KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSThe business NEWSpaper for Kir k lees31, August , 2010

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VICKI DAVENPORT WAYNE GRADWELLTransports of delight!

Fu l l i n te r v i ew - Page 3Firm’s home win

Fu l l s to r y - Page 7

An EXAMINER publication

Distinctlya winnerA FIRM supplyingwashroom productshas cleaned up in amonthly award scheme.Meltham-based DistinctDisposables has beennamed Business of theMonth in thecompetition run byHuddersfield law firmEaton Smith inconjunction with theMid Yorkshire Chamberof Commerce andBusiness Link.

StudentnumbersTWO students fromHuddersfield Universityhave won awards undera bursary scheme.Darren Lee and AliHussain were the toptwo students on thefirst year of the BA(honours) accountancyand finance degreecourse.

Parking tax plans‘back on agenda’

Rixonway buoyed by £250,000 kitchens dealA KITCHEN manufacturer is mak-ing waves with its latest deal.

Rixonway Kitchens has landed acontract worth £350,000 overtwo-and-a-half years in partnershipwith building contractor Wates toprovide more than 550 kitchens for theOcean Estate regeneration project inEast London.

The work is part of a £200m regen-eration project by ALMO TowerHamlets and the East Thames Con-sortium.

Rixonway Kitchens is supplying

kitchens from its Trieste range.The project includes existing flats

being brought up to the DecentHomes standard. By the end of thescheme in 2013, some 780 propertieswill have been improved.

An initial pilot of 170 properties hasalready been supplied by Rixonwaywhich was completed two monthsearly and on budget.

Rixonway chief executive Paul Rosesaid: “We are delighted to be involvedwith such a prestigious refurbishmentscheme.

“Rixonway has worked with Watesas its agreed supplier on a number ofprojects and share a common commit-ment to tackling environmental chal-lenges.

“We follow a number of environ-mental and sustainable practicesthroughout our production process,including a recycling service and theconversion of all wood waste gener-ated during the manufacturing pro-cess into biomass fuel.

“As a testament to our hard work,we have been accredited with

ISO14001:2004, the internationallyrecognised standard of effective envir-onmental management.”

Rixonway, has previously suppliedkitchens from its Trieste range for thefirst stage of the Stockport Homes’£1.02m Brinnington development,which is made up of 17 modern tim-ber-frame family and professionalhomes.

Rixonway, formed in 1978, hasmore than 30 years’ experience insupplying kitchens to affordable hous-ing and the public sector.

SMALL business leaders have warnedthat cash-strapped councils may turn totaxing workplace parking spaces in a bidto raise extra revenue.

Business lobby groups said that localauthorities nationwide were consideringintroducing a workplace parking levy(WPL) of the kind brought into effect ayear ago by Nottingham City Council.

Supporters of WPL claim that itdeters commuters from using their carsto get to and from work and that reven-ues raised could be used to fundimprovements in public transport.

But Steven Leigh, policy chief at theLockwood-based Mid Yorkshire Cham-ber of Commerce, branded WPL as “acynical tax-raising measure” whichwould only add to congestion on theroads.

“We are strongly opposed to it,” hesaid. “Far from taking cars off the roads,the effect of this sort of legislation could

have the oppose effect with employersless likely to provide car parking andemployees having to find on-street park-ing, which would add to the conges-tion.”

The Forum of Private Business said itwas deeply opposed to the scheme.

Forum spokesman Chris Gormansaid extending WPL to other councilswould provoke fury among businessowners, who could be forced to pay tensof thousands of pounds each year simplyfor providing their employees withsomewhere to park their cars.

He said: “When the Nottingham WPLscheme was given the go-ahead last year,we said at the time that it would only bea matter of time before it spread to othertowns and cities. Sadly, it appears thosefears will soon be realised.

“In our view, it’s simply a stealth taxwhich will have a disproportionateimpact on small businesses. It’s the equi-

valent of charging homeowners to parkon their own driveways and will increaseparking problems in town centres andcities.

“Businesses already contributeenormous amounts to public servicesthrough existing taxes such as businessrates. Whatever its supposed justifica-tions, the danger is that the WPL couldopen the floodgates to a raft of new taxesand charges being levied on companiesto pay for things which were previouslypaid for through general taxation.

“And while councils’ finances areunder pressure, th i s i s a veryshort-sighted idea as companies arelikely to avoid areas with a WPL schemein operation – meaning jobs, investmentand therefore tax revenue will end upelsewhere.”

A spokeswoman for Kirklees Councilsaid the authority had no plans to intro-duce a WPL scheme.

■ OPPOSED: Steven Leigh,head of policy for the MidYorkshire Chamber ofCommerce

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 2

Louise keeps her cool after award nominationTHE co-founder of a Huddersfield icecream company has been shortlistedas a finalist in a regional awards.

Louise Holmes (pictured, right), ofDenby Dale-based Yummy Yorkshire,is among the finalists in the categoryfor home-based businesswoman of theyear in the Forward Ladies 2010Women in Business Awards.

The competition has been launchedby the 11,000-strong networkingorganisation Forward Ladies, whichhas a group covering Kirklees andCalderdale.

The inaugural awards aim torecognise the achievements ofbusiness women in Yorkshire andHumber and comprise nine individual

categories as well as an overallBusiness Woman of the Year award.

The winners will be announced at anawards lunch to be held on September24 at the Met Hotel in Leeds.

Louise established Yummy Yorkshirewith her husband Jeremy in 2007 todiversify their milk processing businessand to enhance the value of milk fromtheir herd.

