'Hidden' park in York used by Rowntree workers to get mural

A mural is set to be commissioned in York to celebrate the centenary of chocolate entrepreneur Joseph Rowntree's death. North Street Gardens, by the River Ouse, was gifted to the city by the philanthropist for his factory workers to use. York BID has asked artists to submit designs for the mural, which would explore the history of the "underused" space. Submissions of up to £4,000 have been welcomed, with a deadline of 15 April.
Rachel Bean, from York BID, described Joseph Rowntree as a "really significant figure" in York. He died in 1925."He was so important for changing the social landscape for factory workers," she said."North Street Gardens is such a key location because it was a gift from Joseph Rowntree to the city for his workers, offering them a space to come outside to connect with nature."It was all about improving their quality of life."
Today, Ms Bean said the gardens were a "beautiful green space" but they wanted to attract more people there.She hoped a series of murals in the area would be a "vibrant and colourful" way to engage people in York's hidden history. "We are really fortunate that York is such a creative city and we've got so many talented artists that want to have their work displayed here," Ms Bean added."It's going to be a permanent mural so it's a brilliant opportunity for local artists. We've had lots of interest but we would like to share it as widely as possible."The successful artist would be appointed on 25 April.
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

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The Guardian

10-06-2025

• The Guardian

Patchwork fashion and bean-to-bar chocolate: meet the entrepreneurs shaking up Yorkshire's shopping habits

'My family thought I was mad leaving my comfortable graduate job to start a chocolate company at 21 years old – and rightly so!' recalls Max Scotford, the founder of Yorkshire's first bean-to-bar chocolate company, Bullion. But as it turns out, his hunch that craft chocolate was about to become the next big thing, was spot-on. Now in his ninth year, Scotford, memorably titled chief chocolate officer, runs Bullion from a factory in Sheffield's Kelham Island, as well as the hot chocolate cafe Chocolate Bar in the prominent Heart of the City redevelopment, and a sister company Dough Boy (a bakery). Employing a total of 20 people in the local area, he says his success was expedited significantly thanks to help from his old university, Sheffield Hallam, where he graduated in events management in 2015. 'I was working in an events management role after university when the idea for a chocolate company came about,' he says. 'Food has always been something I've been passionate about – I'd gone to catering college and trained as a chef in a restaurant.' It was after a TV show about craft chocolate caught his attention that the idea really took hold. 'They were making chocolate from scratch and, at the time, not many people were doing it. Coincidentally, I'd been making it at home, for fun. It was dubbed the next craft coffee or beer, which felt really exciting.' An unexpected payday saw Scotford take the plunge. 'When I was 17, I'd briefly thought about making protein yoghurt and bought the trademark for 'Pro-Yo'. I quickly realised that I didn't have the infrastructure to make it happen, but just as the chocolate idea was taking hold, I was contacted out of the blue by one of the biggest yoghurt manufacturers in the country, making me an offer for it.' Scotford agreed to sell the trademark. 'I figured if ever I was going to get a chance to run my own business, it was now.' With money but lacking the business knowhow, Scotford turned to his former university for help through its Enterprise Scheme. 'Returning to Sheffield Hallam meant I was stationed with 12 or so other businesses in a co-working space [The Hallam iLab] for about two years,' recalls Scotford. 'In those early days of setting up, you're completely green and full of questions. The university provided not just a place I could turn to, to hold my hand through that tricky first stage, but a group of like-minded peers to work alongside, too.' There, Scotford made use of the facilities available, from a business mentor and networking groups, to office space and IT services. Help with ongoing funding was another advantage to the scheme, with Scotford winning the university's first ever Enterprise Award in 2017, securing him £5,000. The support via his mentor proved especially valuable and helped Bullion land its first retailer. 