The Horn 2nd Edition 2022

Trumpeting the

Words Rob Lawson rob.lawson@hyhubs.com

Pictures Chris Bishop www.picturesbybish.com

Design and production Infinite… www.infinitedesign.com

Published by HyHubs, Walker Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 2HL.

www.hyhubs.com Facebook.com/hyhubs Twitter.com.hyhubs

Cover

Our front cover features Hannah and Ben Evans from Cake Stories at Hoults Yard.

WHO WE ARE

HyHubs is the portfolio of properties with personality.

Hoults Yard

Originally one of the most famous pottery factories in the world, Hoults Yard has become Newcastle’s business village –providing office space, event space, industrial units and storage facilities.

Buildings on the site, aptly named The Kiln, The Old Forge, The Pattern Shop and The Teapots, provide office space, art studios and much more.

Cake Stories Cafe� , at the very heart of the yard, offers the perfect meeting place for potential clients, somewhere to spend your lunch break or a great spot to catch up with your neighbours from around the Yard.

Currently, more than 160 businesses occupy space within the Yard, ranging from the creative, digital, industrial, and corporate.

With the introduction of Ghetto Golf, Full Circle Brewery, Proven Goods, Studio 28 Patisserie, and 2Knives the Yard has become not just a place to work, but also a great place to meet friends and family for fun and food.

Haylofts

We’ve transformed an old business centre adjacent to the Haymarket transport interchange into 20 new offices, plus five executive meeting spaces around a central courtyard auditorium. The courtyard doubles up as a space for conferences, corporate gatherings and even theatre productions with tiered seating for 50.

The offices are light and airy, ideal for town centre, legal, university or medical firms.

Haylofts could hardly be more central, and its proximity to bus, Metro and cycle gives it unbeatable transport links –there’s even free bean-to-cup coffee from local roaster, Tynemouth Coffee Co! Since opening Haylofts has welcomed a mix of industries, including recruitment, planning, IT, legal, finance, and even cellular pathology!

Hypoint

Hypoint added 20,000sq ft to the HyHubs footprint in summer 2018 when we acquired the former Gear House on Saltmeadows Road, Gateshead.

It’s a busy, commercial artery connecting the region’s key business districts and cultural venues and is adjacent to projects like Arena 2, Proto and Northern Design Centre. There’s easy access to Sunderland and South Shields, the A19, Team Valley and the A1, but it’s also just a hop over the Swing Bridge to NE1.

The building was originally built as Headquarters for Laws Stores, the supermarket chain which became Presto. There are offices and industrial spaces across three floors, as well as 90 parking spaces. Hypoint was our first Hoults Yard hub, and is home to a brilliant mix of clients including, a successful osteopath service, handmade cosmetics, property experts, health care providers and so much more!

A WORD FROM CHARLIE

Welcome to The Horn –our chance to blow a trumpet for clients at Hoults Yard, Hypoint and Haylofts.

With all the mayhem around the world, this mag lives for today and the bright future our HyHubs clients are creating. Whether in architecture, fashion, fintech, software, science or interiors. And we’ve got a growing chunk of Newcastle’s emerging food and hospitality on our doorsteps, too!

The pandemic got everyone talking about Hybrid work, but we’ve had a project brewing since 2019 with that as it’s code-name… we continue to collect intelligence and implement new ways of working to allow our customers to stay on the frontier of co-working and office spaces set for collaboration. (Wait for news on Hybrid, coming soon…!).

Climate action is essential to stabilise our planet, so yard visitors will see the region’s biggest public-access array of electric car charging points. There is much more we can do (and we need a team effort from customers too!). See the pages ahead –we are also planning to generate 20% of our own electric from solar panels coming soon to our roofs!

If you want to toot your Horn by joining our band – message me on charlie.hoult@hyhubs.com

PEACE OF CAKE

A growing Tyneside cake business is aiming for a larger slice of the national market.

BEN EVANS CAKE STORIES

CAKE Stories started as a Jesmond coffee house and cakery in 2015, but now has a café on Hoults Yard, a large bakehouse at Hypoint, a hugely-successful website and an expanding regional and national wholesale business.

“Our coffee houses and cakeries in Jesmond and Hoults Yard in Byker are doing very well, and we see great growth potential though our website and our wholesale offering,” said Ben Evans, who co-owns Cake Stories with his wife Hannah and her parents Liz and Jon Ward

“As our coffee houses and the bakehouse were closed we used the first lockdown to rebrand the business and build our new website. We added a click and collect function to the old site and it worked well so we knew the potential was there and that we had to scale up.

“We’ve grown our baking capacity in preparation for further growth by adding two further kitchens – and offices – to our base at Hypoint in Gateshead, where we now have four units.

Word of mouth

“Our new website was launched in November 2020 and we’ve never looked back. Business has come in from all four corners of the UK –our most popular range is our Brownios, which are available in our Letterbox Bakes range which fit through a traditional letterbox,” said Ben.

“Our Brownios are two brownie shells filled with buttercream and jam and then dipped in chocolate. The Brownios tend to be favoured by younger people, with products such as our Greatest Hits Box more popular with our older customers,” he added.

The popularity of family-run Cake Stories has spread through word of mouth as well as social media and online marketing campaigns.

“Hoults Yard is getting busier and we think it will be as busy as our Jesmond cakery. We’re also looking to add another outlet – possibly in Durham.

Hoults Yard is getting busier and we think it will be as busy as our Jesmond cakery.”

HOME

“The online side of the business has taken off since the launch of the new website and we now have the infrastructure and capacity to fulfil the orders we get, so there’s no reason why growth won’t continue. “However, it’s the wholesale side of the business where we see the most potential for next year. Before the pandemic we were supplying a few local outlets, and we’ve added a few more local and regional cafes since this time last year – but we’re now signing up national customers too.”

To cope with this extra demand, Cake Stories has been busily recruiting and the team is now 42 strong and includes Ben’s sister, also called Hannah. Ben and Hannah have also appointed a People and Culture Director to ensure the company doesn’t lose its culture and ethos while expanding.

Totally unique

Ben said: “It’s a really competitive market – after Bake Off was on the TV everyone wanted to bake or set up their own cakery, so you have to be good and you have to be different.

“Thanks to Hannah’s ace designs and our baking team’s hard work our cakes look amazing, they’re totally unique, and they taste as good as they look. We also spend a lot of time ensuring our customers’ experience is the best it can be – whether that’s as a customer at one of our cakeries, online or a wholesale customer.

“Our mantra is ‘everyone should feel better having interacted with Cake Stories,’ and everyone in our team buys into this,” he added.

CUTTING EDGE DINING

An American-style diner is proving a big hit on Hoults Yard.

KNIVES bar and kitchen has a growing following of food lovers who can’t get enough of their unique burgers, pancakes and dessert pies.

The popular eatery also serves a range of keg and local beers

“We have our own smoker, we do our own butchery and we make our own special sauces,” said Dave Crann, who owns and runs the bar and kitchen alongside his wife Sophie

“Everything we serve is super-fresh, we’re grinding our meat every day to make sure our burgers are as juicy as possible. We’re keeping our menu simple, with a number of core products that we do very well,” he added.

2Knives had a residency at a Tyneside brewery, but Dave and Sophie took the plunge and opened in the Pattern Shop Studio within Hoults Yard.

“For those who don’t know us, we produce our own burgers with meat and ingredients sourced from local suppliers. We also specialise in American dessert pies,” said Dave.

Dave runs his own electrician’s business while his wife has years of experience in the catering trade.

“We’ve always loved American-style food and 2Knives was our next step,” said Sophie.

Brilliant food and drink offerings

Charlie Hoult, MD at HyHubs, said: “Hoults Yard is a community, a destination and a place people want to be – 2Knives have bought into that and complement our growing number of brilliant food and drink offerings. These include Ghetto Golf, Proven Goods doughnuts, Studio28 patisserie and Full Circle Brewery and Taproom.”

2Knives offers seating for 36 inside and has seating outside for 30 more. The restaurant opens on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

“We’re attracting customers from the Yard and the wider Ouseburn area – and we’re also confident our old clientele will find us. We’re producing our core menu every day we open, but will also have specials on certain days to mix things up a bit and try out new things,” explained Sophie.

DAVE CRANN at 2Knives

STOP TAP

The former site of Maling Pottery, a producer of pottery for over two centuries, and the railway station used for loading train wagons with the ceramics, has been brought into the 21st century and transformed into a popular haven for craft beer lovers.

L

AUNCHEDin 2019, Full Circle Brew Co has quickly become a popular haven for craft beer lovers. Full Circle has also gained a reputation as one of the UK’s leading breweries –in 2020 it was named the Best New Brewery by Beer52 and in the Top 10 New Breweries in the World by RateBeer.

The awards continued in 2022 with the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) awarding Full Circle the Community Engagement Business Award, and naming flagship beer, Looper, as the best Keg IPA (5.5-6.4%) in the UK.

Beer poured directly from the taps

The brewery’s glass-fronted taproom overlooks the stainless steel vats used to produce the beer poured directly from the taps to your glass. The taproom serves a wide variety of IPAs, stouts, lagers, sours, and everything in-between. An extensive menu of premium spirits, award-winning wines, delicious cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages is also available.

The taproom also hosts a wood-burning pizza oven that produces hand-crafted Neapolitan pizza to order.

The official Full Circle bottle shop, The Pip Stop, sits under the taproom and sells the best selection of Full Circle cans, a wide array of craft beers from across the UK, and a broad range of spirits and award-winning wines.

For more information, go to www.thepipstop.co.uk

CHEERS … Ben Cleary, Owner, Full Circle Brew Co and Pip Stop

ALL WRAPPED

Chocolatier

N

AOMI’s exquisite chocolate and cakes are extremely popular on Hoults Yard and found a wider audience when Covid closed the patisserie and she refocused her efforts online.

The online business went extremely well and continues to be busy – but Naomi was delighted to be able to reopen the patisserie when restrictions were eased.

She has strengthened her team, adding chefs Andrew McMaster and Rachael McMaster, and has updated her branding.

