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Bespoke wins Wiserr lead generation contract

Helen Greaney
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Bespoke wins Wiserr lead generation contract

Digital marketing agency Bespoke has won a digital marketing contract with Wiserr to help customers across the country to find care services in their area.

Chorley-based Wiserr was launched by founder Karen Nelson, following the sudden loss of her own mother in 2020, which left her grappling with both grief and the new responsibility of caring for her beloved grandmother, who was suffering from mixed dementia, and whose condition was further complicated when she suffered a debilitating fall, resulting in a broken hip and loss of her mobility.

Karen’s experience in seeking specialised care and assistance, coordinating with various agencies for guidance, led to her eventual launch of Wiserr, which aims to provide a one-stop resource for people across the country seeking care service solutions.

Having launched the Wiserr website in February 2023, the company has now commissioned Bespoke, which has been delivering web design in Manchester for over 20 years, to deliver a digital marketing and lead generation strategy to promote the online directory and information centre to families in similar situations nationally.

Bespoke co-founder and CEO Steve Brennan said: “Wiserr is a fantastic, professionally-managed, online destination for quality information and advice on local care services and healthcare.

“It aims to be a place where people can seek out advice from the comfort of their own homes to help them with any health or care needs.

“Our lead generation strategy will help ensure people seeking out services can find the solution they need on Wiserr, wherever they are in the country, helping them make wiser and better-informed decisions about their care services needs.”

For more information go to www.bespokedigital.agency or www.wiserr.co.uk.

West Indies rally on day two of second Test against England

Mitch Fretton
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West Indies rally on day two of second Test against England

Kavem Hodge hit a century as the West Indies fought back on day two of their second Test against England.

The 31-year-old is playing in just his fourth Test and was so close to walking for just 16 runs, but Joe Root’s dropped catch allowed the batsman to go on and lead the charge at Trent Bridge.

Read our other sports news stories: 
Pope hails ‘lucky charm’ Ramsdale
Rafael Nadal makes semi-final of Swedish Open as Olympic preparations continue
Leclerc relishing opportunity to work with Hamilton at Ferrari

Coming in on 84-3 in response to England’s 416 set on Thursday, Hodge added 120 before being dismissed via lbw to Chris Woakes.

Alick Athanaze was also impressive for the Windies, he hit 82 from 99 before being caught by Harry Brook.

The brilliant work of the batsmen leaves them on 351-5 ahead of day three.

It was England’s first outing in the field since the retirement of James Anderson and it was a hard day’s work as the sun blared down on the players.

Mark Wood provided the most entertainment for the crowd with his pacey 97mph bowling but had to leave the field before stumps in what could be a major concern for the hosts.

It was the first time in 12 years that England played a home Test without either Anderson and Stuart Broad and there was not too much that can be critiqued of the fielding performance.

The West Indies rallied and showed the same spirit that saw them overcome Australia back in January, ensuring this match is not over quite yet.

Windies star Hodge was delighted with the batting performance and says he is hoping to take England as far as possible in the second Test.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: “It’s been an amazing day. You always want to contribute, it was really good for the guys coming off Lord’s, coming back as a batting unit it’s always sweeter from behind.

“We’re in a good position, I think we want to keep grinding on, take it as deep as possible.”

England assistant coach Paul Collingwood was the first to praise Hodge and his team and admitted sometimes you have to just admit your opponent were too good.

He added: “It was a very hard-fought day. The West Indies put a decent partnership together, it was hard toil at times.

“We threw everything at the West Indies today, but sometimes they have the answers.”

Rafael Nadal makes semi-final of Swedish Open as Olympic preparations continue

Mitch Fretton
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Rafael Nadal makes semi-final of Swedish Open as Olympic preparations continue

Rafael Nadal won out against Mariano Navone to reach the semi-final of the Swedish Open.

The Spaniard came through a mammoth three-hour-and-58-minute match against the number four seed, winning 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 7-5.

Read our other sports news stories:
Wimbledon 2024: Alcaraz thrashes Djokovic to defend men’s title
James Anderson bows out in style as England thrash West Indies
Krejcikova to face Paolini in final after stunning Rybakina

He will face Croatian Duje Ajdukovic for a place in the final, while the 38-year-old will also play alongside Casper Ruud in the semi-finals of the doubles events.

Nadal is preparing to partner Carlos Alcaraz at the Olympics in Paris in the coming weeks and his preparations seem to be going well on the clay courts.

He previously beat Britain’s Cameron Norrie en route to the semi-finals and was playing some vintage tennis against Navone.

