×


Home About Contribute Sponsorship Contact Sign In
×







.


Finance Industry News

Transport fit for the future


Transport fit for the future


"2019 has been a fantastic year for Carlisle with a number of significant successes, including continued investment, infrastructure development and the realisation of a several significant projects."
Michelle Masters, Carlisle Ambassadors,



Carlisle Ambassadors held their latest meeting at The Shepherd’s Inn, Carlisle recently, the assembled business leaders and entrepreneurs heard from a broad range of the city’s transport and logistics companies, who are examining ways of keeping the city moving forward in a complex and challenging world, whilst growing business opportunities for the City and the region.

Karen Stalker, Managing Director of Stalkers Transport, gave the assembled Ambassadors an insight into the successes of the 50-year-old family business founded by her grandfather. She outlined the role the business plays as a member of the Cumbria Transport Group, which shares best practice and works collaboratively to develop strategies for growth for the county. She also went on to outline some of the major challenges they currently face and the actions they are undertaking to future-proof their business. Their transport business employs 75 staff, including encouraging more women to get involved in developing a career in transport and logistics.

Kerrie Allison, Head of Sales & Marketing for Reay’s, Cumbria’s largest independent bus and coach operator, spoke to guests about the origins of the family business. It started with a small minibus operated by the late Walter Reay in the 1980’s and has now gone one to become one of the region’s major players. They employ 150 staff, operate more than 100 luxury vehicles and they have gone on to win a host of industry plaudits by providing an unparalleled quality service to clients; including high profile football teams, musicians, international visitors, concert goers and domestic guided tours. Kerrie highlighted some of the measures Reay’s as a company have put in place to address a number of issues the industry faces centred around recruitment and retention. This includes developing their own driver academy to grow their own staff and examining new market places by working in partnership with tour operators such as Kuoni and Miki Travel to host specialist group tours for inbound international visitors.

Mark Whitelocks, Managing Director for Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, talked about the origins of the FTSE 250 company, which was originally started by Brian and Ann Souter, running busses from Dundee to London in the aftermath of deregulation in the 1980s. The business has gone from strength to strength becoming one of the largest in the UK. They employ 20,000 people, serving more than 100 communities in towns and cities in the UK, transporting three million passengers every day around 2,200 routes every day. They provide service provision in and around Carlisle, with buses operating every seven minutes in the city, between 5am and midnight, facilitating some 5.5 million journeys each year. Mark went on to outline how the business is facing modern transport challenges and the need to examine alternative fuel sources to address emissions. He also spoke about the vital role buses play in providing local transport solutions in getting people out of cars and moving freely with regular service provision and the need for planners to recognise the vital role buses do and will play in providing future proof transport solutions for local communities, which in turn will enable those communities to grow and prosper whilst mitigating unnecessary car journeys.

Garry Legg, Carlisle City Council’s Investment and Policy Manager followed on with a detailed overview of key milestone projects including the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, St Cuthbert’s Garden Village, the Southern Link Road, the City Centre Investment Strategy and High Street Fund priorities and the vital role that transport infrastructure will play in each of these developing projects.

Michelle Masters, Carlisle Ambassadors, project lead, then rounded up with an insight into the continued growth of Carlisle Ambassadors, and went on to talk about further project development of Young Ambassadors in early 2020 and developing awareness raising campaigns relating to putting the city on the map as a place to live, work, invest and visit, which will roll out in 2020 with a number of partners.

Michelle said: ‘’2019 has been a fantastic year for Carlisle with a number of significant successes, including continued investment, infrastructure development and the realisation of a several nationally significant projects that will put the city on the map. It was great hearing from some of our logistics and transport operators, discovering how they are helping to put the county on the map, playing their part in developing our infrastructure and helping to reduce traffic, whilst creating career pathways for our young people and providing other businesses with opportunity for growth and development centred around our city as a strategic transport hub - Carlisle’s future is looking very positive indeed.’’

To find out more contact Michelle Masters by email info@carlisleambassadors.co.uk or by calling 07810 224 735

.


NO RESULTS































































Ten Times Ten

Analytics, Modelling & Business Intelligence Specialists