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Rotrex Group eyes growth with procurement of Europe’s largest capacity trailer winch

Sam Whitear
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Despite the backdrop of the current pandemic, subsequent economic turmoil, and the ongoing uncertainty of Brexit, The Rotrex Group – which has a base in Atherton, Greater Manchester, and is one of the leading lifting firms in Europe – has invested almost a quarter of million pounds in a brand new state of the art 60-tonne capacity trailer winch that it believes will secure a new era in its continued growth.

The business is confident the latest acquisition will be in high demand – both here in the UK and across continental Europe. Rotrex has already secured a major contract for the equipment at a large water utilities project in Norway, starting in early 2021.

The new winch is called ‘MAGNI’ which is the Norse God of Strength. It has been manufactured in Italy to Rotrex’s exact specifications, including state-of-the-art remote control and Wi-Fi technologies. It is now the largest capacity trailer winch currently available in Europe. It also has large rope storage facilities allowing pulls of up to 2,400m which is more than double than that of a traditional 40-tonne trailer winch.

Don Wilkinson – European Sales Manager at the Rotrex Group – said: “The investment is a real game-changer for Rotrex and our international customers. On top of the additional pulling capacity needed for big projects, the winch is fitted with HMPE fibre rope making handling a lot easier due to its lighter weight. It also ensures that pipework and ducts are not damaged during pulls”.

The Norwegian contract will also be supported on site by one of Rotrex’s mobile engineers which Don sees as crucial for such projects. He added: “Our clients value this personal commitment from us. Our team of mobile engineers are currently working with clients across Europe on numerous hire set ups, pulls, as well on-site testing, refurbishment works, servicing and training. It’s not just rental, we offer a full service”

Although the winch will be first used in Norway for a water utility contract for re-lining pipes, its design makes it versatile so it can be used on many different application such as long cable pulls and supporting major tunneling projects.

Rotrex is confident this new acquisition will open up a host of new markets that demand this kind of niche pulling capacity and will be an exciting step-change helping them to grow, secure jobs and further investment – both domestically and internationally.

Morson Group appoints Joanne Lake as non-executive director

Sam Whitear
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Global talent specialist, Morson Group, has appointed Joanne Lake as non-executive director as it looks to drive strategic growth within its core STEM markets – in particular, engineering, nuclear, aerospace and infrastructure – whilst capitalising on increasing demand for talent in complementary sectors such as construction, IT & digital, professional services and more.

Joanne brings more than 30 years’ financial and professional services experience to the Morson Group Board of Directors, having held senior positions with investment banks Panmure Gordon, Evolution Securities and Williams de Broe, and as a chartered accountant with PwC.

Morson Group CEO, Ged Mason OBE, said: “It was clear that Joanne would be an excellent fit for the group, and I’m thrilled to have her on board. She is enormously experienced, and her addition brings strong leadership, financial acumen and a fresh perspective, which will support continued success across our group of companies.

“As a major business, which is family formed, we have carved out an outstanding reputation over the last 50+ years, with clients trusting us to deliver expert candidate engagement models, recruitment, design, technology, training and people solutions that strategically align with their own commercial goals.

“We offer specialist experience and unrivalled service to our clients, candidates, contractors and workforce. Our unique culture, passion and people-centric approach, which is driven by our mantra of ‘placing people first’, are what truly sets us apart.”

Joanne currently holds non-executive positions with several UK public companies, acting as non-executive chairman of Mattioli Woods Plc, non-executive deputy chairman of Henry Boot Plc and non-executive director of Morses Club Plc and Gateley Holdings Plc.

Commenting on her appointment, Joanne said: “I am delighted to be joining the Board at Morson Group. Their passion and enthusiasm are infectious and their pride in delivering outstanding service and creating a supportive people-centric culture to retain the best talent has shone from the outset. I am really looking forward to working with the team to drive further growth for the benefit of all Morson Group’s stakeholders.”

Headquartered in Eccles, Salford, the Morson Group employs more than 1,000 staff and has in excess of 10,000 contractors working on assignment worldwide.

