Historic buildings in the heart of Middlesbrough are currently enjoying a new lease of life as part of regeneration of Albert North on Albert Road by Jomast.
Buildings including the former Court Chambers, Kitching Building and the Wilson’s Courtyard have been rejuvenated as part of the reinvention of Albert North that has seen Alkaline Kitchen and Pie Jackers join a range of independent brands on Albert Road.
As well as bringing the heritage landmarks back into use, Jomast have been working with Heritage Unlocked’s Dr Tosh Warwick and Teesside Archives to explore the history of properties in Albert North and have uncovered unique photographs and plans dating back to early twentieth century.
Modern day occupants of the buildings will follow in the footsteps of some of the key figures that have helped shape Middlesbrough over the centuries and have played an important role in the day-to-day life of Teessiders for decades.
Records dating back to the 1880s reveal tenants including London & Lancashire Insurance, Norwich Union, Bass Brewers and William Duncan, the architect of Redcar Town Clock.
By the early 1900s celebrated architect Robert Ridley Kitching’s practice was resident on Albert Road and would go on to be responsible for thousands of Teesside’s buildings and homes, including listed landmarks such as the Cargo Fleet Steel Company Offices, Christadelphian Hall and the United Reform Church on Linthorpe Road.
Accountants, coal merchants, publicans, shipping magnates and tailors are amongst the range of former occupants of the Albert North redevelopment properties including the Constantines, the family shipping dynasty pivotal in establishing Constantine College, the predecessor to Teesside University.
Plans held by Teesside Archives also reveal construction details of the locally listed Kitching Building, Middlesbrough’s most notable Art Deco style building, details of Air Raid shelters for the Admiralty, based in the premises during the Second World War, as well as previous renovations along Albert Road dating back to the 1930s. The use of the historic documents to explore the history of the buildings is the latest project to make use of the collections that have also been used to aid the regeneration of Middlesbrough Town Hall, Saltburn Cliff Lift and the Tees Transporter Bridge.
Dr Tosh Warwick said: “The regeneration of the heritage buildings follows the example of leading developments across the country that have been praised by Historic England for bringing a new lease of life to city centres.
“The history of the buildings has generated lots of interests both from new occupants and the wider public.”
Julie and Neil Fletcher from Pie Jackers said their decision to open an artisan bakery and diner at 17 Albert Road was inspired by the character of the impressive stone-fronted building which was originally the Court Chambers.
Julie said: “Middlesbrough is our home town and we’ve both walked down Albert Road and past these old Court Chambers a thousand times.
“As soon as we discovered the building was part of the Albert North regeneration we jumped at the chance to ‘piejack’ it.
“It’s a fantastic space and our refit will very much reflect Middlesbrough’s industrial heritage.”
Mark Hill, Commercial Property Director at Jomast, said: “Albert North is fast becoming a vibrant new business community set in the historic quarter of Middlesbrough, in the heart of the Tees Valley.
“We are very proud to be working with Middlesbrough Council on the regeneration of this area to make this community a wonderful place to work, drink and eat.”
· For more information on the properties available at Albert North visit www.albertnorth.co.uk
The next Middlesbrough Breakfast Exchange will take place on Thursday 13th June from 7.30am to 9.30am at The Old Fire Station, Middlesbrough Town Hall.
This FREE networking event provides businesses with an opportunity to meet up on a less formal basis, chat, share, learn and do business.
This month we are delighted that the newly elected Mayor of Middlesbrough, Andy Preston will be our guest speaker.
Following his success at the recent local election Andy wants to implement an ambitious agenda. As Mayor Andy has promised that he will do things differently and he wants to use his skills, energy and experience to make Middlesbrough more ambitious, successful, safer, fairer, healthier, cleaner and greener.
Come along and hear more about the Mayor’s manifesto and how he plans to implement his vision.
It will be a busy event, packed with lots of information of relevance to the local business community, so come along,to meet the Mayor and take the opportunity to network with other business people.
Places are strictly limited. Should you experience any problems booking your place, please contact event organisers The Creative Alchemist on 01642 224706.
