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PIONEERING CONSUMER DRUG COMPANY SECURES £3.2M INVESTMENT

Sam Whitear
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A business that is poised to transform the UK’s self-care market has secured a £3.2m investment in a funding round led by Praetura Ventures.

Maxwellia, which is based at Alderley Park in Cheshire, aims to give people easier and faster access to the treatments they need by converting prescription-only medicines to versions that can be bought in a pharmacy.

Founded in 2013 by chief executive Anna Maxwell – a pharmacist with over 20 years’ experience, Maxwellia specialises in ‘switching’, a process in which prescription only medication is reclassified and made available over the counter. It already has three applications under assessment with the MHRA, and is currently awaiting approval of its first game-changing women’s health product following a public consultation.

‘Switching’ widens the access to medicine, supports self-care and patient wellbeing while reducing the burden on public services such as GPs. It is a rigorous process regulated by the MHRA, and previous well-known examples of switches include Nurofen, Canesten and Viagra Connect.

The government is supportive of encouraging self-care and widening access to medicines, as well as promoting the role that pharmacists can play in communities to reduce pressure on the NHS.

Maxwellia has secured investment of £3.2m, with £1.7m coming from Manchester-based Praetura Ventures, the venture capital fund that targets early-stage businesses in high-growth sectors. Other investors include the Future Fund, Catapult Ventures, Alderley Park Ventures and Biocity along with individual and angel investors.

The business has a robust pipeline, which includes numerous medicines across areas of public health with the greatest unmet need, and it will use the funding to scale up the manufacture and rollout of its drugs following MHRA approval, invest in marketing and expand its team.

Anna Maxwell, chief executive of Maxwellia, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has shown us clearly that we must take better care of our health. A huge part of that is helping people to better manage their own health more easily and conveniently. We have a fantastic, untapped network of pharmacists who are highly trained clinical experts and are at the heart of most communities across Britain on our high streets. As a pharmacist, I have seen first-hand how important they are for helping people self-care. It is vital more medicines are safely changed from being prescription-only so people can access them following a short consultation with a pharmacist.

“With the new funding round led by Praetura Ventures, we’ll be able to scale up our go-to-market operations for our first product launch and our other pipeline of over-the-counter medication, which will be game-changing for those who require more widened access to these drugs. The Praetura team’s understanding of our business and their hands-on approach were key factors in us choosing them to lead this investment round.”

Praetura Ventures has previously invested in healthcare businesses including digital health platform Dr Fertility and fertility research business Ostara Biomedical. The firm’s investment in Maxwellia was led by investment manager Sim Singh-Landa and director Dr Andy Round, who becomes a non-executive director.

Dr Andy Round said: “It is not often that there is the opportunity to play a part in supporting a business that has the potential to transform healthcare for millions of people across the country. Anna’s vision of making it more convenient for patients to access medication is inspiring and we were delighted to be able to be part of this journey.

“As an early-stage investor in exciting businesses in high-value and innovative sectors like healthcare, this investment is right in our sweet-spot. I believe Maxwellia will make a mark in the pharmaceutical switching market with its revolutionary pipeline.”

Maxwellia is Praetura Ventures’ latest investment from the latest Praetura EIS Growth Fund following investments in Leeds-based RapidSpike, tech for good platforms Transreport and Enthuse, and communications platform PixelMax.

DWF and Oyster Venture Partners (Rupert Lewis) advised Maxwellia on the investment.

Hill Dickinson advised Praetura Ventures.

Specialists share insights on securing investment in the digital sector

Sam Whitear
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Digital businesses keen to secure investment opportunities can hear first-hand from the experts at a free GC Business Growth Hub event.

Paus TV founder and CEO Rishi Kapoor is amongst a panel of industry professionals who will be sharing his insights at the ‘Unlocking and maximising digital economy investment’ session.

 

Taking place on Thursday, April 15 from 2.30pm to 3.30pm, delegates will hear about Kapoor’s experiences leveraging investment for Paus, a streaming app for independent films.

