Before you get into this week’s edition, I have a favour to ask. Could you please encourage friends and colleagues to subscribe so that they too can get Eyes & Ears sent straight to their inboxes every week. It’s quick, simple and free - and it would make such a big difference to me. Thank you.
Two heads are better…
The benefits of collaboration was just one of the key takeaways from The Future Series screening event at Newcastle Helix yesterday. Workplace culture, the future of finance, data and AI were also covered.
The collaboration between two life science businesses, Hexis Lab and NewChem Technologies, is a great story and resulted in the launch of Layla & Kays, an award-winning shampoo and conditioner line specifically designed for textured hair which is already taking the haircare world by storm.
For Hexis Lab founder Dr Sola Idowu, it was personal as his eldest daughter is a UK swimmer with textured hair and had been spending time in chlorinated water nearly every day of the week for years.
Host Charlie Charlton, the community engagement manager at Helix, said the successful collaboration began when Sola got chatting on the stairs to Bernard Golding, a renowned chemist and emeritus professor at Newcastle University, who has a lab at Helix on the floor below Sola’s.
The result is a patent-pending formulation that includes vegan, sulphate-free, and halal-certified ingredients. This combination of advanced chemistry and artificial intelligence has not only delighted Sola’s daughter but attracted significant interest in the haircare sector.
There’s a half hour Newcastle Helix video on You Tube called The Future of Collaboration in which Professor Golding, who was involved in the discovery of the anti-cancer drug Rubraca, says: “The whole is much better than the individual parts.”
Quite. The North East is getting better at collaborative working. As the consultation on the combined authority’s 10-year Local Growth Plan continues, maybe we should be asking what can be done to engineer and foster more collaborations like this - a business matchmaking service - without leaving it to chance conversations on the stairs.
‘Cut to the bone’
Northumberland National Park is facing significant challenges due to an 8.2% funding cut by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Chief executive Tony Gates described the £219,000 reduction as the single largest cut to their revenue budget in his 20 years there.
The cuts could lead to fewer rangers, reduced maintenance of rights of way and limitations on education and outreach programmes. “We’re cut to the bone,” said Tony. “This is not about looking to trim around the edges, this is about looking at whole lines of work that we may need to stop.”
Fraud investigation
Newcastle City Council has confirmed it is looking into “irregularities” concerning possible fraudulent activity within its transport department. A council spokesperson said: "As this is ongoing and could lead to further action it would not be appropriate for us to comment any further.”
The council's audit and standards committee was told that external auditors EY would be assessing the recent acquisition of the Crowne Plaza hotel as well as the moves to take back control of the city’s housing stock and parks and allotments.
Police crash closes A1
The A1 was closed for more than 12 hours on Wednesday following an early-morning crash involving five police cars which were in pursuit of a BMW.
The collision happened just before 2.30am. Seven officers were taken to hospital. A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. A woman, also in her 20s, is being investigated over drug allegations. Both have been released on bail. The road was eventually reopened shortly before 3pm.
Ex-MPs standing
Two former Tory MPs are standing in the Northumberland council elections. Anne-Marie Trevelyan is up against Labour leader Scott Dickinson in the Druridge Bay ward. Ex-Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy is standing in the Newsham ward, where one of his rivals is Deirdre Campbell, widow of Ronnie who was the Blyth MP for more than 30 years.
Red Arrows return
The Red Arrows will be back for this year’s Great North Run on Sunday, September 7. Founder Sir Brendan Foster said: “The roar of the Red Arrows overhead is a truly special moment. It’s a spectacle to see them soar over the Tyne Bridge, leaving vibrant streaks of red, white and blue in their wake before they head to the coast for their famous South Shields performance at the finish.
Final five
Ad Gefrin museum and distillery in Northumberland has been named a finalist for VisitEngland’s New Tourism Business of the Year Award. Also hoping for success at the national finals in Brighton on June 4 are:
Seaham Hall (Small Hotel of the Year); Glasshouse International Centre for Music (Business Events Venue of the Year); Caitlin Brown from Newcastle-based The Escape Key (Unsung Hero Award); Battlesteads near Hexham (Ethical, Sustainable, and Responsible category).
A quick word
Former Newcastle City Council chief executive Pat Ritchie has been appointed interim chair of Homes England. She currently sits on the board and was previously chief executive of the organisation when it was known as the Homes and Communities Agency. Independent lifestyle retailer Oliver Bonas has unveiled plans to open its largest store in the North East this summer at Eldon Square in Newcastle. Sir Tim Rice is to put on a one-night-only performance of My Life in Musicals at Sunderland Empire on May 1, with proceeds going to the Foundation of Light’s Wear One campaign. Trains on the recently opened Northumberland Line may need more carriages as passenger numbers are way beyond what was expected, despite only three of the six stations being open. Newcastle Eagles have narrowly failed to land their first European trophy, losing 95-82 to Romanian side CSO Voluntari in the final of the European North Basketball League in Bratislava yesterday.
Soaraway success
Newcastle International Airport contributes more than £1bn a year to the North East economy and supports 17,000 jobs, according to a study by consultancy Arup.
The report emphasises the airport's role in boosting tourism, trade and investment, and the part it plays in attracting 18,700 international students to the region. It forecasts that the airport could double its annual economic impact by 2040 and support over 32,000 jobs.
7 (million) up
You would normally associate the Newcastle United legend with the number 9, but here he is with the number 7 to celebrate a milestone moment at the Alan Shearer Centre, which was created almost 20 years ago to help people with complex disabilities and their families.
