Eyes & Ears 04.07.25
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Another horror story
No sooner had director Danny Boyle and the cast of 28 Years After walked down the black carpet ahead of a triumphant premiere at Tyneside Cinema, than the crushing news came that American private equity firm Cain International was pulling out of the £450m Crown Works Studios project in Sunderland.
Fulwell Entertainment, Sunderland City Council and the North East Combined Authority are still committed to the plans which would create more than 8,000 jobs and generate £2bn in economic output by 2033.
There’s just the small matter of a £300m gap (less, if it was decided to accept a scaled-back proposal to the planned 19 sound stages) with hopes of securing another investor by the end of the year.
So, what changed?
A lot of people have spoken since the announcement, but not Cain International, a partnership between CEO Jonathan Goldstein and Eldridge Industries, which is led by Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.
In May last year, two months after Crown Works received planning approval for phase one, Cain merged with Blackbrook Capital, a European real estate specialist. Their co-founder and CEO Arvi Luoma was given control of Cain’s European equity investment strategies, reporting in to Goldstein. Priorities can change after new leadership structures are put in place.
In May this year, Donald Trump announced plans to impose a tariff (he likes a tariff) on all films produced outside the US. He said on his Truth Social platform (the punctuation and capital letters are his, not mine): “The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death... Therefore, I am authorizing... a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”
Surely not?
Still leading - 200 years on
Gateshead electrification company Turntide Technologies is looking to expand after landing a £10m contract with Hitachi Rail to power the first battery trains to be built in Britain.
Hitachi were awarded the contract to build nine intercity battery trains at their Newton Aycliffe factory for Arriva’s Grand Central and Angel Trains.
The new deal comes during the 200th anniversary of the Stockton-Darlington railway, highlighting the North East’s enduring role in rail innovation.
Hitachi will place orders worth nearly £10m with Turntide to continue research and development and supply Gen 2 lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery systems, which are smaller and more powerful than previous lithium-ion batteries.
Paul Hutchings, managing director of Arriva UK Trains’ Rail Services, said: “We're extremely proud of our roots in the North East, so we’re thrilled that the technologically advanced batteries for our new fleet of trains for Grand Central will also be manufactured there.”
Game-changing test
Irish company SuperNode have successfully tested a powerful superconducting cable at its Blyth technology centre - a game-changer for how we move renewable energy across long distances.
CEO John Fitzgerald said: “This successful demonstration marks the birth of a new generation of lower-cost superconducting cable systems, with longer range and improved efficiency. Higher capacity cables will be an invaluable tool for utilities and large energy users seeking to boost capacity while minimising space, emissions, visual impacts and cost.”
Last month, Korean company Taihan Cable & Solution signed a deal with SuperNode to develop “next-generation” superconducting cables for the offshore wind industry.
Sudden exit
Tyne Coast College principal Mandy Morris and vice principal Diane Turner were said to have been escorted off campus last week in what has been described as an “internal staffing matter” and staff have been told they will not be available “for the foreseeable future”.
A college spokesperson said: “We can confirm there is no police related issue involved. This is an internal staffing matter. It would not be appropriate to comment further.”
Combined working
Key takeaway from the North East Chamber of Commerce’s AGM this week was hearing the combined authority perspectives on planning for growth from Sarah Walker (Tees Valley) and Phil Witcherley (North East) - and the collaboration that is already happening between the two.
The Chamber also took the wraps off its Business Services Ecosystem, an initiative to support businesses across the region which will be launched on September 8.
Lo point
AMLo Biosciences, founded seven years ago on the back of a pioneering early-stage skin cancer test, has gone into administration after failing to secure another round of investment to help commercialise their work.
The company last year gained the UKCA mark, paving the way for their kit to be used in public and private healthcare systems, and it was also operating in the US.
Co-founded in 2017 by Dr Marie Labus and Professor Penny Lovat as a spin-out from Newcastle University, AMLo was a rarity in the health and life science sector as all the senior team were women - and business appeared to be thriving.
