Latest news with #Sheffield-based
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Palatine-backed Cura Terrae boosts growth with key acquisition
Duar Fleming, MD of EnviroCentre and Nick Dilworth, CEO of Cura Terrae. Cura Terrae, the fast-growing environmental services company backed by Palatine's Impact Fund, has stepped up its expansion with the acquisition of EnviroCentre, a market-leading multi-disciplinary environmental consultancy based in Scotland. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The business, which has a team of 75, will become part of Cura Terrae's Land and Nature division, bringing expertise in geo-environmental services and water management and engineering, as well as enhanced capabilities in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and ecology. This addition will enable the expanded group to offer a comprehensive environmental service across the entire UK, with the four Scottish locations, in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeenshire, enhancing Cura Terrae's national network and supporting clients as they respond to increasingly complex environmental needs. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This acquisition is Sheffield-based Cura Terrae's fifth since its formation in 2022 and represents the group's largest transaction to date. It is a significant milestone in Cura Terrae's ambition to build a connected, collaborative group of environmental specialists and reinforces its mission to empower businesses to take care of the Earth. Established in 1995, EnviroCentre has delivered environmental consultancy services for over 30 years in support of some of the most significant infrastructure projects in Scotland, building a strong reputation for technical excellence with a wide range of long-standing clients. Nick Dilworth, CEO of Cura Terrae said: 'We're proud to welcome EnviroCentre into the Cura Terrae group. From the outset, it was clear that we shared not only technical goals, but a common purpose. 'This acquisition brings complementary expertise and geographic reach to the group, while adding a team of people whose values closely align with our own. The addition of EnviroCentre to the Cura Terrae group will provide fantastic opportunities for our people to flourish with clients benefiting from a greater depth and breadth of services.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad EnviroCentre will provide a significant boost to Cura Terrae's presence in Scotland, bringing the total number of professionals in the Land and Nature business to over 175 across the UK and the broader Cura Terrae group to around 400. The combination presents an exciting opportunity to expand services both sides of the border, and for clients to benefit from the broader group resources. Duar Fleming, MD of EnviroCentre said: 'Joining Cura Terrae is an exciting step for our team. To grow the impact of our work we wanted to find a partner who understood our culture, respected our people, and shared our long-term goal toto enhance the environment. Greg Holmes, Investment Director in the Palatine Impact Fund, added: 'This is an important strategic acquisition for Cura Terrae, broadening its service capabilities and its geographic reach. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We continue to work with Nick and the team to identify other suitable targets that will further enhance Cura Terrae's growth and mission to take care of the earth.' Cura Terrae's integration team is focused on working with EnviroCentre's senior leadership to ensure a smooth transition for clients and employees, focused on continuity of service quality and delivering added value to all. Cura Terrae were advised by Hill Dickinson Manchester Corporate (Graeme Anderson and James Down) along with employment colleagues David Parry and Isobel Pye. Forvis Mazars LLP provided Financial Due Diligence (Alex Bell, Ed Shires and Tarifa Simpson) and Tax Due Diligence (David Burke and Chloe Twidale). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bellweather Green Corporate (Stephanie Farrell, April Bingham and Paige Murray) advised the shareholders of EnviroCentre and taxation advice was also provided by tax specialists, Robertson Craig (John Fowlie and Holly Birnie). The EnviroCentre shareholders have been supported on strategic matters over a period by consultant Kevin Windram culminating in this exit to a carefully selected partner.
