Office Let at Granta Riverside Development!

Granta Park has let the first unit in its new Riverside development of smaller offices and R & D units to Colonix Medical, which researches and develops new products for the early and accurate detection of bowel disorders.

The company has taken 2640 sq ft on a five year term, moving from Babraham Research Campus, where it will still keep a research unit. Says Colonix Managing Director Hugo Lywood : “Babraham has suited us well for the last four years while we have been in research, but now that we are close to commercialisation our needs have changed and Granta Park exactly meets those needs.”

Colonix will have half a floor in Riverside, which is an open space ready for a bespoke fit out. “This will allow us to have it exactly as we want it,” adds Hugo. “This will suit us for the next three years and then we will have the opportunity to expand at Granta Park. With most of our staff coming from south Cambridge – and they were unanimous about moving to Granta Park - it’s also a very good location.”

The deal was handled by Jeffersons Commercial, who are seeing a lot of interest in the development: “We are talking to a number of companies and had quite a few viewings,” said Jeffersons’ Will Mooney. “It’s a unique opportunity to be in an environment purpose built for smaller companies and having many advantages such as sports and social programme, meeting facilities, cafe, restaurant, nursery, fitness suite, commuter bus and 24 hour security normally associated with larger companies.”

To find out more about opportunities at the Riverside contact Will Mooney on 01223 315716 wkm@j-commercial.co.uk.

MedImmune holds Environment Day

An Environment Day was held by MedImmune recently to help make staff more conscious of their eco footprint at work, home and travelling.

Held in the Aaron Klug building foyer, the event combined the serious with fun events to create a memorable day. Posters about how to be more green and MedImmune’s endeavours to reduce the impact on its environment were displayed in the foyer and company’s main recycling contractor, Donarbon, supplied information on composting and how waste is recycled. Pipette tip box recycling providers Anachem also provided information and advice on their process of recycling the tip boxes and their other activities to help protect the environment.
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A big attraction of the day was Honda’s marquee with two hybrid cars, one for show and the other for staff to take out for a test drive at 20 minute intervals, which many people took advantage of. Staff were also encouraged to sign up to Camshare, a local car share scheme that is supported by Granta Park. The web-based scheme at www.camshare.info allows people to easily and securely make contact with other drivers. Participants on the day were also encouraged to think about buddying up with other cyclists.

Baxter Storey, MedImmune’s catering contractors, produced a menu of locally sourced food, as well as information on how the company became certified as carbon neutral in 2006 for offsetting 678 tonnes of C02 from head office. Mars also attended, giving out beverages made from sustainable and fair trade ingredients.

Staff could also watch a film called Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, which highlights the treasures of planet Earth and the marks that humans leave behind. The film has breathtaking aerial views from more than 50 countries and showing the extent of human impact on our landscapes. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU to watch the film.

Staff who took part in one or more of the events were able to enter a raffle to win some excellent environmentally themed prizes, including a luxury home recycling triple bin, solar powered back pack to charge various gadgets using the sun and organic food hampers.

Staff get tips for healthy living

There was a healthy turnout for a lunch time event focussing on diet and fitness this month, hosted by Jez from Pinnacle Fitness.
Around 60 attended the Healthy Eating and Living Event at the Cricket Pavilion, at which staff were able to find out about managing calorie intake, the difference between food groups and pick up some useful tips for healthy eating. To emphasise the importance of healthy eating Jez displayed some common foods such as cereals, cereal bars, chocolate, fizzy drink, crisps, mayonnaise and next to each one put a small jar filled with the amount of sugar and fat that each food contained. Staff were then able to see the healthy alternatives, which were displayed on a separate table.

Everyone went away with a list of tips that will allow them to change their eating habits and a number of people expressed an interest in joining the fitness suite.

Says Jez: “The aim was to put across the healthy eating message, but not in a preachy way. Staff were able to see for themselves what damage many common foods can do and how easy it is to make a difference. And I’m all for letting people having a few treats – but only one day a week!”