315 issue 14

315°

THE RDA MAGAZINE JAN 2008 ISSUE 14

LIVERPOOLTAKES OFF!

Curtain rises on Liverpool 08

CONTENTS

THE THIRD DEGREEBeverley Hughes

BUSINESSLessons in healthy eatingStart-up support scheme launchedDaresbury reaches enterprise milestone Generating energy solutionsSupport for overseas tradeForum to promote culture of enterprise

SKILLS AND EDUCATIONTraining ground for knowledge economyReconnecting to the workplace

PEOPLE AND JOBSWarrington targets smart growthERDF funding aids drive for prosperityCelebrating the region’s diversity

INFRASTRUCTURELiverpool Arena takes centre stage

QUALITY OF LIFECurtain rises on Liverpool 08 celebrationsBlackpool bids for dance capital fameBuilding on what the Romans gave us

REGULARSPeople in the regionEvent highlightsGetting in touch

HIGHLIGHTS

HEALTHY EATINGThe Chefs Adopt a School programme, founded by the Academy of Culinary Arts, is helping to teach and influence a new generation about healthy food.

GOING GLOBALThe NWDA and UKTI are spearheading a new bid to boost export activity within the region’s key business sectors, offering support to help them compete on theinternational stage.

MOVING AHEADWarrington has opened a new chapter as a growth engine by unveiling a £2.7 billion regeneration action plan to transform the business, retail, social and cultural profile of the town.

OUR VISION:‘A dynamic, sustainable international economy which competes on the basis of knowledge, advanced technology and an excellent quality of life for all.’’

315° CONTACTS

Editor Trevor [email protected]

NWDARachel Ormandyemail: [email protected]: 01925 400 237visit www.nwda.co.uk &www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com

http://www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com/

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

CREATING A LEGACY

As I enter my final year as NWDA Chairman, 2008 is already proving to be an exciting and memorable year for England’s Northwest.

Liverpool’s Capital of Culture celebrations are now firmly underway, with an outstanding opening weekend which saw the newly completed Echo Arena Liverpool hosting ‘Liverpool – The Musical’. This was just one of a number of successful events that have already taken place in the city as part of the year’s celebrations, including the Turner Prize and the Liverpool Nativity, which setthe standard for what I am sure will be a successful year for both Merseysideand the region.

Capital of Culture will create major economic benefits for the whole of the Northwest. It is estimated that this year alone, an additional £100 million will be generated for the Northwest economy in visitor spend and it is vital that we capitalise on this.

Our sub-regions are playing their part in supporting this aim through a series of themed events building on their own unique strengths. With Manchester hosting several world-class sporting events this year, the city has crowned 2008 the Year of Sport, whilst Cumbria is celebrating a Year of Adventure. Cheshire is highlighting its green heritage through a Year of Gardens and Taste Lancashire 08 is also putting the spotlight on the county’s growing food and drink culture.

Of course, 2008 will also be an important year for the NWDA and I will be ensuring that we deliver on our priorities for this year.

Since my appointment as NWDA Chairman in 2002, I have made a personal commitment to ensuring strong progression of the Agency’s role in driving real and lasting change for our economy. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved as an Agency and as a region.

The Agency now has a strong focus on providing strategic leadership and ensuring delivery of the transformational actions outlined in the Regional Economic Strategy (RES). This approach has led to tangible results being achieved in a number of key areas, including facilitating major developments in our science and knowledge base, building a strong education infrastructure and driving growth across key business sectors. We must not lose momentum as 2008 brings new opportunities to create further economic benefits for the region.

One significant area for the Agency will be the management of the £521 million European Regional Development Fund programme in the Northwest. This is a considerable new role for the Agency and will be vital in ensuring that ERDF investments support the priorities set out in the RES.

The government’s Sub-National Review also presents us with new challenges as we work towards an integrated regional strategy for economic development, planning, housing and transport.

Meanwhile, across our business agenda a key area of focus will be to continue to simplify business support. The establishment of Business Link Northwest was a major milestone in this area, however it is important that we continue to make it easier for businesses to access relevant, timely business support in the region.

These are just some of the priorities and challenges for the year ahead, however there are many more which will make working together as a region ever more relevant.

I am committed to leaving a strong legacy for the region to build on beyond 2008 and I am convinced that by working in partnership, we will continue to create real transformational change.

Bryan Gray, Chairman,January 2008

THE THIRD DEGREE

BEVERLEY HUGHES

With strong family, education and career links to the region Beverley Hughes is well suited to her role as the new Minister for the North West. She was formerly Leader of Trafford MBC before being elected to Parliament in 1997 as MP for Stretford and Urmston and has held numerous government appointments. She is also Minister for Children, Young People and Families.

This is the first time the Northwest has had its own Minister. How do you see your role?It’s very important to see my appointment as part of the broader Sub-National Review (SNR) changes aimed at improving economic growth, narrowing the gap in performance between individual regions and recalibrating the roles and responsibilities of RDAs, local authorities and other partners. There is a need for enhanced clarity and accountability and we can achieve this through each region having its own Select Committee and dedicated Minister.

What are the key things you can deliver for the Northwest?I see my role as championing all the good things the Northwest has to offer, a kind of regional ambassador in Whitehall. Conversely it’s about letting the region know what government is thinking and doing. I also see myself as the glue or driver for promoting partnership working right across the public, private and voluntary sectors. My priorities will be getting the most out of the SNR, reducing the performance gap with the South East regions and focusing on two issues that really concern me – worklessness, which is a significant problem in parts of the region, and health inequalities, which can act as a drag anchor for people wanting to contribute to the economy.

The government has announced there is to be a single integrated strategy for each region. What does that involve and who will manage the process?We are working towards that being the format in 2010 so we have some time to prepare for change. The RDAs will be responsible for producing a clear vision and clear investment plan for each region, which, for the first time, will cover spatial issues such as housing and transport. They will essentially become the regional planning authority but it will not be a case of RDAs drawing up something and being able to impose it. The final strategy will be the result of joint working and negotiation. Partners need to be proactive in helpingto shape this vision and not just wait to be consulted.

Does this mean an expanded operational role for the RDAs?We are rebalancing, not expanding, the role of Regional Development Agencies. Between now and 2010 we want them to come forward with constructive proposals and principles as to how they will devolve responsibility for some of their programme funding and management down to local authorities and other partners. RDAs will become more streamlined and more strategic in character. They are set to get £6.5 billion over the period 2008-11. When they first started out the combined annual budget was £1 billion so it has doubled over the past seven years.

So local authorities will have a bigger role to play under the new arrangements?Yes - we think democratically elected bodies such as local authorities should have a greater say in economic development. The way that operates in practice will depend on each region. The Northwest has been a trailblazer in many ways in showing what was possible in collaborative, sub-regional working and providing the strong leadership to make it a reality. We already have some strong city regional groupings of local authorities in place and we have to ensure that other councils do not feel they are weaker in terms of the collective structure they end up with. I don’t think that’s the case here.

This suggests breaking new ground in collaborative working?Absolutely. It’s really essential we rise to a new level of partnership working if we are to deliver prosperity for all. This is both a promise and a challenge of the SNR. Economic performance does not respect administrative boundaries. Some issues such as transport cannot be dealt with on the basis of a single local authority.

What is the likely impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review on this region? Will it be tougher on people pursuing economic growth?I don’t think so. We are asking RDAs to adopt the same rigours in terms of efficiency as other parts of the public sector. This means reducing their administrative budgets to 10% or less of their total budgets. If you take into account all public spending, including the RDA budget, the Northwest gets £700 per head more on average than regions in the South East. Public spending per head has increased 40% on transport, 30% on health and 16% on education.

Has this increased spending achieved the desired effects?If you remember what parts of Greater Manchester and Merseyside were like ten years ago and look at those places now there has been a dramatic transformation. What still exists and is perhaps more exposed now because of the general improvement is there are still too many communities lagging behind where families are not in good housing and opportunities for work have not reached them, not because the jobs aren’t there, but because they don’t have the skills to compete for them. The focus on reducing inequality has to be a very important part of what we are about. We simply can’t have our well performing

areas simply performing better. We have to enable those still lagging behind to catch up.

How are you finding out about people’s priorities at grassroots level?Since my appointment I’ve been making quite intensive visits to various parts of the region seeing the things I want to see but also making sure I sit down with various stakeholders and organisations right across the public, private and community sectors. Seeing things, talking to people, listening and learning allows me to build up a detailed knowledge of the different issues and priorities in different areas. That process is really important if I am to bat for the region in Whitehall.

The government-inspired Pride of Place poll generated a good deal of interest. What’s your favourite place and why?It has to be the Lake District. As a family we have been going to the Lakes for 35 years and still visit there about twice a month.

We go there walking when I’m free of red boxes. In terms of walks the place I cherish most is probably Lingmoor Fell, fairly close to the Langdales.

“THE NORTHWEST HAS BEEN A TRAILBLAZER IN MANY WAYS IN SHOWING WHAT IS POSSIBLE IN COLLABORATIVE, SUB-REGIONAL WORKING AND PROVIDING THE STRONG LEADERSHIP TO MAKE ITA REALITY.”

BEVERLEY HUGHESMINISTER FOR THE NORTH WEST

BUSINESS

NEWS

Companies across the Northwest are being offered a new comprehensive green audit service by The Manufacturing Institute to help them benchmark environmental performance and identify improvements and cost savings on their energy, water and waste.

Regional agencies seeking to attract inward investment from North America have a new ally following the North of England Inward Investment Agency’s appointment of Neal Lilliott as Vice President of Business Development for Canada.

Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter benefits the city’s economy by £1 billion a year. A new study reveals that the area currently supports 14,000 full-time jobs – 7% of the Liverpool total in just 1% of the city’s geographical area.

Start-up accommodation and support is now available for up to 25 female entrepreneurs on the Wirral following the opening of a new, affordable state-of-the-art business centre complete with mentoring services at Egerton House, Birkenhead.

Grasmere Gingerbread won the ‘Best Regional Product’ award and Butterfly Snacks of Blackburn the ‘Most Innovative Product’ accolade at the 2007 Food Northwest Awards event at the Midland Hotel, Manchester, hosted by Lucy Meacock of Granada TV.

Scientists are expected to gain new insights into the transfer of diseases from animals to humans following the opening of the UK’s National Centre for Zoonosis Research at the University of Liverpool. The NWDA has invested £1.68 million in the project through the Northwest Science Fund.

LESSONSIN HEALTHY EATING

Chef James Holden has gone back to school – to teach and influence a new generation all about healthy food.

With almost 30 years experience in the catering industry, he is leading the Chefs Adopt A School programme, founded by the Academy of Culinary Arts (ACA),

across the Northwest. It is a three-year project sponsored by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) with a £243,000 grant.

