Wooden Cauliflower
Two graduates from Northumbria University have launched a new website to unite the North East’s young generation.
WoodenCauliflower.com, founded by Matt Daniel and Kris Wood, is the latest offering in online experiences, catering for the needs of 18 – 25 year olds. Completely free to use, the website is a ‘one stop shop’ for everything that young people need and has a vast array of content to keep users amused and informed on a weekly basis.
Services available include a section of the website dedicated to the latest local happenings, and events run and managed by young professionals, extensive job and property listings, a business directory relevant to this population, social and nightlife information, classifieds and even a talent spotting section.
Wooden Cauliflower is not just a student website as it has many elements for all types of young people whether being in full-time work, education or unemployed. With the ‘internet generation’ of 18-25 year olds reaching over quarter of a million in the North East, the website’s aim is to bring this population together.
Matt Daniel, said:
"We felt other websites aimed at young people were outdated and old fashioned, but having just graduated we can strongly relate to our market and know the type of information that people are looking for.
"With more young people coming to North East universities and colleges than ever before, there is definitely a market for not only entertaining young people local to the area but students new to the area."
Wooden Cauliflower received guidance and support from the University’s Enterprise Campus which provides advice, support and tangible assistance to students and graduates wanting to start or develop their own business.
Kris Wood, said:
"We recently moved into the new Hatchery where Enterprise Campus has provided us with free office accommodation. They have also provided us with extremely useful business contacts and marketing support and we are both very grateful."
Graham Baty, enterprise support manager at Enterprise Campus, said:
"Matt and Kris have already generated a substantial amount of interest in the company by directly marketing the website throughout Newcastle. They have even gone so far as to walk the streets dressed as a Gorilla holding a large ‘Wooden Cauliflower’ sign to win the public’s attention! This passion and commitment to promoting their business shows a promising future for the company."
Newcastle will be the first city to see the website launch, and plans are already in place to expand the website to cover Durham, Teesside and Sunderland and the whole of the North East by early next year.
Business Network Connects To New Expertise
CONNECT North East, a network helping companies to source finance, has strengthened its team through a strategic alliance with Newcastle-based consultancy The Ideas Mine Limited. As the newest branch of the highly successful CONNECT network, it strengthens the links between the region’s young technology businesses and the people and organisations they need to know if they are going to attract investment and grow.
Chief conversationalist Caroline Theobald turned to The Ideas Mine to bring onboard their project management expertise.
She said: "We are working with The Ideas Mine on a number of other projects, and we knew that they would provide the knowledge and experience we needed."
The Ideas Mine was established in 2004 when the managing director, John Sargent, left regional development agency One North East. Clients have included the Department of Trade and Industry, the East of England Development Agency, One North East, and the North East Chamber of Commerce.
John said: "We are very excited by the interest that CONNECT North East is generating, and this high level of interest demonstrates the need for this service. We are optimistic that the project will prove a great success and further reinforce the network’s national standing."
John’s professional interests include organisational development and leadership, social change, and economic regeneration.
For more information on CONNECT North East, go to www.connectnortheast.com.
High Spirits At North East Bar
Popolo bar, lounge and kitchen in Newcastle has shown that even a credit crunch cannot dampen the Geordie spirit, by selling almost 100,000 cocktails in the past twelve months.
Figures just released show that between January and December 2008 the Pilgrim Street bar sold a staggering 92,888 cocktails from across its extensive menu, the highest number ever in its five year history.
Popolo’s most popular cocktail was the Mojito, with 32,976 sold throughout the year. The classic Mojito, made from Havana Club Especial rum, fresh lime, mint, sugar and soda, was the biggest seller of this type, reaching 16,753 glasses.
The second biggest seller of 2008 was the Popolo ‘Favourites’ selection, including the Frozen Fruit Daquiri and gin-based Raspberry Collins, which reached a combined total of 25,381 glasses.
The ‘Long’ cocktail selection was third, selling 11,725 glasses from its range, followed by Popolo’s ‘Short’ cocktails with 6,186 sold, the Martini collection, which sold 4,983 glasses and 1,323 glasses of ‘Fizzy’ flutes.
Throughout 2008, Popolo’s experienced bar staff were also busy creating 7,491 cocktails that were not listed on the venue’s varied menu, but were made at the request of Popolo customers. The most commonly requested non-menu drinks included 1,475 Cosmopolitans and 998 Long Island Ice Teas.
