Three Little Words, Manchester’s premium cocktail bar, are opening a canal-side Terrace bar in time for a Summer of mouth-watering cocktails, signature spritzes and more.
Since 7th April, their talented team of mixologists have been serving up delicious cocktails from The Bungalow overlooking Manchester’s most beautiful beer garden. If you haven’t already visited – what are you waiting for?!
Now that summer is fast approaching they are elevating their presence along the sun-soaked canal with the launch of the Terrace Bar at Kampus from 5th May Bank Holiday weekend.
The outdoor canal-side Terrace Bar will open 5th May, serving up delicious spirits, spritzes and cocktails all made up from their portfolio of multi award-winning spirits from The Spirit of Manchester Distillery. All the spirits are created by their team right in the heart of the city, including well loved brands such as Manchester Gin, One-Eyed Rebel Spiced Rum and Sphere Vodka.
Guests can lounge in the sunshine along the canal and order drinks straight from their bespoke cocktail van or via QR code and also order food from the Bungalow. When you visit, look out for the Rum Spritz, featuring One-Eyed Rebel Passionfruit & Coconut Rum and Passoa – summer in a glass!
Seb Heeley-Wiggins, Owner & Co-Founder of The Spirit of Manchester Distillery & Three Little Words, said: “Our first month at Kampus has been incredible, we’ve loved seeing a few of our Watson Street regulars joining us and many new faces as well. Being a family owned and run business, born in the heart of Manchester, we jumped at the chance to join the other incredible independents at Kampus for our summer residency and we are so excited to see what the rest of the summer holds.”
Pulling out all the stops for the Kampus Bank Holiday Weekender, the Three Little Words team are hosting a line up of live DJ sets, tastings and specials to entertain and surprise guests across the whole weekend.
Joining them on Saturday is another well loved Manchester independent, florists from The Bud and Pot, who are hosting an exclusive “Best of British Blooms” themed class available to book now for £35, enjoy a masterclass in flower arranging and create a bunch of beautiful blooms to take home, as well as enjoy 10% off in the Bungalow after the event. More details and tickets are available now.
Guests & residents can look forward to an amazing summer of monthly masterclasses and tastings, hosted by Three Little Words and friends, as well as DJs, celebrations & one-off special events throughout their 6 month summer residency. Tickets for their first tasting in the Bunglow are on sale now.
Follow their instagram @threelittlewordsmcr for news and updates on the full summer line-up.
Vega, a Manchester-based digital agency, have continued their partnership with Tiger Sheds with a second TV campaign this year.
Tiger Sheds, a brand owned by Woodlands Home and Garden Group, are following up on their maiden TV venture in 2022. Vega worked closely with ITV and its Backing Business initiative in 2022 and have extended the relationship into 2023. This year’s campaign sees refreshed creative from Propaganda. The campaign runs for 3 months across ITV terrestrial and Digital channels, and introduces 5 and Sky to the mix.
Vega Co-Founder, Jon Hall commented: “We’re delighted to continue our fantastic partnership with Tiger Sheds. Our co-production model led to really productive discussions with broadcasters, with Tiger Sheds involved in all conversations every step of the way. We are utilising the number of attribution initiatives again and are confident we can build on the success of last year, continuing to drive brand awareness, share of search and increased sales for such an ambitious company.”
Sam Jenkinson, Head of Marketing at Tiger, added: “It’s exciting to see Eric The Tiger back in action on our screens highlighting what Tiger stands for – helping consumers find their perfect space. It’s that simple! Since the last campaign, so much has happened at Tiger to improve our quality and value even further and we’re confident that customers looking for a wooden garden building will have the best experience at tigersheds.com.”
With financial pressures growing, Social Housing providers are looking for new methods to cut the costs. DocTech‘s Managing Director, has offered insight into the changing landscape.
New technologies, and in particular digitalisation and automation, have been transformative for some in the sector, saving both time and money. In a survey conducted by Inside Housing, 32% said digital transformation was considered a top priority and 65% of leaders believed digital transformation was key to their development. .
Ruban Rajasooriyar, managing director at DocTech, highlights the challenges faced by Social Housing organisations and shares predictions for the future of technology in the sector.