IMPORTANT CAR PARKING INFORMATION
There is on-street meter parking around Middlesbrough Town Hall as well as a selection of Council and private car parks.
To view a map of where they are located click here https://www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-footpaths/parking-permits-and-penalty-charge-notices/middlesbrough-town-centre-parking-map
A thriving North East film company is celebrating five years in business.
Middlesbrough-based Ithica Films is an independent, award-winning film company creating cinematic film content for businesses.
Founded in 2014 by Managing Director Matt McGough, and based in the Tees Valley’s flagship Boho One building for creative and digital businesses, it provides high level film production with three edit suites, the latest in camera movement rigs and aerial drones.
In the five years since it was launched, Ithica has cemented its position as a leader in creative film-making, delivering over a thousand films for customers throughout the North East and across the world.
The company, which prides itself on the ethos of putting heart and soul into every film, has had a core of six members of staff while recently creating additional Filmmaking and Marketing roles to take the total number of employees to eight for 2019.
Matt McGough, Ithica Films Managing Director, said: “It’s been a great journey for us so far. To start from nothing five years ago, to build the momentum, team and body of work that we have is incredible. People put a lot of trust in us from day one and having the dedication to our craft is something that people have really valued from us.
“It is an important milestone to pass and it marks the end of the start-up phase for us. The quality of the content we create has been increasing constantly and I’m excited about what we can make happen in the future. We’re already looking at additional edit capacity with one eye on what we do about our facilities and capabilities longer term.”
Ithica Films has attracted clients in sectors such as renewables, finance, logistics, public sector, chemical process and healthcare.
These include top names such as Wilton Group, Smulders Projects, Thyssenkrupp, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Newcastle Building Society, Sembcorp, PD Ports, Double 11, and Nifco.
Graduate talent from Teesside University is helping to fuel the expansion of one of the Tees Valley’s most exciting tech firms.
Already, more than half of the staff at the Middlesbrough office of Clicksco are Teesside alumni and the marketing technology business is looking to the University to help meet its recruitment needs as it aims to double in size over the next two years.
Clicksco, which has its headquarters in Dubai with offices across the world, uses data and AI to understand customer behaviour across different sectors.
The Middlesbrough office is the firm’s largest site, and is principally responsible for the development of its data management platform, Carbon, which collects and analyses anonymous data from over 2 million new unique users per day to understand customer behaviour and intent. This data is then unified with first party audience data to enable marketers, publishers and agencies to create bespoke customer segments for intelligent customer acquisition and remarketing, audience monetisation and personalisation.
The innovation within their products and solutions is down to Carbon’s talented team of data scientists and developers who constantly push what is possible with audience data. Examples of such innovations include products such as Audience Match (for creating more programmatic direct deals), Intent Match (for intent fuelled display ads) and Facebook Audience Sync (for adding intent data to social campaigns).
Carbon’s office, in the Cleveland Business Centre, is home to 24 employees and plans are underway to double this number by the end of next year as the company responds to expected increased demand for the Carbon platform. Furthermore, they’ll also be moving into a new office closer to the tech centre of Middlesbrough to support the growing size and culture of the business.
Clicksco is planning to build on its existing relationship with Teesside University with increased graduate recruitment and placements and enhanced collaboration with academic and business engagement staff.
Each year, the company takes on two or three graduate interns from Teesside University, many of whom go on to be offered permanent positions.
Divisional Chief Executive Pete Danks said: “We have a very structured training programme so our interns are able to add commercial value to the business within four weeks.
“These are exciting times for the Middlesbrough office and we’re looking forward to working together with the University to attract the right talent into the business.
“We use cutting-edge PHP development so this is a fantastic opportunity to help retain key skills within the North East.”
Laura Woods, Director of Academic Enterprise at Teesside University, said: “Having an international company like Clickcso on our doorstep is a fantastic opportunity for our students and graduates.
“We’re very proud to be working alongside Clicksco as they push ahead with their expansion plans and helping them realise their growth plans, particularly around the Carbon Data Management Platform.”
For more information on Teesside University’s services to business visit www.tees.ac.uk/business
New contracts and two award nominations for innovative Teesside health and safety induction firm
A Teesside-based health and safety induction and contractor management firm is celebrating after powering ahead with a new contract and notching up two award nominations.