 

Kapoor has previously worked for Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and NBCUniversal and launched Paus last March.

 

Despite having to cancel the formal launch due to the first national lockdown, support from the Hub’s Creative Scale-up programme helpedKapoor and his team to secure funds.

 

In November, they held a crowd-funding event and to date have raised £130,000 from CrowdCube and another £370,000 from angel investors.

 

Paus TV founder and CEO, Rishi Kapoor, said: “The demand for streaming services has really increased because of the pandemic and our community is growing quickly, especially with our crowdfunded campaign.

 

“Being a sole founder is challenging but it’s important for me to share with others that there is support and help out there, and how to access it.”

 

The hour-long session will cover the post-pandemic investment landscape, available investment opportunities plus more in-depth advice for those who would like to fine-tune their current investor interactions.

 

Along with Kapoor, the event will feature GC Business Angels Investment Director Damian Mohammed who has launched an online investor portal for companies across the north.

 

Sue Barnard, North West British Business Bank Senior Manager, will be on hand sharing her insights and intel on the region.

 

Delegates will also hear from UK Business Angels Association CEO, Jenny Tooth, who has more than 20 years’ experience of facilitating SMEs’ access to investment.

 

Completing the panel is Guy Weaver, Praetura Ventures Director – a venture capital firm which focusses on investing in early stage high growth businesses.

 

The Hub’s Head of Digital, Creative and TechSector Business Support, Sarah Novotny, said: “If you are looking to grow your business and want to explore different ways to secure investment, this event is a must.

 

“Greater Manchester has a £5 billion digital economy, which employs more than 86,000 people and is home to the largest creative and digital cluster outside London.

 

“Over the past 12 months, Covid-19 has really accelerated the digital economy’s rise, and this session is a unique opportunity to hear first-hand and learn from a panel of industry-leading experts.”

 

Businesses must register for the Unlocking and Maximising Digital Economy event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unlocking-and-maximising-digital-economy-investment-tickets-146570559489.

 

The event is part of a series of panel discussions and webinars which the Hub is hosting as part of its wider involvement in the Digital City Festival, developed specifically for digital economy businesses based in Greater Manchester.

 

See the Hub’s full programme of events here: https://www.businessgrowthhub.com/digital-city-festival-2021

 

Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit www.businessgrowthhub.com for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services. This and other GC Business Growth Hub projects are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM Business Growth Hub project designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester. The Hub is also supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester local authorities.

Digital City Festival is returning in 2021 as a truly digital event

Sam Whitear
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Following huge success in 2020, Digital City Festival is returning in 2021 as a truly digital event to reflect the pressing needs of the digital sector right now, and provide support and inspiration.

Digital City Festival launched as a physical event in 2020, attracting digital professionals from across the UK and beyond to Manchester for a week of events, but in 2021 it will be hosted on the dedicated Digital City Network – providing even wider access to the high-profile celebration of digital.

It’s taking place across two weeks from April 12th – 23rd, involving thought leadership, an exhibition and solutions showcase, Q&As, roundtables, cultural events and more, all on the Network.

Registration for Digital City Festival, which is totally free, is open now and provides access to all of the events above. The central content will be broadcast from the state-of-the-art facilities at MediaCityUK – Europe’s first ‘connected neighbourhood’ – and produced by Badger & Combes, who recently produced the hugely impactful United We Stream GM, all underpinned by the infrastructure provided by dock10.

The content at the festival will feature the topics that really matter to modern businesses and individuals, including digital infrastructure, skills and talent, inclusion, culture, innovation and more – with tracks for Tech, Marketing, eCommerce, Media and Culture.

Each track will include a range of specialists sharing their expertise and insights to create an all-round digital experience that’s unmissable for a digital professional in 2021.

The Digital City Network will also host this year’s Digital City Awards on April 15th – celebrating top talent in the industry. The awards recognise the best individuals, teams, projects and platforms from the digital world, on a global stage. These will be broadcast on the network, an unmissable event for digital professionals.

