Leading UK plant nursery, Johnsons of Whixley, has provided over five thousand plants to a five-star luxury spa hotel in County Durham, as part of the venue’s £8.5million expansion plans. The Yorkshire-based horticultural business was chosen to supply a range of plants and trees to Seaham Hall Hotel’s grounds, including its bungalow lodges, 44,000sq ft spa area and hotel terrace, as a project to develop a series of new luxury suites for the hotel also gets underway. Johnsons of Whixley, which worked with Richard Porter of Garden Vision Ltd, supplied the plants for the project, providing a diverse range of plants and trees, ensuring a considered approach in keeping with the property’s Georgian heritage. The supply included Allium hollandicum plants, Allium nigrum, Betula jacquemontii trees, Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’, Lavandula ‘Hidcote’Magnolia ‘Susan’ and Nepeta faassenii. Garden Vision completed the designs for the outside spa area, terrace and lodges as well as providing the soft and hard landscaping for the projects. Founded over 100 years ago, Johnsons is a three-generation family business that has an excellent reputation for supplying the hotel trade. Previous projects include Grantley Hall in Ripon, The Torridon in Scotland and The Springs Resort & Golf Club in Oxfordshire. Seaham Hall Hotel, which was built in 1791 in Seaham, 25 miles northeast of Durham, was converted into a luxury hotel in 2012, with its owners committed to ensuring the future of the property as the finest five-star hotel in the region. From a WWI military hospital to a secret whisky bottling facility in the Prohibition era, the Hall has a rich history which is kept alive through the character and charm of the modern-day hotel. Today the hotel boasts 21 guest suites, an on-site spa and two restaurant concepts for guests to enjoy and has scooped a string of prestigious awards, the most recent being gold at the VisitEngland Awards 2022, the 2022 AA Inspectors’ Choice Hotel Awards and Good Hotel Guide Editor’s Choice Spa Awards in 2021. The hotel has also been named in The Times and The Sunday Times' Best Places to Stay list 2023. Johnsons of Whixley marketing manager, Eleanor Richardson, said: “We are thrilled to work with the Seaham Hall Hotel team as their ambitious development plans get underway, in collaboration with our customer Richard from Garden Vision Durham, who delivered the design, hard and soft landscaping of the project. “This was a really exciting project that required incredible attention to detail to ensure that the plants and trees enhanced the property’s heritage and features, while maintaining the luxury coastal feel that guests enjoy, being so close to the beautiful Durham Heritage Coastline.” Richard Porter Director at Garden Vision Ltd said: “Garden Vision have been proud to complete the design, landscaping & planting for Seaham Hall, a client that we have a great working relationship with. Throughout the design process, I was able to call on the knowledge from Johnson’s, when needed, to ensure the planting design and implementation delivered the quality required for this historic venue.” Ross Grieve, Managing Director at Seaham Hall Hotel, said: “The grounds around the hotel are as stunning at the hotel itself, and it’s something which our guests really enjoy – especially being out in the coastal air. Therefore it was important for us to work alongside a business that not only understands this, but has built its reputation landscaping in County Durham and the surrounding counties.”

The team at a North Yorkshire rapeseed oil business is celebrating after shipping its biggest export order to date. Thixendale-based family business, Charlie & Ivy's has sent four of its best-selling Bread Dippers and four Mayonnaises to Fine Food Importer and Distributor, Dovetale Collections, who will ship them all over Canada from their base in Ontario. "The team at Dovetale search the world for the finest examples of speciality food and partner with producers they're inspired by. We're really pleased to be working with a company that shares our passion for provenance and look forward to introducing Canadians to a taste of Yorkshire," said Business Development Manager, Richard Sharp. The export success comes on the back of a listing for 12 products in Selfridges stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester and on their website. The Charlie & Ivy's range also includes dressings and marinades that are made using award-winning cold-pressed, rapeseed oil by parent company, Breckenholme on the farm in Yorkshire. Dovetale Collections sell to speciality food shops, hotels, restaurants and grocery and department stores.

