Ipswich.co.uk

A final good news story for the week. Ipswich-based comms agency Pier has been appointed by Fenmarc's VEG TABLE | B Corp, a raw vegetable dish brand stocked in more than 500 Tesco stores, to manage its social media activity across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, along with strategy development, creative content planning, delivery and influencer partnerships and web copywriting. Link to the full story in the comments below.

Freeport East has attracted £250m in private investment and created 1,800 jobs across its development sites in 2024, with international firms from Australia, Turkey and Germany choosing to invest in our region. The Range opened a 1.17 million sq ft distribution hub in Gateway 14, Stowmarket, creating more than 1,600 jobs, while Turkish firm Assan Panel and German company Bauder Flat Roofs established new facilities at the development. Australian company Rux Energy opened its first overseas office in Harwich and ScottishPower and RWE are developing new investments in the cleaner fuels sector, with more developments planned for 2025. Link to the full story in the comments below.

It's been 20 weeks since Ipswich.co.uk launched, so as we approach the end of the year, I want to provide a quick update on our growth and acknowledge the people and organisations that have made it all possible. I'll start with some numbers... Our daily newsletter has grown to 2,562 subscribers with a frankly ridiculous open rate of 62.8% over our 101 editions. In the last 28 days, our website has had 55,632 visitors. In fact, we've averaged more than 50,000 visitors in our last three 28-day periods, meaning we went from 0 to 50,000 visitors in just three months. I'm immensely proud of those numbers. Reaching so many people within our community so quickly is a considerable feat, especially considering that just five months ago Ipswich was dominated by two well-resourced legacy titles owned by a US media conglomerate with a $740m market cap. Onto the people and businesses who've made it possible... Firstly, a massive thank you to our partners who have supported us from the very start of our journey: Nick Attwell at Attwells Solicitors, Samantha Brook at Happiness Club, Nick Hampton at RSZ Accountancy, Matthew Rowe (MCIPR) at Ellisons Solicitors, David Button Independent Funeral Director, Farida Rouane DipFA CeMAP at Upside Finance and Melissa Neisler Dickinson at the Menopause Vitamin Company. To the many (many!) businesses that have expressed an interest in joining them in the New Year. To Andy Proctor, for giving our stock image library a much-needed top-up and for taking the time out of his day to interview farmers, and Andy Yacoub for the steady flow of fantastic wildlife and landscape shots. To Sue Wilcock for the feature in December's Suffolk Director Magazine. To the numerous PR and comms people for the fantastic stories, quotes and comments. There are too many to list, but you know who you are. And finally, to everyone who's followed Ipswich.co.uk, subscribed, read and shared our content over the last 20 weeks. Thank you. And have a fantastic Christmas.

DEVOLUTION, DEVOLUTION, DEVOLUTION You're going to hear this word a lot in the coming weeks, months and years – please take the time to understand it. The proposed sweeping changes to local government announced yesterday could wholly transform how Ipswich is governed, as ministers plan to replace district and borough councils with new regional "strategic authorities" serving populations of 1.5 million or more. It is the biggest change to local government in 50 years, and the implications for our town could be significant and irreversible. Link to the full story in the comments below.

More than 200 local students, professionals and industry leaders gathered at Portman Road last week for the Women in Construction Christmas event organised by Construction Anglia to tackle the industry's gender gap. The construction industry has historically struggled to attract women into the sector. Events like this aim to change that by creating visible role models and clear pathways into the industry. Sponsors included DPL Group Ltd, LDD Construction Limited, KLH Architects Ltd, Howard Construction Anglia Ltd, Breheny Civil Engineering, Tru7 Group and the Hudson Group. Link to the full story can be found in the comments below.

The East of England Co-op has named Andy Rigby as its acting CEO for a minimum of 12 months, bringing over 40 years of retail leadership experience to the role. Link to the article in the comments below.

Freeport East has partnered with advisory firm greenCrowd to help small and medium-sized businesses in the region access funding for sustainable projects. The collaboration aims to unlock new investment opportunities through a dedicated impact fund launching in 2025. Link to the full story in the comments below.

Combat2Coffee CIC has unveiled the UK's first portable coffee roastery. The custom-built unit will enable the social enterprise to increase its coffee production, generating more funding for veterans' outreach services across Suffolk. Link to the full story in the comments.

Congratulations to Ipswich's very own Samantha Brook on the launch of her new book Happiness Club: Learn to Be Happy and Get What You Want. In the book, you'll learn how Sam overcame 26 years of depression to find happiness, gain a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be happy and the steps you can take to get there. The link to the full story is in the comments.

Congratulations to Ian Bell and the Suffolk Mobility Solutions Limited team for being named Overall Winner at the UK Business Awards. Link to the full story in the comments below.