At We Are Wakefield (WAW), we believe in community, collaboration, and making a positive impact. So, when the opportunity arose to roll up our sleeves and support The Prince of Wales Hospice in Pontefract, our members jumped at the chance.

On a sunny Thursday morning, armed with enthusiasm and a can-do spirit, our WAW crew—comprising of fantastic individuals from local businesses—descended upon the hospice grounds. Let me introduce you to our dynamic squad:

1. Karen, David, Kyle, and Grace from Handelsbanken Wakefield: These financial wizards brought their banking prowess and a willingness to tackle any task. David, the Sweeping Maestro, armed with a sweeping brush, David kept our paths clear and our spirits high.
2. Rowana from Nosh Rocks: Our no-carbs expert, Rowana, was ready to whip up some magic—though this time, it was garden magic!
3. Jez from Pennine Recruitment: Jez, our recruitment guru, proved that he’s not just about finding the right people for jobs; he’s also a pro at jet washing.
4. Louise from The Northern Badge Company: Louise, with her eye for detail, ensured that no nook or cranny escaped our cleaning frenzy.
5. Jodie from Affordable Accountancy Solutions (aka Jet Wash Jodie): Jodie lived up to her nickname, wielding the jet wash like a superhero.

And of course, our hosts, Colin and Adrian from The Prince of Wales Hospice, guided us through the day.

Our Mission: Dismantle, Clean, and Transform

Our tasks were as diverse as our team. First, we tackled a large marquee, dismantling it with precision. Then came the heavy floor panels—cue Jez’s jet wash magic. The gardens received some much-needed TLC, and the walkways sparkled after Jodie’s path-cleaning prowess.

By the end of the day, we were a mix of sweat, laughter, and camaraderie. Poor Jez might have been drenched, but his smile never wavered. David’s sweeping skills were unmatched, and everyone got to know each other beyond business cards and LinkedIn profiles.

Networking with Heart

As we worked side by side, we realized that networking isn’t just about exchanging business cards—it’s about building connections, sharing stories, and supporting one another. And all this while contributing to an incredible cause.

The Prince of Wales Hospice provides vital care to those facing life-limiting illnesses. As a charity, they rely on community support. Our efforts today—whether moving marquee panels or scrubbing garden paths—directly contributed to their mission.

At WAW, we’re passionate about collaboration, and this volunteering day embodied that spirit. We left tired but fulfilled, knowing that our teamwork had made a difference.

So, here’s to more days of rolling up our sleeves, networking with heart, and supporting amazing charities. That’s what We Are Wakefield is all about.

 

 

 

 

Pierrepont is a firm of Chartered Management Accountants based in Wakefield & Holmfirth.

Operating over the last twelve years Pierrepont has a wealth of experience  working with and supporting the owners of SME’s providing the following:-

• Bookkeeping & payroll services
• Interim management & year end accounts
• Advisory including tax planning, business start-ups & exit strategies
• Wealth management

The Pierrepont team of nine are friendly and professional, with a very high client retention rate. As a client, we are always right by your side, giving you the service that you never thought you could afford.  Solutions and services provided are client specific.

For example, bookkeeping is £21.50 per hour, payroll & pension  administration for a team of four is £8 (weekly paid) £15.75 (monthly paid). Typically, year end accounts + tax return  £150 (sole trader), £495 (Ltd co. All costs are + VAT.

Wherever possible Pierrepont will work with the latest digital solutions incl. Xero, Quickbooks & Sage, to provide our clients with timely information that is cost effective, relevant & meaningful

Contact Pierrepont:

support@pierrepont. Accountants / www.pierrepont.accountants /  01924 950988

 

Jonathan Hill

Second Chance is a registered Charity that provides specialist support for people with brain injury and deliver help and advice to their families and friends.

We offer therapy-led day centres in the heart of Wakefield and support work in the community across West Yorkshire providing effective rehabilitation services delivered by dedicated, professional and compassionate staff.

Our Patrons are Mr Neil Fox MBE, Ms Gaynor Barnes, Mr John Godber OBE. Please considering helping us to continue to support people with brain injuries and their families. https://gofund.me/f2f56d97

Nathan Garbutt-Moore

Our registered Charity No is 1121645.

Turning Point Talking Therapies is the free talking therapies service for those 16+ across the entire Wakefield District.

Turning Point is known within community more so for the substance use services at Inspiring Recovery and Inspiring Futures, however Talking Therapies has been around since 2009 (formerly known as Right Steps) providing common mental health support in the form of therapy.

Talking therapies are psychological treatments for mental and emotional problems like stress, anxiety and depression. There are lots of different types of talking therapy, but they all involve working with a trained therapist. This may be one-to-one, in a group, online, over the phone or with your partner (couples therapy).

For one-to-one therapy or groups, Talking Therapies services can be accessed via a self-referral via the website https://talking.turning-point.co.uk/support or over the phone 01924 234 860.

Talking Therapies also deliver regular live workshops that anyone in the district can sign up to, take a look at some of the upcoming topics https://talking.turning-point.co.uk/workshops . Additionally, Talking Therapies have produced three on demand workshops that can also be viewed by anyone https://talking.turning-point.co.uk/events .

If you would like to book a therapist to deliver a workshop for an event or team meeting, please contact us on [email protected] or 01924 234 860.

Employment Support is a recent exciting addition to the Talking Therapies offer, available to clients with a treatment plan agreed.