They also both had a passion for icecream and a desire to create flavoursusing as many local ingredients aspossible.

Louise is responsible for ice creamproduction and the development ofnew flavours as well as marketing,public relations and administrative

work for the company – which haspicked up a string of awards as well asa clutch of high-profile accounts for thelikes of Huddersfield University, Asdaand the Cedar Court Hotels Group.

Sales have risen year-on-year – witha turnover of £265,000 predicted forthe current year. Ice cream productionhas increased by more thanone-and-a-half times since 2008-09 tomore than 20,000 litres a year.

Speaking about her nomination,Louise said: “It is a great honour to beshortlisted for this award.

“It makes all the hard work andsacrifices you have to make worthwhilewhen you achieve recognition like this.”

Regional food anddrink well-coveredA CAMPAIGNING brand which cham-pions Yorkshire’s food and drink hasfound a place on the bookshelves at aleading supermarket chain.

Leeds-based Asda is to stock copies ofthe 2010 edition of Yorkshire’s Own Kit-chen at 30 stores throughout the region.

The book has been produced by deli-ciouslyorkshire to provide recipes and aguide to food and drink producers acrossthe region.

This year’s guide features an introduc-tion by gardener and TV personality AlanTitchmarsh in which he highlights theimportance of seasonal local produce andrecalls childhood memories of delicioushomemade grub!

The book features recipes supplied bysome of the region’s most respected andrenowned chefs – including RosemaryShrager and James Martin – allowingreaders to re-create a little taste of York-shire at home.

All deliciouslyorkshire members –including several based in Kirklees – arelisted in the guide’s directory, pointingconsumers to the variety and quality of theregion’s food and drink, whether cooking

at home or eating out. It also recommendssome fantastic days out and places tostay.

James Chamberlain, communicationsmanager for deliciouslyorkshire, said: “Weare delighted to have Yorkshire’s OwnKitchen listed in Asda stores across York-shire.

“Provenance, seasonality and support-ing small producers, as well as great taste,are all key concerns for consumers and thisbook is a great addition to any foodie’skitchen, bookshelf or glove compart-ment.”

The guide also features a special sectionon “uniquelyorkshire” products – thosewhich have been awarded Protected FoodName status – such as Yorkshire ForcedRhubarb, Swaledale Cheese and GrimsbyTraditional Smoked Haddock.

The book, compiled with the support ofWelcome to Yorkshire, is also available infarm shops, cafes, hotels and B&Bs, del-icatessens and independent retailers,regional bookshops and Yorkshirebranches of national bookshops as well aswww.deliciouslyorkshire.co.uk

CustomerfocusedKIRKLEES companiesare being urged to getinvolved in acelebration of greatcustomer service.The Institute ofCustomer Service isseeking entries for acompetition to find thecountry’s CustomerChampion.One winner will bechosen from each ofthe nine different UKregions represented bythe institute. Membersof the public are invitedto make theirnominations now. Theregional winners willthen go forward for thenational competition.Nominations can alsocome from employersor colleagues ofsomeone who excels incustomer service.Visitwww.nationalcustomerserviceweek.combefore August 31 tomake your nomination.Winners will beannounced duringNational CustomerService Week, whichtakes place fromOctober 4 to 10.

Called toaccountsMIRFIELD brandcommunicationsagency Purebrand hasannounced a string ofaccount wins to markits 10th anniversary.The wins include datamarketing companyCallcredit InformationGroup, which awardedthe contract toPurebrand following afive-way pitch.Others include theJoseph RowntreeFoundation; UK AD,the national bodyresponsible forimplementing andmanaging the UK’santi-doping policy;property group StJames Securities; andYork-basedContinuum, which hasappointed Purebrandto promote itsEdinburgh-basedvisitor attraction TheReal Mary King’sClose.Purebrand is alsocelebrating a move tonew offices atWheatley Park toaccommodate growthand plans for furtherexpansion.Managing directorSimon Ryan said: “Incontrast with thecurrent economictrend, Purebrand isexperiencing a markedgrowth in business.”

■ SUMMER READING: Stephanie Moon, of deliciouslyorkshire, withthe guide to be stocked by Asda in its Yorkshire stores

Accountancy students win awardsTWO students from Huddersfield Universityhave received awards under a bursary schemesupported by West Yorkshire Society ofChartered Accountants.

Darren Lee was awarded £300 as the topstudent in the first year of the BA (honours)accountancy and finance degree course whileAli Hussain received £200 as the second beststudent.

Both prizes were presented to the studentsby Esta Andrews, regional executive of theInstitute of Chartered Accountants in Eng-land and Wales, who is fully qualifiedchartered accountant.

Said Esta: “WYSCA was keen to supportand encourage the next generation of theprofession and felt that while the bursariesmay only be modest in financial terms, it issomething that winners can add to their CVwhich will hopefully enhance their careerprospects.”

Wilma Teviotdale,head of accountancy atthe univers i ty andv i c e - p r e s i d e n t o fW YS C A , s a i d t h ecourse was profession-a l ly accred i t ed byICAEW – meaning thatstudents successfullycompleting the courseare exempt from someof the professionalexams required tobecome a chartered accountant.

She said: “Many of our students remain inthe region after graduation or do placementswith professional firms in West Yorkshire, soWYSCA’s relationship with the university isvery important to our students’ professionaldevelopment.”