Move away from plastic

“I wanted to animate the brand, but also wanted to move away from plastic as much as possible. We spent some time experimenting with colours and packaging for our chocolates, but I’m delighted with what we’ve decided on,” Naomi explained.

“Things are going really well – the website is still really busy, particularly with celebration and wedding cakes – but the patisserie is busy too, now that restaurants have reopened.”

Studio28 Patisserie supplies many of Tyneside’s most high-profile cafes and restaurants with their chocolates and cakes, all made on the Yard.

information

VERTICAL TAKEOFF

A chemist and an engineer are behind Newcastle’s first hydroponic vertical farming company.

FYTO produces fresh vegetables and herbs through hydroponic farming which is a method of growing food ultralocally, using nutrient-rich water solutions instead of soil.

Chemist Aidan Brierley and electronic engineer Greg Short, who are behind Fyto, met while working at a Northumberlandbased engineering company.

“We talked for months about sustainable food production and the potential of vertical farming, which led to some initial experiments in the garage – building lighting and growing systems,” explained Greg.

Fyto (Greek for plant) are based on Hoults Yard where they have created a growing space and fabrication shop. Fyto has received significant support through the North East LEP and Innovate UK’s Young Innovator Award.

“The business produces fresh, local, and low-carbon food, but we’re also manufacturing growing systems for others to use,” Aidan said.

A sustainable way to grow

“Through supplying growing systems to restaurants and cafes we’re providing them with a sustainable way to grow their own produce and creating a better and fairer food system, with the added benefit of incredibly fresh and tasty produce,” Greg added.

Herbs Fyto produce include basil, chervil, coriander, oregano and parsley while

vegetables will include chard, kale, lettuce, rocket and spinach, with many more to come.

“This type of production means we can work with chefs to supply produce that isn’t readily available. As one example, we are growing several varieties of basil like cinnamon basil or red basil which aren’t grown at scale and is hard for chefs to source,” said Aidan.

“We’re also exploring the concept of food production for specific medical reasons. Patients with renal issues for instance can benefit from eating vegetables with adjusted potassium levels, meaning we can grow food for medically-tailored diets,” he added.

Aidan, who graduated from Oxford University with a Masters degree in chemistry, is from Cramlington, and Greg, who graduated from Northumbria University with an honours degree in electrical and electronic engineering, is from Heaton, Newcastle.

Reduce our carbon footprint

The pair were looking for premises with a bit of character and central to Tyneside before moving into their 1,000sq ft space.

“It’s the perfect size for us and easily accessible to the whole of Tyneside. It’s important to us to keep things local in order to reduce our carbon footprint. We’re working with local communities where restaurants are currently getting food and ingredients from all over the world and across the UK – which isn’t great in sustainability terms. Food shouldn’t travel any further than it has to,” said Aidan.

“We can compete directly in terms of quality and price of fresh produce, and because of the controlled hydroponic conditions we can produce what we want when we want – locally grown coriander in December for instance,” he added.

“Right now, food is produced and transported around the world in an ecologically damaging way – what we’re about is producing the best quality produce for local markets in a way that is not harming the earth. The green element to our business is what drives us, it’s our top priority and we want to work with restaurants and businesses who share that view,” said Greg.

AIDAN BRIERLEY

shouldn’t travel any further than it has to.”

NATURAL BEAUTY

Beauty salon Danu Studios opens on Hoults Yard.

TWO experienced beauty therapists have opened a new studio in Newcastle.

Laura Charlton used to work at Novellus Beauty in Jesmond, which Lucy Adair owned and ran –but now the friends have launched a new venture, Danu Studios on Hoults Yard.

The pair met at Newcastle Airport, where Laura still works in the duty-free area. Lucy worked for Virgin Atlantic, where she was an inflight beauty therapist working in First Class on flights where her celebrity clients included pop legend Robbie Williams, Sex in the City’s Kim Cattrall and pop group McFly.

More space

“A year ago I was so busy at Novellus I needed to bring someone else in – and that was Laura, who I’d met through work. The business kicked on again and we needed more space so we decided to go into partnership and open our own studio,” explained Lucy.

Cramlington-born Lucy entered the beauty industry after gaining a beauty therapy qualification from North Tyneside College. She worked at some of the region’s top hotels and spas before travelling the world as a therapist on luxury cruise ships. Lucy then left the seas for the skies – working for Virgin Atlantic for six years.

She returned home to Tyneside to set up Novellus.

Laura, from Wallsend, worked for a global corporate entertainment and events company before focusing on becoming a beauty therapist – and her work at Newcastle Airport.

Now the pair have created a fresh and modern studio in The Clock Tower at the heart of Hoults Yard.

“We looked at loads of places, but I knew the Yard as my nephew used to work here and I’d been to Ghetto Golf. We came for a look round and were sold – everyone was so friendly and supportive, while the huge amount of parking was a big thing for us too,” explained Lucy.

The salon is now open every day, including Sundays, and late-night appointments are also available.

A full range of treatments is available, including body treatments, manicures and pedicures, facials, eyebrows and tinting, lash extensions, hair removal, dermaplaning, microdermabrasion and peels.

A wide range of Million Dollar treatments are on offer, including The Million Dollar Facial, Million Dollar Dermaplane, Million Dollar Mask Treatment and Million Dollar Hand Rejuvenation.

A wide range of Guinot facials are also available, as are Guinot Mirific body treatments, and a variety of massages including hot stones full body massage, pregnancy massage, aromatherapy back massage and Swedish back massage.

Make-up treatments include bridal and prom/graduation and Danu Studios also provides a semi permanent make-up service, including lip blush, eyeliner/lash enhancement, powdered brows and colour boost/maintenance.

The salon can also provide a spray tan service.

Advanced treatments

“One of our favourite treatments is The Million Dollar Facial – we work very closely with the Million Dollar team and offer several of their treatments. We’re looking to widen our treatments and would like to introduce even more advanced treatments such as tattoo removal,” explained Lucy, who is also studying a teaching qualification so she can also deliver beauty therapy classes.

“We have a very loyal client base, some of whom are as excited about our move to Hoults Yard as we are. The timing feels right and one of the beauties of the Yard is that there is plenty of space for expansion. We’re happy to start small, but we are ambitious and we plan to grow,” Lucy added.

Follow Danu Studios on Instagram at @DanuStudios, Facebook/DanuStudios or to book an appointment, go to www.danustudios.co.uk or ring 0191 933 3855.

NEW STUDIO … Lucy (left) and Laura DANU STUDIOS … Laura with a client

INK KING

Tattoo artist Joe Bird ready to be a high flyer.

ATTOO artist Joe ‘Birdyy’ Bird is so popular his appointment diary is full months in advance.

TWhat’s even more remarkable is that he bought his first tattoo machine about four years ago.

Joe has opened his own studio, High Flyers Tattoo Studio at Hoults Yard, and explained: “It’s been a whirlwind ride really, I still feel like I’m just starting out and to be opening my own studio is really exciting.”

Joe has had various jobs – working in a call centre, a supermarket, at Nissan, as a road worker and a personal trainer – but his passion has always been art.

Burgeoning career

“I’ve always enjoyed drawing and art was my best subject at school. It was a big thing for me when I was little – I suppose I could be a bit reclusive, but I got lost in drawing,” he explained.

It was his artistic talent that led to his burgeoning career.

“I’d gone with a friend to watch him get a tattoo at the Sakura Tattoo Studio in Gosforth. I was bored so started drawing. John Moscrop, one of the tattooists, saw what I’d drawn and asked if I’d be interested in learning how to tattoo people.

“I’d never really thought about it before, but said ‘yes,’ bought a machine and under John’s guidance learned how to use it. I practiced on fake skins and have just developed from there. I was running a gym at the time, but took the decision to close it down and concentrate on tattooing.

“John supervised me while I learned and worked at Sakura. I was still working for my uncle’s Tarmacking company, but after eight months, went full time as a tattoo artist. I moved to another shop in Heaton, TRW Tattoo, but now feel ready to start my own studio.”

Joe focuses on the ‘black and gray realism’ style of tattooing, creating life-like, almost photographic tattoos. The style is thought to have originated in prisons, where inmates had limited access to any other colours.

“I’m in the fortunate position to be able to do the type of tattoos I like. I have a style that I stick to, and I won’t just do any tattoo. I’m very focused on what I do, very professional.

You’re changing the way someone looks so you have to do take it very seriously – and I do.

“Some people give me free rein, others are very specific. A client will message me with an idea of what they want and where they want the tattoo. I’ll draw something up and show them, but there’s a lot of back and forwards on Instagram, often before I actually meet the client.

“Say if they want an Oriental themed sleeve with a portrait, I’ll research imagery, collect reference photos and then show them the options on my iPad. Most people are happy with my suggestions, but until I actually start on the tattoo, the discussion continues. The final design process can sometimes be in the first session,” he explained.

Joe is very precise about what he wanted for High Flyers Tattoo Studio.

Creative feel

“It took me a while to find the right space, it had to be big enough and somewhere where I could create what I want, in an area with some energy and somewhere easy to get to. I looked around online, found the Yard and came to have a look – it was exactly what I wanted. It has become a cool area of Newcastle and is so diverse – there are bakeries, Ghetto Golf, a patisserie and a brewery – on top of a whole range of businesses. I also love the creative feel to the place and the Hush street art. I love the vibe here.”

Charlie Hoult added: “It’s been great to welcome Joe, and his new studio will further diversify the Yard. Our vibe is attracting an increasingly wide range of tenants – next door to The High Flyers studio is a patisserie, on the other side is a Greek street food specialist, while we also have trendy barbers and beauty studios, the region’s best doughnut maker, Full Circle Brewery, Ghetto Golf and 2Knives American diner.

OPEN

THERAPIST TURNED

NEXT GEN COSMETICS

An experienced beauty therapist has opened her first salon on Hoults Yard.

KELLIE ROBB invested thousands of pounds into her training and passing the relevant qualifications and has worked as an aesthetician in the UK and her native Ireland for several years.

She arrived in the north east to study a degree in Newcastle and launched her first salon, Cosmetology in The Pattern Shop on the Yard.

