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T Level Partnerships at Notre Dame

T Levels are Level 3 qualifications that are equivalent to three A-levels. They were created in collaboration with employers and businesses, so the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for work. Students are provided with a genuine experience of the workplace through practical learning via a 315-hour or 45-day industry placement. We…

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North Yorkshire homebuilders celebrate 17 years of five-star customer ratings

Leading housebuilders Barratt and David Wilson Homes have once again received the maximum five-star rating in the new Home Builders Federation (HBF) annual New Homes Customer Satisfaction Survey. This is the 17th year in a row that Barratt and David Wilson Homes have achieved the top five-star rating – an accomplishment no other major housebuilder has…

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Accu to present FightFest at Smart Manufacturing Week

Leading precision engineering screw supplier Accu is bringing a thrilling, exciting and engineering-driven combat robotics tournament with FightFest to Smart Manufacturing Week held at the NEC in Birmingham on June 3rd and 4th. FightFest, presented by Accu, is a high-energy one-on-one combat robotics exhibit designed to add drama and excitement to Smart Manufacturing Week, making it…

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Excitement builds as the LEGO Group announces April launch date at Trinity Leeds

Excitement is building as the LEGO Group announces its new store will open at Trinity Leeds on Thursday, 23rd April. The 456sq m store will give shoppers the chance to fully immerse themselves in the world of LEGO building – with specially-designed, Yorkshire-inspired LEGO models available to see and pose with on launch day. The new…

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LCB reaches regional apprenticeship awards finals with 13 shortlistings

Leeds College of Building (LCB) is a finalist for 13 awards across ten categories at this year’s West Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards. The annual awards event celebrates outstanding apprentices, employers, and training providers across fields such as engineering, law, and construction. This year will mark the fourth edition of the awards, first set up in 2022…

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Leeds Beckett Cyber Security degree fully certified by the National Cyber Security Centre

Leeds Beckett University has announced that its BSc (Hons) Cyber Security degree is now fully certified by the National Cyber Security Centre, a part of GCHQ. The certification places Leeds Beckett among a small group of UK universities to hold full certification for an undergraduate cyber security degree, recognising the quality and rigour of the…

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The Smarter Way to Support and Improve Microsoft 365

“Structured support and continuous improvement for the solutions you rely on” Most businesses don’t set out to build complex Microsoft 365 environments. It starts with a few flows. A SharePoint site. A Teams‑based process that works well… until it doesn’t. Over time, Microsoft 365 ends up supporting important day‑to‑day business processes but keeping everything running…

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Accu components power round-the world sailor in support of young adult cancer charity

Huddersfield-based precision engineering component company Accu is celebrating the success of Northumbrian adventurer and sailor Adam Waugh, who recently completed a 28,000-nautical-mile journey across some of the world’s most formidable oceans in a 19-foot yacht he built in his garden shed. Every nut, bolt and screw holding Little Wren together was supplied by Accu, whose…

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AAB appoints Jon Grainger as Chief Operating Officer 

Professional services firm, AAB, has announced the appointment of Jon Grainger as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. Jonathon will lead AAB’s technology, operations and integration teams, driving the next phase of operational excellence and enabling the firm to embed end-to-end automation capability throughout its business operations. Jon joins AAB at a time of accelerated innovation across the…

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Research partnership secures bright future for Guiseley bakery with new products, branding and growth

A research-led partnership between Leeds Beckett University (LBU) and Haighs Bakery in Guiseley has brought together marketing students and academics to launch new product ranges, branding and social media accounts, and a unique Master Baker Experience, helping to secure the long-term growth and sustainability of the Leeds family bakery. The project is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), part-funded…

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Chadwick Lawrence expands into the North East with new Darlington office

Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors has opened a new office in Darlington, marking a significant step in the firm’s expansion into the North East. The firm’s ninth office, based in Business Central – just a two-minute walk from Darlington train station – will provide commercial, practical, and supportive legal advice to businesses and individuals across County Durham,…

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Public consultation on proposed rail upgrades between Standedge and Gledholt (Huddersfield) extended

The public consultation on proposed rail upgrades between Standedge and Gledholt has been extended, giving communities in and around Huddersfield more time to share their views. The consultation, which opened on Monday 16 February 2026, has been extended until Friday 24 April 2026. The extension provides a further opportunity for residents, businesses and stakeholders to…

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AAB launches ‘Office of the CFO’ service to support growing businesses with flexible finance leadership