An Industry Under Pressure
In March, the Government regulator of Social Housing published its latest quarterly survey of private registered providers’ financial health. It showed that the sector secured £3.4 billion in new finance, putting borrowing at £121.8 billion – the highest level for six years.
Wider economic pressures including inflation, higher borrowing costs and a softening housing market, are all thought to be adding financial pressure.
With a tightening of the purse strings there is an industry-wide push to deliver efficiency savings across the full range of services. The adoption of new technologies is one way the sector is looking to make savings in both time and money.
The Future of Technology in Social Housing
Technology is a rapidly changing world. What is considered science fiction today could be science fact tomorrow. Based on current trends, Ruban Rajasooriyar has made predictions for the technology adoption in Social Housing that we are likely to see over the coming years.
Data Management Will Be Digitally Streamlined
Technologies that allow access from mobile devices will provide remote and field-based workers with real-time access to information and systems.
By automating processes, moving to digital signature solutions, and creating a digital trail across the organisation, Social Housing providers will remove time-consuming manual processes in finance, HR and tenant management.
Social Housing organisations will therefore adopt an integrated document management solution to digitalise information, enabling housing providers to collect and leverage data.
AI and Automation Will Save Time and Money
Since its launch in November 2022, the news has been awash with talk of ChatGPT.
Although the future is still unclear on the adoption of these technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have the potential to significantly improve efficiency and reduce costs for Social Housing associations.
Future AI driven applications could assist staff to more quickly and efficiently action repetitive tasks such as answering tenant queries, processing applications, and scheduling appointments, freeing up staff to focus on more complex tasks.
IT Infrastructure Will Become More Agile
Social Housing will move fully into “the cloud”.
Rather than storing information on their own computers and servers, migrating to a cloud-based system will make Social Housing organisations more agile and able to adapt to new technologies, capable of handling larger volumes of data in real time and providing high levels of security to protect personal data and business critical applications.
One of the key factors limiting digital transformation today in Social Housing is the underlying IT infrastructure.
Self-Service for Tenants
Digital adoption has increased as more tenants become tech-savvy.
Although a proportion of tenants still rely on person-to-person support, a growing number prefer to manage information through apps or online document portals making it easier to check rent payments, report maintenance issues or simply update personal details.
In the future, AI technologies built on more mature versions of applications such as ChatGPT will only enhance this digital interaction, with tenants using virtual assistants to guide them through the application process, provide information on rental agreements, and answer virtually any question. Up until fairly recently the ability to have a natural language conversation with a Chatbot was not always productive.
Connected data and analytics could also help housing providers identify indicators of rental payment issues, so that action to prevent them falling into arrears can be taken.
Some projects start with a move away from manual testing of emergency lighting. Technicians previously had to attend the site to determine if there were any problems. If so, then the next step was to order the part for replacement and at a later date return to site to complete the repair. LED bulbs have saved countless trips.
Preventative maintenance is hugely advanced by adopting Internet of Things (IoT) technology, in this case by sensing and communicating potential failures ahead of them happening,
Beyond this, smart locks cut down on delays as they allow tradespeople to be let in remotely; smart temperature sensors help detect issues with mould, before problems arise; and smart leak sensors have been used to help prevent or minimise water damage.
The combined bill of maintenance and repairs for Social Housing organisations in the UK was a staggering £5.5bn in 2019/20. With an estimated 10-20% of failed visits, something that can be significantly reduced through the adoption of smart tech.
Research from showhouse.co.uk shows nearly half (49%) of smart tech owners reported an average annual saving of £318 by swapping appliances to smart devices.
Digitalisation Must Be Proactive
Social Housing providers have historically been reactive rather than proactive, responding to events such as reported repair issues or tenant arrears.
Technology will create a more proactive model for Social Housing, with smart home technologies flagging potential maintenance issues, tenant management systems automating document processing and compliance – all dramatically improving efficiency.
DocTech has worked with Social Housing providers throughout the UK for 20 years. The company was recently shortlisted as Technology Partner at the 2023 Northern Housing Awards.
Multichannel. Omnichannel. These two terms are often thrown around in the digital marketing industry, and it’s common to need clarification. However, noting the difference between the two can significantly impact getting the most out of your company’s investment. Mitto, an omnichannel marketing solution, helps brands understand the difference between the two but also helps them know which solution suits their company.
