Latest News

The stories below give a little more insight to the goings on at S&S Northern. With stories ranging from exciting announcements from within the team to stories of how S&S Northern have reached out to help the local community.

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Engineer to run Marathon for disabled children

Craig Dempsey, Sales Engineer at S&S Northern, is to run the Manchester Marathon on 29^th April.  It is Craig’s first marathon and he has enlisted his friend, John Tootell, for moral support!  John was works for the Northern Trust.  Both will be running for Lancashire-based  disabled children’s charity, The Legacy Rainbow House. 

This is the third time the men have fundraised for the charity; they both took part in the Rainbow Ramble last year and a charity golf day at Leyland Golf Club for The Legacy Rainbow House. 

Craig says, “It’s something John and I have talked about doing for years and it’s the first Manchester Marathon for several years. We thought were not getting any younger so let’s do it! It’s a great opportunity to raise money for a very worthy cause.

As a company we have raised £7,000 in the last year for The Legacy Rainbow House.  It’s a local charity which is close to our hearts. We would really appreciate sponsorship from anyone who knows us to help The Legacy Rainbow House to continue to provide services for children with brain injuries, disabilities and life limiting conditions.”

Louise Ross, Community Relations Officer at The Legacy Rainbow House says, “We are so grateful to Craig and John for their support.  Their fundraising will continue to enable us to make a big difference in the lives of the children we help.  And we are very pleased that the S&S Northern team have again decided to support us."

Craig and John’s target is to raise £2,000 for The Legacy Rainbow House.  You can sponsor them at www.justgiving.com/Tootell-Dempsey, or call Craig on 07800 833 585.

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Raising the Ramble Bar!

Staff at S&S Northern have pledged to don their walking boots once more and put forward a team of 19 employees and family members for The Legacy Rainbow House’s Rainbow Ramble this year.

The Legacy Rainbow House, which helps children with brain injuries, disabilities and life limiting conditions, will hold its annual Ramble on April 28th, when participants take on an 11 or 18 mile picturesque route through local Lancashire villages.

The charity is now asking for other companies to come forward and take part.

Sue McMahon, Director at S & S Northern commented: “As a company we are committed to giving back to our community. We visited Rainbow House and were so impressed with the work they do and the care they provide. I would challenge anyone who visits The Legacy not to feel moved by the progress children make there. Support is even more important now parents face increasing difficulties trying to get funding for their children.” 

Louise Ross, Community Relations Officer at The Legacy Rainbow House commented: “This is now our fourth ramble, and we are hoping it’s going to be bigger and better than ever! Anyone can get involved and all ages are welcome. We are delighted that S&S Northern are taking part for the second year running, they have been a fantastic support over the past twelve months and their efforts this year will be a huge help for all the children here at the charity.”

To find out more about The Rainbow Ramble visit:
www.thelegacy-rainbowhouse.com

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Team Sparkle at Charity Glitter Ball

The Legacy Rainbow House’s Glitter Ball held in November has raised £13,000 for the charity and S&S Northern’s commitment was instrumental in this.  Members of the S&S Northern team and family attended The Ball and the company donated two tickets for the Paul McCartney concert which were auctioned for a very high bid.  S&S Northern has chosen The Legacy Rainbow House as its company charity.

Louise Ross, Community Relations Officer at The Legacy Rainbow House said, “We are very grateful to everyone at S&S Northern for their continuing support, donations and kindness.  Their support is very important in securing the funding we need each year to keep the charity running and helping the disabled children who attend to develop skills and improve their quality of life.”

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Growth sparks apprentice recruitment

S&S Northern has recruited its second apprentice in as many years to cope with strong demand for its products and services and after recently securing a raft of new contracts.

Steve and Sue McMahon who are Directors of the business believe that by recruiting apprentices through Chorley-based Runshaw Business Centre, they are breathing new life into an industry that is predominantly dominated by an ageing workforce.

“Recruiting apprentices really appealed to us because we were looking for youngsters to grow with the company and who we could train to do things the way we wanted to meet the needs of the business,” said Steve.

