A new air link between Manchester and Derry has celebrated its inaugural departure.

Loganair will operate flights between the two cities six days a week, covering weekdays and weekends, operated by the airline’s fleet of Embraer 145 regional jets, and with flight-times of just 70 minutes.

The route will give customers from the North West of England the opportunity to travel to the unique, walled city – a former UK City of Culture, famous for its fantastic nightlife, historical attractions, engaging museums and nearby championship golf-courses.

Notably, the City of Derry is also located nearest to some of Northern Ireland’s most spectacular filming locations for the hit series, Game of Thrones.

Loganair has a long history of service at City of Derry Airport, and was the first airline to fly commercial services from the airport in April 1979.

Regular flyers are also eligible to join the airline’s loyalty programme, Clan Loganair, which rewards frequent customers with points for each journey which can then be exchanged for free-of-charge flights.

Jonathan Hinkles, Loganair’s Managing Director, said: “These new air services offer a fantastic gateway for our customers in the North West to reach Derry, whether for business, to visit family and friends, or simply to explore everything that Northern Ireland has to offer visitors.

“It is evident from the fact that our very first flight is completely full, that the new route is being well received in the North West and we’re confident the air link is welcome news to those living in and around the Manchester region.

“We’re also pleased to expand our destination map from Manchester, with customers now able to book services from the city to nine destinations across the UK and Europe.”

Julian Carr, Aviation Director at Manchester Airport, said: “We’re delighted to see Loganair expanding their presence here with the launch of this new route to Derry.  It’s a fantastic city to explore and one that I’m sure will prove hugely popular with our passengers.”

North-West based law firm, Bridge Law Solicitors, has expanded, with the opening of a new office in Knutsford, which is the law firm’s third office in the North West, joining other locations in Marple Bridge and West Yorkshire. Bridge Law also has an office in London.

The new office on King Street, Knutsford, opens following continued demand for Bridge Law’s specialist services, including dispute resolution, landlord and tenant, contentious trust and probate, family, employment, as well as wills and probate.

The firm’s equine law specialist, Sophie Murgatroyd, will be based at the new Knutsford office, Sophie’s passion for equine activities has seen her become a leader in equine law, alongside her other specialties of private and business litigation, corporate agreements, agricultural law, debt recovery, property disputes and professional negligence.

Sophie, said: “Following Bridge Law’s continued success and growth, we feel the time is right to open another office and there is no better place to do it than in my hometown of Knutsford. I am really excited to offer our exceptional legal services here and look forward to further developing our portfolio of clients.”

Claire Stewart, Director, Bridge Law, added: “After a period of exceptional growth and extremely hard work by all of the team, we are now in a position to expand and offer our services closer to our core Cheshire clients. This is a very exciting time for all of us at Bridge Law and we look forward to getting to know the people as well as the local businesses of Knutsford.”

Just over a year since Lee Marston took over as managing partner of Bury & Bolton based law firm Clough & Willis, the business has secured rises in turnover for several of its departments.

Over the past 12 months, Employment work has jumped by 24%, whilst cases handled by the Corporate department are up by 15% and by 4% in Litigation.

Since becoming managing partner, Lee has managed the firm’s day-to-day operations, driven its strategic growth and continued to develop its people and working practices.

Lee became a partner in 2001 and has headed up the Family team since 2000, is a Resolution Accredited Specialist in the financial side of divorce and children disputes and was a founding member of the Family Law Panel. Lee acts for a cross section of clients and has a particular expertise in acting for the owners of large businesses.

Lee Marston commented: “The last 12 months has been a period of transition and growth for the firm and these results are evidence of everyone’s hard work and efforts. We’ve focussed on delivering the very best service to our clients as well as on our own growth strategy and that approach is starting to pay dividends.”

Lee added: We have also grown our headcount by around 14% in the last year. These new arrivals – both lawyers and support staff – have slotted in seamlessly with our existing team and have also played a big part in this success. Our focus is now on building on these foundations to ensure Clough & Willis is best placed for all future opportunities and expansion.”

Manchester-based ShinDigger brewery is expanding its operations with the support of six-figure funding package from HSBC UK.

The brewery has used funding to make capacity improvements to its current 2,500 sq. ft. warehouse in Ancoats, Manchester. These developments come in the build up to summer 2019 plans for a move to a much larger facility in Salford, with capacity to store 1,000 kegs at the optimal temperature of four degrees, ensuring consistent quality across the range. Prior to moving into its Ancoats site, the business relied on renting warehouse space across the region and transporting beer from satellite brewery sites.

ShinDigger currently supplies beer throughout Northern England and is broadening its presence across the UK. To meet this growing demand, the brewery has also invested in a new delivery van to ensure efficient delivery of its products to pubs and retailers, including select Co-op supermarket stores.

The brewery is also planning to increase its exports across Europe, catering to a new found appetite for craft beer in countries including Italy and Spain. An increased stock capacity and more international contracts are expected to increase its exports by up to 10 per cent over the next year.

The brewery’s expansion, with support from HSBC UK, has already created three jobs with further capacity for growth. The business is expected to increase its turnover by 50 per cent over the next 12 months.

Paul Delamere, Co-Founder and Director of ShinDigger, said:“This expansion is a major development for us and signals the start of an exciting chapter for the brewery. Traditionally, we have always operated as a shadow brewery, creating recipes we love and brewing off-site so found storage could prove tricky. The new warehouse and increased delivery capacity will ensure that our products taste as good to beer fans across the UK and beyond, as they do at our Manchester home.”

Andrew Holgate, Business Banking Relationship Manager for Manchester at HSBC UK, added: “ShinDigger is a great example of how two individuals can convert a shared passion into an international business. Over the past seven years, the brewery has demonstrated an aptitude for developing a unique range of beers that stand out in a crowded market. We’re delighted to be supporting the business in the next stages of its journey look forward to toasting every future success.”