“It was time to grow my business and open my first salon to take Cosmetology to the next level. I hope this is the first of many salons – I have big ambitions and eventually would like a national chain,” said Donegal-born Kellie.

“Although I’ve been working as a freelance aesthetician in salons across the UK, Newcastle has been my home for several years and this was always where I was going to establish my first salon,” Kellie explained.

CPD accredited and qualified

Kellie has worked at clinics and salons across the UK and in Donegal.

“I’ve invested in getting the right training, I’m CPD accredited and qualified to deliver a range of services including facial contouring, jawline sculpting, cheek enhancements, Botox treatments, microneedling, chemical peeling, lip transformation, fat dissolving injections and others,” she explained.

“I only use the very best of products so clients can be assured they get the best possible treatments,” she added.

We have a team of specialists based in the salon including makeup artistry, semi permanent makeup and beauty therapists

“I offer a full range of make-up services and also offer training in make-up techniques – from a one-to-one, fourweek beginners’ course to an eight-week advanced course. I learned from the best – famed make-up artist LMD (Louise McDonnell) in Ireland, and the prestigious P. Louise Makeup Academy.”

For more information go to Cosmetology Company Facebook page.

Follow Joe’s work on Instagram – at @joebirdtattoo

I looked around online, found the Yard and came to have a look –it was exactly what I wanted.”

JOE BIRD HIGH FLYING TATTOOS

… Kellie Robb

CURATING CREATIVE SUCCESS

Creative agency add to eclectic mix at the Yard.

CURATE Creative provides a range of services for a growing portfolio of local and national companies.

Co-founded by David Marston and Michelle Pegg the company is based at Maling Exchange at Hoults Yard and the Curate Creative team is six strong.

“We create and curate brands, providing advertising, graphic design and online services,” explained David. “Many of our clients are national companies such as Virgin Active UK, The Ivy Collection, Bill’s restaurants, Sexy Fish, London and Harbour Hotels, but we’re looking to add more regional clients into the mix too.

“We’ve a strong focus on the hospitality and leisure sector, but we’ve been able to work with new clients from other sectors by following a similar, welcoming, hospitality brand philosophy into the projects we produce.

Developing new designs

“We’re an ambitious and growing agency, which is why we’ve moved to Hoults Yard –somewhere we can expand further if and when we want to. We’re already looking to recruit to the team, with some new and exciting work in the pipeline,” said Michelle.

The pair met while working together several years ago for Malmaison, Hotel du Vin and DeVere Hotels, where they formed the initial idea for Curate.

“We’ve both worked at small, medium and large creative agencies, but more importantly, we both have experience of being part of agency and in-house creative teams. This gives us the understanding of the difference good branding and marketing can make to the bottom line of a business. Our design work has a purpose – to be effective and to add to our clients’ success,” explained David.

“It’s not just about making good looking designs – it’s about how our designs can enhance and develop hotels, restaurants and other businesses with a creative yet commercial understanding. That might be developing new designs for a suite of menus for a restaurant brand, working to build a brand from scratch as we did with The Cookie Jar hotel in Alnwick or directing and producing TV ads for Virgin Active,” said Michelle.

“We draw from our experience of over 20 years each to support our clients as if we’re part of their team, and to guide our team to get the best out of every project.”

David added: “Our philosophy is built around creating the right impression within the first moments or metres of interaction with a brand. First impressions count and a warm welcome goes a long way. We strive to make a lasting and meaningful impression from the very first moment.”

For more information on Curate Creative, go to www.curatecreative.co.uk Insta: curate_creativeltd Twitter: curate_creative

NEW HOME … David and Michelle at their Hoults Yard office

BODY ROCKIN’

A successful osteopath service is flexing its muscles from its Hypoint base.

RYAN McAlinden, who co-owns InTune Clinic with his wife Amanda, moved to Gateshead after outgrowing its old Jesmond premises.

Ryan explained: “We started in 2014 and we’ve grown steadily since then. It got to the point we needed to increase from two to three treatment rooms and started looking for new premises.

“The first lockdown slowed the process up a bit, but when we were fully back to work, the problem of a lack of space emerged once more as we were booked months in advance.

“We started looking again and came across Hypoint and realised it was perfect –it has easy parking, good disabled access, is relatively central and we were given the flexibility to do what we wanted with the space, enabling us to create the rooms we needed,” added Ryan.

He was sure the more sedentary lifestyle lockdown imposed led to a further growth for InTune.

“The phone has been ringing off the hook, and its mostly people with lower back pain often caused by folk sitting for too long, poor posture and not getting their usual exercise – because of the Covid lockdowns,” explained Ryan.

“People have gone from using good, ergonomic office chairs to couches or dining room chairs and this has caused problems, as has a big increase in general anxiety levels caused by Covid,” he added.

Ryan is originally from County Down, Northern Ireland. He studied osteopathy at the British College of Osteopathic Medicine and graduated with a Masters Degree in Osteopathic Medicine, a Diploma in osteopathy and a Diploma in naturopathy.

His interest in osteopathy was sparked by

a knee injury when he was 17: “I’d always been interested in science and biology and was considering a career in medicine, but I completed some works experience in a hospital and didn’t enjoy it.

“I then injured my knee during a Taekwondo bout and the subsequent treatment made me think about osteopathy.”

He met his wife-to-be Amanda, also an osteopath, at university where they studied together. Amanda’s mother is a mental health nurse who was working in the north east, so the couple headed to the region after they graduated.

Full range of services

“I worked in sales and in call centres at Sage and other places to raise enough money to set up our own business. We did so in 2014, but things really took off in 2016 when we were working in our Jesmond clinic – in rooms inside a ladies’ gym,” explained Ryan.

Intune Clinic provides a full range of services, from consultation and diagnosis to treatment and referral, if and when necessary. The team is now four strong and Ryan has plans to expand further.

“I’d like to expand to create a much bigger, multi-disciplinary team first and then look to open further InTune Clinics across the region and further afield,” said Ryan.

For more information about InTune Clinic, visit www.intuneclinic.co.uk or its pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Google.

EXPANDING … the InTune Clinic team, left to right, Ryan McAlinden, Rebecca Radcliffe, Ceara Russell and Amanda McAlinden.

SYNCED ESTATES

Hoults Yard base proves perfect for Tandem.

ALONDON-based property company has expanded its regional presence by opening a new base on Hoults Yard.

Tandem Property Asset Management was launched in 2017 and already has offices in London, Birmingham and Leeds. It has a 40-strong team of property managers and asset managers, with divisions in property finance and destination marketing, and its portfolio of managed assets include The Riverwalk in Durham and The Department and Circus in Liverpool.

National clients

Associate Partner Adam Hall heads up the Newcastle office and said: “We’re delighted to have joined the dynamic business community at Hoults Yard – we believe this is the perfect location from which to expand our leading independent real estate business and deliver a unique service to our regional and national clients.”

Durham-based Adam has worked for Tandem since 2019 and has been joined in the region by Property Manager Anna Greenwood, who is from Newcastle. Chartered Surveyor Adam has been working in the property sector since completing an MSc in real estate management and commercial property at Northumbria University in 2011.

Tandem manages 481 office, retail and leisure properties, with more than 2,200 tenants. It also oversees a rental income collection of £226.80m and manages 102 service charge accounts with a budget spend of £22m.

For more information on tandem, go to www.tandem-property.com

NEW BASE … Adam Hall and Anna Greenwood

MUSCARI is owned and run by Amy Richardson and specialises in dried flowers, Danish homeware, lifestyle products and gifts.

Amy, who also runs a successful wedding and events company, Muscari Events, originally moved to the Yard because she needed a studio to prepare for the many weddings she was working on.

However, when the Covid pandemic struck and weddings were postponed, she refocused her efforts and the space became a shop.

“It was going well, but the original workspace wasn’t really big enough. I found a larger and more prominent space on the Yard and that’s how Muscari Studio was born,” explained Amy.

Local artisan creators

The shop has an eclectic mix of homeware and gifts by local artisan creators alongside Scandinavian and Japanese designers as well as a huge array of dried flowers and a wellness and lifestyle section.

“We stock some amazing scented candles from Dovecote in Alnwick and some brilliant ceramics from My Giant Hands Made These who are based around the corner in Ouseburn. But we also sell products from Japanese tableware and lifestyle brand KINTO, who are very popular. Our main homeware supplier is HKlIving, a Dutch brand with a raw and edgy feel,” said Amy.

“Our wellness section is proving increasingly popular and we’re adding more and more lines.

“It’s a great space we have now and we’re using it to its full advantage – we’ve been hosting a few workshops and hope to do more. You can find more information on this on our social media.”

Muscari Studio

open Tuesdays to Saturdays and

can find out more via their Facebook page

MUSCARI

SIMPLY AWESOME

Sweet smell of success –thanks to Dragon’s Den star.

NTREPENEUR Natalie Dawson has moved her handmade cosmetics business out of her spare room and into her first workshop – with a little help from a Dragon’s Den star.

Natalie launched Awesome Botanical after making bath bombs as a hobby that helped ease her anxiety and giving herself something to do after being furloughed from her role in her dad’s shopfitting business.

“It was just something I enjoyed doing – keeping myself busy during lockdown. I started to study cosmetics and essential oilsI had always used essential oils to help ease my anxiety and I had a passion to create products that would help other people ease away their stresses,” said Natalie.

“I wasn’t expecting the lockdown and Covid restrictions to go on for so long, but as it did I learned a lot about creating scented cosmetics and expanded my range from bath bombs to holistic skincare and whipped soap products.

“I produced some bath bombs and whipped body scrubs for my grandma’s birthday as I thought she needed something extra special after going so long without seeing family. I then gave further samples to other family members and the feedback was ‘awesome.’

“My family persuaded me that my hobby would make a good business, so I launched Awesome Botanical,” she added.

Business was steady, if not spectacular when three factors accelerated Awesome Botanical’s growth.

A dream come true

Natalie explained: “In December 2020 as the shops began to open back up, we were selected to have a pop up shop at the Fenwick Christmas Market. This really was a dream come true, after just six months in business we now had products in the iconic department store. In addition to this, our sweet orange whipped soap was chosen as one of their Fenwick Finds.

