New and existing clients flocked to the event to liaise with Hunter about their training offer, network with fellow organisations and enjoy the refreshments and exciting atmosphere Hunter had to offer. Managing Director of Hunter Safety, Katie Hunter, explained her reasons for holding the event: “The event was the perfect opportunity to showcase our fantastic training facility to our existing and prospective clients. We’re extremely proud of the success of Hunter Training Solutions so far and it was an honour to be able to share this with our valued clients, as well as enlightening local entrepreneurs about this exceptional opportunity on their doorstep.”

As well as inviting external companies to exhibit at the launch, Hunter also held a ‘crisis room’ activity, where visitors were thrown into a ‘real-life’ health and safety scenario when they entered the room to discover painters and decorators in need of first aid, intended to demonstrate the need for first aid training. Visitor Louise Turner, of Wordsmiths Unlimited, described the activity as ‘a creative use of people, providing a great opportunity to practice first aid in an almost real situation’.

Hunter also held a raffle to raise money for their upcoming endeavor, the Cateran Yomp, when 15 members of the team will walk up to 54 miles in just 24 hours to raise money for The Soldiers’ Charity.

The new training centre comprises of two reception areas and three suites named after famous athletes, to provide an inspirational atmosphere, and both Jessica Ennis-Hill and the Brownlee brothers have sent well wishes to all those working with Hunter Training, which Hunter have displayed proudly in the suites. As well as offering a range of open courses at the Glasshoughton centre, Hunter Training Solutions are also able to deliver in-house training for any organisation, offering a bespoke programme to meet specific company needs.

If you’d like to discuss your health and safety training requirements with the specialist advisers based on your doorstep, please call 01977 878389 or email [email protected], or visit www.huntertrainingsolutions.co.uk for more information.

Sarah joined the business as Course Co-ordinator in 2014, with a degree in Events Management, and quickly established herself as a talented and valuable member of the fds family.

Since joining fds Sarah has become increasingly involved in the corporate finance side of the business and has displayed a real talent in this area. Over the past few months, her skill and confidence has grown substantially and as a result, Sarah has been promoted to Corporate Finance Executive.

Sarah will now take on the responsibility of assisting with several of our ongoing projects on a day to day basis and her considerable client management skills are sure to be a huge asset to the business.

fds is also pleased to announce the appointment of Katy Lyons as our new Course Co-ordinator.

Katy, who is a graduate with a degree in History and Roman Civilisation, is vastly experienced in client management and customer service and will be sure to take excellent care of our training and director development clients.

These two appointments further establish fds as a keen employer of young graduates, who continue to bring new life and expertise to a business that celebrated its 25 anniversary last year.

Over the next few weeks the area will undergo a major transformation to reinvigorate it for local people. Works will include the installation of a new open air gym, improved woodland pathways, signage and seating.

The popular ‘Freda’s garden’ – named after a celebrated local volunteer – will be replanted with ornamental, native and nectar-rich species to encourage bees and other pollinating insects. The works will rejuvenate the garden and give local people and schoolchildren the chance to work together as a voluntary group to continue Freda’s work.

The project is being led by the Canal & River Trust, working with Groundwork, and is a result of earlier work with Wakefield Council and partners on the Knottingley Development Plan. The project is funded through a £47,100 grant from WREN’s FCC Community Action Fund. The work is also thanks to the Knottingley and Ferrybridge Neighbourhood Network who have provided the third party funding, which has unlocked the main funding for the project from WREN.

The plans include significant works and cosmetic changes to the centre covering all three levels of the mall.

Eileen Holroyd, Centre Manager at The Ridings Shopping Centre comments: “It is with a great deal of pleasure that we can announce plans for a multi-million pound investment into The Ridings Shopping Centre. The injection of funds by our new owners NewRiver Retail will support a refreshed and improved retail mix alongside a stronger food and beverage offering.

“Discussions and planning are currently underway, but we will be sharing more details in the coming weeks. In the meantime, The Ridings alongside its new owners NewRiver, will continue to work closely with key stakeholders including the local authority and Trinity Walk. We also look forward to restoring pride in The Ridings and Wakefield city centre as a whole.”

