Case Studies from March 2025

Sector: Visitor & Community Centre

Location: High Peak

Rock Mill Centre CIC (community interest company) is based in the centre of New Mills, Derbyshire.

It began by taking on the lease of the former Heritage and Information Centre three years ago and constituting itself as a small organisation. It opened to the public in September 2022 and became a CIC in August 2024.

Rock Mill Centre is a voluntary organisation with six directors. Its purpose is to provide a visitor and community hub for New Mills that works towards a sustainable future for everyone. The Centre itself aims to engage people with the environment and hosts activities that support community cohesion and mutual care.

It welcomes visitors to the town, provides leaflets about the area and has displays about the local rivers, landscapes and community. It also runs a small café with a monthly Supper Club. Registered as a Safe Space and Warm Space, throughout winter the team provide a free community meal known as Souper Fridays.

It runs a variety of community and environmental events throughout the year and accommodates the Brian Nolan Trust and Littlest Theatre in New Mills.

Rock Mill Centre CIC is currently working with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Derbyshire Time Swap, New Mills Town Council, Nature New Mills, Walkers are Welcome New Mills and the Solitary Bee Nursery, amongst many other groups. It is intentionally pursuing the goals of High Peak Borough Council’s Tourism and Biodiversity Strategies.

Challenges faced

The greatest challenge for the business is making the Centre sustainable – both financially and with volunteer staffing. The set-up phase was financed by director loans and some project grants.

In the long term the Centre will need a part-time paid administrator to manage the business, and this is likely to require some large grant applications.

Solution and Impact

Rock Mill Centre CIC has been supported by the Accelerator project. Accelerator is funded by High Peak Borough Council’s share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber.

This involved an assessment of the business and immediate suggestions of the next steps around writing a business plan and encouraging and enabling donations with Chamber Business Advisers, including David Smith and Richard Crowden.

With adviser support a fully funded energy audit was completed resulting in the creation of a decarbonisation plan. Advisers also guided the business through all the stages of applying for High Peak Borough Council’s Decarbonisation Grant and the business was successfully awarded £5,000 towards the delivery of the first phase of its decarbonisation plan.

The energy audit, decarbonisation plan and grant will all help future proof the business and remove its reliance on gas. It will cut that volatile cost, avoid any future penalties and help the coherence of its business identity.

Director, Toby Hardwick commented: “Having a showcase decarbonisation project fits well with us being an information centre that is looking to guide people towards a sustainable future for all. It shows how our environmental displays and support for public transport, and local producers is all part of one aim. We see this as a way of increasing our footfall and delivering more of the Council’s strategies locally.”

Rock Mill Centre CIC is seeing the business potential of the decarbonisation project. For example, with their architect, they are exploring how to make the new porch a usable space that will increase its revenue by adding to its café area and bringing people using the public toilet into its building.

Based on estimates from the Energy Saving Trust the business could save at least £290 per year and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 2.9t CO₂e.

The Decarbonisation project is a whole building approach that aims to reduce its overall energy use by increasing it thermal efficiency and will, it is hoped, also result in increased savings.

“I’m particularly grateful for how approachable and personally helpful all the members of the East Midlands Chamber have been. Although other directors have business experience, I do not. The Chamber team guided me throughout the grant process with lots of phone calls and emails. It feels a lot of expertise is openly shared.

The 1-to-1 business advice was really impressive – the assessment of what our business was and how it could work better was focused and knowledgeable.”

- Toby Hardwick, Director

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of High Peak Borough Council.

Sector: Veterinary Nurse Training and Animal Care

Location: South Derbyshire

Bottle Green Training has provided specialist training for the animal care industry since 1999.

Based in Melbourne, Derbyshire, the company offers apprenticeships in Animal Care & Welfare, Veterinary Nursing for Small Animal and Equine Practice, and Functional Skills. Their dedicated team consists of 28 employees.

Challenges faced

Director, Judith Parry identified two key challenges affecting the company's growth. They have seen a decline in student numbers due to the post-Covid downturn in veterinary practices and the rising operational costs driven by the current economic climate.

