Member Article

North East firms wanted to pitch for £250k worth of Sill Northumberland contracts

Catering and digital firms operating in the region are being invited to pitch for contracts worth a combined total of £250k at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre, based in Northumberland National Park.

Supported by a £7.8m investment from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), The Sill is acts as a tourist and visitor destination, as well as a learning and research site.

The Sill has a target of at least 100,000 visitors annually and the venue will be open all year round. It also offers fully-serviced office facilities for more than 20 local startup businesses involved in rural and outdoor pursuits.

Seeking interest from experienced caterers, restaurant or café operators manage The Sill’s catering offer, The National Park Authority is especially keen on local businesses making approaches.

The main catering space can seat 80+ and is located on the first floor, featuring panoramic views of the Northumberland National Park landscape looking out towards Hadrian’s Wall.

With an expected annual turnover in the region of £225k, the catering franchise at The Sill offers a new business opportunity for the successful company and its supply chain.

The National Park also revealed its commitment to finding a business who will work with them to develop a full range of high quality products. Where possible, local, regional, Fair-Trade and organic food will be given precedence and an ethos of healthy eating is essential.

The Authority is also seeking to appoint a specialist digital partner to create a new interactive, web platform to promote activities, events and the site’s general opportunities.

The National Park Authority is looking for an innovative company who will help them tell their story in new and exciting ways, capturing the unique qualities of the area and engaging new and existing audiences through a range of digital platforms.

Valued between £20,000 and £35,000, the contract is reportedly an opportunity for a digital company to partner with the National Park Authority to showcase the National Park and Northumberland’s newest visitor attraction.

Dr Sarah Glynn, The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre Manager, said: “The Sill promises to provide a 21st century platform for us to re-engage people with the landscape, nature and the great outdoors.

“We are looking for creative ideas to complement our aim of providing visitors with a high quality, local offering and we’re excited at the prospect of working with leading local businesses to support our vision of attracting more people to the county, enabling local enterprise to thrive.”

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