A North East solar power firm has signed a deal that will see its products help farmers in the developing world.
County Durham firm Power Roll has signed an agreement with Indian firm Futurepump to explore the use of Power Roll’s solar films to power Futurepump’s irrigation pumps for rural agriculture.
Many small farms in the developing world irrigate land with water pumps powered either by diesel generators, which are polluting, or grid electricity, which can be unreliable.
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With crops such as rice requiring large amounts of water, fuelling irrigation systems with solar power offers a potential solution to the problem. The lightweight film developed by Power Roll means pumps can be powered in a cost-effective way that is also easily transportable to different locations around farms.
Don Scott, chief commercial officer at Power Roll said: “Futurepump supports the immediate needs of rural farming communities – pumping water to grow food – and we want to help those communities with easy to use and cheaper pumping solutions.”
The Inn Collection Group has announced its first acquisition of the year after snapping up a popular Lake District hotel.
The Alnwick firm has bought the 38-room The Glenridding Hotel in Glenridding, Ullswater, for an undisclosed sum, taking its Lake District portfolio to nine and its overall site count to 28.
The Glenridding Hotel is based on the southern shore of Ullswater with views of Helvellyn and is a popular starting point for walkers and climbers scaling the third highest mountain in England.
It joins other destinations acquired by the company across the Lakes in Coniston, Ambleside, Grasmere, Bowness-on-Windermere and Bassenthwaite.
Newcastle architecture practice Ryder Architecture has acquired a London business as it continues its expansion.
Haskoll, which joined Ryder on February 1, is an established South Kensington based architecture and design practice Haskoll, with more than 45 years’ experience of delivering international projects.
The company has a track record in retail, urban design and placemaking in the UK, Europe and China.
Ryder managing partner Mark Thompson said the addition of the Haskoll team will strengthen Ryder’s service offering in those areas, as well as further diversify skills across its international locations.
A Seahouses harbourside pub has been snapped up by a growing Newcastle leisure company which beat a number of offers from rivals to secure the lease.
The Olde Ship Inn, known for its maritime memorabilia that celebrates the Northumberland village’s rich fishing heritage, was initially part of a farm and was first licensed in 1812.
The Glen family has been custodians of the inn since 1910 and have invested heavily into the pub, 12 guest rooms and a new beer garden. After developing the pub into a profitable business, the family wanted to step back from the day-to-day operations and seek a new leasehold operator to take the reins.
The Inn Hospitality Group, based in Newcastle, has now taken on the lease after being picked by the Glen family to acquire the business.
North East recruitment company Nigel Wright Group has purchased all outstanding equity from its institutional shareholders to complete a management buyout.
The leadership team at Nigel Wright, which is headquartered in Newcastle but has offices across Europe, first initiated the MBO in October 2020, 10 years after Baird Capital bought the firm from founder Nigel Wright in a deal worth around £15m.
Now the group has refinanced the business and purchased the outstanding minority stake from Baird Capital and Beechbrook Capital, predominantly funded with a loan provided by ThinCats, which specialised in providing loans to mid-sized UK businesses.
