Welcome to Yorkshire owed £3m to creditors, say liquidators

Failed tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire owed £3m to creditors, according to the latest liquidator report.

The organisation was placed into administration in March 2022 after officials blamed the impact of covid and the “task of securing sufficient funding”.

A report by Armstrong Watson, which was appointed liquidator in August last year, showed that it owed £3 million to unsecured creditors.

A previous administrator’s report from April 2022 had initially estimated Welcome to Yorkshire would owe £1.8 million to 67 creditors.

Among them is North Yorkshire Council, which is due £1.3 million in relation to the North Yorkshire Pension Fund.

The Stray Ferret has approached the council to ask whether it is still pursuing the money and if it expects a repayment from liquidators. However, we had not received a response by the time of publication.

Armstrong Watson said in its report that it was unable to confirm what payment would be made to creditors at this stage.

It said:

“I am currently in the process of reviewing and agreeing unsecured creditors’ claims as there will be sufficient funds to pay a dividend.

“Unfortunately, at this stage I cannot confirm the level of the dividend payable as this is contingent upon agreeing both secondary preferential and unsecured creditor claims.”

Meanwhile, staff claims totalling £9,570 have been repaid in full.

A sum of £296,000 owed to HMRC is also expected to be paid in full, but liquidators are continuing discussions with the body.

Keith Tordoff, who is running for independent mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said the loss of the brand was “a massive failure”.

He said:

“The loss of the Welcome to Yorkshire brand and of course the invested monies is a massive failure by some members of the North Yorkshire Council who were either on the board of Welcome to Yorkshire or those authorising the unsecured loans.

“The taxpayers deserve better and those councillors on North Yorkshire who were involved should consider their position.”

The move comes after administrators sold the tourism body’s assets and website last year.

Yorkshire Dales business, Silicon Dales, purchased Yorkshire.com, its social media accounts and the rights to the Tour de Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire Council had initially bid for the assets, but was outbid by the private firm.

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Business Breakfast: Yorkshire Events Centre hires new events director

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

Yorkshire Events Centre and Pavilions of Harrogate have announced a new events director.

Richard Moorhouse has been promoted to the role after being venue manager at the centre for the last 12 years.

Mr Moorhouse will be tasked with heading up events and conferencing venues at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

In a post on its social media, Yorkshire Events Centre said:

“Richard has over 20 years’ experience in the industry and previously held operational roles at the Freedom Centre, Hull and in hospitality at Doncaster Racecourse.”

Grantley Hall recognised at hospitality awards

Grantley Hall near Ripon has been recognised at an industry awards ceremony.

The hotel was awarded the “best service” award at the Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence 2024.

The awards aim to recognise excellence within the hospitality industry.

Richard Sykes, managing director at Grantley Hall, said:

“Receiving the award for ‘Best Service’ at the Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence 2024 is a moment of immense pride for the entire Grantley Hall family.

“This accolade is a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence, our dedicated team’s passion for hospitality and the genuine care we extend to each and every guest.

“We are deeply honoured by this recognition, as it only strengthens our resolve to continue exceeding the expectations of those we have the privilege to serve and experience the magic of Grantley Hall.”

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate rental company appoints chief financial officer

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

A Harrogate equipment rental company has appointed a new chief financial officer.

Beckwith Knowle-based VP has announced that Kieth Winstanley will join its board from January 2024.

Mr Winstanley qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC and recently held senior finance leadership roles at KCOM Group plc and Lookers plc.

Anna Bielby, chief executive of VP, said:

“I am delighted to be welcoming Keith to Vp as CFO and I look forward to working with him again.

“Keith has significant finance experience which will be instrumental in driving Vp forwards.”

Harrogate care company recognised at regional awards.

A Harrogate and Ripon care company has been recognised at an industry award.

Continued Care won two awards at the regional finals of the Great British Care awards, which was held at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

Staff member Nichola Noble won in the care assessor award category, while Samantha Lathley was highly commended in the frontline leader award.

