Save Energy and Environment by using a Specialist

   http://www.eco-warrior-solutions.com/

If you have an Interest in sustainability, Energy conservation and Biomass etc this is one of the UKs leading Specialists.
Dick Bradford gives best advice and support and it does not cost the Earth.
LinkedIn Profile:

http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/dick-bradford-c-eng-fcibse-lcc/16/153/a94

Nice Person of the Week

I have the great pleasure of making contact with nice people who are not just talented but whose personality is uplifting.
They are realistic about life and are good with people.
None more so than Sinead Sopala who works in Marketing in a Law Practice in Huddersfield.


Its people who make the difference in life and I am privileged to know them.
You can find Her on LinkedIn:

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/sineadsopala

Life and Death lessons need to be understood

In the midst of people sounding Happy in the glorious Sun the UK has had this last week, today was tinged with sadness.
I was privileged to be asked to say my goodbyes to my dear Friends Mum today.
At 92 years of age she has put off death for a long time and even now, refuses to give up life easily.
She is part of a generation that has seen so much and suffered so much.
Death is an enemy that leaves sadness and emptiness.
I remember it well when my own Mum and Dad died within 9 months of each other.
I used to struggle understanding the saying that the end of life was more important than the beginning but death reveals the reason.
What we accomplish comes with the accumulation of time. Our family grows, we share special Love and others have much to remember us by. That helps.
I will support my Friend as best I am able.
We all leave our marker and hopefully there are many who care about us.
It strikes me that we should use our time to get close to those special people in our lives.
More Importantly...tell them they are special.
That eliminates at least one potential regret.

Humbled by another persons challenges

I found myself a little humbled this week.
Whilst most of us were enjoying the wonderful weather the troubles of others often go unnoticed.
I met a lad in His 20s living under an underpass in an area of Barnsley.
He was very open and frank about His life, which to put it mildly had spiralled downward in the last two years as a result of a death in the family.
To the average "naked" eye this lad would be considered a lost cause.
In fact the lack of help being offered was nothing short of disgraceful.
Life can seem a lottery. There are many who care in positions to help but if you get people who are just doing a "job" you lose humanity and nothing gets done.
He was a remarkable portrait artist but had no job, little hope and few friends.
This was His life now. I pondered what His life might be in the future.
In His despair he needed help, firstly a roof over His head.
http://www.homelessuk.org/details.asp?id=HO1008387  in Rotherham proved to be the immediate rescuer and I send my thanks to them.
I wish Him well and I am humbled by His constant expressions of thanks.
All I did was care. It seems very little but I am reminded what a force for good it really is.
I did what was in my power and knowledge.
All of us can put something back and believe me, when we take the time, its hugely rewarding.

Never prove to be a Fool.....

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain -- and most fools do.Dale Carnegie

Action must follow thinking....

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There is much to learn from Barnsley

There are times in life when I feel like a minority of one!
Then there are those moments when you feel encouraged that sincere people are working hard for their communities.
This week I have had contact with Dan Jarvis MP, Michael Dugher MP, Councillor Steve Houghton and Tracey Cheetham.
They share something I do not - a belief in Politics as the means to solve Issues.
Interestingly though, we all share a caring spirit and in this we find friendship and respect. We all care about our Community.
In diversity we can still aim at good and perhaps in our small way help people to fulfil some aspirations.
Then there is Carol Cooper-Smith of Barnsley Development Agency who seeks to deal not only with the Economic struggles of Barnsley - but who also recognises the need to Improve the social needs caused by increasing unemployment which diminishes a persons self worth.
If that was not enough I visited Barnsley College today.
What a credit to the Town and their students.
There was a buzz of positivity and it made me think of that Barnsley Spirit that says" We had it tough before and we can see our way through this too".
History will record these as critical times.
Shake a bottle of full cream milk and the cream separates. Watch it closely though as it proves that the cream eventually comes to the top again!
Barnsley Folk are modest, doing little shouting or boasting.
Some may think this is weak but Barnsley is anything but weak.
Theres grit, determinaton and good humour.
No-one ignores the stark realities nationally or globally but in the end Barnsley realises it can never rely on the outside World for much.
Thats why we will provide the Entrepreneurs of the future, roll our sleeves up and use a strong work ethic to help ourselves....but never neglecting those in need.
Some maybe just see Barnsley as "That Town between Sheffield and Leeds" but quiet as we may be, something big is happening in our Town.