For many family run enterprises it may feel like over the past few years we have lurched from one economic crisis to the next, whether that be COVID, high energy prices or rocketing inflation. Times are tough, but, while it may not feel like it when in the midst of it, family run businesses often cope with economic ups and downs relatively well. Indeed, our research suggests, that during COVID family businesses outperformed relative to other UK businesses. Perhaps there is something to be said for the modus operandi of ‘Succession’s’ Logan Roy, despite appearances! This article looks at the reasons behind the relative intrinsic resilience of family businesses and practical measures readers can think about in the current economic environment. Sustainable Future Planning To draw parallels of the hare and tortoise would be simplistic, but many family businesses have, by their very nature, had to endure ups and downs of the market. Legacy planning for family businesses must take a very long-term view and appreciate the natural ebbs and flows of the economy so as to help mitigate against inevitable downturns. In concrete terms, part of family firms' resilience is their attitude to leverage and risk. Research suggests that family firms are typically less levered than non-family firms. Many would likely agree with Warren Buffett's adage that high levels of corporate debt are a Russian roulette equation - usually win, occasionally die. Family firms also tend to avoid risky 'bet the farm' M&A deals in favour of strategic, rational and deliverable bolt-on acquisitions, where synergies are much easier to achieve. It is also helpful that the directors of family businesses are commonly also shareholders. It is not difficult for such individuals to 'think like shareholders' when they already are. Low turnover of key management positions also helps add to stability in difficult times. How Can Family Businesses Adapt? There are several practical things that family businesses can do now to take advantage of their strengths and help cope with the current economic environment. One key element of this is adapting the business based on bespoke company-based assessments of exposure to current economic headwinds and emerging trends. Some of this will be adapting current practices - for example some of our clients are revisiting the frequency with which they complete their company forecasts and budgets to reflect the fact they can no longer assume stable interest rates. There can also be overlap with wider ESG initiatives within the business, whether that be moving towards having shorter, more local, supply chains, or, in the case of one client, installing solar panels on their factory's roof to help lower long term power costs and move towards net-zero. However, it is likely that given the number of changes in the economic environment over the last few years that many companies are going to need to reassess how they operate, how much slack they have in their systems and what contingency plans they have in place to deal with disruptions. Now may also be a good time to look again at the incentive schemes in place for non-family management. There are various tax-efficient equity schemes available to companies (e.g. EMI schemes or growth share schemes). Challenging market conditions can be a good opportunity to put these schemes in place - it is a time when businesses need committed management to help weather the storm and management can be properly incentivised by the prospect of serious growth when the company comes out the other side. There are also lessons to be learned from the relative resilience of family run enterprises in previous downturns; ensure leverage ratios are kept under control and target bolt on acquisitions instead of apparently transformational M&A deals. Many family businesses may also find that given their relative over performance they are well placed to swoop on underperforming businesses or investment opportunities. Ultimately each and every business will naturally be affected differently by turbulent economic times. Family run enterprises often, however, have strengths over others in the market and if they leverage their experience and adapt to new conditions they will be well placed to thrive as conditions improve. About the Author - Charlie Hewlett is a Senior Associate at Boodle Hatfield

