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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is calling on local businesses to register for a unique opportunity to showcase their offering to some of Northern Ireland’s largest procurement specialists.
The NMD Tender for Growth Meet the Buyer event, which takes place at the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle at 9.30am on Thursday 22 September, will bring SMEs from across the district which have less than 50 employees and are seeking to win new business through procurement together, to hear and learn from those involved in tendering. Buyers who will be represented include Kingspan, Re-Gen Waste, Translink, the Education Authority, BWL Group and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
The event is being delivered as part of the NMD Tender for Growth programme, which is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Northern Ireland (2014 -2020) programme.
At the launch of the event, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Michael Savage, encouraged local businesses to get involved saying, “Newry, Mourne and Down is brimming with a host of first-class service providers and suppliers. They each have the products and the skills to support larger organisations and their needs, but it is crucial that they are in front of the right people if they are to win new business. That’s where our ‘Meet The Buyer’ event comes in - providing those essential introductions, giving small businesses a platform to showcase what they can do.”
Cllr Savage continued, “If you are an SME and have a real passion for growing your business, particularly through tendering and procurement, then you will not want to miss this event. As well as meeting those involved in procurement processes, you will also equip yourself with new skills to help make your tendering efforts a success. This is a huge opportunity, exclusively for businesses in Newry, Mourne and Down, which could completely transform your business.”
The NMD Tender for Growth Meet the Buyer event is free of charge, places are limited so businesses are encouraged to register early. For more information and to secure your place, email stephanie@fullcircle.eu.com or visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk
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JMK Solicitors, Northern Ireland’s number 1 personal injury and road traffic accident law firm for the past 8 years running, are celebrating after once again retaining the prestigious Lexcel Quality Mark.
The Lexcel scheme, administered by the Law Society recognises firms which achieve excellence in legal practice management and client care. With offices based in both Newry and Belfast and a soon to open Derry~Londonderry office, the personal injury firm was reissued with the Lexcel Quality Mark for the fifth year in a row following a rigorous assessment process.
Highlighting nine areas of good practice, the Lexcel assessors described JMK Solicitors as having “gone above and beyond compliance with the standard.”
The auditors commented, “no non-compliances have been raised in the company’s five-year certification history which demonstrates excellent performance.”
Points of particular note included JMK’s “strong focus on marketing, brand awareness and digital optimisation and maintaining their position as the No#1 plaintiff litigation company
The assessor said the firm’s response to the continuing Covid-19 restrictions was “of particular note” and commended the firm’s investment for “expanding its employee base in spite of other challenges.”
JMK’s continuing efficiency improvements and focus on client satisfaction was highlighted in the Lexcel report with over 40% of clients now using the firm’s bespoke JMK client App and an upgrade with further improvements planned. The report also acknowledged the Chat Bot implemented on the JMK website to assist clients further in communicating with the office
Speaking about JMK Solicitors’ widely publicised workweek reduction to a four-day week, the assessors concluded that the reduction of core working hours from 5 days to 4 days without compromising output, performance or employee remuneration is now well established and working effectively and continues to be “nothing short of an amazing achievement”.
Maurece Hutchinson, Managing Director at JMK Solicitors, commented, “We are delighted to have been awarded the Lexcel Quality Mark for the fifth year in a row.
She continued, “As a specialist law firm operating solely in the area of personal injury claims and road traffic accidents, we will continue to make a significant investment in both technology and our team to ensure we maintain the high standard set by the Lexcel quality mark and accreditation. The accreditation is a reassurance for our clients that they are dealing with a reputable firm that works above the recognised standards of excellence in legal practice and client care.”
“We pride ourselves in putting our clients first and we strive to do our absolute best for them, which is reflected by the fact that 99% of our clients would recommend us. We are looking forward to our official opening of our Derry~Londonderry office to provide a personal service to our clients in the North West.”
