Beer lovers in the East Midlands have raised a cheer to Titanic Brewery’s Plum Porter.  The rich fruit beer took first prize at the Castle Rock Awards in Nottingham.  It is the fourth first prize for Plum Porter since it was launched by Stoke-on-Trent based Titanic Brewery in 2011.  The brewery puts the success down to the tastes of a …

Staffordshire brewery Director Keith Bott delivered a “message in a barrel” to Chancellor George Osborne at an event in Westminster.  Keith, the Managing Director of Titanic Brewery, was in Parliament in his role as Chairman of SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) to campaign for an end to the controversial beer tax escalator.  He was joined by representatives of the British …

A pensions expert is warning of a potential scam which could leave savers out of pocket.  Emily Jacobs, a Director at Richard Jacobs Pension and Trustee Services, of Newcastle, Staffordshire, says she has seen evidence of  people being approached with a pension liberation offer.  People are being offered the chance to release pension cash immediately as a loan or lump …

Claire Leigh A recruitment agency has carried-out its first survey of employers focusing on staff motivation techniques.  Brampton Recruitment asked its clients for information on how they handle staff relations and juggle varying workloads throughout the year.  Claire Leigh, Managing Director of the Newcastle-under-Lyme based agency, plans to repeat the survey in 12 months time and believes the findings will …

Plans to transform a disused historic building into shops and apartments have been granted planning permission by Stafford Borough Council.  Stone car dealership Hill and Swift have won permission to revamp the former Joules Maltings and to build an apartment block on neighbouring land.  The Maltings, in Adies Alley, Stone, were on the brink of being demolished when English Heritage …

Jewellery designer, Julie Linn, will add sparkle to a Department of Trade and Industry visit to Denmark as she explores possible new markets for her unique designs.  South Cheshire based silversmith Julie creates innovative jewellery for daytime and evening wear and has built a loyal client base in the UK.  But the DTI trip is an ambitious attempt to explore …

Trustees from landmine research charity, Find A Better Way, are meeting with experts at Imperial College’s centre for Blast Injury Studies (http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/blastinjurystudies) to broaden the charity’s mission from Research and Education into supplying direct humanitarian support for those affected by landmines. Find A Better Way, founded by Sir Bobby Charlton, is already sponsoring unique research aimed at finding a technical …

Former garage worker Justin Smith is celebrating after a change in career plans resulted in him being crowned as Temp of the Year.  Justin, aged 21, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, was placed as a temp at the Information Commissioner’s Office in his home town by North Cheshire recruitment agency, Brampton Recruitment.  His “can do” attitude led his boss, Paul Wilson, to …

M-viron’s technical expert Andy White had a sneak preview of the Blackberry10 before its launch and liked what he saw.  Exciting and innovative, Blackberry’’s latest offering could spark a major renaissance for it manufacturer, RIM.  Once loved by many business users, Blackberry has perhaps suffered while Apple and Android made major gains in the smart phone market.  But Blackberry 10 …

A Stoke-on-Trent IT specialist is highlighting the value of sound forward planning after it helped to get a local firm up and running quickly following a major fire.  Several small businesses lost their premises when a recent fire destroyed part of the former Twyford’s building in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent.  But UK Business IT was able to help a local telecoms company …