Britain's Robert Whitaker has won the 2023 Longines King George V Gold Cup after delivering the only double clear of the competition on Vermento, at family owned Hickstead. The win came two days after the Brits won the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™, with Robert's father John part of that winning team, crowning an amazing week for the home nation at the Longines Royal International Horse Show. Nine of the 45 starters produced a clear first round after Kelvin Bywater’s tricky course caught many of the competitors out. But in round two things got even tougher, with all but Robert collecting faults in the jump-off. Brazil's Pedro Veniss produced the fastest time of the day, finishing on 56.48sec, but he was one of several riders to pick up penalties at the white gate at 8B. He ended up in second place with the 12-year-old Nimrod De Muze Z, with Amanda Landeblad and the British-bred For Killy in third after also falling foul of the white gate. Robert is the third member of his famous family to lift the iconic gold trophy, following in the footsteps of Dad John, a three-time winner, and Uncle Michael, who has won four times. John bred Robert’s winning ride, the 10-year-old stallion Vermento, who was sired by the great Argento with whom John enjoyed so much success. “It’s just amazing, my dad bred the horse, and we’ve put a lot of work in him. I’ve probably nurtured him the last couple of years, saving him and jumping 1.50m classes. I’ve never jumped a five-star with him before – that was his first,” said Robert, who hails from Yorkshire but now is based in Surrey. “I just think today he was feeling very good in himself, he jumped amazing in the first round and in the jump off he still had a lot of energy left, and I think that showed today. When I was going in the first round I was really nervous, because you never know what can happen in this ring. But actually, this is a local show for me, so I jump here a lot, and he’s jumped a lot in smaller classes in the ring, so he knows the ring quite well – I think that worked well in my favour today,” he added. With so many of his rivals picking up faults in the jump-off, Robert wanted to keep up the pace while avoiding making any mistakes. “I wanted to get in a good rhythm and not be too slow; to get a good time but not to overcook it. The way he was jumping, he jumped so safe everywhere. I ended up quite a lot quicker than people with one down.” Watching his son win the premier Grand Prix at the showground where Robert has been competing since the age of three was an emotional moment for John Whitaker. "It’s a special competition. Following on from the Nations Cup, which was an unbelievable win the other day, for Robert to win that it’s very special,” said John. “It’s unbelievably good. When I’m riding, I’m not at all nervous but watching the kids, especially Robert today, I was very nervous.” The Longines Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead drew to a close after six days of top-class equestrian action. Click here for the full results. Photo credit - Elli Birch / Boots and Hooves Photography

One of Britain’s leading restructuring and recovery experts has forecast a ‘grim outlook’ for British businesses as liquidations reached new record levels today. Colin Haig, Partner and National Head of Restructuring at UK top 10 accountancy firm Azets, reacted to the latest government statistics on new company insolvencies in England and Wales for Q2 2023 (April to June). There were 6,342 company insolvencies in Q2 2023 (April to June), the highest since Q2 2009, 9% higher than in Q1 2023 and 13% higher than in Q2 2022. There were 5,240 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), the highest quarterly level since the start of the series in 1960, and 637 compulsory liquidations. Colin Haig said: “The latest quarterly insolvency statistics provide a grim outlook for British businesses, with the lingering aftermath of the pandemic compounded by mounting debt burdens, supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and rising input costs. Smaller businesses, in particular, have been hardest hit, struggling to cope with reduced consumer spending and restricted access to finance." “Too few business owners are reacting quickly enough to distress signs. Early intervention and proactive restructuring can help prevent insolvencies and pave the way for sustainable recovery, avoiding liquidation." “A restructuring plan can lead to the rescue of the business as a going concern. This means that jobs can be saved, suppliers can continue to be paid, and the business can maintain its relationships with customers and clients. It also allows the company to reorganise its operations, improve efficiency, and implement changes needed for long-term sustainability." “It’s likely administrations will keep rising over the next 12 months – but an administration is not always bad news. Any transaction that keeps a business trading and preserves IP, capital, and employees, is a solution. Switched on management teams have greater access to these solutions. For businesses navigating through these turbulent times, strategic planning and prudent financial management is essential.”

