Happy New Year from the We Are Wakefield team.

We can’t wait to see you in 2023 with some amazing events already organised and lots more to come.

We kick off the new year with our Quiz night at The Quarry, Horbury with a Burns Night celebration on 25th January.  Who’ll take home the WAW Quiz Trophy as The Quizzy Rascals defend their title as champions?  Click the image below for more information:

We get back to networking on Friday 3rd February as Theatre Royal Wakefield play host to our key speaker Simon Lightwood MP.  Simon is Labour MP for Wakefield and Shadow Transport Minister.

March takes us up the road to the beautiful Wakefield Cathedral where Managing Director of Haribo UK & Ireland, Jon Hughes, will be telling us about their place within the district.

April sees a change in day due to Easter and our new members Yorkshire Sculpture Park invite you to The Weston on MONDAY 3rd April.

More information about all the events and how to attend can be found here:

We Are Wakefield · Representing diverse sectors around Wakefield and Five Towns

See you soon!

Claire and the We Are Wakefield team

Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd is a family run company that provides person centred care and support to adults in their own homes.

They are passionate about quality care and focused on making a positive difference within the local community. They are committed to ensuring the highest standards of care is delivered, which is why their team of care professionals receive rigorous training and development from accredited in-house trainers.

Meeting people’s needs is extremely important to Complete Care West Yorkshire, which is why they work in partnership with many other health and social care services.

Sara told us, “As the owner and Registered Manager for Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd, I am extremely proud of what my team have achieved over the last 15 years. Our success is due to the continued hard work and dedication of the entire team, which is evident from our Care Quality Commission rating and the positive feedback received. We are excited to announce that our company and the team are through to the National Care Finals for the Great British Care Awards after recently winning three Regional Awards for; Home Care Registered Managers Award; Home Care Coordinator Award and Home Care Team. This is a fantastic result and a testament to everyone’s efforts”.

Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd continues to go from strength to strength, in providing a vital service to adults within our local community and training future care professionals.

Look out for Sara & Wayne at our events!

Photo Credit: JaJa Photography

A huge welcome to new We Are Wakefield members, The Poured Project! 

Reinforcing the diversity of the businesses involved in WAW we visited Claire (photographed here on the right with Solupak General Manager and WAW Board Director, Helen McDonald) at their workshop to find out more.

The Poured Project is the shared passion of a small team of experts in concrete production. Founded by Claire and Andy Pedley, a British furniture maker with years of training in restoration and bespoke design, the family-run, Knottingley-based studio creates exceptional concrete pieces for residential and commercial interiors.

Versatile and incredibly durable, concrete has a raw beauty akin to natural stone but can be combined with an array of pigments and cast into any shape. This means that, with the right expertise, the possibilities for bespoke design are endless.

Using the highest quality components sourced from local suppliers, they have elevated concrete production into a craft, using this hard wearing material to create anything from striking wall cladding to sculptural basins.

The collaborations with other We Are Wakefield members have already begun for The Poured Project as they are testing Solupak’s sustainable cleaning products on their stunning creations and teaming up with JaJa Photography  to get some professional shots of their stunning creations!

Welcome to Affordable Accountancy Solutions. They are a  local, dependable Accountancy team who care about how much tax the self-employed pay.

Affordable Accountancy has over 14 years of experience providing professional Accounting services throughout Wakefield and surrounding areas. They offer various services that can benefit someone seeking an Accountant, such as;

-Self Assessments

-LTD Company Accounts

-Bookkeeping

-Tax Returns

-Partnerships

-Payroll

-CIS

They pride themselves on going above and beyond for their clients and their staff as celebrated at The Wakefield Business Awards when they reached the final three of Wakefield District Employer of the Year. Being a close knit team, their clients love the personal, friendly service they offer. Due to their no-appointment policy, you will always be welcome to chat about anything that may be worrying you.

They pride themselves on going above and beyond for their clients and love meeting other businesses local to the area. Don’t hesitate to say hello to Jodie and the team at our First Friday events or check out their fantastic new website here:

Home – Affordable Accountancy Solutions (affordableaccountancysolutionsltd.co.uk)

 

We’re loving the We Are Wakefield jingle that will support Community Foundation:Wakefield District’s Fuel Poverty campaign #CHALLENGE25

 

Here’s what writer, performer and WAW member Jenna had to say about it,

“Today I got to write a song about We Are Wakefield, the fastest growing business network in the Wakefield District. This was a pleasure to write since I know MD CLAIRE Sutherley really well and have a lot to thank her for, and because I’m also a very happy member of We Are Wakefield myself!

I am raising money to help tackle fuel poverty in the Wakefield District this winter as part of the Community Foundation Wakefield District‘s Give The Gift Of Warmth campaign.”