Solution and Impact

Judith first heard about the Accelerator project and the support on offer through the Chamber’s Business Adviser Sonny Lakhani. The Accelerator Project is funded by South Derbyshire District Council’s allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber. Accelerator provided Judith with several valuable opportunities to develop her business.

Sonny provided dedicated one-to-one advice and guidance, outlining the funded support services available to help drive the business forward.

As a result of this support, Judith enrolled on the Help to Grow: Management course to develop key business skills and how to navigate change effectively. Judith also engaged with Nottingham Business School, collaborating with their change management and research students looking at data and analytics in animal health and care. This tailored support allowed the business to identify a gap in the market and diversify their product and service range.

The business also took advantage of NTU’s Digital Skills Coach service, funded by Accelerator and were able to access dedicated support to raise the social media presence of the company and engage in digital marketing.  This support has provided the company with the tools to create multiple social platforms which has resulted in a significantly increased digital footprint. With the use of AI tools, the business has been able to send out bespoke marketing to raise revenue without increasing costs.

The business also undertook a funded energy audit to identify cost-saving opportunities and has developed a comprehensive decarbonisation plan to become sustainable. Improvements included reducing print and paper waste, improving energy efficiency when heating the buildings and working towards improving insulation to reduce costs and energy usage. They are also exploring grant funding opportunities for solar panels to be fitted.

This tailored support has enabled Judith to diversify and expand the business, safeguarding jobs and ensuring business resilience during a challenging time for the industry.

“Without Sonny’s support, we would have been in serious trouble and wouldn’t have known about the funded support we’ve accessed so far. His guidance has made a huge difference to our business.”

- Judith Parry, Managing Director

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of South Derbyshire District Council.

Sector: Recruitment

Location: Broxtowe

Atkins Search is a Nottingham-based recruitment agency delivering permanent, temporary and retained search recruitment solutions throughout the Midlands, North West, London and Yorkshire regions.

It was established in 2016 and specialises in placing candidates in the construction, consultancy, freelance, executive search, engineering and residential sectors. There are currently 12 employees.

Challenges faced

The business faced challenges around finding the right calibre of people to join them and was also looking to expand but needed a clear plan.

Solution and Impact

Atkins Search has been supported by the Accelerator project. Accelerator is funded by Broxtowe Borough Council’s share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber.

Chamber Business Adviser, Sonny Lakhani has been working with Managing Director, Antony Rowe on a business diagnostic and growth plans. In the 1-to-1 meetings Sonny covered all the funded support that was available to the business including Broxtowe Borough Council’s Business Grant.

With guidance from Sonny during the application process, the business was successfully awarded £3,465 towards for the development of an E-Brochure. This marketing collateral will be used to help Atkins Search expand the regions in which they operate, detailing additional services they provide.

The business also had an Accelerator Growth Voucher which has provided tailored marketing consultancy support from Lindsey Newman-Wood of Passion Marketing. This support has helped the business define its marketing strategy.

Many of the Atkins Search team have attended the funded workshops provide by the programme including Modern SEO, HR Essentials, Harnessing AI for Business, Generating and Winning New Sales and others.

Antony commented: “Accelerator has supported the business’s strategy which has in turn allowed us to continue to grow and increase headcount. Due to all this help, we currently have four vacancies in our business, which we are trying to recruit."

“It’s been excellent, very well-rounded business support. Sonny has been very supportive and is always in contact if he feels there is an opportunity we can benefit from.

I have been very pleased that we signed up for the programme, it’s been a great help.”

- Antony Rowe, Managing Director

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of Broxtowe Borough Council.

Sector: Trade & Retail

Location: Chesterfield

Finney’s Wood Finishes is a partnership with husband-and-wife team, Mark and Sue Finney. In 1989 the business began by making and designing solid, hardwood furniture in Sheffield. It was recognised nationally for its design and craftmanship.

Over the years, Mark has published over 400 articles for national magazines and penned the international best seller ‘The Stanley Book of Woodwork’.

