Case Studies

Unilancr is a new freelance platform where university students and recent graduates can collaborate with employers on a flexible basis. It is the first student-only freelance platform in the UK and it aims to create a “melting pot” for students and employers to collaborate on a mutually beneficial basis. 

For students: 

• Unilancr allows students to utilise their academic and commercial skills gained from their university studies. Students can create a profile, and search and apply to jobs all for free.
• Students can benefit from a flexible working environment and choose when they work to suit their varying timetable.
• As the students can work with different employers, they can expand their network and gain contacts for future job prospects.
• With an increasingly competitive job market, Unilancr allows students to build their CV and gain meaningful work experience long before they graduate.

For employers: 

• Unilancr connects employers to a previously untapped, local, freelance talent pool of highly skilled local students. It is free for employers to sign up, post a job, and search through student profiles.
• Traditional freelance acquisition is often expensive. However, students offer more cost effective talent for employers, without missing out on securing a highly skilled freelancer.
• Employers are able to source talent across an array of disciplines. This could be anything from having a website developed, an app designed, a social media campaign planned or a language translated – and anything in between.
• The platform curates the work and protects both employers and student freelancers when working on a project. It allows both parties to discuss the the project and enables tasks to be placed into agreed milestones. Money is also protected in a secure escrow wallet through Stripe, and only is paid out once both parties agree the work has been complete.

Unilancr launched in November 2020 and now has over 300 students signed up to offer their skills to employers on a freelance basis. The platform also includes recent graduates to support them during the currently challenging jobs market. The platform is currently only available in York while it is in its ‘testing’ period. 

Co-founder, Niall Clowes, said:

“Unilancr is in its early stages and on track to hopefully become something great for students and employers. As a graduate of the University of York, who first thought of the idea to make a student freelance platform whilst studying for my degree, I think York is the perfect place to begin. We have two great universities in the city and thousands of amazing employers that could benefit from accessing skilled and cost-effective local talent. Our mission is to empower students and to enable employers here in York.”

Employers can post short-term, long-term, one-off or reoccurring  jobs on the platform, which students are able to view and submit a brief proposal to. Employers can also invite specific students to apply for the job if they have found a particular student they are interested in working with. It is completely free for students and employers to sign up, and to post, search and apply to jobs.

The idea for the platform was first developed three years ago. That’s when Niall approached Make It York. The Make It York’s business team helped Niall by directing him to available business workshops, networking events, and introduced him to businesses in the same sector. 

Niall adds:

“I came to Make It York with an idea I was passionate about and believed it could be developed into something viable. The Make It York business team have helped provide information on the best practices of starting up new business. They also have contacts within the majority of York’s businesses, which was very helpful for us in the early stages of developing the platform.” 

Unilancr is an inclusive platform that aims to establish itself and expand in York. The company is looking to get more employers in York on board and reinforce that “students are an incredibly talented and viable source of support for local businesses” now and always. 

To find out more about Unilancr visit their website www.unilancr.com 

BrewRound is a start-up e-commerce business established by co-founders Christopher Bowling and Jordan Newton, who’ve been developing an app for “click & collect” coffee since autumn 2019. The app, which aims to support independent coffee shops and offer easy way for customers to purchase brews from their favourite coffee shops, will launch in November this year.  

The idea for the app came from the founders’ personal experience – often travelling for work pre-covid, they’ve noticed the tendency to purchase coffee from well-known chain brands like Starbucks and Costa due to the convenience offered by the brands’ app that allowed pre-ordering and picking-up drinks. They wanted to help independent coffee shops to not be left behind, by bringing the technology to them.  

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the development of the app, and although it brought challenges in the form of establishing the contact with independent coffee shop owners, it has also put a spotlight on the need to support those local businesses.  

Chris and Jordan have recently been introduced to Simon Middleton, Business Growth Manager at Make It York, who has invited them to join the York Professionals networking group, helping to establish new contacts among the York’s business community. Simon has also directed them to the available funding and grant opportunities and has made an introduction to the Business Editor at York Press. This will help BrewRound with the coming launch of the app – to spread the news and get more independent coffee shops on board with the initiative.  

Chris Bowling, co-founder of BrewRound, said: “I believe there is never the “best” time to start a new business – there will always be opportunities as well as challenges. With my background is in e-commerce and digital marketing, and my love for independent coffee shops, I wanted to offer independent cafes a virtual shopfront that will help them compete with large chain brands by bringing in new customers and keeping them loyal.” 