The king of clay came from behind after losing a first-set tie-break but managed to come through in the next two sets.

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam winner, was upbeat about his performance, but the serial winner as he is was only focused on the next match.

He said: “First of all, I’m looking forward to the afternoon and trying to recover this body.

“Even if it’s a young body, I would need to work and recover once and for all. I will see how I wake up tomorrow.”

GPs, media companies and banks worldwide suffer mass IT outage

Helen Greaney
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GPs, media companies and banks worldwide suffer mass IT outage

Banks, airlines, GPs, supermarkets and media companies are among those who have suffered a major IT outage this morning as they were taken offline.

American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines flights were among those grounded while rail companies were warning of “widespread IT issues”.

The IT outage has also reached the UK’s GP surgeries, with staff unable to patient records or book appointments.
The impact on the emergency services is currently unknown.

It is understood that the outage is related to an issue with global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike and Microsoft and is affecting Windows PCs worldwide.

CrowdStrike chief executive, George Kurtz, took to X (formerly Twitter) to explain that “the defect [was] found in a single content update for Windows hosts This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.’

Cyber-security experts have said that while there is now a software fix, it will take a lot of work to get computers back up and running.

Al Lakhani, CEO of IDEE said: “CrowdStrike’s platform approach, which relies on a single agent focused on detection, can create significant issues. For instance, agents require installation and maintenance of software on multiple different OSes, adding layers of complexity and potential points of failure. Moreover, agents can become a single point of failure, as a bad update can compromise the entire network, as seen with the SolarWinds attack.

“The lesson here is blindingly obvious: investing in cybersecurity is not just about acquiring the latest or most popular tools but ensuring those tools are reliable and resilient. This is why businesses must prioritise agentless solutions like MFA 2.0, which reduce the risk of widespread failures and ensure more resilient defences.”

England v West Indies: Pope hails ‘lucky charm’ Ramsdale

Cian Cheesbrough
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England v West Indies: Pope hails ‘lucky charm’ Ramsdale

Ollie Pope said Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is his “lucky charm” after watching the England batter make 121 on the first day of the second Test against West Indies.

Ramsdale, who was part of England’s Euro 2024 squad, was a guest of Pope’s at Trent Bridge on Wednesday as England set a score of 416.

He also watched Pope score a double century against Ireland at Lord’s last year.

“I’m obviously a big Arsenal fan so I go to support him a fair bit. He seems to be my lucky charm on the cricket pitch as well,” said Pope.

“He messaged me last night and I managed to sort him a couple of tickets,” said Pope. “He can come more often.

“He loves his cricket and I love watching Arsenal play too. He sat with my family all day which was class for them.

“It always happens to be the day he’s there that I get the runs, so I think he can come more often.”

Since his historic 196 in the first Test against India in Hyberabad in January, Pope only passed 30 in one of the the remaining four Tests.

His highest score for Surrey this season is 63 but he opened his summer with 57 in England’s huge win over West Indies at Lord’s last week.

Formula 1: Leclerc relishing opportunity to work with Hamilton at Ferrari

Mitch Fretton
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Formula 1: Leclerc relishing opportunity to work with Hamilton at Ferrari

Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc says he cannot wait to work with Lewis Hamilton when he joins Ferrari.

The Brit shocked the world when he announced at the start of the season he would be leaving Mercedes after nearly 13 years to represent the prances horses alongside Leclerc.

Read our other sports news stories:
Wimbledon 2024: Alcaraz thrashes Djokovic to defend men’s title
James Anderson bows out in style as England thrash West Indies
Krejcikova to face Paolini in final after stunning Rybakina

Hamilton will be the Monegasque’s third team-mate at Ferrari after Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz.

The seven-time F1 champion earned his first race win since Saudi Arabia in 2021 at the British Grand Prix two weeks ago and has since earned the praise of almost every driver on the grid, including his future partner.

Speaking to the BBC, Leclerc said: “For me, it’s an incredible opportunity. First, to learn from the most successful driver ever. And to prove myself as well against Lewis, who is a benchmark for everybody.

“Ferrari is Ferrari. And they need the best drivers in their cars. So, for the benefit of Ferrari, it is completely understandable.

“For me, I don’t see any negative in that, because it’s Lewis Hamilton.”

When asked if he thinks he can consistently outperform 104-time race winner, Leclerc added: “Well, I need to be convinced that I am the fastest driver when I put the helmet on, but I am really looking forward to it, and it will be super-interesting for me.

