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Newry headquartered Around Noon is on the award trail once again after having won two prestigious Blas na hÉireann awards – the leading food awards in Ireland.
The awards were for the food-to-go company’s Croque Monsieur and Bakery Tea Brack products.
Now in their 14th year, the Blas na hÉireann awards are the all-island food awards that recognise the very best Irish food and drink products, and the passionate people behind them.
Find out more information at WWW.IRISHFOODAWARDS.COM
Around Noon has been in business for over 30 years and employs over 300 people. It supplies a broad range of high-quality sandwiches, wraps, salads, fruit pots and cold pressed juices to customers including forecourt and convenience retailers and cafes. It also sells healthy ready meals via its Simply Fit Food business and bakery items under its Sweet Things brand.
Around Noon has won a series of Blas na hÉireann awards over the years and the latest two bronze awards add to the list.
Products from every county in Ireland were entered into this year’s competition to win Gold, Silver or Bronze Blas na hÉireann awards in over 150 food and drink categories, as well as key awards like Supreme Champion and Best Artisan Producer.
Dave Graham, Executive Chef at Around Noon, said: “The awards are the biggest blind tasting of produce on the island and the criteria on which products are judged as well as the judging system itself are now recognised as an industry gold standard worldwide. We’re really pleased to win two awards and we see it as great recognition for our team and our products.”
The awards are the latest that the Newry company has won. Around Noon won Green Business of the Year at this year’s Greater Newry Business Awards. It was also awarded as one of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies, and recently was shortlisted for a UK Manufacturing Xcellence Award.
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Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade hosted their first ever NI Workplace Health & Wellbeing Conference on Tuesday last, 30 November at the Canal Court Hotel & Spa, Newry. Over 100 delegates heard from a range of expert speakers from organisations who can help businesses implement effective health and wellbeing strategies.
The event was supported by principal sponsors Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and Action Mental Health. It was open to organisations of any size from across NI, not just the Greater Newry area.
Emma Mullen, President of Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade said: “Businesses and their employees have experienced an extremely challenging last 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This has had a negative effect on the physical and mental health of many of our citizens. We felt now was the right time to help local employers to come together, share best practice and help support them”.
We are extremely grateful to all the organisations who took part in the event. Initial feedback has been extremely positive. Keynote addresses from Nicola Connolly-Byrne, Personal Empowerment Specialist and John Ryan, Founder & CEO Healthy Place to Work were particular highlights.
Delegates also heard from Cllr Cathy Mason, Chairperson of Newry Mourne and Down District Council, a video message from Health Minister, Robin Swann MLA, Gerard Rocks, Assistant Director for Promoting Wellbeing at the Southern Health and Social Care Trust and David Babington, CEO Action Mental Health who helped set the set the scene.
Presentations on workplace programmes were delivered by Rachael Power, Works Manager, Action Mental Health, Emma McCrudden, Programme Manager, NI Chest Heart and Stroke (Work Well Live Well) and Margaret McCloskey, Partnership Manager, NI Money & Pensions Service (MaPS).
Other exhibitors included Occupational Therapy NI, Menopause Wellbeing NI and Federation of Small Businesses. Kith & Kin Financial Wellbeing sponsored refreshments.
Cathy Mason, Chairperson of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said: “We were delighted to support Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade with this important initiative. As a council, one of our key objectives is to improve the lives and livelihoods of the people who live and work in this region. It is important that we work across all three sectors, public, voluntary and private, to share what works best to support employees.
Presentation slides and videos of the conference can found on the events section at: WWW.NEWRYCHAMBER.COM
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A new business support programme has been launched by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. The programme which starts in the New Year is specifically designed for SMEs and entrepreneurs.
The Strategise for Success Programme provides assistance to participants which need to have a clear and simple plan in place when it comes to growing their business successfully. There are many elements surrounding business strategy, but the core fundamentals remain the same regardless of the industry. Understanding these fundamentals is a skill that will aid the development of a successful business plan. Expert mentors will help local businesses to focus on understanding what a business strategy is, how useful it is and how to plan their business strategy and practices moving forward.
It is part of the NMD Business Growth programme which is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014 -2020) programme.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Cathy Mason, said, “The Council works closely with local SMEs on a day-to-day basis. They listen to their concerns and their needs and have designed specific support programmes to address them. This new programme is an exciting opportunity for businesses from a wide range of sectors and industries as they look towards 2022.”
Councillor Mason continued, “These programmes may be crucial in helping to retain jobs in our local economy and with a successful business strategy, business owners may even be able to expand and create new jobs. It has been an incredibly tough time for many of the micro and small businesses based in the district, as they continue to face many difficult decisions in an ever-changing and uncertain environment, I encourage anyone that thinks they may be able to benefit from such support to register as soon as possible.”