Intasite, based in Middlesbrough’s Boho One building, has recently delivered an innovative new project for energy firm EDF Renewables.
With 38 wind farm sites, County Durham-based EDF needed a solution when it came to managing site induction programmes for contractors and visitors.
Step in Intasite. Put simply, the Middlesbrough company specialises in offering tailor-made online programmes aimed at simplifying the induction process for companies operating security-conscious sites.
From the process sector to ports, offshore platforms to the construction, chemical and manufacturing industries UK and worldwide, the company has a software solution to help manage visitors easily and quickly.
The six-strong team, packed with digital and developer knowledge backed up by film and video expertise, customised their software system for EDF which included tools to provide necessary information before contractors and visitors even set foot on site.
It meant the whole induction process could be completed remotely and ahead of time, saving valuable business hours.
EDF aren’t the only ones benefiting from Intasite’s expertise. The company has been four years in the making and already clients include; PD Ports, mining company Sirius Minerals and Telefonica O2.
“The Intasite team have worked tirelessly with us to design and refine a bespoke and intuitive induction system for our on and offshore fleet of windfarms. The health and safety of our staff and external partners on site is our priority, and Intasite have worked closely with us to ensure a high standard of induction and internal management of the inductees. The system they have built has allowed us to target general and site-specific site information to the right people, record their responses and verify their competence, increasing the efficiency for all involved,” – Steve Hunter, asset manager, EDF Renewables
“The idea is that personnel or visitors to sites can be inducted from anywhere, which saves time and reduces costs,” says Andy Murphy, Intasite director.
“It is essentially about streamlining the induction process for secure sites.
“About five years ago, we identified there was a gap in the market for doing inductions remotely and we set about building the software to be able to offer companies the possibility to do that.
“The platform took us 18 months to develop.”
Intasite’s clever software can be utilised for any outcome – be it remote health and safety inductions, risk assessments, uploading insurances and qualifications or scanning a QR code to access a secure site.
Reminders can be sent when refreshers are due and a specially developed tool can also send instant messages or alerts to site personnel.
Site managers can see who has completed the necessary ‘paperwork’ and who is on site at any given time. What’s more, the system can be offered in multiple languages.
Their first client was Teesside’s PD Ports, says fellow director Danielle Bloom, and the business has developed from there with an exciting potential for growth in the coming years.
“We specialise in large projects that are quite complex,” she says. “The team we have are really good at what they do.
“Our USP is that our platform can be tailored to our clients and is designed to reflect what they do. We also offer site specific video production and animation of sites, mostly specialising in high hazard industrial sites.
“It has really started to take off in the last year. People are changing the nature of site work and how inductions can be done.”
Intasite was recently shortlisted in two categories in the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards, gaining recognition in both Digital Innovation and Business and Product Innovation.
It was a feather in the cap for the firm which takes pride in the expertise and talent it has and what it can offer clients. They very much hope the exposure will help continue to showcase the unique product and services they can provide.
“For me, it’s about identifying something a client needs and coming up with a new solution to it,” adds Andy.
For more information, visit www.intasite.com.
Business is booming for independent traders who have opened shops at the indoor Dundas Market in Middlesbrough.
The market’s owners have focused on creating a community market with an emphasis on customer service and a welcoming and supportive environment for new traders.
The result is a vibrant shopping destination where space is at a premium with more than 25 businesses providing a diverse range of products and services under one roof.
They include the area’s only vegan supermarket, a collectibles company which will scour the world to track down much-sought items, and a pet supplies shop which even sells mini houses for hedgehogs.
The shops are run by people new to business as well as experienced retailers. In Alta Ego Cleveland College of Art and Design graduate Nicole Bean sells the jewellery, textiles and sculptures she has created.
Nicole had shops in various parts of Middlesbrough before moving to Dundas Market in 2017. Business is going so well for her that she has just taken on extra space.
“I’ve been trading for 15 years. This is the best setting for me,” she said. “Independent shops are a good thing for customers because they get the personal touch. They like to speak to people and they like to look at things.
