Tag: north east

Story Of Indian Stowaway Comes To Bishop Auckland

By on 19th February 2016in Entertainment

A stowaway is set to slip into Bishop Auckland Town Hall this month, as ‘the bright young things of British theatre’ bring their latest show to County Durham…

 

On Wednesday 24th February, as the venue continues to take part in Febfest, a three week programme of arts events across the town, the award-winning company Analogue bring their tale of an extraordinary journey in search of an impossible future to the south Durham stage.

Stowaway, which was inspired by real-life stories, tells of a man from India who, desperate to change his life, hides in the wheel arch of a commercial airliner bound for the UK – only to hours later be found frozen in the car park of a DIY superstore in a leafy outer London suburb.

With the skeleton of a plane cutting across the stage, the play flies back and forth through time and place to explore a journey that leaves the man far from home and adrift from everything he knows.

Next week also sees Jackass Youth Theatre take to the stage to perform a new play, What Are They Like, which examines the changing nature of the relationship between parents and their children, as adolescence takes its grip and adulthood beckons.

The play, by Lucinda Coxon, was especially written for young performers and, through the course of the show (on Monday 22nd February) the troop will take on existential angst, mood swings, fashion fiascos, terrifying physical changes and never having enough money… and that’s just the parents!

Tickets for Stowaway – which is suitable for theatregoers aged 14 and over – cost £10 or £8 for concessions. Tickets for What Are They Like – which is suitable for all ages – cost £6 and £4 for concessions.

To book for the shows, which both take place at 7.30pm, call Bishop Auckland Town Hall’s Box Office on 03000 269 524 or visit the venue in person.

Find out more about the plays by visiting www.bishopaucklandtownhall.org.uk.

Submit Your Ideas To Strengthen Rural Economy

By on 18th February 2016in Have Your Say

Over £2m worth of European funding is now available for projects to strengthen the economy of rural areas across the North Pennine Dales…

 

The North Pennine Dales (NPD) LEADER programme is seeking applications for the grant to fund projects which increase farm and forestry production, boost rural tourism, or support small and micro businesses and farm diversification. Bids are also welcome for projects which provide cultural and heritage activities or offer rural services.

Running until 2020, Durham County Council acts as the accountable body for the NPD LEADER programme, which covers an extensive rural area across Gateshead, County Durham and south of Northumberland.

The aim of the €2.666m programme is to create jobs and support strong and sustainable economic growth, as well as helping to conserve the unique nature of the local landscapes. By funding projects put forward by people, groups and businesses in the area, it also hopes to target areas that the communities themselves see as a priority.

Cllr Eddie Tomlinson, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for rural issues, said: “The LEADER programme promises more jobs and stronger economies for rural areas across the region. By offering funding towards priorities that local communities themselves feel are important, these projects can make a real difference for generations to come, so we’d encourage everyone in the area to get in touch with ideas.”

Find out more by contacting northpenninedales@durham.gov.uk or calling 03000 266 895. You can also visit www.durham.gov.uk/npdleader.

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty Returns To Theatre Royal

By on 18th February 2016in Entertainment

The UK’s most popular dance company, New Adventures, returns to Newcastle Theatre Royal this Spring with Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty, a gothic tale for all ages…

This ground-breaking production heads to Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 5th to Saturday 16th April.

Directed and choreographed by the ‘hottest’ choreographer in the world right now, Sir Matthew Bourne OBE, and from the UK’s most popular dance company, Sleeping Beauty is a revival of the new classic, giving audiences one more chance to see the final piece in the trio of Tchaikovsky masterpieces.  With sumptuous sets, costumes and evocative lighting, the audience will be transported in time.

Returning to the central role of Aurora in this first revival is rising star Ashley Shaw. Ashley recently played Lana in the triumphant revival of The Car Man, and also played Kim in Edward Scissorhands, Sugar in Nutcracker, and the title role in Cinderella. Cordelia Braithwaite made her debut with New Adventures in Swan Lake in 2013, and has since featured in this year’s revival of The Car Man, covering the role of Lana. Cordelia makes her debut as Aurora this season; her first Principal role with New Adventures.