Barnsleys Best...Shoulder to Shoulder

In my role with Chamber of Commerce I get to meet some remarkable people.
Tonight was our Representative Council Meeting represented by 60 talented Business people.
Barnsley Council Leader Steve Houghton gave a presentation on the challenges facing our local community.
There were some stark facts but it made Him no less determined to maintain our best Interests in spite of obstacles.
We are blessed to have Steve because He is exceptional at His job and does not lack heart or passion.
Carol Cooper -Smith from Barnsley Development Agency braved sitting through the whole meeting!
She may tap me on the shoulder for a word when I next see Her for describing Her as "Feisty".
She is though and She proudly boasted what Enterprising Barnsley was achieving locally.
Unemployment figures will rise in Barnsley by around 6,500 as new rules will move some from Disability Benefits to Job Seekers allowance.
One thing we all have in common is the belief that people need pride and opportunity.
Perhaps we differ on how they might find it but a people without pride or value can only add to social problems.

From Ambassador to Vice President

I was privileged to serve the Chartered Institute of Marketing as SME Ambassador in Yorkshire and the North East.

As part of peoples fun, Family and Friends would call me “Mr Ambassador”.

From today they will need to change it to “Mr Vice President”.

Following an Election process for Vice President of Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, it seems Members have placed their faith in me.

I would hope to repay that trust.

I guess my next step in life will be to live in a “White House”!

Collaboration will be the way forward for everyone over the next few years. None of us achieves anything without the help of others and those capable of co-operating best will succeed best. Chamber of Commerce throughout South Yorkshire are already overlapping their skills and services for the benefit of everyone’s Members and pulling together, now more than ever, will prepare us best to make Companies better placed to protect their future. My role will be to ensure we are fully engaged in the task and prove to Members and partners "we say what we do and do what we say". We are realistic enough to know it is the Members we serve that ultimately judge our value to them. We in turn want them to make their voice heard to us. Barnsley and Rotherham can be sure they will see a very active role from us on their behalf.

Pride of our Town - Barnsley College

Who would believe that after Barnsley College’s tumultuous past, which included being the hot topic in the House of Commons, to meeting the past and present Prime Ministers in the fight to secure funding for College new builds...Barnsley College has now been recognised as one of the best General Further Education (GFE) Colleges in the Country? 

The national education standard; Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework (CIF) which came to force in 2009, awarded the overall grade of Outstanding to Barnsley College....only the fourth GFE College in the country to achieve the overall Outstanding grade.  This is all in a landscape where the number of Outstanding Colleges has fallen by two thirds over the past year; standards have been raised, criteria more robust and the necessity for transparency.  But most impressively Barnsley College was awarded 20 Outstanding grades out of a possible 22, and 2 Good grades, which is by a distance the best GFE College grade profile in the Country to date.

This exceptional result illustrates Barnsley College’s rapid improvement since 2007, when the College was only recognised as satisfactory.  And this has all been achieved prior to the new build opening its doors in summer 2011. 

Colin Booth, Principal said: “I have often said that outstanding teaching and learning does not depend on bricks and mortar but on excellent and committed staff and students.  We have smashed all recruitment targets with around 5,000 16-18 year olds and 2,000 adults currently studying at the College.  But our focus and priority is always about quality, and we work tirelessly to ensure every one of our learners reach, and regularly surpass their potential.  Ofsted stated in their report that ‘The college provides an inspirational resource for the Barnsley community and a transformational one for many learners’ , ‘Learners make outstanding progress at the college, and for many, the period they spend at the college represents a life-transforming journey’ and ‘teaching is often inspirational’. Our students’ achievements and commitment speak for themselves and they are at the heart of everything we do.  The fact we are a Tertiary College enables us to be so successful.

Barnsley College has been Yorkshire’s best kept secret for too long...people no longer come to Barnsley College as it is convenient...people now aspire to come to Barnsley College, as they know they will receive first-class learning, opportunities and experiences with the added confidence that Ofsted graded us Outstanding across almost every aspect of our work. 