Jordan Newton, co-founder of BrewRound, added: “Networking is the most useful and successful way of meeting new people and establishing business connections. Simon Middleton was incredibly helpful in making introductions for us to York’s business community. Virtual networking that became a ‘new normal’ in the time of pandemic, has made it more accessible – many networking groups have opened up connecting people from everywhere in the country. This is very helpful for us, as the BrewRound app will be available UK-wide and after initial launch in York, we aim to expand nationally.”   

In this fast-changing environment, BrewRound believe the next step for coffee is technology. Easy and simple ordering, discovery of great new coffee shops, united rewards system – all of which to be conveniently available wherever you are. The BrewRound app is due to launch early November. 

To find out more about BrewRound visit brewround.com. 

The Yorkshire Tour Guide : A Bespoke Experience

Visit York member, The Yorkshire Tour Guide who offer both private walking tours of York and chauffeur guided tours of Yorkshire are back operating their bespoke tour experiences with new measures in place to ensure both the safety and comfort of guests.

The team is led by Howard Smelt-Webb who is from a farming background (the famous vet, James Herriot (Alf Wight) used to be the vet for the family farm!) and after being a police officer in York for thirty years has intimate local knowledge of the city and its hidden gems. With tour bookings cancelled following the Covid-19 outbreak, Howard and his team have since adapted their business to develop their bespoke walking tours in York – providing a healthy, outdoor experience for visitors to enjoy plenty of Yorkshire fresh air!

A former police officer, Howard explains where the idea of him becoming a tour guide began, “In 2008 we did Bed and Breakfast from our farmhouse in Lower Wensleydale – I often used to cook breakfast in my police uniform and then go off to work! One of our guests who was from Norfolk had never seen the dry stone walls that the Yorkshire Dales are so famous for – so on this particular day I put together a tour itinerary for this guest and his wife with recommendations on what to see and where to go – they came back that evening saying they’d had a great day and suggested that when I retired from the police I should start a tour guide company … the seed was sown!”

30 years later, Howard started a luxury chauffeur company specialising in tours of Yorkshire and this has evolved since with the team now offering both private and bespoke walking tours of York and chauffeur guided tours of Yorkshire. A range of vehicles are available so all group sizes can be catered for.

Howard continues “I enjoy meeting new people and having the opportunity to show people around York and Yorkshire – we have had a range of guests over the years from both the U.K. and abroad, from all walks of life and has sometimes included Hollywood actors, politicians, rock stars, television / sports personalities and high profile business people. The key thing we offer guests is discretion together with a totally bespoke and flexible service tailored to individual requirements.”

One such ‘high profile’ guest visited York in July. Howard picks up the story – “On a Thursday lunchtime, we received a telephone call from a PA in London asking if we were available to provide a bespoke chauffeur guided / walking tour of York that coming Sunday. The guest would be flying up from London in his helicopter with his security team. After confirming details and liaising with his security, we did a recce of the proposed tour route the day before. We had a very flexible itinerary which could be modified on the day if required and took covid restrictions into account. Thankfully the weather was kind to us on the day itself. The guests flew into the outskirts of York by helicopter – we collected the guest’s party with our Jaguar XJL joining other security vehicles for the journey into the city centre.

York was at its best and the guests were thrilled with their visit which included a walk along the city walls, a tour round York Minster, a traditional Sunday lunch of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding together with a walk round York’s historic streets. We then got back in the cars and took a scenic route back to the helicopter via the Knavesmire.” Howard concludes “It was a great day – everything went very smoothly and most importantly of all, the guests really enjoyed themselves and want to return to York as soon as possible.”

Howard and the team have implemented a number of new safety measures including for chauffeur driven tours ensuring face masks and hand sanitiser are provided for the drivers & guests, as well as air purifiers in the vehicles and an enhanced internal cleaning programme. With a range of vehicles available, consideration is given to size of the group and which vehicle is best, whilst also ensuring that guests feel comfortable and enjoy their experience.

Looking ahead, Howard’s team is expanding with a new guide joining this month bringing a wealth of local knowledge which will help enhance the tour guest’s experience and extra historical expertise from his current studies at the University of York in Archaeology . Howard also continues to increase his already significant knowledge on York’s history by taking part in a new University of York course focusing on ‘York:From Romans to the Present Day’ this month.