Both will go to the national finals in 2024.

Samantha Harrison, director at Continued Care, said: 

“Nichola is once again a worthy winner of her award. Well done to Samantha too, and to all our staff who were nominated.

“The most special thing about these awards is that the finalists were all put forward by the people they care for and work with.”

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Stray Ferret Business Awards: Have your growth recognised by entering the Business Growth award

The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2024 are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district.

Over the next few weeks we will reveal what our judging panel is looking for when it comes to each of the 10 categories.

First up is the Business Growth Award, which is sponsored by Raworths.

This award is designed to recognise those businesses that have seen significant growth in the last three years.

Business growth could be measured either financially, by employee numbers of market share increase – think about the percentages of the growth you’ve experienced – SME’s are strongly recommended to enter this category.

Companies looking to enter for the Business Growth Award need to provide evidence of the growth, background information as to the reason for growth and plans for the future.

Does your business deserve to win the Business Growth Award at the Stray Ferret Business Awards? Entries close on January 19. It’s simple and quick, so enter today!

Click here or the banner below to enter for the Stray Ferret Business Awards, sponsored by Prosperis.

 

HMRC unlikely to receive payment from Harrogate company collapse

Unsecured credits and HMRC are unlikely to receive any payment after the collapsed of failed Harrogate company Amvoc, administrators have said.

The telemarketing company, which was based at Cardale Park, collapsed and was placed into administration in March this year.

In a latest administrators report published this week, Gareth Lewis, Lewis Business Recovery and Insolvency, said it is anticipated funds will be available to pay former staff.

However, HMRC, which is classed as a “secondary preferential creditor”, and unsecured credits are expected to receive no money.

According to the report, employees are owed £233,507.52 in wages, holiday pay and pension contribution arrears.

Meanwhile, HMRC is owed £1.1 million in unpaid VAT, unpaid employees PAYE and national insurance, student loan deductions and industry scheme deductions.

Mr Lewis said in his report that it is unlikely that any repayment will be made.

He said:

“If funds are available to pay a dividend to the secondary preferential creditors, this claim will be adjudicated accordingly.

“However, at present, it is not anticipated that there will be sufficient funds to do so.”

Mr Lewis added that there was “no likelihood” that unsecured creditors, who were previously estimated to be owed £868,267, would receive payment. 

According to the report, equipment from the company’s old offices on Cardale Park, such as computers, desk and chairs, had now been sold.

‘Cash flow difficulties’

Damian Brockway set up Amvoc, the trading name of A Marketing Vocation Ltd, from a small office in Dacre in 2010. It sold telemarketing services, initially in the legal sector, and grew rapidly, moving first to Pateley Bridge and then to large offices at New York Mills near Summerbridge.

It opened a new head office on Cardale Park in Harrogate in 2015, a facility in Leeds in 2018 and an office in Manchester in 2022.  It also had plans to expand to London.

At the time of its collapse, Amvoc employed 230 staff.

Staff were left shocked on March 17 this year when they received a late night email from Mr Brockway saying “all our offices are closed with effect from tonight”. It went on to blame “covid debts”.

Mr Lewis said in his administrator’s report that in September 2017, the company entered into a company voluntary arrangement as a result of “cash flow difficulties” because of the loss of a major customer and “significant bad debt”.

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate care provider hires learning development manager

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

Harrogate-based Vida Healthcare has appointed a new learning development and quality manager.

Arron Bolland will oversee the company’s new training facility, Vida Academy, on Starbeck High Street.

Mr Bolland will be tasked with overseeing the creation and implementation of continuous training programs for all staff roles at Vida Healthcare.

James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, said: 

“Arron’s dedication to providing our residents with the best possible care is evident in his career progression throughout his time with us.

“His appointment to head up the Vida Academy team and drive our training and development offering forward was the natural next step for us.

