14 Oct 10 Employment in Burton upon Trent
Burton-on-Trent has a long history, being placed at a suitable point for bridging the sometimes-surging and dangerous waters of the River Trent. Burton’s crossing point is the reason why an abbey was sited here in medieval times, bringing wealth and providing the first Burton business aside from food production. The monks had not just come to pray, as the waters of the Trent were perfect for making one essential product; good old English beer. In those days, with water often unsafe to drink without boiling, beer was both a daily beverage and calorie intake and the Trent’s water was ideal because it contained high levels of dissolved salts such as gypsum, enabling Burton brewers to use extra hops that extended the beer’s life. The river also gave Burton business another bonus, providing a watery highway to other areas at a time when the horse was the main vehicle and roads were just muddy tracks.
Employment opportunities in Burton today
The number of Burton breweries might have shrunk from 20 in its heyday (when half the working population worked in the industry) to a depleted six but they still provide a hard nucleus of employment for the 65,000 people in the town. Today’s breweries include Marston’s, Burton Bridge, Molson Coors, Cottage Brewery, Tower Brewery and White Shield microbrewery.
The last National Census showed that people working in elementary occupations in Burton was higher than the national average, reflecting its origins as a town that produces things. Unfortunately, Branston Pickle (named after a Burton suburb) moved out in 2004 but there are still many other Burton businesses. Marmite, for instance, is a by-product of brewing and has a factory in town; and Pirelli tyres also has a large workforce there. Burton College attracts 13,000 students annually and provides work as well as educational opportunities for local people.
On the retail and leisure side, there are a number of shopping centres such as Cooper’s Square, the Octagon Centre and Burton Place, again providing many jobs locally, and there are employment opportunities at the newly refurbished Meadowside Leisure Centre. There are also several conference centres on Burton’s outskirts, again providing service sector jobs for locals. A recent measure to boost Burton recruitment and Burton business was the relocation of Business Enterprise Support Ltd into town to encourage new business start-ups in the area.
New job opportunities
Burton recruitment is getting a significant boost from the establishment of the National Forest, as it is effectively the capital of this green swathe of seven million new trees. There are a number of schemes to boost visitor numbers, all of whom will need feeding and watering by a new generation of tea rooms and cafes, not to mention the Burton pubs with all that locally made refreshing beer. There are also new businesses developing forest products such as logs for the fire, charcoal etc. as well as spin-off extra income for outlets such as fuel stations, outdoor clothing stores, cycle shops and other Burton businesses.
So, in spite of the persistence of the recent recession and the potential threat to UK jobs after government cutbacks, Burton businesses still have much to offer future job seekers.
Although Burton business is mainly associated with the brewing industry, there are many other companies offering employment. If you are looking for a job in the Burton area, visit the Burton Mail for Burton recruitment ads.
21 Sep 10 A History of Burton Industry
During World War II, RAF pilots used to refer to crashed and presumably dead comrades as having gone for a Burton, especially if they had gone down into the sea (also nicknamed the drink). The probable reason for this expression is that the major Burton-on-Trent business was and still is the production of large quantities of beer. In medieval times, up to a dozen breweries operated here on the banks of the great British river, the Trent, which provided the ideal waterway for local activities.
The Science of Brewing
Originally the site of an abbey and with a bridge over the wide and often dangerous River Trent, this town has grown to over 65,000 people and still manages to run five breweries and one micro-brewery. So, what makes Burton business so special when it comes to the art of making good beer?
The answer lies in the fast flowing waters of the Trent which are full of dissolved salts, particularly gypsum, that have leached out from the surrounding high ground. This chemical bonus enabled the Burton brewers to use more hops in their beer which, in turn, acted as a preservative. The bottom line is that this allowed Burton businesses to send their beer much further afield, putting them at a competitive advantage, especially as they also experienced less wastage. Another advantage that having the Trent run past their door gave to Burton businesses is that it provided a navigation route all the way to the east coast, allowing distribution of their beer over a large area of lowland England and even as far as the Baltic.