■ NUMBER ONE: Huddersfield University student DarrenLee receives his prize from Esta Andrews, ICAEW regionalexecutive. Pictured right is second-placed Ali Hussain, whowas also a prizewinner

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile Page 3KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile Page 3

VickiDavenport

HENRYK ZIENTEK

Role: Sales/commer-cial directorAge: 46Family: Married toRichard with daughterEllysia, 15Holidays: Ski-ing inEurope and summerholidays in TurkeyCar: Audi A5 convert-ibleFirst job: Saturdayjobs working at a hairsalon and Skel-manthorpe SquashClubBest thing aboutjob: The fact thatevery day is different. Ilove building relation-ships with customersWorst thing aboutjob: Having to rely soheavily on ITBusiness tip: Haverespect and workhard. Pay attention todetail. If you get thatright, everything elsewill follow

Work: Distributor ofsmall consignments ofpalletised goodsthroughout the UKand into EuropeSites: Lower Cros-land, NethertonEmployees: 45Phone: 01484662211Email: info@thepinklink.co.ukWebsite:www.thepinklink.co.uk

The PinkLink Ltd

Vicki’sroute tocareersuccess

■ ROUTE FINDER: Vicki Davenport has made a successof her career in the male-dominated world of transport –and is helping raise thousands of pounds for charity

VICKI Davenport is really inthe pink.

The director ofNetherton-based companyThe Pink Link Ltd has justbeen shortlisted in thecategory for CorporateLeader of the Year in theForward Ladies Women inBusiness Awards.

She will discover whethershe can add that title to alist of other awards at apresentation night in Leedsnext month.

Vicki was named Directorof the Year in the 2009Everywoman in TransportLogistics Awards – successthat left her literallyspeechless when shereceived her trophy at ahigh-profile Londonceremony.

In addition, the companyshe runs with brotherRichard Allen has been awinner in both the ExaminerBusiness Awards and theExaminer CommunityAwards.

The Pink Link Ltd isprobably one ofHuddersfield’s best-knownbusinesses – and not justfor its brightly colouredvehicles. It also had anenviable reputation for itsfundraising activities.

“In started almost 10years ago when we invitedsome clients to an event atthe rugby club at LockwoodPark and we decided to dosomething for charity,” saysVicki.

“It was in October, whichlinked in with Breast CancerAwareness Month, so wedecided to raise money forthe breast cancer unit atHuddersfield Royalinfirmary. We raised £5,000at that one event.

“We decided to make it abi-annual event and it hassimply grown from there.Now we stage the eventfrom midday to midnight atthe Cedar Court Hotel withlots of activities going on. Ithas been so successful thatall the tables are alreadysold for the next event inOctober next year.”

Vicki and her sister Bevshoulder the burden oforganising the bi-annualevent. Other local causes,including the Laura CraneTrust and Kirkwood Hospicehave also benefited fromtheir efforts.

“It demands a lot of ourtime, but it is well worth it,”says Vicki. “I take greatsatisfaction from putting inthe work because ultimatelyit is fantastic to supportlocal charities and know thatthe benefits go to people inthe town.

“I am a great believer inthe idea of puttingsomething back into thecommunity. We have raised£83,000 in nine years ofcharity fundraising and wehave set a target of£100,000 in our 10th year.”

Vicki has never beenscared of hard work – takinga variety of Saturday andholiday jobs during herschooldays before landingher first “proper” job whenshe was 18 as anadministration clerk withLloyds Bank inHuddersfield.

“I wrote off for 70 jobsand got one reply,” she

says. “I was interviewed andgot the job. I had no ideawhat I wanted to do. I hadwanted to study sportsscience at Carnegie Collegein Leeds, but my gradesweren’t good enough.”

After 18 months, Vickirealised banking was not thecareer for her. “My father wasmanaging director atTuffnells Parcels Express,”she recalls. “One day, hecame home and said he wasopening a new depot inAndover, Hampshire, andthere was an opening for anadministration clerk. Did Ifancy the job?

“I decided I needed to getout of Huddersfield andhanded in my notice to thebank the following day.”

She excelled in her newenvironment, although it wasnot easy going at first. “I dida lot of growing up at thattime,” says Vicki. “It was abig shock to the system. Itwas my first taste of thetransport industry.

“There were very fewcomputers and things like‘routing’ deliveries by townand county had to be donemanually. I had to have allthat information in my head.As a result, my knowledge ofUK geography is absolutelyfantastic!”

Vicki was later given atroubleshooting role coveringthe south coast beforebecoming a depot managerat Heathrow airport – at theage of 22 – working 12 to14-hour days and dealingwith inbound freight from theairlines.

“The industry was verymale-dominated,” sherecalls. “It was very unusualto see a woman in theindustry at all, let alone as adepot manager. But I wasvery focused in what Iwanted to achieve.

“I did miss the north,however. When they wantedme to stay in the southpermanently I couldn’t do it.

“It was quite a lonelyexistence, working long

– so we painted all ours pinkand came up with thestrapline The Pink Link.”

The move proved astute.Vicki says: “I was involved ina ‘Dragon’s Den’ event at onelocal school and I asked allthe pupils if they had everyheard of The Pink Link. Onlytwo didn’t put their hands up.”One business contactthought the company musthave hundreds of vehiclesbecause they are such aprominent sight on the roads.

“The vehicles and thedrivers are ambassadors forthe business,” says Vicki.

“It is a pretty lonelyexistence on the road. It isn’tfor everyone. I visit ourcustomers twice a year andget praise for our drivers fromeverybody. They always gothe extra mile for thecustomer.”