During that time the programme aims to target 240 primary schools where the chef will hold classroom sessions which include a ‘four tastes and five senses’ food test, pass on information on food sources, healthy foods and hygiene as well as organising practical cookery sessions.

Following the national healthy eating agenda, James believes that targeting young children also helps to pass the message to their parents.

“Primary school children are keen to learn and to tell their parents what they have been doing at school, especially when it involves cooking,” says the father of five, who teaches his own children about buying and cooking fresh food.

He says the ‘five-a-day’ motto – to eat five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables each day – is his main message to schools selected because they have a high proportion of children eligible for free school meals.

“They all love to play with food and to actually make something at school,” he says. “It shows them just how easy it is to use fresh food and to make something quickly and easily which tastes good.”

Knowledge varies widely, he says, with one child describing ‘sweet and sour’ tastes as ‘yummy and yucky’ and another unsure where her taste buds were.One anecdote, which illustrates an amusing knowledge gap, was a comment to the chef from a five-year-old girl that “the milk with red tops comes from lady cows and the ones with blue tops from men cows”!

SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRYAs part of the programme, chefs from some of the region’s top restaurants including Heathcotes, Northcote Manor near Blackburn and the London Carriageworks in Liverpool – all members of the ACA – have volunteered to deliver some sessions to both primary and secondary schools.

Janet Horn, the programme’s Regional Co-ordinator, says: “Every school we have approached so far has wanted to take up the sessions and the feedback from the early ones is very positive and enthusiastic.”

The initiative is just one among many in the Northwest – which supports a £9.5 billion food and drink manufacturing industry – aimed at improving the provision and access to healthier foods for everyone.

It is one of six priorities in the five-year Northwest Food and Drink Strategy that was launched in 2006 with a vision “to promote a profitable and sustainable industry that improves its competitiveness in a global market place.”

MEET THE BUYERPatricia Foreman, Chief Executive of Food Northwest, set up by the NWDA toco-ordinate support for the sector, acknowledges that many of their aims are driven by the changing tastes of the consumer whose demands are influenced by healthy eating and environmental concerns.

She is also keen to make the industry more aware of the region as a good place to do business. There is some restructuring in the sector but closures are often balanced by new investments.

Bakery retailer Greggs, for example, is relocating from its existing east Manchester base to a new £16 million bakery in Openshaw, a joint deal between Manchester City Council, New East Manchester and the NWDA.

Promotions are a key tool in helping the region’s myriad of smaller producers sell into a wider marketplace. They include an international ‘Meet the Buyer’ event at Tatton Park in March 2008 when up to 100 local food and drink producers will discuss their products with around 25 major buyers from overseas markets.

The following month, the region will showcase the best of the industry at the annual Food & Drink Expo in Birmingham attended by leading buyers in all areas of the industry.

Taste Lancashire 08, co-ordinated by Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board and supported by the NWDA, will include a wide range of food and drink-related events, to mark Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture.

Loyd Grossman, TV presenter, writer and adviser to the government on hospital food reform, who is Patron of the year-long programme, says: “Lancashire has many examples of fine food and drink including cheese, potted shrimps, meats, salads and local ales.”

Some of the best of the region’s food and drink producers had their achievements recognised at the 2007 Food Northwest Awards. Winners included Patak’s Foods, based in Leigh, producers of sauces, pastes, pickles, breads and ready meals, which received the Improve Award for Skills.

Celebrating its 50th birthday last year Patak’s, which has a turnover of over £80 million, also scooped the UKTI Award for International Trade.

Knutsford-based Delamere Dairy, a supplier of goat’s milk products, won the Manufacturing Institute Award for Most Innovative Company, 22 years after its founders started out with just three goats.

Food Northwest is planning more ‘Meet the Buyer’ events bringing together local producers with decision-makers from supermarkets including Tesco, as part of

an initiative, which has brought more than £30 million of business to Northwest food manufacturers.

Among the companies was Bartons Pickles, a family business established inSt Helen’s in 1905, which employs less than 20 people. Director Joanna Jenner, great granddaughter of the founder Edmund Barton, says: “We were a local supplier to Tesco with our products in 15 stores, but keen to expand. As a result of ‘Meet the Buyer’ we are now in 250 Tesco stores nationally.”

“EVERY SCHOOL WE HAVE APPROACHED SO FAR HAS WANTED TO TAKE UP THE SESSIONS AND THE FEEDBACK FROM THE EARLY ONES IS VERY POSITIVE AND ENTHUSIASTIC.” JANET HORNPROGRAMME CO-ORDINATOR

Food for thought – Chef-lecturer James Holden teaches pupils at Trafford’s Partington Primary School about healthy eating

Hawkshead Relish – Shortlisted for Food Northwest Awards 2007, based in Hawkshead, Cumbria

BUSINESS

INSPIRING BUSINESS TO PROSPER

Life is a lot sweeter at The Fudge Factory since the firm’s owners, Jean and Larry Edwards, enlisted the help of Business Link Northwest broker Ian Palmer to chart a new course for the small Bacup-based enterprise.

With turnover slipping away due to the gradual loss of traditional markets the 10-strong company faced an uncertain future unless it could come up with some fresh ideas.

Working with Business Link Northwest Palmer found that a step change was needed to halt the decline and suggested the company invest in e-commerce and try to find new outlets at home and overseas.

Both ideas are now paying dividends giving the owners enough confidence tothink about moving to new premises and taking on more staff. Advice given byThe Manufacturing Institute has also resulted in the company introducing more process automation.

“There’s now an air of optimism about the future when you walk into the place – much different than when I first visited the factory,” reports Palmer, who is part of a brokerage team assigned to the region’s food and drinks industry.

By April 2008, a year after its launch, Business Link Northwest will have 220 brokers as they are known, helping small and medium size companies in the region to improve their competitiveness.

WEB CONTACTBusiness Link Northwest brokers have industry experience or have successfully run their own businesses. Palmer is a good example having spent 20 years building his own food distribution company into a £15 million turnover operation with 180 staff.

Nearly 46,000 users contacted Business Link Northwest in its first six months of operation, with 87% reporting satisfaction with the streamlined service. Nearly two thirds used the web to make contact, the remainder using the telephone or email.

“People are engaging with us because it’s so easy for them to go online,” reports Managing Director Peter Watson. “There’s also no obligation to provide us with information – it’s all voluntary.”

AWARENESS CAMPAIGNRegionally managed but delivered locally, Business Link Northwest is an impartial, free-to-use business support and information service providing a single point of contact for businesses seeking support.

Wholly owned by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) with an annual income of £18 million and a projected staff of 300, it has a head office and contact centre in Preston and a growing network of satellite offices.

It manages the Train-to-Gain skills brokerage service, works closely with organisations such as UKTI and the Manufacturing Advisory Service and acts as a gateway to the regional Business Start Up support programme delivered by A4E.

Business Link Northwest is running a 12-month ‘Just Ask’ brand awareness campaign to inform the market about the restructured service. Marketing Manager Tom Wilkins, the campaign architect, wants to get across the message that “we are here to inspire business to create wealth and opportunity.”

Peter Watson is keen to do more work with smaller companies and with partners such as the Institute of Directors, CBI North West and the Federation of Small Businesses.

“Organisations are happier working with us now because they realise we are not in competition with them,” he says. “A good example is the way partners collaborated on the regional consultation about the government’s business simplification agenda. We are the living embodiment of what business simplification can achieve.”

For further information: www.businesslinknw.co.uk tel: 0845 0066888

Sweet idea – e-commerce is helpingThe Fudge Factory expand its markets

START UP SUPPORT SCHEME LAUNCHEDA new £8.5 million initiative has been launched to help enterprise-minded people in key target groups set up their own businesses.Delivered by a regional consortium led by A4E on behalf of the NWDA, the new Business Start Up programme is accessed through Business Link Northwest, the region’s business support gateway.

SELF-EMPLOYMENTIt is already having an impact having facilitated over 130 start-ups and generated over 800 applications from people wanting to move into self-employment. One of the aims is to help improve the survival rate of these fledgling businesses.

The target groups are women, disabled people, members of black and minority ethnic communities and people living in six disadvantaged areas of the Northwest – Barrow, Blackpool, Halton, Knowsley, St. Helens and Wirral, as well as Housing Market Renewal and Urban Regeneration Company areas.

“These groups have generally not engaged with business support bodies,” explains Jim Johnstone, the NWDA’s Strategy Manager – Business.

“We needed something more specific that would allow us to reach out and grab these people and give them the option of self employment as an alterative to their current lifestyle.”

Over the next two years Business Start Up aims to facilitate 4,200 start-ups. Willing participants are taken under the wing of a dedicated business advisor who can provide a range of support from helping to write a business plan to finding suitable premises.

”It’s a very bespoke service for each individual and it can involve a lot of hand-holding and confidence building,” says Jan Foster, Operations Director forBlue Orchid, a consultancy based in Manchester and Liverpool, which is part of the A4E consortium.

“People face a variety of barriers, the biggest often being finance. Once they start trading we keep in touch and offer advice on things like marketing and sales and how to fill in a tax return.”

AVOIDING PITFALLSSo far she and her team of ten business advisers have helped over 50 people start up a variety of enterprises from a plumbing business to a child minding service.

When he’s not on tour Martyn Walsh, bass player with the hit band Inspiral Carpets, one of the famed ‘Madchester’ music groups, works three days a week helping Blue Orchid reach out to people in the entertainment and creative industries.

He’s recently been using his music industry experience to advise young groups and musicians how to avoid pitfalls when they go it alone.

“Bands have to take the business side of music making more seriously. They have to be a bit more strategic in the way they plan things and look further afield for their gigs,” he says.

Blue Orchid have held a number of events in African churches in the Longsight area of Manchester and also engaged with the city’s Chinese community. One adviser, Somali born Abdi Yusef, had been responsible for three start-ups among Bolton’s Somali community.

Business Start Up partners in other parts of the region have been equally zealous in spreading the enterprise message to target groups using National Enterprise Week in November as a spur for a number of original events.

In Liverpool, Train 2000 helped organise a ‘Dare to Dream’ event to encourage more women to start a business while in Lancashire Enterprise4all used a ‘Speed Dating’ formula at three venues to match start-up minded individuals with business experts.

For further information:www.businesslinknw.co.uk

“IT’S A VERY BESPOKE SERVICE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL AND IT CAN INVOLVE A LOT OF HAND-HOLDING AND CONFIDENCE BUILDING.”

