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.
Edinburgh-based whisky bottlers Tri Carragh has appointed Huddersfield-based Wild PR to support the release of its second bottling of single-cask malts.
The appointment follows Wild PR delivering PR services for Stravaig Spirits, a sister company to Tri Carragh. Stravaig Spirits specialise in project management for all bottling services, whereas Tri Carragh is an independent bottler of single cask and single malt Scotch whisky.
Due to the growth of Stravaig Spirits, co-founders Ola Lopatowska and Ryan McCafferty are now investing in PR and social activity for Tri Carragh as they increase the volume of bottling collections.
To raise the profile of the whisky retailer, Wild PR will drive brand awareness, generate high-quality online visibility, and elevate the brand’s bottling releases through an SEO-led digital PR strategy. The communications agency will also manage Tri Carragh’s social media.
Ola Lopatowska, co-founder of Tri Carragh, said: “We’re overjoyed to be working with Wild PR again. After the results achieved for Stravaig Spirits, we’re incredibly excited to turn our focus to Tri Carragh and increase awareness of our new bottles.
“We choose to work with Wild PR as their values align with ours. It’s important for us to work with a company that understands our capabilities and limitations, which Wild PR does. We’re excited to receive support from an experienced and enthusiastic team who will be able to grow and develop our brand.”
Katrina Cliffe, managing director of Wild PR, said: “It’s been great to have Ola and Ryan back on board with us, with a new focus on their own whisky. We thoroughly enjoy working with them and can’t wait to see the results we achieve over the following months, as well as the success of their new bottling releases.”
The SEO-driven PR agency works with clients in the travel, e-commerce, health, manufacturing and professional services sectors, including BPI Auctions, Specialist Glass Products, The Kid Collective, Fertility Matters at Work and Heald, among others.
Find out more about the creative PR agency and its recent work here: https://wild-pr.co.uk/
Mirfield-based creative design agency The Bigger Boat has helped create a modern and immersive website for Escape Studios, one of the UK’s leading animation, games and VFX schools.
Designed to showcase its market-leading creative credentials to budding students while delivering a dedicated space packed with inspiring insights and resources for current students, the website fulfils a dual purpose – uniquely tailored to meet each user’s needs.
Constructed entirely from scratch using content management system Storybok, the website was built with a keen focus on accessibility, SEO, customer journey and user experience.
With eye-catching visuals taking a leading role in capturing the attention and imagination of the site’s creatively inclined visitors, design was a crucial element of the build.
TBB’s senior UI/UX designer Charlotte Conqueror said: “We knew we had to deliver vast amounts of significant information about the fantastic undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses on offer at Escape Studios but we also wanted to breathe some life into the design and make sure we had fun with it.
“Subtle nods to gaming features such as keyboard keys, language, retro buttons and loading bars that mimic those seen on computer games did just that.
“We turned the colours on their head, opting for a darker look and feel with pops of colour, letting the student work take centre stage. But we were also committed to making sure the website was easy to access and navigate for everyone.”
Fast-growing pet food manufacturer, Sniffers Pet Care, has appointed a new chief financial officer to support its rapid growth trajectory.
Elland-based Sniffers, which manufactures natural pet treats for customers including Pets at Home and Jollyes and hundreds of independent retailers, has recruited Peter Harrison to head up its finance department.
The appointment follows a £1.75m investment Sniffers secured last September from Yorkshire-based private equity house Traditum to support the rollout of new brands and product ranges, as well as invest in manufacturing and distribution roles at its site in Elland.
Peter brings with him over 15 years of FMCG and manufacturing industry experience, having held senior positions with Morrisons, Asda and Victoria Plum. He joins from Aviva Bus where he was head of commercial finance. His experience of both Plc retail and private equity backed firms will play a crucial role in scaling Sniffers and its own recently launched natural dog food brand, NAW.
His responsibilities at Sniffers will include strategic and financial planning, working across all areas of the business to provide financial and commercial support to help Sniffers build on its established position and continue its growth.
Speaking about his appointment, Peter said: “After spending several years in large corporations, I am excited to apply my knowledge and expertise in food retail to a high growth, PE-backed SME once again.
“The UK pet food sector is an exciting place to be right now, and Sniffers is ideally placed to achieve significant growth and deliver new product propositions. Our newly launched NAW brand, offers all-natural, no additives, and recyclable dog treats and aligns perfectly with the needs of the market, and I am eager to contribute to its success.”
Simon Brown, CEO of Sniffers Pet Care, added: “We are thrilled to welcome Peter on board as our new chief financial officer. With the calibre of his financial and commercial experience, coupled with his deep understanding of the FMCG and retail industry, we believe he will help us propel forward our vision for Sniffers to become one of the UK’s leading natural pet treat manufacturers.”
The Huddersfield Hospital, part of Circle Health Group, has launched a virtual GP service.
The new service will see patients across Huddersfield have access to booking expert medical advice 24 hours a day. Additionally, the service will give patients the option of a referral into the hospital’s other services.
With demand at an all-time high as thousands of patients across West Yorkshire struggle to get access to NHS appointments, Circle Online GP is a service that will give patients expert advice in the palm of their hand.
Consultations cost just £45 for a one-off virtual or telephone consultation and are available on demand seven days a week from 8am to 10pm.
Should a patient require a follow up or specialist support from a consultant, the service will be able to provide referral to allow the patient to book a specialist appointment at Huddersfield Hospital.
Circle Online GP was launched in February 2023 with further plans to continue enhancing the primary care services on offer at Huddersfield Hospital as well as Circle’s 50+ hospitals nationwide.
Adam Busby, group clinical director at Circle Health Group, said: “We are committed to delivering an outstanding service to patients in West Yorkshire.
“Working with HealthHero to provide 24/7 access to high quality, same day virtual GP appointments is us making good on that commitment.”
To find out more about the service visit https://www.circlehealthgroup.co.uk/onlinegp
Following Nurtur Student Living’s ‘Best Small Operator – UK & Ireland’ win at the Global Student Living Awards last year, the Huddersfield-based student living provider has been named as a 2023 finalist in the same category for the third consecutive year.
Finalists are selected based on responses received in the Global Student Living Index survey, making the awards particularly important to the sector.
Feedback from its residents placed Nurtur above many industry benchmarks, noting outstanding customer service and satisfaction, as well as excellent facilities at Nurtur buildings.
With its focus on the health and wellbeing of its residents, the operator creates spaces for students to learn and thrive and environments that feel safe and fun, delivered via its careful building designs, compassionate site teams, and busy social calendar.
Managing Director Mark Robinson said: “A shortlist in the Best Small Operator category for a third year is testament to the relentless hard work from the team as we continue to grow as a company.”
