Small businesses in Yorkshire braced for Ashes economy boost
The next few days will see cricket fever grip Yorkshire when the npower Ashes series heads to Leeds as England and Australia continue their battle in the fourth test at Headingley Carnegie.
But it's not just the fans who will be celebrating when the Test match comes into town. For small businesses in the area, it will bring even more of a cheer as the biggest rivalry in cricket provides a timely boost to the local economy - especially against the backdrop of a recession - as pubs, restaurants and taxi firms are estimated to benefit to the tune of up to £10 million.
One local business already gaining is city-based Butlers Hotel, which is situated a ball's throw away from the Headingley stadium. Every time the Ashes and the England Cricket Team are in town, the hotel is fully booked, and this year is no different.
Opened 22 years ago, the privately-owned period hotel is next door to its budget counterpart, called The Boundary, which is owned by the same company, giving a total of 30 rooms sprawled over four floors. The themed rooms in The Butlers include a "Bronte" Room. It also has its own restaurant and employs 15 staff.
"Without doubt, Yorkshire loves cricket and having the Ashes back here this year has created a real buzz in the area. The Butlers Hotel has a special relationship with the Headingley ground, because of its proximity. You could literally throw a cricket ball from our back garden into the ground,"
said Ben Butler, the son of the owner David.
"The Ashes is our busiest period and this year is no different as we are fully booked. On a normal summer weekend we would not be anywhere near this busy so naturally the Ashes series provides a good boost to our revenue, in addition to the excitement it usually throws up."
Julia Lynch-Williams, director of energy services at npower, commented:
"npower has been a major sponsor of English cricket for many years, and we felt that this year it was important to highlight the smaller businesses, such as The Butlers Hotel, that are integral to the running of the Ashes. With all eyes on the cricket, it's easy to forget the small businesses that are busy working behind the scenes to make the Ashes such a success."
To provide further support for The Butlers Hotel, npower conducted a free energy audit at the business's premises, pinpointing where savings could be made on energy bills.
This identified that the two hotels, with a small investment in energy efficiency measures, could save over £2,500 a year on its energy bills. In fact, by replacing the existing lighting with energy efficient or lower wattage versions and with simple good housekeeping measures such as switching off lights when not in use, the hotel could save over £1100.
Furthermore, by replacing an old boiler and regular maintenance via an annual service to keep existing boilers running efficiently, savings of almost £1,300 could be made. In total, the actions would save a huge 20% on bills and 12 tonnes of CO2.
Julia Lynch-Williams continued:
"The audit has given simple practical, and often free, measures on how they can save energy and money. It shows that a small investment can cut costs and help the environment."
Ben Butler added:
"We're very conscious of saving money wherever we can, especially with the economic climate as it is, but we are very surprised with how much we could save and how easily we could do this. We'll certainly be taking a close look at the suggestions from npower."
The fourth npower Ashes test starts on Friday August 7th at Headingley Carnegie.