JMK Solicitors are Northern Ireland’s Number 1 Personal Injury Specialists. With a team of over 80 people including a team of personal injury experts, we assist clients all over Northern Ireland. If you have suffered a personal injury, been in a road traffic accident, had an accident at work or suffered a medical accident, contact our team for a free consultation.
Call us today on 028 9032 0222 or email us law@jmksolicitors.com
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Newry based commercial test house, Resonate Testing, has completed shock testing on hardware that will be used on the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Lunar Pathfinder spacecraft – a mission that will help lay the foundation for providing dedicated communications, navigation and operations services to upcoming explorations of the moon.
The company has been working in partnership with Dr Ben Kieniewicz from European Engineering and Consultancy Ltd (EECL) to conduct testing on the two payload modules that EECL is supplying ESA. These modules will provide the first ever SatNav position fix outside of earth’s orbit.
EECL was assigned the task of turning SpacePNT’s module into fully tested flight hardware, contributing to other design aspects, and additionally, designing a crucial world-class low noise amplifier (LNA) that boosts usable signals.
Resonate Testing, which previously conducted testing on the launch vehicle equipment for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), conducted Shock Response Spectrum (SRS) testing on both the NaviMoon global positioning software (GPS) - the first piece of hardware to be produced for ESA’s Moonlight Initiative - and the low noise amplifier.
The purpose of the testing was to ensure the design changes made by Dr Kieniewicz had resulted in an acceptable product that would be able to withstand the harsh ride of launch on a powerful moon rocket. The testing carried out by Resonate Testing’s team of engineers simulated the forces experienced by the components during rocket launch and the subsequent separation stage.
Managing Director of Resonate Testing, Tom Mallon spoke about the latest project, saying, “When Dr Ben Kieniewicz approached us about conducting testing on EECL’s hardware, we were delighted to get involved. There is so much potential and opportunity within the Space Industry and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work with companies in the UK Space Forum and refine our expertise in this area. We are proud to be able to accommodate this type of testing, in addition to any bespoke testing requirements for clients, which means that companies do not have to go outside of the UK for their testing services. Our partnership with EECL on this project was hugely successful, and it was great to be exposed to Dr Ben’s talent and design expertise.”
Dr Ben Kieniewicz, Founder and CEO of EECL, said, “When assigned the task of manufacturing and designing the NaviMoon receiver and LNA, my preference was to collaborate with a company that had previous experience in testing space components, and one within the UK. When I approached Tom and the team at Resonate Testing, I was impressed by their capability and expertise, and the fact that they could more than meet my requirements. The partnership has been hugely successful – the team’s insight, flexibility and attention to detail ensured the testing was carried out to the highest of standards, and the whole process was as seamless as could be.”
Lunar Pathfinder is due to launch in 2025 and will offer nearside, farside, orbit and polar services to missions launching in the coming years, laying the foundations for a constellation of combined telecommunications and navigation satellites around the Moon.
Resonate Testing has been providing high quality testing and certification services to companies globally since 2015. Whilst servicing all industrial sectors, the company’s work within the space sector has steadily increased in recent times with further projects planned over the next 12 months.
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Jollyes newly refurbished pet store in Newry are hosting a special ‘PetFest’ event for owners and their pets to enjoy this weekend.
Taking place at 10am on Saturday 27th August, the paw-some event will see a host of furry friends gather with their purr-ents at the popular Newry Jollyes store at 93 Armagh Rd.
Whether snoop-dog, Doggy Parton or Gordog Ramsey, Jollyes is encouraging Newry pet lovers to bring their pets as a famous look-alike to whether people are celebrating International Dog Day, (Friday, 26 August), taking the cat for constitutional or giving the hamster a break from its wheel.
The pup-arazzi will be out in force as customers join the fun in many ways, including taking advantage of the pet selfies booths and fancy dress up stations.
Additionally, key suppliers Mackle Petfoods from County Armagh and Belfast-based Frozzys will have special chew stations and ice-cream stands for your pet to sample at the festival. The suppliers will have representatives to answer questions on their high-quality products including the popular Jollyes’ Lifestage and K9 ranges.