Multichannel marketing involves a brand or company using several communication tools to reach their customers, as does omnichannel marketing. The difference is that omnichannel marketing uses different platforms on one channel, so the brand operating the other communication apps can do so seamlessly without a break in tone or timing.
If you’re new to this type of communication, you may be thinking, “What’s the difference? If I use SMS, email, social media, and messaging apps, does it matter whether I do it in a multichannel or omnichannel setting?”
The answer to this question is nuanced: but while there may be instances in which unassisted multichannel marketing is effective, for most large, modern brands, an omnichannel solutions provider like Mitto is the best way to engage all communication platforms for maximum ROI.
The Case For Integrating Apps
Let’s turn to single-channel communication strategy to understand why omnichannel integration makes such a vast difference. Single-channel marketing involves selling products or services through a single platform, like a website or social media platform. Single-channel commerce is excellent for a small business for several reasons.
Cost. The cost of maintaining a single-channel platform for sales is much less than maintaining several of these platforms. This can be perfect for getting your shop off the ground without funneling extra money into a “caretaking” platform.
Less Time Spent On Apps. If you’re a sales team of one, keeping an eye on multiple platforms can take a lot of work. Having just one or two mitigates missed messages and optimizes the time you have.
Easier to personalize with a smaller team. If you are a one-person team, you also have less time to personalize a website or platform.
However, for most businesses, there are more optimized ways to market and stay in touch with customers than single-channel. Between single-channel and omnichannel lies multichannel, which is the next step for growing businesses. Multichannel commerce allows businesses to interact with their customers through many different channels, including SMS, messaging app, email, phone, and more. Multichannel has its perks for brand messaging. It can allow a company to:
Increase brand awareness
Create more opportunities for consumers to reach out to the brand
Track company metrics in a simple way
There are some downsides to multichannel marketing, however.
No continuity between apps. A customer may message on multiple apps, and there is no record of that available to two people working on a customer service issue.
Potential missed messages. Companies may only receive messages if all accounts are managed cohesively.
For companies with a more significant presence to remain competitive in a global market saturated with competitors, they must ensure their commerce issues are insignificant compared to their competitors. In an interview with Martech, Ilja Gorelik – COO and co-founder of Mitto— mentioned how good customer service via omnichannel messaging can make a huge difference.
“Good customer support is an effective marketing strategy — American consumers said they are more likely to talk publicly about ‘good’ support experiences than ‘poor’ ones — 65% compared to 29%. What all of this reveals is that customer engagement can be challenging and complex. “
A way to maintain the perks of multichannel messaging without as many costs is to turn to an omnichannel marketing solutions provider like Mitto.
Connecting With Global Markets
Statistics from a recent Mitto study show that omnichannel marketing is a must-have for brands with a global presence. These stats show that the way people communicate across our globe is varied so differently that more than one method of communication can be the best way to reach out to all customers.
The study done by Mitto showed that social media contact is the preferred method of communication for customers in the United States through social media applications. However, break out of the US and head to Asia, South America, or Africa, and brands encounter countries that prefer chat apps. Still, other countries prefer SMS. On those apps, the types of content and communication consumers expect to see vary vastly. For example, 70% of those surveyed enjoyed getting promo codes, whereas customer support and order updates through those apps only reached just over 50%.
Combine that with statistics that show that over half of the consumers surveyed in that study cite a brand’s social media presence as their influence to purchase, and you can see how powerful choosing the proper method of communication can be. Utilizing an application-to-person messaging technology, like Mitto’s A2P tech, can assist brands in making a choice that best addresses their consumers’ needs.
So, How Do I Use The Tools At My Disposal?
So many tools, so little time. How can brands best use multichannel and omnichannel tech to serve their needs and customers? It all comes down to synthesizing the customer care consumers get across all platforms. That way, regardless of whether they text a chatbot or call a helpline, they feel they are getting the same quality of service with one consistent brand voice.