The network will remain open after the two weeks is over, helping organisations connect, transform and grow together after the festival closes.

In the absence of in-person meetings and collaboration that organisations rely on, the Digital City Network will bring the global digital community together in one online ecosystem. It features matchmaking functionality and other networking features, enabling companies to engage professionals in new ways.

Digital City Festival’s Headline Partners are tech leader BJSS and international agency Dept, and its Lead Sponsors are iomart, MiQ and HOST. The full list of event partners is available online and includes companies like Hootsuite, EY, Zip and Deloitte as Market Leaders and Keynote Session Sponsors.

Announcing the senior appointment of Jodi Hinks to Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House Manchester

Sam Whitear
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Jodi Hinks has been appointed as Director of Commercial Strategy for Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House Manchester, reporting into the properties’ General Manager, Assumpta McDonald.

Previously the Director of Sales & Marketing with Rocco Forte Hotels in Manchester and Prague, Jodi’s 20+ years of experience in the hospitality sector encompasses a number of leading hotel, catering and sports industry brands.

Born and raised in Bolton, Jodi says, “I am passionate about working in the hotel and hospitality industries, especially within the North of England, there is no better satisfaction than a customer or guest leaving with a smile knowing that we have provided a fantastic experience.

I have seen first-hand how hotels are places where remarkable talent from all genders and diverse backgrounds can thrive. I love that no two days are the same; I’m thrilled to be joining the Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House Manchester hotels at such an exciting time.”

General Manager Assumpta McDonald added, “We are incredibly happy to have Jodi on board. Leading her teams, she will oversee partnerships, deliver sales and marketing campaigns and be responsible for developing the brand’s growth strategy and driving MICE, Corporate and Leisure travellers. “

Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House Manchester hotels opened on January 10th, 2020; owned by M&L Hospitality, the hotels are managed by affiliates of the Hyatt Hotel Corporation. Their openings represented a significant milestone for Hyatt’s brand growth in the U.K. as well as the debut of Hyatt’s extended stay segment, the Hyatt House brand.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership to offer 24 fully funded Northcoders diversity scholarships.

Sam Whitear
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Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership are partnering with Northcoders – the Manchester based industry-leading software development training and solutions provider – to offer 24 fully funded scholarships to people who are disadvantaged and / or underrepresented in the digital industry, as part of the Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund. The 14-week coding bootcamp will start on Tuesday 4th May.

The Fast Track Fund is a joint venture between Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership (LDSP), developed to address locally identified digital skills gaps and support Greater Manchester and Lancashire residents with accessible routes into digital employment. This Fund has been extended through the Department for Education Digital Bootcamps to maximise on this work, giving residents the opportunity to build up their digital skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer.

The scholarships are open to the following Greater Manchester or Lancashire residents: disadvantaged young people (19+) who maybe unemployed or under employed; those in low pay sectors or displaced / at risk of redundancy due to CV19 and in need of retraining; the over 50s; ethnic minorities; women or gender minorities; and those with a disability or health condition particularly – neurodiversity including ADHD, autism, dyslexia or dyspraxia.

All learning will be delivered online – however, the main campus in Manchester city centre will be reopening on 4th May so students will be able to learn in person for as many days a week as they feel comfortable.

During the course, recipients of the scholarships will learn all the skills they need to become a full stack software developer. Each bootcamp is an industry led experience and are constantly updated to match the skills employers want.

The first week will be dedicated to building confidence around JavaScript so students are able to handle data and create interactivity on website and apps. They will also build their HTML and CSS skills. The focus will then move onto the fundamentals and best practice of programming, front and back-end frameworks, and finally the project phase which will allow students to put what they’ve learned into practice.

Northcoders also delivers a Careers Week which includes various sessions including industry insight and preparation sessions, an in-depth CV workshop, tech interview advice and practice, and tech test insights. The week also gives students time to develop their portfolios.