'My mentor really understood my vision, helping me make crucial connections and tap into the network and support I needed.' As well as helping him raise initial funding, his mentor's insight made a huge difference later when cashflow became an issue, says Scotford. 'A chocolate business is very seasonal – we'll make a lot of our income at Christmas and over the summer it's more challenging. But summer is typically when we make Christmas products and need to buy packaging, for example. My mentor was incredibly helpful in helping me manage that. Without him, that sort of thing could easily send a new business under. We still speak every month now, nine years on.' He is one of many students tapping into the expertise offered by university incubators. In the three years to 2028, an estimated 27,000 startups will be established with their support, according to Universities UK, which represents the bulk of UK universities. Helen Armitage is the associate director of student futures and employability at Sheffield Hallam and oversees the university's careers, employability, enterprise and business incubation service. It's a service that offers support to current and former students through various channels, from 1:1 appointments and workshops to support in gaining work experience and sandwich-year placements. 'At 18 or 19 years old it takes a lot of confidence and self-belief to develop a business idea,' says Armitage. 'So doing it in a safe environment where failure can happen (because it will) and there's a support network of experienced staff and mentors to look at what went wrong and ask: 'How could we do this differently going forward?' is invaluable. 'Developing an entrepreneurial mindset is vital whether our students go on to run their own business or not, and having a strong peer support network and mentors are key to supporting progress in their working life. This is something we've been able to do, and the impact on our students has been fantastic.' When asked why supporting entrepreneurship is such an important focus, she adds: 'We shape futures and prepare our students for whatever they choose to do in their career journey. Progressing into self-employment and entrepreneurial paths is an avenue any of our students may pursue – either while studying with us, or beyond. So ensuring we – as a university, an enterprise and business incubation service – can enable that means we know our students have the support needed to positively progress into their future.' It's that kind of encouragement which helped make BA fashion design graduate Sarah Thompson one of Sheffield Hallam's success stories. She launched her sustainable fashion brand, TOM-O after graduating in 2021. TOM-O, which takes unwanted fabric and clothing to create bespoke patchwork pieces – all with sustainability at the forefront – secured a five-week pop-up at Selfridges flagship store on London's Oxford Street shortly after its launch. She credits Hallam's support ('it was like a little family there') as being instrumental in those early days. 'During my time there, I had access to a wide range of equipment and facilities, which helped enhance my learning experience,' she says. 'We had numerous opportunities to apply our learning, such as workshops, projects, placements, events, field trips and guest lecturers. I took an internship year too, which was hugely valuable. All the technical skills I developed there have been crucial in creating clothes for my brand, from pattern cutting to sewing. Thanks to my time at Sheffield Hallam, I feel well-equipped to tackle whatever comes my way.' Scotford wishes more people knew help of this kind was available. 'So many people finish university and it's incredibly competitive to find a job and know what to do. If graduates have an idea of doing their own thing and knew this kind of support was out there, maybe they'd be up for giving it a go – which would be fantastic, wouldn't it?' Find out about careers, employability, enterprise and business incubation services at Sheffield Hallam