Howard and his team are welcoming enquiries and bookings for future tours and more information is available here:  www.theyorkshiretourguide.co.uk

Skillsforge, based at York Science Park is an EdTech company offering software solutions to universities. Established over 15 years ago, Skillsforge was created by a within a University of York research project to address the lack of effective progression monitoring and supervision for postgraduate research programmes. It now works with over 24 universities across the UK and Australia, and is currently looking to expand into Canada, New Zealand and Ireland.

Make It York has been a part of Skillsforge’s business journey for over two years. They are looking to develop the business with the aim of leveraging their investment against some possible grant funding, the Make It York Business Team were able to point Skillsforge in the right direction and towards the most appropriate funding for their business needs.

Over the past two years, Skillsforge have been supported by Make It York through several successful grant funding applications:

• Three successful applications through the AD:VENTURE Programme. These allowed the business to make investments in small, capital items such a laptops and software and which meant that earlier this year as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Skillsforge were ready and prepared to quickly adapt in operating the business remotely

• Two successful applications for Digital Enterprise Funding. This funding helped them with their internet and telephony connections as they moved into new offices in the Innovation Centre at York Science Park. They were also able to access support from specialist business consultants during the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance their software solutions
• Qualified for two out of three opportunities offered through SparkFund which has allowed SkillsForge to significantly enhance their product and apply for international standard accreditations such as ISO 27001 and ISO9001 Certifications.
• A successful application was also made to the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DIT) Tradeshow Access Programme which helped to gain essential market knowledge and make new contacts overseas.

In recent months, as well as grant-funding Skillsforge were signposted to the ‘Investment Readiness Programme ’ – a programme which helps get your business ready for investment and working towards building a successful pitch and Pitch Deck presentation through a series of guided webinar sessions. At the end of the process Skillsforge will also benefit from some one-on-one professional support from a high-growth entrepreneurial coaching business. They are potentially able to benefit from the new incoming Connecting Innovation programme, provided by the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Skillsforge is continuing to work with Make It York as it seeks out new opportunities for future growth and development of their business.

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“As a business we’ve always been aware that grant funding was out there to help and support growth and development, but it was about finding out where it was, how to access it and also finding the right fit for our business needs.

Being supported through the process and being able to achieve success offered huge benefits for us. As we were able to invest in making sure we could continue to operate Skillsforge remotely, we were ahead of the curve as lockdown beckoned earlier this year, due to COVID-19, and we were working efficiently from a virtual office a week before the official lockdown was announced.

We haven’t always received huge pots of money but it has given us streams of income at times when we have needed it.

Applying for grant funding can often seem daunting, with the thought of long and complex applications, but as long as you have a good product and fit the eligibility criteria, I have always found it to be a very efficient and the process is often easier than expected. Having the support of a Business Growth Manager from Make It York, to guide you through it and direct you towards the right grants for your business, makes it even easier.

However, business support isn’t just about getting help applying for and being successful for grant funding applications. Make It York have been able to put us in touch with the right people, and direct me on the right route to grow my business. Through Louise Saw’s recommendations I’ve made beneficial connections with the Knowledge Transfer Network, been offered tailored business advice and been able to expand my business skills on funded training opportunities like ‘Investment Readiness’.

If you are a small to medium sized business in York looking to grow and develop your business then you are crazy if you are not making use of a Business Growth Manager at Make It York!”

Gary Fawcett

CEO, Skillsforge

Shambles Kitchen, a unique York-based business which has both a sandwich shop on the Shambles and a burrito smokehouse on the Shambles Market Food Court, has recently branched out with a series of asado themed pop-up events which have proved immensely popular.

With Covid-19 impacting on their wedding catering and events side of the business, Shambles Kitchen have been looking for ways to diversify and try new things whilst also maintaining their existing business at the shop and the Shambles Market Food Court stall.

Holding their first pop-up event on Shambles Market, the team served up a delicious four course Argentinian themed meal, cooked all day using only fire. Using only local produce, the ingredients were sourced from other Shambles Market traders – including Swains Butchers, Cross of York Fishmongers and the fresh vegetable traders. This included a fish, veg and meat courses of cedar plank salmon, rescoldo beetroot and lamb a la crux and a dessert of caramelised peaches and mascarpone.

The event was hugely popular, with the hundred tickets for the two nights selling out in just twenty-four hours. The team worked hard to implement safety measures to ensure social distancing at all times, with a thorough risk assessment taking place. Measures included limiting ticket numbers to fifty to ensure spacing between guests, a table service only system and a safety briefing at the start of each night.