The Strategise for Success Programme involves tailored one-to-one mentoring and targeted online workshops, focusing on business strategy and planning strategies for the future.
Support is open to any small business located in the Newry, Down and Down District Council area with less than 50 employees and registration is free.
Businesses can register for support via the programme by email: curtis@fullcircle.eu.com The application deadline is Friday 14 January 2022 at 1pm.
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The Cross Border Workers Coalition has welcomed confirmation from Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe TD that an extension to the ‘double tax’ waiver facing ROI cross-border workers will be brought forward by his department.
Minister Donohoe, who confirmed the measure in the Oireachtas this week, was responding to an amendment tabled by Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty TD.
Outdated Irish tax rules mean that Republic of Ireland based cross-border workers can incur an additional tax liability if they work remotely. While a waiver has been in place since March 2020, this Covid-19 support was set to end on January 1, 2022 which would have seen thousands of cross-border workers incurring a financial penalty by working from home.
With the Irish Government now advising employees to work-from-home over Winter, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe TD has announced that the temporary Covid-19 waiver will be extended “for the period of time in 2022 during which the public health advice recommends everyone should work from home unless it is necessary to attend the workplace in person.”
Speaking following the Minister’s announcement in Dáil Éireann this week, Coalition Co-Chairs, Aidan O’Kane and Paul Quinn, have said that while this timely step is to be welcomed, the lack of a specific timeframe is concerning and could pose significant problems to border businesses and their employees. The Coalition have stated that now is the perfect time to introduce permanent, pragmatic reform to current rules.
Aidan O’Kane, Co-Chair of the Cross Border Workers Coalition, said“This pragmatic step from the Finance Minister will be welcomed by border employers, communities, families, and workers across this island. With weeks until the current waiver ends, this extension will ensure that ROI cross-border workers will not face a financial penalty by acting in line with public health advice and working remotely.”
“However, the Minister’s announcement raises more questions than answers, and clarity is desperately needed. If this waiver is only in place until public health advice changes, cross-border workers face the possibility of being effectively denied the opportunity to work-from-home overnight. The lack of a specific timeframe is very concerning, and would be simply unworkable for the businesses and employees we represent.”
“To avoid any major disruption to cross-border workers and their families, it is imperative that the temporary waiver on Trans Border Workers Relief is extended for the 2022 Tax Year at the very least. We look forward to receiving further guidance from Minister Donohoe and Revenue Commissioners in due course.”
Paul Quinn, Co-Chair of the Cross Border Workers Coalition, said “This move from Finance Minister Donohoe, while welcome, is a symptom of the reactionary approach that his been operated by the Irish Government. Despite meeting with Minister Donohoe to present our proposals for legislative change, his disregard for our asks has led us to where we are today. Extending the waiver, kicking the can down the road, will only achieve so much.”
“In his remarks, Minister Donohoe acknowledged that current Trans Border Workers Relief legislation was not “designed to apply to remote working scenarios”. We agree that current legislation is outdated and does not reflect the modern working practises operated by employees across this island.”
“The temporary Covid-19 waiver cannot be extended indefinitely. Now is the perfect time to resolve this issue, and for Finance Minister Donohoe to introduce permanent, pragmatic reform as a matter of urgency.”
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MJM Marine, specialist in cruise ship refurbishment and interior outfitting has recently won the Collaboration Award at this years Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Awards held at Excel, London.The theme of this year’s awards celebrate the incredible people that make up the cruise community. The categories looked to recognise those individuals, teams, and companies who navigated their way through the last 18 months in a way that has inspired others, innovated, and gone over and above what is expected of them.
The Collaboration award was created to celebrate the outstanding collaboration which exists in the cruise industry and the fantastic new products which come about from it.
For Newry based MJM, collaboration with strategic partners is key to success in the cruise industry. When the Coronavirus pandemic hit the company and the industry, MJM began looking at solutions that could help to get cruise operators and the industry back up and running again safely.
As a leading global outfitter, working throughout the world in the cruise industry, MJM entered into a new partnership with Vyv. Vyv is a health tech company and a market leader in UV-free antimicrobial light technology. This partnership combines MJM’s interior expertise with the continuous cleaning antimicrobial lighting products.
Gary Annett, CEO, MJM Marine said, “We are delighted to win this award for our collaboration with such an innovative company. Partnering with Vyv has given us something different to offer our clients. With our expertise in the outfitting industry we are well placed to help clients integrate Vyv lighting products into existing spaces on board cruise ships as well as new builds. Vyv’s range of antimicrobial light solutions continuously clean the environment in which they are installed. They offer safety and security to customers and staff at a time when people demand higher environmental wellness standards. That’s really important as we work with our clients in the cruise industry to get their fleets up and running again safely.”