“Then we had some more good news – our cracked heel balm was shortlisted in the prestigious Top Sante Skincare Awardsalongside some of the world’s biggest skincare brands. That really helped our profile.”

Then Natalie received a third massive boost from none other than former Dragon’s Den Theo Paphitis, who chose Awesome Botanicals as a winner in his immensely popular Small Business Sunday (#SBS) competition on Twitter. Theo tweeted about Awesome Botanical to his 500,000 Twitter followers and Natalie watched as her social media presence dramatically increased and orders flooded in.

Holistic skincare

“Winning #SBS was immense and I’m so grateful to Theo for his support. It’s lovely to think that someone so successful is only too willing to help small businesses. It made a big difference to us,” said Natalie.

It was after the #SBS win that Natalie, who has a diploma in organic skincare, decided to move the business out of her home and into a ‘proper’ workshop.

“I just didn’t have the space to keep up with orders coming in. I live in Dunston and didn’t want to be too far away from home, and after we’d looked at five or six places we came across Hypoint on Saltmeadows Road in Gateshead. The workshop is the perfect size and the support has been great,” said Natalie.

“I’m looking to grow the brand organically and ethically. We don’t have any overarching parent brands and we don’t import any of our products from abroad. Our holistic skincare, bath bombs and whipped soaps are all handmade here in Gateshead. And we commit ourselves to be cruelty free,” she added.

Natalie is originally from Sheffield and moved to the north east in 2006 to help her dad with his shop fitting company. She moved into purchasing roles in other companies, gaining valuable experience in procurement, before returning to her dad’s company as Operations Director in 2019.

For more information about Awesome Botanicals, go to www.awesomebotanical.com

HA’WAY

PET

Meet our four-legged friends at Haylofts.

NDEED it wasn’t that long ago that Hoults Yard used to hold its own Dog Show.

Well-behaved owners and their dogs have long been welcome at the Yard and that extends to Hypoint and Haylofts too.

HyHubs MD Charlie Hoult said: “We don’t just allow people to bring their dogs to work, we actually encourage them to do so.

“We’ve always said yes to people bringing in dogs, and it can make a real difference if people are looking for new offices. Many dog owners don’t like leaving their pets at home all day – particularly in the wake of the pandemic when many of them spent so much extra time with their pets - so it’s the ideal solution. We’re known for a place to network and dogs provide another way to connect with the diverse range of firms based here.” These furry friends are just some of the dogs that have joined us since the launch of Haylofts.

RODNEY

This is Rodney, a Dachshund owned by Gabrielle Buglass, of Siemens Gamesa.

Louise says Rodney is “cheeky, friendly and cuddly.”

MOSS

Border Collie Moss is owned by Chantelle Hodgson of UK NEQAS CPT.

Our doggy expert Louise White describes Moss as “very obedient, gorgeous and classy, he loves cuddles and is sometimes too clever for his own good!”

JESS

Jess is a cross between a black Labrador and a Cocker Spaniel owned by Jen Patterson of DPP Planning.

Our Louise says Jess is “gentle and well-behaved.”

ACE

Meet Ace, a Pomsky owned by Corey McKeown, who also works at Melius Group. Louise says Ace is “a bit naughty, loves a treat and is a real softy.”

ASHER

This is Asher, Ace’s little brother, also owned by Corey.

He’s a Pomeranian and is described by our Louise as “chatty and loves cuddles.”

SADIE

Meet Sadie, a cross between a Shih Tzu and a Pug. Sadie belongs to Joshua Castrey, who works at Melius Group.

Louise describes Sadie as “lively, a daddy’s girl, friendly and always loves a treat.”

WILSON

Wilson is a Labradoodle owned by Nicola Crowley from DPP Planning.

Louise says Wilson is “lively, very friendly and a very nice boy.”

THE PERFECT BALANCE

Hoults Yard based accountants are aiming high.

JAY WILSON JACCOUNTANCY

HE posterboy of a new generation of accountants is based on Hoults Yard.

Jay Wilson, founder and MD at Jaccountancy, left school at 16 to begin an apprenticeship in customer services, working at a hotel. Now he heads up a successful accountancy practice breaking the traditional accountancy mould.

While completing his apprenticeship, Jay was also working shifts at call centres and bars.

“It was tough and I wasn’t really enjoying the apprenticeship and was looking for something else to do. I saw an advert at Newcastle College for an accountancy course with AAT. I tried it, found I could do it and kept going through the qualifications,” explained Jay.

“That was in 2017 and I continued with the call centre and bar shifts while studying with AAT,” he added.

Fully qualified

Jay became a fully qualified accountant within 24 months instead of the usual four or five years.

“The week after my final exams I incorporated Jaccountancy and have never looked back. We have a team of five and three other consultants who we use regularly – and we have 400+ clients on our books already,” said Jay, who is still only 28.

AAT, the professional accountancy membership and qualification awarding body, has used Jay in a series of high-profile media adverts due to the pace of his success. He was also AAT’s AAT Professional Member of the Year for 2019.

“I enjoyed doing the ads, they were fun and raised the profile of Jaccountancy. I think we’re seen as different – young and fresh. Traditionally I think accountants have been seen as confusing, expensive and disconnected whereas I think we’re seen as accessible, innovative, understandable and affordable.

“What we’re trying to do is rethink accountancy, for it to be seen in a different

light. We don’t fit the usual stereotype, although we’re all well qualified. We go beyond the balance sheet – getting to know our customers on a personal level .

“We have an app which many of our customers find easy to use and we’ve also produced a handbook, available on our client online portal, that answers many of their questions.”

It’s an approach that is working – as well as a growing list of clients, Jaccountancy was named New Accountancy Business of the Year by judges in the North England Prestige competition.

Range of sectors

Clients come from a range of sectors, but are mostly start-ups or small to medium-sized enterprises who appreciate the personal approach and hands-on guidance.

Jay left school with a C in maths, but is building on his accountancy qualifications. He’s currently studying a chartered accountancy degree at Arden University.

“I suffered with ADHD at school and didn’t feel as though I fitted in, but now I think the ADHD gives me the energy and restlessness to constantly push myself. After leaving school the real world was a huge wake-up call, but I’ve since dedicated my time to better myself. Now I want Jaccountancy to better our clients!” explained Jay.

Jay is a big personality, with big ambitions: “Everyone knows about the Big Four – well, perhaps it’s time for the Big Five. I know it sounds too much and overambitious, but I’ve always overcome obstacles and barriers and it’s always good to aim high!”

For

AIMING HIGH … Jay Wilson at Jaccountancy

T

Everyone knows about the Big Four –well, perhaps it’s time for the Big Five.”

ART FOR ALL

NEW agency aims to revolutionise the way artists and creatives are supported – not just in the UK, but around the world.

Help us Haley is built on a vision that everyone should be able to access the arts and its support services include project management, audience development, representing artists, liaising with arts organisations, copywriting and content and creative writing.

Founder Haley said the agency is aimed particularly at marginalised communities, but wants to help any artist in need of support.

Co-director Ciara Lenihan said: “We’re provocative, we’re antagonists and we want to stamp out the gatekeeping that is so prevalent in the arts sector. The model for success in the arts world is old, tired, broken and frankly disgusting. It actively encourages greed and elitism in the sector and makes it so hard for artists from a marginalised community – LGBTQIA or anyone with a disability – to make a living.

and trading card website STARKADE and NFT marketplace Purrnelope’s Country Club,” explained Haley, who uses a mononym.

“We’re happy working with individual artists or artist-led enterprises and organisations,” added Ciara.

Both Haley and Ciara are disabled and non binary, using they/them pronouns.

Talented, marginalised individuals

The company spun out of Haley’s arts business into an artists support agency and has expanded its range of services, while at the same time growing its team.

Haley explained: “There are now five of us – three based at our new office at Hoults Yard and two across in America. The team is made up of talented, marginalised individuals all of whom have their own accessibility needs. This gives us a keen understanding of what it means to work in the arts with both mental and physical disabilities and how to help anyone access the arts.

“We also have a tremendous team of freelancers to back up our in-house team.”

Ciara has a masters degree in fine art and more than ten years experience working in the cultural industry as a grass roots organiser and arts facilitator. They are a co-founder of Newbridge Print studio in Shieldfield.

Ciara and Haley are planning a mutual benevolent fund to be run by Help Us Haley which would be aimed at supporting creatives from marginalised communities.

The pair met through the DGA, a Newcastle-based performing arts collective which was co-founded by Ciara. Both believe art and activism have to be closely intertwined.

CIARA LENIHAN HELP US HALEY

“We want to change the system, revolutionise support for artists and not just here, but around the world –we’re already working with artists in Iran, Sierra Leone, Egypt and Lebanon, places that have been ‘gatekept’ from the arts world,” Ciara added.

Haley always wanted to get into the arts, dropping a business degree to explore being a drag performer, before finally settling into sculpture.

Haley recognised artists from marginalised backgrounds lacked the infrastructure to get into the arts traditionally, which led them to start Help Us Haley.

“We provide a wide range of services and we’re particularly active in the non-fungible token (NFT) market where we work with companies like undrgrnd.io; game store

“We share the same views and anger at what we see as a prejudiced system that is holding so many people back. One thing we’re particularly concerned with is artists not being paid, or not being paid fairly for their work. We want to give people the power so they’re not having to beg people for the money they’re owed. We want an end to poverty wages for artists,” Haley said.

“Another area we’re trying to address is ableist attitudes in the arts – again this can be such a huge barrier to artists like ourselves who have some form of disability.

“We want to stamp out the barriers set up by thoughtless elites from generations ago.”

MIRA MIRA…

Hoults Yard-based MIRA Marketing has doubled in size in a year.

THE digital agency was established in 2018 and joined forces with north east entrepreneur and investor Neil Stephenson in 2020. Growth was steady until the Covid pandemic drove millions of shoppers online.

Founder and CEO Stuart Bramley explained: “Lockdown was the trigger for huge growth for us, but we’ve continued on the same trajectory after the restrictions eased.

