The crooked black and white buildings of Worcester’s Friar Street are among the city’s most recognisable landmarks, attracting visitors from far and wide and providing a unique location for a host of independent businesses.
But running a modern business from a centuries-old listed building comes with its own challenges. While owners benefit from the character of low ceilings, exposed wooden beams and unique layouts, rising energy costs can mean big bills when you can’t simply double-glaze the windows or knock through a wall to install air conditioning.
For Julie Reilly, owner of Perfections Bridal Studio, finding ways to improve energy efficiency without compromising the character of her historic premises had become a growing priority.
Having already worked with University of Worcester students on a branding project, Julie knew first-hand the value they could bring to a business and wanted help tackling an ongoing problem.
“My electricity bills have just been going sky high year on year,” said Julie, who has owned the business for eight years. “With the rising costs of running a business, I wanted to explore how to save money and look at environmental solutions to the problem.”
“This is a beautiful old building,” she added, “but beautiful old buildings come with beautiful old problems.”
The challenge presented an ideal opportunity for a University of Worcester student to gain real world consultancy experience.
Dr Kay Emblen-Perry, a Principal Lecturer in the University’s Business School with years of experience in environmental and ecological consultancy worked with Julie to not just find a student to work with, but to find the person with the right skills and ambitions to take the project forward.
The project is one of a number of opportunities that enable Worcester students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world business challenges while building skills for future careers.
When the opportunity was presented to second-year Business Management student Ross Tate, he recognised the chance to apply his interest in sustainability to a real-world business challenge.
“I conducted an audit inside the building with a thermal imaging camera,” said Ross. “I went floor-to-floor, looking at the windows, the walls, the vents, everything. I was looking at where heat losses were occurring, where cold drafts were coming in, and noting down anything that may be causing energy usage to go up.”
Ross is now preparing a detailed report outlining recommendations that could help reduce energy consumption and operating costs at the bridal boutique.
“When new buildings are designed, architects build sustainability and efficiency into them,” he said. “But with old buildings like this, that can be a real challenge. Buildings like this are too beautiful not to have, so we have to figure out how to make them more efficient.”
For Kay Emblen-Perry, projects like this demonstrate the value of giving students live consultancy experience alongside their degree studies.
She said: “This has shown Ross that he can see in practice what we talk about in class. It gives him real-world expertise and skills while providing the business with access to the enthusiasm and passion that students bring to the work they do.”
Kay added: “Actually working on a building like this is a rare opportunity. It allows students to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to a genuine business challenge.”
Business owner Julie believes the work will provide benefits long after Ross has completed the project.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the results of this,” she said. “It’ll mean I can take Ross’ report to the landlord to discuss real changes which could make this building more efficient and help me as an independent business.”
For both Ross and Julie, the partnership has been about more than reducing energy costs.
The experience has given Ross valuable insight into a potential future career in sustainability, while allowing Julie to support the next generation of business professionals.
“The experience has given me practical experience as well as research skills that I’ll be able to use in the future,” said Ross.
Julie added: “The University is such a valuable resource. Working with students is a beautiful way of supporting people and helping them put something into the local economy.”
Kay Emblen-Perry said experiences like this can make a significant difference to students as they begin their careers.
“We have a number of students who’ve graduated from Worcester in recent years and gone into the world of sustainability,” she said. “For someone who wants to work in this field, opportunities like this are incredibly valuable because they allow students to build real-world experience while they’re studying. They put students ahead of the competition for jobs when they graduate.”
She added: “Ross is passionate and he really understands how things work. He recognises the importance of sustainability and how it all fits together for a business.”
For bridal shop owner Julie, the project has delivered expert insight into a pressing business challenge, and for Ross, it has provided experience that will shape his future career.
For both, it’s a powerful example of how relationships between the University of Worcester and local businesses can create opportunities that benefit students, organisations and the wider community alike.