Chester-le-Street news
Chester-le-Street store strengthens management team thanks to lifeline funding
A specialist sports goods retailer has bolstered its management team with the creation of a new job thanks to the Durham Business Recovery Grant .
Simon Lee , managing director , who described the grant as being “ nothing but amazing ”, used the funds to appoint a sales and marketing manager as his company , One Sports Warehouse , reopened post-Covid-19 .
The sports retailer , which is located on the Drum Industrial Estate in Chester-le- Street , specialises in hockey , netball and other sports equipment and clothing and Simon accessed the Durham Business Recovery Grant to appoint a muchneeded staff member to the team .
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Food is key ingredient in UK City of Culture 2025 campaign
Food and its ability to bring people together will be essential ingredients in County Durham ’ s bid to be UK City of Culture 2025 .
The idea of food as an expression of cultural identity will be explored through the People ’ s Food Project , one of several initiatives being developed as part of County Durham ’ s bid to be UK City of Culture 2025 .
Culture Durham , a partnership of organisations including Durham County Council and Durham University , is spearheading the bid and has joined forces with REfUSE Durham to develop the People ’ s Food Project .
Located in Chester-le-Street , REfUSE Durham is a social enterprise committed to reducing food waste , raising awareness of the climate and ecological impact of food waste and creating an environment where good food , good company and opportunities to learn new skills are available to those who want them .
Sales take off for model aeroplane builder company
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Chester-le-Street radio-controlled model aeroplane building company ’ s sales have unexpectedly soared as levels of demand from new and long-term customers alike rose during the Covid-19 pandemic .
Fighteraces , located on the Drum Industrial Estate , reported a 100 per cent increase in online sales from March to September in 2021 .
The company also expanded its specialist model building team from four to five members of staff .
Model aeroplane enthusiast Phil Clark set up the company in 1999 and initially worked from home until 2005 when he relocated to a workshop unit .
Now the company designs and builds a wide range of bespoke radio-controlled model aeroplanes from its 1,000 squarefoot workshops , exporting to customers around the world , and supplies a full range of building and finishing materials for model hobbyists through its website .
Phil said : “ Online sales took off during the Covid-19 pandemic and we experienced a 100 per cent increase in sales of paints , glues , resins and cloths through our website and
A business which has been supplying skills and qualifications for more than 16 years , has opened a new training centre at Chesterle-Street
North East Access Training , based on the Drum Industrial Estate in Chester-le-Street , has invested £ 30,000 into a new training centre with 70 per cent provided through the Durham Business Recovery Grant .
The move will boost the company ’ s capacity to train delegates and increase the variety of courses they offer as they recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and return to growth .
The Fighteraces – John Hudson , Graeme Hogg , Phil Clark , Dave Walker , and Neil Bartholomew .
mail order service . “ This was because people had more time on their hands during the pandemic lockdowns and started , or reignited their model aeroplane building hobbies .”
Despite having to temporarily reduce staff numbers at the workshop during the early Covid-19 lockdown period , Phil also expanded his specialist model aeroplane building team later in the year to meet demand .
“ We now have four full-time and one parttime member of staff as the custom building service side of the business also continues to grow ,” he said .
“ This service is very intricate and involves designing each model aeroplane , manufacturing the parts , and assembling them to create the final product .
“ Each project can take up to a year or longer so it ’ s essential that we have a team with the right skill-sets in place who enjoy this kind of work .”
“ I ’ d like to thank our enthusiastic and loyal customer base who share our love for model aeroplanes and , as we enter the Christmas period , I am confident we will build on our success .”
North East Access Training expands at Chester-le-Street