Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Issue 44 | Page 10

THE
PLACE
The Work Place has
become a thriving hub
for meeting, training,
learning and working…
WORDS: COLIN YOUNG
PICTURES: CHRIS BOOTH
10 | Aycliffe Business
O
TO BE
pen to business and open for business,
The Work Place delivers exactly what it
says on the black and white road sign.
Opened in 2008 and owned by a charity, the
eye-catching structure is very much open to the
businesses of Aycliffe as a centre for meeting,
learning and working.
You will have seen the sign as you drive along
Heighington Lane, and it points to the purpose-
built business, conference and training centre,
nestled behind the trees.
The building provides office space over two
floors which is now full and is a thriving centre
of activity as a home to 11 businesses as diverse
as Durham County Council, Terabyte, Baltic
Recruitment, Ei, PCP, Unity Foster Care, Warrens
Emerald Biogas, Britgrocer, SCITT, Patrick
Lonergan Recruitment and Excelpoint.
The Work Place offers so much more than office
space and is encouraging businesses across Aycliffe
to see what is behind the sign and discover the
modern haven available for holding meetings and
conferences or accessing the range of First Aid and
Health & Safety training courses on offer.
The Work Place was the vision of Jane
Ritchie MBE, a former careers adviser, who was
unexpectedly left £9m by her distant cousin
Margery Freeman.
Jane had a burning desire to create a learning
facility in Newton Aycliffe and invested most
of her inheritance through her charity to create
The Work Place, which was initially built as a
vocational learning centre.
In 2019 more than 16,000 clients and visitors
walked through its doors and over 5,000 clients
have attended the well-established and dynamic
range of First Aid and H&S training courses over
the past eight years.
A Place to Learn
While the business has seen many changes,
the charitable aim to provide learning remains
through the training arm of the business as The
Work Place specialises in the delivery of First Aid