COVER STORY What made you start your business? The Climbing Works opened in December of 2006 but before myself and my now business partner were working for other companies. We both loved bouldering and saw a gap in the market to bring the outdoors, indoors. We wanted to create a friendly environment that people of all ages and abilities could use. In 2013 we expanded the business with the introduction of the ‘Mini Works’ our child focused centre which has done really well. How would you describe your business? Bouldering is basically climbing without ropes and harnesses above a soft-matted area. It’s really growing in popularity with it becoming an Olympic sport in 2020 meaning the number of centres in the UK has grown.
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Sam r e k a WhitLItMBING C RKS WO
I think what makes The Climbing Works unique is our experience. We have been open for 12 years and were the world’s largest bouldering centre for many years. I would also say that our bouldering experience has allowed us to create walls that make a really fun climb and we reset them every few months to change things up. Why set up in Sheffield? I have lived in Sheffield for 15 years now. I originally
lived in Manchester and then Leeds for a little bit before moving here. I was really drawn to Sheffield because of the climbing and its close proximity to the Peak District which means I can get out whenever I like. Sheffield has a great sense of community and it’s been a fantastic place to set up the business. Do you have any plans to expand further in the future? Yes, since starting in 2006, things have really taken off. We have become a worldrenowned bouldering centre and in 2014 we were the first UK bouldering centre to be awarded National Performance Centre status. We currently have about 15,000 sqft of bouldering space with the main centre and Mini Works but we are looking at taking over another 10,000 sqft unit within the business park we are currently in.
PHOTO: JAKE THOMPSON
Cy er TurCnBIKES COTI
Cotic is an internationally renowned bike brand, founded in 2003, specialising in mountain bikes and gravel/commute bikes made from steel. Cotic bikes are fun, tough, durable, clean lined and great to own. We design, develop, assemble, sell, market, demo and ship our frames and bikes from right here in Sheffield and the Peak District, and we supply direct to customers anywhere in the world. I chose Sheffield to base both myself and the company in 2007 because I wanted to ride straight from my door (I can ride straight out to Blacka Moor from my house), and I wanted my business and my family to be able to take advantage of being in a city whilst being able to directly access the countryside. Sheffield has an awesome outdoor and mountain biking scene as well, which has only helped with putting Cotic on the map globally. We also support Ride Sheffield which has produced several world firsts for the city in terms of crowd funded mountain bike trails.
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