More orders, more customers means more jobs

Due to the continuing success of a Durham business, they are looking for more workers – now!

Workwear Express, based on the Belmont Estate on the outskirts of Durham City, is seeing its order book going from strength to strength and is now looking for staff to expand the current roster of 55. They are the UK’s leading supplier of customised Workwear, uniforms and promotional leisurewear and supply businesses, clubs, individuals and organisations all over the UK and abroad.

“We have invested in new machinery and I.T. that are making our jobs more efficient and also enables the staff to complete orders quickly, keeping the customer happy.” Said MD of the company Andrew Ward.

Workwear Express have been in the Durham City area for 22 years and over the past year have grown by over 30% in the last year and are on course for the same growth this year. 

National clients include: Aston Martin, Greggs PLC, 3 Mobile, and Tesco while they still keep close to their roots supplying local companies with workwear and promotional wear.

 “Our sales teams are doing a great job; in fact we are looking to expand the teams that are already in post. We are looking to take on eight new office- based sales staff to handle inbound sales enquiries and provide excellent customer service and twelve more production staff to work in our 24 hour factory.”  Said Andrew “All in all, in these times where a lot of firms are looking shed jobs, we are in the fortunate position of not only keeping the 55 staff but looking for more.”

 Anyone interested in working for the company can get in touch with us at careers@workwearexpress.com

Scrooged! This Christmas

Just a few lines as we all have better things to do than read about me and my ramblings - I hope!
Working at home, I tend to have the telly on - for news, sport, Jeremy Kyle !  Over the past couple of days I have noticed that the Charles Dickens classic has been 'done to death'.

First one I saw was the Kelsey Grammer ' all singing, all dancing ' version.  Now, I like the bloke in Cheers and his spin -off 'Frasier' but he can't sing!
He couldn't even get away with the Rex Harrison ' talking and singing thing' that he did in, well, all of the films he did that required singing.  Story was fine and a few good one-liners.  there was also a bit of 'star watching' as a fair few of the cast were familiar faces to the British TV screen.  But, and this is the point where I couldn't have sat and watched it, EVERYTHING was sung! get right on your nerves after about 15 minutes.

Next, on the same day I have you, Patrick Stewart in almost a word-for-word version of Christmas Carol.  this was well worth a watch -even when you expected him to say: "computer, pause hologram".  Not that I am an expert on Dickens or even this story, but I did like the way it kept close to the feeling of the book.  I know this because I downloaded the book to my new tablet FOC as a try out and started to read it.

Missed the Muppet's Christmas - although I did catch Alan Shearer on MOTD with more hair on his chin than his head along side ' that bloke who was an average footballer who danced a bit and has become a BBC favourite' name escapes me. Probably doesn't count!

Not long before the classic Alistair Sim version of the story ( Christmas Caroll not MOTD).
That one has all the atmosphere and great acting but the one I am looking forward to is the Bill Murray version, which, if you have ever worked in the media (Mirror group take note) the characters are all too familiar!

Anyway, enjoy the festivities and I will write a bit more in 2013 as I have a nice few 'things' coming up.  as they say: WATCH THIS SPACE  

Big Ride makes a difference

One of the areas we at Durham Big Ride look at is the impact the event has on the wider community.  To this end we have a trophy we present to groups or charities who take part in the events to further their money or profile.

This year the recipient of the Bramwell’s Business Challenge trophy is Taylan’s Awesome Son-Rise Journey.

David Horsley was on hand with some of the volunteers to take hold of the trophy recently and was very pleased to accept it on behalf of the group.

Please read the story below that gives a nice view on the charity.

Around 6 years ago our son Taylan was diagnosed with having severe Autism. At that time Taylan was finding it really difficult to relate to the world going on around him......he was unable to communicate his needs & what is normally an easy transition from toddler to little boy was a complete up-heaval for our little man.

We never gave up hope that things would somehow improve as the years passed by. Around the end of 2009 while searching for help to make Taylan's life more tolerable we came across the Son-Rise program. This organisation has high levels of success bringing children through their state of autism. After attending a seminar in the UK, we were totally convinced by what we had seen, and like every other set of parents, we wanted our child to fulfil his potential. Without special intervention, Taylan’s future is extremely limited. The success rate of the Son-Rise program instils hope in us for his freedom from this condition. It is difficult for us to understand fully the issue of autism and reversing it in Taylan, but we are diligently trying to do so for the sake of his future.

