Some of The Work Place team ( from left ) Dale Walton , Anne-Marie Ellison , Alex Lloyd and Angela Wilkinson .
PICTURE BY CHRIS BOOTH
HIVE OF ACTIVITY
Why there ’ s a real buzz about The Work Place
BY DAVE ROBSON
It ’ s one of the business park ’ s most distinctive buildings – but it ’ s easy to forget just how much goes on inside The Work Place . The Heighington Lane complex has been a familiar fixture since 2008 when the Vocational Learning Trust opened it as a learning resource .
Since then , it has evolved into a first-class business , conference and training centre .
As you enter , with its modern and tastefully furnished interior , it ’ s an oasis of calm – but don ’ t be deceived , because a lot is going on in its offices and work spaces .
There are three key strands to The Work Place – conference and meeting spaces , training courses and office services .
And as business manager Angela Wilkinson admits , there are opportunities within those strands some might not know about .
Take First Aid Training , for example . As a registered centre with Qualsafe Awarding Body , courses have been provided since 2010 , delivered by an experienced team of current and former paramedics and an experienced first-aid trainer , either in The Work Place or offsite .
Angela said : “ We deliver quality training using excellent training aids and materials and we provide fab coffee and lunch , too !
“ Our success and feedback rates are excellent with 10 / 10 of all delegates recommending our courses .
“ Businesses may not realise we also do bespoke offsite courses . For example we have recently delivered first aid and an airways management training for Thorn Lighting staff .”
And while all of its office spaces are currently occupied – “ when businesses come here , they tend to stay – we ’ re a real community ,” says Angela – there are still plenty of facilities and services to make use of .
For meetings and conferences , flexible spaces range from 150 capacity in the lecture theatre down to small rooms for two .
“ A lot of companies from the park and further afield use us for meetings , training and interviews ,” says Angela , citing the likes of Tekmar , 3M , Hitachi and Stiller as clients .
The on-site team offer a five-star service to ensure all events run smoothly . The warmest welcome awaits clients , to provide tailored and carefully planned set ups , refreshments and catering .
Its café , The Work Place Kitchen , reopened last September and is run by Julie Farlow . It attracts people from across the park , as well as those in The Work Place , with its tasty menu , pleasant ambience and free wi-fi . Clients from the park are welcome to use the comfy lounge area for lunches , and coffee meetings .
There ’ s also a communal space on the landing for tenants to use for lunch or break out work space , while outside there are 120 parking spaces , plus overflow and two electric charge points .
And as part of its green credentials , its eco features include : > Ground source pumps that use electricity to pump heat around the building . > Rain water harvesting – where rain water is collected and used to flush toilets . > Use of natural light and ventilation where possible .
For firms that want an Aycliffe Business Park address but don ’ t need a dedicated space , there ’ s a “ virtual office service ” available .
Angela described the centre as a hive of activity , adding : “ The building not only holds tenants occupying office space on both floors but also hosts a range of events for a variety of business and organisations in our conferencing facilities on the ground floor .
“ Our office space accommodates 11 tenants including Baltic Recruitment , Apex Venues , BritGrocer , PFC Holdings , School-Centred Initial Teacher Training ( SCITT ), Excelpoint , Deaf Empowering Network ( DEN ), InfoSec Governance , Wildon Estates , PCP and Occupational Health and Training Services ”.
And for a centre that , at the height of Covid , feared for its future , it ’ s been a remarkable resurgence .
Angela explained : “ We didn ’ t know if people would resume face-to-face meetings after Covid .
“ But not only have they done so , a lot of Teams calls take place within those meetings , so we have excellent IT facilities to accommodate that , including active LED panels in all rooms with webcams available .
“ All IT equipment is included in our room hire , giving you peace of mind when booking .
“ We ’ re a busy centre again , so it ’ s all worked out well for us – and we ’ re always happy to welcome more businesses from the park .”
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28 | Aycliffe Business