“It’s important that we have this kind of community, because we all help each other out and the management is really helpful as well.”
Animal lover Lucy Martin-Hall, 21, was new to business when she opened her shop – Leo Libra Pet Supplies – last summer (2018).
She benefitted from Dundas Market’s business creation and growth scheme where start-ups can rent an Enterprise Unit for as little as £10 per day.
Lucy said that helped her through the early weeks and – after a successful Christmas and a move to a bigger shop – trade is flourishing.
She said she has been supported by the market manager David Harris, who has been particularly helpful with advice about how to use social media to promote Libra Pet Supplies.
“He’s always there if you have any problems. I wasn’t thinking about expanding until I spoke to him and he told me about all the benefits, which I’m already seeing,” said Lucy. “He helped me make the right decision.”
Her bigger shop has enabled her to widen her range of products, which already include items for snakes and bearded dragons, as well as food, toys and tiny houses for hedgehogs.
Ian and Karen Riley ran a successful website selling collectible gifts. The Celebrity Gift Company was launched after Karen realised the high demand for items after selling Betty Boop figures online.
Like Lucy, the Rileys opened a shop in Dundas Market last summer and have just moved to a bigger unit to cater for the thousand different lines they sell.
“We’re a family business and we can’t compete head-on with High Street retailers, but our difference is that we stock everything they don’t,” said Ian.
“Our three big sellers are Betty Boop, Disney and Elvis. It’s amazing how many local collectors there are. They’re after everything: figures, cushions, purses, mirrors, tea pots, oven gloves…you name it.”
And if an item is not in stock, The Celebrity Gift Company will make sure its customers are not disappointed – even if it means finding and importing rare editions from the Far East.
Another arrival in 2018 – The Little Vegan Market – is also going from strength to strength. It has just doubled its floor space to cater for the growing demand for vegan food and products.
Earlier this year two people, providing very different products, joined the Dundas Market community of traders and fulfilled lifelong ambitions of running their own businesses.
In February Byron Pearman started his own tattoo parlour, Beardy Giant Tattoos, and last month Christine Fearon – a former drug and alcohol worker with the Criminal Justice System – opened her florist shop Made with Love.
Dundas Market manager David Harris said he was very proud of all the traders who have helped in the transformation of the market.
“Retail is a tough business, particularly today, but everybody’s worked so hard and they deserve their success,” he said. “It’s extremely satisfying to see people start from scratch – like many of them have – and in such a short time do so well that they need bigger units in the market. We have even had a number move into larger shop units in Dundas Shopping Centre.”
Contact David if you are interested in starting or moving your business to Dundas Market. Phone 01642 232552 or email. david.harris@dundasindoormarket.co.uk.
North East-based PD Ports has celebrated the success of its second daily rail freight connection to Scotland, with an official locomotive naming ceremony at Teesport.
Five years after the launch of the Company’s Intermodal Rail Terminal at Teesport, the investment has taken the port from strength to strength, with Teesport now offering more daily connections to Scotland than any other port in the North, following a second Scottish service being added, due to customer demand.
The ceremony that took place on Thursday April 25th celebrated PD Ports’ commitment to rail freight and customer service. Attended by senior representatives from the service’s key partners including DB Cargo, ECS Containers and P&O Ferries, the event saw the unveiling of the newly co-branded
PD Ports and DB Cargo locomotive, which was officially named the ‘Teesport Express’.
Frans Calje, CEO at PD Ports said: “Today’s loco naming is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the great progress we’ve made and outline our plans for the future. Continuing to expand and strengthen our rail freight offering is important to us as rail provides vital UK connections for our customers and delivers environmental and cost-saving benefits. We’d like to thank our partners who have worked with us to make this service possible, and we look forward to a strong, ongoing relationship. These partnerships have laid the foundation for us to integrate our services, allowing us to offer faster and more frequent transit between Scotland and the continent to benefit our customers.”