“I have always said you learn from every single team-mate you have over your career. When I look at the way he drives – because we always look at each other and data – you don’t really see any weaknesses. And that’s where Lewis is incredible. He’s only got strengths.

“So I’m really looking forward to seeing how he works with his engineers, the feedback, and all of these kinds of things, to learn and become better.”

Leclerc also won his home race this season, taking victory at Monaco.

But Ferrari are still struggling to keep pace with the frontrunners over the entire season, despite a strong start.

At the end of last season, the most successful team in the sport were comfortably Red Bull’s closest competitors.

But a recent upgrade in Barcelona has hindered their progress, just as Hamilton and Mercedes have started to find a breakthrough with their car.

The Brit has stood firm by his decision to move to Ferrari in 2025, but the evidence on track currently is that he is moving to a slower team.

However, Leclerc has discarded questions about the car’s potential and said a few changes need to be made to get them back on track and fighting for wins.

He said: “In the last few races, we are not exactly where we want to be in terms of performance and that is my main priority – to come back to a performance where we are in the fight for poles and wins.

“I would expect us to be in the fight with McLaren and Red Bull as soon as we maximise the potential of our upgrades on the car.”

The Hungarian Grand Prix takes place this weekend, another strong track for Hamilton.

He has won there eight times in his career and will be doing everything he can to continue proving to Ferrari that he remains at the top of his game while enjoying driving a Mercedes for the first time in over two years.

England set 416 on opening day of second West Indies Test

Mitch Fretton
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England set 416 on opening day of second West Indies Test

England set a respectable score of 416 on the opening day of the second Test against the West Indies.

James Anderson bowled out in style as the hosts won comfortably in the first Test and England’s bowling will be tested on Friday as they look to protect their lead.

Read our other sports news stories: 
Wimbledon 2024: Alcaraz thrashes Djokovic to defend men’s title
James Anderson bows out in style as England thrash West Indies
Gareth Southgate resigns: What next for England?

It was a brilliant day for Ollie Pope, who hit 121 before edging an Alzarri Joseph ball into the hands of Kavem Hodge at slip.

Pope was previously dropped on 46 and 54 but made the Windies’ mistakes count at Trent Bridge.

He had built on a blistering start from Ben Duckett, who was finding the boundary regularly on his way to 71 from 59 balls.

But his innings came to an end 19 overs in when he edged to Jason Holder at slip, which seemed to be a common theme across the day.

Ben Stokes was in fine form, as he so often is. The former captain brought up his 32nd Test fifty and made his way to 69 before handing Hodge his first-ever Test wicket.

The Englishman did his best to smash the ball away over mid-wicket but did not connect properly and presented an easy catch for Jeremiah Louis.


Stokes was visibly frustrated as he left the field and looked to be on course to record a three-figure score in Nottingham.

Overall, England will see it as a positive day as they built on their 1-0 series lead.

The West Indies won the toss and opted to bowl first and now have their target to chase down.

No rain is expected to interfere with play on Friday, meaning we should see some good cricket ahead of the weekend.

England looked to be running riot before Kevin Sinclair and Alzarri Joseph steadied the ship after the first drinks break.

The former took two wickets for 73 runs while the latter took three from 98.

It was a morning to forget for Zak Crawley though. The opener did not score a single run and was out after three balls and just two minutes of play.

Luckily, his team-mates picked up the slack and they will be looking to take the strong finish onto the field tomorrow and halt any Windies’ hope of chasing down their total.

However, West Indies captain Sinclair is seeing it as a positive for his side.

Speaking to the BBC after the match, he said: “We did brilliant. It was too many runs in the end but I would say it was a good day for us as a team.

“We got the crucial wickets to put us right back in the game.”

Formula 1: Haas drop Magnussen for 2025

Mitch Fretton
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Formula 1: Haas drop Magnussen for 2025

Formula 1 team Haas has announced Kevin Magnussen will not drive for them in the 2025 season.

The US-based operation have not revealed who will take the Dane’s seat, but the BBC believe Alpine’s Esteban Ocon will fill the gap.

Read our other sports news stories:
Wimbledon 2024: Alcaraz thrashes Djokovic to defend men’s title
James Anderson bows out in style as England thrash West Indies
Gareth Southgate resigns: What next for England?

The move marks a complete shake-up for Haas, who recently announced Oliver Bearman would be filling the other seat next season in place of Nico Hulkenberg.

Hulkenberg is moving to Sauber as it prepares to morph with Audi in 2026, ending his second stint with the team.