JAN FOSTEROPERATIONS DIRECTOR, BLUE ORCHID

Trading places – enterprise-minded individuals are offered encouragement and support to star their own businesses.

http://www.businesslinknw.co.uk/

BUSINESS

DARESBURY REACHES ENTERPRISE MILESTONE

Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus has reached a new milestone in its drive to become a world-class hub of technology and research-driven commerce by attracting its 60th tenant, many of whom are interacting with each other.

All are currently located within the impressive state-of-the-art Daresbury Innovation Centre, one of two new buildings developed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) as part of its ten-year £50 million investment in the campus site. The Cockcroft Institute, the UK National Centre of Excellence in accelerator science, occupies the other building.

Backed by a number of business support services, the centre has been highly successful in attracting digital/ICT, electronics, healthcare, instrumentation, and advanced engineering companies – the feedstock of the knowledge economy.

FRUITFUL COLLABORATION“What we are seeing is the development of mini clusters in different market sectors and companies seeing opportunities to interact with each other,“ reports John Leake, General Manager of the site business development company.

Many tenants are in fruitful commercial or research-based collaboration, activity often triggered through informal contact at networking events.

It was at one such meeting that Mike Carter and Chris Haslam, co-directors of Ixis, an IT consultancy and web development company, met up with Manoj Ranaweera who runs Ebdex, an electronic invoicing enterprise, and agreed to form a third company, Edocr.

The joint venture has developed technology to make it easier for companies to place documents online so they become more available to the general public. “Daresbury is a great place for bouncing ideas off people, a very fertile environment in which to create new products and even new companies,” comments Carter.

Most of the 60 tenants located on the campus are financed through their own trading or through regional venture capital funds. They are supported by the rapidly growing Daresbury Network and access2experts programme, which brings together a powerful community of high-tech SMEs, multi-national companies, universities and service providers.

STRATEGIC IMPORTANCEWith the space filling up plans are being developed for another business centre building 50% larger, at 36,000 sq ft, than the existing Innovation Centre. It will have small-scale lab and work unit space and will cater for companies who have outgrown the original building and new arrivals.

The government has designated Daresbury as one of two strategically important national science campuses where it will partner business, universities and research institutes in a drive to sharpen the UK’s global competitiveness.

It is run by a joint venture company whose partners include the NWDA, the Science & Technology Facilities Council, Halton Borough Council and the Universities of Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster and currently houses 1,000 research scientists, business people, technicians, engineers and support staff.

Daresbury is seeking to replicate the success it had in attracting the Cockcroft Institute by winning the investment for several of the new Research Institutes, which the government recently, in principle, allocated to the site.

Enterprise hothouse – Daresbury Innovation Centre

Helping hand – technical support is available for campus start-ups

GENERATING ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Scientists at the Joule Centre for Energy Research are set to play a crucial role helping the Northwest to win substantial new funding for low-carbon technologies.

An estimated £100 million of new research capital will soon become available through the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), a body set up by the government in 2006 to speed up the development of new sustainable energy solutions.

“There’s been a lack of spending on (energy) R&D since the demise of the public utilities, which is one of the key reasons why Joule was developed,” explains Joe Flanagan, Sector Leader – Energy and Environmental Technologies at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), which is providing the centre with £5 million over five years.

But now Flanagan is confident that the Joule Centre, with its strong links to both academic and commercial sectors, will help the region secure a sizeable chunk of the funding.

ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIP“Part of what Joule is about is building up the expertise in the region so that we can be more successful when we bid into these huge central government research funds,” he says.

Based at the University of Manchester’s Sackville Street campus, the centre was created on the back of the government’s 2003 White Paper on Energy, which required each region to develop and implement an energy strategy with a strong emphasis on renewables and efficiency.

Named after James Joule, the 19th century Salford scientist, the centre is a partnership of Northwest universities, commercial organisations and other stakeholders associated with the energy industry.

As well as co-ordinating the bids for ETI funding, the centre also provides a focal point for the region’s contribution to sustainable energy by funding new ideas and developments.

“What Joule is trying to do is develop regional expertise by linking the university sector with the commercial sector,” explains Flanagan.

SUSTAINABLE POWEREnergy has always been a key sector in the Northwest, contributing some £5 billion to the regional economy and employing over 50,000 people, and now the sector is looking to lead the way in renewables too.

So far the centre has awarded over £2.5 million in grants, funds which are designed to help projects reach the stage where they can start to attract private investment of their own.

Projects have included a detailed evaluation of the tidal power potential of the eastern Irish Sea, which takes in six major Northwest river estuaries, including the Ribble, Mersey and the Dee. The report aims to discover whether 24-hour generation is possible using a new device that converts offshore waves into electricity.

Joule’s own wave flume is also being used to investigate new ways of harnessing the natural motion of the sea.

The centre has also funded research into using small scale hydro-electric schemes to bring regular power supplies to remote parts of the region which don’t receive mains electricity.

Seed corn funding has also been used to stimulate new research into areas such as recycling compressed air and developing new materials that can absorb hydrogen and then use it as an energy supply.

“Climate change is creating great markets for renewable energy devices and energy efficient technologies,” says Flanagan, “and the Joule Centre is an attempt to stimulate academia and industry to try and develop products that they can sell into these markets.”

For further information: www.joulecentre.org

“PART OF WHAT JOULE IS ABOUT IS BUILDING UP THE EXPERTISE IN THE REGION SO THAT WE CAN BE SUCCESSFUL WHEN WE BID INTO CENTRAL GOVERNMENT RESEARCH FUNDS.” JOE FLANAGANSECTOR LEADER – ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, NWDA

Taking to water – the Joule Centre wave flume

http://www.joulecentre.org/

BUSINESS

SUPPORT FOR OVERSEAS TRADE

Companies in the region’s key business sectors are being urged to go global to help accelerate economic growth across the region.

In a bid to boost export activity the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is providing £4.9 million funding over the next three years to assist UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) in offering businesses support to help them compete on the international stage.

International trade is seen as a crucial tool in the region’s drive to cut the North-South prosperity gap. Last year the Northwest increased its exports by 23% to an all time high of £24 billion and now accounts for 14% of England’s exports.UKTI will use the additional resources to offer an expanded portfolio of services aimed at a wide corporate spectrum from novice exporters to high growth technology companies.

PRIORITY SECTORSThe money will be used to exploit overseas trade opportunities for companies operating in the priority business sectors and markets identified in the Regional Economic Strategy. This will form one of the major delivery projects outlined in the Northwest Internationalisation Strategy to be launched in 2008.

Priority sectors such as pharmaceuticals and chemicals are major drivers of the region’s £111 billion economy and last year the two industries together contributed a massive 44% of the Northwest’s overall export performance.

The NWDA and One NorthEast have strengthened their overseas marketing operations in the valuable biomedical sector by appointing Scott Kozak as the new Boston-based Vice-President of Life Sciences for the jointly funded North of England Investment Agency. He will focus on opportunities in the regenerative medicine industry.

TRADE MISSIONSOver 7,000 of the region’s companies are trading globally and research evidence has shown these firms tend to have higher productivity and innovations levels and are 11% more likely to survive in the long term.

On average firms new to international trade experience a 34% increase in output in the year they start exporting. Exporters also have a relatively higher capacity to value, assimilate and apply knowledge.

Export services has been streamlined in the past few months after UKTI contracted Chamberlink, on behalf of the Chambers of Commerce North West (CCNW), to provide international trade support across the region.

It will work closely with Business Link Northwest as the region’s gateway to business support and with regional cluster organisations, particularly on sector trade missions.

A recent sector mission to Japan by the Chemical Industries Association, supported by UKTI, gave three Northwest companies, Runcorn-based ACAL Energy, Reaxa from Blackley and the University’s Nanoco Technologies, a chance to showcase their skills to global giants such as Panasonic and Toshiba.

“This was an important step for us outside the pharmaceutical sector in Japan and we have had a number of inquiries as a result of the visit,“ explained Peter Jackson, Chief Executive of Reaxa Ltd, who also led the mission.

The two-year old company, a buy-out from Avecia employing 12 people, has developed catalyst technology to help companies make greener and cleaner chemicals.

“Doing business in Japan is a five year haul,” reports Jackson. “Japanese companies will not do business with someone they don’t know but if UK companies put in the effort over a number of years they’ll eventually be rewarded with business that will be on-going.”

Backed by a strong team of over 30 International Trade Advisers (ITAs), UKTI offers a range of services including the ‘Meet the Buyer’ programme, which generated export business worth over £20 million between 2004 and 2006, and Passport to Export for first-time exporters.

For further information:www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk

http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/

BUSINESS

FORUM TO PROMOTE ENTERPRISE CULTURE

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has enlisted the support of some of the region’s leading entrepreneurs to help the Northwest regain its reputation as a hotbed of enterprise.When it comes to enterprise in the 21st century the Northwest is behind theEngland average.

Estimates suggest that there is an ‘enterprise gap’ in the Northwest that equates to around 40,000 businesses, along with growth rates for existing businesses that are below the national norm.

To help reverse the trend, the NWDA has set up the Northwest Enterprise Forum (NWEF) to act as a sounding board and help the Agency and its partners develop and implement a new regional enterprise strategy.

The Forum is made up of 15 leading businesspeople with a particular interest in enterprise, who have been nominated by key business and enterprise groups across the region. These include the Northwest Ethnic Minority Business Forum, Institute of Directors and the Northwest Social Enterprise Network.

ENTERPRISE BARRIERSMark Hughes, NWDA Executive Director of Enterprise and Skills, says: “The Forum will steer the Agency and our partners with intelligence on the challenges and solutions to enterprise barriers in the region.”

Robert Davis, Managing Director of Cheshire power engineering specialists EA Technology, is the Forum’s first Chair.

“The Northwest needs to improve business survival and growth rates,” he says. “We need to create nearly 40,000 additional businesses just to catch up to the national average. The Northwest Enterprise Forum will utilise the ‘on-the-ground’ experience of its business members to advise how the region can encourage entrepreneurship, help businesses grow, and help boost the economy.”

The Forum was launched during National Enterprise Week, an annual event that seeks to inspire young people to take a greater interest in business and enterprise.

NEXT BIG THINGAs part of the activities, over 500 Northwest teenagers attended the Next Big Thing event at the Print Works in Manchester. Co-hosted by the NWDA and Institute of Directors, the event featured talks from leading local entrepreneurs and an inspirational address from leading American basketball star John Amaechi.

It was an occasion that rung bells with the Forum too, as Davis is keen to highlight the need to find more regional entrepreneurs to act as role models for young people. Teenagers would also benefit from plans to strengthen links between enterprise and education.

“There isn’t enough interaction between business and universities particularly interms of bringing on enterprising people,” says Davis, who believes business and academia are often ‘more competitive than co-operative.’

