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Creative Cities

At a glance: Newcastle creative hubs

June 18, 2015 | 5 min read

Newcastle is home to some of Britain's biggest game developers and has an array of tech and creative hubs to support start-ups and creative SMEs in the North East.

We took a look at some of the biggest and most popular hubs in the region to find out what they have to offer those eager to create the next big thing.

Toffee Factory

Owned by Newcastle City Council and managed by Creative Space Management, the Toffee Factory is an attractive place to be for any North East tech company. It offers flexible working space, including shared offices perfect for start-ups, and large individual offices ideal for bigger companies. The venue also contains an outdoor area to host external events and is easily accessible via public transport links.

Residents can access their office space twenty-four-seven, making international business and flexible working much easier to accommodate. The Toffee Factory also offers office-share opportunities which can provide start-ups and freelancers with a professional work space for less than £10 per day. As if all that wasn’t enough, residents also have easy access to meeting and communal spaces. To find out more, visit the Toffee Factory online.

Campus North

Campus North sells itself as a community and not just a work space and with over 150 founders and occupants, this hive of creativity is clearly buzzing. Campus North is a creative and digital hub with a number of flexible working solutions to suit a variety of needs; from hot-desking, to individual office space.

The hub is open to anyone in the creative and digital industries and offers space for hire, giving start-ups the ability to meet clients in a professional working environment. Creative and digital technology is at the heart of Newcastle and Campus North aims to provide its community with a place to develop from a young age. The venue even hosts coding lessons for children aged between 9-11. For more information on this hub, visit the Campus North website.

Hoults Yard

Hoults Yard is a new twist on an old building. With its recent renovation and refurbishment, the office and workshop space provides its occupants with modern necessities in a historic surrounding.

However, it’s not just creative companies that utilize the space at Hoults Yard. With event, storage, studio, warehouse and meeting space available within its walls the venue regularly attracts travel, engineering and manufacturing companies as well as charitable organisations.

Hoults Yard holds over 500 employees from around 100 different companies and prides itself on the community it's forged with residents. The venue boasts flexible workspaces and meeting rooms for hire and its doors are open twenty-four-seven to accommodate diverse working hours. On-site warehouses can house heavy machinery or be used for storage or events and the space is perfect for design-focused companies or those looking to build prototypes. For more details, visit the Hoults Yard online.

The Core

Opening in November 2014, the Core provides office space to its clients in Newcastle’s Science Centre, offering creative and digital companies around-the-clock access all year round. The hub offers residents shared office space and free meeting and communal areas.

The local science and technology centre nearby can hold up to 150 people and is available for clients to use throughout the year in between hosting its own events. The Core also has strong bonds with Newcastle and Northumbria Universities and helps to bridge the gap between academics and industry professionals.

Set in a city which boasts one of the fastest growing science and technology industries in the UK, the Core may be considered a flagship for digital and creative hubs in the North East. Visit the Core online for more details.

All of the hubs mentioned above provide start-ups and growing businesses office space to develop ideas and boost the creative industries which supports the UK economy. Many of the hubs also back accelerators in the region, more information on the accelerators provided by Creative England can be found here.

By Richard Bolton, Online Digital Marketing Apprentice. Creative England

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