Simon Long, Owner of Shambles Kitchen said, “With the impact of Covid-19 meaning a lot of our wedding catering and events have been cancelled, we were keen to try something new by putting on own events in the city. The idea was inspired by our love of Asado and Argentinian food and wanting to do something a bit different!

We had amazing feedback following the initial event at Shambles Market both about the quality of the food and the overall experience. The safety measures we put in place worked really well so that everyone could just relax and enjoy the evening.

 Since the event at Shambles Market we’ve done some further pop-ups as the Sol Ast tipi – continuing with the Argentinian theme on Fridays and also doing Sunday roasts. Both of these have been really popular and it’s been great to see how supportive local people have been of these events.  We would love to do more of these at other outdoor venues around the city – so watch this space!”

Russell McCartney, Head of Commercial at Make It York said, “We were delighted for Shambles Market to host such a unique event which had a real community feel. The market is an ideal location for such events and it was great to see local businesses working together – with Shambles Market traders providing the locally sourced produce for the night.

Our market traders and independent businesses all support local jobs – and money spent with these businesses and events supports local families and our city more widely. It’s been particularly pleasing to see residents keen to support their city centre and repay Shambles Market traders who had stayed open during lockdown to serve the city.

Looking ahead we would love to see more of these kind of events taking place at the market – bringing a new audience to the space and supporting local traders and businesses across the city.”

Details of the upcoming Shambles Kitchen events can be found here. In the meantime, you can also visit their sandwich shop on the Shambles and try their new creation – the ‘Guy Fawkes’ – including smoked brisket, blow-torched cheese, gherkins, Shambles Mayo, Sriracha and chipotle gunpowder.

For more information visit www.shambleskitchen.co.uk/ and keep up to date with the latest news on Twitter and Instagram.

Reopening success for Alcuin Lodge Guest House

Alcuin Lodge, an independent guest house, located in York’s city centre reopened last month  is seeing hugely positive feedback from customers on the additional safety measures they’ve put in place. The guest house which is a Visit York member, has recently been named in the top 25 B&Bs and Inns in the UK in the 2020 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best awards based on their positive customer reviews.

Run by Darren Scott-Shaw and his husband Mark for the last eight years, the guest house closed during lockdown, with the couple using the time proactively to make improvements to the property and plan for a safe reopening.

The guest house opened its doors again to customers at the beginning of August, with the couple taking time to implement robust new safety measures to ensure visitors have a comfortable and relaxing stay whilst also being reassured that social distancing is in place.

The measures include reducing the numbers of rooms they offer to allow for more space per person, a one-way system on the stairs, rigorous additional cleaning processes and new systems in place for check-in and breakfast service. Enhancing their already five-star food hygiene rating, the couple have improved their breakfast offering by developing their own online ordering app for guests to pre-order breakfast. Breakfast is then served in their redesigned dining room where each table has an individual cabinet for cutlery and condiments.

Darren Scott-Shaw said, “It was important for us when we were planning our reopening that we took the time to really get things right for our customers. We pride ourselves on our customer service and the personal touches which make a stay at Alcuin Lodge so special, and we were keen to maintain these high standards with the new safety measures we were putting in place. From freshly baked goods placed in individual tins in each room to taking guests breakfast orders and bringing them to the table side each day, we’ve worked hard to maintain our personal and friendly service.

“It’s been wonderful to see both our regular customers returning and to welcome new visitors to the city, and we’ve been delighted with the feedback we’ve been receiving from guests. It’s great to hear that the measures we’ve put in place have helped people feel really comfortable    in order to enjoy their stay and feel at home.

“Finding out that we had been named in the top twenty-five B&Bs in the UK in the 2020 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best awards just as we were about to re-open is   a fantastic boost. As it’s all based on customer reviews, it makes it even more special. We love welcoming people into our home and we look forward to having more guests stay with us over the coming months and experience a visit to the beautiful city of York.”

Mark added, “York has such a range of accommodation to suit all needs but we think that staying in a guest house gives visitors an experience similar to staying with friends so we’re able to provide a real York welcome”.

In addition to being ranked at number 22 in the the top 25 B&Bs and Inns in the UK in the 2020 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best awards, the guest house is also ranked in the top one per cent of hotels worldwide in the B&B category. Read their Tripadvisor reviews here.

For more information visit http://www.alcuinlodge.com/ or call 01904 629837 to book directly.