Ilja Gorelik spoke about how omnichannel platform providers like Mitto can make a huge difference when it comes to the customer experience:
“As marketers add new digital channels, I am more concerned with educating on the importance of taking an omnichannel, not multichannel, approach. Brands need to speak to customers wherever they are – be it via SMS, Chat Apps, or others – with a single consistent voice; otherwise, they risk losing them and their revenue. Therefore, seamlessly combining multiple digital channels will become a foundational element to unify customers’ touch points across all channels.”
Some takeaways from how Mitto implements omnichannel messaging on their platform:
Offer a variety of communication channels for your customers. Even within a country, customers communicate very differently from one another due to ability, timing, and personal preference. You can make or break a relationship with a client simply by utilizing a preferred messaging platform.
Offer a quick turnaround on time to respond. A recent poll found that nearly 40% of those polled say that waiting more than 5 minutes for a response from a brand is unacceptable. Even if a quick fix on a customer issue isn’t possible, an answer from the brand showing that they are on the case is well-perceived among consumers.
Offer solutions to modern problems. Omnichannel solutions for healthcare show where omnichannel can help solve modern customers’ issues. Customers often utilize SMS for things like care follow-ups, appointment reminders, medication refills, and more.
Whether you utilize omnichannel or multichannel messaging solutions for your mid to large-sized company is up to your brand. However, employing a streamlined omnichannel messaging solution like Mitto can mitigate customer pain points, optimize their experience, and ultimately save money and time for all involved.
A recent campaign to promote road safety in the UK has highlighted a concerning issue: over 900,000 British drivers would fail to meet even the most basic eyesight standard for driving. The “Is Your Vision Roadworthy?” campaign was a collaborative effort between leading motoring organisations, optical associations, eye care charities, and police forces throughout England, Scotland, and Wales.
During the campaign, police officers throughout the country requested that motorists take part in a roadside vision screening. The results showed that 2.2% of all number plate tests, which involve reading a car number plate from 20 meters away, resulted in failure. Astonishingly, 85% of drivers who failed the screening had their license revoked on the spot under legislation known as Cassie’s Law.
The campaign also highlighted that advancing age increases a driver’s risk of falling short of the legal eyesight standards. The average age of those unable to read a number plate from 20 metres was 69.3 years, but the youngest driver to fail was 30 and the oldest was 90. Additionally, men appeared to have the biggest blind spot when it came to vision and driving, making up three-quarters of those who failed the number plate test.
With traffic volumes set to peak over the Early May Bank Holiday, the charity Eye Health UK estimates that over half a million car journeys will be made by drivers whose vision falls below the legal limit. This is due to an undiagnosed or untreated vision condition, or simply because a driver isn’t wearing the eyewear they have been prescribed for driving. Shockingly, a third of those who failed the number plate test and had been prescribed corrective lenses were not wearing them at the time they were stopped.
All drivers have a legal responsibility to ensure their vision meets the eyesight standards for driving every time they get behind the wheel. Uncorrected defective eyesight is punishable by a fine of up to £1,000, three penalty points, and possible disqualification. It also increases a person’s risk of a collision and can invalidate their insurance. Yet, DVLA stats show that fewer than half of motorists (48.5%) are aware of the eyesight standards for driving.
Optometrists recommend that everyone has their eyes checked every two years to ensure their vision is fit for the road and meets the full legal eyesight requirements for driving, including having an adequate field of vision. However, the uptake of routine eye tests has fallen over recent years, with 17.5 million Brits currently overdue a trip to the opticians. Shockingly, 42% of drivers undertaking the roadside vision screening admitted they had not had an eye test in the last two years, as recommended.
Impaired vision prevents motorists from reacting to hazards and causes fatigue. Around 3,000 people are killed or injured by a driver with failing eyesight every year in the UK. The consequences of poor eyesight while driving can be devastating, as Emma Damen, daughter of Jim Tassell, tragically experienced when her father was killed by a driver who could not see more than two meters ahead, even though the legal requirement is 20 meters.
Department of Transport statistics also show that glare from sunlight has been among the contributing factors in 33,399 casualties over the past decade to road users. On average, 653 people were killed or experienced serious injuries each year. Conditions such as cataracts, which affect the vision of over half (54%) of those over 60, can increase sensitivity to light and glare caused by the sun and oncoming headlights.