Sunday World
5 days ago
- Business
- Sunday World
Private car parking firms are hitting drivers with illegal fines
June Bowers endured a near five-month battle over a fine imposed after an alleged infraction. Private car parking firms are intimidating unwitting car owners to part with illegal fines, it has been claimed. GB-based firms are operating contracts in Northern Ireland to redeem fines for traffic offences at places such as the George Best Belfast City Airport and other public amenities. Aggressive tactics include threats of legal action, court appearances and rising fines if the original demand is not met. It has now emerged in most cases they are not entitled to demand penalty payments which can escalate to hundreds of pounds. The firms, appointed by the likes of the City Airport, are applying laws that are enforceable only in England and Wales and do not apply to Northern Ireland. The disparity emerged after car owner June Bowers from Monkstown emerged victorious in a near five-month battle over a £100 fine imposed after an alleged infraction at the City Airport. ticket She was hit with a £100 fine and, having had two appeals rejected by Sheffield-based Vehicle Control Services, was then threatened with an additional £70 levy and possible legal action. Mrs Bowers, who is 81 and in poor health, was not behind the wheel on the evening of February 8 this year. The driver was at the airport to collect people travelling to Belfast to attend a funeral. Mrs Bowers' husband, veteran trade unionist Joe Bowers, said it was an 'outrage'' that his wife has been subjected to such intimidating behaviour. He said they were determined to resist increasingly aggressive demands. 'I think it's outrageous how these companies intimidate people into paying these fines, we have discovered that, certainly in our case there was no legal requirement to pay.' He said the Sheffield-based company sent them repeated demands for £170, threatening court action. It became clear in repeated correspondence that Vehicle Control Services were basing their demands on laws that don't apply here. The Bowers made repeated appeals, all of which were rejected with increasingly aggressive and threatening behaviour from the company. It a further twist the 'debt'' was sold to a debt recovering agency called Debt Recovery Plus. June Bowers pictured in her home. Photo: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press News in 90 Seconds - July 26th 'They have created an industry of their own,' said Joe, 'they are generating huge amounts of money – the debt recovery agency is on record as making millions. 'My issue is that people are being intimidated into paying fines that they should not be getting. We could have let this go for a quiet life, but it got under my skin that people are being put under this type of pressure.' Earlier this month the private company relented but 'warned' Mrs Bowers that any future transgression would result in firm action. The ticket was as a result of the driver of Mrs Bowers' car finding themselves in the wrong car park at the City. 'The driver found themselves in the wrong car park when they should have been in the short stay, so had to pay to get out, then repeated the mistake and had to pay again, that was their mistake we have no issue with that,' said Joe. 'But the new layout at Belfast City is confusing and there are lots of signs, which you can't read unless you slow down. 'I just think it's outrageous that this company can behave like this. 'These private companies seem to be completely unaccountable they are very aggressive in their approach, it's a form of intimidation.' The law in England and Wales requires those issued with a ticket to reveal the identity of the driver, that is not a requirement in Northern Ireland and unless the ticket company know the identity of the driver, a fixed penalty is not viable. But VCS were not interested in any mitigating circumstances and insisted they would try and enforce the fine. Joe Bowers said he suspects people finding themselves in a similar situation have been bullied into paying. He said: 'How can you understand what you're supposed to do if you don't pause to read the rules?' This week Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan called for greater regulation around the issue of private firms issuing fines. The SDLP MLA claimed that, after dealing with 'countless cases' of people contacted by private parking firms, the 'supposed violations' are 'often based on faulty camera evidence or registration systems'. He was speaking after writing to the Infrastructure Minister to ask if new legislation could be introduced to regulate private parking firms in Northern Ireland. The minister, Liz Kimmins, said in a written response that there was currently 'no legislation which specifically applies to privately owned car parks' and 'no plans' from her department to introduce any. Ms Kimmins said: 'Whilst my department is responsible for on-street parking enforcement across the North, it has no responsibility for the operation and management of private car parks nor the enforcement companies that operate within them. 'There is no legislation which specifically applies to privately-owned car parks and my department currently has no plans to introduce legislation in this area.' She added: 'However, any organisation that operates parking on private land and requests keeper details from the DVLA must be approved by an Accredited Trade Association such as the Approved Operator Scheme managed by the British Parking Association. 'Members of this scheme must adhere to the BPA AOS Code of Practice for the control and enforcement of parking on private land and unregulated public car parks.' Belfast City Airport has been contacted.
Leader Live
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
BBC Line of Duty star icon announces massive career change
Vicky McClure, who plays Detective Inspector Kate Fleming on the popular BBC show, has revealed that she will be shifting away from acting to pursue music. On Instagram, it was confirmed that Vicky had collaborated with Sheffield-based band Reverend and the Makers on the group's new single, Haircut. Sharing a clip with fans online, she wrote: "I'm no Whitney [Houston], but I love music. A post shared by reverend_makers (@reverend_makers) "Making this with Jon [McClure] and Rev was such a chilled experience. "All I hope is you enjoy it, sing and dance along." Line of Duty fans have long wondered if the popular BBC show would be returning for a seventh series. Leading men Martin Compston, who plays DI Steve Arnott and Adrian Dunbar, who plays Supt Ted, shared an update with fans, according to The Sun. When asked if the show would be returning, Martin said: 'We're always talking about possibilities and schedules and whatnot. "Everybody's got stuff going on at the minute, so I think anything, unfortunately, would be a way off." "You know, the day people stop asking about the show will be a sad day, so I'm delighted that people are still excited about it. "We'd all love to work together again at some point. We still all meet up. "I met with Jed [Mercurio, the show's creator], Adrian [Dunbar] and Vicky [McClure] in London before Christmas - we went out for dinner, to hear what everyone's up to." He added: 'It's amazing. It's the best feeling as an actor when you feel like the whole country's in the palm of your hand with what's coming next, and there's only a couple of you in the secret of who's surviving and what's going on. "But because we're all so close and we all want the best for the show, we wouldn't do it again just for the sake of it. "If it was just about doing it for the sake of it, we'd have probably done another three series by now. "We really care about the quality of it. So if we come back, it would be for the right reasons. "It won't just be: 'Get another one done.' It'll be because Jed thinks there's a story to tell."