Now, all 11 staff based at Newcastle Helix have been made redundant and administrators are exploring ways forward, including the sale of its assets and intellectual property.
One of those weeks
Another week, another 10-year Government strategy announcement, this time on the NHS, with the intention of shifting the system from crisis response to making care more local, digital and preventative.
Regional reaction to the strategy was mixed as Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves used the launch to put on a united front after the Chancellor was visibly upset the previous day during Prime Minister’s Questions.
That had come after the PM had to significantly water down planned cuts to the welfare system to avoid a widespread rebellion from Labour MPs. He was successful - although 49 Labour MPs still voted against the plans.
Just when he had put all that behind him, the Prime Minister will have gone to bed last night knowing that expelled former party leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Labour MP Zarah Sultana had announced their intention to co-lead a new left wing party, with welfare reform and Palestine at the top of their agenda.
Police ‘embarrassed’
Blyth & Ashington MP Ian Lavery took to social media to confirm that he met with Northumbria Police after it was revealed that they had destroyed files relating to the miners’ strike and the infamous Battle of Orgreave.
“We spoke frankly about the mistrust that this will have caused many in mining communities up and down the country, including those here in South East Northumberland and about the need for the investigation into the matter to be transparent,” he said.
“The police acknowledged this and expressed their professional embarrassment that these documents had been destroyed and assured me that an investigation had already begun to understand the decision making behind the actions.”
First for Reform
Reform have won their first seat on North Tyneside Council. Brian Smith said his first priority as Killingworth's councillor was to get his “head around everything”.
“I'm not a political-type person,” he said. “I was working in a JD Gym as a cleaner before this.”
In a second by-election contest, Labour’s Bryan Macdonald held on to the Longbenton and Benton seat vacated by Karen Clark who was narrowly elected mayor.
Last wish comes true
The palliative care team at Wansbeck Hospital made a Northumberland woman’s last wish come true when they arranged for a horse to come and visit her.
Allison Charlton spent five weeks being cared for at the hospital. Sons Jamie and John said: “She’d spoken about how much she’d loved horses to the staff. When they suggested she might get to see one in person, I don’t know how much she thought it was actually going to happen. Her face lit up like a kid at Christmas.
“The care she received was outstanding. The staff made our mam feel happy, safe and comfortable.”
A quick word
Prudhoe High School pupils, who have been travelling 16 miles to Sunderland College’s Washington Campus since cracks were discovered in their nine-year-old building in February, have been told they can return in September. Newcastle International Airport is working with Northumberland County Council and Northumbria Police to “address the inconsiderate parking issues in Ponteland” caused by people looking to avoid parking charges at the airport. Newcastle University students whose lessons were disrupted by strikes in the past four months will receive compensation of between £100 and £600, depending on how many of their modules were disrupted. Two bids for government money to pay for a “much-needed” school for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have been turned down, Newcastle councillors have been told. Darlington Council has spent more than £820,000 cleaning up fly-tipped rubbish in town in the last five years, according to figures obtained by The Northern Echo - with the number of reports rising year on year since 2021. Turnbull’s Northumbrian Food in Alnwick was crowned Best Butcher in the North East at the 2025 National Craft Butchery Awards, held at the Belfry Hotel in Nottingham. Labour has been running a minority administration at Newcastle City Council since last December and their problems just got worse with the resignation of another member for business reasons. A by-election will now be held to see who replaces Milo Barnett in South Jesmond. Sunday will see the biggest ever Great North 10K with 10,000 people taking part in a sold-out event which will begin and end on the Great North Road and take in some of Newcastle’s iconic landmarks.
Record year
Port of Tyne has reported a record-breaking 2024 with revenue surging by 20% to £67m and pre-tax profit up 73% to £4.4m.
The results were driven by “significant” increases in volumes across cargo handling, property and offshore renewables, with the hub also enjoying its best-ever year for cruise operations with 72 vessel calls.