In 1996, the company wasinvited to become part ofPalletways, a distributionnetwork enabling operatorsto move small consignmentsof palletised goods aroundthe country.

Palletways is now thebiggest group of its kind andThe Pink Link is its leadingmember firm.

The way it works is thatThe Pink Link covers HD, HX

and BD postcodes – takingpallet loads of goods foraddresses across thecountry to a central hub inLichfield, Staffordshire. Othermember firms take thosegoods on to theirdestinations, while The PinkLink lorries come back withgoods to be delivered to itspostcode areas.

Says Vicki: “The hub dealswith 15,000 pallets every 24hours. Our all-time record atThe Pink Link is 1,100 in 24hours, although we average500 to 600 a night going outand up to 200 coming in.

“The network is intricatelylinked by a bespoke ITsystem, We can track andplace any pallet at any time.We have fantasticrelationships with themember depots and newmembers joining the networkvisit come to see the way wedo things because we prideourselves on doing thingsright first time.”

hours and not having muchof a social life. I was goinghome every other weekendto see my family and mymates.”

Playing squash helpedgive Vicki an interestoutside work. “I played atSkelmanthorpe SquashClub and was Kirkleeschampion at 18 as well asplaying for the county,” shesays. “When I moved toHampshire, I joined asquash club and thatopened doors. It is alsowhere I get my competitivestreak!”

When the chance came,Vicki moved north – firstwith Tuffnells in Sheffieldand later to take up a salespost at Leeds with Tuffnells’sister company.

“I had got theadministration andmanagement skills, but Iwanted to enhance mysales experience,” shesays.

When the recession hit,Vicki found herself out of ajob. But in 1991 her father,David Allen, took overestablished haulagebusiness SBH and Vickijoined him as salesmanager. Vicki’s brotherRichard got involved in1996 and thesiblings stageda managementbuy-out in 2004.

By then,things hadturneddecidedly pink.“When I workedin Leeds thecompany therehad pink andgrey vehicles,”she explains. “AtSBH, we hadvehicles of allcolours. Werealised thatsince thatcompany hadgone, therewere no pinkvehicles on theroads any more

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local Page 4 KIRKLEES BUSINESS

Sport provinga real winnerSPORT is making a vitalcontribution to the Yorkshireeconomy, new figures haverevealed.A report commissioned by SportEngland showed that the sportsector’s contribution to theeconomy in Yorkshire has reached£1.424bn – up by 50% since 2000.Sport now accounts for 2.2% of allconsumer spending in the region –the second highest figure in theUK.It also employs 39,800 – amountingto 1.6% of all people inemployment in the region. Almostthree-quarters of these Yorkshirejobs are in the commercial sectorwith 18% working in the publicsector.The research, carried out by theSport Industry Research Centre atSheffield Hallam University, foundthat growth between 2005 and 2008was “driven by investment directedtowards the London Olympics anda long-term Sport England policyto increase sport participation”.Researchers said sport’s resilienceduring the recession reflected thegrowing number of people who“consider sports participation asbeing more a basic need than aluxury”.Richard Lewis, chairman of SportEngland, said: “These figuresunderline the huge value of sportto Yorkshire and the significantrole it can play in supporting theeconomic recovery.”

Blessing for newbusiness ventureA COLNE Valley village has its firstfuneral directors in many years.

Clergy from local churches tookpart in a blessing ceremony for the newfuneral parlour.

Independent funeral director JennieCoxon has opened the premises atLeymoor Road, Golcar.

Those taking part in the blessingwere the Rev Chris Thompson, minis-ter at Golcar Baptist Church; CanonMartyn Crompton, vicar of St John’sChurch, Golcar; and the Rev PamWard, minister of Golcar ProvidenceMethodist Church.

Also welcomed to the ceremony byJennie and colleague Lee Summerswere Golcar ward councillor ChristineIredale and Bob Mortimer, presidentof Golcar British Legion.

Said Jennie: “There were at one timethree joiner/funeral directors in Gol-car – one being Alf Lockwood, whosepremises were at Town End. Hisbrothers Reggie and Hildred bothworked for him.

“Then there was Edward Garside’spremises at Swallow Lane. He had twosons Albert and Willie.

“Edward’s brother Eli had his ownpremises at Ryefield Road. His sonRonald was one of the founders of TheHighfield Funeral Home.

“As people started to use funeralhomes instead of having their lovedo n e s i n t h e ‘ f ro n t p a r l o u r ’joiner/funeral director businessesgradually faded.”

Jennie said Golcar has been withouta funeral director’s for many years –until June this year when she spottedthe small empty property on LeymoorRoad and had a vision of how it couldbe transformed into a funeral dir-ector’s premises.

She said: “Although only smallinside it is very cosy and serves thepurpose of being a tranquil place forfamilies to visit and spend some timewith their loved one before the funeraltakes place.

“It is a great privilege to beapproached by families and asked tolook after their loved ones in their timeof need and I will be honoured to dothis should any family approach me.”

Putting regionon the menuYORKSHIRE food and drink reallyis the best.The list of Great Taste Awardwinners issued by the Guild of FineFood features almost 30businesses from the region as goldaward winners.Denby Dale-based ice cream makerYummy Yorkshire, the GrumpyMule brand from Meltham’s BollingCoffee and Dewsbury firm CurryCuisine were among those to befeatured.The guild’s annual awards areregarded as the food and drinkindustry’s Oscars.The 2010 competition attracted arecord number of entries – with6,021 food and drink productsblind-tasted, tested and discussedduring two months of intensejudging by 350 judges.Jonathan Knight, chief executiveofficer of regional food and drinkbrand deliciouslyorkshire, said:“Yorkshire is home to manypassionate producers.To have so, many of ourdeliciouslyorkshire memberswinning a Great Taste Award thisyear reflects the quality we havewithin our fine food halls,delicatessens and farm shopsthroughout the region.”