Bechtel recently announced that the final munition in the United States stockpile of chemical weapons has been safely destroyed at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) in Kentucky. The end of destruction at Blue Grass completes the United States’ commitment to destroy its stockpile of chemical weapons before September 30, 2023 as a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty ratified in 1997. The Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass team was awarded the contract to design, build, and operate BGCAPP in 2003 by the Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives. Construction of the first-of-a-kind facility was completed in 2015 at the Blue Grass Army Depot with weapon destruction following plant systemization and comprehensive testing. The chemical weapons stockpile at the depot originally consisted of 523 U.S. tons of chemical agent configured in 155mm projectiles containing mustard and VX nerve agent, 8-inch projectiles containing GB nerve agent, and M55 rockets containing GB and VX nerve agent. Beginning in 2019, destruction took place around the clock at BGCAPP and continued without interruption during the 2020-2023 global health emergency of COVID-19. This effort allowed the United States to fulfill its commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty. “I am so proud of my Bechtel colleagues who with hard work, spirit, and ingenuity, delivered a monumental feat for the country and its allies,” said John Howanitz, president of Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security and Environmental business. “With this achievement, Bechtel has now safely eliminated nearly 5,000 tons of chemical weapon rockets, artillery rounds, mortar shells, and storage canisters at four of the nine original U.S. storage sites in Kentucky, Colorado, Maryland, and Alabama.” “The safety record of the Blue Grass plant is nothing short of remarkable. The team safely finished every munition campaign, successfully completing our mission ahead of the September 30, 2023, treaty deadline,” said Michael Costas, general manager, Bechtel Defense & Space. “Bechtel is honored to have supported the local community, the United States, and its allies around the world to achieve this important milestone.” BGCAPP now turns its attention to safely closing the plant. A multi-year effort, the team will begin with decontamination and dismantling equipment within areas of the plant that have come into contact with the chemical agent. The disposition for the remainder of the plant has not yet been determined. “The credit goes to our workforce team members, who followed procedures and did what was necessary to safely and compliantly destroy these munitions,” said Ron Hink, Bechtel Blue Grass Project Manager. “Now our team will turn their focus to safely closing the plant, leaving the community better than we found it.” Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass workers celebrate the last rocket destroyed at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant on July 7, 2023 in Kentucky. BGCAPP was built and operated under contract to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives. Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass is a joint venture of Bechtel National Inc. and Parsons Government Services Inc. Since the 1980s, Bechtel has had an active role in U.S. and international efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.

A zesty new beer from independent Kentish brewer Shepherd Neame is set to delight drinkers this summer. Citra Smack (3.8% ABV) is the fifth beer in its popular real ale initiative Cask Club. A straw-coloured IPA, it combines three hops – Cascade, Amarillo and Citra – to offer a fruity aroma with lively citrus notes. A combination of Pale Ale and Crystal malts alongside a small amount of wheat and oats creates a well-rounded, smooth beer with distinctive fruit flavours and a refreshing smack of citrus. And it’s not just the zesty flavours but the look of this Cask Club beer that takes a fresh approach. Citra Smack’s name and pump clip design draws inspiration from Iron Wharf Boatyard overlooking the creek in Faversham, the medieval market town where Shepherd Neame has been based for more than 400 years. The pump clip depicts a classic smack - a traditional fishing boat used to harvest oysters in nearby Whitstable – sailing on the water past the boatyard. Head Brewer Mike Unsworth said: “While the main hop is the Citra variety, we used a smaller selection of other aroma hops to create a really refreshing and well balanced pint." “Our team have had a great time bringing Citra Smack to life, and we are very happy with the finished result. With its juicy citrus flavours and aroma we think it provides a real drop of sunshine in a glass, perfect for summer.” Shepherd Neame’s Cask Club was launched in 2019, offering an exciting new range of limited edition innovative cask beers incorporating modern styles and flavours, while also celebrating some seasonal classics. Drinkers are able to get involved with Cask Club by picking up a passport at participating pubs, collecting a bespoke crook stamp for each new Cask Club ale tried. Those who complete the passport will be eligible for an exclusive Cask Club t-shirt, and will be entered into a prize draw for a weekend getaway. Future ales in the Cask Club programme to look out for over the next few months include Hop Pocket (4.5% ABV), Cobnut (3.8% ABV) and Late Red (4.5% ABV). To be the first to discover new Cask Club beers sign up to hear more online at snea.me/joincaskclub , and follow @shepherdneame on social media.

Midlands-based metal recycling and waste management firm, Ward, has signed a new partnership with recovered fuel specialist Andusia that will see more waste diverted from landfill and exported to Europe, where it will be used to create energy. The partnership will see over 25,000 tonnes per year of residual material from Ward’s materials recovery facility making its way to energy from waste (EfW) plants in Germany. As part of the agreement, Ward has been working with baling systems specialist Witham Mills to install new baling and wrapping equipment at its Forward site at Ilkeston. Powered by renewable energy, the move underpins Ward’s ongoing commitment to achieving its Net Zero aim of delivering 100% of materials processed from ending up in landfill. Ben Stubbs, Operations Manager at Ward, said: “Energy from Waste is becoming pivotal in achieving global Net Zero aims and something we’ve been increasingly focused on, so this partnership demonstrates an ongoing commitment for Ward.” “As a leading waste and recycling specialist, we consistently produce a high-quality product to a tight specification, which is vital for ensuring a reliable RDF supply. In addition, our continuous investment in improving and increasing our waste processing capacity makes us the perfect strategic partner for Andusia.” Mark Terrell of Andusia, said: “We were impressed by Ward’s reputation as a leading waste and recycling specialist and their aim to achieve zero to landfill wherever possible.” “Our organisations are perfectly aligned and Andusia is proud to be supporting Ward’s mission by working together to ensure more waste is recovered and diverted away from landfill and back into the supply chain to create renewable energy.”