“Vida Academy underscores our commitment to both our residents and staff, and we are looking forward to seeing the impact that Arron has on the career progression opportunities available to all our staff members.”

Harrogate estate agents wins industry awards

Harrogate estate agency Myrings has been recognised at a property industry awards.

The company picked up four accolades at the ESTAS Customer Service Awards 2023 – Gold for Sales in Yorkshire and Landlords in Yorkshire, Best in Postcode, and Agent of the Year.

Myrings staff at the awards.

Myrings staff at the awards.

The awards were based on more than 300,000 customer service ratings on the ESTAS review site, and the winners announced at an event in London hosted by TV property expert Phil Spencer.

Gemma Myring, managing director of Myrings, said:

“We are absolutely thrilled. We have always been very proud of our personal service and this proves we are delivering what we promise.”

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate consultancy firm hires new associate directors

Are you already thinking of how to reward your employees this Christmas? Why not choose the Harrogate Gift Card?

The Harrogate Gift Card can be spent in over 100 businesses in Harrogate town centre including retail, hospitality and leisure, whilst keeping the spend locked into the local economy.

Complete a corporate bulk order of over £250 and receive 15% discount from November 1 to 15 with the code ‘HGT15’.

A Harrogate consultancy firm has announce two new appointments as part of growth at the company.

Harlow Consulting, which is based at Cardale Park, has hired James Legard and Carolyn Black as associate directors.

Mr Legard has joined the firm from Purcell Architecture, while Ms Black has been appointed from the public sector in Scotland.

Jennifer Brennan, director at Harlow, said:

“We are delighted that two such strong candidates have chosen to join our growing team. James is adept at interpreting complex information to produce clear, actionable recommendations. He’s also particularly skilled in the fields of construction and heritage, which are important and growing research areas for us.

“Carolyn is a great fit for us, in terms of both her experience and values. Her diverse and expert skill set in social research will greatly strengthen our ability to deliver for our Scottish clients.

“Her understanding of the needs of the public and third sectors will be especially valuable in forwarding our mission to undertake projects with positive social impacts.”

Harrogate chamber event to focus on carbon emissions 

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce is set to hold its next meeting on November 13.

The event will focus on the way in which businesses can reduce their carbon footprint.

Zero Carbon Harrogate will introduce practical steps that businesses can take to tackle carbon emissions, including what resources and support are available.

The event will be held at Harrogate College from 5.30pm. More information is available on the EventBrite page.

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Trespass recruiting staff for new Ripon store

Outdoor clothing company Trespass looks set to open in Ripon after advertising for new staff online.

The firm has advertised for a store manager on the Indeed recruitment website.

Trespass is expected to move into the former Barclays building in Market Place East in the city.

A sign is in place at the former bank which states that the store is “coming soon” and is hiring.

Meanwhile, Jacob and Turner Ltd, which trades under the name Trespass, applied to North Yorkshire Council for advertising consent at the site in September.

It would see two signs implemented at the former bank.

The Stray Ferret has approached Trespass to ask if it had an opening date for its new store and how many staff it was looking to hire.

However, we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The outdoor clothing specialist currently has a store on Harrogate’s James Street.

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It’s time to meet this year’s Stray Ferret Business Award judges!

Once again there is representation from some big hitters across the Harrogate district. The judges have been chosen for their wealth of experience in driving growth in a variety of sectors.

Each judge kindly gives their free time to participate in the process. Any judge with a conflict of interest in a particular category will step away for the duration of those discussions.

Last year’s judging panel is a tough act to follow so let’s see who has taken over the mantle.

Sarah Barry, Chief Executive Officer at Harrogate Town AFC

Sarah began her career in advertising at the Yorkshire Post and Harrogate Advertiser series before joining Harrogate’s first local radio station, Stray FM – which was the start of a varied management career in commercial radio before finally becoming the Managing Director of multi-award winning Stray FM – one of the UK’s most successful commercial radio stations of its size.

