NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Business Durham
THE FINALISTS
The Fish Tank ’ s Paul and Penny Gordon receive the Newcomer of the Year award from Councillor James Rowlandson , Durham County Council ’ s Cabinet portfolio holder for resources , investment and assets .
NEWCOMER AWARD WIN ‘ AWESOME ’ SAY FISH TANK BOSSES
The husband-and-wife team behind the new Fish Tank facility on Aycliffe Business Park were proud to have won the Aycliffe Newcomer of the Year award against such tough opposition .
The Fish Tank opened its doors on Aycliffe Business Park in January 2020 and is now established as one of the North-East ’ s premium family swimming and activity venues .
The facility – run by Paul and Penny Gordon – pipped Rare Rockets and Valhalla North to the Newcomer category in the 2022 Make Your Mark Awards .
Paul said : “ I think we ’ ve done fantastically well . There are some amazing new businesses on the park and to be recognised as newcomer of the year means the world .
“ It ’ s awesome . It ’ s at times like this that you look back and realise how far you ’ ve come .
“ It really means a lot to be recognised as newcomer of the year on the business park – it ’ s fantastic .”
Paul and Penny spotted an opening in the market for a bespoke baby and toddler swimming centre .
In the first three months of this year alone , the Fish Tank welcomed more than 6,000 customers through its doors .
Penny : “ We ’ re both really passionate about what we do . We wanted the venue to feel welcoming and accommodating and I think our passion has shown through .
“ And we ’ ve chosen the right team to make that happen – it ’ s not just me and Paul , it ’ s the whole team and they deliver our vision .”
Since opening , The Fish Tank has grown its team to 15 – between The Fish Tank and The Happy Swim Company – and currently teaches 350 babies and children to swim every week .
And Paul and Penny ’ s ambitions don ’ t stop there , with the couple having already identified three more potential sites in the North-East for expansion .
“ We ’ ve always had a dream of multiple fish tanks ,” said Paul .
“ We ’ ve got multiple sites identified across the region already and are in talks with developers to get on specific sites , so the next few years are going to be a lot of hard work but it ’ s definitely going to be worth it .”
The Newcomer Award was sponsored by Business Durham and presented by Councillor James Rowlandson , Durham County Council ’ s Cabinet portfolio holder for resources , investment and assets .
Business Durham managing director Sarah Slaven said : “ The Make Your Mark awards was a truly inspiring event . It was great to see so many businesses being nominated and of course a huge congratulations to all the winners .
“ After a challenging two years , it is very important that we recognise the achievements of businesses on the Aycliffe Business Park .
“ Our role at Business Durham is to support businesses new and established in the county , and we were delighted once again to sponsor the ‘ Newcomer of the Year ’ category . It is so important to celebrate new businesses , whether they are just setting out or are new to the area .
“ Learning about each one of those nominated , they all would have been worthy winners .
“ So , congratulations to Rare Rockets and Valhalla North , on their nomination , and to The Fish Tank , in particular , for winning Newcomer of the Year .”
RARE ROCKETS Rare Rockets was launched in April 2021 after an overwhelming increase in the number of deaf people struggling to access support and services .
The firm is led by CEO and founder Craig Jones , and its aspiration is to empower a unique space where deaf people have equal opportunities and choice to services , interaction and society , however and wherever they choose .
Rare Rockets ’ never-ending mission is to strengthen professional alliances , cohesively and collaboratively working with deaf , hearing and professional communities across all sectors .
Its services are highly regarded and in demand , so much so that Rare Rockets envisages continued expansion over the next two years .
Rare Rockets recently celebrated its first birthday with the news it had also been awarded charity status .
VALHALLA NORTH Valhalla North is the UK ' s number one independent axe throwing venue , owned and run by husband-and-wife Carl and Kat , the IATF highest ranked male and female in Europe .
The venue offers expert tuition in axe throwing for all aged 8 +, competitive leagues , junior leagues , ladies only leagues , mobile axe throwing and archery .
Valhalla North is currently in its third year of business after opening in November 2019 . It now has four full-time and two part-time employees .
Valhalla North has remained a profitable business throughout the pandemic and after months of lockdowns and reduced numbers .
In the past 12 months the business has turned over circa £ 150,000 .
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