Alongside the furniture making business, they were selling wood finishing materials. Then from the early 2000s, after Mark suffered a back injury, this side of the business was expanded, and Finney’s Wood Finishes became the main focus.

The duo have developed and curated a full range of stains, waxes and finishes that cover all aspects of finishing interior and exterior wood.  This includes their Six of the Best range which customers love.

They also offer expert advice on wood finishing processes to guide people through projects and love to show people the very best way to make their wood look fantastic.

Challenges faced

Over the years, and particularly after COVID, the team noticed how people buy in a very different way - using the internet to get information and ordering online and receiving goods the next day. Customers use social media a lot more to buy - a channel which both Sue and Mark were unfamiliar with. Having said that, they both understood the power of video, as Mark had created four instructional videos 12 years ago to help customers learn how to use wood finishes. One of these has had around 300k views!

The world had changed since COVID and both Mark and Sue realised they didn’t have the skills to change with it.

They needed help with technology in particular social media, Google Analytics, creating e-newsletters, making quality video content as well as developing a marketing strategy.

Solution and Impact

The business has been supported through the Accelerator project which is funded by Chesterfield Borough Council’s share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber.

In August 2023 Sue and Mark met Business Adviser Adrian Williamson from Chesterfield Borough Council and have done everything he suggested.

Sue has attended many funded workshops and webinars covering topics from social media to photography, using video in content marketing through to Google Analytics 4.

They have also worked with Chamber Business Adviser Peter Lawrence and successfully applied for a Growth Voucher. This provided 16 hours of funded consultancy support from digital specialist, Paul Ince of LikeMind Media.

Sue commented: “Paul has been superb and really helped us with hands-on training as well creating a marketing strategy document, which we are implementing.

We definitely feel more in control of our business now as we have a strategic plan towards growth.  This will enable us to reach more customers, to develop our offering by creating more educational content and so become more competitive. All our efforts are already seeing the business grow.”

“We were in a quandary, with a wonderful business but people were not able to find us.  We knew we needed help, and we tried all sorts of approaches, but we were hitting a brick wall, and then we found Adrian.

He helped us find direction through the maze by giving us a structure, identifying our priorities and showing us a path we could follow.

We felt worried, concerned and directionless but now we’re inspired, energised and empowered to learn new skills. We now think differently about the business – we feel positive and full of hope for the future.”

- Sue Finney, Co-Owner

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of Chesterfield Borough Council.

Sector: Manufacturing

Location: Ashfield

Ashfield Accelerator is a business support project designed to help established businesses based in the District of Ashfield find practical solutions to improve commercial operations leading to sustainable growth. This is being funded by Ashfield District Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber.

HEC Showman is based in Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire.

With a history that stems back to 1989, the business manufactures medical furniture for the healthcare industry. It currently employs 27 people.

Challenges faced

Production capacity was the main challenge for HEC Showman as it began to struggle to complete orders because it couldn’t get the goods powder-coated fast enough to meet demand. On top of this were rising energy costs, the cost-of-living crisis and outdated technology which were all impacting HEC Showman’s growth potential.

Solutions

Ashley Hopkinson, Managing Director at HEC Showman, was enrolled onto the Accelerator Project and was provided with one-on-one support by Chamber Business Adviser, David Smith.

• David arranged for a full diagnostic review looking at the business and its future goals. David also recommended alternative solutions and signposted the business to other available support opportunities.
• As a key challenge was energy costs, David also arranged for a premises energy audit to be carried out, funded by the Accelerator project. Consultant Sophie Wragg, of Be Your Best Version, then provided a detailed report with recommendations on where and how the business could save on costs and energy usage.
• In addition to the above, Ashley also heard about the Ashfield Enterprise Grant from David and was invited to attend a free workshop on ‘how to make a successful grant application’. With support from the Chamber, Ashley successfully put forward a grant application and was awarded £30,000 to invest in updating its machinery.