■ VALLEY GATHERING: Jennie Coxon (centre) and colleague LeeSummers (third right), of Golcar Independent Funeral Directors, with(from left) the Rev Chris Thompson, minister of Golcar Baptist Church;Canon Martyn Crompton, vicar of St John's Parish Church; the RevPam Ward, minister of Golcar Providence Methodist Church; ClrChristine Iredale and Bob Mortimer, president of Golcar BritishLegion

Customer care

■ REWARD: Ford Retail chiefexecutive Chris Hayden (secondright) with (from left) CurtisHutchinson, of Motor Trader Awards;Mike Cowling, of category sponsorCar Care Plan; and broadcaster RayStubbs

A CAR dealership in Huddersfieldhas been recognised for its outstand-ing customer care by winning anational award.

Polar Ford, based at St Andrew’sRoad, Bradley Mills, won the cat-egory for best customer care in theMotor Trader Awards, which werepresented at a ceremony in Londonhosted by TV sports presenter RayStubbs.

The dealership, part of the FordRetail Group, was commended for itsefforts to promote customer care andrecognised as having “exceptional”customer loyalty leading to repeatbusiness.

John Leeman, regional director atPolar Ford, said: “To be recognisednationally at this level for our cus-tomer service is fantastic news and agreat achievement for every one ofour staff who all pull together withthe aim of providing customers withthe best service possible.”

Ford Retail operates a £1.2m cus-tomer service initiative, calledMoments of Truth.

The scheme aims to train every oneof the company’s 3,000 staff toprovide the best customer service inthe industry.

Curtis Hutchinson, of the MotorTrader Awards, said: “The awardsjudging panel felt Ford Retail’s cus-tomer service initiative went furtherthan a bolt-on, one-size-fits-allscheme.

“It was created by individuals whounderstood the business which it wasdesigned to serve and the people whowould have to put it into practice.”

Earlier this year, all 60 staff gainedformal qualifications in customerservice.

The employees achieved NVQqualifications or accreditation by theInstitute of Customer Service.

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 5

Facts and figuresfor charity givingIN my last article I looked at the

tax benefits that individualscan obtain from making charit-able donations under the GiftAid scheme.

This time I want to look at someother ways in which individuals candonate to charity.

Other than the usual cash dona-tions made under Gift Aid, individu-als subject to PAYE – usuallyemployees and those in receipt ofprivate pensions – can make dona-tions through the Payroll Givingscheme to their chosen charity.

Tax relief on donations is givenautomatically by reducing thedonor’s income which is subject toPAYE.

Individuals can also make gifts ofshares and securities, land and build-ings to charity and obtain IncomeTax relief and possibly Capital GainsTax (CGT) relief, too.

The gift of shares and securitiescommonly includes quoted stocks,shares and unit trust investments.For gifts of such assets, Income Tax

relief is based on the open marketvalue of the investment plus the costsof disposal less any benefits receivedby the donor (or their family) fromthe charity. The gift is also free fromCGT.

Income tax relief is claimed on anindividual’s Self Assessment TaxReturn and is given by way of adeduction from total gross income ofthe year in which the asset is gifted.

Where such assets are sold by thedonor to the charity at less than theiropen market value, the amount ofIncome Tax relief due to the donor isreduced by the proceeds received.

For instance, an individual sellstheir shares in a quoted company to acharity for £1,000 which theyacquired in 2006 for £2,000. At thedate of sale, the market value of theshares is £15,000 and the cost ofselling the shares to the charity is£200. The amount on which theindividual can claim tax relief is£14,200 (£15,000 minus £1,000 plus£200).

In the example above, the indi-vidual would also pay no CGT on thesale of their investment as the pro-ceeds received are less than the allow-able costs.

If the asset had been sold for£6,000, Income Tax relief would beclaimed on £9,200 (£15,000 minus£6,000 plus £200) and a capital gainwould arise on £3,800 (£6,000 minus£2,000 minus £200), which couldpossibly be covered by their annualCGT exemption.

Income tax relief is also availableon the gift or sale at undervalue ofland and buildings, in a similar wayto that of shares.

But, the entire interest in that landor property has to be transferred tothe charity. Retaining part of theproperty to live in is not allowed.

Also, for jointly held properties allof the owners must dispose of theirinterest in the property to the charityat the same time if any of them are toclaim relief.

A claim for tax relief in respect of adisposal of land or property can onlybe made if the charity supplies thedonor with a certificate describingthe qualifying interest which it hasacquired and showing the date of thedisposal.

TAXTALKColin Barratt

Colin Barratt is tax partner at Wheawill and Sudworthchartered accountants, Huddersfield

Company that isreally cleaning up!A COMPANY supplying wash-room products has cleaned upin a monthly award scheme.

Meltham-based Distinct Dis-posables has been named Busi-ness of the Month in thecompetition run by Hudders-field law firm Eaton Smith inconjunction with the Mid York-shire Chamber of Commerceand Business Link.

Steven Pollitt, partner atEaton Smith, presented theaward to Diane Storer, man-aging director of Distinct Dis-posables, at a presentation atthe law firm’s High Streetoffices.

