Yorkshire Wolds-based stationery and design studio Alison Hardcastle is celebrating international success, securing a lucrative distribution deal in Australia following the New York Stationery Show at the Javitts Centre, New York.

The company also exports to countries ranging from Canada to the UAE, with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT).

Employing 2 people locally, the home-grown business produces greetings cards, paper goods and prints. Established in 2005, it now sells its products around the world, in countries ranging from the US to Australia, and from the Netherlands to Switzerland. International sales now account for over 30% of its turnover.

Alison Hardcastle’s products are also stocked extensively across the UK in retailers including Oliver Bonas, Southbank Centre, Waterstones, Paperchase and the Design Museum. The company is planning to increase its international presence, looking to Germany, Netherlands, France and Belgium.

The business started working with DIT in 2013, receiving ongoing market advice and research to help it overcome exporting challenges. It went to New York on a DIT-led trade mission in 2014, sending its first international order in 2015 after a successful decade of trading across the UK.

It keeps all production in the UK, using only local businesses and services where possible. Local printers are used and all products are finished, packed and despatched from its Yorkshire studio.

Founder Alison Hardcastle said:

I know that exporting will make my business more sustainable in the long-term, and I have plans to reach a variety of new markets in the near future.

Initially, the thought of exporting seemed quite daunting. However, my advice to any small business thinking of taking its first international step is to be brave and bold. Exporting is nowhere near as scary as I initially thought, and once you get the hang of it, it’s not hugely different to doing business in the UK. The key is being as organised and proactive as possible. If we can do it, you can too!

Mark Robson, Head of Yorkshire and the Humber at the Department for International Trade, said:

Alison Hardcastle’s products showcase the best of British creativity. Her colourful, clever and eye-catching cards and prints have proved incredibly popular in the UK, and we’re delighted to see that they are gaining traction in countries across the world.

We know that exporting can seem daunting, however the rewards far outweigh the challenges. There is support available for any company, of any size, in Yorkshire and the Humber. Whether a business has 2 or 200 hundred staff, our team of International Trade Advisers can provide the help needed to get its product to international markets.

The public consultation launches tomorrow 1 August and runs for 8 weeks until the 26 September.

The Code of Practice for Intended Pleasure Vessels (IPV Code) and its supporting guidance notices – which will be introduced on 1 January 2019 – addresses temporary commercial use either for business purposes or as a race support boat.

The MCA is urging the boating community to read through the proposals on how they plan to make the water a safer place for everyone while giving the opportunity to legitimately operate commercially on a temporary basis for certain activities. The IPV code team will be available to discuss the new framework at a series of key dates throughout the Southampton boat show.

Additionally, the MCA is replacing marine guidance notice 538 on pleasure vessels which introduces exemptions that mark a significant positive step for the pleasure vessel manufacturing sector in the UK and phases out the use of ORC liferafts.

Ian Lardner, head of marine technology for the MCA said: ‘We have been working extremely closely with our partners at British Marine (BM), Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and the Yacht Brokers, Designers and Surveyors Association (YBDSA) to bring about this very positive and significant step for the boating community. The new IPV Code allows people to use their pleasure vessels on a temporary single-voyage basis for sea trials, deliveries or race support activities, without using the existing commercial vessel codes which are intended for a more longer-term commercial use. We’re providing a simple means of compliance to rules that have always existed, with negligible burdens. We all think this a huge step forward and we hope as many people as possible will take the time to read through the consultation to see if there are any further developments we could consider.’

RYA cruising manager, Stuart Carruthers, said: ‘The introduction of the IPV Code and the guidance for owners to provide race support activities for a yacht or powerboat race is a very positive step and provides a much-needed solution to a number of problems that race organisers and support staff have struggled with in the past.

‘In addition, the application of the IPV Code to vessels used at sea on a single-voyage basis by owners, brokers, surveyors and repairers for business purposes relating to sale, repair, post-repair or mid-survey sea trials, customer sea trials and for vessel delivery in connection with the business purpose is also welcomed and it is very much to RYA members’ advantage for this code and associated MGNs to be adopted.’