MULTI AWARD WINNING DEVELOPER SMITH-MILNE LAUNCHES NEW BUSINESS TO TAKE ON UK’S AGEING HOUSING ESTATES

Sam Whitear
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New venture Place Capital Group offers expertise to revive the UK’S 500 ageing estates

David Smith-Milne, the man behind a portfolio of major award-winning housing-led regeneration schemes, including the Welsh Streets in Liverpool, has announced his next venture after Placefirst: buy and build business Place Capital Group which aims to transform the UK’s ageing housing estates.
Working with the UK’s largest Local Authorities and Housing Associations, Smith-Milne’s new venture will act as a strategic development partner, transforming housing estates and delivering more quality affordable homes and imaginative place making.

Smith-Milne will be growing Place Capital Group quickly through a buy and build business strategy, bringing together expertise in place making, award winning design as well as branding and communications.

Working with former Placefirst Chair, Peter Martin, and pooling their own financial resources, the two aim to announce their first acquisitions in the first quarter of 2021, with detailed discussions already taking place with a number of high-quality businesses.
Place Capital Group also plans to announce its first strategic development partnership next month, which will include work on one of the North West’s highest profile housing estates.

Smith-Milne commented: “There are over 500 former council estates in the UK. In most cases these are well managed by quality landlords, but the opportunity for these estates to contribute to the supply of more and better quality, sustainable housing is often overlooked. Through careful place making, sensitive remodelling and new masterplans, these housing estates can be transformed and densified to deliver significant numbers of new and innovative affordable homes.

“Place Capital Group builds on all of my and Peter’s experience of tackling forgotten places. We have been at the sharp end of delivering some of the most challenging regeneration projects in the North of England, having transformed well over 1,000 empty homes into award winning neighbourhoods, before selling Placefirst last year.

“As the UK slowly emerges from the pandemic, the supply of more and better-quality affordable housing remains a key national priority. Place Capital Group will be applying its expertise through strategic development partnering contracts with local authorities and the UK’s largest housing associations to deliver bigger, better and even more ambitious regeneration projects.”

Place Capital Group’s core focus will be on transforming large scale housing estates into modern, low carbon, and sociable places to live for those who rely on lower income housing. The group’s business model involves creating commercially viable solutions to the challenges faced by large scale housing estates and their owners and landlords. The group will work with clients across the life cycle of a development – from initial feasibility studies to set the vision for change, through to longer term, risk shared development from the management of the transformation.
Smith-Milne commented: “Many of our largest housing estates were originally conceived with strong, utopian visions that had social values at their core. Some of the world’s most respected architects of their time were used to plan these neighbourhoods to provide homes for heroes returning from war, to provide cultural and spiritual enlightenment and healthy communities away from the city.

“These design principles have sadly been lost and the language of management is now about ’decent homes’ and compliance. Place Capital Group will be using real innovation and a design-led approach that, whilst founded on the solid principles of the original garden village movement, will be modernised to account for new technologies, better use of data and radical approaches to tackling climate change and fuel poverty. We will also be materially enhancing the commercial value of these estates through densification of the housing stock where possible and ensuring that the housing product on offer is fit to the changing needs of the end user, especially an ageing demographic.”

“This vision is totally of its time”, commented Smith-Milne. “As we emerge from the pandemic and begin to the grapple with its economic and social costs, we urgently need innovation. We will be helping to create a huge supply of new homes, in areas where people did not think development was possible, on land that public bodies already own. We are about to start a radical rethink of how new homes can be delivered in an era of need.”

Joining Smith-Milne and Martin will be a high calibre board of experts in place-led development, with details to be announced shortly.

FAR EAST CONSORTIUM (FEC) SELLS OVER 60 PER CENT OF PROPERTIES AT NEW CROSS CENTRAL MANCHESTER

Sam Whitear
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DEX Construction appointed to deliver townhouses and apartments at key regeneration scheme for New Cross neighbourhood

Property developer Far East Consortium (FEC) has sold more than 60 per cent of homes at its New Cross Central development in Manchester.