Team principal Ayao Komatsu said: “Kevin has truly been a bedrock of our driver line-up over the years.

“Nobody’s driven more races for us and we’ve had some memorable highlights together – not least a fifth-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022 when Kevin returned to start his second spell with the team.

“He wasn’t expecting to be driving a Formula 1 car that weekend, but he put in a remarkable performance that was a tremendous boost to the entire organisation and once again showcased his own talents behind the wheel.

“I’m hoping we can find a way to keep working together in some capacity. We can hopefully define that in the near future, but his extensive experience in F1 and knowledge of our working operations are undoubtedly of value in our ongoing growth and development.”

Magnussen finished fifth three times for Haas and his career-best is second when he debuted with McLaren in 2014.

His future on the F1 grid is now in serious doubt with limited options available for 2025.

But he remained thankful for the opportunity and says he has made some unforgettable memories with Haas.

He added: “I’m proud to have raced for such a great team of people these last few years.

“In particular I’d like to thank [owner] Gene Haas for his commitment to me, notably in bringing me back once again in 2022 when I thought, at that time at least, my time in F1 had ended. I’ve enjoyed some great moments with this team – memories I’ll never forget.”

Updated Stockport 8 masterplan and new images showcased

Helen Greaney
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Updated Stockport 8 masterplan and new images showcased

Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) and ECF – a joint venture between Homes England, Legal & General and Muse– have launched a second community conversation on the £250 million plans for a mixed residential neighbourhood to the west of Stockport town centre known as Stockport 8.

New first look images and an updated masterplan for Stockport 8 have been revealed, following feedback from the first conversation earlier this year which saw more than 300 responses from local people and businesses.

Located on land either side of King Street West and next to the iconic railway viaduct, it will be one of the largest developments within the 130-acre Town Centre West masterplan, reconnecting the area to the town centre and creating a walkable, integrated community under the railway arches.

The new images and updated masterplan illustrate how the joint venture has used the feedback from the first conversation to help shape the regeneration plans, which include:

A diverse mix of up to 1,200 high-quality, energy efficient homes aimed at every stage of life and fully connected to the surrounding communities.

Spaces for businesses and community uses at ground floor level, which complement the existing town centre offering.

A walkable neighbourhood centred around new public spaces to bring the community together and provide exciting settings for people to meet, relax and enjoy.

Improvements to the environment around the busy and vital road network that runs through this part of Stockport.

A green ‘spine’ running through the masterplan connecting the new public square and a children’s play space behind Hollywood Park Nursery School.

Residential courtyards and areas for green roofs to the buildings, providing a home for wildlife.

A safe environment for all, that promotes active, sustainable travel with a pedestrian-only street running through the centre of the scheme.

Car parking, car clubs, electric vehicle charging and plenty of cycle parking, ensuring that the neighbourhood is accessible to all.

Opening up and creating inclusive public spaces around the viaduct with a new public square that can host markets and live events.

Celebrating Stockport’s rich heritage and character with a plan to reintroduce the historic street pattern and street names.

Stockport 8 is central to the wider £1 billion investment currently being delivered across the town centre and is at the heart of the £500 million Stockport MDC Town Centre West masterplan, which will transform Stockport into the most sustainable, liveable town centre in the region over the next decade. The 130-acre masterplan will see the delivery of 4,000 new homes, alongside local amenities, green spaces, new workspace and radical transport improvements.

Eamonn Boylan, interim chair at Stockport MDC, said: “Delivering long-term value for local communities is central to our ambitions for Town Centre West and Stockport’s wider transformation, which means ongoing conversations with residents are a crucial part of building the most sustainable and liveable town centre in the UK.

“The first phase of community engagement on Stockport 8 has been crucial in shaping the future of the development, ensuring that the culture and people of Stockport are reflected in what will be the largest site within the overall regeneration plans.”

Joe Stockton, senior development manager at ECF, said: “We met and listened to hundreds of local people as part of the first conversation earlier this year. There was a lot of support for providing green and outdoor spaces, alongside a mix of new homes to suit everyone. We also heard loud and clear how important it is to celebrate Stockport’s rich heritage and unique character.”

There are plenty of ways that people can continue to take part in the community conversation and provide their feedback, including:

* Attending a drop-in session on Saturday, July 20, 10am – 3pm at Merseyway Shopping Centre, 54 Great Underbank, SK1 1PD or on Thursday, August 1, 12:00pm – 5:00pm outside Edgeley Co-op, 84 Castle St, Edgeley, SK3 9AL.