We are very excited to open the doors of our state-of-the-art new building next summer, as this will further inspire people through excellent facilities that match our staff and students’ energy, vision and aspirations.  During the week long inspection between 1-5 November we had our first Open Evening of the year.  6,000 people attended the event which was more than all three Open Evenings last year; this shows that our reputation for quality was already recognised and now this superb national accolade will encourage even more people to come to Barnsley College; to access some of the best possible learning, opportunities and prospects available in the country.”

Frank Johnston, Chair of Governors said: “I am highly delighted that our staff and students have achieved this well-deserved outcome.  It is the result of great energy and drive from exceptionally skilled and dedicated staff who work with, and for the benefit of, our hard-working and often inspirational students.  I am very proud of Barnsley College and the extraordinary service it provides to our young people, adults, businesses and communities.”

Young Entrepeneurs Encouraged

Budding Entrepreneurs Show Their Worth

Friday, 1st April 2011

Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce entertained the Mayors of Barnsley and Rotherham, plus recently-elected Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis, when it played host to the South Yorkshire Young Chamber Conference last week.

The Mayor of Barnsley, Councillor Margaret Sheard, and the Mayor of Rotherham, Councillor Rose McNeely, joined 70 students and staff from Barnsley Academy, Greenacre School, Holgate School Sports College, Kingstone School, Maltby Academy, Wales High School and Willowgarth High School at the event.

 

Business people from across South Yorkshire were also in attendance and the conference was sponsored by the Chamber, Rotherham Ready, Nicholson Print, Road to Recovery and the conference hosts Ardsley House Hotel.

 

Rainforest Graphics, Rotherham Ready, Dearne Valley College and University Campus Barnsley all exhibited and a prize draw for a pull-up stand from Rainforest Graphics was won by Kingstone High School.

 

Presentations were given by the Young Chambers from Barnsley Academy, Greenacre School, Holgate School Sports College, Maltby Academy and Willowgarth High School on their enterprise activities and plans for the coming terms. 

 

These presentations were judged by Derek Kozel from Young Chamber UK and Owen Gleadall from Merlin Software.  The Mayor of Barnsley, Councillor Margaret Sheard, presented the prize to Maltby Academy for the best presentation and the second prize went to Willowgarth High School and was presented by the Mayor of Rotherham, Councillor Rose McNeely.

 

Young Chamber’s Rachel Walker-Morecroft said: “Both mayors were very impressed with the excellent behaviour and enterprising abilities of the students and their Young Chambers.  The Mayor of Rotherham particularly said that the event proved that Barnsley and Rotherham had some amazing young people who are the entrepreneurs and workforce of the future, and Dan Jarvis spent time with the students and was impressed by their networking ability.

 

“As far as I am concerned, this was the first of many Young Chamber Conferences for the region. The atmosphere was buzzing throughout the day and I was very proud of all the Young Chamber representatives; their behaviour and enthusiasm was amazing. Young Chamber activities have given a great opportunity to the students to develop the skills they have and to find in themselves talents that they didn’t know they had.  I am looking forward very much to organising the next one!”

 

Each group of students attended three workshops throughout the day.  Jan Davies from Jamie’s Ministry of Food did a cookery demonstration and Sophie Maxwell, of AW Education, provoked a great deal of thought with an interactive session on which social enterprise the students would like to see created. 

 

Finally, Rachel Walker-Morecroft, of Ruby Business Solutions and Young Chamber, provided an introduction to Public Speaking.  The most talented students will be able to test their skills in future, as it was announced that a South Yorkshire-wide inter-Young Chamber Public Speaking competition will take place, in conjunction with JCI Barnsley and JCI Sheffield.

 

The guest speaker was Paul Hoyle of Road to Recovery who gave a lively presentation on his story from school to his success in business and there were many questions from the budding entrepreneurs in attendance.  There was also a short motivational speech from 19-year-old Dominic Beck, who is hoping to be South Yorkshire’s youngest councillor when he stands for election to Rotherham Council in May.

Excellence in Low Carbon Innovation in Barnsley

http://www.barnsley.ac.uk/categories/New-Developments/

Barnsley College Breaks New Ground

First Sustainable Construction Centre in Yorkshire


Barnsley College launched their latest venture, the Think Low Carbon (TLC) Centre, at an official ground breaking ceremony on Wednesday 9th  March.

