Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 35 | Page 27

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 27
A number of training courses are delivered at
The Work Place, including Emergency First Aid,
First Aid at Work and Fire Warden Training.
The Work Place founder Jane
Ritchie MBE (left) with business
manager Angela Wilkinson.
The Work Place provides first class facilities to
host a range of events and meetings for local,
regional and national clients.
unexpectedly informed she had been left an
eye-watering £9m by her cousin Margery
Freeman after she had passed away at the
age of 100.
Cousin Margery’s own inheritance money
had been invested shrewdly for her in stocks
and shares when family members died, and
she amassed a fortune.
She refused to spend the money, however,
and instead chose to live alone like a pauper
following the death of her ship’s captain
husband.
Astounded to be left a fortune, Miss
Ritchie had something in common with
her cousin in that she refused to spend the
money on herself, only shelling out £150 for
a gold wedding hat and a rhubarb forcer.
“I have simple tastes and I’m far too busy
to go on long holidays, especially things like
cruises,” she explains.
“I’ve got a dog, two hens and two cats. I
like cider but I don’t drink, and I don’t wear a
lot of makeup so I don’t buy that either.”
Unlike her cousin, however, philanthropist
Miss Ritchie decided to invest the vast sum
in people.
She set up two charities including the
Vocational Learning Trust which aims to
support learning for young people. The Work
Place is a subsidiary of the charity and as
such donates back profits to be re-invested in
the charity.
The Work Place initially provided learning
activities for young people linking the world
of work to education. Today, the centre
still meets the charity’s aims of investing in
the future of County Durham learners and
students by hosting County Durham and
Darlington Fire Service’s safety carousels for
Year 6 pupils, and Durham Constabulary’s
Wise Drive casualty reduction event for Year
11 students.
All of which gives Miss Ritchie – who turns
70 next year – a great deal of satisfaction
to go along with her enduring pride in its
immaculate facilities and the courses it
currently offers.
“I’m very proud that the Work Place
has been going for 10 years – it’s a brilliant
building and the plan is to keep on going,”
she said.
“Angela and Sue White (strategic director)
have done a marvellous job with it, enabling
so many people to make the most of it for a
number of different uses.
“And our two caretakers (recently retired)
Tommy Hamilton and Dave Parkinson
deserve credit for keeping it looking as fresh
as the day it opened.
“I’ve tried to invest in people and help
where I can, and it’s been good to be able to
help cheer people up along the way.”
Miss Ritchie has also published a
fascinating biography about her family and
legacy, which is available in reception.
The Work Place provides first class
facilities to host a range of events and
meetings for local, regional and national
clients.
In an ideal location just off the A1 and with
up to 120 on site free parking spaces The
Work Place provides an ideal venue option.
Priced very competitively, rooms start at just
£40 (plus VAT) for a half day.
The centre is also registered with Qualsafe
and Highfield to deliver quality training
courses.
Courses running throughout the year
include Emergency First Aid, First Aid at
Work, Fire Warden Training, Food Safety
Training, Paediatric First Aid, Mental Health
(Youth) First Aid and more.
“It’s a fantastic, smart, modern building
and, with our small but dedicated team
providing excellent customer service, we
really do think the Work Place is the ideal
place to be,” adds Angela.
“We would like to work with more local
companies from the Business Park as we
have so much to offer.”
As part of our 10th Anniversary Celebration
we are offering a 10% discount offer on room
hire available throughout August 2018.
The Work Place is hosting a 10th
Anniversary Celebration afternoon from 2pm-
4pm on Friday, September 14, for clients
and all local business. Please email julie.
[e-mail] if you would like more
information/invitation.
For more information about The Work Place, call 01325 375900, email [e-mail],
go to www.twpa.org.uk or visit them on Heighington Lane, DL5 6AH.