They had tough competition in this category; but the judges were particularly impressed by the team’s resilience and determination. Despite being a small group that faced a number of challenges along the way, they demonstrated real commitment and perseverance in bringing their product to market. The judges praised the innovation and uniqueness of the idea, as well as the team’s strong focus on sustainability—not only in the product itself, but throughout the supply chain.

Karen Lounds, Business Services Director, commented:
“It really was a fantastic day, and all of the students demonstrated a high level of commitment to the Young Enterprise Programme, which made for a very successful and inspiring event.”

These 4 winning finalists (as below) will now go on to the Northwest Finals at the University of Salford on 15th May and we are wishing those schools the best of luck!

Ponchelta from Cockermouth school in Cumbria
SAPP Enterprise from Christleton High School in Chester
Little Harvest from Our Lady’s Catholic High School in Preston
Talk2Teens, Alderley Edge High School for Girls and Fallibroome Academy

You may not realise that not all penguins come from cold places, in fact the Humboldt penguins originate from South America.  These penguins spend 75% of their lives gliding through the water, so it’s very important that it’s just right! Our salt is added to their pool and is essential to keep the penguins hydrated and allow them to maintain a stable body temperature. In the wild, Humboldt penguins face serious threats due to overfishing and the destruction of their natural habitat. The conservation work that Chester Zoo is doing is vital and so we feel privileged to be able to play a small but meaningful role within it.

Also, the timing couldn’t have been better as the zoo has just welcomed 10 new baby chicks to its Penguin Island habitat, but they don’t stay little for long as they will triple in size in the first three weeks of life.

In fact, Chester Zoo kindly invited a couple of our Salt team along to feed the penguins so we could see these amazing creatures up close. It served as an exciting opportunity to gain exclusive behind-the-scenes access while enjoying a face-to-face encounter with the penguins themselves.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time and want to assure our neighbours that we are endeavouring to complete the work as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

Our Tata Top Team had a great time helping to make bath bombs with our very own amazing product – Bicarbonate of Soda – Passion for Learning’s Career Carnival in Chester!!! But’s what’s even more amazing are the cool kids who come along to meet us 😎

Great fun day and thanks to Passion for Learning for allowing us to be part of this wonderful event again 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 .

Celebrations at our Winnington Plant

At our Sodium Bicarbonate Plant in Winnington, there was a celebration for one of our Senior Operating Technicians – Kev Jackson – who received his 40 year Long Service Award from his manager John Foster.

Kev has been an integral part of the Operations team for many years and had also worked in our ammonia soda process before moving into Bicarb.

After his many dedicated years of service, Kev has decided it’s time to hang up his boots and he will be very much missed when he leaves us in June.

We all wish Kev the very best for the future.

The British Salt team break ground on exciting project for Cledford Primary School.

Our community is an integral part of who we are as a business and so giving back to them is really important to us. Some of the team from British Salt (BS) embarked on a project to make a breakout garden for Cledford Primary School situated just a stone’s throw from our BS site.

HR & Communications Manager Pauline was approached by Year 6 teacher Kate Marsland and headteacher Chris Adlington. She said of the project:

“Kate reached out to us and told us all about her plans for the breakout garden and we knew that we just had to be involved. A lot of our staff have connections with the school, so it just made sense. What’s more our friends at ADSS Ltd leant us a hand to prep the foundations.”

What’s the purpose of the breakout garden? The space will offer pupils a calm space away from the classroom, a quiet spot in nature for the kids to enjoy, complete with reading shed, wildlife area and sensory pathway.

After an initial site visit, the team, headed by Joe Evans Head of Site Operations and Pete Founds, Head of Engineering and Maintenance, worked closely with Kate and Chris to come up with the design and layout.

Pete said: “It’s great to be a part of this project and turn our hand to creating a garden for the kids. We’re looking forward to finishing it and the kids enjoying it!”

Kate added: “We’re really thankful to the team at British Salt for helping us bring our vision for this space to life. The breakout garden will be such an important resource for the children, and we’re excited to see it finally come to fruition.”

So far, the foundations have been laid, and the path is beginning to take shape. We’re excited to progress the project this year and will keep you all updated on our socials.

L-R Kate Marsland, Chris Adlington, Pete Founds, Joe Evans

It was with a heavy heart that we learnt of the passing of our Chairman Emeritus, Mr Ratan Tata.

A rare leader who steered by example, whose unwavering commitment to excellence and ambition saw the Tata Group extend beyond India. We are grateful that his vision included making us, here at TCE, part of the Tata family.

Not only a visionary leader but a philanthropist, he dedicated his time to supporting causes from healthcare to animal rights, rural development, sustainability and education.

He will be missed, and he will continue to inspire us all. We extend our greatest sympathies to his family.