Bas Edmonds, RYA racing services manager, added: ‘It’s extremely pleasing to see the MCA support the delivery of our sail racing by looking to exempt those boats supporting race activities. The IPV code and associated MGNs provide a framework of achieving compliance for owners and parents wanting to support the sport, which is hugely welcomed by the RYA.’

British Marine’s technical manager, Ross Wombwell said: ‘This code of Practice for sea-trialing and transportation pprovides the industry with an affordable and achievable solution, and provides much needed clarity on what had been a regulatory grey area for our members and boat owners for a number of years. British Marine is rightly proud of the work that it has done, supported by many of its members, alongside the regulator (the Maritime & Coastguard Agency), the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and the Yacht Designers & Surveyors Association (YDSA), to develop this new process and guidance.

‘Now we need members and owners to review this code of practice and let us and the MCA know their thoughts – on the practicalities of applying these new rules, the benefits they bring, the costs involved etc.

‘British Marine is on hand to answer any queries from its members on this new code of practice and we will be engaging the membership further over the coming months, with Q&As and guidance available at TheYachtMarket.com Southampton boat show in September.’

Once the external consultation has closed, the MCA will draft a final set of proposals of the new IPV code. Any new development changes within the code will be published accordingly.

More information about the public consultation can be found on the MCA website here: code of practice for intended pleasure vessels.

If you would like to contribute your thoughts to this public consultation or if you require a hard copy of the consultation, please email PleasureVessels@mcga.gov.uk

The government has re-committed today (1 August 2018) to putting the Grenfell Tower bereaved, survivors and community at the heart of deciding what happens to the future of the site.

As part of this, the government has announced it will take responsibility for the Grenfell Tower site. It will make operational decisions, such as on the site’s safety, security and access arrangements, until the future of the site has been determined by the community. A formal agreement will be finalised in the autumn.

The Metropolitan Police have said they are preparing to release the site as a crime scene, ahead of this the government is announcing the next step on the journey to a fitting memorial.

As these arrangements are put in place, the site will continue to be managed by the independent Site Management team who have been in place since July 2017.

Led by Doug Patterson, Chief Executive of the London Borough of Bromley, the team is responsible for all aspects of the on-going day-to-day management, such as health and safety and security. This ensures the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) will continue to take no role in making decisions regarding the site.

The local policing team will continue to work closely with the Site Management team and patrol the surrounding area to protect the integrity of the site.

The Prime Minister has given her own personal commitment that the bereaved, survivors and wider community will lead the decision making process regarding the long term future of the site. This has been formalised in a set of written principles governing consultations on the future of the site and signed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, RBKC, Grenfell United and Lancaster West Residents’ Association.

The principles stated that the land will be transferred to a body represented by the bereaved and survivors once an appropriate body has been established and the site has been made ready and available for future use.

The government will take over the responsibility for the Grenfell Tower site from the autumn. As these arrangements are put in place, the site will continue to be managed by the independent Site Management team who have been in place since July 2017.

The council remain the legal owners of the site until the future is decided. They take no role in the management or decision making.

The Metropolitan Police have indicated they remain on schedule to release the site at the beginning of August as their police work at the Tower reaches completion.

There remains a need for core participants and expert witnesses of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to access the tower, which must continue to take priority.

No decision has yet been taken on the future of the Grenfell Tower site. The government will make operational decisions on the site, regarding the site’s safety, security and access, in consultation with relevant experts and public authorities whose priorities are responsibility for safety and security of the site, the health and safety of those working on the site and living in the surrounding area.

Nick Hurd, the Minister for Grenfell Victims, and Doug Patterson, site management lead and Chief Executive of the London Borough of Bromley, have committed to engaging the bereaved, survivors and the community on all matters relating to the Grenfell Tower site, including sharing information on technical aspects relating to the site management and process to bring down the Tower.