The Herald Scotland
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
BBC Line of Duty star icon announces massive career change
On Instagram, it was confirmed that Vicky had collaborated with Sheffield-based band Reverend and the Makers on the group's new single, Haircut. Sharing a clip with fans online, she wrote: "I'm no Whitney [Houston], but I love music. "Making this with Jon [McClure] and Rev was such a chilled experience. "All I hope is you enjoy it, sing and dance along." Will Line of Duty return for a seventh series? Line of Duty fans have long wondered if the popular BBC show would be returning for a seventh series. Leading men Martin Compston, who plays DI Steve Arnott and Adrian Dunbar, who plays Supt Ted, shared an update with fans, according to The Sun. When asked if the show would be returning, Martin said: 'We're always talking about possibilities and schedules and whatnot. "Everybody's got stuff going on at the minute, so I think anything, unfortunately, would be a way off." "You know, the day people stop asking about the show will be a sad day, so I'm delighted that people are still excited about it. "We'd all love to work together again at some point. We still all meet up. "I met with Jed [Mercurio, the show's creator], Adrian [Dunbar] and Vicky [McClure] in London before Christmas - we went out for dinner, to hear what everyone's up to." Recommended Reading: He added: 'It's amazing. It's the best feeling as an actor when you feel like the whole country's in the palm of your hand with what's coming next, and there's only a couple of you in the secret of who's surviving and what's going on. "But because we're all so close and we all want the best for the show, we wouldn't do it again just for the sake of it. "If it was just about doing it for the sake of it, we'd have probably done another three series by now. "We really care about the quality of it. So if we come back, it would be for the right reasons. "It won't just be: 'Get another one done.' It'll be because Jed thinks there's a story to tell."
Rhyl Journal
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
BBC Line of Duty star icon announces massive career change
Vicky McClure, who plays Detective Inspector Kate Fleming on the popular BBC show, has revealed that she will be shifting away from acting to pursue music. On Instagram, it was confirmed that Vicky had collaborated with Sheffield-based band Reverend and the Makers on the group's new single, Haircut. Sharing a clip with fans online, she wrote: "I'm no Whitney [Houston], but I love music. A post shared by reverend_makers (@reverend_makers) "Making this with Jon [McClure] and Rev was such a chilled experience. "All I hope is you enjoy it, sing and dance along." Line of Duty fans have long wondered if the popular BBC show would be returning for a seventh series. Leading men Martin Compston, who plays DI Steve Arnott and Adrian Dunbar, who plays Supt Ted, shared an update with fans, according to The Sun. When asked if the show would be returning, Martin said: 'We're always talking about possibilities and schedules and whatnot. "Everybody's got stuff going on at the minute, so I think anything, unfortunately, would be a way off." "You know, the day people stop asking about the show will be a sad day, so I'm delighted that people are still excited about it. "We'd all love to work together again at some point. We still all meet up. "I met with Jed [Mercurio, the show's creator], Adrian [Dunbar] and Vicky [McClure] in London before Christmas - we went out for dinner, to hear what everyone's up to." He added: 'It's amazing. It's the best feeling as an actor when you feel like the whole country's in the palm of your hand with what's coming next, and there's only a couple of you in the secret of who's surviving and what's going on. "But because we're all so close and we all want the best for the show, we wouldn't do it again just for the sake of it. "If it was just about doing it for the sake of it, we'd have probably done another three series by now. "We really care about the quality of it. So if we come back, it would be for the right reasons. "It won't just be: 'Get another one done.' It'll be because Jed thinks there's a story to tell."