Non-alcoholic cocktails also proved popular at Popolo’s last year with the ‘Liqourless collection, including the Sunshine Mojito and Passion fruit Lemonade, accounting for 2,832 glasses.
Popolo’s owners Aquaclear Leisure Ltd have attributed the sharp rise in sales to broadening tastes and the introduction of the venue’s Mojitos Wednesdays, when drinkers can choose any of Popolo’s 12 varieties of mojito at a special low price of £3.95 after 6pm.
Jon Dyer, General Manager of Popolo, Newcastle, said: "Cocktails are a speciality at Popolo and have always sold reasonably well. But they’ve definitely become more popular over the last year or so, not just because of our special Wednesday Mojitos offer, but because people are keen to treat themselves and try something different.
"Cocktails are not only visually spectacular to make but they look and taste great too so they can feel a little more special than other drinks, particularly for our female customers."
Popolo opened its doors in Newcastle in 2003 and has since won several awards for its extensive cocktail menu, including being named in the Guardian’s Reader’s Guide to the World’s Best Cocktail Bars in 2007.
Last year the venue, which is often considered the bartenders bar of choice, launched its own bi-monthly cocktail competition, allowing bartenders from across the city to test their skills against one another and compete to be named Newcastle’s Cocktail Connoisseur.
Aquaclear Leisure also expanded the Popolo brand in 2008, opening a second branch Sheffield city centre.
For more information visit www.popolo.co.uk.
Making CVs Shine
A local company is taking a stand against the rising levels of unemployment in Wearside, to offer hope to those looking to gain further qualifications.
Prima Training, based in Sunderland, offer a wide range of courses for driver’s of taxis, buses, coaches and HGVs, amongst others, and are taking a positive step forward to try and stave off unemployment or make peoples CV’s more attractive to potential employers.
The company was started in 2007 by Jennifer Demirel, who herself was a taxi driver for many years. After training hundreds of drivers and helping many get up to speed with Government expectations of first aid, customer service, equal opportunities and other vital areas of expertise, Prima have seen an unprecedented growth in their business, right around the time when people are needing their services the most.
Jennifer said, "As everyone is aware, we’re currently facing the biggest economic crisis of recent times. We’re suffering in the region as much as anyone, but we are trying our hardest to help out Wearside by taking on more courses to help people get qualified and increase their employability.
"Learning with us is not like going back to school. Our courses are fully customisable so you can learn around current work schedule’s and we have a range of assessment methods, not just exams and essays.
"We have noticed a big increase recently with people coming to us that have either been made redundant or are looking to brush up on their training in order to safeguard their future, which let’s face it, can only be a good thing."
Prima have already worked with some of the regions largest taxi companies to help their drivers gain fully recognised qualifications including Metro City and Dean Taxis.
The team at Prima Training strive to achieve excellence for drivers in Wearside and the North East on the whole and their no-nonsense approach and flexible nature has been vital to their success so far: "We offer real qualifications, taught in an enjoyable and relaxed setting," Jennifer said. "We can cater to companies of any size as well as individuals so anyone can train with us. Most of our courses can be funded too so it won’t cost you. Courses can also be customised to fit the individual too, so if flexibility is the key for you, then we can arrange suitable times through-out the day to enable you to fit it around your current commitments.
"There has never been a time when further qualifications have been so vital. If you have a job, and you want to try and make it more secure, consider brushing up on your skills or try learning new ones, after all the people who will survive during these tough times will be the ones that are pro-active.
"If you’re looking for work, Prima’s qualifications can see you back in the driving seat with a new job", concluded Jennifer.
To find out more information about Prima Training’s courses, please phone 0191 5348004.
QE2 Captain Helps To Raise Nautical Charity Funds
Kind hearted Freemasons from Northumberland raised more than £1200.00 for charity at a special "black tie" event where the guest speaker was the final Master of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 passenger liner, Captain Ian McNaught.
The event hosted by Morden Lodge took place at the Newcastle East Masonic Temple in Byker with almost fifty freemasons and their invited guests enjoying a three course meal, "traditional Geordie" songs and a raffle with prizes donated by CMC (Blyth), County Cars of Throckley, Northern Gas Networks and members of Morden Lodge themselves.