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty premiered in 2012, and was the fastest selling production in the company’s history. Sleeping Beauty was created for New Adventures 25th birthday celebrations and completed Sir Matthew Bourne’s OBE trio of re-imagined Tchaikovsky ballet masterworks that started in 1992 with Nutcracker and, most famously, in 1995, with the international hit Swan Lake. This dazzling production has won the hearts of thousands, and smashed box office records across the UK and at Sadler’s Wells.

The leading role of Leo will once again be played by Dominic North and Chris Trenfield, who co-created the role in 2012.

Perrault’s timeless fairy tale, about a young girl cursed to sleep for one hundred years, was turned into a legendary ballet by Tchaikovsky and choreographer Marius Petipa in 1890. Bourne takes this date as his starting point, setting the Christening of Aurora, the story’s heroine, in the year of the ballet’s first performance; the height of the Fin-de-Siecle period, when fairies, vampires and decadent opulence fed the gothic imagination. As Aurora grows into a young woman, we move forward in time to the more rigid, uptight Edwardian era; a mythical golden age of long Summer afternoons, croquet on the lawn and new dance crazes. Years later, awakening from her century long slumber, Aurora finds herself in the modern day; a world more mysterious than any fairy story!

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty appears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 5th to Saturday 16th April (Evenings: 7.30pm, Matinee: Thursday 2pm, Saturday Matinee 2.30pm). Tickets are from £17.00, and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).

Care Village Teams Up With Teesside College To Tackle Skills Shortage

By on 18th February 2016in Local Biz

A Teesside college is helping a North Yorkshire care provider to tackle a chronic skills shortage in the industry…

Sixteen apprentices from Redcar & Cleveland College are currently employed at the Abbey Care Village in Scorton near Richmond. Eight of the students are working towards a Level 2 qualification in Health & Social Care, seven are studying for a Level 3 Diploma in the same subject, and another student is nearing completion of a Level 3 Diploma in Hospitality.

Now the college has announced it is supplying another tranche of apprentices to the care village, which had previously struggled to find workers with the requisite skills. Fifteen students will work towards a Level 2 qualification in social care while gaining valuable work experience at the company, which provides residential care, nursing care, a mental health support service, a respite service for carers, and support for people with learning disabilities.

The announcement comes as the care industry battles to overcome a crippling skills shortage. Figures from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) show that up to two million more workers will need to be trained and recruited by 2022 to meet demand – more than half the current care workforce.

Shirley Leighton, training manager at Abbey Care Village, said: “It’s no secret that we need new talent coming into the industry. Not just young apprentices, but also older workers with the necessary skills and experience. Our partnership with Redcar & Cleveland College is helping us to tackle the issue head on.”

The partnership also highlights the college’s commitment to adult apprenticeships. All fifteen of the new tranche of apprentices are over the age of 24, as are the seven Level 3 Health & Social Care students from the first batch. This replicates a trend across the Tees Valley; recent data from the Skills Funding Agency showed a 30% rise in the number of adult apprenticeship starts in the area in 2014-15.

Steven Winterburn, apprenticeships manager at Redcar & Cleveland College, said: “The care sector is a major employer in the North East and North Yorkshire, so it’s vital that employers have access to the right skills. Apprenticeships are a fantastic way of helping employers to create jobs and tackle industry skills shortages.

“Our Health & Social Care apprenticeships are proving to be really popular, particularly among people over the age of 24. Many students are getting the necessary qualifications so that they can forge a career in the sector.”

With the Government aiming to create another three million apprenticeships by 2020, Redcar & Cleveland College has focused heavily on promoting its offering in this area and building partnerships with employers across a variety of sectors, including Health & Social Care, IT, engineering, manufacturing, green energy and sport across the North East and Yorkshire. The college also offers apprenticeships and other vocational training courses at its Oil & Gas International Training Academy, which is based at the Corporation Road campus.

For further information, call 01642 473 132 or visit www.cleveland.ac.uk.