The company provides wash-room dispensing equipment,s o ap s, d i s p o s abl e p ap e rproducts, cleaning chemicals,window cleaning equipmentand janitorial supplies.

The business started out as aone-woman company, TDSSupplies, based in the garage atthe home of owner DianeStorer.

Although the company flour-ished, Diane decided to sell itdue to other business commit-ments.

She found a buyer for thecompany, but the new owner

did not take up the reins of thebusiness and Diane found her-self receiving calls from her oldcustomers.

Not one to disappoint hercustomers, she set up a newcompany, Distinct DisposablesLtd in 1987.

In 2001, Diane expandedinto South Yorkshire with thetakeover of a Sheffield-basedfirm, Globe Paper Systems.Four year later, she openedanother branch in Oswestry,covering Shropshire.

Distinct Disposables hasshown year-on-year growthand in 2008 reported a big risein turnover after securing anaccount to provide washroomsupplies and some chemicalproducts to Huddersfield Uni-versity.

Diane said the company wasbuilt on strong values – deliver-ing quality products, providinga large range of products andoffering first-class quality ser-vice.

The award is open to allfirms in Calderdale, Kirkleesa n d Wa k e f i e l d . G o t owww.eatonsmith.co.uk or callIan Greenwood on 01484821389

■ DISTINGUISHED: Steven Pollitt (centre), presents the award to Diane Storer (thirdright), Claire Haigh (second right) and Emma Wood with (from left) Roger Underwood,of Eastwood and Partners; Simon Blyth, of Simon Blyth Estate Agents; and AlanLascelles, of Business Link

Morecoffeemates!A COFFEE distributorin Huddersfield hassecured four newcontracts in Yorkshire.Bradley-basedCooper’s Coffee is tosupply tea and coffeeas well as its coffeemachines to BlackerHall, near Wakefield;Marton Manor, nearBridlington; Titanic Spaat Linthwaite andGerry’s At Neaversonsin Huddersfield towncentre.Blacker Hall andMarton Manor, whichare both farm shops,have also signed up toespresso machines andgrinders from Cooper’spremium Italian brand,Dalla Corte.Titanic Spa has signedup to Cooper’s TripleCertified Blend as wellas Peruvian Filtercoffee to serve tocustomers in its bistrorestaurant.Gerry’s At Neaversons,based in Byram Street,will be stocking aselection of Cooper’sloose teas.David Cooper,managing director atCooper’s Coffee, said:“We’re delighted tohave won thesecontracts in whatcontinues to be adifficult time for thecoffee sector.“It’s an additionalbonus that all fourbusinesses are basedin Yorkshire, provingthat the regionaleconomy is stillvibrant.“The farm shop sectorin particular is agrowing area for us asthese types ofbusinesses tend toseek very high qualityproducts.“Our ability to produceretail pack versions ofall our cateringproducts is thereforevery attractive tothem.”

Yorkshire’sLegalPeople.

Sponsors of theHuddersfield ExaminerBusiness Awards 2010

www.chadwicklawrence.co.ukHuddersfield | Wakefield | Halifax | Leeds

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property Page 7

Lettingssecured atprime siteA LANDMARK building inWest Yorkshire hassecured new tenants.Acting on behalf ofRushbond Plc, the officeagency team at CBRichard Ellis in Leedshas secured a letting toDLG Architects at thecity’s One Brewery Wharf.DLG Architects hasmoved from Marshall Millto take 3,229sq ft ofground floor officeaccommodation on a10-year lease in the12-storey building –which comprises 9,000sqft of ground-floor offices,151 apartments and 90car parking spaces.It is the second deal inrecent months at theflagship buildingfollowing the sale of aunit to DS Emotion.Jonathan Shires, directorof office agency at CBRichard Ellis, said: “Thecombination of theattractiveness of thewaterfront setting and theaccessibility into thecentre of Leeds meansthat Brewery Wharf hasone of the best locationsin the city.“The appeal of thelocation, coupled with thehigh quality of officeaccommodation, hasproved successful inattracting a host ofoccupiers to thescheme.”DLG Architects joinexisting tenants includingMott MacDonald, AedasArchitects, and The NHSFederation.

Demandslows forbusinessestatesTAKE-UP of businessparks in Yorkshire hasslowed, according to asurvey.But the findings from GVAGrimley said primeheadline rents remained“surprisingly” resilient.The annual GVA GrimleyBusiness Parks Review,which monitors officespace supply and demandon the UK’s businessparks, has recorded thelowest level of take-up andconstruction activity in its14-year history.The survey, which coversthe first six months of2010, said transactionsacross Yorkshire and theHumber had fallendramatically.It recorded two notabledeals at MidpointBusiness Park near Leeds– with chemical distributorUnivar and supermarketchain Morrisons bothsigned deals for about10,000sq ft of office space.In another deal, BP tookabout 17,000sq ft atBridge Haven One in Hull.Dan Hodge, head of officeagency at GVA Grimley inYorkshire, said: “The outof town market remainsflat.“There are a lot of smallerdeals propping up themarket. A total of135,136sq ft wastransacted in the Leedsarea, for example, in thefirst half of the year andapproximately 85% to 90%of those deals were lessthan 5,000sq ft.“The fortunes of thissector will be dependenton the performance of thefinancial and businessservices sector, as well asthe telecoms andtechnology firms thattraditionally dominatedemand on the region'sbusiness parks.”Yorkshire & Humber is oneof the few regions to seestability, rather than a fall,in rental levels on itsbusiness parks.However, generousincentives remainavailable, particularly inthe form of rent-freeperiods.Yorkshire is also one ofthe few regions toexperience speculativedevelopment – withMunroe K developing a35,000sq ft office buildingat the White Rose OfficePark.The region now has about2.6m sq ft of out of townspace available foroccupation, an increase of8% on the amount ofvacant floorspace at thestart of the year.