Set up with the proceeds of his testimonial, Shearer and his team of supporters have now reached the £7m fundraising mark.
But the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer took to the red sofa on BBC Breakfast this week to say that he is looking to raise an additional £70,000 a year on top of the £250,000 a year he originally pledged to raise to keep the centre free to use.
Time to reflect
Tees Valley Combined Authority says it will "reflect carefully" on Government advice stating mayors should not chair Mayoral Development Corporations to avoid conflicts of interest. But TVCA did not say whether Ben Houchen would step down from his role chairing the South Tees, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool MDCs.
Meal deal
An auto-enrolment pilot scheme has helped more than 2,400 children receive a free school meal and will be made permanent, Durham County Council has confirmed. Since September, an additional 2,469 children received a free school meal as a result of the scheme. Just 16 families declined the offer during a three-week opt-out period.
The trial, run by the Fix Our Food research programme and councils, has also been made permanent in Middlesbrough.
Business bites
Robson Laidler MD Graham Purvis is retiring after 27 years with the accountancy firm. Stepping up as joint MDs are Amy Park, a former winner of NECC’s Inspiring Female Award, and Nick Wilson, who five years ago become the company’s youngest director at 28. Newcastle University tech spin out company Microbritt is expanding into a new base in Cramlington after a £400,000 investment. The company has developed a patented process for the production of high value prototypes and complex products which are created from brittle materials. Newcastle-based Aelius Biotech, which has created a laboratory gut model to trial new drugs and foodstuffs without the need for animal testing, has raised an additional £750,000 to expand its presence in the US and European markets and complete work on new premises.
Newcastle-based Pink Lane Bakery is moving to bigger premises at the appropriately named Baker’s Yard in Gosforth, once home to Greggs. Nissan has reported a pre-tax loss of £31.9m despite its sales surging by more than £2bn. An internal reorganisation has seen the Sunderland plant take on more costs. Owner Duncan Bannatyne said his Darlington-based firm, which has health clubs, spas and hotels across the UK, has “returned to the level of profits it was targeting five years ago”. Turnover was up 7.7% and pre-tax profit rose more than 40% to £14.4 million in the year to December 31. Gateshead-based TSG has added Computer Geeks, a Bristol company with an expertise in cybersecurity, to its portfolio. The Go-Ahead Group is moving its Newcastle HQ to the 55 Degrees North building where it will occupy the entire second floor of the high-rise. Leading commercial and residential property firm Bradley Hall has opened a Birmingham office as part of a broader strategy to build a strong presence in major UK cities. Newcastle Building Society has brought in Paul Astruc as interim chief financial officer following the departure of David Samper. The directors of family-run tea and coffee firm Ringtons said they were “satisfied” with their latest results which show revenue approaching £90m and profits up to £3m.
THE WIDER VIEW
A vintage story
The Champagne region of France was a big battleground during the first World War - they still find old shells and bombs in the vineyards to this day. So when World War Two broke out, the growers raced to hide their finest vintages from the Germans.
This story is told by Tom Parker Bowles and Henry Jeffreys on Intoxicating History – and came to me this week via the daily email The Knowledge.
At Maison Joseph Drouhin, in Burgundy, they immediately started bricking up the cellars. Then they grabbed all the spiders they could find and stuck them on the fresh brick, in the hope that their webs would disguise the new walls.
The three major wine-growing regions were all occupied by Germany. Realising what they had, the Nazis appointed three officers to look after them – Heinz Bömers in Bordeaux, Adolph Segnitz in Burgundy and Otto Klaibisch in Champagne – who became known to the vintners as the “wine führers”.
But the trio had deep links in the wine trade, and they understood that the great wine houses should be protected. Kleibisch and Segnius refused to wear Nazi uniforms, and all three cracked down on German soldiers who looted wine.
Bömers once received an order from Göring for several cases from Château Mouton Rothschild. Bömers loathed Goring so sent cheap wine with Mouton labels instead.
They sent much of the very best stuff to Hitler’s alpine lair. The Führer didn’t drink so, when it was liberated in 1945, “hundreds of thousands of bottles of the best wine on earth” were found perfectly preserved.
1979 ad break
Some of you may have noticed my mistake with last week’s classic TV ad when I said Leonard Rossiter and Joan Collins were advertising Campari. I meant Cinzano, of course. Well, they both begin with C and end with a vowel, and the advert was from the same era. As you can see here.
Chant topper
An American student thought he was getting on a River Thames hop-on-hop-off boat for a bit of sight-seeing but had boarded a party boat hired by 150 Southend football fans who were making the most of their away trip to play Sutton United.
It didn’t take Evan Johnston, a 21-year-old from Arizona, long to realise something was wrong. “They all seemed to know each other and were making chants I didn’t understand,” he said.
When the mistake was discovered he decided to join in the revelries all the way to the game. He says he’s now a fan for life - and the club have invited him as their guest to the home game against Solihull Moors tomorrow.
New Threads
The production team behind the hit series Adolesence has announced that they are adapting one of the bleakest war movies ever made into a new TV show.
Threads was the first film to depict what a nuclear winter would look like, giving an uncompromising outlook on the implications of nuclear war and the devastation it would create. It was first aired on BBC 2 in September 1984 - and later shown in schools, as many fiftysomethings among us will no doubt never be able to forget.