This newly refurbished store in Newry is part of the retailer’s investment strategy as a result of growing success in Northern Ireland.
By the end of this summer every Jollyes store in Northern Ireland will receive new fascia with major refits in Newry, Cookstown, Enniskillen, Banbridge, Ballymena and Bangor.
In addition to the makeovers, Jollyes also installed LED lighting in each of its local stores at a cost of £20,000 per branch to be more sustainable and to improve the customer experience.
Jollyes regional manager for Northern Ireland, Laura Hadden said “We’re set for a day of celebration for Jollyes in Northern Ireland and we’re delighted to host this event for our loyal customers. We know, for many, pets have been a lifeline during the last few years and we’re looking forward to a day of paw-sitivity for people to celebrate their love for their furry friends.”
“It is also wonderful to be able to showcase products displayed by our partners at Mackle Petfoods and Frozzys who we work closely with to ensure we are providing the best quality food for Northern Ireland pets. We hope to see everyone come along and enjoy a morning of treats, photos and fun!”
Across the UK, Jollyes has grown its store estate by almost 30 per cent in a little over a year, makes it one of the fastest growing physical retailers in the UK.
To find out more visit www.jollyes.co.uk or follow us on Facebook @jollyesuk
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Recycling company Re-Gen has started work on its £30 million circular economy resource park in Newry which will involve 250 people in the construction of the new manufacturing and industrial units.
The eight-acre site in the Invest NI Carnbane Business Park will accommodate a number of operations including the manufacture of solid recovered fuel (SRF), making products from dry recyclables, a garage, and engineering workshop. A research and development unit will be located as well as a four-storey office block and new headquarters for the Re-Gen Group comprising Re-Gen Waste, Re-Gen Robotics and Connex Offsite.
Joseph Doherty, Managing Director at Re-Gen, said, “This is an exciting development for the Re-Gen Group. We consulted widely on our plans to allow the community to have their say and our design team has taken their comments on board in developing the proposals for the site. This has been a very constructive process.
“Employing special mechanical manufacturing processes, we will be producing SRF as a fossil fuel replacement on the site. We are progressing R&D trials and we will also develop products from dry recyclable material such as paper, plastic and glass on the site.”
Materials placed by householders in their blue, green and black bins are valuable resources to Re-Gen and the company has become industry leaders in developing the market for aluminium, glass, paper, cardboard, plastics and steel.
“We have a dedicated business development team working with Councils across Great Britain and Ireland to process their recycling materials,” added Mr Doherty.
“Recycling resources are important and we are committed to developing the circular economy of paper, card, plastic and glass. We will continue to work with manufacturers and outlets in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Great Britain. Our focus is on innovation and developing manufacturing facilities that close the recycling loop, create jobs at home and ultimately boost the Northern Ireland economy.
“We take environmental quality standards very seriously and work closely with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in order to operate our materials recovery facility.”
The project will secure the company’s 300 jobs in Newry and County Armagh.
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Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade have announced the date of their annual President’s Banquet. It will take place on Friday 21 October (12 noon to 3.30pm) at the Canal Court Hotel & Spa. This year’s theme will be a City of Celebration marking 20 years of city status.
The Banquet is one of the highlights of the business year in the city, with more than 200 guests expected from organisations across the Greater Newry area.
Julie Gibbons, Chamber President, commented “The Chamber has always been about businesses and individuals coming together, sharing ideas and supporting each other. We want to celebrate this collaborative spirit at the Banquet.
A panel of local business leaders involved in the city status bid will look back at how far we have come in 20 years. Headline speaker, Jayne Brady, Head of the NI Civil Service, will set out her vision for an NI of the future in her keynote address. This is an event not to be missed as we launch our inaugural Chamber President’s Awards in recognition of people who have made an inspirational contribution to the Greater Newry area.
We are grateful to Banquet sponsors Ulster Bank and the Canal Court Hotel & Spa for their support. We are delighted to have Southern Area Hospice and Saint Vincent de Paul as the Charity partners for the event too”.