Investors take a ‘flight to safety’POLITICAL uncertainty broughtabout by the arrival of the coalitiongovernment is causing a “flight tosafety” among UK land investors, itis claimed.

Property agency Carter Jonas,which has offices at Slaithwaite, saidthat land was still seen as a soundoption by those wanting to safe-guard their money – even with therise in Capital Gains Tax for higherrate taxpayers and a renewed threatto Inheritance Tax structures.

Andrew Fallows, partner inCarter Jonas’ rural division in York-shire, said that although CGT hadnot risen as much as feared it haddeterred some foreign investors ableto place their money in other coun-tries where there are CGT-freeoptions.

Catherine Penman, Carter Jonashead of research, said: “The stabilityand attractiveness of agriculturalland as an asset class is clearlyillustrated in comparison to the per-formance of City of London officesover the last 35 years.

“While the City office market sawthe removal of development restric-tions, land has seen restrictions at

the very least remain in place andoften become tighter, resulting inland price growth proving robust, insharp contrast to City office rent-als.”

The Indicator shows that farmersare selling their produce at or belowcost – a situation that arose inmid-2004 and with the cycle yet tobreak. Increasingly, they are relyingon subsidies for their profits – hav-ing received a 15% windfall becausethe rate was set in 2009 in the contextof a rapidly falling euro. However,this may evaporate as the eurorecovers.

Cereal prices peaked in mid-2008and have followed a downwardtrend since – despite the recent sharphike following the severe drought inRussia.

In contrast, land prices have con-tinued to rise, although at a gentlerrate than the steep climb in thefive-year period from mid-2003 tomid-2008.

Said Mr Fallows: “With risingcosts for farmers and crop pricesuncertain, growth in demand forland from within the farming sectoris unlikely to drive the market in the

short to medium turn.“Of more significance is the state

of the eurozone economy as thesovereign debt crisis works through,with its resulting impact on interna-tional competitiveness and confid-ence.

“This could dampen the value ofland as the underlying businessbecomes less competitive, butincrease its attraction as a safehaven, creating interesting portfoliomanagement opportunities forcanny investors.

“With the acute shortage of sup-ply and little sign of it increasing, itis very difficult to determine trueunderlying value and thus the truerisk profile.

“Given the fragile state of agricul-ture, there must be concern that ifpressure for safety assets eases or taxregime changes cause a flurry ofsales, the heat in the market coulddissipate quickly.”

Added Mr Fallows: “At present,the market is seeing an Indian sum-mer with cold frosts to follow, ratherthan the green shoots of recovery.”■ LAND GRAB: Andrew Fallows, partner

in Carter Jonas’ rural division in Yorkshire

Buoyant noteat PersimmonHOUSEBUILDER Persimmonreported a rise in activity for itsWest Yorkshire developments – asthe company unveiled improvedhalf-year profits and sales.

Persimmon, which recentlybegan work on its Birkby Gardensscheme in Huddersfield, postedpre-tax profits of £101.4m duringthe first half of 2010 against £9.8mfor the same period last year.

Sales revenues totalled £776.6mcompared with £611.8m last time.Completions were 16% up at 4,657against 4,006 before.

Underlying pre-tax profits were£39.4m before one-off items. Thatcompares with a loss of £16.7mlast time.

The company said it reduced netborrowing to £122.1m from£494.2m – a policy of debt reduc-tion which would continue as itseeks to improve operating mar-gin.

Persimmon also reported astrong forward order booktotalling £912m and said it wouldresume paying dividends – aninterim pay-out of 3p a share –following the improvement inunderlying trading performanceover the past 12 months.

Group chairman John Whitesaid Persimmon remained cau-tious, but was optimistic about thefuture of its business, adding: “Wehave a strong balance sheet, excel-lent cash generation, national cov-e rag e a n d a n ex p e r i e n c e d

management team.”Wayne Gradwell, managing dir-

ector of Persimmon Homes WestYorkshire, said: “I am pleased toadvise that there has been a signi-ficant increase in visitor levelsacross all of our developmentssince the start of the year.

“This has resulted in us enteringthe second half of the year withsignificantly higher forward salesthan we had in January.

“Our wide geographic spreadcovering 19 development sitesthroughout West Yorkshire alsoplaces us in a position where we areable to benefit from current marketconditions.

“We are developing on sites inBarnsley, Castleford, Doncaster,Huddersfield, Halifax, Leeds,Rotherham, Ripponden, Selby,Wakefield and Wistow.

“Throughout these develop-ments we have a wide productrange from two-bedroom apart-ments through to five-bedroomfamily homes and we utilise a widevariety of sales incentives includ-ing shared equity, part exchange,Part Exchange Plus and stampduty paid.

“I am also pleased to advise thatwork is now commencing at newdevelopments; Birkby Gardens inB i r k by, H u d d e r s f i e l d a n dWentworth Grange in Barnsley,with further new developments tobe announced throughout theremainder of 2010.”

■ HOUSE PROUD: Wayne Gradwell,managing director of Persimmon Homes,reported significantly higher forward sales

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Movers and shakers Page 8

Speaker withinspiring storyLIFE’S never easy –but for RichardMcCann it has provedmore than usuallydifficult.