“Online retailers grasped the opportunity of so many more people shopping online and local and regional businesses turned to us to grow their businesses through bespoke digital marketing solutions. The recent Black Friday sales weekend was important to us – it was very successful for ourselves and our clients, many of whom saw huge spikes in revenue.

“Since August last year our turnover has doubled, profits have doubled and the team has grown from two of us to six. We’ve gone from having five clients to having 29 – with more in the pipeline.”

Stuart and his team work hard to stay ahead of trends and developments in the online marketing sector.

“We’ve recently transitioned some of our clients over to Amazon which is new to us. Clients are experiencing good growth through our partnership with them. Apple released iOS14.5 earlier this year and the update impacted tracking across platforms and devices. We pivoted our media buying to Amazon marketplace to help stabilise clients’ performance. This has been working very well for our clients, with them adding new streams of revenue,” explained Stuart

Game changer

“The digital marketing landscape is constantly changing and we make sure we’re well aware of what’s going on – new platforms updates, new software, new processes or operating systems. It is important we continue to monitor the possible legislation around how cookies can be used by website owners – this might be a game-changer in digital marketing, and we’re obviously looking at other means of data reporting already.

“Meanwhile, the email marketing side of MIRA is also growing massively – some of our clients are attributing more than 25 per cent

of their revenue to our email campaigns.”

To accommodate the growing team, MIRA has moved into larger offices at Hoults Yard.

“We just needed the space for our new team members - our work and approach is liked and respected by our growing list of clients. We create bespoke campaigns for them, constantly monitoring, tweaking and scaling the campaigns in response to the data we analyse. We offer a very personal service, not an offthe-shelf solution, and we get to know our clients very well and embed into their team as an external marketing arm,” he said.

Rapid expansion

“We also offer Shopify web development services, partly because it’s so vital for a company’s website and landing page to be right in order to convert our client’s customers.” And while he’s overseen the rapid expansion of MIRA, Stuart is also launching a new, complementary business. Snap-Now is his new ecommerce photography business, which will supply clients with first class photography and video for their websites and social media platforms.

“It’s a natural add-on to what we’re doing already and another service we can offer our clients. I think the content creation side of things will become increasingly important to us and the industry as a whole,” said Stuart.

For more information about MIRA, go to www.miramarketing.co.uk.

RAPID GROWTH … Adam Hunter, Neil Stephenson, Samantha Earland, Stuart Bramley, Lily Volkmann, Jade Lowrie

CYBER MEN

A growing Tyneside tech company has made Haylofts its home.

MELIUS GROUP specialises in using technology to transform businesses and despite doubling its workforce over the last year, is looking to expand further.

Steve Cowie, CEO at Melius Group, explained:

“We can see significant opportunities for growth so will be recruiting further skilled team members to ensure we have the structure and resource in preparation for more work.”

Steve graduated from Strathclyde University with a degree in engineering before starting his career in tech. He had senior roles at several IT companies at national, international and global levelsincluding Lenovo, Dell, EMC and Hitachi – before launching Melius.

David McPherson is also a director and the company’s Chief Information Officer and has been with the company since it was established. He started with the Bank of England, and had national roles for Northern Electric, EMC, Symantec and Aegis IT before taking on a business development role at TSG. David has a degree in electrical and electronic engineering.

Expertise and experience

“I’d worked with David for about 11 years after meeting on an EMC project and our backgrounds in the tech sector complement each other. His expertise and experience significantly differentiates us from our competitors,” Steve added.

Growth had been steady until real acceleration recently, with expansion particularly strong in the pharmaceutical, financial services, public sector and emergency service sectors.

Melius Group also has a cyber security arm, Melius Cyber.

“Cyber security is an increasingly important issue for the tech sector, the wider business world and society. The threat to companies is very real and needs to be taken seriously. We’ve built an offering aimed specifically at small to medium sized organisations, and provide all aspects of cyber threat protection, providing pen testing, cyber audit, and a managed service solution giving 24/forever protection from cyber-attacks, including ransom ware,” Steve explained.

One area of growth he is particularly interested in is the education sector: “The Covid pandemic has reinforced what a massive enabler tech is in education, and the future for the sector will be blended learning – the days of students sitting in traditional classrooms looking at a board are gone. Tech is being used more and more, and there are huge opportunities for the sector,” said Steve.

For more on Melius Group, go to www.melius-group.co.uk, where you can also find out more about Melius Cyber.

JO ROBISON … DPP Director

PLANNING AHEAD

Urban planning consultants DPP

find their own new space.

FRESH, quirky and different were the criteria used by national planning consultancy DPP Planning when looking for a new Tyneside office.

Director Jo Robison also wanted somewhere central, and found the perfect fit in Haylofts.

“The Covid pandemic made us think about our offices, and initially we thought we would need a smaller space as people were working from home effectively. However, we then came full circle and decided our team really needed new offices that were different and bespoke and somewhere we could collaborate,” explained Jo, head of DPP’s Newcastle team. The growth of the team also means that DPP has recently expanded into additional space at Haylofts.

DPP is an independent planning consultancy with five offices across the UK. The company provides planning services to clients across all sectors to assist in realising development potential and optimising the use of land, buildings and portfolios.

Major local projects

The Newcastle team has worked on several major local projects, including Hadrian’s Tower, the £46m, 27-storey luxury apartment block and rooftop champagne bar in Newcastle city centre. Jo and her team successfully co-ordinated the planning application achieving permission for the ‘toons tallest tower’. Other recent projects include the planning process for the former Brett Oils site in Gateshead, and are working with owners, EDR, to see the project come to life; the £250m mixed use development of Quayside West on the former Calders Leadworks off Skinnerburn Road; two prime office buildings on the former Vaux site in Sunderland for Legal & General, Milburngate mixed use development and the next phase of Netpark in Durham. DPP is also working with Sunderland City Council on the new high-level pedestrian bridge over the River Wear, and recently secured planning permission for Sunderland’s iconic ‘Culture House’.

“Our work is right across the spectrum, from major developments such as Hadrian’s Tower and the £400m Aykley Heads Business Park development in Durham, through to new schools and university buildings, change of use applications and barn conversions.

“This range obviously helps our young team develop and grow their skills – they start on smaller projects and learn as they go along to be able to work on some of our much larger projects,” said Jo.

For more on DPP, go to www.dppukltd.com.

MOVING IN … (left to right) HyHubs manager Laura Goldston with Melius CIO David McPherson and CEO Steve Cowie

AN APP-ETITE FOR SUCCESS

Uber Eats has launched a Newcastlebased team to grow the online food ordering and delivery platform in the region.

THE TEAM aims to increase the number of north-east restaurants signed up for Uber Eats and increase the number of users using the app.

Uber Eats launched in the north east in 2017 and has been signing up a growing roster of restaurants across the region. The range of restaurants has increased significantly since then with particularly strong uptake in Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.

Virtual high street

Customers can find their fast-food favourites as well as local gems. Grocery orders through Uber Eats are also increasingly popular, with customers choosing to get their essentials delivered to their door within an average of less than 30 minutes.

Hespi Baldwin, Territory Operations Manager, leads the new team: “There is so much potential for growth in the region and our team is working hard to sign up new local restaurants as well as giving existing ones a boost from Darlington to Blyth.

“The main benefit for restaurants is that you get access to so many local customers – Uber Eats is a virtual high street where people can browse menus and place orders, bringing in an extra revenue stream for businesses.”

After looking at a range of offices and workspaces Uber Eats chose Hoults Yard as the team’s new base.

Hespi explained: “There’s a great vibe here and it’s a cool place to work. There is plenty of parking and there are so many other businesses around. There are even a couple of restaurants on the Yard who we’ve signed up with Uber Eats.”

If you own or run a restaurant and would like to sign up to the app, please email north-east-eats@uber.com with your details.

STREET WISE

One of the country’s leading barristers’ chambers has offices at Haylofts.

DERE Street Barristers has offices in Newcastle, York and Teesside with its Tyneside base next to Newcastle Law Courts on the Quayside. However, the chambers also has space in Haylofts.

Phil Paxton, Head Clerk at Dere Street Barristers, explained the reason for the additional workspace: “We’ve been based at Broad Chare for many years and its perfectly placed for our work at Newcastle Law Courts. However, a new Civil, Family and Tribunals Centre was recently opened within Newcastle Civic Centre and it can take our barristers and their teams some time to get there from the Quayside.

“So we’ve been looking for office space closer to the Civic Centre for a while – either to rent or buy. When we came across Haylofts we knew we’d found the right place, the offices are managed so we don’t have to worry about reception or cleaning and the conference facilities are impressive – even the teas and coffees are free.

Specialist advocacy

“We don’t have staff permanently based there, but we have space for 16 people and our offices are busy with staff and barristers coming and going. The barristers conduct short hearings at Haylofts and then hot foot it to the Civic Centre.”

Dere Street has over 100 barristers including Queen’s Counsel operating from Newcastle and York. The company offers specialist advocacy, advisory and drafting expertise across a wide spectrum of practice areas and at every level of seniority. Members of Chambers are self employed and each is regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

To find out more about Dere Street Barristers, go to www.derestreet.co.uk Twitter: DSBarristers

WORKSPACE … Phil Paxton from Dere Street Barristers at Haylofts

NEW TEAM … Hespi Baldwin, left, and members of the new team

WHERE THERE’S A WILL…

One of the region’s few paralegal partnerships is based on Hoults Yard.

NEWCASTLE-based Late Life Planning North has been offering a professional estate planning service since 2016. The firm specialises in simple or complex will writing, lasting power of attorney, asset protection trusts, low cost probate applications and longterm care planning. Other services are also available.

The company was founded by Peter Hamilton Collins and Marilyn Anne Mason and is based in Teapot Studios in Hoults Yard.

Fraction of the cost

Peter explained: “Paralegals are common in the United States, but quite rare in the UK. A paralegal can execute many of the services that a solicitor may offer but at a fraction of the cost, due to low overheads. Where we are not allowed to deal with an issue, such as designing and preparing trusts, we work with professional legal partnerships all over the UK.”

