Business

Astronaut Tim Peake heading to Leeds for The Yorkshires Business Awards

The event will be held by the Yorkshire Children's Charity.

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall - 29th November 2022

Famous astronaut and author, Tim Peake has been announced as the key-note speaker for the 2022 Yorkshires Business Awards.

The shortlist has recently been announced for The Yorkshires. Business Awards 2022.

The first of the annual event will be held by Yorkshire Children's Charity to celebrate the best of the region's start-ups, entrepreneurs, legendary leaders and giants of industry.

The awards will be held on Friday 9 December 2022 at the Queens Hotel in Leeds.

The charity have revealed that legendary astronaut and author, Tim Peake, will be making a celebrity appearance as key-note speaker for the event.

Not only will he be reflecting on his incredible career, he will also be delivering a workshop to pupils from St Peter's CofE Primary School in Leeds city centre ahead of the highly anticipated awards.

Composed of four main categories, The Yorkshires. Business Awards will award; Large Corporate of the Year, Mid-Market Corporate of the Year, Business Leader of the Year and Board of the Year.

Shortlisted Yorkshire companies in the running include Betty’s, BJSS, Team 17, MKM, Big Change, Astonish Cleaning Products and Air Logic.

As well as this, the winner of the Yorkshires. Young Entrepreneur Challenge will be announced, which has seen school pupils from some of the most economically challenged areas in Leeds, work in teams to present a business idea and turn £500 seed money into as much profit as possible.

The money raised from this challenge will be used to purchase specialist equipment for young people living with disabilities.

Charlotte Farrington, CEO at Yorkshire Children’s Charity said: “We are delighted to be holding the first of our annual The Yorkshires. Business Awards and are especially looking forward to hearing the key-note speech from Tim Peake, which I am sure will be an incredibly inspiring listen.

“This event will allow us to celebrate the success of both the region’s leading business minds, alongside the school children who have worked so hard to raise funds for children with disabilities across Yorkshire. Raising money to support these children is always at the forefront of any event we plan, and we never lose sight of the responsibility we are entrusted with - to raise significant funds for the children and young people who depend on us.”

To find out more and to book your ticket, take a look at The Yorkshires. website.

Read more: The Leeds hairdresser offering ‘pay what you can afford’ haircuts

Feature image - Nasa, 2013

Business

New rules restricting the use of bikes and street trading are set to be introduced in Leeds city centre

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

New regulations are set to be put into place as part of the Briggate Action Plan.

Proposals for the plan, aimed at making some of the city centre’s busiest areas safer for everyone, received a huge amount of support during a public consultation last year.

Since then, the council have been drawing up the necessary regulations and signage, with the new rules now due to officially come into place over the next few months.

Once implemented, the action plan will mean a requirement to walk bicycles and e-bikes within the city centre’s pedestrianised shopping area from 10.30am until 8pm every day.

That means no surprise bicycles will try and run you over as you're doing your shopping, hooray!

The action plan will also introduce prohibitions around certain street trading activities in targeted areas, including mobile street traders.

Extended restrictions will be put into place during major city centre events including Leeds Pride, Light Night Leeds and the Leeds Christmas Market.

Anyone breaking the new rules could be given a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council, said: “The city centre welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and our aim is for every one of them to have the best and safest possible experience of Leeds.

“Through this action plan, we’ve taken important and meaningful steps to address issues which the public have consistently told us were impacting their enjoyment of the city centre whilst also creating potential safety issues for shoppers and pedestrians.

“With these new regulations in place, our hope is that both day-to-day visits and major events will now be even more enjoyable, successful and welcoming.”

The new restrictions on pedlars are expected to be in place from Thursday 1 October, with restrictions on bikes in pedestrianised areas due to be in place by the end of the year.

Read more: Huge new two-storey late-night venue with beer hall and games is coming to Leeds city centre

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds



Business

Everything you need to know about the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to be able introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.

Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone - helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.

This means that, no matter whether you're buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you've left your ID at home.

According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected. 

So, how will it work then?

Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.

This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.

Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that 'it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]' and that physical ID will 'still remain a valid way' for customers to prove their age.  

"This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out," she concluded.

Featured Image - Swam Tavern

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