The Stray Ferret launches 2023 Business Awards

Does your business or workplace have a good story to tell? We’re looking to recognise the best and the brightest in the Harrogate district’s business community.

On March 9 next year, the Stray Ferret Business Awards will celebrate those businesses at a glittering black tie ceremony in the Pavilions of Harrogate and we want your entries.

The Stray Ferret Business Awards 2023, sponsored by local financial advisers Prosperis, are for businesses across all sectors in the Harrogate district including Ripon, Masham, Boroughbridge, Harrogate, Pateley Bridge and Knaresborough.

We are delighted to announce four of the region’s most influential leaders are on the Stray Ferret Business Award’s judging panel:

There are 10 award categories − from Dynamic Leader to Business Growth and Inclusivity.

It doesn’t matter if the business is large or small − the awards are to recognise excellent organisations, their leaders or unsung heroes.

It’s free to nominate and we will profile the great work of all the winners, 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 16.

In tough times we need, more than ever, to celebrate success and give individuals and teams the recognition they deserve.

Business Breakfast: Reed Boardall awarded top ranking for product safety

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Boroughbridge firm Reed Boardall has achieved top ranking for its product safety and best practice.

The Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard audit awarded the company an AA+ rating.

The certification entails an annual audit covering compliance in hazard and risk analysis, vehicle operating standards, product quality and safety management.

Vicki Rushworth, site quality manager at Reed Boardall, said: 

“This industry-leading accreditation provides another layer of reassurance for our customers, adding the benefit of visibility of food safety and integrity in the supply chain. 

“It also reduces some of the audit burden on customers as the BRCGS seal of approval assures them of Reed Boardall’s compliance.

“To elect for a 20-hour unannounced audit as we did, is a demonstration of total confidence in the robust systems we have in place and that the site operates to the BRCGS’s rigorous standards of product safety 24/7.”

Marcus Boardall, chief executive of Reed Boardall, added: 

“Over the last 30 years, Reed Boardall has played an active role in driving up standards within the food industry.

“Our latest BRCGS AA+ rating gives customers the additional peace of mind of knowing that the most rigorous procedures for ensuring product safety are embedded in our business and that we are committed to continuous quality improvement.”

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Harrogate law firm founder to retire

The founder of Harrogate law firm Jones Myers is set to retire after a 42-year career.

Peter Jones founded the company back in 1992 as the sole practitioner specialising in marital difficulties.

He soon attracted fellow family lawyers, who shared his ethos in resolving relationship breakdowns in a non-confrontational and constructive way.

Peter Jones, founder of Jones Myers Family Law.

Peter Jones, founder of Jones Myers Family Law.

The law firm now has offices on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate, as well as in Leeds and York.

Mr Jones was also a founder member and former national chair of Resolution, the national association of family lawyers which now has over 6,500 members.

He also chaired its accreditation committee, which remains at the forefront of developing high academic standards and promoting excellence in family law.

Appointed a Deputy District Judge, Mr Jones served in that judicial capacity for 15 years, during which time he also lectured nationally in family law. He qualified in 2012 as one of the country’s first Family Law Arbitrators.

Mr Jones said:

“It has been a privilege to play a part in the evolution of family law since qualifying in 1980 and to have made a real difference to the lives of the valued clients.

“I am immensely proud of the development and expansion of Jones Myers and the consistently high quality of its constructive guidance and client support. The firm has a reputation for attracting the best family lawyers in its field and I am confident of the practice’s continued success as it goes from strength to strength.”

Why Reed Boardall in Boroughbridge is a great place to work

This advertorial is sponsored by Reed Boardall.

Harrogate man Tom Cowgill is proud to work at Reed Boardall.

The long-established Boroughbridge company is a local success story and has grown into the UK’s largest single-site cold storage facility with an 800‐strong team.

It stores and delivers stocks of the UK’s leading chilled and frozen brands across the UK, Europe and further afield to all of the best‐known supermarkets and food service providers.

Tom joined the company straight out of school aged 18 and works in its warehouse operation. He said he enjoys being an important cog in a well-oiled machine and says “there’s no place” like Reed Boardall.

Family values

Reed Boardall’s HQ is capable of storing over 168,000 pallets of frozen produce at any one time.

It’s a huge operation but Tom, who is now 24, said the company has strong family values.

However, that wasn’t a surprise to him as his dad, Paul, works there too – he’s been with the company for 12 years and is currently a Development Manager.

Tom has earned three promotions and is currently a team leader in the picking department. He said the company is “great for advancement”.

Reed Boardall, which is based in Boroughbridge. Picture: Reed Boardall.

Reed Boardall, which is based in Boroughbridge. Picture: Reed Boardall.

He added:

“They’ve looked after me really well and I got promoted quickly. They obviously see something in me. 