The Rise of the Breweries
The building of a rail link to London added to Burton’s advantages in the brewing trade. At its height, an astonishing quarter of all beer sold in Britain was brewed by Burton business, and Burton India Pale Ale was sent as far as the subcontinent. As is often the case, all this success was eventually hit by change. The anti-drinking campaign of the Liberal Government in the early 20th century reduced the number of Burton businesses still in the brewing trade from 20 down to eight by 1928.
Today, the waters of the Trent are still used in Burton’s business of beer making, with restrictions on chemical usage on surrounding farmland. The recent establishment of the National Forest with Burton at its heart has also contributed to improving the local water quality, which is good news for all beer lovers.
Modern Day Burton
Still operating from this brewery town are Coors Brewers Ltd, Marstons plc, Burton Bridge Brewery, Tower Brewery and Cottage Brewery as well as White Shield micro-brewery alongside Coors’ Visitor Centre. These are not the only Burton businesses however. As a by-product of brewing, Marmite (either love it or hate it!) is made here as well as Branston Pickle, and Pirelli Tyres employs a number of people in town. Also, the newly established National Forest with all its potential leisure activity and associated industries, such as forest products, has provided a new and much-needed economic impetus for the town.
But for some time to come, the main Burton business will remain beer making from those natural salt-laden waters of the Trent, so let’s all say ‘cheers’ and ‘bottoms up’ to the bustling Midland town of Burton-on-Trent!
Burton on Trent business continues to be largely focused towards brewing but there are other companies in operation too. Visit the Burton Mail for the latest Burton business news, about organisations of all sizes.
Tags: Burton business, Burton Mail, Burton on Trent business
17 Sep 10 Derby County FC History
When someone takes a deep look into the footballing history of England, there is one name that is sure to pop up; Derby County FC AKA the Rams. The East Midlands outfit were one of the original teams to found the English football league. Derby County Football Club have successfully amassed a haul of trophies over the years, including league titles, an FA Cup and even entering a European competition. They have also had the privilege to have one of the best managers in English football manage and lead them to their first ever top-flight title in Brian Clough.
The Early Years
Derby football first came to light in 1884 when Derby County Cricket Club set up the football team in an effort to give the players and fans something to keep them occupied during the cold winter months. Playing friendly matches to start with, Derby County FC did not start well with their inaugural match against Great Lever in which they lost 6-0 on September 13, 1884.
The team continued to play friendly games against various sides in the area for the next season and it was not until 1885 that they would play their first professional match. It was an FA Cup match and yet again they would suffer a heavy defeat; 7-0 to Walsall Town. The next season would prove to be their turning point, playing an emerging force in English football, Aston Villa, in an FA Cup match and beating them 2-0. The year 1888 would be a fantastic time for Derby football and indeed English football as it was the start of the English football league. A total of 12 teams founded the league that became famous for being the best in the world.
The FA Cup
The FA Cup was the only source of excitement for the club at the turn into the 20th century. League positions were inconsistent throughout this time but the FA Cup seemed to bring out a different side to Derby County FC as they plied through the early stages of the competition, brushing aside anyone who was unlucky enough to play them.
In 1898, 1899 and 1903, fans of the Rams were overjoyed at making the final of the FA Cup, but all three ended in losses, the first being to arch rivals Nottingham Forest, 3-1. In 1946 the wait would be over and Derby County FC would claim their one and only FA Cup trophy, beating Charlton Athletic 4-1 in extra time.
The League Years
During the 20th century, Derby football had a yo-yo affair between the top tiers of English football. They spent a lot of time being relegated and promoted with their best spell ending in 1953 after almost 30 years in the top flight; however this was in part due to the onslaught of the Second World War.
The team were then relegated into the third tier of English football just two years later. Cue 1967 and the arrival of Brian Clough. In just two years, after some fantastic signings and management, Derby football would have a top-flight team again. By 1972, the legendary manager led the Rams to their first ever top division title and the following season saw them enter the European Cup.
