication skills, attitude and initiative, customer service, teamwork, writing CVs and cover letters and interview skills.”

Companies interested in getting involved with initiatives to develop employable young people in Lincolnshire should contact Laura Hopton at The EBP on 01522 5741113 or email laura.hopton@eblo.org.uk.

For the latest dispatch of business news from across Lincolnshire delivered in your inbox every Friday, subscribe to the Lincolnshire Business magazine.

Some people dream of the days when they will be able to finish their final day of work before going into retirement to concentrate on their hobbies, or just spend time with their significant other exploring the world. John Clugston, 77, is not one of these people.

Still dedicating his life to the family business, Clugston Group, after starting as the third generation in 1958, he has put his heart and soul into not only his work but the 20 plus different institutes and organisations that he has been a member of or invested in.

Clugston Group has grown and adapted over the 77 years that it has been going, in a battle to change and survive through difficult times. Consisting of several different branches, the group now operates in construction, distribution and commercial property.

This feature interview was first published in issue 54 of the Lincolnshire Business weekly magazine, now available to read at www.lincsbusiness.co. Subscribe to the email newsletter to receive the latest edition in your inbox this Friday.

“We’re in tough industries,” said John. “When you see the results of some of these big construction companies this last year or so they haven’t been making any money, you look back at it and think ‘why aren’t they?’

“I think that when the recession came, they just weren’t buying work. We didn’t either and we suffered. We suffered badly for a year and we had to make 200 people redundant. But we survived it!”

John’s grandfather set up a builders’ merchants, timber and joinery business and transport company, JG Clugston Ltd, in 1922. But when all the iron and steelworks in Scunthorpe closed down in 1924, the company was invited to work on one of the slag banks to help create employment on road construction for the town.

John’s father realised that slag had huge potential for something that was seen as a waste product at the time, so he created Clugston Cawood in 1937. This is where John started his career, working for his father but also working in steelworks in Germany and France from 1958.

“I grew up in the slag industry, taking blast furnace slag from the steelworks and developing products for it. It was a waste product in the ’30s. It was only then that we got into it, because it was waste. No one wanted it.”

The test of time

Clugston Group is a company that has made its mark in history, playing its own part during WWII. It took on simple contracting work, such as erecting poles in large fields to stop enemy gliders landing, as well as the construction of air-raid shelters and the building of anti-glare pits.

John worked his way up the company starting as Assistant to Works Manager on production matters in 1961 and becoming Chairman of various divisions of the company until eventually he became Chairman and Managing Director of Clugston Holdings Ltd (now Clugston Group Ltd) in 1984.

Within this time the company has grown significantly. Contracts now include schools, hospitals, reinforced concrete reservoirs, supermarkets and much more. But having gone through several recessions, John has done well to continue the growth of the company.

“When there’s a recession, it’s always the construction industry that goes into it first and it’s always the last one out. We’ve had our ups and downs with the company and lost money in some years. We hadn’t been doing very well in the last few years with transport but I think we’ve got it right now.

“As life’s gone on, a lot of the steel plants have closed. We’d been in construction all of our life, but in a small way during the war. It got to the stage where we said ‘we’re going to have to concentrate on construction.’

“One has to adapt. That’s the point. I think we’ve done remarkably well to survive it all as a private company.”

The full cover interview with John Clugston is available to read in full here. For the latest dispatch of business news from across Lincolnshire delivered in your inbox every Friday, subscribe to the Lincolnshire Business magazine.

Staff at a Lincoln-based agriculture and groundcare firm say business has been affected after a group of travellers pitched up on their site.

Three caravans arrived at Spaldings Ltd off Sadler Road at just before 1pm on Wednesday, November 11.

Lincolnshire Police officers attended the scene and were made aware that the group had trespassed on the business’ car park.

The firm say they are in conversations with the group and have advised them to vacate by midday on Thursday, November 12.