Situated over three levels, The Ridings Shopping Centre houses a mixture of stores including BHS, Primark and Marks & Spencer alongside quality independents such as Created in Yorkshire, Feather’s Confectionery and Artworld.

Trinity Walk smashed its highest footfall record in 2015 after seeing 11.22million shopping visits throughout last year, up 4% on 2014 – bucking regional and national trends.

The centre, which opened in 2011, also recorded its busiest ever week after welcoming around 289,000 shoppers in December during a seven day period.

It was the best performing in the UK in December within managing agents Savills’ portfolio of shopping centres too.

Cormac Hamilton, centre manager at Trinity Walk, said: “The centre is now at its highest occupancy in its history with an even more diverse and dynamic mix of retailers on offer for shoppers, which has been a key draw. People are still discovering the centre and most new shoppers say they would return, which gives us scope to grow even further in our fifth year. We’re delighted with how well 2015 has gone, but won’t rest on our laurels as we aim to maintain and build on this great platform.”

Trinity Walk is now more fully let than ever since it opened and welcomed big name signings like PANDORA, The Works and PureGym late in 2015.

PANDORA franchisee, Paul Rice, MD at High Rice, added:

“The launch of the new Wakefield store at Trinity Walk has been extremely successful. December saw us welcome a high amount of customers through the door and the feedback we received has been hugely positive. We’re very much looking forward to a great year in 2016.”

In addition to retail lettings, Regus added to its portfolio with its first office opening in Wakefield at the centre, making it their 20^th centre in West Yorkshire.

Trinity Walk now employs up to 1,500 people at peak times, providing a vital source of employment for the local economy.

Mr Hamilton added: “We’ve worked hard as a team in 2015 – the management, retailers and owners – to offer the people of Wakefield and Yorkshire something unique, accessible and affordable. It’s now about raising the bar even higher and playing our role in the heart of the city to help it grow.”

Trinity Walk is set to celebrate its fifth birthday throughout 2016 with some exciting plans in the pipeline.

Staff from the College will be on hand to welcome visitors to the new centre which promises to be a one-stop shop for people to find out how apprenticeships work, discuss their options and get help with CV writing and job applications. Visitors will also be able to access current apprenticeship vacancies across the district and apply directly for any jobs currently on offer.

The idea of the shop came from Dan Conboy, Chair of Cognitiv, an industry-led group which aims to put the spotlight on the District’s creative, digital and IT sectors. Dan saw a similar shop in Manchester and suggested a set up like it would work well in Wakefield. After consulting with senior colleagues in the Council and College, a suitable location was identified.

Dan welcomed the new shop in the heart of the City. He said: “We are big supporters of apprenticeships, so I think that the expansion of Wakefield College’s promotion of their apprenticeship opportunities is great for both Wakefield’s young people and businesses across the district.”

Apprenticeships continue to become an increasingly popular route for more people as the Government pledges to create 3 million apprenticeships by 2020. Wakefield itself saw a 12% increase in new apprentice starts with 3,700 now on the scheme, with Wakefield College being the largest provider of apprenticeships in the District.

Wakefield College Principal, Sam Wright was joined by Dan Conboy, Joanne Roney, Mike Denby and Councillor Peter Box to cut the ribbon marking the official opening of the centre.

Wakefield College Principal Sam Wright said: “Apprenticeships are becoming an increasingly popular way for people of all ages and abilities to get work experience, earn a wage and gain a recognised qualification all at the same time. Apprenticeships not only benefit individual learners but also help the local economy by helping fill the skills gap. We’re delighted to be working with the Council on this joint initiative and look forward to helping more people start an apprenticeship.”

 Cllr Peter Box CBE, leader of Wakefield Council said: “I am very proud of our role in supporting apprenticeships and I hope this new venture with Wakefield College will encourage even more young people to consider taking this route.

“Apprenticeships offer young people the opportunity to learn and develop skills that will help them build their future careers.”

Wakefield Council was recently named as a top 100 employer for apprentices, at a national awards ceremony. It was the only local authority in Yorkshire to receive this recognition.