MJM Marine is a leading international specialist in cruise ship refurbishment with over 38 years’ experience. The company are Investors in People Gold accredited and carry the Bronze Diversity Mark. Recent works have included outfitting on board Wonder of the Seas, the newest Oasis Class ship from Royal Caribbean Group, and Silver Wind by Silverseas as part of its ice class conversion.
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Snaubs in Newry are celebrating 45 successful years in business today, 9 December.
The Monaghan Street premises were opened by Pat and Blinnia McArdle on 9 December 1976 who spent the first couple of years 'living above the shop'. The Boutique opened first with a Coffee Shop following a month later.
As Blinnia explains "I was in the hotel business and Pat was an Accountant here in Newry and we bought the premises just before we got married and converted the flat upstairs and lived upstairs."
The Boutique part of the business opened 9 December 1976 with the Coffee Shop opening a little later just after Christmas as they had a lot of rennovations to do.
The business took off straight away. It was a time when you would have found it hard to find fresh homemade produce in the town. "We started with fresh soup and fresh everything and it just took off for us." explains Blinnia.
The new business quickly got so busy that Pat ended up leaving Accountancy to help out because Blinnia couldn't do it on her own.
It wasn't always plain sailing either with the troubles going on. The business suffered from a bombing in 1986 and it took 6 months for them to get back on their feet. Blinnia adds "There was a bomb left in the toilets upstairs and we were very lucky nobody was hurt through it. We were out of business for six months and it took an awful toll on us. All the girls were laid off, but we got back up and got going again."
Quite of few of the staff have been with the business many years with the longest serving staff member Irene Donaghy who has spent 43 years at Snaubs.
A Bright Future
Pat and Blinnia's son Pádhraic and his wife Milena are running the business now with Pádhraic in command of the Bistro, while Milena runs the Boutique. Milena sees a bright future for the business and is looking forward to 2022 and the challenge of adding more fashion brands into the business while keeping moving with the times. Blinnia adds "She is a great asset to the business"
Snaubs Bistro serves up the very best in locally produced food while the Boutique brings the latest designer brands from around the world to Newry. It is just one of our city's incredible home produced family run success stories and the future is most certainly bright!
£1000 Draw
Snaubs are doing a £1000 draw for the Grace Kelly Cancer Charity in memory of young Connall Magee who died in June. You can buy tickets at £5 each from the shop or via Paypal using email address snaubsboutiquecafe@hotmail.com
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Julie Gibbons has been elected as the new President of Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade at the Annual General Meeting held on Thursday 9 December at Customs House, Newry.
Julie is the current Managing Director of AbbeyAutoline, the largest Insurance Broker in Northern Ireland. Prior to this Julie was Operations Director of Autoline Insurance Group for 12 years before it was merged with Abbey. Julie is a law graduate from Queen’s University and holds an MBA from University College Dublin.
Edwin Flynn, CEO of Wood Innovations was elected as Vice President. Kieran Grant, Finance Director at Warrenpoint Port, was elected as Treasurer and Jackie Reid, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at DELI LITES Ireland was elected to the Board.
In her acceptance speech, President Julie Gibbons said “It is a privilege to be asked to lead the Newry Chamber over the next two years, given its long and rich history and indeed the entrepreneurial spirit of the whole region. The Chamber is highly respected as a strategic lobbying and networking organisation.
I would like to thank outgoing President Emma Mullen Marmion for the last two years of unbelievable energy and commitment through an historic Presidency facing some of the most difficult issues we have faced as an entire community in recent times.
I am excited about working with our members and key stakeholders to progress opportunities they have identified. As a Chamber, a large part of our focus has been on Brexit and Covid. These two issues were critical to our members who saw the value in having an influential collective voice and source of practical business support.
We have grown membership by over 30% during the pandemic to almost 250. These new members will bring fresh thinking and experience that I am eager to embrace and bring to the forefront. We will continue to work in partnership with other organisations to provide members with services that help their businesses to grow and flourish.
For more information about joining the Chamber, please visit newrychamber.com
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Leading robotic tank cleaning company, Re-Gen Robotics has been recognised with three awards at the Energy Industries Council Awards 2021, including the prestigious Company of the Year Award.
The awards ceremony was held virtually on Thursday 2nd December and celebrates the best and brightest supply chain companies in the energy sector. More than 60 companies competed for 15 EIC Awards, including the coveted EIC Company of the Year Award.