Outcome

This grant was used towards a new extended track for hanging goods waiting to be painted as well as two new application booths: one for reclaiming the white powder and the other as spray to waste for the colours.

Having updated machinery has allowed the business to streamline its processes, making it more energy and time efficient: in fact, saving the equivalent of 2.5 days a week!

The new powder booths feature new, more energy efficient motors, plus LED lighting throughout the factory and improved operation practices have reduced the gas usage. The longer track has also given more capacity and product cooling time allowing them to be more time efficient in the day and improve capacity rather than working weekends or overtime. This has also improved their work/ life balance.

The new machinery has also allowed the business to do at least 50% more work through its paint shop. This means stock is available enabling it to offer shorter lead times to customers.

There has also been a positive impact to the exiting workforce by creating two new jobs and safeguarding a number of others.

“The support from David Smith through the application process has been exceptional.

He has been thorough, supportive and knowledgeable and I know we wouldn’t have seen the process through without him.”

- Ashley Hopkinson, Managing Director

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of Ashfield District Council.

Sector: Warehousing

Location: Ashfield

Ashfield Accelerator is a business support project designed to help established businesses based in the District of Ashfield find practical solutions to improve commercial operations leading to sustainable growth. This is being funded by Ashfield District Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber.

Hucknall Self-Storage Ltd was created by director, Tom Clark in 2021. Tom was already running a machine embroidery threads business, TC Threads, at the time.

When spare capacity arose due to the departure of a tenant business, Tom decided to expand and open Hucknall Self-Storage.

It’s a family business run by Tom’s daughter, Helen Clark who is the sole employee. The business aims to provide hassle free storage at a competitive price and has storage units which range in size from 15 to 150 sq. ft. The facilities cater for every occasion both personal and professional. This includes storage for house and business moves, creating more space at home, or in your business as well as units which are perfect for storing the contents of student dorm rooms in the summer or Christmas breaks.

Challenges faced

One of its key challenges was rising costs, in particular energy bills which have spiralled in recent years. Energy is their highest cost being a storage facility, apart from wages (for Helen plus now a part-time assistant), other costs are minimal. With 64 units it is a large space to heat up.

As well as cutting bills Tom was keen to reduce energy usage from an ethical point of view and to make the business energy self-sufficient. There was a need to become more sustainable and reduce its carbon footprint.

Solutions

Hucknall Self-Storage has been supported by the Accelerator project and East Midlands Chamber Business Adviser, Richard Crowden. Richard invited Tom to the ‘Ashfield Business Grants: How to make a Successful Application’ event where Accelerator business support and top tips on completing a grant application were covered.

Following this Richard arranged for a premises energy audit to be carried out, funded by the Accelerator project. Consultant, Sophie Wragg of Be Your Best Version provided a detailed report with recommendations on where and how the business could save on costs and energy usage.

With Richard’s assistance Hucknall Self-Storage successfully applied for the Ashfield Accelerator Grant to be used towards energy reduction measures. This grant of £28,000 has supported the implementation of solar panels and battery storage along with infra-red heaters in the business.

Impact

The investment in energy saving measures will drive the business towards its goal of becoming energy self-sufficient and is expected to reduce its carbon emissions by 5 tonnes of CO2e.

The business has doubled its turnover in the last year and continues to grow. With its 64 units it is now close to capacity. It has also created a new part-time job for a general assistant to support Helen following this growth.

“The support from Richard has been absolutely first class. His help in completing a complex grant application was really appreciated. The grant award has made a big difference to our business and the environment, which is important to us.”

- Tom Clark, Director

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of Ashfield District Council.

Sector: Retail/Wholesale Craft Supplies

Location: North East Derbyshire

Highlight Crafts is based in Clay Cross, North East Derbyshire and has been trading since May 2021.

The business is predominantly involved in direct retail sales and training through e-commerce and face-to-face for craft related products as well as classes, which are designed and developed in-house. It employs 29 people.

Challenges faced

Although the business had done well in the past selling on television, the trends were showing television sales were on the downturn, and there was an urgent need to build more solid connections with customers and sell through the website.