Handbag Clinic Expands Workshop Following Major Success

By on 18th February 2016in Local Biz

Handbag Clinic has significantly expanded its repair workshop to cope with demand for its high-end restoration services, after cleaning and restoring designer bags worth more than half a million pounds over the last 12 months…

The firm, which cleans and repairs handbags and accessories from the world’s most prestigious designers, has expanded the floor space of its handbag repair centre in Burnopfield, County Durham, by 15% to 3,800 sq ft.

Additional space is necessary because of steady growth at Handbag Clinic, which has recently opened a store in Mosley Street, Newcastle, following an earlier launch on King’s Road, Chelsea.

Over the past 12 months, the firm’s restoration experts have brought 6,500 handbags back to their former glory. Alongside this, Handbag Clinic runs a service to restore red soles of Christian Louboutin shoes. There has also been investment in high-level security facilities, including a cage that staff entering the repair centre must walk through, to protect customers’ designer accessories.

Handbag Clinic has also taken on new handbag buyer Charlotte Staerck, along with three new apprentices in the past few weeks, as part of a recruitment drive to employ two new members of staff every month to ensure it has the skills needed to deal with designer accessories from the likes of Chanel, Hermés and Celine.

The firm is bucking the trend in the luxury goods market. A recent global report by consultancy company Bain and Co found that the global luxury goods market is now worth more than £700bn, but demand slowed during 2015 compared to the previous year for personal luxuries including jewellery and handbags.

MD Ben Staerck said: “We needed increased workspace to make sure we have the capacity to deal with a soaring demand for our specialist services.

“We’re finding that while customers may not be buying a new Hermés Kelly or a Celine Phantom, they are either coming to us to source a pre-loved bag or they are giving their existing accessories a bit of TLC.”

Handbag Clinic was launched in 2013 by Ben Staerck. Since then, it has swiftly gained a loyal celebrity following, including many of the Made in Chelsea cast and reality star Imogen Thomas.

It offers cleaning, protection, stain removal, repair and restoration services for handbags, shoes and other leather accessories. Find out more at www.handbagclinic.co.uk.

Ramside Hall Completes £150,000 Conference Suite Refurbishment

By on 17th February 2016in Local Biz

A leading North East hotel is preparing for more conference and events business, following a £150,000 refurbishment of its biggest suite…

Ramside Hall Hotel, near Durham, is one of the region’s most popular venues, hosting a wide variety of business events, celebrations, awards and charity dinners.

And now the hotel is welcoming more business, following on from a complete makeover of its Bishops Suite.

The suite can take up to 600 guests, and can also be divided into three smaller rooms, making it a flexible space suitable for meetings and for balls or awards.

The refurb has included redecoration, new carpets and curtains to give the room a brighter look.

The two bar areas have also undergone a revamp and new mood lighting has been installed.

“The Bishops Suite is always in great demand, and we’re expecting this to increase further now that it has been refreshed,” said John Adamson, owner of Ramside Hall Hotel.

“We have already had great feedback from people who have seen it, and we fully anticipate that it will continue to attract events.”

The hotel also has a ballroom which can take up to 320 guests, along with the Fountain Room which can take up to 60, and a number of smaller meeting rooms.

The refurbishment of the suite is the latest investment at Ramside Hall, following on from the creation of a £8m luxury spa, the addition of a wing of rooms and an additional championship golf course in the past 18 months.

For further information, visit www.ramsidehallhotel.co.uk.

Sunderland Distillery Tastes Success With Artisanal Spirits

By on 17th February 2016in Lifestyle

A new ‘wild spirit’ is making its way into bars and retailers across the North East, following the launch of an independent small batch distillery…

Poetic License, based in Sunderland, currently crafts two gins and a vodka, which are all individually bottled, wrapped and labelled by hand.

The business, which produces around 400 bottles per week, is the brainchild of North East entrepreneur Mark Hird, who has more than 25 years experience in leisure and hospitality, including a stand-alone microbrewery, which he launched in 2012.

Mark said: “The recent revival in gin has been astounding. I noticed demand climbing and spotted a gap in the market for high quality, artisanal spirits that mixed traditional techniques with modern flavours, and set about bringing my vision to life.”