I n October 2010 we set up a playroom in our house and we started on the son-rise program. In January 2011 I went to London for a week of start up training with Anita, Taylan's school 1:1 worker. From then until now we have worked on the principals of son-rise with Taylan and some fantastic volunteers that work with him.

We have witnessed so many changes in Taylan's life that we had only dreamed about until we started this program, all of which you can read about on his web page.

www.helpingtaylan.co.uk or search on facebook for Taylan's awesome Son Rise journey.

 

We all had a fantastic day at the Durham Big Ride and The Beast and thank you for reading about our very special boy.
Lucy & David Horsley

Brian, receives recognition for being a ‘spoke in a wheel’.

A postman from Chester-le-Street has been given the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his service to a charity he founded 16 years ago.

Brian Milner, who along with a friend and fellow postman David Patterson BEM, founded Gateway Wheelers disabled cycling group, in 1996

Brian received his medal from the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham Sir Paul Nicholson at a low key ceremony at Durham County Cricket Club recently.

“It was a great honour to meet Sir Paul and to receive the medal in my home town with good friends and family around.” Said Brian

“The British Empire Medal (BEM) was revived this year to reward community and voluntary work and so it is a double honour to be one of the first to get the medal for my work with Gateway Wheelers.”

Sadly, the co-founder passed away in 2004 and because of this, the group were even more determined to continue their work with riding for all abilities:

‘When David passed away it was a big loss, but we all rallied together, took on the challenge and have continued the charity’s success,’

Indeed, the group, based at Durham Cricket Ground, has a vibrant group of cyclists who enjoy getting out on their bikes most weekends.

Brian received his BEM for, Services to Gateway Wheelers and Royal Mail but is quick to say that it is very much a team effort with the group:

“When I first received my letter it took a few days for what I had been awarded to sink in. At the end of the day I’m just one spoke in a big wheel at Gateway Wheelers and without the support of my family and volunteers none of this would be possible not forgetting Sarah our amazing development officer

Not to be left out of a glamorous tea party down at Buckingham Palace, Brian has been assured that he will be invited down next year.

“I have been told that, because I have been given my honour ‘at home’, I will be invited down to London to meet others and hopefully the Queen!”

Current Mayor pays visit to ‘former Mayor’

A pub in the middle of Durham had a visit from the latest Mayor of the City to help pull a pint or two.

Cllr. John Wilkinson, current Mayor of the City, is helping to keep alive the name of one of the most notorious of his predecessors and helping promote a local business as well.

Cllr Wilkinson’s predecessor, Cllr Les Thompson, was one of the first to pull a pint at the John Duck pub in Claypath,  and has set the ball rolling for future Mayors to do the same:

Licensee  Andy Hughes is more than happy to see the latest Mayor come in to lend a hand:
“We named the pub after the Mayor of the City from 1680 and it was a gesture from us to invite the Mayor at the time of our opening  Les Thompson to help the launch.  As the Mayor changes every year, we felt it right to invite the current holder of the office to see how we are progressing.”

Andy added that the pub is looking to help local businesses all the time:  “We are very much a traditional pub in as much as we try and get our beers and real ales from local breweries.  This works well for both us and the brewers where we have built up a great working relationship with a number of them in the area.”

John Duck, Mayor in 1680, has a dubious background.  Indeed, there is not a lot known about his upbringing or his parents.  Legend says that he was walking along the streets of Durham when a Raven dropped a gold coin at his feet.  This was the start of his wealth – although there is evidence that he was not always on the right side of the law.

What is known is that he became one of the wealthiest men in Durham and had a mansion on Silver Street (now in City Centre) and later became Lord Duck of Haswell. 

“After working hard to establish ourselves as a pub to come and relax in during the summer months, now we are gearing up to the very busy time of the year starting with the Food Festival later this week.” said Andy

More about the John Duck pub can be seen at http://www.facebook.com/john.duck.581

Great North Weekend and all that!