Peter and Marilyn launched the company while still working for awardwinning Newcastle upon Tyne IFAs Lowes Financial Management Group.

“I’d been with Lowes for more than 37 years and had more than 400 clients across the UK and beyond. The company was kind enough to allow me to set up my own estate planning business while still working with them,” said Peter.

“Late Life Planning North was doing well and we were working from my home office. About six months ago Lowes approached me and asked Late Life Planning North if it would become their official estate planners and of course I said yes.

“Business increased considerably and I realised we needed far more space and asked my co-paralegal Grant Reynolds to look for a new office. Hoults Yard is close to where he lives and we were impressed by the facilities and friendliness of the place, so signed up straight away,” he added.

Back to Tyneside

Peter is a Chartered Financial Planner, a Fellow of the Institute of Paralegals and a Member of the Society of Will Writers. Born in Gosforth, he left school and travelled to Australia as part of a band in the late 1960s. He returned to the UK three years later to become a suit salesman on the Kings Road in London. In the mid 1970s came back to Tyneside where he bought a sandwich bar next to the Theatre Royal in Newcastle. The sandwich bar became a boutique wine shop. He took over the shop next door and created Newcastle’s first Greek restaurant The Greek Connection. Ten years later in 1984 he joined Lowes Financial Management and has never looked back.

For more information on Late Life Planning, go to www.latelifeplanningnorth.com

PETER HAMILTON COLLINS LATE LIFE PLANNING NORTH

A paralegal can execute many of the services that a solicitor may offer but at a fraction of the cost, due to low overheads.”

HYPER SPACES

Tyneside workplace design specialists Design North has moved into larger offices on Hoults Yard to accommodate its growing team.

EXPANDING … Part of the Design North team, left to right, In the photo from left to right Beth Winter, junior designer,; Charlotte Allen, junior designer; Sarah Jamieson, interior designer; Scott Stewart, Design Director; Pepper the dog, and Polly Dodsworth, interior designer

AN INFLUX of work for hotels, offices, apartment buildings and university buildings led to the recruitment of five new designers.

And while there has been a surge in demand for Design North’s more traditional services, there has also been great interest in the company’s ‘Hypercave’ garages designed to house supercars, while Design Director Scott Stewart is talking to Jordan about working with the sportswear giant’s Jumpman brand.

“We’ve been so busy with so many different and exciting projects,” said Scott.

One of those projects is working with Newcastlebased The Inn Collection Group.

“We’re working on the interior design – and some external design work – on 13 pubs and hotels for The Inn Collection. It’s interesting work as although there is a brand look, every hotel is very different and we want to reflect that in our work,” he added.

Another large project Design North has been working on is Newcastle University’s new £60m Stephenson Building which is replacing the 70-yearold original building.

Cutting-edge approach

“The Stephenson Building will be an iconic entrance to the university’s engineering department and we’ve been working on its interior design for some months. The lockdowns gave us plenty of time to research and develop our designs as building work obviously came to a halt.

“The building will be full of advanced technology and our designs needed to reflect that cuttingedge approach.”

New and advanced technology will also be a feature in Design North’s Hypercaves. Scott and his team are

TESTING TIMES

One of the UK’s leading pathology organisations is based at Haylofts.

SCOTT STEWART DESIGN NORTH

currently on site installing a Hypercave in North Yorkshire. Hypercaves ensure top-of-the-range cars are parked in the very best of luxury surroundings.

“We’re putting in a Formula One simulator and the Hypercave will have AI technology for its lighting.

“We’ve had interest from people in South America, the States and the Middle East – as well as across the UK and Europe. The brand is becoming a fashion label for garages and customers are also asking us to work on their homes as well as their garages.

Futuristic garage set

“Our work with Hypercaves has also led to an approach from a film production company who want to talk to us about building a futuristic garage set.”

And while talking to millionaire supercar owners, Scott is also talking to Jordan about collaborating with the Jumpman brand.

Discussions started after Scott put some design ideas for their On the Wall sneaker boards to display high-end sneakers on social media and had a huge reaction, including a response from legendary sneaker makers, Jordan.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of Jumpman sneakers so I was thrilled when we had a message from their base in Portland, Oregon, showing their support,” said Scott.

In the meantime, Design North’s new designers under the watch of Scott and Strategic Director Jacqui Martin are busy helping to transform a luxury apartment development in the old Allied Irish Bank on Collingwood Street, Newcastle. They’re also working on an office development in Grey Steet.

For more information about Hypercave, On the Wall or Design North, go to www.design-north.co.uk

U

K NEQAS Cellular Pathology Technique (CPT) provides worldwide external quality assessment (EQA) and proficiency testing for all aspects of tissue diagnostics. The not-for-profit organisation was based in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead since 2011, but the hospital’s need for more space in the Covid pandemic prompted a move to Haylofts.

Chantell Hodgson, Scheme Manager for UK NEQAS CPT, explained: “Covid accelerated our relocation and our core team of eight has taken over the top floor at Haylofts.”

Proficiency testing programmes

UK NEQAS CPT carries out quality assessment for laboratories and organisations across the UK, Europe and further afield and has a roster of about 150 expert peer assessors around the world.

“We’re like an ‘Ofsted’ for laboratories. We provide a range of accredited EQA and proficiency testing programmes for all aspects of tissue diagnostics. We do this through a secure and established set of Schemes for both clinical and non-clinical laboratories and organisations in the UK and across the globe,” said Chantell.

“Our aim is to ensure our participants receive high quality, appropriate, clinically-relevant samples that fully meet their facility’s requirements; and that our assessment of those samples is consistent and carried out by qualified assessors.

“The laboratories carry out a test and then send their results to us physically as a slide or digitally via submission to our website. We then assess their results and give them a score out of ten. We continually monitor a laboratory’s performance and if they fall behind a set threshold, we inform appropriate governing bodies,” explained Chantell, a biomedical scientist, who has been Scheme Manager since 2011.

UK NEQAS CPT was established in 1991 when a group of regional EQA services, operating between laboratories and hospitals across the UK, came together to create one organisation. It now provides EQA/PT services for more than 1,000 international laboratories and organisations across the UK and 50 other countries.

As well as its testing capabilities, UK NEQAS CPT also provides education services, training bio-medical scientists, trainees and support workers through workshops and webinars, regular meetings and conferences, publications and feedback.

Hypercaves ensure top -of-the-range cars are parked in the very best of luxury surroundings.”

POWER PLAY

Green light for bright future at EcoFuture.

ANEW renewable technology company aims to reduce both your heating bills and your carbon footprint.

Although EcoFuture Technology is relatively new, the company has 30 years of combined experience.

Directors Fabio Boccardi and David Harbron are old friends and have been joined by Jay Abley as the company’s Operations Director.

Jay, a former aircraft electrical technician with the RAF, has run his own electrical engineering company for several years. He has a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of heating and gas systems. Fabio has vast experience in the leisure sector while David is a solicitor who also runs his own property company.

Cost of living crisis

Fabio explained: “In launching the business, our timing could hardly have been better. The cost of living crisis is just starting to bite, while sustainability is becoming more and more of a top priority for everyone.

“EcoFuture can save you money on your energy bills while at the same time reducing your carbon footprint – at home as well as at work by advising the best renewable technology solutions for you.”

JAY ABLEY ECOFUTURE

Jay added: “Central heating is responsible for 31 per cent of total household carbon emissions, making it one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases. However, we now have the technology to do something about this and we’re here to help people make the switch to cheaper, greener energy solutions.”

For every customer, EcoFuture conducts a full property survey to understand what technology would be the most effective solution. The 55-page survey analyses areas such as insulation, windows and doors, energy efficient lighting, upgrading your heating and generating renewable energy from heat pumps or solar energy panels.

Bespoke package

The company then gives advice on what Government grants or private finance might be available before agreeing what bespoke package of technology would be most suitable.

Installation and guidance on how to use the tech is followed up by a service check-up about a week later.

EcoFuture recently moved into new offices on Hoults Yard, Newcastle, and is already looking to expand its team of 12.

To find out more, visit www.yourecofuture.com

NEW HOME … David and Jay at Hoults Yard

EcoFuture can save you money on your energy bills while at the same time reducing your carbon footprint – at home as well as at work”

LOFTY AMBITIONS

rapidly growing

AYLOFTS-based Novum Personnel was taken over by Managing Director Tom Simpson in late 2019 and has quickly established itself in key recruitment sectors, including construction, engineering, tech and, more recently, education.

Tom said the Covid pandemic accelerated growth plans for the business: “We’d only just started when the pandemic began, but rather than panicking we sat down, analysed what effects Covid was having on the economies of the Far East and what sectors would prove most resilient to the pandemic.

Focus on the construction sector

“We looked at what industries would be less susceptible to an airborne virus and took the decision to focus on the construction sector. This was despite the fact that other recruitment agencies were pulling out of that area.

“We made sure our offer to both those looking for work and employers was distinctive and attractive and threw everything at the sector – and it worked.”

The company now employs 17 people across three offices in Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Hull.

Alongside Novum, entrepreneur Tom is now launching sector specific brands – with Hello Education already working in schools and colleges recruitment.

more information, go to

AGLOBAL energy consultancy has strengthened its UK team after expanding its Tyneside hub with a move to a new office on Hoults Yard.

PSC is a specialist consulting firm to the electricity industry delivering planning, analysis, development, and strategic advisory services. The company is headquartered in the US and has 240 employees around the world, servicing clients in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and the UK.

The UK team has offices in Stafford, Warwick and Newcastle and over the past two years has grown its Tyneside contingent from 13 to 18, prompting its move into new offices.

As part of a wider European team, the Newcastle office supports clients ranging from large UK and European utilities to renewable energy developers with global footprints in the offshore wind, solar PV and battery energy storage sectors.

The company’s growth has been partially through an increased interest in reducing carbon emissions around the world – and through acquisition. In January 2020, PSC acquired Gridconnect, an Irish company specialising in renewable power generation advice, and then members of engineering company Ramboll’s power system department joined the following month.

Reduce carbon emissions

Newcastle-based Gary Landels, the company’s General Manager, Regulation, Planning and Analysis, said: “With global targets to reduce carbon emissions we have seen an explosion of activity in the sector and PSC’s services are key to supporting clients as they strive to meet those targets.