After attending a comprehensive course in distilling, Mark invested in a 500L pot still and recruited a passionate, full-time distiller to help create the perfect blends.

Months of experimentation followed, with various flavour combinations and processes being discounted, before the duo were finally able to settle on three core products – and Poetic License Independent Small Batch Distillery was born.

Four months on, and the distillery’s Northern Dry Gin, Old Tom Gin and Graceful Vodka, are already being stocked in bars, hotels and restaurants across the North East, including popular cocktail bars As You Like It and Floritas in Newcastle, as well as the four star Wynyard Hall Hotel, County Durham.

All three products are also available to buy in high-end, regional department stores, including Fenwick and Lewis and Cooper Ltd, with moves now being made to find stockists and distributors nationwide.

“The name Poetic License symbolises our desire to break away from the norm. To create a drink for the wild spirits out there, which blurs the traditional with the unconventional and appeals to those imperfect perfectionists who want to enjoy a tipple that has been carefully crafted and packed with character.

“We’re delighted that so many leisure operators and retailers have already been able to embrace this philosophy and appreciate the unique style of our spirits, and hope that more across the UK will soon follow suit.”

After mastering gin and vodka, Mark and his distiller Luke Smith are now planning to develop limited edition flavours and extend their range with the addition of a dark and white rum and an absinthe.

More information about Poetic License and their products can be found at www.poeticlicensedistillery.co.uk.

Sunderland Events Company Consolidate Brands

By on 17th February 2016in Local Biz

A leading North East events company is consolidating its various elements under one umbrella brand…

SoL, which is being rolled out from this month, brings together the Stadium of Light, National Glass Centre, 1879 Events Management and the new Hilton Garden Inn Sunderland.

It has been specifically created to showcase how these key players in the region’s catering and hospitality sector combine to create a complete event solution.

The Stadium of Light, which was named the North of England’s finest commercial tourism venue at the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence, is one of the largest conference, banqueting and events venues in the region, with the flexibility to cater for everything from large-scale presentations to graduation ceremonies and concerts.

Its sister site, National Glass Centre, is equally flexible, with purpose built, interconnecting exhibition spaces and contemporary suites offering views across the River Wear.

SoL will be used to highlight the partnership between the two venues and to showcase how they can cater for up to 1000 guests.  It will also serve to symbolise how the same high standards of service and first-class food options can be expected at both sites.

The new SoL brand, which will feature on all marketing materials, will also encompass the Hilton Garden Inn Sunderland hotel, which is expected to open in spring 2016.

Currently under construction next to the Stadium of Light, the property will feature 141 stylish en-suite bedrooms, as well as a destination bar, grill restaurant and private dining areas.

It has been specifically designed to support functions at the stadium and National Glass Centre by offering high quality accommodation, but will also boast its own dedicated conference and event facilities, including a 24-hour business centre and three meeting rooms with space for up to 50 delegates.

1879 Events Management, which currently manages all catering and events at the Stadium of Light and National Glass Centre, will now also be recognised as a SoL subsidiary.

The company, which was awarded silver in the Operations Team of the Year category at the Stadium Events and Hospitality Awards, has a proven track record of working with regional, national and international event organisers at both venues, as well as offering all-inclusive event management services at external sites across the North East.

In recent months this has included catering for the annual clay pigeon shooting event for national law firm, Bond Dickinson, the Teesside Business Awards and leading LGBT festival Newcastle Pride, attended by 71,000 visitors.

Gary Hutchinson, Commercial Director for SAFC, said: “The sheer scale of services being offered by National Glass Centre, the Stadium of Light and 1879 Events Management has grown at a remarkable rate in the past few years and, with the addition of the Hilton Garden Inn, looks set to expand even further.

“SoL has been created to bring together all the elements of our portfolio and to highlight how we can offer a complete solution for all manner of corporate and private events.

“The new brand will be utilised widely from this month, and we hope it will become a shining symbol for Sunderland’s hospitality and events sector.”

For more information about the venues, event management services, hotel and packages being offered under SoL, call 0871 911 1555 or email conf&banq@safc.com.

