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The Stray Ferret Business Club’s next meeting will take place on Thursday, November 30.
The Business Club provides monthly opportunities to network, make new connections and hear local success stories.
A Harrogate advanced engineering company is working with gas networks to detect and repair leaks with the aid of state-of-the-art robots.
Synovate‘s LeakVISION robot crawls along pipelines and uses heat sensors to detect leaks, which are often caused by shrinkage, a phenomenon that accounts for more than 1% of the UK’s greenhouse emissions.
The issue is a significant one for the gas companies. Earlier this year, a major methane leak in the UK was detected from space. The amount of methane – a potent greenhouse gas – that was lost over three months would have been enough to power 7,500 houses for a year.
Synovate’s new robot technology was trialled by Cadent, the UK’s largest gas distribution network, ahead of the King’s Coronation festivities in London. The use of robots minimised the need for roadworks at a time when the capital was extremely busy with hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The technology earned Synovate the award for Innovation of the Year at last year’s Gas Industry Awards.
Simon Langdale, engineering director at Synovate, said:
“We continue to develop and invest in a large fleet of robots and operator training to support the utility companies fight against leaks. Addressing shrinkage in a low-impact manner is crucial to reducing road disruptions for councils and road users. It will also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the nation’s climate goals.
“We believe this scalable rapid-response technology is essential to maintaining services for homeowners and businesses across the UK. Synovate’s technology ensures the faster and more efficient detection and repair of gas leaks, contributing positively to households, communities, and the environment.”
The design and development of the robots took two years and an investment of £1.2 million. Synovate collaborated with engineering experts from Sheffield, Birmingham, Bristol, and Leeds Universities.
LeakVISION’s development was backed by the Strategic Innovation Fund, a collaboration between UK energy regulator Ofgem and Innovate UK under UK Research and Innovation.
Free leadership seminar
Harrogate-based business consultancy Quarterdeck will be holding a free leadership seminar next month.
The event will examine ‘Why most leadership training is a waste of time and money’, ‘The difference between management and leadership’, ‘Why most people fail to become a good leader’, ‘How to motivate others to greater performance’, ‘Why most people don’t bother’, and ‘The one area that most people neglect but is essential’, which deals with work-life balance.
Advertising the event, Quarterdeck’s website says:
“We’ve worked with thousands of people across hundreds of businesses and we find common threads that people encounter when trying to manage people.”
It adds:
“We’ve found that leaders are not born, they are made, and we can show you how.”
Quarterdeck’s leadership seminar will be held from 9am to 12 noon on Tuesday, November 21 at the Rudding Park Hotel in Harrogate. Bookings can be made online.
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Diners to eat blindfolded to raise funds for Harrogate guide dogs
An unusual charity dinner at Harrogate’s Rudding Park next month will see diners eat their main course blindfolded.
The event is being organised to raise money for Guide Dogs UK in Harrogate and to stimulate what dining out is like for people with a visual impairment.
Dine in the Dark will take place at the hotel on November 11.
Guide dog owner Kim Murphy said:
“Having my guide dog Jango has completely changed my life and events such as this are crucial for raising funds so that somebody else with sight loss can get a life changing guide dog like Jango.”
Nicola Ridgway, community fundraising manager for Guide Dogs UK in Harrogate, added:
“Dine in the Dark gives you the opportunity to enjoy great company and to have fun while experiencing the sensory effect of eating food with no vision.
“It will give you an insight into how visually impaired guide dog owners experience life on a daily basis.”
Tickets are £53.30 each (Inc booking fee) and are available here.
All funds raised will be donated to Guide Dogs UK.