Member Article

HyHeroes awards celebrate success at HyHubs' firms

CLIENTS of three Newcastle business centres came together to celebrate their success stories at an awards evening inspired by Peter Kay’s sitcom Phoenix Nights.

HyHubs, which operates Hoults Yard in Byker, Haylofts in Newcastle city centre and Hypoint in Gateshead, held its first HyHeroes awards in the Tyne Bank Brewery in Byker.

Comedian Gary Kitching hosted the inaugural awards, with food provided by renowned Hoults Yard restaurant 2Knives and music by The Castanets, staff band of tech firm Opencast, headquartered on the yard.

Laura Goldston, General Manager at HyHubs, said: “We wanted to recognise the success, innovation and talent of people and companies across our sites. We often feel like we live in a soap opera, with all the characters who build businesses in the north east. Imagine getting them all together in a brewery for a night of good cheer.

“We had 150 entries across ten categories and a great spread of winners – from start-ups to well established companies employing hundreds of people.

“As well as work spaces with personality – and great wi-fi – we build communities at each site. That’s what makes us completely different from other office providers in the region. HyHeroes was set to champion the connections between neighbours – and how hard work it is to build a business on your own. It takes a village to raise a child, as they say … we provide that support for businesses.

“The Castanets absolutely rocked it. Host Gary nailed the vibe (possibly because he admitted going to school with Vic Reeves). And who can resist a burger from 2Knives?

The winners of HyHeroes were: • Best Neighbour: Rapid 9 (a specialist signage company) • Success Story: Acropolis (authentic Greek street food) • Coolest Workspace: Opencast (technology consultancy) • Positive Impact: QA Apprenticeships (tech and digial apprenticeship company) • Trend Setter: Swarm Energy (green energy app start-up) • Bossing It: Glenn Ford – Glenn Ford Private Finance (independent financial advice) • New Kid on the Block: Sam Roberts, Tapyard Studios (a new bar and live music venue at Hoults Yard) • HyHero: Opencast • People’s Choice: Northern Standard Mortgages (mortgage broker) • Reception’s Choice: Seriös Group (data and test solutions provider)

Each winner was presented with a piece of Maling pottery transformed into trophies by Hoults Yard tenant Studio Cabinets – Hoults Yard is based on the old Maling pottery site, at its height the largest pottery producer in Europe. Sponsors included Aspire Technology Solutions.

In welcoming guests to the awards, HyHubs MD Charlie Hoult said HyHubs worked hard to champion clients at each of its centres.

“Community and collaboration are the glue at our sites – we love seeing HyHubs companies succeed. They are a uniquely talented bunch, so many with their own x-factor – which marks us out from the crowd. We put a sprinkling of creativity into the mix and out pops a dog show or an awards gala. What next? Maybe a Strictly spoof or a summer sports day?” he said.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hoults Yard .