NEWS
Olympus Global managing director Keith Rice and BDN director Ryan Doyle on the Aycliffe site.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
OLYMPUS EFFORT
Work starts on new £ 2.7m Aycliffe warehouse
Growing engineering business Olympus Global is poised to start work on its new £ 2.7m base on Aycliffe Business Park.
Earlier this year, the European automotive component distributor submitted plans to create its new multimillion-pound warehouse along Durham Way North.
Olympus announced the milestone at this year’ s North East Automotive Alliance( NEAA) event, which sees organisations from across the whole industry supply chain attend the annual expo held in Sunderland.
Olympus Global is building its second UK warehouse distribution facility( the first in the North-East) to directly serve industrial, automotive and wider supply chain companies in northern and Scottish regions.
The site will serve existing international customers including Unipres, Thorn
Lighting and nearby Gestamp Tallent, and is anticipated to ship more than £ 7m worth of parts and engineering components in the first year of operations alone. The new facility will also create up to 10 new jobs.
BDN has appointed Hall Construction as principal contractor to deliver the development which also includes‘ green’ features to align with Olympus Global’ s commitment to carbon reduction and sustainability.
Olympus managing director Keith Rice said:“ We are delighted to be breaking ground at Newton Aycliffe as it is a key strategic site for the company, and one which marks a new chapter in our 50-plus year history.
“ We work very closely with the region’ s automotive supply chain, so it is also very timely to announce the start of construction date at NEAA’ s expo event.”
HELPING TO CREATE THRIVING COMMUNITIES ACROSS COUNTY DURHAM
A new funding programme has launched to support community groups and organisations across County Durham.
Durham County Council is launching the Thriving Together programme through its partner, Point North, to offer funding to the county’ s voluntary and community sector for the delivery of essential support to residents.
The council has an annual fund of £ 500,000 that it is making available to organisations via Point North, to help improve the health and wellbeing of residents and boost community resilience.
Cllr Howard Brown, cabinet member for adult and health services, said:“ We are delighted to be launching the Thriving Together fund through Point North, allowing organisations in the voluntary and community sector to access longer-term funding that will support communities across County Durham.”
Amanda Healy, Durham County Council’ s director of public health, alongside Cllr Howard Brown, cabinet member for adult and health services, and Michelle Cooper, chief executive at Point North, launching the fund.
Michelle Cooper, chief executive at Point North, said:“ Communities across the county are facing a number of challenges so we are pleased to be able to provide support through the delivery of this programme.”
Groups and organisations can apply for funding by visiting pointnorth. org. uk
AI GROWTH ZONE An AI Growth Zone in the North-East is set to unlock more than 5,000 new jobs and bring in £ 30bn in investment as the region becomes a hub for AI development.
The investment will support longterm employment opportunities in the technology sector, as well as the application of AI in public services such as healthcare.
The AI Growth Zone will be anchored by major data centre sites in Blyth and Cobalt Park near Newcastle, solidifying the region’ s ambition to become one of Europe’ s largest data centre hubs.
BRIDGEGATE EXPANDS Independent tyre and auto service provider New Bridgegate Tyres has opened a new tyre and autocare centre in Middlesbrough, creating five new jobs and boosting automotive servicing options for drivers and businesses across Teesside.
The flagship site is ideally located on the Tees Advanced Manufacturing Park just off the A66, placing it at the heart of one of the region’ s key industrial and innovation hubs.
The new centre is the company’ s fifth site, joining its established autocentre locations on Aycliffe Business Park and in Barnard Castle, Birtley and Newcastle.
GLOBAL TRAINING Teesside University Online( TU Online) has announced a strategic partnership with FutureLearn, one of the UK’ s leading online learning platforms, to deliver its full portfolio of 100 % online courses to learners worldwide.
The collaboration marks a significant milestone for TU Online, which offers flexible undergraduate, postgraduate, and certificate programmes designed to fit around personal and professional commitments.
With a focus on industry-relevant skills such as digital transformation and project management, TU Online courses are designed to prepare students for the modern workplace while offering a supportive and engaging learning experience.
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