Named after its location at the heart of the evolving New Cross neighbourhood and designed by award-winning architects HawkinsBrown, New Cross Central will offer nine, three-bed townhouses on the ground floor and 71 one and two-bed apartments, including rooftop apartments with private, stepped terraces, a shared central courtyard with seating and planting plus secure cycle storage for each property.

Following a competitive tender process, the development is being delivered by DEX Construction, with work having recently started on site and completion due in the summer of 2022.

FEC project director Hilary Brett-Parr said: “We are excited to be starting on-site with DEX and very pleased to have achieved a significant level of pre-sales in this up-and-coming neighbourhood. I believe New Cross Central will positively contribute to the area and act as a catalyst to further development in New Cross, so it’s great to get started.”

Simon Adams, managing director of DEX Construction, said: “New Cross Central will be an exemplar residential development at the heart of the evolving New Cross neighbourhood and further evidence of the widespread regeneration of Greater Manchester, creating communities for now and the future.”

Manchester-based DEX Construction sits within the FEC International Limited (FECIL) group but operates as a standalone UK construction business and independent contractor.

DEX was formed in January 2020 to complete the delivery of Mount Yard, FEC’s 12-storey scheme of apartments and townhouses at its MeadowSide development of 756 residential properties bordering Angel Meadow, Manchester when Bardsley Construction, the previous contractor on Mount Yard, entered administration.

UK multifamily investment hits record high in 2020

Sam Whitear
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The UK Multifamily sector recorded a total of £955.7m of investment in Q4 2020, taking the full year total to a record high of £3.5bn, according to the latest Marketview report from global real estate advisor, CBRE. Investment levels were up 30% on 2019 and 15% up on the previous record in 2018, illustrating the resilience of the sector in light of the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Additionally, operational performance remained strong in Q4 2020, compared to other sectors. According to the report, average rent collection rates were estimated to be at 97% with occupancy levels increasing to 88%.

Deals that completed in Q4 2020 included the sale of Realstar’s £570m portfolio of Multifamily and Student Housing as well as Realstar and Quadreal’s £100m joint venture forward-funding of Wembley Link with HUB and Bridges Fund Management. Outside of London, Long Harbour agreed the sale of its Skyline II scheme in Manchester to L1 Capital for £27.3m.

This positive momentum is expected to continue in 2021 with £1.6bn of deals under offer at the end of 2020. London accounts for 51% of this pipeline with £810m worth of deals under offer. The remainder is spread across the regional markets, including Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.

Peter Burns, Managing Director, UK Development and Residential Capital Markets, CBRE said:

“The market has shown incredible resilience in 2020 with Build to Rent (BTR) transactions bucking the general trend and delivering a record year for investment. As we enter 2021 this trend is expected to accelerate, with demand increasing as overseas investors are able to travel to the UK when international borders re-open. This demand, coupled with more developers shifting their focus to BTR product lines, and higher quality investment grade stock becoming available to purchase, we expect to see a significant increase in deal-flow with approximately £7bn of trades per annum by the end of 2025.”

“Additionally, COVID-19 has accelerated the drive for institutional grade capital into Single Family Housing. We expect to see a marked increase in Single Family Housing in 2021 as housebuilders and developer alike increase their volumes to sell into a maturing market place.”

Tom Sinclair, Residential Investment Director at CBRE Manchester, said;

“The pandemic provided an opportunity for the BTR sector to prove its resilience in tough market conditions. As a result of strong performance of the sector we have seen a significant increase in investor interest which has translated into record transaction volumes in 2020.

“Looking ahead, we anticipate demand for BTR assets to accelerate throughout 2021 leading to yield compression and further collaboration between investors and developers which will support the delivery of new homes across the UK.”

KOMI Social strikes deal with Dublin-based publisher The Football Faithful

Sam Whitear
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KOMI Group – the Manchester headquartered social media, marketing & licensing company – has invested in The Football Faithful which is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading sports publishers. Its focus is on delivering the latest news, opinions, topical features, tactical analysis and nostalgia. It averages five million views per month.

The value of the deal has not been disclosed, but the partnership will see The Football Faithfull fall under the KOMI group umbrella. It is the latest addition to the growing number of KOMI’s social media brands which include: It’s Gone Viral, Go Fetch, Ultimate, Happiest as well as various sporting and gaming brands.