On a cold and mistymorning in October,1975, Richard, agedfive, woke up todiscover that hismother was gone. Shewas the first victim ofthe notorious Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe.

Richard then went on a downward spiral asfoster homes, children's home and a violentupbringing by his estranged father destroyed hisself-esteem.

He left school with no qualifications and waskicked out of the army for psychological reasonsbefore he turned to drugs to ease hisdepression.

After a prison sentence for a drugs offenceand faced with his home about to berepossessed, Richard hit rock bottom where heconsidered taking his life – before hedetermined to turn his life around.

Now Richard is a sought-after speaker and abest-selling author whose first book, Just a Boy,sold close to 400,000 copies and has beentranslated around the world. The BBC has madea film about his extraordinary life story.

Delegates will be able to hear Richard whenhe addresses the Kirklees Business Conferenceon September 30 at the Galpharm Stadium.

All delegate places at the conference are free.Go to at www.kirkleesbusinessconference.co.uk

A credit to their society!

STAFF at the Huddersfield branchof Skipton Building Society arecelebrating this week – after theRamsden Street premisesreopened following a makeover.

To celebrate, the branch invitednew and existing customers tocome in and see for themselveswhat’s on offer in the revampedbranch at a special open day –which included free drinks andnibbles.

They also had the opportunity tospeak with the branch’s financialadviser in free investment healthcheck sessions.

The Huddersfield branch hasbeen stripped out and fitted with anew fresh and modern interior. Thework included removing the counterdesk and replacing it with private“pods” – enabling customers to sitdown and discuss their financerequirements in a relaxingenvironment.

Julia Barrow, branch manager,said: “Our branch has undergone acomplete transformation – and all ofthe staff are delighted with the newversion!

“We now have a fresh, moderninterior for our customers to enjoy.”

Flying start forracer Richard!A COMPANY supplying pneumaticproducts is backing its marketing managerto deliver a speedy service – on the racetrack.

Thorite, which has a depot at BargeStreet in Huddersfield, is sponsoringRichard Vaughan as he contests the 2010Championship Series at Harewood SpeedHillclimb.

Richard, 56, moved up this year from aself-built Lotus 7-inspired sports car to asingle seat OMS PR racing car – and he’salready reaping the benefit of his new car’sextra speed and grip, having gained asecond in class at the Yorkshire SpeedHillclimb meeting held earlier thismonth.

Said Richard: “The challenge of speedhillclimbing is to drive the course in thefastest possible time, finding the quickestlines through each corner.

“Harewood has the longest permanenthillclimb tack in the UK, which givesspectators great opportunities to see thecar in its distinctive Thorite branding.

“I’m particularly grateful for the finan-cial help I’ve received from the company, asalthough hillclimbing is considered a‘grass roots’ form of motorsport there arestill expenses involved, such as new tyres at£800 per set!

“Hopefully, my success this year willallow me to branch out in 2011 and attend

other hillclimb tracks around the country,enabling the Thorite name to be even morewidely seen.”

Two rounds of the Harewood Champi-onship have still to take place this year andwill be held on September 18 and 19.

Richard will be looking to improve on

his already excellent form. His car carries avideo camera and film of his fastest ascentof the Harewood track has been postedboth on YouTube and Bradford-basedThorite’s own showroom TV system.

It is also in the News section of theThorite website at www.thorite.co.uk

■ SPEEDY: Richard Vaughan, marketing manager at Thorite, who is competing onthe race track this summer

PurebrandDavid Nutter & Annabel Varley

A MIRFIELD-based brand communicationsagency has announced two key appointments.

Purebrand Creative Communications hasnamed David Nutter as head of client servicesand Annabel Varley as account executive (bothpictured, above).

Mr Nutter joins the agency from HomeMarketing in Leeds where he delivered marketingcampaigns for clients including Jet2.com, RussellHobbs and Holland’s Pies – including overseeingnational TV and outdoor advertising. He has alsoworked for McCann Erickson, representingbrands including Proctor and Gamble, Diageo,The Carbon Trust and Portakabin.

At Purebrand, he will further expand theagency’s client list, which includes ParkerHannifin Corporation, Leeds City Council, VisitYork, Eddisons, OCS and UK Anti-Doping.

Ms Varley, who graduated in graphic andcommunication design at Leeds University, willwork in the agency’s client services team andtake responsibility for project management of keyaccounts. She worked with Purebrand on athree-month internship before being offered apermanent position.

Armitage SykesKanika Sohpal & Alexander Uré

HUDDERSFIELD law firm Armitage Sykes haspromoted solicitors Kanika Sohpal andAlexander Upé (pictured) to associate status.

Ms Sohpal is a specialist in wills and trustsand is a registered member of the Society ofTrust and Estate Practitioners. She has particularexpertise in the use of trusts in estate planning,having extensive experience in dealing with highvalue estates with complex trust and propertyissues. Ms Sohpal has been with ArmitageSykes since 2002.

Mr Udé, who heads the dispute resolutiondepartment running the civil and commercialdisputes team, has also been promoted toassociate.

Viv Lewis, partner at Armitage Sykes,said: “Alexander is a tremendously hard workingand successful lawyer who gets results. Thispromotion is due reward for all the good work hehas been doing for clients.”

■ BRANCH LINE: Julia Barrow (second left, manager of the Skiptionbranch in Huddersfield, with colleagues (from left) Sue Riley, JonathanFox, Peter Jennings and Colette Senior