Applications for the diversity scholarship can be made here: https://northcoders.com/our-courses/fully-funded-scholarships

Lou Cordwell, Chair of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (GM LEP), said: “Addressing the inequalities that the pandemic has amplified is a central part of our Economic Vision for Greater Manchester. The Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund does vital work by providing under-represented and marginalised groups in the digital and tech sectors with accessible routes into digital employment.
“This scholarship programme will bridge the digital divide by giving residents valuable skills which can help them find meaningful employment. It also helps employers, boosting the talent pool of people with sought-after software development skills.”

Ann Dean MBE, chair of the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership and LEP board director – said “Like everywhere, both Lancashire and Greater Manchester have been hit hard by the pandemic with redundancies and recruitment freezes impacting thousands across the region. Unfortunately, certain groups have been disproportionately affected and we understand that there is a real need for more retraining opportunities. Our aim with this scholarship programme is to directly help some of those people who have been negatively impacted so they are able to forge a new career.”

Amul Batra – Chief Partnerships Officer at Northcoders – added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Lancashire Digital Skills on this scholarship programme. We are confident it will be a platform that will directly benefit individuals but also help to make tech a more diverse and inclusive sector.”
Since its inaugural course in 2015, Northcoders has helped over 750 people switch careers into tech, with average starting salaries of around £25,500. Whilst 95% of Northcoders secure a software engineering role after graduation. Northcoders’ main campus is at Manchester Technology Centre and it has a base at Platform in Leeds.

Over the past two years, it has been selected as one of the country’s brightest tech stars in Creative England’s CE50 list and was named Business of the Year at the 15th Annual Chamber Business Awards. It has also launched scholarship schemes and a deferred payment programme aimed at women and gender minorities, as well as those who identify as BAME or LGBTQ+, have a disability or have had limited access to education, to help address diversity in tech. The firm also relocated its Manchester campus to a new 10,000 sq. ft space at Manchester Technology Centre on Oxford Road in early 2020.

Fast-growing research company appoints chairman as it rebrands to The Insights Family

Sam Whitear
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Research company The Insights Family (formerly The Insights People) has appointed a marketing industry veteran as chairman as it unveiled a rebrand to reflect its rapid growth.
The Manchester-based company has brought in Simon White, the former senior vice-president and UK managing director of Momentum Worldwide.

Former IPG Executive White has also held senior positions in both the corporate and agency sectors, working with organisations such as FIFA World Cup, The Olympic Games, AEG, Microsoft and Unilever.

The appointment and rebrand come as the fast-growing company relaunches its data portal, which has so far attracted global customers including Disney, Amazon, Kraft, and Nintendo.

With 11 new features, the company says the new portal is the only tool of its kind to bring together insight into the attitudes, behaviours, and consumption patterns of kids, parents, and families.

It also provides access to the Media Mix Compass, a new media planning tool which gives brands unprecedented audience intelligence when creating marketing campaigns intended for kids, parents, and families.

Nick Richardson, founder and CEO of The Insights Family, said: “In just a few years we have grown from The Kids Insights and Parents Insights to The Insights Family.

“We’re now operational in 17 countries across five continents and interview a family member somewhere in the world every 117 seconds.

“From our beginnings as a small Manchester company, we are now the global leader in family market intelligence.”

The company’s 52 staff include over 17 developers, with eight having joined over the last year to work on the new portal.

On White’s appointment as chairman, Richardson added: “We are delighted to welcome Simon to our growing family. Having worked with and known Simon for the best part of 10 years, his appointment is a key signal of our intent of becoming the business-critical partner for all kids, parents, and family brands.”

Simon White added: “The Insights Family is a true British success story and one that is rapidly fulfilling its global potential. I’m thrilled to have the chance to help play my part on this exciting journey.”

Peninsula Group raises £1 million for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity

Sam Whitear
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Manchester-headquartered global employment law consultancy, Peninsula Group, has announced, they have raised £1 million for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity.

The news comes almost a year after the Group announced it was doubling its £1 million charity pledge to £2 million.

Peninsula Group announced its original commitment of £1 million in March 2019, but in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, which made the work of the hospital more challenging than ever, as well as impacting on charitable donations, Peninsula decided to double its pledge to £2 million.