The TLC Centre will be the first of its kind in the Yorkshire and Humber region; providing a knowledge transfer hub for the research, development and up-skilling of the sustainable construction and renewable energy industries.

Recognising existing and anticipated skills shortages in the industry, Barnsley College secured £2.75million from the European Union, through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF programme 2007-2013, to build a centre of excellence and the turf cutting marked the beginning of the project.

The remainder of the building’s cost, totalling £4.5million, will be self-financed by the College. Colin Booth, Principal of Barnsley College said that; “The green agenda that was started by the last government and is being reinforced by the current coalition means that a host of new legislative targets will need to be communicated to builders, businesses and individuals across the country, and Yorkshire will be no exception. However, good work has already started in Yorkshire to ensure that we will not just be reactionary to these changes and the TLC Centre is set to turn Yorkshire into an epicentre for the development of sustainable technologies, techniques and projects.”

Barnsley College Chair of Governors, Frank Johnston added; “Auditors from the ERDF were extremely impressed with the Colleges’ vision, stating that they had been all over Europe and although there are small projects, there is nothing that is on the same scale or covering the diverse areas to address the skills gaps within this sector. The lead auditor stated that people will come from all over Europe to see what we are doing and this could become the ‘Silicon Valley of the north’ for low carbon.”

The Centre will support the creation of innovative zero carbon buildings and retrofit technology that will reduce the carbon footprint of existing building stock as well as benefit planning for the future. A demonstration area open to trade will enable the Centre to link with national and international manufacturers, suppliers, employers and industry leaders, as well as supporting cutting edge research.

Alongside its research and development provisions, the support that the Centre will provide to small and medium enterprises, employers and individuals both inside and out of the construction sector, means that its impact will be wide reaching and long lasting.

It will ensure that more homes, business and new buildings in the region will become energy efficient and that the regions construction industry will be fully equipped to implement forthcoming legal requirements.

Regional and national industry experts joined Mr Booth, local dignitaries and other Barnsley College staff and students to celebrate this new innovative project for the College. Chief Executive of the Leeds based company, WYG, Paul Hamer and the Director for Housing Futures from the national agency BRE, Oliver Novakovic spoke as key partners at the event.

Paul Hamer said; “I am delighted I was asked to perform the Turf Cutting ceremony on such a prestigious project in the Yorkshire and Humber area. Legislative changes, including the Climate Change Act, forecast that demand for environmental technologies will grow significantly, increasing the sector by 45 per cent across the region within eight years, creating around 30,000 jobs. We are extremely proud of our heritage in Yorkshire and the Humber and this initiative is exactly what’s needed within the region.”

Work on the building is expected to be completed by October 2011. 

Dan Jarvis MP called in to chat today.......

Todays Board Meeting at Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce ran on a little today as Directors took careful stock of our Goals for 2011/12.
We have a well balanced Board of Business experience and Individuals willing to put their all into caring for the Business Community in Barnsley and Rotherham.
Results over the last six months are encouraging and our realistic targets this next year will continue to be positive.
Local MP Dan Jarvis joined us at one stage to discuss the needs of Barnsley as a Town.
The exchanges were excellent and respect is due to Dan for His genuine desire to produce more wealth to the Town.
I am non Political and judge people by their sincerity.
On this level Dan has great energy and drive.
He is proud of serving Barnsley and especially proud of His Family. This recommends Him and I wish Him happiness and success.
Another surprise was to meet Roystons own Tracey Cheetham who came with Dan.
A devoted Wife (to Tim) and Mum with boundless enthusiasm, she has that easy style that leaves you feeling uplifted.A formidable Lady liked by those she meets..because she listens.
So much is happening in Barnsley that is unseen but lots of people are unselfishly wanting to help the Town in difficult times.
Good partnerships are vital.
I am perhaps criticised for saying that politics is too often the plaster that hides the wound rather than heals it But Dan seemed able to understand that people working together can make a difference for now.
We agree on one vital point.
Different perspectives shared respectfully and joined with hard work on behalf of others,makes us closer in aspirations.