The Forum will also attempt to change the way people think about failure. “Stigmatising bankruptcy is unhelpful when it comes to stimulating an enterprise culture,” says Davis, who wants to see a cultural change towards failure that views it more as a learning point than a black mark.

Another key idea the Forum is set to champion is ‘interpreneurship’, which involves

encouraging employees who have a good idea for a product or service to develop it within that company rather than leaving to go it alone.

“It’s not an idea that’s widely used and I think we should do much more of it,” Davis continues. “The companies retain equityand great people, and if it doesn’t work out they’ve still got them on board rather than as a competitor.”For more information www.nwda.co.uk

Inspiring the young – basketball star John Amaechi was a keynote speaker at The Next Big Thing

http://www.nwda.co.uk/

SKILLS AND EDUCATION

NEWS

West Cumbria has been chosen as the location for the head office of the newly announced National Skills Academy for Nuclear, which will assist employers in tackling the current and future challenges facing the nuclear industry in areas as diverse as decommissioning and power production.

Scientists at the University of Manchester have launched a new Aerospace Research Institute (UMARI), an interdisciplinary facility that is expected to play a major role in the development of quieter, more efficient and more durable aircraft. More than 100 researchers are already working on an array of projects.

Raising workforce skill levels and helping disadvantaged people into work are key aims of the new European Social Fund (ESF) programme, which will invest £360 million in the Northwest between 2007-2013. Merseyside will receive £138 million of this total in recognition of its transitional status.

Three fledgling businesses are set to move into the new £8.4 million Gordon Manley Building at Lancaster University after winning a competition run by the Environment Centre (LEC) to find fresh business ideas with an environmental bias. The winners receive 12 months free incubation support and accommodation.

Six organisations and individuals won National Training Awards at a regional awards ceremony in Liverpool sponsored by the NWDA and City & Guilds. They included Amelia Shemilt of Audlem, Bentley Motors, M&S Money, North Trafford College, The Bank of New York and Merseytravel.

Phil Barton who has played a key role in lifting the skills levels of regeneration practitioners is joining ENCAMS as Chief Executive. He worked for Defra, Groundwork, the Mersey Basin Campaign and the Co-operative Bank before becoming Director of RENEW Northwest.

TRAINING GROUND FOR KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

The University of Bolton’s climb up the higher education ladder - it was awarded university status three years ago - has provided the institution with a new impetus to distinguish itself in the region’s knowledge economy.

Early milestones include the opening of a £6 million Design Studio, an Innovation Factory, the appointment of three new professors to boost its world-class research in smart materials and a broadening of its course portfolio in fast growing sectors such as computer games.

The university is also establishing itself as a key provider of continuing professional development, offering employers flexible skills enhancing programmes that can be delivered on campus, in the workplace or by e-learning, one of Bolton’s great strengths.

“We are trying to get away from the idea that universities are just nine-to-five places for fulltime young 18 year olds,” explains Dr. Peter Marsh, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

Student numbers are expected to rise from 8,800 to 10,000 within three years with much of the growth coming from employer-related learning programmes.

Bolton hopes to make its mark by expanding its portfolio of professionally-accredited programmes targeting the so called “para professions”, such as paramedics, technical officers and associate engineers, the groups that have been growing fastest in the modern economy.

SPORTS EDUCATION“There are lots of areas of the economy where employees can enter at a starter or intermediate level and then go on to qualify for full professional status. It’s a model very evident in construction where we are the biggest provider of part-time industry education in the region,” adds Dr Marsh.

Bolton has been providing skilled, educated people for local industries, particularly engineering and textiles, for over 180 years through its former incarnation as Bolton Institute and its earlier origins as Bolton Mechanics Institute.

It has established a quality track record in science and technology, the built environment and also in health, psychology, and the creative industries. Bolton is also emerging as a vibrant centre for business and sports education.

Under the leadership of Dr. George Holmes, the Vice-Chancellor, the university aims to become “a leading professional university with a clear-sighted focus on

making a significant contribution to the welfare, prosperity and prestige of the Northwest”.

It works closely with the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) in areas such as manufacturing and innovation and in raising skills and enterprise levels in the priority growth sectors identified in the Regional Economic Strategy.

One of the biggest co-investments in recent years has been the £6 million Design Studio, a stylishly designed building where small and medium size companies can interact with students on new product development to their mutual benefit.

SMART FABRICSBolton has further strengthened its enterprise credentials by opening a £1.6 million Innovation Factory, where companies can turn their ideas into prototype form and gain specialist help from staff and students on production and innovation issues.

Some of the best ideas for commercial exploitation are emanating from the university’s Centre for Materials Research and Innovation, where research teams are working on a range of smart fabric technologies.

Among the products in the pipeline is a heat sensitive bra to detect early signs of breast cancer, clothes that generate heat in Arctic conditions and a bulletproof vest that has been successfully tested by the US military.

The university completed an £11 million investment in new estate in 2006, and has embarked on a second development phase costing £8 million, which includes projects such as the Innovation Factory and a new social learning zone.

Ranked top in the Northwest for student satisfaction, according to the Times Good University Guide 2008, Bolton has successfully widened access to students from disadvantaged groups by agreeing ‘progression accords’ with 24 local further education and sixth form colleges.

Students entering the university through this route are guaranteed bursary support towards their top-up fees. A third of all students studying at Bolton are now covered by these arrangements at a total cost of £1 million.

The university is a growing influence in the town’s regeneration and is working with the council to create the Bolton Innovation Zone, a 38-hectare business, leisure and educational quarter that could attract investment of £300 million and generate 4,000 jobs.

Talks are taking place about the possible co-location of Bolton Community College and Bolton Sixth Form College close to the university to encourage

progression from further to higher education, thereby providing incoming companies with a pool of skilled, educated labour.

“WE ARE TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THE IDEA THAT UNIVERSITIES ARE JUST NINE-TO-FIVE PLACES FOR FULLTIME YOUNG 18 YEAR OLDS”.

DR PETER MARSH DEPUTY VICE CHANCELLOR

Campus hub – the Eagle Mall entrance to the student centre

BOLTON STUDENTS STRIKE THE JACKPOT

Bolton has hit a winning streak since it launched degree courses in computer games. More than 250 students are enrolled on programmes run by the university and many go on to work in the region’s games industry.

Five former Bolton students won recognition for their work on Motorstorm, a blockbuster game developed by Runcorn-based Evolution Studios for Sony’sPlaystation 3.

Andrew Williams, Principal Lecturer in Games Computing and Creative Technologies, reports a ‘halo effect’ with people spinning out of the bigger companies to start up on their own.

The university recently held a networking event for new media companies to make them aware of the business potential of the £1 billion a year casual games market.

Casual games are accessed from a website and can be played online. They can be produced inexpensively by one or two graduates as a way of showcasing their talents to the mainstream industry.

Style icon – Bolton’s new Design Studio at night

SKILLS AND EDUCATION

RECONNECTING TO THE WORKPLACE

Long term benefit claimant Peter Lyle’s spirits dropped when a Job Centre Plus adviser told him he had “no chance” of working again as an electrician despite the skills and experience he has acquired.

Weeks later he met Lee Price, an Outreach Adviser working with Positive Steps Into Work, a Blackpool Council run programme supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) aimed at getting long term Incapacity Benefit claimants back into gainful employment, and his life changed.

After four years on benefits he was desperate to start work but faced having to find £1,800 to renew his qualifications and couldn’t get from the agencies he approached.

Working together, Peter found a company in Kirkham willing to offer him a job for 16 hours a week provided he updated his qualifications and Positive Steps Into Work contributed £1,300 towards his initial training with the employer agreeing to fund the remainder.

Lee gave him intensive support resulting in Peter completing two of his three qualifications and reaching the standard required. He has since started work with the company testing equipment and premises in the care industry.

“Peter sees this as an initial first step back into employment on a full-time basis,” explained Lee. “He was fearful of coming off benefits and being unable to support his family but by offering him a package of support to suit his needs we have been able to give him a new start on the jobs ladder.”

Positive Steps Into Work is one of several innovative, locally focused Northern Way-funded programmes tackling the deeply entrenched problem of worklessness across the region, a problem that’s costing the Northwest £3 billion in lost output.

BUILDING TRUSTMore than 4,400 claimants had been engaged by mid 2007, 175 had been helped into work and a further 116 into training.

Delivery teams have faced different challenges in different areas. In Blackpool, for example, alcohol addiction and seasonal employment are serious issues

amongst some of the economically inactive, while in Manchester the focus has been on linking individuals to local employment opportunities.

Vanda De Freitas, Manager of Positive Steps Into Work, a West Lancashire initiative, reports having moved “a good few” people like Peter Lyle back into work, others into volunteering or on to educational courses.

“Even if people want to go back to work they need retraining and some need to be taught quite basic skills like how to read. The longer they stay on Incapacity Benefit the more they lose their self-confidence and motivation.”

Projects share a common, well structured progression model of engaging hard to reach claimants where they live, shop and socialise, building trust and then customising support to individual needs before linking them to jobs. Mentoring and training are important elements of the package.

Aftercare is crucial in keeping people on the path of sustainable employment and claimants tend to keep the same adviser, says the NWDA’s Director of Skills Policy, Lis Smith.

NEW IMPETUS“We try and give them lots of support so that if they hit problems in the early stages of employment they have someone to contact.”

The Northern Way Growth Initiative funded five projects with Knowsley Works, the first pilot, receiving £1 million and each of the others, Stepping Stones (Greater Manchester), Working 4U (Liverpool and Wirral), Routes to Work (Cumbria) and Positive Steps (Lancashire) receiving £750,000.

Action against worklessness in the region will be given new impetus when the second programme begins in April.

In 2006 there were 755,000 people of working age claiming out-of-work benefits in the region, 400,000 of whom are Incapacity Benefit claimants, nearly one in ten of the population.

A newly completed report commissioned by the NWDA cites worklessness as a key contributing factor in the region’s £18 billion output gap with the rest of England. It estimates that £3 billion is lost by having comparatively fewerpeople working.

Managers on the worklessness projects firmly believe there are positive social inclusion, crime, health and anti-poverty spin-offs in getting people off benefits and into work.

“There are big mental health and behavioural issues – low confidence, low esteem and depression” says Lis Smith. “One of the keys to success is encouraging these individuals to look for work. If they are motivated to find a job they usually do.”

Building on ideas and experience gained in the pilot projects, the new programme will target a number of disadvantaged workless groups in specific geographical areas. Key goals are raising productivity and linking people with jobs.

Priority targets include lone parents, the disabled, the over 50s, people withno qualifications (45% of claimants have very low skills), black and ethnic minority groups, ex-offenders and the homeless.