As Professor Steve Taylor, adviser to FODO – The Association for Eyecare Providers, one of the organisations behind the “Is Your Vision Roadworthy?” campaign, points out, 90% of the information needed to drive is visual.
To obtain practical guidance and information on maintaining good vision for driving, as well as details on the legal eyesight requirements and eye conditions that must be reported to the DVLA, please visit: www.visionanddriving.info.
London-based R&B singer-songwriter Elsa has unveiled her highly anticipated debut single, “As You Please,” produced in collaboration with her long-time partner J.Ar.J. The track presents Elsa’s distinctive sound, which is a unique blend of various genres and is characterized by her unmistakable voice.
Elsa’s poetic lyricism is the centerpiece of “As You Please,” with a raw honesty that lays bare the pain and vulnerability of toxic relationships. Nevertheless, Elsa always accompanies her message of self-love, optimism, and growth. The song is about processing the past, moving forward, and healing.
Elsa has earned a growing fan base in London’s R&B scene, thanks to captivating live performances that showcase her authenticity, passion, and charisma. J.Ar.J’s production flair is on full display in the lush soundscapes and mighty choruses that support Elsa’s unique style.
This is just the beginning of what promises to be a bright future for Elsa. She has more exciting projects in the works, including new material and more upcoming live shows later this year. Elsa is a rising star to watch in the R&B scene, with a fresh, authentic sound that is sure to capture the hearts of music lovers worldwide.
“As You Please” is now available on all major streaming platforms. Stay tuned for more exciting releases from Elsa in the near future. With her undeniable talent and growing fan base, Elsa is poised for big things in the coming years.
If you are looking to get a website built for your business, you’re going to have to choose the right web developer for the job. Unfortunately, there are lots of experts out there, so picking the right one for you can often be quite difficult if you don’t know what to look for.
As a web design company Liverpool, we have built websites for dozens of people across the Liverpool area and beyond. However, we’ve also learned what it is that people are looking for when they try to choose a provider and to help you get the best results; we thought we would share this information with you and give you just a few pointers on how to go about finding the ideal web developer for you. After all, it does make a big difference who you choose to work with.
Budget – The Big One
Anybody who tells you that budget doesn’t have an impact on your website and getting it built is lying. Budget is one of the most important considerations for choosing a web designer because the best designers can have exorbitant prices.
Now, obviously, we are not trying to dissuade you from making a proper investment in a website; we are simply telling you the budget is a consideration. You need to try and choose a provider who is happy to scale the services they provide you up and down, depending on your budget. There are lots of developers who can create websites for even the smallest businesses that don’t have a lot of capital to put into the website.
At the end of the day, it’s worth noting that the objective isn’t always to create the biggest, loudest, and most extensive website possible for your first day as a business. Sometimes, you just need to get a functional, attractive website put together that allows you to have a platform.
Experience and Feedback
Choosing a provider with the right experience and feedback is also very important. At the end of the day, you need to make sure that you work with providers who are capable of delivering a good, well-put-together, efficient, and accessible website. In the same way that you wouldn’t try and contract out bookkeeping services to somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing, you wouldn’t trust an inexperienced web developer.
There are definitely a lot of providers out there, and all of them claim to be the best, so you have to choose the one that works for you. We wholeheartedly recommend that you take the time to look at feedback on third-party websites and from their own website to get a proper understanding of what other people have thought about the company. This feedback will give you an insight into how they work, whether or not there are areas that they don’t do as well on, and generally provide you with the information you need to make a sensible decision.
Communication Skills
As web designers Preston, we understand the importance of communication when talking to clients. It’s a big thing that you need to keep an eye out for when you are trying to find the right provider for your needs. The best web developers are the ones who are prepared to communicate with you from the outset.
Sit down and talk to these people about your project and see how willing they are to discuss things with you. How much do they communicate? There are a handful of things that a good web design company will do that will show you just how valuable they can be.
First of all, they will talk to you about the needs of your website and what you want to accomplish with it. They will be able to give you a comprehensive breakdown of what they intend to do with the project, and how they envision the website being put together, and they will also communicate with you at every step in the process. Being able to get an update from them whenever you need it is very important.
Revisions and Amendments
Not every website is perfect on the first attempt. This is not a failure on the part of the web design team but simply part of the challenges of creating your vision and communication between people.
