Serving the Teesside Business Community | 13
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A GOOD FILM WILL
TRULY ENGAGE
Tees mayor Ben Houchen hosted
Northern Powerhouse Minister
Jake Berry around the Redcar site
as the land deal was struck.
1,400-ACRE LAND DEAL IS DONE
M
ore than 1,400 acres of land on
the former Redcar steelworks site
has been acquired by the South Tees
Development Corporation after Tees Valley
Mayor Ben Houchen formally signed off the
deal.
The site that has been acquired
represents half of all developable land.
Tata Steel Europe’s board approved
the deal earlier in the year, and it was
subsequently agreed by the Development
Corporation board. As well as the land, it
also includes almost 2km of prime river
frontage to accommodate even more
investors.
The move now enables STDC to kick-start
further negotiations with potential investors
and press ahead with projects that are
already earmarked for the site.
Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry
MP also confirmed that STDC’s bid for
£14m to unlock the first of these projects
had been successful.
This means work on the newly-acquired
land could begin as early as this year, with
the projects having the potential to create
hundreds of jobs for local workers.
Mayor Houchen said: “The site we have
acquired is about the size of Gibraltar and it
marks such an important part in our journey
to bring the site back to life.
“It has taken a lot of blood, sweat and
tears, but it means we can go back to our
pipeline of investors and show them that
we now have the land for their huge, multi-
million pound projects.
“We will continue to work with them to
unlock the investment opportunities which
will deliver jobs for local people.
“Although this is a long term project, this
deal will prove to be one of Teesside’s most
important milestones in decades.”
£1.3m to bring
hydrogen
vehicles to Tees
H
ydrogen vehicles and refuelling stations
will soon be coming to Tees Valley
after it was announced a £1.3m bid to
government had been successful.
Tees mayor Ben Houchen welcomed
the result of a government programme
that will see two refuelling stations built
in Middlesbrough and Redcar, plus a fleet
of cars which use hydrogen technology
for long-range travel (300+ miles) and fast
refuelling capability.
The new refuelling stations could allow
cars, buses, bin lorries and even trains to be
powered by the super fuel.
The joint bid, led by the Tees mayor,
the combined authority and the Materials
Processing Institute, is part of a £14m
national programme which will deliver five
new hydrogen refuelling stations, 73 fuel
cell passenger vehicles and 33 fuel cell
buses across the UK.
Figures from a draft report commissioned
by the Combined Authority and produced
by KPMG suggest that exploiting the
Hydrogen refuelling stations
will be built on Teesside.
opportunities of the hydrogen economy
could add up to £7billion to the region’s
economy by 2050, with the creation of as
many as 1,000 jobs.
Mayor Houchen said: “The fact that two
of the five refuelling stations announced will
be in Teesside is a clear vote of confidence
in our region’s industry, skills and supply
chain.
“We already produce 50 per cent of the
UK’s hydrogen, so properly utilising it will
allow us to keep manufacturing jobs in the
Tees Valley and build on the global drive to
cut carbon emissions, rather than be held
back by it.
“Hydrogen is vital to our green economy
plans and it doesn’t stop at cars – we are
currently progressing a pilot of the UK’s first
hydrogen train in the area.”
I
magine the scenario. You’re booking
a holiday or buying a car. In today’s
society with its many stresses and time
constraints, you would no doubt start this
process on your mobile and all you want
to see is the product in its full glory and
hear the basic facts before making further
enquires.
Step in video content! Research tells
us that people are 1.5 times more likely to
watch a video on their mobile phone and
72% of customers would rather watch a
video than read text.
Video not only increases organic traffic
search on a website but using a video on
your website launch page can boost your
conversion rate by up to 80%. Sounds
great!
Of course, making a video is not easy
or cheap. A good production company
who love what they do and who are
ahead of the game when it comes to new
techniques is key.
Save time and money by having a
clear idea of what you want before you
commission a filmmaker. Know your
market, understand the language that
speaks to potential clients and the main
facts that need to be shown in your
promo.
A good film will engage from the first
shot, with your message coming across
instantly and a ‘call to action’ (your web
address and contact details) at the end.
You wouldn’t risk DIY plumbing
or building - so why entrust your
company image to anything less than
the professionals? Done well, a great
promo can refresh, boost and ignite your
business. We look forward to hearing from
you!
Julie Burniston
Marketing manager/producer
Flathead North, Middlesbrough
www.thisisflathead.com
Plans for a £10m cosmetics factory by
one of Teesside’s oldest chemical firms,
Chemoxy, could bring up to 190 jobs to
the region. Chemoxy in Billingham has the
world’s largest cosmetic houses excited
after discovering a way to make paraben-free
preservatives for beauty products – and has
plans to be the “leading global producer of
anti-microbial ingredients”.
#TalkingUpTeesside