Mairead McParland, Director at Canal Court Hotel & Spa said, “We are delighted to partner with Newry Chamber once again. The Canal Court, as the city’s largest hotel and conference facility, has a strong working relationship with the Chamber. Our professional staff will ensure a great afternoon for the Chamber’s guests and the local business community.”
Caroline McKeown, Senior Relationship Manager, Ulster Bank, commented “This event has become a firm fixture in the local business calendar and as we approach the banquet, we are looking forward to working with the team at Newry Chamber and growing our partnership even further.
“At Ulster Bank, we want to support businesses fulfil their ambition for success and it’s great to have such a committed partner in Newry Chamber to help us achieve this aim. This region has an important role to play in driving growth for the overall economy of Northern Ireland and, as we mark 20 years of Newry City status, it is a great opportunity to come together and celebrate the strength and success of the local business community.
Tickets for the Banquet can be reserved by contacting the Newry Chamber office via email admin@newrychamber.com.
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The very best employees and teams from the business community across the Greater Newry Area were celebrated at the Newry Chamber Employee & Team Awards 2022.
The glittering awards ceremony took place at the Canal Court Hotel & Spa on Thursday 8th September 2022 and honoured the achievements of 21 individuals and organisations.
The winners came from organisations of all sizes from start-ups to social enterprises, charities, family businesses right up to the major global players based here. The categories also reflected the key sectors in the region including retail, hospitality, professional services, construction, digital, manufacturing and engineering. The Overall Team of the Year went to Southern Area Hospice Services and Overall Employee of the Year went to Celine Grant from Re-Gen Waste. See full list of winners below.
Julie Gibbons, President of Newry Chamber said “There is no question the few years have been amongst the toughest times faced by businesses and society in general. However, from the over 150 award applications received by the Chamber, we can clearly see that the local economy is being driven by many hardworking, ambitious and talented people.”
“The Employee & Team Awards hold a special place for me, as this is the opportunity to really recognise our people. I often say to my team, that leaders are only as good as their team. I would say most business owners would say that if it wasn’t for the commitment, work and loyalty of their teams and “covid heroes”, we would never have made it through the last couple of difficult years.”
“The Greater Newry Area is recognised as a place synonymous with entrepreneurship, innovation, excellent service, product quality and customer care. This year’s awards have recognised the very best that this region’s business community has to offer. Well done to all individuals and teams that entered and congratulations to the winners.”
“The Awards could not happen without the generous support of our category sponsors. So we would like to thank them all. Newry BID, ABP Food Group, PureVent, U105, Collins Aerospace, Digney Grant, Gray Design, Bank of Ireland, Newry Reporter, Canal Court Hotel & Spa, Jack Murphy Jewellers, Newry Democrat, DELI LITES, AbbeyAutoline, Hinch Distillery, FD Technologies, Killeavy Castle Estate, Southern Regional College, mac-group and Translink.”
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A plant-based vegan Beets and Spirulina Crunch Pot, created by Irish food on the go brand, DELI LITES has won the Overall Product of the Year at the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards.
The news is a massive coup for the Warrenpoint-based food manufacturer which has won category prizes in each of the last five Irish Quality Food and Drink awards and this year had products nominated in four categories.
The winning Vegan, Plant based Salad Crunch Pot took top prize from more than a thousand entries, representing the best of the island’s food and drink products. It combines Sweet Beetroot hummus, Chickpea, Lentil and Quinoa, with a Crunchy Pickled Shredded Beetroot and Cabbage Slaw topped with Peppery Rocket Leaves and finished with a Spirulina Dressing. DELI LITES develops its own unique dressings through collaboration between its in-house nutritionist and award winning development chefs. The Crunch Pot product was launched in June across a range of Northern Ireland based retailers including Centra, Mace, Supervalu, and a number of independents.