Derby County FC went on to win another top-flight trophy in 1975 under new management, but afterwards went into steady decline resulting in two relegations and then slipped back to third tier English football. New money and a new chairman in Robert Maxwell saw the team stroll back into top-flight football. Derby County would get another shot at what is now called the Premier League but they failed to make a lasting impact. Their latest six-year reign came to an end in 2002; five years after they moved to their new ground at Pride Park. Derby County FC have enjoyed the management of the son of legendary manger Brian Clough, Nigel, since January 2009, and they are now hoping that his reign will emulate that of his father’s.
Derby football fans need look no further than the Burton Mail for news about their team. The Burton Mail has a dedicated section for all Derby County FC news, results and fixtures.
Tags: Burton Mail, Derby County FC, Derby football
27 Jul 10 Burton Albion FC: A History
From the humble beginnings of two small football clubs back in 1871, Burton Albion FC has risen to play in the fourth tier of English football. The team was originally formed from an amalgamation of Burton Wanderers FC and Burton Swifts FC.
The Early Days
The Wanderers and the Swifts merged their teams at the start of the 1901-02 season and took the Swifts league position in the Second Division. The name of the club was changed to Burton United FC and it was hoped this team would be able to provide the town with better fortune in the league. Sadly this was not to be the case and in less than 10 years the club folded after continually poor league finishes.
In 1921, another team was formed to take a stab at bringing some footballing glory to the town. Burton Town, as they soon became known, won a league title in 1928 and had some great runs in the FA Cup. The Second World War thwarted play and after the war was over, they were not reformed.
The Honours of Burton Albion FC
In 1950, Burton Albion began a new life playing their home games at Lloyds Foundry Ground in the town but high attendances meant they had to actively look for other sites to play their games. A new site was found just off Derby Road and work commenced to make Eton Park their home for the next 50 years.
The move to Eton Park for Burton Albion coincided with their promotion to the Southern League in 1958. Over the following years, Burton Albion FC would come to be a stable team playing non-league football. They reached the third round of the FA Cup on three occasions, with the last being in 2006.
Over the years, the team would go on to win countless trophies in cup and shield games like the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1954 when they beat Brierly Hill. Other trophies for the collection included the Midland Floodlit Cup Winners in 1976 and the Southern League Championship Shield.
The Bass Charity Vase is by far their most successful competition, winning it a total of 10 times and the last being in 2009. In 1998, ex-player Nigel Clough took over to become the club’s most famous manager, and for the 2001-02 season, the team was placed in the Northern Premier League. This would be a one-time experience as promotion was secured for the first time in Burton Albion FC history. This season saw more than 100 goals scored and just 30 go through their own posts.
Conference and League Times
Nigel Clough was to become a legend at Burton Albion, giving the town optimism, trophies and great cup runs. In 2005, a new stadium was ready for the team and they moved across the road to the Pirelli Stadium. From here on in, things would only continue to grow, with each season welcoming a better finishing position for the team until the 2007-08 season when Burton Albion FC made the play-offs to enter the Football League. A semi-final defeat to Cambridge United left them heartbroken until the following season.
Clough had the most successful season ever in 2008-09 but he left for Derby County in January 2009, after leading Burton Albion to the top of the Conference 13 points clear. Roy McFarland was brought in to finish the job that Clough had left behind and the team went on to win the league and gain automatic promotion to League Two and professional football.
Paul Peschisolido was appointed manager of Burton Albion FC for the start of their first ever Football League campaign. The 60-year-old team finished a very respectable 13th in the 2009-10 season and only 10 points off the play-off positions. The 2010-11 season looks to be shaping up very well with new contracts being offered and the possibilities of new signings this summer looking likely.
Burton Albion fans looking for the latest news, results and fixtures should look no further than the Burton Mail. The Burton Mail has dedicated pages for Burton Albion FC and other football clubs in the Burton area.
Tags: Burton Albion, Burton Albion FC, Burton Mail
21 Apr 10 Gresley Rovers Through to Gresley FC – A History
The first real set of football rules had not even been about 20 years when Gresley FC was formed back under its original name, Gresley Rovers, in 1882. Back then, Church Gresley was just a small mining community nestled between Burton upon Trent and Ashby-de-la-Zouch and the only matches the team would play were special local cup games or friendlies with nearby teams.
