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.”