Hans-Georg Werner, CEO from DB Cargo UK said: “We are delighted to celebrate such a significant milestone alongside our partners PD Ports. We originally started out running just one service for
PD Ports to our terminals at Mossend and Grangemouth in Scotland, however demand was such that in October last year we agreed to run a second service as well. Today’s loco naming is a celebration of our successful partnership which I hope will continue to grow and will ensure the safe, speedy and sustainable delivery of goods to key markets like Scotland. Together we are stronger, and I look forward to continuing our positive relationship to support the agenda for better rail freight connectivity across the North of the UK.”
Pieter Balcaen, chief executive of ECS & 2XL (European Logistics Group), added: “Our mission is to create sustainable and reliable logistics, which means that we focus on sustainable transport and multi-modal solutions to add value to our customers.
“The Teesport Rail initiative started four years ago, with a reliable level of service from day one; recent Scotland 2 has created additional rail capacity which is enabling us to further develop and strengthen our rail connections to and from Scotland.”
Nick Pank, P&O Ferries’ Head of Freight – North Sea, said: “Today’s announcement represents another major step forward in the service we can offer our customers, for whom Teesport is the most reliable way to transport goods to or from northern Britain. The 15 hour sailing is more cost efficient than more northerly routes and by integrating our timetable with PD Ports’ expanded rail links to Scotland we can guarantee an unrivalled service to anyone with logistics requirements to or from Glasgow and Edinburgh.”
Pictured: (L-R) Nick Pank, P&O Ferries’ Head of Freight – North Sea, Hans-Georg Werner, CEO from DB Cargo UK, Frans Calje, CEO at PD Ports and Pieter Balcaen, Chief Executive of ECS & 2XL (European Logistics Group)
A public consultation has been launched on proposals for a New Tees Crossing, to take pressure off the existing A19 Tees Viaduct.
The plans involve two options, the likely preferred £200million to £250million Tees Viaduct Capacity Enhancement Option, and the £300million Tees Viaduct Option.
The first would see a new two-lane bridge built parallel to the existing A19 viaduct to carry traffic travelling northbound and the existing structure widened to allow for an extra lane of southbound traffic. The alternative solution would be to construct a new four-lane bridge parallel to the existing A19 viaduct for north and southbound traffic.
A ‘virtual consultation room’, which includes all the consultation documents, is available online. The feedback survey can be completed online.
Copies of documents will also be available in municipal buildings across the five Local Authority boroughs and a virtual consultation will be available online until it closes on 17 May 2019.
The preferred route will be announced in autumn and following confirmation of funding from Highways England, construction is set to take place from 2023 to 2027.
Cllr Harker said: “To achieve our aims of economic growth and job creation, we need a high-quality, quick, affordable, reliable, integrated and safe transport system that works for residents and businesses.
“Transformational improvements to the road network are critical and this consultation outlines proposals for a New Tees Crossing that will alleviate the existing frustrating congestion issues on the Tees Viaduct, which carries the A19 Trunk Road.
“This is a major priority for the Combined Authority, but it’s vitally important that the public has their say in the future of their transport network. I’d urge everyone in the Tees Valley to look at our plans, visit our consultation events and fill in our online questionnaires to make sure their voices are heard.”
The consultation was launched by Cllr Harker, joined by Project Director Andy Johnson, on the same day as Transport for the North brought its roadshow to highlight its Strategic Transport Plan to Tees Valley.
The plan is the blueprint for how transport will play a defining role in rebalancing the national economy, improving peoples’ quality of life, and enabling towns and cities across the North to thrive.
Jonathan Spruce, Interim Strategy Director at Transport for the North, said: “Today was a fantastic opportunity to launch and talk about the Strategic Transport Plan in Tees Valley.
“It’s been a momentous few weeks for the North and I was delighted to join civic and business leaders today to talk about what that means for Tees Valley. It was timely, as we were able to support the start of the public consultation for the new Tees Crossing, a key piece of infrastructure that features in our investment programme.
“Tees Valley has an important role in supporting connectivity across the North. It’s home to world-class industries, a thriving energy sector and major international ports. By connecting these key economic assets and areas of the North, we can transform connectivity and unleash our true potential.
“Our Strategic Transport Plan, including Northern Powerhouse Rail, will give people more choice over where to live and work, more opportunities, and better connections to family and friends.”