The main event of the evening however was an informative and humorous talk by Sunderland born, Captain McNaught who told the appreciative audience facts and figures about Cunard’s flagship as well as anecdotal tales of his life at sea. A fascinating question and answer session followed the talk.
The main reason for the evening was to raise much needed funds for charity, in particular, the Newcastle East Sea Cadet Corps and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
Mike Burch, Chairman of Newcastle East Sea Cadet Corp was delighted with the donation he received. "The RNLI and ourselves are very grateful for the fund raising efforts of Morden Lodge," said Mr. Burch." This has been a fantastic night with a great insight into what it takes to captain the most famous ship in the world."
Event organiser Bryan Conway from Morden Lodge was pleased with the fantastic sum raised on the night. "Even in these difficult economic times, it is reassuring to see that everyone at the event supported these nautical charities with their excellent donations. It was a truly remarkable evening."
Sparkling Achievement
A North East water supplier is setting the standard for best practice in the UK water industry.
Northumbrian Water Limited, which supplies water and waste water services to 2.6 million customers across the North East trading as Northumbrian Water, and water services to 1.8 million customers in Essex and Suffolk trading as Essex & Suffolk Water, is the first water and sewerage company in the UK to ensure all production operators in its treatment plants meet the requirements of the Competent Operator Framework.
UK water companies signed up to the Competent Operator Framework in 2006, to ensure that all operatives across the UK carry out water treatment work to the same national standards.
All 138 Northumbrian Water Limited employees who work at a treatment works are now recognised as ‘competent operators’ and have achieved a nationally recognised qualification, NVQ Level 2 in Operating Process Plant.
This qualification, which is designed around the skills and knowledge people use in their jobs, has been developed specifically to meet the national occupational standards set by the water, electricity, gas and waste management industries to achieve competent operator status.
Production team leader, Andrew Hindmarsh who is 29, lives in Throckley, Newcastle upon Tyne and works at a treatment works in Durham City, said: "I am very proud to have achieved a national qualification. To be the first company to ensure everyone is competent is testament to the fact that I work for a company that values and invests in its employees."
David Hellier, head of sector engagement at Energy & Utility Skills, the sector skills council responsible for the improvement of skills and training in the electricity, gas, waste management and water industries, said: "The way in which UK water companies have bought into the Competent Operator Framework is a credit to the industry and we congratulate Northumbrian Water on being the first company to get everyone through the training. The Framework means that the UK has a high standard of operator competence, which makes the UK’s water industry one of the most consistent and high performing in the world and provides reassurance to customers, regulators and wider stakeholders."
Diane Morton, human resources director at Northumbrian Water, said: "To be the first water and sewerage company in the UK to have trained all operators to meet this standard is a real achievement and means we’re setting the standard for best practice in our field.
"It’s also a key milestone towards achieving our challenging Skills Pledge target of 90% of our workforce qualified to a minimum Level 2 in the National Qualifications Framework by December 2009."
Pebble Leave No Stone Unturned In Supporting North East Schools
A North East software company has created a solution to help schools in the region tap into the £1.5 billion cash and in kind funding which they may be missing out on.
Tyneside based company Pebble – the new trading name of SF Software - has launched School Fund Finder which helps educational establishments quickly source the grants and funding available to them that they may not be aware of.
Ryan Green, Pebble’s Business Development Manager, has spent more than a year working on the solution which he believes is a great resource for schools wanting to top up their funding but without the vital information needed to do it.
"There is a massive amount of funding available to schools," he said.
"Some of it is in cash while some is in kind and many schools don’t know it exists or simply don’t have the time to carry out the research themselves."
School Fund Finder provides schools with an easy way of tapping into this information and at the same time assists educational establishments in putting together funding applications.
School Fund Finder follows on from the success of the company’s School Fund Manager, an accountancy package which helps schools manage their voluntary funds.
This package has been so successful that more than 3000 schools have already signed up to use it across the UK.
Pebble is the new trading name of Newcastle-based company SF Software. The new brand will be officially launched at an event in March to which school fund raisers and education chiefs from across the region will be invited.
"Our solutions are not just excellent for schools but can also be used by sports clubs, churches, community organisations and parent teachers’ associations," said Ryan.
