30 | Tees Business
/ REDCAR NEWS
CHARITY JOBS
CREATED
THANKS TO
BUSINESS
BACKING
HoT tap into
S
Business chooses Heart
for Speedy expansion
Apprentices team up
to showcase work
Wilton resource
Cash boost - Wilton firms are helping good causes.
upport from major companies at the
Wilton International site has given an
enterprising Redcar charity the chance
to get 31 young people off benefits and into
work.
Redcar Development Trust (RDT) – led
by former professional boxer Frankie Wales
– has used £22,000 donated by Wilton
companies in the last two years to pursue
training and development opportunities for
the previously jobless youngsters.
Lotte Chemical UK, SABIC UK
Petrochemicals, Sembcorp Utilities UK,
Ensus UK and Huntsman Polyurethanes all
offered to help out after Frankie outlined his
plans to site directors.
Now the five firms, plus a sixth - Falck Fire
Services - have agreed to a further £10,500
of funding for the Coatham Memorial Hall
based organisation in the year ahead.
Frankie, founder and Chief Executive
of RDT, said: “The entire team was
Serving the Teesside Business Community | 31
/ REDCAR NEWS
overwhelmed that the main firms at Wilton
were once again prepared to support our
work.
“We have demonstrated in the past two
years that we have used their money wisely.
It equates to £700 for every job created and
the site companies’ continued support is a
tremendous vote of confidence in what we
are doing.
”
RDT has been able to give young
people access – many for the first time to invaluable work experience and skills
development opportunities.
New community initiatives have been
set up including a regular Pop In Centre
bringing youngsters together with the most
disadvantaged and socially isolated older
people in the borough.
Also popular are occasional
Intergenerational Days held at the hall and
RDT used one recently to thank the site
directors for their continued support.
WEB FIRM
DOUBLES
TURNOVER IN
FIVE YEARS
Chippy fan George wins
beacon challenge
Kids have hidden talents in many fields but few can
match George Hoy’s extraordinary ability for guessing
the height of Redcar Beacon – in chips!
George won his weight in chips from Oliver’s Fish
and Chips takeaway in his Redcar hometown when the
11-year-old guessed the height of the local landmark
as part of a fun competition to celebrate National Chip
Week.
The self-confessed chippy fan won the top prize by
guessing that it would take 405 Oliver’s chips standing
end-to-end to reach the height the 80-foot Beacon.
And it means the St Benedict’s Primary School pupil
can now look forward to munching his way through his
weight in chips.
A Redcar web design and
development agency is
celebrating its fifth year in
business with record turnover,
growth plans and a re-brand.
Itchyrobot, based in UK
Steel Enterprise’s Innovation
Centre on the Kirkleatham
Business Park at Redcar, has
doubled its turnover year on
year since it set up there in
2010.
The company is now
planning to expand its current
team of five to cope with
the growing demand for its
range of services that include
brand identity, web design
and development, marketing,
graphic design and technical
services.
The re-branding includes
establishing separate
divisions for the agency’s
business-to-business clients
and the substantial niche
market it now has in the
education sector.
Marketing and design specialist House
of Type has moved its entire team to the
Wilton Centre.
The agency previously operated out
of premises in Middlesbrough with a
smaller satellite office located at the 75
acre business and science park located
between Redcar and Middlesbrough.
With over 25 years’ experience of
providing marketing and design expertise
to clients in the North East and beyond,
House of Type is now also focusing
on developing its growing client list of
companies based in and around the
Centre.
Founder and managing director Dave
Marshall said that the professional setting
provided by the Wilton Centre was also a
key factor in the decision to consolidate
the agency’s operations.
E
xpress courier firm Speedy Freight has
opened a new franchise in the Redcar &
Cleveland Leisure and Community Heart
in order to further expand its business.
The new franchise, set up by former
soldier Alistair McDonald, comes from his
desire to do a ‘normal’ job after years of
close protection work with VIPs in Iraq.
With Speedy Freight being a recognised
brand and providing a lot of support to
franchise owners, Alistair thought it was the
perfect opportunity.
He said: “I’ve always wanted to be my
own boss and at the same time own a
business. Going into business as the owner
of a franchise is a much easier way of doing
things - you have that identifiable brand
already set up and you avoid the difficulty of
centre in the past.
He added: “I actually didn’t know about
the offices when I was going to the leisure
centre, but when I was looking online for
office space I saw the Heart was a really
good price. Coupled with the offices being
light, airy and modern, it was an obvious
choice.
”
The company itself provides a service of
express courier services promising 24 hour
delivery and pick-ups within one hour of
phoning.
Newly opened, the franchise will quickly
need more staff with sales, transport and
admin jobs all being created in the coming
months. Although he admits it won’t be easy,
with ha