As well as winning Gold for its Beets and Spirulina Crunch Pot in the Vegan / Vegetarian Other Items Category, DELI LITES picked up Bronze awards for its Hoisin Chicken and Spiced Noodle Wrap in the Food To Go Category and its Hashbrown Topped Breakfast Tósta in the Food Service Category.
DELI LITES’ Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Jackie Reid said the win represented a major milestone for the brand.
“To have achieved four nominations and to win the biggest prize on the night at what are acknowledged as the Irish Food and Drink Oscars, is testament to our chef-led new product development team and the insightful grasp they have of upcoming trends in healthy and convenient, food on the go lunch options.
“The Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards are renowned throughout the industry for their rigorous and stringent judging process. Using a combination of ranking and discussion, the panel of judging experts identify and award stand-out products using well-established IQFDA criteria.
“These awards are based on taste, flavour, texture, aroma, ingredients list, provenance, packaging, product appearance, price point, value for money and innovation, so we are particularly proud.”
The Overall Product of the Year is awarded once all general category judging has been complete and symbolises the product which the panel agree is truly outstanding and worthy of the ultimate accolade.
DELI LITES’ Food Innovation Manager, Gary McDowell added: “The brief for this product was to create something that was different – something innovative, healthy that a consumer could eat on the run. But it had to be vibrant, colourful, nutritious, with clear health benefits. What we produced ticked all those boxes and was plant based into the bargain.
“Beets are great for supporting energy levels and helping muscle recovery while Spirulina is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Meanwhile, the pulses provide protein and fibre, and absorb the flavours of the dressing, making it the best plant-based lunch on the move.”
DELI LITES is a fast-moving Irish food success story on an international growth journey.
With three key brands in its award-winning stable of food on the go options DELI LITES is carving out a reputation as a true innovator, market disruptor, responsible corporate citizen and an organisation focused on the wellbeing and development of its team.
Its customer includes stellar names from retail and food service.
Established in 1998 and led by co-founders, Brian and Jackie Reid, the business supplies a range of hand-crafted food-to-go products to a host of major retailers across Ireland, the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world. It produces over 40million products annually and employs more than 200 people.
Brian Reid, DELI LITES’ Co-Founder and CEO continued: “Over the last five years, we have experienced exponential growth, securing new contracts with major multiplies, cafe chains and blue-chip customers worldwide. With chef-led innovation, our products are healthy, tasty, and convenient and therefore appeal to a wide-ranging consumer base.”
DELI LITES had products nominated across four categories, namely: Hoi Sin & Chicken Noodle Wrap (Food to Go); Vegan Festive D’uk and Glazed Beetroot Wrap (Christmas); Beets & Spirulina Crunch Pot (Vegan/Vegetarian) and Hashbrown Topped Breakfast Tósta (Food Service).
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UlsterMUX Ltd, a non profit company based in Newry has announced plans to apply for a Small Scale DAB license for the Newry and Banbridge areas which has recently been advertised by the UK radio regulator (Ofcom).
Small Scale DAB (SSDAB) is a new way of transmitting digital radio that uses advances in software and low-cost computer technology to provide a flexible and inexpensive approach to the terrestrial broadcast of digital radio services to more local geographic areas than traditional DAB.
The team behind UlsterMUX Ltd. have a combined total experience of over 100 years in Radio Communications, Broadcast, Advanced IP Networks and Computer Programming – most of this in the local area.
If successful in our licence bid, the UlsterMUX team have the knowledge and experience to get this project to launch at the earliest possible instance. We will also be carrying out every aspect of this project in house, without the need for external expensive subcontractors or advisors.
If awarded the SSDAB license for the Newry area, we promise to never compromise on bitrates or audio quality and every penny raised will be pumped back into sustaining and improving this very important Community resource.
Several slots are still available for stations holding (or intending to obtain) an Ofcom DSP license to be included on their transmission system. They are also offering discounts to stations which broadcast in the Irish or Ulster Scots languages.
If you would like more information email info@ulstermux.com or call them on 028 (048 from RoI) 3082 8070
Their full public website will launch on October 14th at https://ulstermux.com
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