Andrew Trotman – MD of KOMI – said: “KOMI is a publisher, marketing and licensing agency – and The Football Faithful is one of the leading football communities and publishers – so we saw this as a natural opportunity to bring our skills and complementary audiences together. It will also add to KOMI’s strong family of in-house brands and accounts, give us another home for premium sport content and the opportunity to offer our clients access to a new platform which is commercially really exciting.”

Peter Henry – MD at The Football Faithful – said: “KOMI has a proven track record of building some of the most popular football accounts on social media so was an obvious fit for us. By focusing on producing high quality content that caters to the needs of football fans of all interests, The Football Faithful has quickly become one of the UK’s fastest growing Premier League publishers and I’m confident this new relationship with KOMI will help us to continue to go from strength to strength.”

The firm is a three divisional agency business consisting of dedicated social media, marketing and licensing teams. It was founded in 2016 and is led by Andrew Trotman and Ryan Williams. Over the past four years, its team of content creators, analysts and video producers have made and then distributed video content and viral campaign adverts for international brands such as BBC Films, O2, Universal, Bud Light and Disney.

Content has been shared across its Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts including It’s Gone Viral, which is dedicated to relatable, informative and educational content; as well as Go Fetch, a platform for dog lovers to connect with one another; Happiest, which focusses on bringing the most entertaining and uplifting content and real life stories; and Ultimate which is all about sharing fascinating and clever DIY, crafts and hacks followers can do at home.

The last year has seen the company reach other various milestones including launching Ark Media – its new licensing arm, delivering over six billion views across its portfolio of pages, relocating its HQ to Beehive Mill in Ancoats, reporting its highest ever NewsWhip results, acquiring social media brand Happiest Media Ltd and appointing Urban Splash’s Sam Lenehan as its new non-exec director.

In December 2020, the company delivered two Facebook Lives which ranked number one and number two in the most viewed Live videos for that week. One was for the website gofetchstuff.com, which achieved 1.3m views on It’s Gone Viral, and the other was a live Santa’s grotto which saw children speaking to Father Christmas about their Christmas lists – it gathered 1.5m views.

Digital Skills Festival returns to Manchester as tech vacancies remain strong

Sam Whitear
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Manchester Digital’s annual Digital Skills Festival returns next month to assess the impact Brexit and the pandemic have had on the tech sector and its working practices. It will also connect Northern talent with some of Greater Manchester’s biggest tech employers, as many continue to grow and recruit.

The five-day online event includes the UK’s largest digital skills careers fair, Talent Day, which connects 1500 students from schools, colleges and universities across the region, plus anyone else interested in a career in digital or technology, with respected industry professionals and employers, to highlight opportunities across the sector.

While the UK has been hit by mass job losses in recent months, a report last month highlighted that one in 10 job vacancies in the UK are now in tech roles. Tech Nation also reported in November that Manchester is the fastest-growing​ tech hub in Europe, with VC investment reaching $687.6m in 2019, up from $199.1m in 2018 – signalling continued growth.

The Digital Skills Festival will launch on Monday 8 February, where the findings from the 2021 Digital Skills Audit will be revealed. The audit, run in partnership with the Institute of Coding, will take a national view of the impact of COVID on growth and workplaces, as well as taking a deeper dive into the most in demand tech roles and the ongoing skills shortage.

Wednesday 10 February welcomes the festival’s flagship event, Talent Day, where up to 40 of the region’s most innovative digital, tech and creative employers, including Auto Trader, Bentley, musicMagpie and the ICO, will gather online in search of the best talent, offering advice to students on how to break into the industry. Upwards of 250 jobs, placements and internships will be on offer throughout the day in fields including development, data, security, design, project management, digital marketing, UX and more.

Commenting on this, Katie Gallagher, Managing Director at Manchester Digital, said:

“The pandemic has changed the way we do business and the impact on some industries will be permanent. However, as many businesses look to digitize and shift operations online, and remote working becomes more prominent, this has opened up new opportunities for many parts of the tech industry. While there’s no doubt the picture is nuanced and not the case for every digital and tech business, in general, there’s a still strong demand for suitable people to fill open roles – both technical and non-technical.