* Signing up for an online Q&A at www.Stockport8.co.uk on Tuesday, July 23, 6:30pm – 7:30pm where you can learn more about the revised plans and ask the project team questions.

* Completing an online questionnaire at www.Stockport8.co.uk

* Filling in a freepost questionnaire in the newsletter being delivered locally in July.

* Email: [email protected] or call 0800 689 1095 (Mon –Fri, 9:00am–5:30pm)

Paul Pester on Data-Driven Decision-Making: ‘In God We Trust, Everyone Else Brings Data’

News Desk
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Paul Pester on Data-Driven Decision-Making: ‘In God We Trust, Everyone Else Brings Data’

Paul Pester, a veteran of the U.K. banking industry with over 25 years of experience, has held leadership positions at both established institutions and challenger banks. Currently serving as the chairman of Tandem Bank, a digital challenger bank focused on sustainable finance, Pester’s career spans roles including CEO of Virgin Money and TSB Banking Group, and founder of the fintech startup Loop.

Over the course of his tenure in various executive and board positions, Pester has developed a distinct approach to leadership and decision-making. Central to his approach is the mantra, “In God we trust, everyone else brings data,” emphasising the importance of data-driven strategies in financial services.

Data as the Linchpin of Effective Governance

Paul Pester advocates for a granular understanding of a bank’s operations, customer behaviour, and market dynamics.

“Getting to the right data and the right insights is so important. It always amazes me how big businesses look at large groups of data, amorphous data, rather than individual data,” Pester observed in a recent interview. He recounted a pivotal moment from his time at Lloyds TSB:

“We felt we had a great current account business. We were the biggest current account provider in the U.K. And everyone looked at market share and said, ‘It’s fantastic. We’ve got 23% market share, isn’t that great?’ Until you asked the question, ‘What’s our share of flow versus our share of stock?’ In other words, of all the customers who opened a current account this month, how many did we get? And our share of flow was down in single digits.”

During his tenure as managing director of consumer banking and digital channels at Lloyds TSB from 2005 to 2008, Pester put this data-driven approach into practice. Under his leadership, Lloyds TSB saw its share of new customer flow grow from less than 9% to over 17%, demonstrating the power of focusing on granular, actionable data.

“I want to understand the connective tissue in the business,” Pester explained. “If a customer does something, how does that work its way through the business to impact our balance sheet, and our [profit and loss], or our profitability, et cetera? Driving through that connective tissue is vital.”

The Challenger Mindset: From Virgin Money to Tandem Bank

Pester’s experience at Virgin Money in the early 2000s helped shape his views on the power of brand, customer-centricity, and a digital-first approach in banking. As the first group CEO of Virgin Money from 1999 to 2005, Paul Pester was instrumental in establishing the business as one of the U.K.’s first digital financial services operators. Later, at TSB, he oversaw the creation of a distinctive “partnership culture.” This involved removing all sales targets, sales management information, and sales incentives from customer-facing functions. By 2016, TSB was recognised as Britain’s most recommended High Street bank, with its customer Net Promoter Score growing by 59 points, from minus 24 at separation from Lloyds to plus 35.

As CEO of TSB Banking Group from 2011 to 2019, Pester led the creation of the bank, its separation from Lloyds Banking Group, its 1.4 billion pound initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange in 2014, and its subsequent 1.7 billion pound sale to Spanish banking group Sabadell in 2015. Under his leadership, TSB became Britain’s fastest-growing bank from 2014 to 2017, with an 18% compound annual growth rate balance sheet growth while maintaining a low cost of risk.

In his current role at Tandem Bank, Pester is helping to steer a digital-only institution with a focus on sustainable finance. More recently, Pester founded, built, and sold Loop, a fintech popular with Generation Z and millennial users, further demonstrating his ability to adapt to changing consumer preferences and technological landscapes.

Paul Pester on Leadership and Culture

Pester’s leadership style emphasises not just data and technology, but also the importance of company culture and employee engagement. At TSB, he led the bank to become one of The Sunday Times‘ 2017 Top 5 Best Big Companies to Work For in the U.K. He’s also been a strong advocate for gender parity in the workplace, cited in 2018 as one of the Agents of Change.

As he reflects on his career and the lessons he’s learned, Pester offers this advice to current and aspiring board members and executives:

“Absolutely understand the business in which you’re working. Get out and visit the operations sites, get out and talk to customers, get out and really understand your competitors. Understand the business, not so that you can do the executive’s job, but so that you can actually add value in the boardroom.”

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