“We’ve benefitted from being recognised as experts in the electricity industry providing high-quality knowledge and services.

Gary explained why he and PSC had chosen Hoults Yard for its expansion: “I loved the feel and the vibe around the Yard when I first looked into it as a possible location. The layout felt spacious and modern - but with a relaxed, less corporate feel.

“There’s also an interesting mix of businesses in the Yard, which I think helps us to look at ourselves differently, keeping us on our toes with regards to business trends such as the new hybrid working environment.”

Laura Goldston, Manager at HyHubs which owns and runs Hoults Yard, said: “PSC are following two trends we’re experiencing. Firstly, they join a growing band of Yard clients working in the energy and renewables sector, and secondly they’re working a flexible, hybrid model which we’re only too happy to help with and advise on.”

We’ve benefitted from being recognised as experts in the electricity industry providing high-quality knowledge and services.”

GARY LANDELS PSC

STRUCTURED GROWTH

Engineering consultancy opens first English office in Newcastle.

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GROWING Scottish engineering consultancy has chosen Hoults Yard as its first base south of the border.

David Narro Associates, a structural and civil engineering consultancy has five offices in Scotland – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Inverness and Aberdeen.

Senior Structural Engineers Bill Calder and Jenn Hogarth are based in the Newcastle office. Bill grew up in Hexham and has been with David Narro Associates for seven years, while Jenn joined the firm more recently, although she has been working for another Tyneside engineering company for the last six years.

Building a team locally

Bill said: “I’m really excited at the opportunity to build David Narro Associates’ presence in the north east of England. We’ve provided engineering consultancy to architects and developers on multiple projects in the area over the years, but this work has been done from our Edinburgh and Glasgow offices.

“Now that we’re building a team locally, with a physical office here in Newcastle, we’ll be much better placed to work collaboratively with our project partners– something we really pride ourselves on.

“Although David Narro is a Scottish company, both Jenn and I have considerable knowledge and experience of the north east – as well as some great contacts.

Bill has a keen interest in conservation and architectural engineering while Jenn has extensive experience in residential properties and multi-storey buildings.

Bill and Jenn work on projects from varying sectors and across the UK, but expect work from Newcastle to focus on the bespoke residential, arts and leisure and conversation/refurbishment sectors.

Bill added: “It’s great to be back in the north east and we’re already working with clients such as Elliott Architects in Hexham and Giles Arthur Architects in Alnwick.”

Both Bill and Jenn graduated from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University with degrees in Structural Engineering with Architectural Design.

For more on David Narro Associates, go to www.davidnarro.co.uk

IN GOOD HEALTH

Maverex expands into new offices after another year of growth.

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TYNESIDE-based medical market access consultancy has moved into larger offices after another year of growth – and is set to expand further.

Maverex, which works with global pharmaceutical and medical device companies such as AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and Nestle, has taken over bigger offices, for the third time in as many years, at its Hoults Yard base after growing its team by a third during 2020-2021.

When the company moved on to the Yard it had a team of three – it now employs 21.

Highly-specialised sector

Maverex works in a highly-specialised sector, providing health economic, epidemiological and outcomes research to help their clients demonstrate and communicate the value of new medicines and healthcare technologies, ensuring timely access of these new interventions to patients.

Antony Wright, Director of Health Economic Models and Applications at Maverex, said: “2021 was another good year for us and our expansion led to the need for larger offices. Our new space at Hoults Yard allows us to focus on the future – we have plenty of room for further growth and are currently recruiting for more positions.

“We work across all diseases, from oncology and cerebrovascular disease to infectious and respiratory diseases, supporting our clients to prepare for launching to a global market.

Coolest neighbourhoods

“Newcastle is establishing itself as a UK hub in our sector and it’s a great place to work. The team is very happy at the Yard, so we didn’t look anywhere else once we’d taken the decision to move to larger offices,” said Antony. “And besides, Ouseburn has also recently been voted one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world by TimeOut. It’s a wonderful place to be.

“It’s a highly-specialised sector and it’s helpful to us to be close to the region’s universities – we tend to recruit at the science PhD level. Our team includes health economists, epidemiologists, market access specialists, modellers, statisticians and medical writers,” he added.

For more information about Maverex, go to www.maverex.com

NEW SPACE … Bill Calder and Jenn Hogarth

MOVING TIMES … members of the Maverex team who’ve recently expanded into new offices at Hoults Yard

ANDY BARRETT PURETECH

CLEAR VISION

An engineering company that provides pioneering purity systems around the world has opened an office in Hoults Yard.

PURETECH Process Systems is headquartered in Redhill, Surrey and up to ten members of the Puretech team will be based in its new north east office.

For the last 30 years Puretech has created and cared for the delivery of vital purified water, pure steam, medical gases and process systems at medical, pharmaceutical and research facilities globally.

The company was attracted to the region because of the critical mass of pharmaceutical, biopharma, gigafactories and healthcare organisations and facilities based in the North East.

Attract local talent

Andy Barrett, Managing Director of Puretech Process Systems Ltd, said: “All of these sectors are ones where Puretech has vast knowledge, experience and expertise

“Our new hub is well positioned to provide a service to local clients, as well as continuing to serve national clients. The North East offers many talented people in the engineering sector, and we’ve recently attracted a number of local engineers and project managers.”

Although experience of working during the pandemic proved to Puretech that its team can work effectively remotely, the company realised a regional hub would attract local talent without requiring them to compromise their work/life balance by relocating.

Andy added: “This is a really exciting opportunity. It enables us to provide great local support to new and existing clients, save costs on things like travel, food and accommodation, provide a better work/life balance for our employees, and reduce our carbon footprint. So, it’s not only strategically beneficial to the business, but it also supports our commitments to sustainability and employee wellbeing.

“We were impressed by the Hoults Yard setup, the proximity to the centre of Newcastle and accessesbility for our clients.”

For more information about Puretech, go to www.puretech.uk.com

Our new hub is well positioned to provide a service to local clients, as well as continuing to serve national clients.”

NEW OFFICE … left to right, Chris Pratt, Commercial Manager, Steven Hunter, Project Manager and and Simon Deacon, Contracts Director

PSSG ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS

A leading payroll, HR and outsourcing software group has moved into new state-of-the-art offices on Hoults Yard.

THE Payroll Software and Services Group (PSSG) moved into an old Malings Pottery building on Hoults Yard, Byker. The building is the former Malings railway station for loading train wagons with pottery, and has undergone a £750,000 conversion by Hoults Yard to a specification from PSSG.

PSSG incorporates five companies including Cintra, a Newcastle based company that has been providing payroll, HR and software outsourcing services for 40 years. Cintra became part of PSSG in 2019 when the parent company was created with financial backing from private equity company Tenzing.

PSSG employs more than 170 people across its six subsidiaries – Cintra, Cintra Payroll, Just Payroll Services, Una Terra, Online Payrolls and Software for People – with offices in Newcastle, London, Bristol, Bournemouth and Hitchin.

PSSG’s move from Gateshead to their new 15,000sq ft workspace is part of a £4m investment plan that also includes new products and accelerated software development.

Open-plan office

PSSG CEO Eric Dunmore said: “Our new workspace is something special and includes a restaurant area, showers and eight board/meeting rooms – as well as three large open-plan office environments. We looked at eight or nine different places but once we saw Hoults Yard we knew we’d found the right place.

“We were very particular about the design and layout – we were looking for modern, flexible office space with character to rent in order to create the right working environment suited to a modern software business.

“Hoults Yard and Charlie Hoult agreed to fit out the workspace and have absolutely delivered on what we wanted and the PSSG team is very happy here.”

More than 1,280 clients use PSSG software – with more than 1.6m salaries paid through the software and £3.1bn of salary payments processed annually. Clients come from a range of sectors including education, hospitality and insurance – and from across the UK and around the world.

For more information on Cintra go to www.cintra.co.uk and more on PSSG, go to www.thepssg.com

NEW HOME … Eric Dunmore (left) with Charlie Hoult (right)

GROW WITH IT

One of Hoults Yard’s longest-serving tenants is moving into a new headquarters on the Yard to accommodate a big expansion of its workforce.

NDEPENDENTtechnology consultancy Opencast has been based on the Yard since being established in 2012.

Its new space is across two floors in the Kiln building and has been designed through extensive user research for a hybrid workplace future, aided by better technology, flexible seating and meeting spaces.

Opencast is witnessing dramatic growth – and it expects to double in size to 400 employees over the next year. Many of the company’s people are located beyond the North East, including in Leeds, Edinburgh and London – and it has now established a physical presence with hubs in all three cities.

Customer-facing services

Last year the company landed several major contracts, including a ‘transformational’ new partnership with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), for whom Opencast will accelerate its digital journey with new customer-facing services.

Opencast is also adding partnerships with other government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions, Government Digital Service and the NHS. Its work has included digital responses on Brexit and the pandemic.

Recruitment is ongoing as the company continues its ambitious expansion plans. While new people are being hired across all areas of the business, Opencast strengthened its senior management team including the appointment of new Chief Technical Officer Lee Foster, Chief People Officer Cate Kalson and Harry Armstrong, Corporate Development Director. Chief Executive Tom Lawson stressed: “While our growth is important, looking after our people and our clients must always be the top priority.” Accordingly Opencast has unveiled a raft of people-focused measures designed to attract new talent and retain people already working in the company.

(RIGHT) THE IT CROWD … Lee Foster, Cate Kalson and Harry Armstrong

TOM LAWSON OPENCAST

To reward the loyalty of its people, Opencast launched a radical new share options scheme to give its entire team a stake in the future success of the business.

The move is seeing Opencast’s founders Charlie Hoult and Mike O’Brien – both previously 50 per cent shareholders to this point – effectively give away a third of their shares to colleagues.

Staunchly independent

Mike said: “Charlie and I started the Opencast business with a mission to challenge the traditional consulting model, by putting our people at the heart of all our thinking. From our start-up through to today, we have lived and breathed that mission. Rather than giving venture capitalists a stake, we’re giving our own team priority so that we can stay staunchly independent.”

