Serving the Teesside Business Community | 93
/ DARLINGTON NEWS
FESTIVAL PROMISES
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The latest figures show that Tees Valley’s
tourism industry is continuing to grow, with
more than 19 million people visiting the
region in 2017, spending more than £900m.
Expenditure by visitors in 2017 was up 5%
to more than £923m. This supports almost
12,000 jobs.
#TalkingUpTeesside
R
ockliffe Hall will be hosting its first
ever Festival of Food in February 2019,
celebrating the finest British cuisine.
The five-star luxury resort in Hurworth,
near Darlington, will welcome some of the
country’s best professional chefs during the
eight-day festival, which starts on Saturday,
February 2.
An Artisan Food Fair will kick off
proceedings on the first weekend before a
series of special lunches, dinners and food
and wine events take place throughout the
week, culminating in a Black Tie Gala Dinner
on Saturday, February 9.
Chefs who will be cooking at exclusive
dining experiences during the week include
Andrew Pern (The Star Inn on Tour), TV
chef and author Mark Greenaway, James
Mackenzie (Pipe and Glass Inn) and renowned
Jersey-based chef Mark Jordan.
Rockliffe Hall’s executive chefs Richard
Allen, Aaron Craig and Paul O’Hara will also be
hosting various dinners and events while the
resort’s head gardener, Phil Mennell, will host
a lunch and tour of the kitchen gardens.
Head sommelier Daniel Jonberger will
pass on his wine wisdom at a wine and food
pairing masterclass and there’ll be a Taste
of the North-East Celebration Banquet with
guest chefs from The Bay Horse in Hurworth,
Nova Seafood Grill, Chadwicks Inn Maltby and
The Crathorne Arms.
Eamonn Elliott, chief executive at Rockliffe
Hall, said: “We have so many exceptional
chefs in the North-East and want to celebrate
this fact. We’ve lined up lots of top names in
the food industry from our region, and further
afield, and can’t wait to showcase their talent
at this exciting event.”
To find out more visit
www.rockliffehall.com or call 01325 729999
Rockliffe Hall’s executive chefs Richard
Allen, Aaron Craig and Paul O’Hara will be
hosting various dinners and events during
a food festival in February.
Entrepreneur lays
foundations for
new career
Web firm ahead of the game
as sales set to top £1m
A fast-growing web design agency
plans to expand and take on more staff
with sales set to hit £1m for the first
time.
Darlington-based Webahead Internet
was launched by digital entrepreneur
Dale Jeffries with just five staff six
years ago.
After achieving a first-year turnover
of £140,000, the firm now employs
22 people – made up of a sales team,
administration staff, graphic designers
and web developers – and boasts a
client base of 5,000 customers across
the UK.
Webahead – which is ranked third
in the UK from 3,500 design agencies
registered with the UK Web Design
Association (UKWDA) – now expects
sales in its current year, ending March
2019, to surpass the £1m mark.
AWARD-WINNING APPRENTICE MAKES TOP 100
Former Cleveland Bridge apprentice Liam
Simpson, 22, has been named one of the
top 100 most inspirational people in UK
manufacturing.
Liam, from Crook, who recently completed
his apprenticeship at the Darlington-based
company and is now working in the Quality
Department, has been announced as a
member of The Manufacturer Top 100 2018.
The listing is run by The Manufacturer
magazine, in partnership with Cranfield
University, one of the country’s leading
centres for business education. Now in its
fifth year, it recognises the most dynamic
leaders and innovators in manufacturing.
An ambitious entrepreneur is building
himself a career from his new business
base in Darlington.
Simon Hawkins, 46, swapped his
role helping others get their property
developments off the ground, to being in
the driving seat of his own start-up.
And now, just weeks after launching
Wildon Estates, the businessman has
invested in the company’s first offices at
Lingfield Point in Darlington.
UNI SUPPORTS
INNOVATION
Darlington-based Ardmore Craig – set
up in 2010 to provide a range of services
to the offshore oil and gas, renewable
and marine sectors – is bringing a new
offshore product to the market, through
the support of Teesside University.
Thanks to the Innovate Tees Valley
programme, the business has spun out a
new company, Laytrix, in order to bring a
new subsea pipe-laying tool to market.
Innovate Tees Valley is a Teesside
University-led programme which helps
SMEs do new things in their business and
create and improve services, products and
processes.
/TeesBusiness
@Tees_Business