Other issues included rising costs, copycat products from the Far East as well as a large wholesale customer going into administration. This has all had a major impact on sales and cashflow.

Solution and Impact

Highlight Crafts has been supported by the Accelerator project. Accelerator is funded by North East Derbyshire District Council’s share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber.

Managing Director, Karl Shaw has been working with Chamber Business Adviser, Andy Bunn initially with a business diagnostic and on future growth plans. One of the main areas of support has been around growing the business’s marketing reach to combat declining television sales. The business was keen to push more potential customers towards its website to build contacts and its mailing lists.

Accelerator offers eligible businesses growth vouchers, up to the value of £2,000 which can be used towards specialist consultancy support. Highlight Crafts was successful with its application for the voucher and has been helped to create a Google Ads and YouTube advertising campaign to generate new B2C customer leads. This support has been provided by Liam Lally, a specialist in paid digital advertising.

The added benefit of this advice was improvements to its website in terms of key words and search engine optimisation, ensuring the site would be found by the kind of customers they were looking for.

The support has provided some security for the business and enabled it to create a new marketing position and safeguard jobs.

Some of the Highlight Crafts team have also taken advantage of the funded Accelerator workshops including Using AI for SEO, Marketing & Brand Development, and Blogging with Authority and Trust.

“The support was delivered in a professional, efficient and timely manner. 

It highlighted areas for the team to focus on to generate sales leads. This has had a direct and positive impact on our business.”

- Karl Shaw, Managing Director

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of North East Derbyshire District Council.

Sector: Manufacturing

Location: Leicester

Parker Plant is a market leader in the manufacture and supply of reliable solutions for asphalt, crushing, screening, sand and gravel, concrete and material handling equipment throughout the world.

From its humble beginnings beneath a railway arch in Leicester, the business that Frederick Parker established in 1911 went on to achieve success around the world with products sold to over 150 countries.

Vision and Challenges

There were several key areas the business wanted to address to achieve its vision for the future. This included:

• Facilities and Capacity Expansion:  Build a modern, tailored facility on the existing site in Leicester, consolidating all operations into one location to enhance efficiency.
• Energy Efficiency: Integrate solar panels, energy-efficient heating, and other green initiatives during the new build stage to reduce operational costs and carbon footprint.

Its main challenges in delivering these parts of the growth strategy included sustainability and data gaps:

• Limited access to accurate energy data due to ongoing site changes which made it difficult to benchmark its carbon footprint.
• Unsure how to incorporate energy-efficient solutions into the new site at the build stage.

Solution and Impact

Parker Plant has been supported by the Accelerator project. Accelerator is funded by Leicester City Council’s share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber.

Chamber Business Adviser Joanna Moore has been working with Jason Standley, Group Health and Safety Manager on a 1-to-1 basis to understand the business and vision.

This support has helped Parker Plant to expand its operations and modernise its processes while integrating sustainability into its core strategy. This has been done by:

• Creating a Sustainability Action Plan outlining actionable steps to build a state-of-the-art facility, achieve energy efficiency, and align with the company’s vision of growth over five years.
• Signposting to other support programmes and partners operating in this space to help employees gain new skills and knowledge in sustainable practices and possible finance and funding option to help implement plans.
• Providing access to a specialist consultant who conducted an Energy Audit and provided tailored recommendations for the company’s new building.

The energy audit reviewed historical records and provided tailored recommendations for the company’s new building. Instead of replicating systems from the old, now-demolished site, it proposed more sustainable solutions to be integrated from the outset. This proactive approach ensures energy-efficient measures are built in from the start, avoiding the need for costly retrofits later.

Jason commented: “The energy audit meant that when we went to the tendering stage, we could specify what we wanted for the new building. We had that bit of expert support behind us on what would work for our business. This was extremely valuable.”

“For all parts of the Accelerator service, including the energy audit and advice from Jo, we have received an excellent service.”

- Jason Standley, Group Health and Safety Manager

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of Leicester City Council.