“The new ideas and input we have received from our apprentices has been second-to-none and their commitment, loyalty and support has been great. They bring new skills to the table which helps us to stay fresh and this has unquestionably helped us to maintain year-on-year growth.”

S&S Northern recruited 21-year-old Steven Halliday, from Coppull and 18-year-old George Dobson, from Leyland, through Runshaw Business Centre where Sue McMahon was studying the LEAD business growth programme.

Sue recommended an Apprenticeship in Customer Service to Steven who joined the company from Holy Cross Catholic High School.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do at college, so I found myself a job at S&S. When Sue told me about Apprenticeships it seemed like the perfect option for me because I could work and learn at the same time,” said Steven.

“Now I have a better understanding of customer care and am responsible for the day-to-day running of the office, which are good things to put on my CV.” 

Newly-appointed apprentice, George, started his Apprenticeship in Business Administration in June 2011 after completing A-Levels at Runshaw. He said: “Even though all my friends decided to go to university, the concept of Apprenticeships really appealed to me because I’d avoid the debt but get into the world of work and study for a qualification at the same time.

“This is my first full-time job and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve grown a lot in confidence and am learning loads of new things. It’s also been a great help having Steven here because I can ask for his help if I ever get stuck on anything, including my Apprenticeship.

“Now I’m sure that I want to carry on working and get more qualifications. If you put the effort in you get rewards back, and that’s a win-win situation.”

Adrian Roscoe, centre manager at Runshaw Business Centre, added: “S&S Northern is a great example of how Apprenticeships can work and how they can be of benefit to both businesses and individuals.”

Steve McMahon concluded: “I’d encourage other companies to consider Apprenticeships because they are a great way to build a future workforce and support business growth.”

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S&S Northern tee off for Rainbow Kids Charity

S&S Northern ‘tee-d off for disabled youngsters’ at a recent Charity Golf Day at Leyland Golf Club. 

Team members and brothers from S&S Northern, Lee and Craig Dempsey, made up a team of four with customers Andy Leigh and John Tootell, one of 24 teams taking part in the golf day.  S&S Northern was also a ‘tee sponsor’. The event was hosted by Duncan Mackenzie, the ex-Everton, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea footballer, and raised £4,000 for The Legacy Rainbow House, the Lancashire-based disabled children’s charity. 

Louise Ross, Community Relations Officer from The Legacy Rainbow House said,

“The event was a fantastic success and our thanks go to all those taking part.  We are very grateful to S&S Northern for their continued support and for making us the company’s charity.  S&S Northern first started supporting us over a year ago, and a team of staff and customers took part in The Rainbow Ramble earlier in the year.”

Steve McMahon, Director at S&S Northern said,

“The Legacy Rainbow House is a wonderful local charity which achieves great things with the children who attend.  We have all been impressed by the children and staff at the fantastic Legacy centre.  As a company we want to do as much as we can to support the charity, and have fun!  The Charity Golf Day was a great day out for all the team.”

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Northern Souls Support Local Children

Kind-hearted staff from S&S Northern have helped a North West charity raise more than £30,000 to help children with disabilities and special needs.

A 14-strong team took part in the 10 mile Rainbow Ramble, organised by and in aid of The Legacy Rainbow House in Mawdesley near Chorley. The charity supports children with disabilities, brain injuries and life-limiting conditions and offers specialist care to the youngsters.

After seeing for themselves the stirling work carried out at The Legacy Rainbow House, the Directors of S&S Northern, Steve and Sue McMahon, have pledged to support the charity on a long-term basis and The Rainbow Ramble is one of their first fundraising activities.

Sue said: “We were delighted with the effort our team put in and the donations raised. In total we raised over £1,500. When we heard we’d helped to take the total to over £30,000 for the first time it was an amazing feeling.

“Every child at The Legacy Rainbow House is given the best opportunity to thrive and we are very happy to be able to help support everyone there.”

Directors of S&S Northern, Sue and Steve McMahon, present the children of Rainbow House with their Rainbow Ramble donation.

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