Family businesses are recognised for taking a long-term view and planning for generations to come. Values are an important differentiator for family firms and help to create a unique culture within the business, often driven by the founder and their vision and embedded into the business over time. They can also be an integral part of the long term sustainability and success of the business too. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and now the prevailing economic climate and the need for more shorter term plans to respond to the challenges being faced, it is clear that values have been ingrained into the fabric of a family business have not only helped them survive but also thrive. In the Family Business United survey two years ago it was identified that 94% of respondents across the UK felt that their values played an important part in defining their family business strategy with 86% believing that their values helped in the day-to-day running of the business too. Add to the mix that 66% believe that values can help to increase revenues and profitability as well as driving growth, it is easy to see why it is more important than ever that values continue to have a prominent focus within family owned firms. As defined by Sorensen in 2014, a characteristic of a strong culture is having a strong set of values and family firms with a strong culture tend to be built around a set of strong core values with succeeding generations reinforcing and further developing the values that were established by the founders when the business was created. It is often the case that defined and shared values combined with an aligned and shared purpose and goals promotes unity and cohesion as well as entrepreneurship and innovation. Family firms by their very nature are rooted with purpose and core values such as integrity, quality, trust, passion, fairness and respect. These values can be extremely productive for the business when considered, documented and communicated throughout the organisation, and family business leaders themselves fully believe that clearly shared and communicated values can reduce the potential for conflicts to occur too. As part of the 2022 Family Business Survey, we asked family businesses to share the values that they felt were present within their organisations. The core family business values in the UK were ranked in terms of their importance as follows: Integrity (81%) Quality (72%) Trust (71%) Passion (63%) Fairness (56%) Respect (52%) Social Responsibility (49%) Excellence (46%) Authenticity (45%) Innovation (44%) Long Term Perspective (44%) Forward Thinking (43%) Pride (42%) Entrepreneurship (40%) Community Involvement (34%) Values are important. They help define the very essence of each and every business. However, far from simply being a list of words, they become a powerful representation of the very essence of a family business when they are ‘lived and breathed’ within an organisation. Successful family firms embed their values within the business and share them widely to ensure that they are evident and permeate the business at all levels. They help differentiate family firms from their non-family counterparts too as they are personal, mean something special to each business and as they are anchored in the founders have a real and lasting legacy too. Of course family businesses evolve over time, as do the values and the influence of subsequent generations but they have foundations in the family, those that have shaped and continue to shape the business as it evolves and should never be underestimated either. "Clearly defined and embedded values help define each and every family business and help drive sustainability and long term success. Family firms may be living through uncertain times but a clear set of values can help guide them on their way."

Around 1,500 guests and visitors from across Cumbria and beyond have attended a 70th anniversary party at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa. Guests were richly entertained with live music, spa experiences, boat trips, fireworks and a diverse range of food and drink stalls and bars on the hotel lawns. A family day on the Sunday also provided a host of children’s entertainment. The food and beverage and hospitality teams worked approximately 800 hours together over the weekend celebrations, with 1,000 meals and 250 Lakes Distillery cocktails served up for guests. For Sunday’s family outing, popcorn and candy floss was the order of the day with around 500 portions purchased. English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues managing director Ben Berry said: “It was fantastic to see so many people come along to share in the hotel group’s 70th anniversary celebrations and our entire team deserves a huge amount of credit for their hard work to make it all happen." “Low Wood Bay has gone through massive change in the past 70 years." "This party not only celebrates our rich history and those who contributed to make Low Wood Bay what it is today, but also brings our minds to consider what our exciting future holds as custodians of this amazing location.” English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues, which runs Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa, the Wild Boar Inn and the Lancaster House Hotel, was established in 1953. The hotel group is marking its 70th year of operation with a host of competitions, activities and free stay giveaways.

