MIDDLESBROUGH NEWS
Mayor : New venue can help town centre Bloom
Middlesbrough mayor Andy Preston says new venue Bloom can be part of a town centre renaissance featuring a range of exciting entertainment and leisure offerings .
Bloom Global Eaterie and Show Hall has opened in the town ’ s resurrected Historic Quarter and mayor Preston was joined by Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen to cut the ribbon and officially declare the venue open .
Bloom has opened in a 19thcentury , Grade II listed former bank on Albert Road , most recently known as home to bar Spensley ’ s Emporium .
It features a 140-seater restaurant , mezzanine floor , performance stage , 30ft bar and private dining area , with performances from an in-house band and magician .
Port unveils mural to celebrate modern Middlesbrough ’ s birthplace
AV Dawson , owner and operator of Port of Middlesbrough , has unveiled a 200-metre square mural to celebrate the birthplace of modern Middlesbrough and showcase its 190-year history and rich rail heritage .
The mural , entitled Hidden Hero , features Timothy Hackworth , the rail pioneer who designed the original coal export staiths at Port Darlington – now known as Port of Middlesbrough – as well as designing Globe , the first locomotive to deliver cargo to the port .
Hackworth was pivotal to the original development of Port of Middlesbrough , the growth of the town and the evolution of the railway across the world .
The commemorative mural – unveiled by Hackworth ’ s great-great-granddaughter Jane Hackworth-Young – has been painted on an external gable end wall , adjacent to
Birthplace – Guests at the unveiling of the mural .
The Staiths – AV Dawson ’ s new head office at Port of Middlesbrough .
The unveiling was also attended by Middlesbrough mayor Andy Preston , AV Dawson ’ s managing director Gary Dawson and Lewis Hobson , of Durham Spray .
The event was watched by rail , history and art enthusiasts , local press and AV Dawson colleagues .
Port of Middlesbrough ’ s history can be traced back to 1830 , when an extension of the Stockton & Darlington Railway , the Middlesbrough Branch Line , was opened to deliver coal from the Durham coalfields to the new coal export staiths located on the River Tees in Middlesbrough .
The site was named Port Darlington , but from this point onwards , the town and local industry grew rapidly and the area became known as Middlesbrough and the port as Port of Middlesbrough .
Education company handed glowing report
E-commerce software firm set to create 50 jobs
Pan-Asian restaurant to open new Middlesbrough site
A favourite Tyneside restaurant has announced its first new site , with a major scheme for Middlesbrough ’ s Historic Quarter . A proposal to transform the former Kalinka bar and nightclub at the corner of Exchange Square into the Muddler is due to be submitted soon .
If approved , the venue – in part of Commerce House – will become a 100-seater pan-Asian restaurant and cocktail bar , with a private dining area in the domed top floor .
The scheme for the Grade II listed building also includes an outside mezzanine level , with additional seating facing onto Exchange Square . Opening is planned for April 2023 .
172 | Tees Business
A Teesside-based provider of literacy and learning programmes has been given a glowing report from the National Literacy Trust after a 12-month research assessment of its flagship education product .
Lexonik was found to have significantly increased the reading level of learners , improved confidence in students and enhanced teachers ’ ability to support their pupils .
The research was commissioned by Middlesbrough-based Lexonik in September 2021 , against a backdrop of growing fears within schools about falling attainment in reading and literacy .
Lexonik currently works with schools across the UK and a number of educational institutions in the United States and the Middle East .
A Middlesbrough software firm that helps e-commerce stores drive sales aims to create 50 new jobs after raising £ 2m in equity finance .
The investment from NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance , which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund , has been boosted by further funding from a private investor .
The cash will enable Salesfire to add more AI-powered features to its platform and double the size of its team , creating around 50 new jobs in the Tees region .
Salesfire serves more than 650 customers , including Moss Bros , Sports Shoes and Hamleys , and has annual recurring revenue of over £ 2m .