For further information:www.nwda.co.uk

Confidence boost – long-term claimant Donna O’Neill found work as a receptionist after a personal development course

Switched on – electrician Peter Lyle is back in work after four years on benefit

BREAKING OUTOF DEPENDENCY CULTURE

After six years on Incapacity Benefit, Halewood resident Donna O’Neill has broken the cycle of dependency by undergoing a personal development course and landing a job with Knowsley Works, the very project group that started her on the path to recovery.

The single mother of two teenage boys had been suffering from depression and anxiety and found it difficult to leave the house because of panic attacks, causing her to despair that she would ever find employment again.

After registering with Knowsley Works, a Northern Way funded pilot establishedby the NWDA to deal with worklessness in hard to reach groups, her prospectsbegan to brighten.

Working with a development officer she attended some workshops run by Prism, a charity which supports people with mental health issues and low self esteem, before going on to undertake an intensive 14-week course run by the Knowsley Works Public Sector Academy programme.


Donna went on placement as a receptionist working for the project group’s busy community-based Jobs, Education and Training (JET) service, gaining sufficient confidence to successfully apply for a full-time vacancy.

Knowsley Works Manager Tony Cavanagh says some clients have been on benefits for 15-20 years and need a lot of coaching and counselling to get them ready to re-enter employment.

“There are a whole host of support mechanisms available from adult learning to debt management. All our programmes are very successful.”

PEOPLE AND JOBS

NEWS

Peel Holdings has appointed Brian Greasley to spearhead the development of disused dockland at Salford Quays as an international digital and creative hub.He takes up the post Managing Director of mediacity:uk after having held senior positions in telecoms, media, internet and venture capital.

Liverpool’s Gladstone Conservatory, currently derelict, will be converted into a multi-purpose enterprise facility following approval by the NWDA of a £9.2 million regeneration package for the area around Liverpool FC’s new stadium at Stanley Park.

The second phase of a major development at Oaklands Office Park near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire has been completed. The project, which received a £400,000 grant from the NWDA, has created seven new contemporary office units covering 30,000 sq ft and is expected to create over 100 new jobs for the local area.

Northwest farmers and rural businesses affected by movement restrictions caused by Foot and Mouth and Bluetongue outbreaks in the South of England are being offered a £320,000 package of support by the NWDA, signposted through Business Link Northwest. Farmers in upland areas are a high priority.

Funding support of £350,000 is being provided by the NWDA to help homeless men and women off the streets and into the workplace. The money will be used by the charity Emmaus to refurbish a building in Preston as a community base that can be used by homeless people as a route to social stability and mainstream employment.

Construction is under way at Ramsden Business Park, Barrow-in-Furness, the first of three related schemes that will make up the Waterfront Business Park, a project that is aimed at diversifying the town’s economy creating 1,500 jobs. The NWDA provided £8 million in funding support towards the purchase of the redundant dockland site.

WARRINGTON TARGETS SMART GROWTH

Warrington has opened a new chapter as a growth engine for the Northwest by unveiling a £2.7 billion regeneration action plan to transform the business, retail, social and cultural profile of the town.

The recently approved 20-year framework envisages a renaissance of the town centre, better transport links, new urban villages, a revitalised waterfront and more opportunities for disadvantaged communities.

“This is a place of huge potential but it needs a firm and clear identity,” explains Andy Farrall, Warrington Borough Council’s Strategic Director for Environment and Regeneration.

“We need to refocus and refine the town’s image as a significant business, shopping and lifestyle location so it can punch its weight in the region’s economy. People tend to see Warrington as a fairly small place. We tend to forget how big we are.”

The town is already benefiting from investment in higher education – a key element in the drive to target new knowledge -driven business sectors – an expanded retail offering, a new transport interchange and 21st century business accommodation.

Helped by £5 million funding support from the Northwest Regional Development Agency, (NWDA) Warrington Collegiate has opened a new campus and the University of Chester has completed a new £3 million Business Centre at Padgate, again with grant aid of £2.4 million from the Agency.

The NWDA also provided funding assistance for the town’s new bus station and has committed £900,000 to a five-year initiative that enables residents of some of the most disadvantaged areas to plug into the employment and training opportunities coming to the town.

The scheme is on track to help 300 unemployed people into jobs by March, mainly in construction, social care and retail.

Work is also due to start on the first phase of development of the Omega strategic site alongside the M62, a major opportunity for the region as a whole, not just Warrington.

A counterbalance between Manchester and Liverpool, Warrington has seen its fortunes rise dramatically during the past 30 years as a result of its strategic location at the hub of the region’s motorway network and its New Town status which has delivered new housing, schools, amenities and business parks in the greener suburbs.

Its economic success in recent years is recognised in the Regional Economic Strategy, which identifies Warrington, alongside Crewe, Chester, Lancaster and Carlisle as a major growth location with significant potential for knowledge based activities.

Chris Koral, the NWDA’s Policy and Partnership Manager for Cheshire and Warrington, says the Agency is working closely with the council and the Cheshire and Warrington Economic Alliance to develop elements of the framework.

“Effective partnership working to create the conditions necessary to attract and support new private sector investment will be critical to the successful implementation of the framework.” he says.

The blueprint seeks to distance Warrington from the New Town era by building a more cohesive, urban identity that marries new communities such as Birchwood with rejuvenated, older areas.

“We have produced a regeneration blueprint that is more focused on smart growth,” says Farrall. “We need to attract more worthwhile jobs – growth that tackles the deprived areas and makes use of the huge bank of brownfield land that exists in the town.”

Ten programmes have been formulated to make Warrington an attractive lifestyle town well equipped to force the pace of growth within the Northern Way corridor.

They cover everything from creating more business districts and sustainable neighbourhoods to better transport and IT connectivity and a shift to place rather than product marketing.

The framework is built around overarching principles such as reducing the impact of climate change, quality in design, equal opportunity, neighbourhood safety, community engagement, partnership working and sustainability.

The council wants to develop a number of eco-communities based on the urban village concept, the first of which is Chapelford with 2000 homes.

Projected cost of the transformation is £2.7 billion over 20 years, most it from the private sector. Andy Farrall claims there will be minimal pump priming by the public sector but the council will make land available to catalyse developments.

“It’s about how you use that land and how you provide the private sector with information about what it is you want them to do. We think we are unique in the Northwest because we have large amounts of brownfield land and track record of delivery.”

For further information:www. warrington.gov.uk

“WE NEED TO REFOCUS AND REFINE THE TOWN’S IMAGE AS A SIGNIFICANT BUSINESS, SHOPPING AND LIFESTYLE LOCATION SO THAT IT CAN PUNCH ITS WEIGHT IN THE REGION’S ECONOMY .”

ANDY FARRALLSTRATEGIC DIRECTOR FOR ENVIRONMENTAND REGENERATION, WARRINGTONBOROUGH COUNCIL

TOWN CENTRE REJUVENATION

Much of the framework focus is on bringing about a renaissance of the town centre, making Warrington livelier at night and populating it with new homes, shops, offices and enhanced visitor attractions.

Key components of the plan include a high-density business and leisure district around Central Station, kick-started by the Modus Wireworks development, and a new zone of business and enterprise along Winwick Road (the Northern Spine).Warrington Borough Council is making progress on other important pieces of the regeneration jigsaw. It will shortly start a master planning exercise to revitalise the Bridge Street Quarter with shops, offices, homes, a new market hall and square.

It’s also developing plans with Network Rail and Virgin Trains to develop Bank Quay as a mainline station with gateway links to the town centre, and is working with Peel Holdings on a development blueprint for the Manchester Ship Canal Corridor.

Town planners are keen on exploiting the investor appeal of the town’s waterfront. “We have a golden opportunity to emulate what many attractive towns and cities in Europe have – a waterfront with exhibition and conference facilities,” insists Farrall.

“Hotel operators are keen to come here which would allow us to develop a business tourism product. The council will masterplan the area, parcel up sites and offer them to private developers, using Compulsory Purchase Order powers if necessary.”

New bus station – Warrington has bucked the national trend by increasing bus use

Investing in higher education – the University of Chester’s new Business Centre

PEOPLE AND JOBS

ERDF FUNDING AIDS DRIVE FOR PROSPERITY

Regional partners are drawing up investment plans to use a new round of European funding to deliver more prosperity. The money will be used over the next six years to create over 26,000 additional jobs and boost productivity by over £1 billion.

Worth £521 million – the largest amount of any English region – the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme 2007-13 will be managed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The money will be tightly focused on actions that correspond with the competitiveness aspirations of the EU’s Lisbon Agenda and the priorities identified in the Regional Economic Strategy.

Applicants seeking ERDF and NWDA single pot support will find the task simpler and quicker since the NWDA will operate a single, integrated appraisal process for the two funding streams.

PRIORITY OBJECTIVESThe transfer of responsibility for the programme from Government Office for the North West (GONW) represents a new ‘first’ for the NWDA, prompting the Agency’s Chief Executive Steven Broomhead to describe it as an “important milestone” for the region.

“This is likely to be the last significant ERDF programme, and the region must ensure these resources are aligned with its economic priorities and used for measured impact. The Agency will ensure that all systems and processes are in place for delivery to run smoothly,” he says.

The Agency has appointed David Malpass, a professional senior manager who headed up Birmingham Chamber of Commerce’s Accelerate initiative, as its new Director of European Programme.

His job will be to ensure the new European programme is delivered and aligns closely with the priority objectives of the RES and conforms to the ERDF regulatory framework.

He will be responsible for supporting the Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) in managing the strategic direction of the programme.

The 25-strong PMC, whose members cover a broad spectrum of regional and sub-regional partners, will meet in the New Year to consider investment frameworks for the 11 action areas identified in the North West Operating Programme (NWOP) document, which received approval from the European Commission at the end of December 2007.

The 300-page NWOP document was produced after extensive consultation with partners from the public, private and voluntary sectors.

It contains four Priority themes – supporting business, supporting innovation and technology, capital investment and community economic development.

“With the partner expertise at our disposal we have a golden opportunity to make a lasting contribution to job creation and the overall prosperity of the region,” commented David Malpass.

The overall level of funding - £521 million – is about half the ERDF value of the 2000-06 Objective 1 and 2 programmes. Forty per cent of the money – approximately £212 million – will be ‘ring fenced’ for Merseyside.

Previous Objective One and Objective Two programmes covered only about 60% of the Northwest whereas the new arrangements will take in the whole region.

Objective One funding has had a catalytic effect on growing Merseyside’s Gross Value Added (GVA) above the 75% threshold that triggers the award of structural funds.

The overall thrust of the programme is one of improving competitiveness in line with the EU’s Lisbon Agenda which targets growth through specific, high value added interventions.