During the past two years, Peninsula Group has built up a strong relationship with Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity, and employees have already raised this significant amount through ambitious fundraising activities such as the Great Manchester Run, abseiling a 19-storey building and even a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. Funds have also been raised through payroll deductions which have been matched pound for pound in corporate donations.

Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital treats more than 280,000 patients every year and provides resources to make a difficult time easier for children and their families.

Peter Done, founder and Group Managing Director of Peninsula Group, said:

“Peninsula Group are delighted to have reached the remarkable milestone of raising £1 million through our incredible fundraising efforts and the Group matching every donation made. We hope that this impressive donation will help Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity significantly.

“Even though we are halfway there, we will not be resting on our laurels, and we will be doing all we can to achieve our pledge of £2 million. With lockdown restrictions finally easing, we have some exciting adrenaline events taking place over the next few months.

“Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is an incredible organisation, and we are glad to assist, and it is a privilege to do what we can to help.”

Rachel Laycock, Senior Corporate Fundraising Manager for the Charity, said:

“We were delighted when Peninsula announced they wanted to raise £1million for us – when they doubled it to £2million we were overwhelmed at their generosity!

“Reaching the halfway mark is an event worthy of celebration and we want to thank each and every team member at Peninsula Group who has taken part in an event for us. They had some pretty impressive superhero costumes at our Humphrey’s Heroes Abseil and we’ve loved seeing the pictures of fundraising they did in-house too.

“We can’t wait to see them all in person, hopefully very soon. But in the meantime, I want to extend a virtual congratulations to everyone on reaching a terrific fundraising amount. Thank you Peninsula Group!”

Voicescape acquires Message Dynamics to expand service offering

Sam Whitear
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Social housing technology provider, Voicescape Ltd has completed the acquisition of Message Dynamics Ltd – a leading provider of patient messaging services – in a bid to grow its service offering.

Message Dynamics’ services have been built using Voicescape’s digital communications technology to provide messaging and telehealth solutions to patients for over 10 years. In that time, the company has won awards for digital innovation and partnerships with NHS Trusts. More recently, the company has introduced its solutions to Adult Services departments in local authorities to support their service users’ growing range of needs.

Voicescape provides customer communication technology coupled with behavioural insights for social housing providers and local authorities. The acquisition of Message Dynamics will allow the company to facilitate comprehensive engagement with service users across multiple touchpoints, on behalf of those service providers, to improve their overall experience.

Richard Jackson, Commercial Director of Message Dynamics, said: “Voicescape has been a great partner over the years, enabling us to create pioneering and award-winning services for patients. Voicescape’s mission to help social purpose organisations engage more effectively with their customers, combined with the growing convergence of public health, affordable housing and social care, makes the combination of the businesses a very complementary fit.”

John Doyle, founder and CEO of Voicescape, added: “Public health concerns have been brought to the fore during the pandemic and our aim is to facilitate better, closer engagement with those groups that require a range of support services delivered in ways that suit their changing needs and personal preferences.

“There are obvious synergies between our services and together we have a greater opportunity to support local authorities and other social purpose organisations transform the ways in which their services are delivered.”

Trio of new clients for Whitefield based design agency

Sam Whitear
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A North Manchester based design agency is celebrating a trio of new client wins, which coincide with the business moving into its new Whitefield premises.

Think Design Manchester, now based on Bury New Road in Whitefield, above Northern Crafthouse, has secured three sizable website redesigns for its team to tackle.

The Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR), business management consultancy Collinson Grant and employee engagement consultancy People Insight have all entrusted Think Design’s team to completely redesign their web platforms.

Paul Grogan, MD of Think Design, explained that client recommendations and reviews were a vital part of linking up with this hat trick of new clients.

He said: “All three clients came on board via competitive tenders, but two of them found us on The Drum Recommended Agencies website. This is a website that you can only be on if your clients leave ratings and reviews.

