NEWS
BUSINESS BITES
Sailing the deal – UK Docks has won a £ 250m order from the Royal Navy .
UK DOCKS LANDS £ 250M ROYAL NAVY DEAL
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North-East marine services company with a strong Tees presence has won a £ 250m order from the Royal Navy that is set to create more than 100 new jobs . UK Docks , which currently services HMS Protector , the Royal Navy ’ s only icebreaker , at its dry docks on the River Tees , will now go on to service five more vessels over the next eight years .
The Ministry of Defence announced that the in-service support for HMS Tamar , HMS Spey , HMS Medway , HMS Trent and HMS Forth will be undertaken by UK Docks up until 2031 .
And with the vessels operating persistently worldwide in the South Atlantic , North Atlantic , Mediterranean and Indo- Asia Pacific , it means the South Shieldsheadquartered company will operate globally to ensure the maximum efficiency of the Royal Navy vessels .
German cruise trip leads to franchise leap for carpet cleaner
A week-long working trip on a cruise ship in Germany led a Middlesbrough man to fulfil a lifetime ambition of becoming his own boss .
Garry Rodgers has taken on the Teesside franchise of successful national cleaning brand Enviro Clean , which was formed seven years ago and now has 25,000 customers nationwide .
He was working for the firm as an employee in Germany when he started talking to company bosses about launching his own arm .
And after just three months , the fledgling franchise is already proving a huge success .
Garry now covers the whole Tees Valley area for Enviro Clean , as well as other parts of the North-East .
“ I ’ m loving every minute of it ,” said Garry ,
UK Docks ’ managing director Jonathan Wilson said : “ We are delighted to have secured this new contract , which is the culmination of several years ’ work showing UK Docks can deliver the highest standards of service and professionalism the Royal Navy requires for the maintenance of its vessels .
“ We see the awarding of this contract to UK Docks as a resounding vote of confidence in homegrown British industry , skills and capability , and we look forward to putting those resources at the service of these five important vessels .”
The five ships are offshore patrol vessels , designed to be deployed globally and to carry out duties include humanitarian support , maritime defence and anti-piracy , counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling measures – tasks that had previously been conducted by frigates and destroyers .
Franchisee – Garry Rodgers now runs Enviro Clean Teesside .
who lives in Hemlington .
Enviro Clean caters for domestic and commercial customers and has national contracts with some of the largest businesses in the UK , including hotel chains , hospitality venues and cruise ships .
Any businesses in the Tees Valley area interested in using Enviro Clean Teesside can call Garry Rodgers on 07801 373295 or email garry @ enviro-clean . co . uk .
TRAINING ENDS ON A HIGH The Skills Support for the Workforce ( SSW ) Programme is drawing to a close after supporting almost 1,700 businesses and 6,000 employees since April 2019 .
The programme has achieved its aims of driving significant financial growth and productivity for hundreds of SMEs across the region .
The training was delivered by Calderdale College working in partnership with specialist local and regional training providers , and was funded by the European Social Fund and the Education and Skills Funding Agency .
DRAGONS ’ GIN A small family-run distillery is celebrating after one of its flagship gins won in the flavour category of the Gin Guide Awards .
Dragon Slayer Distillery , a brewery based in Darlington ’ s countryside , has secured an award for the flavour of its Sir John Lambton strawberry and mint gin .
The gin , which was judged against hundreds of others from more than 30 countries , came out on top in a blind taste test based on its style , flavour profile , botanicals and alcohol by volume .
PUNCTUAL AIRPORT Teesside Airport has been named the second most punctual in the UK , new figures from the Civil Aviation Authority have revealed .
Last year was the busiest 12 months for more than a decade at Teesside , which welcomed more than 173,000 passengers through its terminal – up more than 200 per cent on the previous year .
BUSINESS PARK CONTRACT GMI Construction Group has won a major contract to bring forward the first industrial unit at Teesside Airport ’ s £ 200m business park .
Work on the 25,000-sq ft facility , situated on the south side of the airport , was expected to start in the spring , and three additional units will be constructed later as part of the first phase of development .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 17