Motor specialist chooses ‘amazing’ hospice for Charity of the Year

Star Tech Ltd has chosen Lewis-Manning Hospice Care as its charity of the year.

The Poole-based, independent Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar specialist said it was keen to support the hospice’s “amazing work”.

Matt Peacock, Founder and MD, said: “My grandmother received brilliant and invaluable support from Lewis-Manning Hospice Care many years ago.

“She used to enjoy attending the day hospice.

“We really understand the amazing work the charity does and the impact that having a life-limiting illness can have on patients and their families in our community, but how Lewis-Manning are always there to help and support during the most difficult time some people will ever face.

“Our Non-Executive Board member Philip Warr [pictured left] is also a Patron of the hospice and he kindly reintroduced us to the charity after all these years.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with the charity and can’t wait to get involved and to support in many ways like fundraising events, campaigns, volunteering and introduce the charity to our team of staff.”

Nicki Cluley, Corporate Partnership Fundraiser, said: “We are thrilled to have the support and commitment from Star Tech and to meet Matt and Tina Peacock.

“We’re looking forward to reporting back on their fundraising and involvement over the coming months and are proud to be working with such a reputable local business in the heart of the local community that the hospice covers.”

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Chips are far from down at Fish ‘n’ Fritz after new honour

A Weymouth fish and chip takeaway has battered the opposition again.

Fish ’n’ Fritz has been named as one of the UK’s 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways in 2021.

It’s the only chippy in the Weymouth to make the prestigious list.

The accolade follows an extensive search by trade publication Fry Magazine.

They were looking to find the chippies serving up the finest fish suppers during a tough and challenging Covid year.

To make the 50 Best, Fish ’n’ Fritz had to impress a mystery diner who visited unannounced and marked the chippy on over 40 aspects of their business.

They ranged from the quality of the food and customer service to its social media presence and Covid safe practices.

With the pass mark set high at 97 per cent, Fish ’n’ Fritz scored 98 per cent.

The mystery diner particularly praised the fish quality, and the taste and crispness of Fish ’n’ Fritz secret recipe batter, as well as customer service.

Paul Hay, Owner of Fish ‘n’ Fritz, said: “I am immensely proud of my staff for all their hard work during these testing times and our understanding customers, who have remained loyal to us over these last 12 months.

“We will continue to serve as we have always done, seven days a week.”

Reece Head, Competition Organiser, said: “We’re delighted to acknowledge that, despite the difficulties and added pressure, Fish ’n’ Fritz never let standards drop.

“During this pandemic, they have been at the heart of their community, with a smile on their faces and hot food in their hands.

“We’re proud to have them in our 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways for 2021.”

Fry Magazine’s 50 Best Fish & Chip Takeaways is in its ninth year.

Fish ‘n’ Fritz scored gold in the Dorset Tourism Awards and is a finalist in this months’s South West Tourism Awards.

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Passenger lands new three-year contract with Blackpool Transport

Bus and tram operator Blackpool Transport has renewed its contract with Westbourne-based Passenger,  the UK’s leading digital transport services provider.

With over 100 years of heritage, Blackpool Transport’s fleet of 135 buses and 25 trams carry 5.2m passengers every year.

Blackpool Transport first began working with Passenger in 2017.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of users have used the Passenger Cloud powered BPL Transport app and website to travel across the resort and its surrounding areas every week.

Over the last five years, Blackpool Transport has delivered a revitalised, modern and accessible network.

Since working with Passenger, they have seen a year-on-year increase in child ticket sales after introducing ticket gifting, and greater customer confidence after implementing live bus tracking.

Shane Grindey, Sales & Marketing Manager at Blackpool Transport,  said “Having worked with Passenger since 2017 I have no doubt that their app and website products have played a key part in allowing us to achieve a 92 per cent satisfaction rating among our customers in recent years.”

Passenger CEO Tom Quay, pictured left, said “We greatly enjoy working with the Blackpool Transport team.

“They truly understand the needs of their customers because of the extent they analyse their data and work to understand the impact of changes.

“They always make data-driven decisions and the results speak for themselves.

“They make smart moves and get things right – making it the easy choice for their residents and visitors to use shared public transport as much as possible.”

• Picture courtesy of Blackpool Transport.