Chief executive Matt Beeton said: “This strong foundation allows us to keep investing for the future, enabling major projects like the proposed high-voltage cable production facility at the overhauled Tyne Renewables Terminal.”
Headline acts
Architect and broadcaster George Clarke has been announced as the opening headliner to this year’s Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival.
More than 3,000 people are expected to attend the four-day festival at Newcastle Racecourse which begins on Monday, and the Sunderland-born storyteller will open proceedings with a chat about his career and his work with sustainable housing.
Explorer Simon Reeve will deliver a lightning talk on his global adventures during what will be the ninth Innovation Festival which has Regeneration as its theme. More details are here.
To the four
A six-month trial of a four-day week involving 1,000 workers has resulted in all 17 companies taking part saying they will continue with the system.
Admittedly an organisation called the 4 Day Week Foundation was behind the pilot, but a 100% success rate is impressive with almost two-thirds of workers reporting a reduction in burnout while two in five found an improvement in their mental health and almost half said they felt more satisfied with life.
Better by degrees
Northumbria University is to confer honorary degrees to 11 people at its summer graduation ceremonies this month including comedian and writer Jason Cook; Home Group chief executive Mark Henderson; Lucy Winskell, the Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear; and Dr Beverley Prevatt Goldstein, whose work has championed equality and Black history in the North East.
Northumbria University graduate Lady Edwina Grosvenor, a criminologist, philanthropist and renowned prison reformer, will receive the degree of Doctor of Civil Law, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to justice system reform.
Founder to step down
Fairstone Group founder and chief executive Lee Hartley is to take up the new role of deputy chair on October 1. The Sunderland-based wealth management firm said he will be replaced by a “highly experienced executive from within the financial services sector” later this year.
Lee said: “We’ve massively improved our senior management team and organisational design over the last 18 months. We’re in superb shape and we know exactly where we are heading; this feels like the right time and the right decision.”
Partnership possibilities
QTS, the company behind plans for a giant 10bn data centre campus at Cambois, hosted a ‘meet the buyer’ event with more than 30 invited Northumberland businesses including electrical, mechanical, and tech specialists.
The aim was to identify potential supply chain partnerships and explore how local companies could contribute to construction, operations and services.
Charity cycle
Bernicia Chair John Holmes is marking a milestone birthday by embarking on a ‘cycling my age’ sponsored bike ride (no way is he 70!) around the North East’s football clubs, starting in Darlington and then visiting Middlesborough, Hartlepool, Sunderland, South Shields and Newcastle - maybe adding Kingston Park for good measure.
It’s to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research because of the devastating effect the condition has had on close friends. He’s hoping to pick up auction prizes as he makes his way between the grounds on July 28.
1971 ad break
The PG Tips chimps ads are one of the most iconic campaigns in British advertising history.
Launched in 1956, the ads ran for 46 years, making it one of the longest-running ad series. By 1958 - just two years after launch - PG Tips had jumped from fourth to first in the UK tea market.
The campaign featured real chimpanzees dressed in human clothes, dubbed the Tipps family. The chimps were trained to perform domestic scenes, like tea parties, piano removals, or family squabbles, often voiced by celebrities such as Peter Sellers, Donald Sinden, and Bob Monkhouse.
This is one of the most popular, with a punchline repeated many times since…
Going large
A series of large-scale murals will celebrate the character and colourful history of North Shields, as it celebrates its 800th anniversary this summer. The event is being led by Elevation, a local arts charity founded by residents and powered by volunteers, as Tony Henderson reports in Cultured. North East.