David Fox, Spaldings Ltd Chief Executive said: “We are continuing to trade as usual and are in speaking with the owners of the caravans with the views to move them on by lunch time today.

“The arrival of three caravans and around 15 people disrupted business between lunchtime yesterday and this morning.

“We have also had to bring in extra security, which does come at a cost to the business.

“We are hoping to convince them to leave without getting into legal proceedings.”

Lincolnshire Police are aware and dealing with the situation under incident number 202.

HM Revenue & Customs has announced that 137 offices, including two in Lincoln, will close in a bid to save £100 million by 2025.

The offices to close will be replaced by 13 new regional centres, with the one in the East Midlands to be based in Nottingham.

The HMRC centres at Cromwell House off Crusader Road, and Lawress Hall in Riseholme employ around 170 full-time equivalent staff between them, with some of their jobs potentially at risk from the restructuring.

HMRC said that it expects the majority of staff to be able to move from their current offices to a regional centre, and is phasing the moves over 10 years in order to minimise redundancies.

However, the department will aim to have fewer staff in the future as it streamlines how it works and uses the best of modern technology to reduce costs.

Lin Homer, HMRC’s Chief Executive, said: “HMRC has too many expensive, isolated and outdated offices. This makes it difficult for us to collaborate, modernise our ways of working, and make the changes we need to transform our service to customers and clamp down further on the minority who try to cheat the system.

“The new regional centres will bring our staff together in more modern and cost-effective buildings in areas with lower rents.”

The PCS union said that 11,000 full-time equivalent staff posts had been cut from HMRC since 2010 and any further cuts would be “absolutely devastating.”

PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said: “Closing this many offices would pose a significant threat to the operation of HMRC, its service to the public and the working lives of staff, and the need for parliamentary scrutiny of the plans is undeniable and urgent.”

Stephen Herring, Head of Taxation at the Institute of Directors, was more positive about the proposals, adding: “Automation, digitisation and the roll-out of online filing have been huge steps forward in the way businesses and individuals pay their tax.

“Online filing is considerably cheaper for businesses, requires less oversight and can be more secure – we should welcome the fact that our tax collectors have recognised how to get more bang for their buck by embracing the technology available to them.

“HMRC is not immune from the need to reduce government spending.”

The doors of a new Lincolnshire Co-op food store in Wragby were opened on Friday, November 13 after a £1.5 million relocation.

Replacing the former shop on Market Place, the new Lincoln Road store has seen the 14-strong team joined by three new members of staff.

The purpose-built food store will have a much bigger range of products for customers as well as a new in store bakery and an ATM.

It will be open from 7am until 10pm seven days a week.

A car park, just off Poacher’s Chase, has 17 spaces for shoppers and the society has also made improvements to the Lincoln Road bus stop.

The new store has a unique look which aims to mirror the barns on the site and was designed by local architects Framework.

Lincolnshire Co-op has also turned one of the barns on the corner of the site into a retail unit to let.

Children from Wragby Primary School sang carols at the store’s official opening on the evening of Thursday, November 12 – also getting the chance to meet the society’s new teddy bear mascot.

Lincolnshire Co-op’s Store Development Manager Matthew Wilkinson said: “We’re really pleased to be investing in Wragby to bring the community a brand new food store.

“We know our many loyal customers will be looking forward to using the new store which offers a bigger range, easier parking and a pleasant shopping experience.”

A family waste oil firm has completed a partnership deal which has seen it move its business to a brand new Lincoln depot.

Lincolnshire Waste Oil Ltd, which has run waste oil transportation jobs from its South Hykeham yard to Hull since 2000, has entered a joint venture with RE:Group of Hull to expand its service.

The company has opened a licensed waste transfer station on Lincoln’s Whisby Way, where waste oil collected from Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties is bulked up into storage tanks for collection before processing at RE:Group’s recovery operation.

