In Newcastle, located in northeast England, we arrived on a cold and grey November day. We were about to visit One NorthEast to ensure the opportunities for companies wanting to establish themselves in the region.
The visit was arranged by Rachel Blandford-Newson. If the weather was cold and windy, the people were the opposite.
Rachel said that the region is working very actively to get companies to establish there. An offer of free office space during six months was one of the opportunities they offered global companies. In order to reach out to global companies, they have hired consultants in several countries around the world. In Sweden they have Gun-Marie Axelsson involved through various activities in the region.
Rachel had done an extensive program for the two days we spent in Newcastle. All the meetings went great, also when we met Caroline Theobald who was the Swedish diplomat in the region.
We were surprised when it turned out that she was from England but she told me she had several relatives who were Swedes. Her driving force was that she simply loved Sweden. In my opinion, it is amazing that there are people who take on these assignments since they are completely non-profit missions.
The feeling about Newcastle is a lot like the feeling about Sweden, both when it comes to the people and environment. Right now they are working actively to bring in the energy and environmental technologies to the region. But the competition is great from other countries so right now there is an ongoing global struggle for these companies.
Newcastle is a good option if you want to enter the UK market. The cost is a fraction of what an establishment in London would cost. The people seemed outgoing and happy and every taxi driver was talking about football as an important part of many people's everyday lives. But they thought it was too expensive to go to the matches. The entrance was forty pounds which was too expensive according to one taxi driver.
Cecilia Helland