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National and<br />
international<br />
news<br />
EDUCATION<br />
NHSG recognised for<br />
changing lives<br />
Newcastle High School for Girls (NHSG) has been<br />
recognised for its outstanding work in changing<br />
lives through youth movement National Citizen<br />
Service (NCS). Beating off competition from<br />
16 local schools, the North East private school<br />
scooped an NCS North East Star School Award,<br />
which was presented to headmistress Hilary<br />
French and students Anudi Galagedara and Ariane<br />
Cornall.<br />
ARCHITECTURE<br />
Return to business for<br />
Mark Squires<br />
Newcastle-based award-winning architecture<br />
firm Squires Barnett has announced a new-look<br />
management team with two promotions and the<br />
appointment of a new partner. George Musson<br />
and Nathan Sanders have become associates while<br />
Mark Squires, former chief executive of Benfield<br />
Motor Group, has joined his wife, Louise, in the<br />
business as a partner.<br />
CIVIL SERVICE<br />
NUMBERS DECLINE<br />
BUT PROPORTION OF<br />
WOMEN INCREASES<br />
There were 418,300 civil<br />
servants as of March 31,<br />
2016, down by 15,500 or 3.6<br />
per cent on the previous<br />
year, according to the 2016<br />
Civil Service Statistics,<br />
published by the ONS.<br />
Women made up 54.2 per<br />
cent of the Civil Service,<br />
up 0.4 percentage points,<br />
and women increased as<br />
a proportion of senior civil<br />
servants (40.1 per cent, up<br />
1.2 percentage points on<br />
the previous year and 8.2<br />
percentage points since<br />
March 2008). There has<br />
also been an increase in the<br />
proportion of Grades 6 and<br />
7 who are women, from 38.1<br />
per cent in 2008 to 44.8 per<br />
cent in 2016.<br />
BUSINESS<br />
Forum discusses ‘uncertain’<br />
times<br />
A business forum dubbed The State of the Region<br />
- arranged to bring North East businesses and<br />
leaders together to address concerns surrounding<br />
hot topics such as Brexit, devolved power and<br />
economic climate – took place at Tyneside Cinema<br />
last month. Chaired by Lucy Armstrong, chief<br />
executive of The Alchemists, and a panel of LEP<br />
representatives, the event was attended by over 100<br />
representatives from local businesses.<br />
BUSINESS<br />
Funding secured to help<br />
SMEs in chemical sector<br />
Industry body NEPIC has been awarded<br />
further funding to help small-to-medium-sized<br />
businesses become established suppliers to the<br />
region’s chemical processing industry. Following<br />
a successful European Development fund bid<br />
via the North East LEP, NEPIC will continue its<br />
work in helping SMEs through a unique industry<br />
mentoring approach, via the newly launched SME<br />
Growth programme.<br />
EJ VERDI POPS UP IN<br />
VIENNA<br />
Newcastle-based<br />
fashion house EJ Verdi is<br />
celebrating international<br />
sales following a recent<br />
pop-up shop event in<br />
Vienna.<br />
The event, which ran for<br />
three months over the<br />
summer, was organised<br />
by the Anglo/Austrian<br />
Chamber of Commerce<br />
partnership with support<br />
from the Department for<br />
International Trade and the<br />
British Embassy.<br />
Director James Herrington<br />
explained: “The biggest<br />
learning curve for us was<br />
that for some women,<br />
actually seeing and feeling<br />
the clothes is an important<br />
part of the buying decision<br />
process. So alongside our<br />
e-commerce ambitions<br />
we are now looking into<br />
retail and distribution<br />
opportunities overseas,<br />
particularly in the USA.”<br />
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