Business bites
An expansion by Osbit at Port of Blyth has created 33 jobs and seen the opening of a new assembling and servicing facility. Kitwave has reported record revenues in the first half of its financial year, but the listed wholesaler expects adjusted operating profit for the full year to be below current market expectations because of lower consumer confidence and the increase to employer National Insurance contributions. Plans to build a hotel, family pub and restaurant with drive-thru units at Teesworks have been granted outline planning permission. Efforts are under way to re-establish the capacity of the Octric Semiconductors factory in Newton Aycliffe which was rescued from potential closure by the Ministry of Defence last year. RFA Lyme Bay has returned home to the North East Tyne for the first time in over 15 years to undergo upgrades at the A&P Tyne yard in Hebburn. Sterling Pharma Solutions is to expand into an adjacent building in Cramlington which used to be occupied by Tommee Tippee - ending “fake news” rumours that the building was being converted to use as a holding area for immigrants. UK Land Estates has started work on a £6.5 million warehousing unit at their Team Valley Trading Estate, their largest speculative build in recent years. Blyth-based Draeger Safety, which has already announced a multi-million pound expansion plan, has reported a 4% increase in turnover and a 4% drop in operating profit.
THE WIDER VIEW
No entry signs
The number of entry-level positions in the UK has fallen by a third since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, according to data released by jobs website Adzuna.
The biggest losses were in retail, which saw a 78% drop, followed by logistics, warehousing and administration.
The decline coincides with growing concern over the impact of AI on the workforce, says Business Matters magazine. BT said last year that it would replace up to 10,000 jobs with AI by the end of the decade.
The news comes after The Telegraph reported earlier this month that graduate hiring in the City had also dropped off dramatically since the launch of ChatGPT.
Sign of the Times
I practice what I preach and subscribe to several media publications - including Byline Times, which uses a mix of investigative journalism, commentary, and reader-funded reporting to bring you “what the papers don’t say”.
Co-founder Pere Jukes painted a stark picture this week as he appealed for more financial support: “While it was a crucial source of growth in our early days, social media is now a direct threat to Byline Times. Thanks to Elon Musk turning Twitter into X – a right-wing troll factory – our referrals from a former major source of traffic are down 70% year on year. Facebook, too, quietly buries stories and investigations.
“The tech bros are punishing news organisations with their algorithms. They want to keep you contained in their walled gardens, hooked on clickbait and outrage. They don’t want the accountability, scrutiny, and fact-finding that come with real journalism.
“They certainly don’t want you supporting us, or any other news organisation raising their head above the parapet and holding them to account. We’ve done that extensively in recent editions, and we’re not going to stop. #BigTechFightBack.”
Slow down
Lots of people play audiobooks and podcasts at faster speeds. The benefits are obvious, but researchers are uncovering downsides.
Stats life
Football fans love their statistics. Some make grim reading, however. Fewer than 1% of academy players at England’s 92 professional clubs will ever get a single minute of first-team football.
Around 1.5million children play organised youth football in England, but only around 180 of them — 0.012% — will realise their dreams of signing a professional contract with a Premier League club. An academy will typically start at under-nine level and by 16 — when players are eligible to receive two-year scholarships — around half of all players will drop out of the system.
Of those remaining, just one in six will play the game professionally by the age of 21. Only one of every 200 players who enter the academy system will have a career in football.
Those numbers paint a broad picture but ignore myriad personal stories and struggles, reports The Athletic. Psychological distress, including increased risk of addiction and mental health problems, is common. Many struggle to watch football post-release, as it renews their sense of rejection and failure.
Bananas - to put it mildly
A few months ago Eyes & Ears brought you the story of the crypto billionaire Justin Sun who paid $6.2m for a banana duct-taped to a wall – then ate the ‘artwork’.
The Observer has been digging more into the man who has pumped many millions into the coffers of Donald Trump.
They report: “Over the past four years, Sun has been investigated or charged by multiple US agencies in relation to allegations including fraud and market manipulation. He has denied all charges on multiple occasions.
“Since the Trump administration came into power, all investigations into Sun have been shelved. And instead of facing greater scrutiny, it appears the crypto mogul now finds himself closer than ever to the seat of American power.”
Not again
The day Lehman Brothers went bust, heralding the start of the 2008 financial crisis, was a psyche-scarring event for those of us over 40, reports the FT. Now, fears are growing that the next financial crisis is on the horizon. Here’s how it could start.