In the Northwest investments will be focused on delivering high economic growth based on environmental sustainability and equality and diversity. Targets include creating 26,700 net additional jobs, improving the region’s annual GVA by £1.17 billion and a 25% reduction in additional CO2 emissions generated from Programme investments.

For further information: www.nwda.co.uk

“WITH THE PARTNER EXPERTISE AT OUR DISPOSAL WE HAVE A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A LASTING CONTRIBUTION TO JOB CREATION AND THE OVERALL PROSPERITY OF THE REGION.”

DAVID MALPASSDIRECTOR OF EUROPEAN PROGRAMME, NWDA


PEOPLE AND JOBS

CELEBRATING THE REGION’S DIVERSITY

From the 50-strong orchestra of diverse musicians striking up at the launch to the re-creation of Montmartre in Manchester’s Piccadilly to mark the close, the week-long Celebr8 Festival across the Northwest in June 2007 was a resounding success.

Already plans are taking shape for the third 2008 Festival which aims to highlight the positive impact diverse communities have on the region – socially, culturally and economically.

The Celebr8 (don’t discrimin8) Festival was the first such regional event of its kind in the UK. Co-ordinated by the North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) with support from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Government Office North West (GONW), it holds a variety of activities stretching across the region from Barrow-in-Furness to Chester.

Evelyn Asante-Mensah, Head of Equality and Diversity at the NWDA, highlights Celebr8 as just one of a series of events and organisations that help to make her task easier.

equal accessShe heads a seven-strong team, which works both internally and externally to ensure that equality and diversity is integral to the economic development of the region and enables everyone “to have equitable and equal access to appropriate services and are able to participate within the regional economy.”

“When people think of the meaning of equality and diversity, they immediately think of race, gender and disability – the three areas where we have legal responsibilities,” says Ms Asante-Mensah, who joined the Agency in July from her role as strategic adviser for GONW, on secondment from the Black Health Agency (BHA).

But there are many other strands involved, she says, including sexual orientation, religion and belief, ageing, poverty, migrant workers and rural issues.

Organisations working to encompass diverse communities, all supported by the NWDA, include the Ethnic Minority Business Forum and the Faiths4Change project which is engaging faith communities in transforming local environments in the inner cities.

They will make contact with prospective employers, particularly in hospitality, catering and construction - areas in which prisoners often receive training – and offer support to those willing to give jobs to ex-offenders.

Lack of employment has proved to be a primary trigger to re-offending which costs the national economy over £11 billion per year.

In the arts, the Creative Communities initiative – a programme of public and community art - is underway as part of Liverpool 08, where European Capital of Culture status is giving the city a chance to reflect the diversity of its heritage.

The NWDA, NWRA and GONW are the three strategic partners committed to delivering the region’s three-year Equality and Diversity Strategy and Implementation Plan drawn up in 2006. Their overall responsibility is to secure economic inclusion for all.

“Internally our team is building on the good work which has been done and supporting the Agency to become better equipped to be part of the leadership in the region,” says Ms Asante-Mensah.

“People can be scared of getting it wrong where equality and diversity is concerned, but we must remember that much of what is involved is common sense – it’s about respect and dignity and being treated as we want to be treated. We are all different but we have lots in common.”

For further information:Email: [email protected]: 01925 400100

FACT FILE: The Northwest has a population of 6.85 million Gender split: NW male 48.9%, 51.1% female (England 49.1% male, 50.9%

female) Black minority ethnic population: NW 7.1% (England 10.9%) Working age population with disability: NW 19.9% (England 18.4%) Population over official retirement age: NW 18.9% (England 18.6%) Employment rate: NW 72.5% (England 74.3%) Foreign nationals registered for National Insurance number in 06/07: NW

52,000 (England 615,000)6

“PEOPLE CAN BE SCARED OF GETTING IT WRONG WHERE EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY IS CONCERNED, BUT WE MUST REMEMBER THAT MUCH OF WHAT IS INVOLVED IS COMMON SENSE.”

EVELYN ASANTE-MENSAHHEAD OF EQUALITYAND DIVERSITYNWDA

Full participation – enjoying the Celebr8 festival

INFRASTRUCTURE

NEWS

International architects are being invited to submit designs for an Observatory to replace a disused radar tower on Crosby Beach, Merseyside. The landmark tourist attraction would provide unrivalled views of cruise liners entering Liverpool harbour. The competition winners will be announced in March.

Twelve Northwest communities are set to benefit from the Sustrans Connect2 project, which was announced as the winner of The People’s £50 Million Giveaway. The funding, from the Big Lottery Fund, will be used to create new walking and cycling routes in 79 communities across the UK.

Councils across the Northwest are set to benefit from £672 million government investment in local transport schemes over the next three years. The money will allow local authorities to invest in new road safety schemes, better street lighting, road maintenance, park and ride facilities and cycle and bus lanes.

West Lakes Renaissance is seeking a developer for the £120 million Marina Village project in Barrow-in-Furness. The dockland scheme will transform a former railway works into a new community with over 650 homes, a 350-berth marina, hotel, retail space and leisure facilities.

Funding support of £8 million is being provided by the NWDA to help Metrolink improve services on the Salford Quays line. Peak hours service frequency will double to 10 trams an hour as a result of the investment.

Traffic has started using a stretch of the new £35 million A590 High and Low Newton Bypass, which will remove 90% of through traffic from the Cumbrian villages. Over 51,000 native trees and shrubs are being planted along the dual carriageway road. The full 4km long Bypass is expected to be open in Spring.

LIVERPOOL ARENA TAKES CENTRE STAGE

Liverpool’s drive to become one of Europe’s premier visitor destinations has moved into top gear with the opening of the striking £154 million Arena and Convention Centre on the Kings Waterfront development, an iconic symbol of the city’s rejuvenation.

The 10,600-seater Echo Arena Liverpool was completed in time to host a weekend of spectacular events that launched the city’s year as European Capital of Culture. A multi-storey car park is also operational.

Elements of the Convention Centre – the arched Galleria and a 3,725 sq m multi-purpose hall, which can double up as exhibition space, will open in February followed by the upper levels and the Convention’s main auditorium from mid-April.

“This is a fabulous building - the most up-to-date and sophisticated complex of its kind in Europe and it’s been fantastically received by our client base,” enthuses Bob Prattey, Chief Executive of ACC Liverpool, which will manage the energy-saving venue on behalf of Liverpool City Council, the long lease owners.

He sees the design of the building – the work of award-winning architects Wilkinson Eyre – as “a key point of differentiation” in the increasingly competitive global pitch for high profile conference, entertainment and sporting events.

Bookings confirmed will have an economic impact in 2008 of £60 million. A total of 144 events – 80 of them conferences and several with over 1,000 delegates – have been signed up and many others are in the pipeline.

The city’s visitor appeal will be further enhanced when the £920 million Paradise Street project (Liverpool One) opposite the Albert Dock is completed in Spring 2008. Grosvenor has developed the 42-acre site without any public money, a sure sign of investor confidence in the city’s future.

HIGH STANDARDSThe giant scheme is one of the biggest regeneration projects in Europe. It adds 30 individually designed buildings to the city’s skyline, 1.65 million sq ft (154,000 sq m) of retail space, over 630 residential units, 3,000 parking spaces (2,100 of them new), 230,000 sq ft (21,500 sq m) of leisure space and a five-acre park.

Construction of the third ingredient in the visitor attractions mix, the highly contemporary Museum of Liverpool on the Mann Island site, should be completed by the end of 2008 and be ready for opening in 2010.

The NWDA is contributing over £32 million towards the £50 million development costs of the project, which is expected to generate 750,000 visits a year. Together the three flagship projects should create nearly 3,500 full-time jobs.The Agency has also provided over £18 million of funding support for the ACC Liverpool project, which sets high standards in environmental, employment and supply chain sustainability.

The complex is one of the ‘greenest’ arena and convention centres in Europe having been configured and equipped to produce half the CO2 emissions of a traditional build.

All its energy needs are supplied from renewable sources. Five low-noise wind turbines located on the site will provide 10% of the building’s electricity, and all rainwater falling on the roof is collected and used within the complex to flush toilets.

Where possible ACC Liverpool has used local suppliers to create employment and reduce transport impact. The appointment of Northwest-based Heathcotes as caterer is a good example of the sustainable approach being taken to servicing the complex.

“Heathcotes is committed to sourcing fresh, local food so the number of road miles is reduced and clients are recognising that if they bring their event to the ACC they will also be reducing their carbon footprint.

“Our strategic aim is to provide goods and services from local sources but we are having to compete on quality with conference venues such as London, Paris and Barcelona so local suppliers have to set their horizons at that level.”

Prattey believes the new square or piazza in front of the building will add a new dimension to the waterfront landscape and provide an impressive new civic space for outdoor activities. “We are seeing a shift in the focus of the city centre back to its single greatest asset – the waterfront.”

Bookings have surpassed expectations. ACC Liverpool figures prominently in the Capital of Culture programme by staging the January 12 opening event and the high profile 15th Annual MTV Europe Music Awards in November.

MAGNET FOR INVESTMENTOther events in 2008 include the ‘Winter Pops’, a week-long rock and pop festival, The World Firefighter Games, the X Factor show, an international business summit and conferences for the British Chambers of Commerce, medical groups and the Spring gathering of the Liberal Democrats.

“Big events give cities enormous profile which can be significant in attracting further investment,” declares Prattey. “The spin-off from bringing 10,000 people into the city centre is immense. It creates jobs, fills hotels, and provides business for taxi drivers and restaurants.”

ACC Liverpool is making a push to win smaller corporate events and niche exhibition business from within the region, not just the national and international blockbuster events.

The facilities offer a high degree of flexibility and comfort. The main Convention Centre hall will seat 1,350, there are two 250-seater revolving drum shaped sections that can be isolated to create separate conference spaces and a further 18 breakout rooms.

Other eye-catching features include the central Galleria whose arched space is covered with translucent material also used to cover the Eden Project domes in Cornwall, and the floor-to-ceiling glazing which emphasises the architectural quality of the building.

Sponsorship is a key part of the revenue stream. The Echo Arena Liverpool has agreed a three-year deal for which it gets naming rights for the Arena and it was recently announced that the Conference Centre is to be named the BT Convention Centre as part of a five year sponsorship deal.

For further information: www.accliverpool.com

“THIS IS A FABULOUS BUILDING – THE MOST UP-TO-DATE AND SOPHISTICATED COMPLEX OF ITS KIND IN EUROPE AND IT’S BEEN FANTASTICALLY RECEIVED BY OUR CLIENT BASE .” BOB PRATTEYCHIEF EXECUTIVEACC, LIVERPOOL

World-class venue – the Echo Arena Liverpool and the BT Convention Centre will enhance the city’s visitor appeal

Comfort zone – an inside view of the 10,000 seat Echo Arena

http://www.accliverpool.com/

QUALITY OF LIFE

NEWS

Tate Liverpool will bring a range of world-class art to the city during the Capital of Culture celebrations including the first ever UK exhibition of the work of the highly revered Gustav Klimt (May 30 – Aug 31) and the first major UK exhibition of the French artist Niki de Saint Phalle (Feb 1- May 5).