It’s perfectly normal that you may need to make a few changes and give feedback to help ensure that your website looks exactly how you’ve envisioned it. If this happens, it’s not the end of the world but instead a good opportunity for you and the design team to make changes and discuss the next incarnation of the site.
You can use this time to pay attention to how a web designer reacts to the concept of change. If you’re worried, ask beforehand how many revisions and changes you can make to your package. It’s important that you’re happy with the final product, and most experts recognise this and are prepared to put the time into getting it right.
Final Thoughts
Website design Manchester is easy enough when you’re working with the right person. However, it is this emphasis on working with the right people that we must stress.
There are so many experts out there, and choosing the right ones for you can be hard. It’s necessary to take a look at what’s on offer before you make a decision because, at the end of the day, you need to be happy with the choice, and there are a fair number of considerations involved.
We strive to be pretty accessible as a web design team, and we’re happy to work with you and help you get what you need because we know how important it is to have a website which works for you. Ultimately, you need to take a look at what’s on offer, and this is sometimes harder than it seems. If you need to chat with us to figure out what works for you, we’re happy to do so and help put your mind to rest.
Two ex-rugby league stars, who launched one of Manchester’s most popular independent cafes almost a decade ago, have now raised £250,000 from NPIF – Mercia Debt Finance, part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and managed by Mercia, which will be used to help grow their bakery business.
Mark Flanagan and Jon Wilkin opened Pot Kettle Black in Barton Arcade in 2014 while they were both playing for St Helens, and now also have stores at Angel Gardens and Manchester Airport. After gaining a reputation for their artisan breads and pastries, they received requests to supply local restaurants and soon exceeded the capacity of their Barton Arcade kitchen.
In 2019 they established the bakery arm as a separate business, Half Dozen Other, operating from a small unit in Salford. Following the continued growth of the business, they have now leased a much larger, 5,000 sq ft premises in Red Bank, near Victoria with room for further expansion. The funding will enable them to fit out the unit and provide additional capital for growth.
Half Dozen Other supplies San Carlo, Tast and numerous other cafes and restaurants in Manchester. The company prides itself on making classic bakes with a modern take.
Best sellers range from the 1.3kg family-size sourdough loaf to cinnamon buns and kouign-amann, a pastry from North West France made up of croissant dough, sugar and vanilla salt.
The bakery employs 10 staff, with an additional 45 working in the cafes, and expects to create around 20 jobs in the next two years.
Mark Flanagan says: “People are now better travelled, more sophisticated in their tastes and want to enjoy a wider range of foods. Shows like The Great British Bake Off have also encouraged greater interest in bakery products. The new premises will give us room to grow and pursue our ambition to become the leading artisan bread and pastry wholesaler in the North.”
Andy Clough of Mercia added: “Half Dozen Other is the second successful venture from Mark and Jon. The business has achieved year on year growth since its inception, even through the lockdown periods, and continues to see strong demand.
“The funding will allow them to scale up the wholesale business and reach customers across a wider area, while also providing an outlet to sell to consumers direct. The indications are that the business could double or treble in size within the next two years.”
Charlotte Ashton of Implicit provided fundraising advice to the business.
NPIF – Mercia Debt Finance provides loans in the NPIF region with a focus on Yorkshire and the Humber. The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.
Naturecan’s group have been bolstered by the addition of the IAH Oregon facility, on the West Coast of the United States.
IAH Oregon has produced the CBD in Naturecan’s best-selling products, all of which are created using certified organic hemp sourced from the very best Oregon farms.
Now Naturecan will ramp up production of its global supplies of CBD oils, snacks, protein supplements, vitamins and balms as well as supplying the purest CBD for other brands.
Naturecan has 60 staff and is based at St Petersgate in Stockport.
Naturecan chief executive Andy Duckworth said: “This is a very exciting time for Naturecan.
“We have acquired what we believe to be one of the world’s best CBD extraction facilities.
“It means we can continue to give Naturecan customers the very best quality products they have grown to expect. But we can also offer the very highest quality CBD to the industry as a whole.