For more information visit the website https://talking.turning-point.co.uk/support and follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TurningPointTalkingTherapies/  and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wakefieldtalkingtherapies?igsh=MW51c2FvYzBsdTNjcg==

Joe Nicholson

SPC act as a guide through the labyrinth of the vehicle procurement process. Minimising the stress of this for clients that are restricted on time.

We source, an extensive range of vehicles for purchase or contract hire for either business or personal use. Check out our awesome Trustpilot reviews.

An exciting new division of SPC is Selectric… a range of select, high quality, electric vehicles available on business or personal contract hire.

As an independent finance broker, we can put competitive funding in place too for any vehicle, even if you have found your own car or are looking to restructure finance on a car you already own.

Commercial asset finance is also available, including lorries, plant or machinery.

Adrian Hogarth

Featherstone Rovers has been established as a Rugby League Club since 1921 the club has a wealth of history and has been well known for being the small Mining Town in Yorkshire that produces some fine Rugby League players. Later nicknamed the colliers the majority of the Featherstone outfit worked for the National Coal Board.

The Featherstone District had long been a fertile breeding ground of fine Rugby Footballers. ‘Forwards as hard as the coal they hewed’ ‘Featherstone may well be the smallest community in the country to maintain a professional football team.’

 The club has gone on to enjoy many a success including 3 Challenge Cup wins, the club currently plays in the Betfred Championship League and finished League Leaders in 2023.

The club is situated in the heart of the community and Featherstone Rovers Foundation the official Charity of the Rovers run some fantastic community engagement programmes to help the local community lead happier, more fulfilled and active lifestyles The use the power of sport and the Rovers brand to help tackle local issues in Featherstone and the wider Wakefield District.

Amy Hardman – Head of Featherstone Rovers Foundation said ‘It is fantastic for both club and Foundation to be a partner of WAW, since joining it has enabled us to become more connected with organisations within the District, which is supporting our programmes and outreach. We have also hosted some of the monthly meets here at the Millennium Stadium – which are always fantastic events. We look forward to the year ahead and what exciting collaborations this will bring. UTR’

Bluestone is an FCA accredited, award-winning, independent broker based in Wakefield with over 27 years’ experience providing UK businesses with finance solutions to help them grow.

 

Taking pride in their ethical and consultative approach, Bluestone make things simple, move quickly, offer exceptional value, and enable funding to happen where others can’t.

 

With access to one of the largest funding panels in the UK, Bluestone support businesses in finding the best solution for their circumstances, including:

 

• Finance for a wide range of assets across multiple sectors.
• Cashflow finance solutions (including loans for VAT, Tax & Invoice Finance)
• Revolving Credit Facilities.
• Vehicle Finance.

The Bluestone Portal

 

In addition to having a team of dedicated account managers on hand to support, Bluestone has an online end-to-end finance platform, The Bluestone Portal, that allows you to:

 

• Access quick and affordable finance quotes.
• Submit applications online both for your own business, and your customers.
• Track your application progress from a personalised dashboard.
• E-Sign documents.
• Get quick (& in some cases instant) finance decisions.
• Go from a quote to payout in as little as 20-minutes.

Contact Bluestone: [email protected] | www.bluestone.app | 0330 135 8660

Joshua Atkinson

“Jigsaw Business Support offers comprehensive virtual assistance tailored for businesses, streamlining administrative tasks, efficient business management, handling VAT quarterly returns and bookkeeping. By seamlessly integrating into clients’ operations, Jigsaw serves as the missing piece to their organisational puzzle, providing expert support and enabling businesses to focus on their core objectives while ensuring compliance, accuracy, and operational efficiency in all financial and administrative aspects.”

Kerry Longley

Caitlin Longley

Castleford Academy Trust, established in 2013, comprises of two secondary academies: Castleford Academy and Crofton Academy; and three primary academies: Park Junior Academy, Glasshoughton Infant Academy and Three Lane Ends Academy. Each academy is based within the Wakefield district.

 Castleford Academy Trust is committed to “working together to achieve excellence for all”, and, in our pursuit of excellence, we work hard to ensure that no child is left behind. The Trust puts pupils at the heart of everything we do. In our commitment to excellence, we place ourselves at the forefront of educational developments, creating an environment that is innovative, a positive climate for learning and attainment, and fully supports pupil’s social and emotional developments.

 Castleford Academy Trust is committed to working together to provide the best outcomes for children within the community. We aim to raise pupil expectations and aspirations through teaching and learning, effective leadership and the sharing of outstanding practice.

Adam Fletcher  James Clare

 

Please join us to congratulate Mint HR, our latest membership upgrade on renewal.

 

Mint HR offers a bespoke level of Human Resources support to small businesses.

The team are experts at helping companies be compliant and deal with the challenges of managing employees. They take the time to fully understand your needs before producing easy to digest, no-nonsense solutions that are right for your business.

Mint HR can be either fully integrated with your business or simply be on hand to act as a sounding board or provide ad hoc support for any steps of an employee’s life cycle.

With Mint HR, there’s no lengthy contracts or retainers. Instead, offering unique HR Support Packages of hours. These packages have no expiry date, meaning every second of your package is dedicated to supporting you and your business at the times you need it most.

Director, Tracy Carpenter, said: “Team Mint are so proud to be supporting the wonderful We Are Wakefield. It’s networking with a pulse and so much more than just 60 second pitches. It’s a group of great local businesses who want every other Wakefield business to also thrive and succeed.