Tag Archive: event

1. How can new ways of working help Yorkshire’s towns and cities?

   1st July 2021 3:56 pm Comments Off on How can new ways of working help Yorkshire’s towns and cities?

   Some of the Thurston team spent last week on an insightful webinar from The Business Desk and Bevan Britton. On the Renaissance of Towns and how new working practices can inspire towns and cities to reinvent themselves. 

   We’ve all spent the last 15 months completely reinventing the way we work. The pandemic has not only caused monumental changes within business itself but with where we work too. With a large majority of the population shifting to home working, this has ultimately had an impact on our towns and cities with less people commuting. 

   As things start to open back up and workers head back to offices or start hybrid working, a mix of home and office working, this webinar explored what new opportunities this new way of working presents for Yorkshire’s towns and cities. As well as how they can be a catalyst for reinvention and future growth. 

   Discussion considered what local authorities are doing to bring people back and how businesses, developers and planners can reshape the high street. The panel included partners at Bevan and Britton, the Head of Service at Business Doncaster, the CEO and trustee at Piece Hall in Halifax and Project Director of Neighbourhood by Capital and Centric. 

   It was an insightful and interesting webinar that shed a light on some of the challenges that our towns and cities face, and what we can do to make them fit for the future. Our key takeaways were that if we’re to reinvent Yorkshire’s towns and cities, then investment in the North is key and we need to focus on putting the money where it’s needed most to help rebuild some of what we’ve lost. 

   Community was also a big focus with the panelists wanting to see more of a focus on building communities and utilising spaces that have been vacant for years to create business hubs. Unfortunately, a lot of retail businesses were unable to survive the pandemic and we’re seeing more shops and businesses leaving our high streets every day. This decline leaves more vacant spaces and pushes people away to places that are busier. 

   Business hubs and placemaking will help breathe more life into the high street and help bring people back. This sentiment touches on the ’15 minute cities’ concept. Building communities that mean people are living and working within the same area and revitalising areas so that people have everything they need within a short distance of their home. 

2. Thurston joins Insider’s online forum on the Humber Freeport

   17th May 2021 11:30 am Comments Off on Thurston joins Insider’s online forum on the Humber Freeport

   Our Bid and Marketing Manager, Dean Hill, attended Yorkshire Insider’s online forum on the Humber Freeport. To understand how the Freeport will engage with local businesses in the Humber region, where two of our factories are based.

   Humber’s successful bid for UK Freeport status has been hailed as a ‘game-changer’ for the region. It will boost the local economy while supporting levelling up in the area, as it’s estimated that this will mean an increase of investment of £3.5bn. 

   This new status enables local businesses to take advantage of new supply chain opportunities in offshore wind and advanced manufacturing. People will also have access to more job opportunities within the region with an estimated 7000 high quality new jobs.

   The forum was set up to outline the benefits the Humber Freeport will bring to the area. The hour-long discussion was hosted by Insider featuring stakeholders of the Humber plan as well as key national advocates. They explained the concept of the Freeports, how they work and how the eight sites across the UK have the potential to power international trade in a post-brexit Britain. There was also discussion around how it will encourage innovation in manufacturing and logistics. We’re already seeing the early effects of engagement from the Freeports from the Border Force Accommodation requirements linked to Brexit.

   Linked to Insider’s national campaign, the attendees learned who the potential occupiers of the site may be. What benefits they’ll receive, what industry sectors they represent and the efforts being made to generate supply chain opportunities as well as job opportunities. They also learned how the local transport infrastructure will serve the Freeport and whether any further investment will be needed. 

   The extended supply chain investment will help our business in the future and our gas and oil products for export could benefit from the new tariffs. Dean Hill, our Bid and Marketing Manager, said, “Being originally from Teesside, I was very proud that Liverpool, Humber and Teesport all received the Freeport status. But not knowing what this means to the wider enterprise of these areas, I decided to join the Yorkshire Insider webinars. Mainly to understand how their approach will provide economic benefits to local businesses in these regions, with us being well placed to service any accommodation requirements for expansion plans.”

   “The forum had a fantastic line-up of speakers who shared the very positive long-term benefits of the Freeports. As well as helping us to understand how it will help the local economy. I found the Able proposal very interesting and feel that we could support various aspects of the build. I look forward to being able to support the Energy market with this region now listed as a Hub.”