Isn’t it always the same?  You wait for the Great North Run weekend to come along and, before you know it, it has gone for another year!

It is always a busy weekend as far as the press / snappers are concerned but add to that the cream of the Olympic medallist and you have a ‘picture fest’ to rival any of the previous Great North Run weekends.

It was very nice to see Mo back up in Newcastle after one of the busiest times he can remember.  Talk about a career- changing week for the lad! Best of all, he’s still the same nice, quite lad who was so please to see one of his old running mates from Sunderland who came trackside to see him at Friday’s press call.  Mo and Malcolm Husain used to run together as juniors and try and keep in touch, so it was nice that they got together to chat about old times and just ‘stuff’.  

From a personal point, it was very nice to see Greg Rutherford up at Gateshead too.

Greg and I have ‘bumped’ into each other at various tracks across the UK and Europe for more than 10 years and so it was nice to have a real chat as only two gingers can do! Out of the sun!

“I have never done so much TV and stuff” he said “That’s something to do with the medal you won in London” was the obvious reply from yours truly.

It was very nice for Greg to grab Gold in London.  He has had his fair share – and someone else’s share, of injuries and bad luck during his long jump career.

I could go on but to finish with them both, they are still nice blokes who are enjoying the results of some very hard work: not just for the past couple of years but a lifetime of dedication and commitment to their particular discipline.

For the event, Gateshead riverside was awash with sunshine, colour and spectators. All three and the top athletes involved with the events made the 2012 Powerade City Games a great success once again.

Next day and the weather was a little cooler, ideal for the people running the 13.1 miles that is the Bupa Great North Run.

You can read here http://www.greatrun.org/News/NormalNews.aspx?nid=8243

about the races with both the Men’s and Women’s races going right down to the last few yards which was great for TV and the spectators who braved the wet to see the race from the roadside.

Wilson Kipsang, who I spent a week with down at London Marathon earlier this year, was up to form and looking good for what I think could be a unique treble.  London Marathon, Great North Run and New York Marathon all in the same year. Wilson is funny, very good with the media and runs very fast and I can see him being the person to watch for a few years to come.

As I said at the top, this weekend goes too quickly but is always a great weekend.

BUPA GREAT NORTH RUN TIRUNESH DIBABA CONTESTING FIRST EVER HALF MARATHON

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Tirunesh Dibaba after her latest 10,000 metres victory in last month's London Games will turn her attention to winning the Bupa Great North Run on September 16.

Dibaba will make her debut over the distance in the World's greatest half marathon race from Newcastle-to-South Shields where the elite elite includes reigning Olympic and World marathon champions Tikki Gelana and Edna Kiplagat.

Her appearance in the IAAF Gold Label Event is a clear indication that the 27-year-old Ethiopian after highly successful track and cross country careers now intends switching her attention to road racing inlcuding a possible marathon next spring.

Dibaba has limited experience of road racing mainly having competed over five kilometres in recent years but in a rare outing over 15 kilometres in 2009 she set a World record 15K (8 mile) 46 minutes 28 minutes in Nijmegen.

Now Dibaba is taking the first step forward to emulating the achievements of her cousin Derartu Tulu the World's greatest ever women's distance runner who after her transition proved her legendary status with wins which included the Tokyo, London and New York City Marathons.

"Tulu was also a winner a winner of the 25th Anniversary Bupa Great North Run seven years ago so just as she followed in her footsteps at Olympic and World Championships level, Dibaba has another target to aim for," said Peter Riley, the race's elite athletes man.

"I'm sure although it is the furthest Tirunesh has ever competed over she will adapt to 13 1/2 miles quite easily and after resting before returning to training following her Olympic exploits where she also claimed the 5,000m bronze medal will be fully prepared.

But it is going to be a great challenge for her to win particularly with Gelana, Kiplagat and Jerotich who are also experienced half marathoners taking part and let'sa not forget Jo Pavey who always gives everyone a race fore their money."

Pavey will be joined in the race by Freya Murray the first Briton to finish in the Olympic Marathon while Portugal's Jessica Augusto the Bupa Great North Run winner in 2009 is also returning.