- For more information and to fill out a consultation questionnaire, visit the Tees Valley Combined Authority website.
Middlesbrough-based PD Ports has welcomed a new member of staff to its 1,000-plus strong team, following his successful completion of a programme delivered in partnership with Stockton Riverside College and the Tees Valley Logistics Academy.
Michael Chapman was studying a BTEC Level 3 in Electrical Engineering when he decided to attend a workshop with the Logistics Academy, an initiative that PD Ports was integral to developing.
Selected from a group of five students that interviewed for an initial internship, Michael spent four weeks at PD Ports’ Warehouse Operations in Billingham. During this time, he learned about the different skills required to work in a high profile warehouse and was involved with the Taylors of Harrogate contract, a company best known for its award-winning Yorkshire Tea.
Chris Leonard, Contracts Manager at PD Ports said: “I was impressed with Michael’s enthusiasm and conscientiousness during his internship. So much so, the company offered him an apprenticeship so that he could continue to develop his skills and become a long-term member of our warehousing team.”
Michael completed his Warehouse Operative Apprenticeship with distinction in March 2019. He learned various skills including gaining fork lift truck licences, how to use the Red Prairie Warehouse Management System, working within confined spaces and fumigation awareness, in addition to RoSPA and BRC Food Safety training.
Phil Dorn, Logistics Coordinator at Stockton Riverside College, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for Michael who had already shown his enthusiasm and commitment to learn and develop by taking part in the College’s Career Ready Logistics Academy programme. During his apprenticeship with PD Ports we have seen him grow in professional confidence, but what has struck me most is the depth of his knowledge around products and processes.”
Since completing his apprenticeship, Michael has been offered a full-time Warehouse Operative role at PD Ports. He will be tasked with becoming more independent in his duties and demonstrating consistency, as well as having the maturity to help coach and support other new starters.
Frans Calje, CEO at PD Ports said: “We’re delighted to welcome Michael to the company permanently. We have a firm belief in nurturing local talent and keeping it here in the North East, which will secure our future workforce and also support the thriving businesses in the Tees Valley. Michael is one of many apprentices that have joined us on a full-time basis and we look forward to seeing him progress.”
PD Ports fully supported the establishment of a Logistics Academy at Stockton Riverside College, initially instigated in conjunction with Think Logistics, a part of the Career Ready Charity. The Academy is managed through a Local Advisory Board, chaired by Jim French of PD Ports and comprising members from the College, Career Ready, other logistics companies, retailers and manufacturers using logistics services and the local authorities.
DigitalCity is inviting ambitious, investment-curious Tees Valley business owners who are wanting to scale up their digital/tech innovations and businesses to join its latest exciting programme.
The fully-funded* Investor Readiness Programme is delivered over three sessions in May and will help senior leaders learn about the process of making their business and innovations investible through a series of seminars and practical activities.
These sessions include:
- How to raise money
- How venture capital (VC) funds work
- Negotiation tactics
- Potential issues at different financing stages.
The peer to peer workshops will be complemented by a package of expert one-to-one mentoring that will be bespoke to the needs, priorities and objectives of each business on the Programme.
DigitalCity, which is led by Teesside University in partnership with the Tees Valley Combined Authority and part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is acknowledged as one of the key drivers of digital growth in the Tees Valley.
It has a long and successful track record of working with innovation-led start-up and scale-up businesses – and the Investor Readiness Programme is being delivered by the team behind the highly successful SCALE Programme that worked with more than 30 of the Tees Valley’s leading high-growth businesses in 2017 and 2018.
David Dixon, Investment Programme Manager at DigitalCity said: “Most of the companies we work with ask us for assistance in understanding what funding is available, who and where the investors and funders are – and what they need to prepare for any discussions with them.
“This face to face programme offers a practical way for businesses to understand the investment climate, with insights from people that regularly negotiate investment deals for digital start-up and scale-up businesses.”
The Investor Readiness Programme is being delivered on May 7, 14 and 21 at Teesside University’s Darlington Campus.
If you would like to attend, please contact David Dixon on 01642-342520 or email david.dixon@tees.ac.uk
*ERDF eligibility criteria apply