North Yorkshire artisan business, Charlie & Ivy's has developed a new bread dipper to complement the existing range of dippers, dressings, mayonnaise and marinades. Thixendale-based Charlie & Ivy's launched their Chilli, Balsamic, Oregano and Thyme Bread Dipper on Midsummer's Day as a celebration of summer grazing. The dipper, the first new flavour since 2020, is a smooth mix of warm chilli and herbs with a touch of sweetness from the balsamic that has had a warm reception from customers. Jason Thompson was part of the team who developed the new dipper that has a base of cold-pressed extra virgin Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil: "The brief was to create a summer grazing must have and I'm really pleased with how it's turned out." "It's delicious served simply with warm, crusty bread, and can also be used to drizzle over salads, pasta or pizza, and makes an amazing base for roasting summer veggies." Chilli, Balsamic, Oregano and Thyme Bread Dipper and the rest of the Charlie & Ivy's range is available online at charlieandivys.co.uk and from independent retailers nationwide. Charlie & Ivy's products are made using award-winning cold-pressed, rapeseed oil from parent company, Breckenholme, on the farm in Yorkshire.

A Leicestershire flooring firm has stepped up to help a table-topping junior football team and in the process given them a unique Wembley connection. Seats from Wembley Stadium have been installed at Selby Town FC after the club’s under-10 side won the regional Premier League at their first attempt this year. The nine and 10-year-olds closed the season by beating Mansfield Town juniors 4-3 to win the Yorkshire Premier League. In celebration, Nick Megson, owner and managing director of Abacus Flooring Solutions, rewarded the football club with its own piece of Wembley as well as installing brand new resin flooring in the changing rooms. The club is now preparing its team dugouts for the installation of the gifted Wembley seats, which Nick had recovered from Wembley’s Royal Box while installing a new resin flooring there. Abacus’s unique flooring, the first of its kind in the world, contains recycled plastic – in this case from Wembley’s old seats – but Nick retained a few whole seats for sentimental reasons. Having been born and bred in Selby, Nick felt that the achievement of the town’s under-10 football stars deserved a pair of those seats. Nick, who moved to Leicestershire seven years ago, where his firm operates from premises in Coalville, near Loughborough, said: “You can take the boy out of Yorkshire, but you can never take Yorkshire out of the boy. I’ve always had a soft spot for Selby." “That group of young lads in Selby Town’s under-10 side has been magnificent. They are definitely the first-team stars of the future." “I could think of nothing better to do with my spare Wembley seats than to present them to the club so the lads could enjoy taking selfies on them, and even use them as encouragement to one day play at Wembley themselves.” It is not the first time that Nick has supported his hometown club. While installing a resin flooring last year for Marshalls, a concrete pipe manufacturer in nearby Pollington, one of Nick’s long-term contacts, Ross Colby, who also coaches football at Selby Town, informed Nick that the current under-10 side were celebrating after being promoted to the Premier League last season. Impressed by their achievement, which saw the team now playing in the same league as the likes of Mansfield Town and York City juniors, Nick donated cash for them to buy new footballs. After subsequently winning the league at their first attempt, Nick was keen to present them with a more permanent reminder of their success. The under-10s team has since gone on to win the regional title and narrowly missed reaching the final stage of the national tournament after losing out to Oxford City juniors. The youngsters nevertheless got to meet Rio Ferdinand, whose London Academy team won the overall tournament. Glen Dennis, head coach of Selby Town’s under-10s, said: “We are so grateful to Nick for supporting this small town and its football club. Every donation and every bit of support goes a long way towards our hope of creating a club facility here at Selby Town that Yorkshire can be proud of." “It’s a long time since any of our teams has experienced the kind of success that the current under-10s have achieved. We haven’t seen this level of excitement since David Beckham and Paul Scholes played here in Manchester United’s reserve team in 1999." “The Wembley seats are pretty cool and, who knows, they may inspire our youngsters to follow in the footsteps of Scholes and Beckham.”