In response to the increasingly complex trading environment for businesses, professional services firm, AAB, has launched a new ‘Office of the CFO’ service designed to give organisations the ability to strengthen their finance leadership and gain clarity in their numbers without the difficulties of recruitment of finance professionals at all levels. Businesses across the UK are facing more challenges than ever before – from inflationary…

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A fusion of street food favourites arrive at Trinity Kitchen

Trinity Kitchen is back with an unbeatable new line-up of mouth-watering dishes. From bold fusion flavours to crowd-pleasing classics including Pan-Asian fried chicken and traditional poutine, this latest drop is set to put smiles upon faces. Guests can sample some of Trinity Kitchen’s favourites, including Jimmy Macks, Luigi Street Food Italiano, Spuds & Bro’s, Wagyu Lookin’ At? and Yoi Fried Chicken,…

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Are You Ready for 6 April Changes?

Major changes are on the way that might impact both your income and your business. From Making Tax Digital (MTD), relief reforms and employment law changes – the way you run and reward your business is set to change. Our experts have pulled together what you need to know, what to plan for, and the…

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Viva Leeds Vegas! Trinity Leeds raises the roof with plans for ‘Sphere’-Style Dome

Leeds looks set to get its own Las Vegas-style ‘Sphere’ complete with dazzling LED rooftop displays, according to exciting new plans unveiled today. Unlike the revolutionary Las Vegas Sphere, which was a $2.3bn purpose-built arena, ‘T’Yorkshire Sphere’ will be housed on the iconic Trinity Leeds glass-domed roof. Lighting up the city’s skyline with hundreds of…

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The Secrets of Succession

Part One – Introduction Published research has repeatedly shown that only a very small minority of family businesses survive intact for more than two generations of ownership. But there is, equally, clear evidence that this is not an inevitable outcome and that (not surprisingly) effective planning is the key to success. For example, findings published…

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50,000 tonnes of ballast, 11.5km of track, 5,515 sleepers: the numbers behind TRU’s next series of major upgrades

Throughout May and June, Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) teams will take another huge step in delivering faster, more frequent trains on a greener railway across the North, through a series of engineering works between Huddersfield and Leeds. From Saturday 2 May until Monday 25 May, 56 engineering trains will be deployed along this stretch of…

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Gamesmania® powers up the Merrion Centre this Easter

Retro arcade fun, immersive gaming and family entertainment arrive in Leeds The Merrion Centre is set to level up the Easter holidays with the arrival of Gamesmania®, an exciting pop-up gaming event running from Saturday 4th April to Saturday 11th April, bringing interactive entertainment for all ages into the heart of the city. Open daily from 10:00am…

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University of Leeds ‘Growing Well Study’ to launch pop-up research hub at Merrion Centre

Families invited to participate in child health research in central Leeds The Merrion Centre continues to diversify its city centre offering with the arrival of a new research-led pop-up from the University of Leeds this April. Located in an upper-balcony level retail unit, the temporary ‘Growing Well Study’ hub will open on 8th April and provide…

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Buy-to-let property in West Yorkshire: Rental yields and capital growth around Leeds

West Yorkshire continues to be a key area of interest for buy-to-let property, particularly for those looking beyond Leeds city centre and into the surrounding suburbs and commuter towns. While Leeds remains a strong economic hub, many buyers are now exploring nearby areas where entry prices are more accessible and rental yields can be comparatively…

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Step into a Woodland Wonderland this Easter at White Rose

White Rose Shopping Centre invites families to enjoy free crafting sessions with a woodland adventure theme from Tuesday 7th to Sunday 12th April. Guests can get creative from 10am – 4pm each day in White Rose’s Central Atrium, near the escalators leading to The Balcony and The Village. Little ones can let their imaginations run wild during…

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Our brand evolves for the future…

Over the past 27 years we’ve helped thousands of companies across the UK evolve their brands or completely rebrand through visual display. Now, as we enter our next chapter, it felt right to give ourselves the same treatment. Reaching 27 years in business has given us a rare chance to pause, look back and ask…

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Chadwick Lawrence strengthens wills and probate team with two new appointments

Northern law firm Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors has expanded its wills and probate team with the appointment of solicitors Helena Wong and Tom Grice. Helena Wong joins the firm as a solicitor specialising in probate matters, including taxable and non-taxable estates, as well as wills and lasting powers of attorney. Helena brings a strong blend of…

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Town Centre Securities PLC Donates 500 Easter Eggs to Yorkshire Children’s Charity