“This means we’re seeing plenty of prospects for those looking to start a career in the sector, or perhaps move into the sector from industries that have been badly hit by the pandemic. These opportunities will be showcased at Talent Day – where we’ll share routes into the tech industry for people, whether they’ve worked in it previously or not.”

Sarah Brooks-Pearce, Future Talent Manager at Auto Trader, added:

“The challenges of COVID continue into 2021. The impact on young people’s education and employment is significant, and the need to invest and inspire new entrants from the broadest communities into the tech world continues. The skills and diversity challenges that we see currently will only grow if the commitment to invest in skills, educational outreach and entry careers routes pause.

“Supporting initiatives like the Talent Day and Digital Her/Digital Futures with Manchester Digital and continuing to welcome our Early Careers intakes, therefore remains essential to us. We’re delighted to share our latest graduate and apprenticeship opportunities on Talent Day and host a student experience day. And we cannot wait to welcome our new intakes this year!”

For more information about the festival and to sign up for free, visit https://www.manchesterdigital.com/talent-and-skills/skills-festival

Cyber Resilience Centre Introduces Free Core Membership

Sam Whitear
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The Cyber Resilience Centre for Greater Manchester (CRCGM) has a range of membership options, depending on what level of support businesses in Greater Manchester need.

The core membership is free and provides businesses with access to a range of resources and tools to help them identify their risks and vulnerabilities, as well as offering guidance on the steps they can take to increase their levels of protection.

Core Membership with CRCGM includes:
Welcome Pack – This includes ‘How to Identify your Cyber Risks’, the latest National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) guidance, additional information on our cyber services and further membership options.

Free Guidance – how organisations can protect themselves in cyberspace, including the ‘10 steps to cybersecurity’ and ‘The Small Business Guide’.

Newsletter – regular, digestible updates which are relevant to organisations in Greater Manchester about cyber resilience.

Services Introduction – Briefing on our cyber services and how these can be tailored to your individual needs.

The centre is headed up by Director, Neil Jones, who commented; “I am excited to launch our core membership offering in the fight against cybercrime.

“The increase in remote working with lockdown has contributed to the increase in cyber-attacks on businesses.

“The threat is very real and can render a business inoperable as well as causing them significant reputational and financial damage. But many smaller businesses can’t afford to access cybersecurity consultancy or services.

“The CRC has launched this core membership to support local business with a range of resources whilst also delivering affordable services to help businesses mitigate their cybersecurity risks.”

You can register for membership on their website and read more about other paid membership options.

Tom Auld – ex assistant to Stephen Hawking – invests in remote work tech Manchester startup: Your FLOCK

Sam Whitear
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“Manchester based tech startup Your FLOCK is be been backed by Cambridge tech investor Tom Auld. Tom will help Your FLOCK’s remote work support platform into the world of Machine Learning. With his years of experience and connections in the field of advanced mathematics and AI.”

Tom Auld is set to join the board of Your FLOCK as an investor and advisor. Tom studied Cambridge University. Whilst at Cambridge Tom was asked to be a graduate assistant to Stephen Hawking. After working with the famous theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author Tom went on to gain Postgraduate Degrees in Economics and a Theoretical Physics Degree.

At Cambridge Tom received a triple first in maths and a PhD in Bayesian Machine Learning. It is this machine learning degree and number of connections in the world of AI that he will use to help Your FLOCK to help create positive learning outcomes for their clients.

Tom coming onboard means that Your FLOCK can help more remote workers with learning and development. Based on their values. With a learning path in the future being chosen by a machine learning algorithm. Which will “calculate ” what are the best Your FLOCK Activities for their professional career growth. Which is very much on trend and so it is an ideal time to invest. As serial tech investor Tom says:

“Your FLOCK and the world of work is a place rich in data and potential for machine learning to be used. With more and more people needing scalable tech solutions for the future. It seems like a great time to invest in such a tech startup.”