The Beginning of Derbyshire football
Gresley Rovers were one of only a few teams involved in Derbyshire football in the 19th century and they made it into the Burton Junior League for the start of the 1992-93 footballing season. Gresley Rovers were quick to make an impression on the league and won their first league title in 1895.
Before the big league win the team played at the Mushroom Lane Ground for the first three years. After the triumph in Derbyshire football they were allocated a ground in their home town. The Church Street Ground would be their home for the next 13 years and is where they would play their first Midland League game in 1903.
FA Cup and League Successes and Failures
The Midland League did not suit the team known now as Gresley FC, and after three disastrous seasons they pulled out and applied once again to join Leicestershire Senior League. During their time in this league the team had to move grounds to Moat Ground, with a capacity for 2,400 supporters.
In the 1930-31 season the team would make it successfully through to the first round of the FA Cup but they met York City in that tie and lost 3-1. This would be the start of a downward spiral that saw the team drop into the lower leagues to stave off financial difficulties.
The following years would be a rollercoaster ride for the team involved in Derbyshire football. Changes in leagues, pre and post-war schedules made it hard to play and it was not until the team entered the Central Alliance League in 1959 would they start to see some improvement.
Gresley went on to win no less than four league titles and did not finish below fifth spot for the following 15 seasons. They went on to change leagues to join the West Midlands Regional League for the start of the 1975-76 season.
The first 10 years were a struggle and the Derbyshire football team would rarely break out of the bottom half of the table. A good 10 years of hard work saw them finally get somewhere in the league when they finished as runners-up in 1986. This would be followed by two fourth place finishes, a second and third and then two league titles on the bounce. On this particular run of the form they also managed to lift the Derbyshire Senior Cup on four continuous occasions.
Gresley also managed a trip to Wembley in what was billed as the ‘best cup final ever’ by the press. The FA Vase Final against Guiseley saw Gresley down 3-0 after the opening half an hour. A dramatic injury leveler caused extra time to play but it finished 4-4. A replay in Sheffield saw Gresley Rovers lose 3-1.
The Beginning of the End
In the 1996-97, season Gresley Rovers were the Derbyshire football team to win the Dr Martens Premier Division. Under normal circumstances this would lead to a promotion to the football conference but their ground was not of the required standard and the resulting static nature of the team led to many top players leaving.
Just two seasons later, after the clubs best ever season, they were to have the worst in their history. Gresley Rovers were relegated at the end of the 1999 season and this sent them spiraling out of control. At the end of the 2008-09 season the company that was Gresley Rovers put itself into voluntary liquidation and the new team, Gresley FC, was formed. This team now plays in the East Midland Counties League, at the Moat Ground in Church Gresley.
For all the latest news about Derbyshire football clubs, visit the Burton Mail. The website has dedicated pages for Gresley FC, Burton Albion FC and Derby County FC.
Tags: Burton Mail, Derbyshire football, Gresley FC
16 Dec 09 Classified Advertising Through the Years
Classified advertising has been around for centuries appearing in various forms over the years but keeping with the same theme; a form of advertising that is now commonly found online and in newspapers. In newspapers they usually consist of small text, with the exception of cars and missing pets; they are usually without a photograph. The internet, however, is home to numerous types of classified adverts, many will feature photographs and more detailed descriptions.
A contact name, number and sometimes an address is given, along with details of what is being sold, offered or wanted. The articles will usually appear under a heading that describes the adverts i.e. Lost Items or Goods Wanted. Classified adverts in newspapers are either found in the centre or the back of the publication or as a separate supplement, and prices range depending on the publication. Classified advertising on the internet is often free as websites will generate an income through companies advertising on their website and the websites that charge will sometimes take a percentage of the sale for adverts that are selling items.
