Rochdale businesses work together to weather the storm

Posted by on 21 Jul 2016

Local companies in Rochdale are sticking together whatever the weather by helping each other following the floods.

REM Pumping, part of REM Services Group, which provides pump engineering and electro mechanical services, has teamed up with popular Rochdale restaurant, CockaDoodleMoo to help get their Yorkshire Street site better prepared for any future floods.

The meat themed eatery was one of 150 businesses in the borough which were affected by the Boxing Day floods last year. It meant that the restaurant had to close its doors for ten weeks, less than two months after it opened to the public.

Now REM, which is based in Heywood, is working with the company to install pumps which will enable it to get rid of any excess water more quickly in the future.

Glenn Humphreys, REM Pumping’s Business Development Manager, said: “We work with a range of large organisations such as BAE Systems, Lloyds Banking Group and Lafarge Tarmac, but it’s particularly rewarding to deal with local companies like CockaDoodleMoo. It feels like more tangible when it’s a restaurant in your home town and somewhere you’d probably visit. We all have a stake in our local economy. ”

As well as installing the new pumps, REM has also installed an alarm system to alert CockaDoodleMoo staff when the cellar floods, so they can tackle the issue straight away.

Henry Yau, who is part of the management team at CockaDoodlemoo, said: “Being a newly opened restaurant, the Boxing Day floods were a really challenging time for the business and all the staff, so we’re happier there are now more defences in place and knowing that we’ll be able to get back on our feet more quickly in the future. Working with another local business has been great as they can pop in at the drop of a hat and as another local independent business, they really understand the pressure small businesses like us are under.”

And while REM may be experts in their field, the council has been able to help in those areas where they need a helping hand.

Managing Director Martin Humphreys regularly attends the council’s executive boardroom, which gets local business leaders together four times a year at the town hall and gives them specialist advice on a range of issues. The company also work with a council funded Growth Hub Advisor to help with things like digital marketing.

Martin Humphreys said: “There are lots of aspects to running a business, some of which require specialist skills we might not have, like marketing and IT, so we’re not afraid to ask for help. The Executive Boardroom is really useful. You meet other local businesses and can get advice in certain areas where knowledge may be lacking, like cyber security. The council’s business growth advisor is also helping us to maximise the potential of our website, so we can get our name out there and grow the business further.”

Leader of Rochdale Borough Council, Councillor Richard Farnell, said: “It’s fantastic to see local companies working together and I’m not surprised that CockaDoodleMoo were able to find the expertise they needed right here in our borough. We’re lucky enough to have some real business success stories in Rochdale and I’m sure that, with continued support from us, REM Services will get even bigger and better.”

Businesses which were affected by the floods and would like to apply for a grant of up to £5,000 to help flood proof their property have until 31 July to apply at economic.affairsteam@rochdale.gov.uk or calling 01706 926622. More information is available at rochdale.gov.uk/flooding