“You build good relationships with management and they’ll help you as much as you help them.”

Every day is different

Tom manages a tight-knit team of seven people who he said can have a laugh together. He considers them to all be his friends.

The facility is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and Tom said shifts are flexible to fit around employees’ lives.

He said there are always opportunities to earn extra money too by doing overtime.

Tom hopes to progress further with the company and said there are teams that specialise in engineering, transportation, packing or office-based roles.

He said:

“There are always different career paths at Reed Boardall.”

He added:

“It is a challenging job, especially in a picking department. It’s different every day and it’s a great place to work.”

Click here to find out more about what careers are available at Reed Boardall.

New energy plant to be built at major Harrogate district employer

A new heat and power plant is to be built at a major Boroughbridge company in an effort to create “cost-effective” energy after plans were approved.

Reed Boardall, which stores and delivers frozen food to UK supermarkets, employs 800 staff at its site off Bar Lane and operates a fleet of 196 vehicles 24 hours a day.

The company submitted plans for a combined heat and power plant, which would be built on its site and generate electricity.

Now, Harrogate Borough Council has given permission for the plant to go-ahead.

According to documents lodged with the borough council, the plant would work by “igniting air and natural gas to produce hot, high-pressure gases”.

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The gas would then be fed through a turbine to drive an electrical generator and produce electricity.

Andrew Baldwin, managing director of Reed Boardall’s cold storage division, told the Stray Ferret previously: 

“We’re investing in a new combined heat and power system as a way of protecting the energy needs of our business for the future.

“It is more cost-effective than buying power from the National Grid and is generally considered to be a greener alternative. We expect it to be fully operational by the end of the year.”

A drawing of the energy plant at Reed Boardall as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

A drawing of the energy plant at Reed Boardall as submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

The company added that the energy would be used to power its headquarters in Boroughbridge. Any excess energy would be exported back to the local electricity network.

Construction of the plant is expected to take place over three months.

Once up and running, the plant would run for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, it would be unmanned and operated remotely.

Major Harrogate district employer bids to build energy plant

A Boroughbridge company plans to build a heat and power plant to produce “greener” and “cost-effective” energy at its headquarters.

Reed Boardall, which stores and delivers frozen food to UK supermarkets, employs 800 staff at its site off Bar Lane and operates a fleet of 196 vehicles 24 hours a day.

The company has submitted plans for a combined heat and power plant, which would be built on its site and generate electricity.

According to documents lodged with Harrogate Borough Council, the plant would work by “igniting air and natural gas to produce hot, high-pressure gases”.

The gas would then be fed through a turbine to drive an electrical generator and produce electricity.

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The company added that the energy would be used to power its headquarters in Boroughbridge. Any excess energy would be exported back to the local electricity network.

Greener alternative

Andrew Baldwin, managing director of Reed Boardall’s cold storage division, told the Stray Ferret: 

“We’re investing in a new combined heat and power system as a way of protecting the energy needs of our business for the future. 

“It is more cost-effective than buying power from the National Grid and is generally considered to be a greener alternative. We expect it to be fully operational by the end of the year.”

If approved, construction of the plant is expected to take place over three months.

Once up and running, the plant would run for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, it would be unmanned and operated remotely.

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

The plan follows a multi-million expansion of Reed Boardall’s Boroughbridge site.

In May, the company announced it had finished a 110,000 square foot expansion to one of its cold storage units at its 55-acre site in Boroughbridge, which will help it meet increased customer demand.

Boroughbridge company completes multi-million pound expansion

One of the Harrogate district’s biggest employers has completed a multi-million pound expansion.

Reed Boardall, which stores and delivers frozen food to UK supermarkets, employs 800 staff at its Boroughbridge site and operates a fleet of 196 vehicles 24 hours a day.

It delivers 12,000 pallets of frozen food daily.

The company has finished a 110,000 square foot expansion to one of its cold storage units at its 55-acre site in Boroughbridge, which will help it meet increased customer demand.

Prior to the pandemic, the company put plans in place to increase its storage capacity to 168,000 pallets. It started the 12-month project in March 2020 along with Leeds-based building contractors Marshall.

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Marcus Boardall, chief executive of the company, said:

“Despite intense pressure on the supply chain in 2020, we were able to undertake and complete the extension project on schedule.

“From the turmoil of the pandemic to uncertainties around Brexit, we and our customers have faced some real challenges over the last year, and this latest investment makes us well-placed to continue to swiftly and efficiently respond to our customers’ changing logistics requirements.”

Andrew Baldwin, managing director of Reed Boardall cold storage division, said:

“Our customers’ ongoing organic growth has resulted in increased storage and distribution needs and we are happy to invest in the infrastructure which will enable us to continue to look after their best interests and to grow alongside them.”