If you’d like to donate here’s the link: https://lnkd.in/esavBYQf

Jenna has TWO places left for you to have your very own jingle!  Contact her here via LinkedIn

Thank you.

Meet Rebecca Pickersgill, General Manager at Mentor Business Systems Limited

Streamlining your business and save valuable time and resources when you make the switch to CASH.

Since 1983, Mentor Business Systems has built an enviable reputation for the design and distribution of an innovative, secure, and scalable business management system for field service businesses.

Through our market-leading technology, we deliver comprehensive and nimble solutions that solve problems for field service organisations, with continued development of improving our CASH system with a team of inhouse development, support, Training and Sales team creating a unique software/CRM targeting Field Service Businesses.

 

Offering a software solution to manage:

Pre-Sale & Project Management

Simplify your processes with front end functionality that gives you the power to manage enquiries, reach new audiences and produce documentation. Enjoy a holistic view of projects from start to finish and take full control thanks to CASH’s intuitive project management tools.

Process Digitisation

Manage customer enquiries, sites, and systems in one place. With CASH, you can plan maintenance ahead of time, respond to new jobs, invoice remotely and digitise workflows – streamlining and automating business processes for optimum efficiency.

Remote Financial Control

Make the most of automation with CASH, thanks to its system generated purchase orders, stock management tools and real-time accounting integration and reports. Make informed decisions at the right time to keep your business operating smoothly.

 

Look out for Rebecca at the WAW events!

 

More than 130 people packed the room at the inaugural Wakefield Business Awards by We Are Wakefield on 10 November, sponsored by Wakefield First.

The awards had been put together by WAW MD Claire Sutherley & Awards Writers Founder Louise Turner, to celebrate thriving SMEs from across the district, and the night itself, hosted at the sparkling CAPA College, didn’t disappoint.

With 31 finalists from all corners of the district across categories spanning growth, new business, sustainability, best employer, community contribution, and innovation, the trophies were hotly contested.

ITV’s Christine Talbot anchored the night, which saw Solupak take home two trophies – for Thinking Sustainability and the We Are Wakefield member award, which was given to the member entry with the highest number of points across all categories.

We Are Wakefield’s Managing Director Claire Sutherley said: “We had this crazy idea of setting up some awards earlier in the year because we really believe in championing Wakefield businesses and providing a platform for them to show off their amazing work.

“It was incredible to listen to so many success stories and hear the judges’ comments about our worthy winners.

“We worked hard to create a really robust process with every entry judged three times and scores kept separate, so all of the winners can be really proud of their achievement.”

The winners on the night were:

• Innovative business of the year – Tagtiv8
• Large business growth success story – Quest Waste Management
• Medium business growth success story – MINT Support
• Small business growth success story – RV2 Power
• Thinking sustainability – Solupak
• Outstanding community engagement – Frickley Athletic in the Community Foundation
• New business of the year – The Hive Wakefield
• Entrepreneur of the year – Chelsy Holland of True Beauty Academy
• Large employer of the year – Elis
• Medium employer of the year – Bluebird Care Wakefield & Kirklees and Northern Media (two winners)
• Small employer of the year – Juice Personnel
• We Are Wakefield member of the year – Solupak

Harper Talent, which specialises in sourcing top talent for growing businesses, has always taken great pride in their partnerships.

Whether colleague to colleague, colleague to client or client to prospective candidate, every partnership is approached in the same way – with genuine interest, a friendly attitude and, of course, a brew in hand.

In fact, this focus on cultivating long-lasting partnerships is so important to the team that it even inspired a recent rebrand.

As Director Charly explained, ‘Having grown up on my family’s farm, where pitching in and pulling together was commonplace, I noticed that this willingness to ‘get stuck in’ had followed me into the world of business.’

‘I also saw this same attitude reflected in my incredible team, who really cared about building meaningful relationships with clients and each other. I knew that a rebrand was needed, and what better name than that of the farm itself? Harper Farm, meet Harper Talent!’

Since their rebrand, the Harper Talent team have continued to work their socks off to help each and every client build a winning workforce. If you, too, want to work with a team of talent-finding experts who genuinely care about your success, reach out to Harper Talent.

Get your place booked for a WAW quiz night with a difference! Open to WAW members, friends & families (adults only). The Quarry Bar & Restaurant, Horbury, Wakefield.

Book in a team of 4 or as individuals and we’ll team you up on the night!!

Arrival 6.30pm for a 7.15pm start with 10 questions and 3 wines – bread sticks & olives on tables

8.15pm Break with food: meat & cheese platters, breaded chicken wraps, fries

8.30pm 10 questions and 3 wines

9.30pm sweet plates

Prize for winner and booby prize for lowest score!

£25 per person – £5 per person deposit taken on booking and deducted from bill on night.

BOOK HERE TO ATTEND