For further information call Pebble on 0845 310 1788 or visit their website at www.talktopebble.co.uk.
Designs On Construction Career
A 21 year old Newcastle man is building himself a career in construction after completing his advanced apprenticeship one year ahead of schedule.
Robin Kightley, from Benwell, Newcastle, has successfully completed an advanced apprenticeship in Built Environment, as part of his role as a technician at internationally recognised consultancy firm, Jacobs.
Robin was helped along the way with on-the-job training from North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC), the region’s leading business membership organisation.
The former Kenton High School pupil, said: "It’s been a really worthwhile experience working towards the qualification, and although it has been difficult, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Apprenticeships are a great way to start your career and the training and support from both Jacobs and NECC has been excellent.
"Gaining the advanced apprenticeship has opened up a number of doors for me, and hopefully in the future I will be able to study a part-time degree in civil engineering at university, in conjunction with my work at Jacobs."
Robin’s role as a technician at the Newcastle offices of the technical, environmental and management consultants, involves working on steel and reinforced concrete for bridge design.
He is joined at Jacobs by three other NECC apprentices, Tony Hutchinson, Ashleigh Scott and Phillip Hayes, who are all at varying stages of their studies.
Tony Elliott, technical director professional services at Jacobs, said: "We are really delighted with the progress that Robin has made. Completing the apprenticeship this far ahead of schedule is a remarkable achievement. We have built up a successful relationship with NECC Training for a number of years, and it continues to reap rich rewards for Jacobs. Long may it continue."
The NECC provides apprenticeship training – vocational work-based training combined with theoretical study – in an extensive range of disciplines from engineering, construction design, social care and retail, to warehousing, business administration and much more.
John Hills, NECC regional training manager, said: "Not only has Robin achieved a merit grade in what is historically a very difficult apprenticeship, but he has done it one year ahead of schedule. That achievement speaks for itself.
"We are very proud to be working in partnership with Jacobs, and with three other NECC learners making great progress in the company, it won’t be long until we have more reason to celebrate."
New Show And New Hotel Greet Anniversary Tour Company
A brand new travel trade show is to be the destination for a special 10th anniversary showcase tour by a top tour company.
The spectacular Travel Trade Great Britain Show 2009 taking place over the two days of 3rd and 4th March 2009 at the NEC in Birmingham will be the port of call for a memorable visit by Elgar Coaches of Worcester.
Gordon Price and Janet Portlock have been running coach tours and excursions from their Cotheridge in Worcester base since 1998 and the emergence of the exciting new travel trade show at the conveniently located NEC has given Elgar Coaches an opportunity to celebrate in style.
With the support of UK group travel specialists Steve Reed Tourism Ltd from Northumberland, they’re treating their loyal group travel organisers and excursion planners to a day at the show as VIPS. It’s a chance for the tour buyers to see for themselves the very best of what the travel trade of Great Britain has to offer - all under one roof.
They’ll visit on the second day of the show – Wednesday 4th March.
Gordon and Janet will then head to the nearby Ramada Encore NEC Birmingham Hotel which is opening to guests in late February. There they’ll enjoy a show’ round, meet the hotel team and conclude their visit with a delicious meal.
‘We’re very pleased to be taking our customers to the Travel Trade Great Britain Show at the National Exhibition Centre,’ says Gordon Price of Elgar Coaches.
‘Our ten years of providing coach tours, excursions and private hire services means that we owe our valued customers a memorable day out – and the exciting new Travel Trade Great Britain Show, along with the gleaming new Ramada Encore NEC Hotel handily positioned nearby to the big event, means that we can expect exactly that!’
Travel Trade Britain takes place on 3-4 March 2009 at the Birmingham NEC.
Group travel organisers and coach and tour operators are invited to make the most of this event. They can meet the people behind the leading venues, destinations and attractions from all over the country and Ireland too.
Tour planners can learn about new developments, industry issues and topical subjects in the free seminar sessions taking place there.
The show offers over 200 exhibitors; an extensive and free seminar programme; a Platinum Club Lounge and a ‘Heritage Area’. The event also features networking events and a charity dinner sponsored by the Coach Tourism Council [CTC].
For further information about the visit of Elgar Coaches contact Steve Reed on 0786 7788 754 or Gordon Price on 07971 865 663.
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