We love it when businesses send us their good news and here’s our latest good news round-up, kindly sponsored by PALADIN. Awards, expansion, new contracts or new appointments, if you’ve got some good news you want to share please email the editor, Martin Shaw, on martin@huddersfieldhub.co.uk.
Pre-school dance sensation, babyballet, has seen a strong start to the year as it continues to expand globally.
Run by Claire O’Connor, daughter of renowned Huddersfield dance teacher Barbara Peters, babyballet is about to roll out its franchise model in Australia.
The first milestone of 2023 has been the appointment of a Master Licensee for Australia as the company seeks to further build its unique brand of fun and confidence to children around the world.
In March, CEO Claire will travel to Dubai to be part of the UK Department of International Trade mission group for a full week of activities including attending The Retail Summit with some of the most recognised global brands.
Halifax-based Claire said: “This is going to be a very exciting year for the babyballet family as we continue to expand the brand internationally.
“Almost 18 years on from my first ever babyballet class held in the UK, I’m thrilled that the concept will be taken to its full potential across Australia and the next step is to introduce babyballet to the UAE.”
With a syllabus aimed at developing pre-schoolers’ confidence in dance, without the competitiveness of exams, the award winning babyballet has won praise for its inclusive and welcoming classes. There are already 83 babyballet franchises across the UK.
In January, the company joined forces with professional dancer and teacher Alex Dunlop as The Master Licensee for Australia. She will oversee the training and support of the existing licensees across the country, as well as the recruitment of dance teachers and studio owners as new babyballet licensees.
Babyballet’s early years dance and ballet syllabus offers four stages of ballet dance classes for children aged from six months to six years, plus a tap-dancing class for children over three years.
Globally, babyballet operates over 100 licensed sites with 25,000 children attending each week. Brand growth has also included parties, branded uniform, merchandise, children’s characters and stage shows.
Claire will be at The Retail Summit at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, on March 14-15, where she looks forward to meeting and chatting with global business leaders representing some of the world’s most famous brands.
Claire said: “I’m excited to be going to Dubai to attend such a prestigious event and to spread news of babyballet, our global journey so far and our aspirations for the future.”
Claire’s mum Barbara, awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2022 New Year’s Honours, is still teaching dance well into her 80s and has been dubbed “Britain’s oldest ballet dancer.”
Video maker Sam Teale has been shortlisted for two business awards following his company’s thought-provoking Christmas video which went viral.
Sam, who runs Sam Teale Productions in Cleckheaton, ‘broke the internet’ at the end of 2022 when his short film ‘The Go-Kart’ had 30 million views online and was featured by media around the world.
The heart-warming film about a young boy whose dad was struggling to afford Christmas was dubbed “better than the John Lewis advert” and left many choking back the tears.
Sam has been nominated for Businessman of the Year and Independent Business of the Year in the Yorkshire Choice Awards.
Sam founded Sam Teale Productions in June 2020 – the middle of the pandemic – and now heads a team of three, all under 21.
Sam said he was “humbled” to be nominated and added: “We are beyond proud of everything we have achieved as a young, independent business and are so grateful for the nominations we have received. It shows we have impacted lives in exactly the way we intended.”
In 2021 Sam won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year (North West) award category at the prestigious Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
Last year Sam worked with a variety of companies including Booking.com, Huddersfield Town and Santander.
To vote for Sam go to www.yorkshirechoiceawards.co.uk/votehere
PR and communications specialists Wild PR has been appointed by Altered Health Solutions Ltd, a leading specialist in holistic health and functional approaches to well-being.
Over the past 15 years, founder of Altered Health Solutions Ltd, Carley Mellors-Blair, has grown a very successful clinical practice.
Aspiring to champion people’s choices to redefine their prognosis, take control of their body and mind, and push beyond diagnosis; services include advice-led clarity calls, bespoke mentoring packages, one-to-one appointments, unique events and most recently, a book.
The objective for Huddersfield-based Wild PR is to drive attention towards Carley’s book launch, accelerate brand awareness, develop and execute a redefined social media strategy and promote the digital aspects of the clinic’s services.
Carley said: “I’m over the moon to appoint Wild PR as Altered Health’s retained PR partner. Having run a successful clinic for many years and recently developing my new book, I was passionate about accelerating our brand awareness to a new level.
“Wild PR is fully on-board with my business ambitions, and I have full confidence in the team to exceed expectations. Initially impressed with Wild PR’s insight and data-driven approach, I am looking forward to joining forces to work together on some fantastic upcoming projects.”
Katrina Cliffe, managing director of Wild PR, said: “It’s been a really positive start to 2023 for us at Wild PR. Having been appointed by Altered Health Solutions Ltd, we’re excited to begin working on the bespoke strategy and start bringing some fantastic ideas to life.”
Carers across Kirklees have completed specialist training to boost the level of support their elderly residents receive at their care homes.
Senior care assistants at care settings in Huddersfield and the surrounding towns undertook the intensive 10-week Care Home Assistant Practitioner (CHAP) course.
The cohort of newly qualified CHAPs all work for the Hill Care Group, which operates several homes in the region, as the care provider aims to ensure residents are receiving the highest level of care.
Having completed the course, all eight carers were promoted to the position at their respective care homes, which will enable them to better support registered nurses as they provide care and interventions for residents.
Amanda Clegg, who has also just been promoted to deputy manager at Aden House Care Home, in Clayton West, said: “It was a good course. It happened at just the right time and will really help in my career path with Hill Care at Aden House.”
A celebration was held at Aden Court Care Home, Moldgreen, where over 16 carers from settings across the north of England gathered to receive their certificates from Lynda Hodgkinson, development and governance director for the Hill Care Group.
She said: “With their additional knowledge and skills, our CHAPs can contribute towards further enhancing the quality of care our residents receive.
“Everyone agreed the course had given them more confidence to work under the direction of a Registered Nurse and they all said they would encourage others to consider the opportunity.
“Being able to provide an opportunity for developing new skills and offering professional development, along with enhanced leadership skills for our senior care staff, is a great way to ensure our staff are happy in their roles and have the skills and confidence to carry their duties out to a high level.
“We’re all exceptionally proud of the dedicated hard work and perseverance they’ve shown over the 10-week course.”
Walker & Sutcliffe, the chartered accountancy practice based in Huddersfield, has invested £25k in computer hardware that will enhance the company’s processes and deliver efficiencies for the team.
Furthermore, it will allow for the transition from a solely office-based workplace to a more hybrid formula.
Setting the foundations for a three-year strategy that is underpinned by expansion, this is the first phase of a longer-term plan that will see additional funds allocated to software and training over the coming months.
Practice partner Nick Ledgard said: “Investment is the only way that we can ensure we have the systems and processes in place that we need to grow. We have strategic plans for expansion over the next three years and I want to make sure that we have everything we need to meet with our ambitions.
“Putting in place the hardware is just the first step. Next is the software and training that will allow us to use these systems effectively and benefit from the efficiencies that they can deliver. After all, it’s all well and good having the equipment but if we can’t access its full potential then we are not making the most of the opportunity it affords us.
“As a practice, we are always looking at ways that we can improve, not just the systems that we have but also the skills within the team. This is a great opportunity to learn new ways of working that will benefit the team and our clients.”