The pair who run public relations firm Faith PR and also co-own Big Shots Café in Brighouse, will take over the publishing of the February issue of Kirklees/Calderdale TopicUK.

TopicUK’s first magazine was launched in Wakefield in April 2013 by Ghost Publications Limited run by partners Gill Laidler and Rob Blackwell.  “We launched TopicUK with the purpose of helping SMEs who were struggling to get free publicity and affordable advertising. The concept of linking the business community together has been a huge success which has resulted in the magazine’s distribution five times that of the initial print run with pagination almost doubling,” said Gill.

As a result of its success, a second edition was launched covering Kirklees / Calderdale in April 2015 and at the same time, TopicUK incorporated Close Up for Business, the official magazine of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce. Hot on the heels of Kirklees / Calderdale was the launch of a third edition in Barnsley and a fourth is set for Soho, London in February.

“As TopicUK is community based, with each edition featuring only local businesses, it is important that each edition is managed and run by a local company, so we are delighted that Carl and Stefanie have taken over the running of the Kirklees / Calderdale edition. This collaboration can only strengthen TopicUK’s presence in the market place.”

Ghost Publishing are now looking for similar businesses who would like to operate a TopicUK in their area. “The concept is perfect for any town or city within the UK and has proven that with businesses working together, not only will their presence in the market be strengthened, but that of the whole business community,” concluded Gill.

The newly extended site in the heart of Wakefield will provide additional facilities for artists, designers and makers and will be formally reopened on Thursday 3 December by Cllr Peter Box, Leader of Wakefield Council. Work started on the former library in 2014 and the completed scheme includes additional fully accessible, flexible and affordable workspaces for visual artists living and working in the region alongside a project space and meeting room facilities.

Drury Lane library was designed by Trimmell, Cox & Co of Woldingham, Surrey and built by Bagnall Brothers of Wakefield following a request by a local Wakefield alderman to American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie whose gift of £8,000 saw the free public library open. Carnegie went on to fund four further public libraries in the Wakefield district. Andrew Carnegie opened Drury Lane library in June 1906 and said during his visit “My thanks will be everlasting if you prove that you receive this benefit in the spirit it is intended.”

Jane Glaister OBE, chair of The Art House said “We are delighted to see this ambitious development completed and the historic Drury Lane library restored and occupied by a wide range of tenants. Our ambition is to become a nationally recognised organisation that places diverse art and artists at the heart of cultural debate. Our new space creates a platform to engage with artists and audiences and I look forward to seeing it become a leading creative resource that supports a creative community to develop professionally and artistically.”

Kerry Harker and Ruth Lilley, Interim Directors, said “The reopening of The Art House underlines Wakefield’s unique thriving arts offer and its growing reputation as a creative city to live, work and visit. Through our artistic programme, mentoring and residencies we can build on our founding principles of access and inclusivity by challenging conventional approaches to diversity and the arts – an appropriate way to mark the International Day of People with Disabilities.”

The Drury Lane redevelopment has been realised thanks to a £1.3m Arts Council England ‘Large Capital’ grant, £1.2m from the European Regional Development Fund, as well as support from Wakefield Council, which gave a 25-year lease for the building, which became empty in 2012 when the library’s contents were transferred to a new central library at the Wakefield One civic building. The Art House reopening follows the recent renovation of nearby Unity Hall in 2014 and the redevelopment of Wakefield Westgate train station in 2013.

Sharing the vision for placing the spotlight on the district and believing that additional investment will support growth and development Copiserv, Wakefield Wildcats, Trinity Walk Wakefield, West Yorkshire Windows, Green Yorkshire Solar and Reid Aviations have all joined the scheme.

Adrian Spawforth, Chair of Bondholders commented:

“There has been a great deal of interest in the Wakefield First Bondholder Scheme, which has been supported by our recent promotional activity and schedule of successful events.

We are really pleased to welcome a selection of new members and know that recruitment of bondholders will begin to gain momentum as we take on board our first full time member of staff, which has been funded through our partnership with Wakefield first. This is certainly exciting times, not just for Bondholders but for the district as a whole.”