Daily Mirror

10-06-2025

• Daily Mirror

Martin Lewis helped me get £14k in council tax but I'm not happy

One of the consumer champion's fans shared a story on how he successfully challenged his council tax payment, only for there to be a sting in the tail Consumer champion Martin Lewis was heaped with praise online after his sage advice helped a man claim back more than £14,000 in excess council tax payments – yet the story took a bittersweet turn. One of his followers heeded the expert's advice and was over the moon to get tens of thousands of pounds back after discovering his property was placed in the wrong council tax band, only later to share there was a "sad" twist to the tale. Martin had initially uploaded a video on his X account encouraging the public to tune in to the latest instalment of his self-titled BBC Sounds podcast. In it, he complained about the council tax band system in England and Scotland. ‌ His message was paired with the caption: "Are you in one of 400,000 homes that are in the wrong council tax band? If so, you could be due £1,000s back!" He added: "It really is quite unbelievable that if you live in England and Scotland, the council tax band you are in today is still dictated by a stop-gap, drive-by valuation done back in 1991 that was only meant to last a couple of years. ‌ "And when I say drive-by, I'm literally talking a couple of estate agents in a car often, with a clipboard in second gear going, 'Band C, Band D, Band E' – and that is still in place today. So no surprise up to 400,000 homes are in the wrong band. If you're in the wrong band and if you challenge it, not only can you get it lowered, you can get a backdated payout back to when you moved in or 1993, whichever was sooner." The expert, who also hosts The Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV, later told people not to dispute their council tax band without doing their research first, adding: "However, don't just do this speculatively because then you could get it wrong and they put your band up or even your neighbour's band up. You need to follow my full, step-by-step check and challenge process that I go through in detail in the podcast." Taking this advice on board, one fan, Rob Dean, sought about correcting the council tax band for not only his mother's property but also that of his neighbours. He replied to Martin's video: "Did that for my mum following your guidance and got £6000+ back and then told the three neighbours who were also in the wrong band. Overall total was £14.5k. Only sad part is that we'd all overpaid the water rates too!" He made no suggestion that he had managed to claw back any of that money. Others also shared their experiences of challenging their council tax bands. One person said: "I've been waiting for a decision for more than six months," while another follower added: "Just checked mine as I've always thought it seemed too high – turns out I am in the right band, but right at the bottom of it!" ‌ A third person sought Martin's help, saying: "My sister challenged her band last October. VOA [Valuation Office Agency] said it can take up to a year before they decide!! Is this right??" Challenging your council tax band Martin's Money Saving Expert website offers a comprehensive guide on how to contest your council tax band, detailing the steps homeowners can take to secure a refund if they believe they've been incorrectly categorised. For an in-depth look at the procedure, click here. But in brief, he proposed two approaches for those looking to challenge their council tax band. The first step is to compare your band with that of neighbours in similar or identical properties, with resources available on his website for residents in England and Scotland to facilitate this comparison. ‌ The second step involves a valuation check, where individuals can use the Money Saving Expert site to estimate the value of their property back in 1991, which was when the current bands were established, despite the tax being introduced in 1993. Martin pointed out that anyone who purchased their home after 1991 can "use its price and date of sale" as a basis for valuation. However, he warned: "This can't be used as evidence if you challenge your band. But it enables you to check out various property prices on your street and is an important test that you're on the right track." ‌ If both criteria are met, Martin said that you can then present a challenge to the VOA, either formally or informally, recommending the formal route although acknowledging it's "available to fewer people". Those eligible to lodge a formal challenge must have "lived in the property for six months or less (it doesn't matter whether you own or rent, though if renting you should notify the landlord as a courtesy)". For individuals who can't make a formal challenge, Martin suggested: "Over the years we've heard feedback from people who've been told they can't challenge as they've lived in their property too long – yet the VOA has a statutory duty to uphold the integrity of Council Tax bands list. "This means you can still submit a request for an 'informal review' of your Council Tax band, though the burden is on you to provide compelling evidence that your band is wrong, to persuade the VOA to do the review."

Daily Mirror

09-06-2025

• Daily Mirror

Martin Lewis explains new ISA rule change for anyone with more than one account

Martin Lewis has explained how a change in the rules now means savers can take out several different cash ISAs or stocks and shares ISAs within the same tax year Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has offered crucial guidance for individuals with more than one Cash ISA, in light of a recent change in government regulations. On the latest episode of The Martin Lewis podcast, the founder of MSE clarified to his listeners and co-host Adrian Chiles how Cash ISA rules now operate following a fiscal rule alteration in 2024. Previously, a long-standing rule restricted people to only one Cash ISA or Stocks and Shares ISA per year, but this has now been scrapped. This means savers can now utilise several different Cash ISAs and Stocks and Shares ISAs, including fixed-rate and easy access, all within the same tax year. ‌ During the July 5 episode of The Martin Lewis Podcast on BBC Sounds and Spotify, Martin Lewis explained: "Ever since ISAs were set up, there's been a limit on the amount of money you can have in, and you've been able to open a Cash ISA and a Stocks and Shares ISA in the same year. ‌ "But you've only been able to open one of each type. But, from April 6 2024, the rules were changed, and the restriction on subscribing to one ISA of each type, in a year, was removed. "You may now open as many different ISAs of one type, for example a Cash ISA, you can have a fix, and you can have two different Cash ISAs, all of which you've opened and put money into, within one tax year." There are whispers that changes to Cash ISAs could be imminent, after the government declined to dismiss a potential reduction to the limits in the future, reports the Express. Currently, savers can stash up to £20,000 into Cash ISAs within a single tax year, across various accounts. However, there's buzz that the government might slash this limit to as little as £4,000, potentially from 2026. This move could, insiders claim, nudge more Brits towards investing rather than hoarding cash in ISAs, with stocks and shares ISAs reportedly not facing the same cuts. Earlier in the year, money guru Martin weighed in on the potential changes, remarking: "The concept behind it is that it'd encourage people to put the money in shares ISAs instead (personally, I'm sceptical if it'd work - many will just keep saving but pay more tax). "Of course, everything is pure supposition - I doubt any firm decision has been made yet. But if it happens as rumoured, it WOULDN'T impact money already in cash ISAs, it'd just cut what you can put in, in future. "Whether it'd start immediately, or in January or April 2026, no one knows (including at this point, I suspect, Rachel Reeves). Yet if you plan to save in a cash ISA, all of this would suggest getting it in sooner would seem safer."