The 3,000 sq ft depot with storage tanks, a yard and offices will have the capacity to store 120,000 litres of oil on site, plus 20 tonnes of solid waste.

Lincolnshire Waste Oil managing director Rob Donald said: “The logistics of the new facility frees up a lot of extra time to spend on collections offering an economical and convenient way to dispose of used oil and other waste.

“Large quantities of waste oil are out there with the potential to damage the environment if incorrectly handled. Our service can give customers peace of mind that the waste is being consigned in full compliance with UK legislation.”

Rob started Lincolnshire Waste Oil in 2000 and his sons, Tom, 28, and Ben, 26, having joined the business over the last few years as it has expanded. To complete the family firm, his wife, Charmaine, is the company secretary.

Collections are from businesses, ranging from factories and oceangoing ships, to farms and owner operators, such as small garages.

As part of a management programme for associated hazardous industrial and garage waste, Lincolnshire Waste Oil also deals with antifreeze, brake fluid, oily water and paint, and solid waste such as oil filters, aerosols and lead acid batteries.

“As part of our service we can supply containers in a range of sizes for customers to fill with this additional waste,” added Rob.

“We make frequent collections from some customers while for others, such as farmers, it may be once every few years.

“The joint venture is a major step forward in our company’s development.”

The 10 Lincolnshire councils that have combined forces for an “ambitious” devolution proposal will consider creating a joint committee to oversee the next stages in the application.

As previously reported, the Greater Lincolnshire authorities submitted a bid for a multi-million pound devolution settlement on September 4.

The councils involved in the application include all seven Lincolnshire district councils, Lincolnshire County Council, plus North and North East Lincolnshire Council.

The proposals could see the county receive more powers and responsibilities in a similar devolution settlement to Greater Manchester last year.

Councillors behind the project have claimed that the settlement would grow the value of the Greater Lincolnshire economy by £8 billion, creating 29,000 new jobs in the process.

Some of the specific powers sought include:

• The transfer of the commissioning of prison services to local political control
• Powers to apply a discounted fuel duty scheme to support transport in rural areas
• Amendment to the Highways England programme to invest in transport routes in the region
• Decision-making for local school funding and power to reshape and re-structure Further Education provision
• Enhanced powers for councils in regards to housing, to deliver 100,000 new homes across the region
• Tax incentives for agri-food businesses and the steel industry
• Devolution of the range of commissioning resources that support the health and wellbeing including the resources of Public Health England, NHS England and Health Education England

Liz Redfern, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council and political spokesperson for governance in the Greater Lincolnshire Devolution Proposals, said that a joint committee of the local authorities could be established for the next stage of the devolution programme.

She said: “The remit of this joint committee will be to have oversight of the continuing discussions with government, develop the governance arrangements and to operate as the “Greater Lincolnshire Leadership Board” – leading the accelerated growth agenda, in partnership with the LEPs.

“This rightly has to be discussed by all 10 councils so a paper proposing that a governance review be conducted to determine the best governance arrangements to implement devolved powers from government is being taken to council meetings in each authority between now and Christmas.”

Since the bid was submitted, representatives from Greater Lincolnshire have met the Minister of State for Local Government, Marcus Jones MP, to press their case more forcefully.

Baroness Redfern added: “The minister welcomed the scale of the area’s ambitions, indicated the government’s intent to pursue such a deal and invited further purposeful negotiations to bring it about.

“Since then work has continued looking at the specific themes in the proposal, holding discussions with civil servants from relevant government departments and looking at arrangements that need to be in place if we are able to proceed with our ambitious plans.

“These governance reviews will take place in the new year whilst discussion with government on a possible devolution deal continues.”

North Lincolnshire Council will be the first authority to consider the governance proposals on November 10, with Lincolnshire County Council the last to decide on December 18.

If the bid is successful, powers could start to be devolved from as early as 2017.

Click here to read the Greater Lincolnshire Devolution Proposal in full.