“IAH contains an industrial-scale Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) technology platform. This allows us to produce CBD distillate with ultra-low THC (73ppm) which means that the distillate can be used as an ingredient in even the strictest markets around the world.
“The process also recycles solvents, using far less than traditional chromatographic methods. This results in a greener and more sustainable solution and minimises the environmental impact.
“We will be producing hundreds of kilograms a month of CBD through our high-tech refinement methods.
“Consumers will know that if the CBD product they are buying is from IAH Oregon, they are getting a product which can be trusted.”
Paul Finnegan, co-founder of Naturecan, said: “The most exciting part of the acquisition of IAH for me is our new research and development capabilities for minor cannabinoids, in the facility. This will allow us to keep creating the best, most innovative products for our customers globally.”
Brian Vifian, general manager of IAH Oregon, said: “Over the last four years we have watched the phenomenal growth of Naturecan and are so excited to be part of the group. Naturecan’s first priority has always been quality of product which fits with IAH ethos perfectly.”
Naturecan, a CBD health business backed by ex-England cricketer Freddie Flintoff, is a world-wide success story with sales of £12 million last year and revenue for 2023 projected to surpass £18 million.
It sells CBD globally and is dealing with record demand in the UK as well as territories across Europe and Asia, where the health benefits of CBD have been recognised for years.
IAH Oregon’s purification facility manufactures superior bulk broad spectrum distillate products rich in CBD and minor cannabinoids for the international business-to-business marketplace.
The state-of-the-art facility can accommodate large-scale orders with consistent, high-potency CBD formulations – which can all be tailored to a customer’s unique needs.
It achieves a premium hemp extract product starting from seed by collaborating with trusted hemp farmers and scientists to make the most out of the world’s latest purification instrument.
The high potency products meet global requirements across many continents for testing and product specification.
Duckworth co-founded Naturecan four years ago after leading Myprotein for five years, because he could see the huge global market for CBD products as its health benefits became better understood.
A baby loss charity based in Greater Manchester, Beyond Bea, have issued an appeal for baby vest donations to support its unique project, which aims to create a visual representation of the number of babies who tragically die in late miscarriage, still birth and neonatal death every year.
Each baby that died will be represented by a vest laid out at a local football stadium, which will then be photographed and filmed. The charity plans to use this visual representation to raise awareness about the frequency of baby loss and help promote its charitable aims to provide accessible and compassionate bereavement training for health care professionals.
Beyond Bea has already successfully sourced many baby vests through generous donations, often from its supporters whose own baby has died. However, the charity is still nearly 1,000 vests short of the target.
The charity is reaching out to its local community to see if anyone has any unused or outgrown baby vests they’d be willing to donate or if local shops or manufacturers have any spares or unwanted samples.
The vests can be any colour or patterned but must have short sleeves and be from tiny baby to three months in size. Vests can be posted or dropped off at the charity until the end of May 2023.
Steph Wild, who is the Founder and voluntary CEO of Beyond Bea and a Registered Midwife, says: “The impact of the death of a baby goes far further than just the parents. It extends to family, friends and wider society. It also encompasses the professionals responsible for caring for these families, a hugely challenging task which is often undertaken with little or no training, limited resources and minimal support.
“The loss of my own daughter, Bea, when I was 23 weeks pregnant, alongside my clinical experience as a midwife, drives me to do all I can to make a difference to families going through any kind of baby loss be that miscarriage, stillbirth, termination of pregnancy/compassionate induction and neonatal death.
“I don’t get to go to school sports days or watch my daughter in a nativity play. I instead get to ‘parent’ through sharing her memory, saying her name, and allowing others to learn from Beyond Bea’s bereavement training.
“I’m passionate about Beyond Bea’s Baby Vest Project – I believe a visual representation of the number of babies who are lost each year will help create a powerful tool for raising awareness and training.
“I thank everyone that has already supported the charity and ask everyone reading this to check if you have some outgrown baby vests that you no longer need. The vests do not need to be in perfect condition, used and worn vests are absolutely fine. After filming the vests won’t be destroyed – we plan to sell them on our second hand online shop to help fund the development of our bereavement care training.”
Baby vests can be sent to: Beyond Bea Charity, FAO Mary, Unit 3 Jones Court, Jones Square, Stockport, SK1 4LJ.
