Chesterfield based firm Cathelco, will be providing a marine growth prevention system (MGPS) for the latest, in a series of jack-up drilling rigs, to be built by Lamprell – the United Arab Emirates based leading provider of fabrication, engineering and contracting services to the offshore and onshore oil & gas and renewable energy industries.

The order was won by Cathelco Middle East FZC based in Sharjah, which was set up in 2015 to provide sales and engineering support for customers throughout the region.

Cathelco marine growth prevention systems are designed to eliminate blockages caused by barnacles and mussels in seawater lines. The systems consist of copper and aluminium anodes which are wired to a control panel. In operation, the copper anodes produce ions which create an environment where barnacle and mussel larvae do not settle and grow. At the same time the aluminium anode produces ions which suppress corrosion on the internal surfaces of pipes.

Carlo Soddu, who has been closely involved in the project at Cathelco, says:-

“In our experience jack-up rigs benefit from installations where the MGPS anodes are installed in pipe upstands, when a seachest is not available. By using this method the copper ions are drawn directly in the flow of seawater which maximises their effectiveness. The ease of access is another important advantage enabling maintenance time to be reduced to a matter of minutes each year.”

Cathelco are world leading manufacturers of MGPS based in Chesterfield, with a record of more than 50,000 installations on commercial vessels and offshore structures over a period of 50 years.

Chesterfield-based Northern Tea Merchants has been announced as a recipient of a prestigious Great Taste star.

The world’s most coveted blind test-tasted food awards, has awarded a star to Northern Tea Merchants for its Heritage Range Hot Chocolate which is blended especially for Harrods.

The Heritage Range Hot Chocolate was one of 10,000 products to be judged by the panel of big ‘foodie’ names in the blind taste testing in the awards. The panel of over 400 judges tasted all of the food, completely stripped down from any packaging to ensure all judging was based on taste.

The hot chocolate blend was described by judges: “A really great rich look to this cup of hot chocolate; Smooth and velvety with a good body in the mouth; Creamy, slightly drying in the mouth, deeply chocolaty with a very rich finish.”

Being awarded a Great Taste Award is recognised as one of the biggest accomplishments in the field of specialty food. Great Taste has been described as the ‘Oscars of the food world’ and is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for specialty food producers.

It is the first time that Northern Tea Merchants has entered the Great Taste Awards and James Pogson, director of Northern Tea Merchants, enthused: “We are incredibly proud to gain recognition for our hot chocolate blend for Harrods Heritage range. This is the first year we’ve entered the Great Taste Awards and we’re thrilled to have achieved such a prestigious award for our hot chocolate. Next year we will be aiming for the hallowed 3-star status!”

The Great Taste 2016 awards will culminate in a grand finale on Monday 5 September at the Royal Garden Hotel in London, where the overall winners for each region will be announced along with the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2016.

A Chesterfield headquartered care home group, Hill Care Group, has secured funding from Barclays to consolidate their banking with one provider and refinance for growth with a £26 million term loan.

Established in 2001 and headquartered at St Mary’s Gate, the business provides care to over 1000 residents across 19 care homes throughout the UK, covering Derbyshire, Merseyside, Cheshire, Manchester, West and South Yorkshire and the North East. Hill Care will now move ahead with plans to acquire and build new facilities in communities with a need for first-class care services.

The funding deal with Barclays is the largest the bank has agreed with any care operator in the North of England this year. Chesterfield-based Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers help lead the funding deal.

Mitchells has acted for Hill Care since its incorporation in 2001. As part of the deal with Barclays, it provided assistance in preparing the financial modelling and forecasting on behalf of Hill Care to ensure the refinancing went smoothly.

Wendy Waddicor, Managing Director of Hill Care, said: “We are very excited to be expanding our brand of exceptional, holistic care, catering to all our residents’ needs.

“Our priority is improving the quality of life for those who choose to reside with us, maintaining their privacy, dignity and ability to manage their own lives. Through new builds and acquisitions, we will be able to support more families with the care of their loved ones.”

Wendy added: “Barclays shares our enthusiasm, aspirations and appetite for growth and we are delighted to strengthen our relationship with the bank. The new funding and consolidation of our finances under one umbrella will enable us to realise our ambitions.”

John Anderson, Barclays Relationship Director commented: “We are delighted to work with Wendy and her team and provide a full banking package, including £26 million term debt. This deal demonstrates Barclays understanding and commitment to healthcare businesses. Having a focused industry specialism enables us to understand the current social and economic headwinds experienced by operators.

Tony Hornsby, partner at Mitchells, said: “Hill Care is an ambitious company and needed a finance provider that shared their outlook and growth plans for the future to enable them to realise their growth potential.

“It makes sound financial sense that they have aligned themselves with a progressive bank like Barclays for future developments. It was a true partnership approach between Hill Care, Mitchells, hlw Keeble Hawson Solicitors and Barclays and one that has delivered a great outcome for everyone concerned.”

hlw Keeble Hawson advised on the various facility agreements, dealt with the required security and investigated the title to the various properties owned by the Hill Care Group.

Nick Goulding, Corporate partner, said: “This was an important transaction for the Hill Care Group and enables them to push on with their plans for further growth and success. It was a complex matter due to the number of care homes and parties involved and needed to be completed within a tight timescale. Everyone worked very hard and with a good sense of collaboration in order to deliver the project on time.”

Britain could be talking itself into recession, the UK’s second largest Chamber of Commerce said this morning.

The warning from East Midlands Chamber* follows various recent reports citing Brexit as the primary cause of failing business confidence and, in one case, a significant fall in corporate profits in the second quarter – of which only one week was post-EU Referendum.

This morning, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) called on the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee to cut the base interest rate tomorrow from 0.5% to 0.25% with a view to dropping it to 0.1% later in the year.

It also called on the Government to cut taxes and increase spending to avoid economic growth falling to only 1% next year.

Scott Knowles, Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber, said: “The Chamber has been neutral on Brexit throughout, but we believe that the messages being given to the global business community at the moment are all wrong.

“Until Article 50 is triggered we remain part of the EU, with all that it entails, and nothing changes. Even after Article 50 is triggered nothing is going to change overnight and probably not for several years.

“GDP for the second quarter of 2016 was up on the first quarter despite the uncertainty of the EU Referendum. It was up 2.2% year-on-year and up 7.7% compared with 2008. High Street sales for the second quarter were up on the first quarter and year-on-year. And despite its warnings of ‘technical recession’ in 2017, even the NIESR has said export sales have increased as a result of the weaker pound.

“Chambers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, carried out a snapshot survey of members and found that, by and large, confidence remains high, with over half of the respondents saying they thought leaving the EU would bring no change or positive change to their business and over half of businesses saying they have not revised their recruitment or investment plans or have no intention of doing so. In the East Midlands businesses were split roughly 50:50 over future growth prospects.

“There was a lot of pressure on the Bank of England to cut the base rate from 0.5% to 0.25% last month. It resisted, thereby sending a message to the world that it had confidence in UK plc. Although we think a cut in the rate is likely tomorrow, we would urge the Monetary Policy Committee to make only cautious moves so that the message sent out is one of confidence and that Britain remains open for business.”