Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Issue 44 | Page 3

GUEST F O RE W O RD FRO M S A RA H S L AVE N HELLO Welcome to the 44th issue of Aycliffe Business I am delighted to be asked to write this preface for the relaunch of Aycliffe Business. While it may now have a slightly different name – and a distinctly different look – this printed and online publication is a very important and now long-established part of Newton Aycliffe life, providing informative content for the people in and around the business park and town. For Business Durham, Aycliffe Business and its associated website, Aycliffe Today, offers the chance to reach out to local businesses to tell them about the services we have to offer, like our Durham Business Opportunities Programme (DBOP) offering tailored help and support, or the County Durham Growth Fund which provides capital grants, both programmes designed to assist County Durham’s small and medium sized businesses. Business Durham was established by Durham County Council as its economic development arm, to enable growth, create jobs and improve lives in County Durham. We are proud to work with businesses in Aycliffe and across the county to understand the challenges they face and help to identify solutions to support their long-term growth and success, AYCLIFFE BUSINESS A ycliffe Business is Newton Aycliffe’s only business publication, which is mailed exclusively to companies on Aycliffe Business Park. Launched in November 2012, we provide firms with a unique platform to tell everyone about their services and success stories in our prestigious, high-quality publication. With an estimated readership of more than 8,000, copies are mailed direct to every company on our database, and the rest are distributed by hand across the park as well as nearby hotels, restaurants and conference centres. Our next issue will be out in May – to get involved in the next or any future issues, email [email protected] either through our services or with our partner organisations. Aycliffe Business Park has an exciting future with major construction underway at the Forrest Park and Merchant Park developments, it is now on target to become the biggest business park in the region. There is a real sense of collaboration, best exemplified by the Aycliffe Business Park Community, which will help attract new businesses to the developments and make them feel welcome. Aycliffe Business complements these developments and provides a vital communication tool to support the vibrant community on the business park, so it’s great to be involved with this relaunch issue. Of course, it is an important source of information for Business Durham, too, and it should be commended for championing Aycliffe businesses in the way it does. I wish the publication and the team at Aycliffe Business the best possible success for the future. Sarah Slaven Interim managing director, Business Durham Aycliffe Business Units 8-9, Parson’s Court, Welbury Way, Aycliffe Business Park, Newton Aycliffe, Co. Durham DL5 6ZE CONTENTS Included in the March- April 2020 issue of Aycliffe Business… 7 D U RH A M D E A L Aycliffe family firm wins contract involving 12,000 metres of steel 9 N O G RE Y A RE AS Greystone Legal is now the go-to firm for employment and business law on Aycliffe Business Park 1 0 - 1 1 T H E PL A C E TO B E The Work Place has become a thriving hub for meeting, training, learning and working 1 7 F O RC E F O R G O O D Ex-military officers are becoming a familiar sight on Aycliffe Business Park 1 8 - 2 1 C L AS S A C T Peter Barron talks to the Aycliffe business marking a decade of making a difference in schools 2 4 - 2 5 C O F F E E BR E AK www.aycliffetoday.co.uk Published & distributed by Mantis Media Ltd: www.mantis-media.com Business manager: Sharon Hutchinson Tel: [phone] Mobile: [phone] Email: [email protected] Managing Editor: Martin Walker. Contributors to this issue: Peter Barron, Colin Young, Gary Hosey, Brenda McLeish, Sarah Burns. Our photographers: Graeme Rowatt (including cover), Chris Booth, Tom Banks. Designed by KINSHIP: Call 07846186220 Email [email protected] Printed by: MT Print, Darlington. The boss of Whitehouse Funeral Directors answers our 20 questions over a cuppa 2 6 - 2 7 C O VE R S TAR S 43 front covers chronicling 7+ years of Aycliffe Today Business 32 - 33 PO W E R O F O P T I MI S M More than 300 business leaders attended one of the region’s biggest ever networking events to celebrate a new magazine promoting the region The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 3