Leeds-based property investment and car park operator Town Centre Securities PLC (TCS) has supported this year’s Easter campaign in partnership with Yorkshire Children’s Charity, donating 500 Easter eggs to help bring joy to vulnerable children across the region. The donation forms part of a wider coordinated effort to ensure that children who may otherwise go…

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Carbon Neutral Group reveals why sustainability plans can fail and how businesses can fix this

Consultancy shares some tips on how to create a good starting point when it comes down to sustainability Carbon Neutral Group, one of the UK’s fastest-growing carbon neutral and sustainability consultancies has revealed why some businesses have sustainability plans that can fail and how brands can prevent this happening. Most organisations now recognise the need…

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20 years and 180 million miles: TransPennine Express marks milestone for Class 185 fleet

TransPennine Express (TPE) has marked 20 years of its Class 185 trains with a special celebration at Siemens Mobility’s Ardwick depot in Manchester. The event recognised two decades of an award-winning fleet that has become a backbone of rail travel across the North, travelling almost 180 million miles – the equivalent of circling the earth…

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Sentio strengthens deal team as market activity picks up

Leeds-based corporate finance firm Sentio Partners has expanded its team, adding depth to its deal delivery capability and continuing its investment in early-career talent as market activity increases. On the back of a strong year with multiple high profile deals across Business Services, Healthcare and Industrials, the firm has appointed Ollie Francis as Assistant Manager…

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Caribbean streetfood favourite Jerk Junction announces Trinity Kitchen launch

Foodie fans can enjoy a taste of the Caribbean at Trinity Kitchen as Jerk Junction prepares to join the line-up. Serving up real, authentic Caribbean flavours, Jerk Junction will offer mouth-watering dishes, from dumplings and jerk chicken – flame-grilled and packed with authentic island spices – to rice and peas and curried goat. The street…

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Work underway on new £100m TrainCare Centre in Shipley

The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has this week welcomed Leader of Bradford Council, Susan Hinchcliffe, Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw and Councillor Liz Rowe to its Shipley site, where the programme is investing over £100m in the construction of a new TrainCare Centre. The rail depot will initially be used to house and maintain Northern’s fleet of…

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Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College named finalist for FE College of the Year

Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College, based on the outskirts of Leeds City Centre, has been shortlisted in recognition of its commitment to academic excellence, student support and innovative partnerships that help prepare young people for their future. The college welcomes students from across Leeds and provides an inclusive learning environment focused on both academic…

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Accu wins Exporter of the Year Award!

Accu, the Huddersfield-based precision engineering component distributor, has won the prestigious ‘Exporter of the Year’ category at the ‘Made in Yorkshire’ awards, held at the Royal Armouries in Leeds last week.  The company, alongside the other category winners from the evening, will now go forward to the national Made in the UK Awards in June. Accu…

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Chadwick Lawrence donates £2,500 to support a number of initiatives this Ramadan

Law firm Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors has donated £2,500 to a number of initiatives over Ramadan, as part of its ongoing charitable work. The firm held an Iftar at its Leeds office on 5th March, bringing together colleagues from across its eight West Yorkshire offices to break the fast at sunset. Open to colleagues of all faiths…

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Made in Yorkshire returns at Trinity Leeds and White Rose to inspire the next generation of retail talent

Trinity Leeds and White Rose Shopping Centre have once again hosted their industry-led challenge, ‘Made in Yorkshire’, welcoming three local schools to compete in a ‘Dragons’ Den’-style pitch. Made in Yorkshire is a cross-school competition that challenges students to design an innovative community space for the city, before competing in a live pitch to present…

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Why Microsoft MVP expertise gives your business a strategic advantage

Microsoft’s ecosystem is shifting faster than ever, new AI features, platform changes, governance updates and Copilot capabilities arrive monthly. For most businesses, that pace creates a simple challenge: how do you make confident decisions when the technology won’t sit still? That’s where recognised expertise matters and why partners backed by Microsoft MVP leadership, like iThink…

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New LCB Assistant Principal to steer partnerships and adult provision

A former director in the education and training sector has joined Leeds College of Building (LCB) as Assistant Principal -Partnerships & Adults. Carly Sidebottom joins LCB in the new role following her position as Director of Business Strategy & Compliance at regional training provider, Total Training Provision. Prior to that, Carly served as Head of…

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Leeds shopping centre and Yorkshire art organisation team up to raise breast cancer awareness during National Self-Check Month