The power of the written word actually dates back to the time when people only had stone to carve into. England in the 15th century boasts the first examples of what we now call classified advertising, with adverts placed in public places that were simply nailed to walls and posts in the streets. When we think of classified adverts today we automatically think of newspapers and more recently the internet, but the basic theme of communicating articles that are wanted to buy, sell, find or give away has taken many forms over the years.
The first set of adverts were mainly from people searching for lost property, and the trend grew in popularity and quickly picked up pace, and by the 17th century the first classified advert in a newspaper appeared in a publication named the Boston News-Letter. The advert was actually an advert within an advert as it was requesting that readers should inform the newspaper if they wished to use a classified advertising service for listing houses, merchandise or goods via the paper.
Within a few months the innovative concept caught on around the rest of the world. Lost and found adverts had also joined the scene by the 18th century as did the idea of offering rewards to those who found lost belongings. Unfortunately, classified advertising also played a more sinister role in America in the 1800s when people used them for finding slaves who had run away from their so-called ‘masters’. These adverts even included instructions on how to punish the slave as well as what would be paid for their return.
As times changed so did the nature of classified advertising. As slavery became less accepted, former slaves used classified adverts to search for missing family members thought to have been part of the trade. After the potato famine in Ireland, many emigrated away from the country and families were unable to trace them so classified adverts appeared in whole new sections entitled ‘information wanted’ or something similar.
By the 20th century, newspapers were found all over the world in many forms with tabloids and broadsheets all vying for readership. The classified adverts that appeared in the different versions of newspapers were specifically aimed at their readers. Nowadays everything from missing pets and cars for sale to free giveaways and articles wanted can be found through classified adverts. The introduction of the internet has revolutionised the way we absorb media and advertising is proving to be no exception.
Whether you are looking to buy or sell something, classified ads are a great way to do it. The Burton Mail offers both ordinary classifieds and online classifieds and with an offline circulation of 13221, you can be certain that your ad will be noticed.
01 Dec 09 Burton Mail Enjoys Tweeting Success
Twitter creates a massive hike in website visitors for local publication
The Burton Mail has enjoyed an exceptional increase in web traffic after using the social networking site Twitter to promote local and national stories. With ‘tweeting’ becoming more popular, re-tweeted stories are finding their way around the internet at a rapid pace, leading to an upsurge in website visitor numbers.
At the beginning of September Burton Mail included an article on their website about a big cat sighting in the local town of Moira, just south of Burton. The story “Big Cat is Making Tracks for Moira” featured locals discussing their sightings and a picture of a mysterious paw print. As wild and unexplained big cat sightings always generate interest throughout the World Wide Web the story went down a storm.
As well as being a networking site where people can interact with one another, the new phenomenon that is Twitter is also proving its worth for advertising and promoting businesses with the potential to increase web traffic dramatically by tweeting stories that are then picked up by other twitterers and re-tweeted. The extraordinary result of this can be that a story finds its way around the globe in a very short space of time. Finding an article of interest and re-tweeting it on other users Twitter pages increases the web presence of a story and this leads to thousands more people seeing the original story and more importantly, the original source.
In this case the original source article originated from the Burton Mail website and after being re-tweeted by another user a whirlwind of visitors flocked to the Burton Mail website to read the original article.
A common misconception that local stories only appeal to local residents was proved completely wide of the mark. A U.S.-based website called Coast to Coast AM picked up on the interesting article by the publication and re-tweeted it on their Twitter account, initiating the global interest in the story.
From there the article enjoyed a snowball effect as it was posted on other Twitter accounts as well as on other social networking sites. Thus the upshot of tweeting was increasing traffic to the Burton Mail website as droves of new site visitors hastened to the newspaper’s website. In fact from the Coast to Coast AM website alone the Burton Mail’s website received 2,750 hits for this article.
With Twitter proving to be a useful tool in the quest for higher web traffic numbers, many newspapers online, both national and locally based publications, are noting the impressive figures that are produced by tweeting articles on Twitter. It has notably increased websites worldwide reputations.
Whilst enjoying such a massive hike in website visitors from the article through tweeting, Burton Mail will be hoping for more successes through other stories placed on the networking site.
Tags: Burton Mail, Twitter
