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St Helens glass maker Pilkington is part of a coalition of companies and universities set to benefit from a £10m investment by the Technology Strategy Board and the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council. The bodies are contributing to the funding of 16 research and development projects to help the UK meet the energy challenge. Pilkington is to work on two projects involving the development of photovoltaic - solar energy - glass, while the University of Liverpool is part of a team looking at fuel cells, led by Runcorn-based ACAL Energy, a finalist in this year's Merseyside Innovation Awards. 
Wild about paint Travis Wild, a former ICI Paints senior executive, has launched an online business selling branded products for painters and decorators. Trade 1st, based in Neston, claims to be the only business in the UK selling such a range. Prices are trade discounted, but no trade account or registration is required. Wild said: "It became clear that a gap existed in the market for a business offering equal pricing for all tradesmen regardless of size."
Five stars for stately home Knowsley Hall is the first stately home in the country and the first place on Merseyside to be awarded five star gold for its guest accommodation. The grading for the home of Lord and Lady Derby was awarded by VisitBritain for its individually designed guest bedrooms. All nine rooms have been refurbished following an extensive restoration of the Hall, which has been the ancestral home of the Stanley family since 1385. The refurbishment of the Hall is ongoing, with three more bedrooms due for completion in October.
Not so green machines Less than half - 42 per cent - of small businesses in the North West claim to have changed the way they approach business travel because of a concern for the environment, according to research by Bibby Financial Services. Only 12 per cent of owners and managers in the North West have brought in environmentally friendly policies such as car share and cycle-to-work schemes and less than 10 per cent take the train when possible. Businesses in the West Midlands have taken the most environmental action.
How does your garden grow? Because we like all things green and garden-like, today's deal of the week goes to Merseyside-based plant producer Porters Horticultural's £750,000 funding package with The Royal Bank of Scotland and its asset finance arm Lombard. It's going to use the funds to expand its greenhouse facilities at Formby from four to size acres. That's an awful lot of geraniums and hanging baskets. The £3.3m-turnover family business was established in 1985 and makes over 150 products for national clients including B&Q and Woolworths.
Tactful quote of the week "We started both schemes together and in an ideal world they would go through planning together. In Wirral everyone is really up for it and its leaders know this is a once-in-a-century opportunity. Everyone supports it and there is no shadow boxing. Liverpool has been busy with other things such as Capital of Culture and there has not been time to look in full at what we are doing." Peel Holdings director Lindsey Ashworth tactfully steers around Liverpool City Council's lack of urgency over Liverpool Waters.
Fascinating titbit of the week Insider is pleased for David Waugh, the former boss of Liverpool Land Development Company, who this week landed a plum (sort of) job as general manager of the Falkland Islands Development Corporation. Not missing the chance to promote the Falklands as a fun, leisure-driven kind of place, the official press release let it be known that “a keen sailor, Mr Waugh is keen to take advantage of the beautiful waters surrounding the Falklands by transporting his 52 ft sailing yacht to his new home.” Presumably he won’t sail it all the way there; he’s due to start work in October.
Canapé won't pay In what has been a quiet week for extra curricular, Insider waited in anticipation for the arrival of the food at Hill Dickinson’s networking event in Liverpool last night. After a few anxious moments when it looked like it was just going to be a liquid-only experience, the trays appeared with mini burgers dwarfing the competition. It was a race to get one though and involved darting around the room and politely grabbing them off the trays. But it’s all for a good cause. What would you all do without our weekly food updates?
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