By Emily Jacobs, Director, Richard Jacobs Pensions and Trustee Services. Recent high-profile company collapses, including Thomas Cook and Carillion, have far reaching consequences. In the case of Thomas Cook, much talk has quite rightly been about ensuring holidaymakers are not left stranded overseas. But what about the consequences for workers and retired workers’ pensions? Unfortunately, there is no single easy …

Leading fire door specialists Washington & Riley have launched a unique scheme to help their customers to support the environment – Buy One Get One Tree. The Burslem-based business has teamed up with The National Forest and agreed to one tree to be planted for every fire door fitted. With a national outreach, Washington & Riley are among the largest …

Perks and benefits are becoming ever more important in the workplace in 2019, according to new research by Staffordshire recruitment agency Appointments Personnel. From small gestures such as free tea and coffee, dress down days through to flexible working and the chance to gain extra holiday leave, incentives are becoming ever more important. A massive 92% of employees surveyed told …

Titanic Brewery has revealed it is drawing up a 5-year plan to roll out its succesful bod café bar concept as the finishing touches are made to the fourth bod bar. A new bod café bar will open on the High Street, Newport, Shropshire, on  Monday, 9 September. Created in a former NatWest Bank, the Newport bod is set to …

A new BNI business group is being launched at the headquarters of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce after the county’s two biggest ’business connectors’ agreed to forge an alliance. BNI Victory will meet for the first time on September 26 after an agreement was reached to work in partnership between the Chambers of Commerce and BNI Staffordshire. Sara Williams, Chief Executive …

Rehearsals are being stepped up as excitement mounts for Proms and Prosecco in the Park, at Chetwynd Deer Park, Newport, on Saturday (14 September).   Leading British West End star Jon Moses will top the bill at the third annual Proms and Prosecco event which brings an exciting mix of top class live music, family entertainment, artisan food stalls and …

Fresh from a Classical Brit nomination and entertaining the audience at the o2 Arena for the national British Basketball League finals, Classical Reflection are looking forward to bringing their popular crossover classics to Proms and Prosecco in the Park at Newport, Shropshire.   Identical twins Naomi and Hannah Moxon have unveiled plans to perform crowd pleasers including Somewhere Over the …

Burslem based fire door specialists Washington and Riley have sprung into action to support Stoke-on-Trent’s Furniture Mine after thieves caused £2,000 damage during a break in. Thieves sawed their way through a fire door after breaking into the charity store in Cannon Place, Hanley. Run by Emmaus North Staffs, the Furniture Mine helps families in need of support to obtain …

A North Staffordshire production company is playing its part as Coventry builds up to its status as UK City of Culture 2021. PH Productions has been commissioned to work with producer Phil Hargreaves to stage HOME, a new high-flying production showcasing Coventry’s architecture. HOME will feature Coventry’s own award-winning street theatre company Highly Sprung, Upswing, an aerial-acrobatic arts company which …

A 10-year labour of love is almost complete as Mark Milner embarks on the final leg of his ambitious project to create a business and retail hub in Longton’s historic Phoenix Works at 500 King Street, Longton. Mark, the owner of Kirklands Properties Ltd, believes that more than a million pounds in cash, time and labour has gone into creating …