World Museum Liverpool is organising an exhibition (July 12 – Nov 1), which explores and celebrates the city’s musical identity, its success and continuing evolution. The first of its kind, The Beat Goes On, draws material from record companies, institutions and private collectors.

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral will provide the setting for the world premiere of Sir John Taverner’s new Requiem on Feb 28 with the work being performed by the RLPO and Choir. Four groups of performers, set out in the shape of a cross within the nave, will represents the four great faiths.

Artist Ben Johnson has been commissioned to produce an 8ft x 16ft architectural portrait of Liverpool to commemorate the award of Capital of Culture. He is working at the Walker Art Gallery to finish ‘Liverpool Cityscape’ in front of a live audience from Jan 28 to March 7.

Nearly 300 young people from 30 European countries will gather at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool, to share ideas, culture and experience during a 10-day session of the European Youth Parliament (July 16-27). They will frame 15 resolutions, which will be sent on to the European Parliament.

Liverpool’s historic Bluecoat Art Centre will reopen early in 2008 after a £12.5 million refit with a focus on events that support Capital of Culture including a first-ever literature festival. It will be a venue for the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival in July and Liverpool Biennial 2008, which opens in September.

CURTAIN RISES ON 08 CELEBRATIONS

Liverpool opened the long-awaited European Capital of Culture celebrations with a spectacular debut for a new landmark icon and an events and investment programme that will leave a lasting legacy for the people of Merseyside and the Northwest.

An extra two million visitors are expected to descend on the city during 2008 to feast on a megastar offering of pop, classical and jazz music, drama, dance, art exhibitions, design and film. They are expected to generate a visitor spend of over £100 million.

Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr make a welcome return to their home city to take part in several of the planned events. Music heavyweights Simon Rattle, Vladimir Ashkenaszy and Karl Jenkins have also agreed to join the party.

Seventy organisations are involved in delivering a hugely diverse, international calendar of events, which include the largest programme of outdoor public art ever commissioned by a city. There will be a dozen different festivals.

The celebrations have been organised by the Liverpool Culture Company, which has a budget of £107 million to invest over four years. Its board has been slimmed down to six members to speed up the decision process in the key areas of finance and creativity.

New Chairman Bryan Gray says that Capital of Culture has two “massive” tasks – to deliver a world-class programme in 08 and a legacy that goes beyond 08 - “one that the whole region and the UK can be proud of.”

WORLD STAGEHe takes responsibility for finance while continuing as Chairman of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), one of the 08 funding partners. TV executive Phil Redmond is responsible for the creative direction of the company.

The eclectic mix of cultural events and novel experiences includes scheduled performances by some of the world’s most talented artists, many of them with deep roots in Liverpool, and a creative input from small grassroots organisations.

Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing for the NWDA, one of the principal sponsors, says the celebrations have an important role in “really highlighting the region’s world-class offering.”

Capital of Culture was officially opened with a series of public events and concerts over 3 days (January 11 - 13). Over 50,000 descended on Liverpool for the spectacular People's Opening, which saw a cast of hundreds join Beatles legend Ringo Starr on the roof of St George's Hall. The event put firmly Liverpool and the region firmly in the national and international spotlight, with BBC News 24 and Sky News dedicating extensive coverage to the event.

A one off performance of 'Liverpool - The Musical' also took place on January 12th at the official opening of the city's new Echo Arena Liverpool, where a sell out crowd of 10,600 people were treated to a visual and musical extravaganza. This included a line up of Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart, Pete Wylie and Ian Broudie,

along with Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO). Along with special guests there was a cast of poets, singers, aerialists, comedian, construction workers and sailors.

The trail blazing weekend was overseen by Liverpool 08’s two artistic directors, Nigel Jamieson, who worked on the opening ceremony for the Sydney Olympics and the closing ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, and Jayne Casey, co-founder of the city’s world famous Cream.

They set the scene for a voyage of cultural discovery and artistic innovation embracing many of the city’s landmark buildings and venues such as the two Cathedrals, Tate Liverpool, the newly refurbished Bluecoat, the Philharmonic Hall, FACT, Playhouse and Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse theatres, the Walker Art Gallery and National Museums, Liverpool.

Two of the city’s famous sons, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, recorded video messages for the official launch of the cultural programme at Tate Liverpool in September with Paul promising “a showcase for the whole of Britain.”

MUSIC AWARDSHe will headline ‘The Liverpool Sound’, a concert at the Anfield Football Stadium featuring the superstars of popular music live, on stage, which will be broadcast to a global audience.

A rich musical thread runs through the 08 canvas with the RLPO presenting 30 new commissions, including major works by Sir John Taverner, Karl Jenkins, Michael Wyman and Brett Dean. Simon Rattle will conduct the Berlin Philharmonic (Oct 2) with Vladimir Ashkenazy taking the RLPO baton (Nov 26 and 27).

There was more icing on the cultural cake in October when MTV announced that it would be holding the 15th Europe Music Awards 2008 live across all platforms at the Echo Arena Liverpool on November 6, a major coup given the event’s global profile.

The 350-event programme includes distinguished exhibitions at Tate Liverpool, three specially commissioned plays at the Everyman and Playhouse theatres, a fifth edition of Liverpool Biennial, the comedic talents ofKen Dodd through to new dance performances and street theatre on an epic scale.

Phil Redmond described Liverpool as a treasure house of culture and artistic innovation. “This is a city that has been built on the strength of its people and their ideas and we now want to use culture to capture the building confidence and self-esteem that is coming from seeing their 19th century city transforming to one for the 21st century.”

For further information:www. liverpool08.com

“CAPITAL OF CULTURE HAS TWO MASSIVE TASKS – TO DELIVER A WORLD-CLASS PROGRAMME IN 08 AND A LEGACY THAT GOES BEYOND 08, ONE THAT THE WHOLE REGION AND THE UK CAN BE PROUD OF.”

BRYAN GRAYCHAIRMAN, LIVERPOOL CULTURE COMPANY

Capital creation – artist Ben Johnson at work on ‘Liverpool Cityscape’, his most ambitious painting to date

Opening night – thousands joined the Liverpool 08 merry making outside St. George's Hall

QUALITY OF LIFE

BLACKPOOL BIDS FOR DANCE CAPITAL FAME

It’s strictly ‘come dancing’ for Blackpool in 2008 as the resort, already world famous for the Tower, Pleasure Beach and Illuminations, aims to add ‘Dance Capital of the World’ to its claims to fame.

Planning a new ‘famous five’ programme of national and international events, aimed at highlighting the resort as a year-round visitor destination, ‘Blackpool 365’ has added the UDO World Street Dance Championships and the European Ballroom Championships to its existing tally of dance festivals.

All the new events, based around the five themes of dance, fire and light, magic and variety, reunions and beach sports, are designed to celebrate the resort’s heritage, traditions and innovative spirit.

MAGICAL FESTIVALSupported by funding of £3.5 million from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), the programme of signature events over the next three years will build on the success of existing attractions.

The UDO World Street Dance Championships, which attracted European and American dancers when it was held in Blackpool for the first time in 2007, will include African champions at this year’s August event.

It will follow Blackpool’s May Dance Festival, first held in 1920, which covers ballroom and Latin American, the largest of five annual festivals, ending with the World Professional Ballroom Championships in November.

Councillor Maxine Callow, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Tourism says: “ Our ‘Blackpool 365’ campaign is all about building on and celebrating the town’s existing heritage and unique features.

“It’s about people – both visitors and those who live in the town – being able to participate in events, get involved, learn new skills – think about staging their own events.”

February is a big month for the town, with a new two-week magic and variety festival called Showzam, including a ‘Heat the Streets’ Saturday when the streets will become home to fire sculptures and fire performers and culminate in an illuminated parade.

In June, Veterans’ Week, when Blackpool traditionally remembers veterans mainly from World Wars I and ll, will be expanded to include ‘veterans’ of all ages.

In September, the International Federation of Beach Volleyball (FIVB) will again stage a tournament in Blackpool, following the success of its first in 2007. The town is also hoping to expand its repertoire of ‘beach sports’ to include football and cricket.

Robert Owen, Head of Marketing for VisitBlackpool, says: “The events programme is all about giving Blackpool a reason to visit during our ambitious programme of regeneration. Some will be one-offs and others will go on to become annual events.”

UNIQUE DIMENSIONThe whole events programme is just one element in the regeneration of the town’s infrastructure and economic development, with massive investment in the promenade, also supported by the NWDA.

Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing at the NWDA, says: “This programme of original and nationally significant events will give a distinctive, unique dimension to Blackpool’s visitor offer. Major events have an important roleto play in the area’s regeneration, helping to attract more business and leisure visitors to the region.”

Contact: www.visitblackpool.co.uk

High Energy – These American dancers from the Jabbawockeez group featured in the 2007 Blackpool Street Dance Festival

QUALITY OF LIFE

BUILDING ON WHAT THE ROMANS GAVE US

A powerful symbol of the Roman Empire and arguably Britain’s greatest – and largest - cultural treasure, Hadrian’s Wall is set to make history again in the 21st century as a newly burnished jewel of the region’s visitor economy.

Stretching from the Solway Firth to the Tyne, the necklace of forts, museums and dramatic landscapes is the focus of a visionary improvement programme that will see the creation of major new visitor facilities, a wealth of business opportunities and better marketing and communications.

“This is a five to ten year project but we hope to see some visible things happening within three years. There are a number of capital schemes underway and others in the pipeline,” reports Linda Tuttiett, Chief Executive of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd (HWHL).

The company has completed its first year of operations after being set up by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), One NorthEast, English Heritage and Natural England to promote the development and regeneration of the Hadrian’s Wall corridor.

WORLD HERITAGE SITEIt came into being following a major study, which pinpointed declining visitor numbers, a poor visitor experience, lack of facilities and signposting and a fragmented approach to how the story of the Wall was presented to the public. A key finding was the need to establish a single management body.

Ambitions are high with Tuttiett and the HWHL Board targeting a potential increase in tourism-generated revenue of around £200 million over the next five to ten years, subject to the required injection of financial support for capital development and consumer-facing marketing over this period. This could lead to an estimated 3,000 new jobs across the Wall corridor in tourism related businesses.

Total investment in new facilities along the 150-mile corridor from Ravenglass to Newcastle would be about £50 million. They include capital projects at Maryport, Tullie House Museum, Carlisle, and Roman Vindolanda in Newcastle.