Yorkshire art organisation Sand in Your Eye has partnered with White Rose Shopping Centre to showcase an impactful display highlighting the importance of breast cancer awareness: seven unique nude torsos, each sculpted from ice and snow. Created to illustrate the statistic that one in seven people will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in their life…

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Serendipity, strategy and the power of partnerships – Professor Duncan Sharp reflects on leadership, partnership and the power of opportunity

Leeds Beckett academic Professor Duncan Sharp will be sharing insights into how his career has been shaped as much by unexpected conversations as by deliberate choice during his inaugural professorial lecture. In the lecture on Wednesday 11 March, Professor Sharp will explore how his career has been shaped not by a single planned pathway, but by the interaction…

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Huddersfield company Accu takes part in trade mission designed to strengthen business opportunities across Europe

Alastair Morris, Managing Director of Huddersfield-based Accu, one of the UK’s fastest growing distributors of precision engineering components, travelled to Switzerland and Germany last week as part of Mayor Tracy Brabin’s West Yorkshire trade mission. Alastair was invited to join the trade mission due to his high-profile work championing UK advanced manufacturing. he was part of…

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Notre Dame News – Industry & Skills

Hyde Park Picture House Cinema Takeover: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Students at Notre Dame returned to Hyde Park Picture House on Sunday 18th January for their cinema takeover project. This is an invaluable opportunity for students to organise and facilitate their very own film screening. The project allows our students to gain invaluable insight and experience…

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Leeds Beckett University launches unique Leeds City Challenge to power student-led innovation across the city

Leeds Beckett University has officially launched the Leeds City Challenge, a bold new initiative designed to harness student and graduate entrepreneurship to tackle real-world challenges facing Leeds. The launch event, held this morning, brought together civic leaders, business figures, entrepreneurs, staff and students to kick-start a programme focused on place-based innovation, inclusive growth and tangible…

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Leeds locals invited to be part of 400-Portrait celebration

To mark 400 years since Leeds received its Royal Charter, award-winning creative studio Buttercrumble is embarking on an ambitious creative challenge: to illustrate 400 portraits of the people who make Leeds, Leeds. During March, Buttercrumble’s twin-founders, Chloe and Abigail Baldwin, will capture residents’ faces in a celebratory drawathon designed to reflect the city’s diversity, warmth…

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Accu set to inspire young minds with robotics at UK’s largest 3D printing festival

Accu, a Huddersfield-based engineering business that supplies 50% of the world’s top manufacturers with precision engineering components, is proud to be a platinum sponsor at the UK’s largest 3D printing festival, SMRRF (Sanjay Mortimer RepRap Festival) in Manchester; 7-8th March. Attending SMRRF for the first time, Accu will be giving live demonstrations of its ‘AccuBots’ combat…

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Rail services between Huddersfield and Leeds to be impacted during May & June as part of major upgrade works

Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) rail engineering work will be undertaken throughout May and June, with significant disruption expected between Huddersfield and Leeds. In addition, trains will not call at Huddersfield on weekends in April. These closures will enable the safe delivery of critical infrastructure upgrades, including track and drainage renewals, bridge works, signalling improvements, and…

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New Leeds Beckett University partnership to simplify solar energy adoption for businesses

Electronic engineering and computer science experts at Leeds Beckett University (LBU) are partnering with Huddersfield-based Zenergy Solar on a research-led project designed to make large-scale solar energy systems easier to install, monitor and manage – particularly for organisations operating across multiple sites. The collaboration brings together LBU’s expertise in computing, data systems and applied research…

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Beyond burnout: why flow state is your competitive advantage

Your team is working longer hours than ever, sending midnight emails, working weekends in the office, and receiving performance reviews that reward presenteeism. Yet productivity plateaus, sickness absence rises, and your strongest performers begin to disengage and quietly explore other opportunities. This is the paradox of hustle culture in modern business: the belief that more…

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AAB acquires fractional finance support business to strengthen support for start-ups and scale-ups

Leading professional services firm, AAB, has today announced the acquisition of RORA, a specialist finance support business focused on start-ups and scale-ups. London-based RORA provides fractional finance leadership to early-stage and high-growth businesses, operating as their dedicated finance team or as specialist support to existing in-house finance functions. The acquisition further strengthens AAB’s capability to…

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Celebrating 150 years of Leeds Girls’ High School

This year marks a remarkable milestone in the history of education in Leeds: 150 years since the founding of Leeds Girls’ High School (LGHS). Established in 1876, at a time when academic opportunities for girls were still limited, LGHS was founded with a bold vision — to provide girls with an education equal in rigour…

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