“We’re very lucky to have a strong client base who love what we do, and this has obviously translated by word-of-mouth reviews to other businesses looking for our help. We’re sure the prospect of offering the complete package at a competitive price is what sets us apart, given that we offer everything from strategic UX through to content planning and SEO.

“We put the business value proposition and audience needs at the heart of the solution and demonstrate expertise in producing beautiful websites that drive commercial results. But it also comes down to chemistry too – sometimes you get a great feel for how this will work as a long-term partnership, even in these strange times over Zoom!”

People Insight came on board with Think Design in late December 2020, and the team are now halfway through the website redesign project.

Carolyn Nevitte, Marketing Director at London-based People Insight, said: “We chose Think Design because of the insight they brought to the proposal which really demonstrated their expertise, and they also offered great value for money.

“We’re only three months in and we’re already thrilled about the direction our new website is taking, from design, content and commercial perspectives. Thanks to Krissy, Paul and the team, it’s been a pleasure to work on this project.”

Rochdale engineers complete ‘toughest job in 31 years’

Sam Whitear
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A team of Rochdale engineers is finally home after completing the most challenging job in their company’s 31-year history.

The group from Salt Separation Services flew off to Germany on February 19 to carry out checks on three reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants that they’d manufactured for a new cruise ship.

The machines had been installed by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft and are 13 metres long, weigh 20 tonnes and can each turn sea water into 800,000 litres of drinking water every day.

The tests would normally take up to 10 days to complete but because of Covid restrictions the team were away for 38 days and underwent a combined total of 130 Covid tests – all of which were negative.

Daniel Shackleton, technical and commercial director at Salt Separation Services, said: “We were founded in 1990 and have never walked away from a job yet and don’t intend doing so.

“However, because of the logistics, isolation and quarantine involved this was our most challenging job yet. The guys did a brilliant job and were ably supported by our back office staff.”

The five-strong team, which was headed up by senior commissioning engineer James Schofield, also included Luke Boal, Lee Redfern, Graham Stott and Elliott Flynn. They left Rochdale on February 19.

Mr Shackleton explained: “Without Covid we would have sent the guys in a van to Hull. From there they would have caught a ferry to Rotterdam and driven to Meyer Werft’s shipyard in Papenburg.

“They weren’t allowed to fly direct to Germany because the country’s in a Covid lockdown so instead they flew to Luxembourg and were driven to Papenburg – where they each had to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine.”

Mr Schofield, who has worked for Salt Separation Services for nine years, said: “14 days is a long time. You have a lot of time to think. My room was about six metres by eight metres in size and I set myself a target of jogging a half marathon one day and walking the length of a marathon another during quarantine.

“At the end of the quarantine period we underwent the mandatory Covid tests and were driven to the port at Bremerhaven where the boat was leaving for sea trials. Needless to say we wore PPE throughout.

“After another Covid test we were allowed on-board and ran a series of tests on the RO plants and installed a total of 270 membranes which is an essential element in the RO process.

“In total we spent 10 days onboard during the sea trials and slept on the cruise ship throughout. If we weren’t working we were in our individual cabins where our food was delivered.”

The tests were finished on Wednesday March 24 but there was more drama when the group tried to fly home.

Mr Schofield, a father of two young children, said: “We caught a flight to Munich from Bremen where all our documentation was checked including our new PCR Covid test certification however when we went to board the plane to Manchester we were told we had the wrong Covid test and were refused entry on the flight. It was devastating.

“We had another test and were booked on a flight on Sunday March 28 but were terrified that Germany was about to go into the red zone.

“Thankfully we were able to board our plane to London, where we hired a couple of cars and drove back to Rochdale. I walked through my front door at just after midnight in the early hours on March 29.

“In total I clocked up 38 days, underwent 26 Covid tests, stayed in four hotels and on one cruise ship. I even had my 34th birthday while I was away. It wasn’t your typical trip but our customer needed us.”

Mr Shackleton said: “The guys have now got to self-isolate back in Rochdale for at least another five days, subject to test results. I’m really proud of them and everyone else at Salt Separation Services.”

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