PARK BENEFITS FROM PROBATION PERIOD
/ NEWS Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 7
“ Having seeded this concept , I ’ m genuinely delighted that the private sector , the businesses on the park , have risen to the challenge , readily and easily , and are now pushing ahead on a number of schemes .
“ They ’ ve appointed various champions . John Finley is looking after the environment , you have Dave Spensley and Pamela Petty taking manufacturing into local schools to show local youngsters that there are really good jobs on their doorstep , and this is because they ’ re cooperating and working together .
“ All of the little things could have been done by any one person at any time , but the fact they ’ re all working collectively gives a much bigger bang for the buck .
“ The Regional Development Agencies were abolished by the Coalition three years ago and that completely transformed the level of business support , hence the importance of the Aycliffe Business Park group working together to provide almost self-help on a variety of levels .
“ We no longer have the resources or facilities to help firms . The infrastructure and finance just isn ’ t there any more , so the private sector has got to stand on its own two feet . It ’ s a completely different ball game .”
So Aycliffe is upping its game , preparing for the arrival of Hitachi and “ making its own luck ” with the formation of ABP .
But there are so many other plus points Stewart says provide the park with a springboard to flourish even more .
Stewart Watkins during a recent visit of HPM Group in Newton Aycliffe
He says : “ At Aycliffe we have a high-growth technology sector , we ’ ve got Hitachi continuing what is already a brilliant manufacturing tradition , we have Gestamp Tallent which is one of the best automotive suppliers in the country , Ebac bringing washing machine manufacturing back to the UK and there ’ s also a terrific range of SMEs on the estate .
“ I think we really have a golden opportunity now , complementing what we already have with Hitachi ’ s arrival , to kick things on . There will be massive supply-chain opportunities so companies will flock to the park , so the future for Aycliffe Business Park is very bright indeed .
“ But , perhaps more importantly , it ’ s showing the local community there are good jobs available that pay well and offer good career pathways .”
“ There will be massive supply-chain opportunities so companies will flock to the park , so the future for Aycliffe Business Park is very bright indeed .
Gary Hopper , unpaid work supervisor for Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust , with some of the workers
PARK BENEFITS FROM PROBATION PERIOD
Areas of Aycliffe Business Park have been spruced up thanks to the unpaid unit of the Probation Trust .
Finley Structures boss John Finley , who ’ s spearheading a drive to tidy up the estate as part of his role on the ABP steering group , met with Gordon Wooding from Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust earlier this year about how the organisation might be able to help .
As a result , the unpaid unit of the Trust has been carrying out work on Whinbank Road and Durham Way South .
Gary Hopper , unpaid work supervisor for Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust , who ’ s pictured with some of the workers , told Aycliffe Today Business : “ We ’ ve done some chipping and tidying up on Whinbank Road and on Whitfield Road , where we ’ ve also strimmed the long grass down to a decent level so some of the vacant premises look a bit more appealing .
“ It makes a huge difference . A lot of people have stopped as they ’ ve passed and commented on how better it looks .
“ There ’ s been some hard work , but we ’ ve knuckled down and the lads have done a really good job , and hopefully the grass will just need occasional lawn-mowing from now on and easier to look after .
“ We ’ ve been on this site four days , and I ’ ve got nothing but praise for the lads and they ’ ve all done their bit .”
Mr Finley added : “ The work the Trust has done has been excellent – it ’ s a great example of how , with a bit of communication and hard work , we can all work together for the mutual benefit of the Business Park .”