Any enquiries relating solely to the Hilton Garden Inn Sunderland should be directed to Catherine Graham on 0191 551 5110 or catherine.graham@hilton.com.

Northern Powerhouse: Just Another Fad?

By on 17th February 2016in Have Your Say

Leading business figures, politicians and academics recently delivered a lively – and hotly contested – debate on the merits of a Northern Powerhouse for the North East…

 

Unedited Conversations: Towards a Northern Powerhouse?, was held at Newcastle Business School and chaired by Lucy Winskell OBE, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business & Engagement) at Northumbria University.

The panel included Simon Henig, CBE, Leader of Durham County Council, Jeremy Middleton, CBE, Director of Middleton Enterprises LTD, John Fenwick, Professor Emeritus Leadership and Public Sector Management, Northumbria University, Andy Pike, Professor of Local and Regional Development, Newcastle University and Keith Shaw, Professor of Politics, Northumbria University.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has said that building a Northern Powerhouse “is a revolution in the way we govern England”. Key to the policy is the devolution of more power to the regions from central Government, including the creation of directly elected majors. Devolution is seen by many as an opportunity to re-balance the UK economy, offering regions like the North East greater prosperity, life chances and health and social parity with London and the South.

There is, however, disagreement on whether a push for a Northern Powerhouse is the best way to achieve this.

While some on the panel advocated the need for an elected major as a driving force and strong voice for the whole region, others argued there would be a lack of trust in such a powerful individual, even when it was an elected position.

The Northern Powerhouse was described by one panel member as a “big idea with breath-taking ambition” that could make the North as rich as the South and give young people the same life chances. Another, however, asked whether it was merely a “brand and fashionable label that had become the latest flavour of the month, but that would wither on the vine.”

Challenges ahead were also identified, including competition from an increasingly devolved Scotland and the North East’s capacity to deliver on any potential benefits in a continuing era of austerity and public sector cuts.

Doctor Lorraine Johnston, Senior Lecturer at Newcastle Business School and event organiser, said: “Assembling such an esteemed panel of speakers made for an insightful, productive and at times feisty debate, and we were delighted with the enthusiasm of both the speakers and the audience. Despite the differences of opinion, one area of consensus was that this is an incredibly important issue that will affect us all. Politicians, businesses, academics and the media therefore need to engage far more with the general public. Hopefully this event has contributed to the debate, and will help move it forward.”

In October 2015, the North East Combined Authority – covering County Durham, Tyne & Wear and Northumberland – signed an agreement with the Government to take on more powers. The deal included a financial commitment for the region to receive £30 million a year over the next 30 years, and for North East voters to choose a directly elected major by 2017. A similar deal has been announced in Tees Valley.

We want to know what YOU think about the Northern Powerhouse. Leave your comments below!

MEGA Motion Campaign Is Out Of This World

By on 16th February 2016in In & Around

Pupils from Timothy Hackworth Primary in Shildon enjoyed a special spacewalk to school with the help of an astronaut…

 

Luke Costello, 6, won a MEGA Motion competition to decide on the theme of the special walk by writing about his hero Neil Armstrong.

As his prize, he enjoyed an out of this world walk alongside MEGA Motion’s very own astronaut, Mel Keeway, who joined Luke and his classmates as they walked, cycled and scooted to school. Once there, the pupil’s enjoyed an atmospheric assembly from astronaut Mel highlighting the benefits of healthy and environmentally friendly ways of getting to school.

The special day was the latest Durham County Council supported MEGA Motion event, which comes under the wider Local Motion campaign promoting sustainable transport throughout South Durham. The campaign aims to encourage children to walk, scoot or ride to school to make them aware of the health and environmental benefits from an early age.

As well as the fun walks, pupils earn points every time they use sustainable travel to get to school, aiming to collect enough points to become MEGA heroes by the end of the year.

Cllr Neil Foster, Cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “MEGA Motion is a brilliant scheme that encourages our children, in a fun way, to be healthier and more environmentally friendly every day. It’s great to see the kids enjoy such a memorable day, and we’d like to wish them all good luck in their quest to become MEGA Heroes!”

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