The Newry based company lifted the Innovation Award for delivering enhanced products, services and strategies to meet specific client needs and for building differentiation in the sector; the Sustainability Award for taking responsibility as part of their business strategy, to conserve natural resources and protect global ecosystems and the Company of the Year Award which was decided based upon their best practice scores from the EIC’s 57 industry judges.
In the last 33 months, Re-Gen Robotics has eliminated 10,000 plus hours of confined space entry cleaning. Over 30 tanks consisting of white oil, black oil and distillate tanks in gas plants have been cleaned and the first worldwide, 100% no man entry tank cleans for oil majors such as Shell, Phillips 66 and Vermilion, have been completed.
Presenting the Company of the Year Award, EIC President Campbell Keir said it was his “pleasure and a privilege to present the very well-deserved award” to Re-Gen Robotics and praised them for applying their 100% no man entry robotics technology to “reduce the personal risk of a routine activity that many people are not aware of but is an essential industry task.”
Managing director of Re-Gen Robotics, Fintan Duffy said: “On behalf of my team, I am enormously proud to receive these awards.
“We have invested significantly in our growth plans since our company launch in 2019, recruiting new staff, investing in our incredibly talented people, our equipment, processes and facilities.
“Our technological innovations and new ways of thinking are all transforming the approach we are taking to eliminate accidents, harm to people and to reduce the environmental impact of our operations.
“This is an opportunity for the team to pause for a moment to reflect on and enjoy the fruits of their hard work and the awards themselves give new customers that added touch of confidence when they choose to work with us for the first time.”
Established in 1943, the EIC is a not-for-profit organisation with a membership of over 650 companies who deliver goods and services to the energy industries worldwide.
It is the leading Trade Association providing dedicated services to help members understand, identify, and pursue business opportunities globally.
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Staff at Crash Services and JMK Solicitors have donated a total of £55,005.80 to their 2021 charity partner Cancer Fund for Children this December. This is the second year of the partnership with Cancer Fund for Children and over £90,000 has been raised in total over the 2 years. The firms thank the incredible fundraising efforts of their entire teams achieved despite the challenges faced with fundraising during the pandemic restrictions.
Cancer Fund for Children supports children and young people diagnosed with cancer or living with a parent with the disease. They offer support in the home, community, on the hospital ward, and at their residential centre, Daisy Lodge in Newcastle, with the aim that no family faces cancer alone.
Jonathan McKeown, CEO at CRASH Services and Chairman of JMK Solicitors said, “We are delighted to have been able to support Cancer Fund for Children over the past 2 years, which have been a challenging time for all charities across NI. Our activities have not only allowed us to raise funds but also engaged and brought together our people at a time where many of them continue to work remotely.
This year we have continued to get creative with a variety of activities to raise funds. We have hosted fitness challenges, sweepstakes, an easter colouring competition and taken part in the Belfast Half Marathon virtually and in-person full marathon. Most impressive of all was a very well organised and supported cycle from our CRASH depot at Stockman’s Lane, Belfast to our recently opened Derry/Londonderry branch. The event was led by Repair and Fleet Director, Paul Cooney, who was instrumental in bringing a sizeable number of riders along for the trip which raised over £10,000.00 on its own.
Our final activity for 2021 was not for the faint-hearted as 10 team members, including myself in a Santa Suit, abseiled down Belfast Castle! Our kind-hearted staff also opted to join into a monthly salary sacrifice scheme where a regular amount is donated each month going directly to the charity.”
Jonathan added, “With overwhelming support from across our businesses, we have extended our partnership with Cancer Fund for Children again until the end of 2023 to allow us to give more time and resources to this deserving charity and we look forward to working with Phil Alexander, their CEO, and his dedicated team for another year.”
Alex Murdock, Corporate Fundraiser at Cancer Fund for Children commented “2021 has been another rollercoaster of a year for us all, and through it all the team at JMK Solicitors and CRASH Services have gone above and beyond once again for Cancer Fund for Children. Raising an outstanding £35,500 in 2020, they have well exceeded this in 2021 with a phenomenal donation of £55,005.80 in support of young people and their families coming to terms with a cancer diagnosis. From raffles and colouring competitions, to marathons, a 120km cycle from Belfast to L/Derry, and salary sacrifices, there has been so much for the team to get involved in.
Finishing the year on a high, I am thrilled to start off 2022 on such a positive note as we continue our amazing partnership for another year, continuing to ensure that no family has to face cancer alone at one of the most difficult and darkest times of their lives. To everyone at JMK and CRASH, thank you so much for your support this year and I cannot wait to continue the journey in 2022!”
If you are feeling inspired and think your organisation would be interested in raising vital funds to support local young people and families impacted by cancer, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Alex Murdock at alex@cancerfundforchildren.com or call 028 9080 5599.
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