Tom will be helping Your FLOCK use data and machine learning to create a new learning platform for people whilst they work from home or remote work. Using his experience to supercharge the Manchester tech companies growth for 2021. And this is just the start as Michal Wisniewski (co-founder and CEO of YourFLOCK) says:

“With £100,000 from Innovate UK***, we are now looking to find further £140,000 from private investment. We have already secured a commitment of £50,000 from GC Angel. And are matching this with investors like Tom joining Your FLOCK. It’s an exciting time”.

Why now? With 45% of the UK workforce working remotely today. Your FLOCK is in a good position to capitalize on the new trend. With the next round of investment, the new emphasis into support and learning and development. And with the machine learning expertise from Cambridge investor Tom Auld.

Your FLOCK hopes to have a big social impact on how companies in the NW recruit and analyse their own company cultures in 2021.

MENTAL HEALTH, THE HALLÉ AND HOPE Award-winning choir programme provides relief for 150 employees during lockdown.

Sam Whitear
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In these difficult times, people’s mental health and morale is being truly stretched and tested. The reality of working from home has affected a huge number of people, many of whom are now more isolated because of the pandemic.

The need for the Arts to bringing joy, relief and hope, as well as a sense of community, has never been so great. The award-winning Hallé Workplace Choir programme, which has been running across the North of England for the past ten years, offers a tangible solution. Experts in HR are heralding the programme as a tried and tested way to help engage, entertain and support staff working in difficult conditions.

Kerry Lyons, member of the NHS Bolton Our Voice Choir says:
‘Singing just lifts you up; it is something for you, an hour just for you, and you can come together and have fun, and not take it too seriously. Sometimes we come into our sessions on a low ebb feeling emotional or stressed, but you never feel like that afterwards. It has become a highlight in our week: we look forward to it and feel better after it.’

In 2020, necessity forced the programme to move online. The usual competition was replaced with the Hallé’s family of workplace choirs coming together to record a newly-commissioned piece by composer Ollie Lambert, aptly entitled ‘Hope’.
Hallé Virtual Workplace Choir Project – Hope – YouTube

The success of these virtual choirs – increasing accessibility, offering flexibility and allowing colleagues to stay connected all whilst experiencing the mental and physical benefits of singing – has attracted a whole new group of workplace choirs from across the UK. This has led to plans being developed to continue to deliver a virtual Workplace Choir programme into 2021 and beyond, ideally working in parallel with the original format.

In the programme’s original format, each choir was paired with a professional choral conductor for rehearsals. The programme culminated each November with a competition at Hallé St Peter’s where entrant choirs rehearsed and performed two songs. The prize was a unique opportunity to perform alongside the Hallé, one of the world’s greatest orchestras, at The Bridgewater Hall: the winning choir honoured with an exclusive performance whilst all workplace choir singers were invited to join the Hallé’s Massed Choir.

Members of Hallé Workplace choirs have consistently reported how rehearsals have helped them to manage stress, increase productivity and bring fun and energy to their day.

Gary Provis, member of the Siemens Choir:
‘The benefits of having a workplace choir are astronomical. From the point of view of your own company it helps you to build better, more integrated teams, which can even be across different sites … From an individual point of view there are benefits in well-being and general physical and mental health.’

Aileen Wiswell, MBE, Whitehall Campus Programme Lead, Cabinet Office and member of the Hallé Board:
‘Music not only provides a source of pleasure but has recorded psychological benefits. A passionate and powerful medium that can lift your spirits, engage your mind reduce stress and improve your memory … It is recognised as being beneficial to both emotional and physical wellbeing.’

Jo Stonehewer, member of the Veterinary Defence Society Choir:
“As a company with team members spread across the length and breadth of the UK, the virtual nature of the programme this year has meant we were able to invite everyone in the company to come together to learn a new skill and have fun. The hour’s rehearsal each week helped build bridges between individuals and departments and gave us an opportunity to escape the strangeness of the year.’

For more information, including ways your organisation can be involved in this programme, please contact Susanna Caudwell, Hallé Corporate Partnerships Manager at [email protected]

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