In September 2021, Sarah joined Harrogate Town AFC as CEO and in June 2023, Sarah was recognised at the Football Business Awards as the SkyBet League Two CEO of the year, as voted for by fellow SkyBet League Two CEO’s.

James Rycroft, Managing Director of VIDA Healthcare

James Rycroft formed Vida Healthcare in 2010 in order to offer exceptional care for people living with dementia. Over the years he has designed, developed and now operates 300 beds and employs over 500 staff.

All Vida’s homes have been rated as Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission which is a direct result of James’ passion for quality care and quality environments.

Niall Gunn, CEO of Prosperis

Niall is an executive in retail financial services, wealth management and employee benefits with over 40 years’ experience in various executive roles with more recent focus on management. Niall operates at board level with UK regulatory approved designations, possessing excellent broad-based problem solving, communication and stakeholder management skills to ensure delivery and high effectiveness.

Experienced in developing strategies, functions and frameworks, transformational change and developing/managing existing teams.

He is the former Chairman of the Yorkshire Life & Pensions Society for an unprecedented three terms.

Heather Parry, Former managing director of Harrogate’s Yorkshire Events Centre

Heather Parry is an events professional who has spent the last 30 years building successful businesses on the Great Yorkshire Showground, including Pavilions of Harrogate, Yorkshire Event Centre, Fodder and the Harrogate Caravan Park.

Committed to good people management, communication, pushing boundaries for success and having a happy culture.

Once the deadline for entries has passed, the judges will assess each entry in the same format and without any material that goes against the terms and conditions.

The judges score the entry according to the criteria of each category. The judges will then meet to discuss their scores and make a final decision during a single day of judging. The judging process is final and all decisions are final.

It’s free and easy to enter. We will profile the great work of all the finalists, so we would encourage you to put forward your business today.

You can see a full list of award categories on our Awards page. Entries close January 19.

Flaxby firm Ilke Homes enters liquidation with debts of £320 million

Collapsed housebuilder Ilke Homes has been put into liquidation.

The company, which was based alongside the A1(M) at Flaxby, ceased trading and entered administration in June, causing the loss of 1,100 jobs and leaving a long list of creditors.

A final report from administrators AlixPartners shows the firm left debts of £320 million.

Among the sums owed by Ilke Homes was to government housing agency Homes England, which had an estimated debt of £68.7 million.

A court order has since been filed to Companies House on October 19 which states the firm will be placed into liquidation.

According to its report, AlixPartners estimated that HMRC, employees and unsecured credits are estimated to receive no money.

Photo of the main entrance to the Ilke Homes factory site at Flaxby, showing chain-link fencing and barbed wire.

Main entrance to Ilke Homes’ Flaxby factory.

Meanwhile, Homes England is likely to receive £82,000 — some 0.1% of the overall debt it is owed.

Employee claims were estimated to be £724,614, while HMRC was owed £2.1 million and unsecured creditors debt at the company totalled £249.3 million.

Catherine Williamson, administrator at AlixPartners, said in her report that during the administration period it was determined there was “significantly less value to be realised than originally anticipated” from the company’s assets.

She said:

“Based on current information, the administrators do not anticipate that any funds will become available to enable any distributions to be made to the preferential or unsecured creditors; however, the likely levels of return are estimated and are subject to change.”

AlixPartners has been appointed as liquidators of the company.

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Shortly after Ilke Homes collapsed, administrators said the firm had “faced the challenges of unprecedented inflation and a lack of land supply linked to planning processes”.

Officials at Ilke Homes said previously that it needed additional funding to fulfil a £1 billion order book and to protect jobs, adding that new investment was needed to build its pipeline of 4,200 new homes.

Meanwhile, the Stray Ferret reported in August that more than 600 former employees of the company were to take legal action following the administration announcement.

Manchester-based law firm Aticus said it had been instructed by staff members to investigate concerns around how the redundancy process was managed.