Tom added: “We value the hard work of our people – and we want them to stay with us for the long term. By offering our people the chance of a future stake in our business –we hope they feel incentivised to contribute fully.

“Share options are the cherry on the icing on the cake – because we’re supporting our team with great career development, top-end salaries and fascinating tech work.”

Opencast specialises in developing end-toend enterprise solutions for government, health and social care providers and global financial services, as well as for renewable energy and regional enterprises.

Other clients include the NHS Business Services Authority, Barclays, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, RBS, Insure the Box, Offshore and Renewable Energy Catapult, Elmtronics and Citizens Advice.

We value the hard work of our people –and we want them to stay with us for the long term. ”

GREEN SPACES

MARK Coulter, HyHubs’ in-house building surveyor, is drawing up the company’s sustainability policy.

Mark is a chartered building surveyor and joined HyHubs in 2021 after working with the company in a previous role at Silverstone Building Consultancy.

“The green agenda and sustainability has long been an interest of mine and I was happy to take the lead on developing an environmental policy. We’re not setting goals such as Net Zero yet, but we’re working to improve our own practices and those of our tenants,” said Mark.

The most visual sign of Mark’s work so far is the introduction of electric vehicle charging points at Hoults Yard.

The installation is one of the largest yet at a regional business centre. Consett-based Elmtronics, the UK’s leading electric car charging company, has installed six single chargers and three double charge points at the heart of the Yard, providing charge for 12 cars at any one time

The 7kW charge points will charge a car in around six to eight hours, depending on the make and model of car.

Charging infrastructure

The charging points are connected to Elmtronic’s back-office software, Mer Connect. The software allows charging point owners to manage and monitor their charging infrastructure, and also generate revenue by allowing tariffs to be placed on the use of the chargers.

Reed Ingram, Director at Ingram AV, an audio visual solutions company based on the Yard, was one of the first to use the chargers: “We’ve been using electric vehicles for four years so we were delighted when the Yard installed the chargers. I’m using them to charge my own car as well as the company vans.”

The wider environmental policy will include a focus on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) both for HyHubs and tenants. Work on replacing regular lightbulbs with LED lights has already begun, while solar panels are also being considered.

“We’re at the beginning of a journey, but we’re serious about HyHubs being more environmentally responsible and regular strategy meetings are being held,” added Mark.

POWER RANGERS … Reed Ingram, Director at Ingram AV, Mark Coulter and Laura Goldston, HyHubs at one of Hoults Yard EV charging points.

OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN

LED LIGHTING

Assess and upgrade all spaces to have LED lighting.

PAPERLESS

Switch to virtual document management to reduce paper waste.

LEVEL UP OUR EPC

Assess our existing EPC certificates to identify appropriate energy efficient upgrades. As part the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard Regulations (MEES) all commercial properties must have an EPC rating of B or above by 2030.

EV PARKING

We have installed 12 electric charging stations at our Hoults Yard location.

GIVING SOMETHING BACK

We’re commiting to donate to sustatinable charities and green initiatives.

WFH

We’ve introduced hybrid working to our management team, reducing our carbon footprint.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

ON YOUR BIKE

We’re upgrading our bike storage, to encourage cycling to work. We also have 6 showers at Hoults Yard and one in each of our hubs.

GREEN POWER

Continue to procure partial green energy and invest in sustainable solutions.

POWER UP

MAKING MEETINGS A HOOT

We’ve invested in new tech to make hybrid meetings effortless. Feel like you’re team are in the room with you, without increasing your carbon footprint! Our Owl Labs Meeting Owls are powered by AI, have a 360 degree camera, mic and speaker that provides a panoramic view and uses motion and voiceactivated focus.

Invest in sustainable on-site energy generation with an aim to produce 25% of our own electricity by 2025.

RECYCLING

Outline our recycling practices and confirm existing resources.

We’re exploring alternative ways to heat our buildings and reduce usage of fossil fuels.

ECO FRIENDLY STOCK

Continue to use sustainable, environmentally friendly and ethical products such as cleaning products and coffee.

SWITCH OFF

Encourage conscious energy saving methods within workplaces, like avoiding leaving devices on standby and switching off instead.

WWW

We use eco friendly web-hosting services.

JESSICA ARKLESS

Role at HyHubs: Community Associate.

Time in the role: 10 years! Why do you enjoy your role: I enjoy socialising with tenants and making new friends. Hobbies: Eating, nights in with the girls and dog walks Favourite HyHubs spot: Clock Tower.

Favourite colour: Grey. Describe yourself in three words: Friendly, helpful, kind.

MEET THE TEAM

TONY BELL

Role at HyHubs: Maintenance.

Time in the role: Ten years. Why do you enjoy your role: The variety - there are different jobs to do every day.

Hobbies: Football, pool and time with the family.

Describe yourself in three words: Absolute Lee Awesome.

MARK COULTER

Role at HyHubs: Chartered Building Surveyor/Project Manager.

Time in the role: 12 months.

Why do you enjoy your role: Having the chance to optimise and enhance an already great brand within some incredible buildings. I also enjoy finding and delivering solutions to problems. Hobbies: Snowboarding, hiking and camping, Newcastle United, DIY projects and spending time with my hilarious little family.

Favourite HyHubs spot: Haylofts… a very unique space. Favourite colour: Copper. Describe yourself in three words: Happy Solutions Monkey.

LEANNE BONE

Role at HyHubs: Community Associate.

Time in the role: 17 years. Why do you enjoy your role: Such a unique place to work, I feel we have a great relationship with tenants. Hobbies: Being a mama to my 4 year-old boy, spending time with family and friends. Favourite spot: The main reception (the heart of the Yard where everyone is made to feel at home).

Describe yourself in three words: Loyal, friendly, caring.

ALEXANDRATEODORA COZIUL

Role at HyHubs: Accounts Assistant.

Time in the role: Two months. Why do you enjoy your role: I enjoy my role because it gives me the opportunity to continuously learn and develop my professional skills Hobbies: Sport-dance; cinema and I love to go on short trips whenever it is possible.

Favourite HyHubs spot: Hoults second floor seating area. Favourite colour: Red. Describe yourself in three words: Curious, diligent, organized.

LUCY DAVENPORT

Role at HyHubs: Community Associate.

Time in the role: Four years.

Why do you enjoy your role: Catching up with our lovely tenants.

Hobbies: Long walks, food, and pubs.

Favourite HyHubs spot: The kitchen.

Favourite colour: Pink. Describe yourself in three words: Fun, fuzzy, fabulous.

LAURA GOLDSTON

Role at HyHubs: Manager.

Time in the role: Seven years.

Why do you enjoy your role: I particularly enjoy meeting lots of new people on a day to day basis and the interactions with the tenants.

Hobbies: Tennis, running, walking, ice skating, cinema, spending time with kids.

Favourite HyHubs spot: My desk or to sit outside the café on a sunny day. Favourite colour: Pink.

Describe yourself in three words: Princess of Hoults.

This is the crew that makes things happen at HyHubs.

I enjoy socialising with tenants and making new friends.”

JESSICA ARKLESS I particularly enjoy meeting lots of new people.”

YOLANDI MARIO

Role at HyHubs: Cleaning supervisor.

Time in the role: 3-4 year-ish. Why do you enjoy your role: I enjoy cleaning and supervising. Hobbies: None.

Favourite HyHubs spot: Anywhere there is food. Favourite colour: Purple. Describe yourself in three words: Nothing but fabulous.

TONY ORMSTON

Role at HyHubs: Facilities Manager.

Time in the role: Eight years. Why do you enjoy your role: You come in to a different challenge every day. Hobbies: Football, football and more football.

Favourite HyHubs spot: The solace of Maling Exchange Plantroom.

Favourite colour: Navy blue. Describe yourself in three words: Grumpy Old Granda!!!

DOUGLAS PARMLEY

Role at HyHubs: Maintenance Team Member.

Time in the role: 25 years. Why do you enjoy your role: I get to do different things, it keeps me on my toes.

Hobbies: I’m a bit of a film buff, so love to keep up to date and watch new movies. My favourite movie is Back to the Future!

Favourite HyHubs spot: The roof tops, because I get to see the whole yard – and top up my tan!

Favourite colour: Black. Describe yourself in three words: Heart of gold.

KATHLEEN STAVERS

Role at HyHubs: Community Associate.

Time in the role: 32 years.

Why do you enjoy your role: So much variety - working alongside our tenants over the years and greeting visitors. Every day is different and never dull.

Hobbies: Reading, grandchildren and our caravan.

Favourite HyHubs spot: Reception of course. Favourite colour: Green. Describe yourself in three words: Sincere, honest and caring.

LOUISE WHITE

Role at HyHubs: Marketing Manager.

Time in the role: Nearly seven years. Why do you enjoy your role: My role allows me to be creative, and I always feel like I’m learning. Hobbies: My favourite thing to do in my spare time is hang out with my dog, Archie.

Favourite HyHubs spot: The bleachers at Haylofts – it’s perfect for movie nights! Favourite colour: Lilac.

Describe yourself in three words: Optimistic, friendly, helpful.

BERNIE WHITFIELD

Role at HyHubs: Community Associate.

Time in the role: Six years. Why do you enjoy your role: That no two days are the same there is always something different going on.

Hobbies: Dancing - not that there has been much chance lately to get to classes, hopefully starting to learn tap in the not-too-distant future.

Favourite HyHubs spot: Break out area on top floor at Hypoint the view is fantastic.

Favourite colour: Purple.

Describe yourself in three words: Friendly, helpful, good communicator!

EDWARD WILDE

Role at HyHubs: Security.

Time in the role: 22 years. Why do you enjoy your role: I like the friendly atmosphere and meeting people. Hobbies: Horse racing; cars; football.

Favourite HyHubs spot: The Clock Tower.

Favourite colour: Purple. Describe yourself in three words: Helpful, friendly, caring.

No two days are the same there is always something different going on”

BERNIE WHITFIELD

Such a unique place to work, I feel we have a great relationship with tenants.”

LEANNE BONE