Built in AD122 to mark the limits of the Roman Empire, Hadrian’s Wall is part of the Roman Frontier that crosses two government regions and 12 local

authorities, along with a network of around 800 owners. It became a World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1987.

Archaeologists have found well-preserved remains of a series of Roman forts under present-day Carlisle prompting an application to English Heritage to include the city within the WHS boundaries. If granted it would strengthen the development of the proposed Cultural Quarter.

Excavations are also planned, subject to English Heritage approval, at a civilian settlement (or vicus) at Roman Maryport – the biggest of these settlements along the Wall – to learn more about Roman social and cultural life on the Northern frontier.

WRITING TABLETSA major tourist facility costing up to £10 million could be developed at the site if a study, currently underway, establishes there is a market for such an attraction.

“Ninety per cent of the wall is unexcavated,” explains Tuttiett, “and our dream is to find more of the writing tablets discovered at Vindolanda which showed what people were thinking and doing at that time.”

Written by a commander’s wife, the tablets have been voted among Britain’s greatest national treasures.

A Wall-wide programme of activities is planned for 2009 on the theme of “The Living Frontier”, which will link into a number of major events including the opening of the Great North Museum.

As well as UK visitors the Wall is a popular tourist destination for visitors from America, Australia, France and the Netherlands.

For further information:www.hadrians-wall.org

Cultural treasure – Hadrian’s Wall snakes across dramatic landscapes

Silent witness – ninety per cent of the Wall remains unexcavated

http://www.hadrians-wall.org/

PEOPLE IN THE REGION

EU ADVISERCHAIRs CUMBRIA VISION

Economic regeneration organisation Cumbria Vision has recruitedRoger Liddle, former Principal Adviser to the President of the European Commission, to succeed David Brockbank as Chairman of the 14-strong Board of Directors.

He will act as a key ambassador for regeneration to regional and national audiences, such as business leaders and policy makers. Cumbria Vision, which is supported by the NWDA, brings together the rural and urban agendas to create a county-wide regeneration strategy.

Born and educated in Carlisle, Liddle was previously responsible for leading a team of economists advising on the economic and social challenges facing Europe.

Prior to this he was a member of the cabinet of the EU Trade Commissioner and spent seven years as Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on European issues.

TOP ACADEMY POST FOR LLEWELLYNJean Llewellyn has been appointed Chief Executive of the newly established National Skills Academy for Nuclear following a year’s secondment from the NWDA leading the team that developed the successful Academy business plan.

Formerly Head of Skills Policy at the Agency, she has spent the last four years working with employers and partners in the nuclear sector, chairing the Nuclear Skills Advisory Group to identify the key skills and training challenges facing the sector and developing the Academy project to meet these challenges.

She has had a versatile career having spent 12 years in Higher and Further Education including lecturing at Manchester Metropolitan University. She graduated in Hospitality Management and has managed hotels in Scotland, England and Italy as well as spending five years as an AA Hotel Inspector.

NEW REGENERATION CHAIR

Respected business leader Michael Parker, Group Chief Executive of BNFL, returns to his native Liverpool to take over as the first Chair of the new

company that will help drive the city’s future regeneration and economic growth.

Born in Waterloo and educated in the city, he had an illustrious 30-year business career with The Dow Chemical Company in Michigan, USA, rising to become its President and Chief Executive Officer from 2000-2002 before joining BNFL in 2003. He is a chemical engineer by training with an MBA from Manchester Business School.

The new Liverpool venture is being created from the merger of Liverpool Vision, Business Liverpool and Liverpool Land Development Company. Its aim is to chart and deliver the next stage of Liverpool’s renaissance as a premier international city for business, investment and commerce.

CHAIR OF ENTERPRISE FORUM APPOINTED

Energy executive Robert Davis has agreed to become the first Chair of the Northwest Enterprise Forum (NWEF), a new 15-strong body set up by the NWDA to advise on enterprise strategy and policy. The region needs 40,000 additional businesses to catch up with the national average.

He is Managing Director of EA Technology Ltd, a Capenhurst-based power engineering company operating in the UK electricity sector and overseas. Since taking up the post he has increased the company’s turnover by 50% and profits by 100%.

His career has progressed from a marketing consultancy through industrial asset management to the power asset management sector. He is a member of the North West Regional Council of the CBI and a member of the CBI Innovation, Science and Technology Committee.

FIVE KEY FIGURES JOIN NWDA BOARD

Five new members have been appointed to the management board of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) by Stephen Timms, the Competitiveness Minister.

The new members who took up their three-year appointments in December will provide the board with a valuable range of experience and expertise in business, farming, local authority and higher education, sectors critical to the successful implementation of the Regional Economic Strategy.

PETER ALLENis a Cumbrian hill farmer who has been actively involved with the NFU for many years representing farming and rural issues locally, regionally and nationally. He worked with industry and government on the control and eradication of foot and mouth disease in 2001-02.

Peter has played an influential role in reforming and implementing the EU sheep regime and is currently Chair of RUMA, the UK body promoting the responsible use of medicines in agriculture. He is also a Board member of Natural England.

ROBERT HOUGHis Deputy Chairman and latterly Executive Director of Peel Holdings, whose businesses include airports, ports, land use planning, development, waste, energy and the environment. He is a Non-Executive Director of a number of other companies.

Chair of New East Manchester Ltd, one of the first Urban Regeneration Companies to be established, he also is a member and former Chair of the North West Business Leadership Team, and a board member of the University of Manchester and also sits on the North West Regional Assembly Executive Board.

JOHN BROOKSis the Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University. In his previous job at the University of Wolverhampton he chaired a regeneration project after the closure of Rover, which involved infrastructure development and small business support.

He chairs the Board of the Equality Challenge Unit and is on the boards of Universities UK, the Oxford Road Corridor Partnership and the Universities & Colleges Employers Association. In 1992-1998 he helped create Bodycote-SHU Coatings, a technology-led metal finishing company.

TONY MCDERMOTTis the Leader of Halton Borough Council and taught in Lancashire and Liverpoolfor 34 years. He is also Chair of the North West Regional Transport Group and a former Chair of the North West Regional Assembly.

His is active in a number of other areas of public service holding board membership of the Local Government Association Improvement and Development Agency, The Mersey Partnership, the North West Improvement Network and the 5 Boroughs NHS Mental Health Trust.

SUSAN WILLIAMShas been Conservative Leader of Trafford Borough Council since 2004 having previously worked as a nutritionist for the charity Action and Research into Multiple Sclerosis until 2001. She is a board member of Manchester Enterprises, the Trafford Local Strategic Partnership and also sits on the AGMA Economic Development Board.

A former political agent for the Conservative Party, she contested the Wythenshawe and Sale East seat in 2001 and was selected as the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Bolton Westin 2006.

EVENTS

event highlights

For further information www.nwda.co.uk/events

JANUARY

22 JAN

TV FROM THE NATIONS AND REGIONS CONFERENCEKeynote speaker – Mark Thompson, Director General, BBCThe Lowry, Salford Quays

FEBRUARY

7 FEB

CUMBRIA CBI ANNUAL DINNERKeynote speaker – Beverley Hughes, Minister for the North WestCastle Green Hotel, Kendal

21 FEB-1 MAR

EUROPEAN SENIOR BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPSEurope’s top amateurs go fist to fistACC Liverpool

25-27 FEB

VOICE 08Annual social enterprise conferenceACC Liverpool

http://www.nwda.co.uk/events

28 FEB

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DAY 2008Helping businesses expand into new marketsOld Trafford, Manchester

Institute of Directors North West Annual ConferenceOn the record with Shadow Chancellor George Osborne and Sven-Goran ErikssonCity of Manchester Stadium

MARCH

7 MAR

BE INSPIRED BUSINESS AWARDSLancashire’s premier business competitionTower Ballroom, Blackpool

11-13 MAR

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE & EXHIBITIONCharting the future of neighbourhood developmentACC Liverpool

APRIL

3-5 APRIL

GRAND NATIONALAnnual meeting culminating in world’s best steeplechaseAintree, Liverpool

9 APRIL

GREATER MANCHESTER CHAMBER ANNUAL DINNERNetworking tour de forceManchester Central

9-13 APRIL

FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPSSporting excellence on a global stageMEN Arena, Manchester

23 APRIL

ENJOY ENGLAND AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCEToasting the nation’s top tourism businessesSt. George’s Hall, Liverpool

28 APRIL

BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE ANNUAL CONFERENCEAnother national event for the region’s newest venueACC LiverpoolMAY

1ST MAY

PRINCE OF WALES BUSINESS SUMMIT ON CLIMATE CHANGEInteractive event linked to mainshow in LondonNew Century House, Manchester

16 MAY

RICS NORTH WEST AWARDS 2008Celebrating the achievements of the built environmentACC Liverpool

JUNE

16 JUNE

BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCEGala dinner to honour responsible businessesCrowne Plaza Hotel, Liverpool

19 JUNE

FOOD NORTHWEST AWARDS 2008Celebrating the achievements of the agri-food and drink industryACC Liverpool

Grand National – the world’s greatest steeplechase

Boxing championships – Europe’s finest slug it out

GETTING IN TOUCH

At the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA),we value your views and feedback.

Visit www.nwda.co.uk & www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com

KEY CONTACTSThe NWDA’s Executive Team are based at its Headquarters in Warrington.

STEVEN BROOMHEADChief ExecutiveTel: 01925 400 133Email: [email protected]

BERNICE LAWChief Operating Officer,(currently on secondment at theLiverpool Culture Company)Tel: 01925 400 532 Email: [email protected]

IAN HAYTHORNTHWAITEExecutive Director,ResourcesTel: 01925 400 116Email: [email protected]

MARK HUGHESExecutive Director,Enterprise and SkillsTel: 01925 400 531Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com/

PETER MEARNSExecutive Director, MarketingTel: 01925 400 212Email: [email protected]

PATRICK WHITEExecutive Director, Policy Tel: 01925 400 274Email: [email protected]

PETER WHITEExecutive Director, DevelopmentTel: 01925 400 299Email: [email protected]

JAMES BERRESFORDDirector of Tourism Tel: 01925 400 472Email: [email protected]

FIONA MILLSDirector of Human PerformanceTel: 01925 644 422Email: [email protected]

HEAD OFFICEThe NWDA manages all operations from its Headquarters at:

HEAD OFFICE PO Box 37, Renaissance House,Centre Park, Warrington WA1 1XBTel: +44 (0)1925 400 100Fax: +44 (0)1925 400 400e-mail: [email protected]






315 issue 14

Documents

successful year

year of gardens

memorable year

final year

year of sport

year of adventure

important year

liverpool nativity