A note from Our Chairman

It is my very great pleasure and privilege to accept the post of Chairman of the Freemen of the City of Newcastle. On your behalf, I want to provide leadership which will strengthen the Freemen and help and encourage all Freemen and the wider public to recognise the relevance of the Freemen of Newcastle in the 21st Century, also, to be aware of, and appreciate, the diverse and important work we do for the benefit of the City, the public and the environment. We should never underestimate the value of the effort and support that you as Freemen give to enable this to continue into the future. Our priorities over the coming months will be to ensure our Operational activities continue and are sustainable, bearing in mind our strong commitment to protect our open spaces, the environment and biodiversity, including climate change mitigation; we will strengthen and widen our business partnership network to ensure we take advantage of the many opportunities available to us. We will have a transparent and open communication style.

It’s fair to say, we have a lot of work to do; I’m delighted to say we have a very strong and skilled Stewards Committee who are keen to ensure ongoing and future success.

With that in mind, I think it’s high time you met the rest of the team who work so diligently on our behalf, and whilst it’s fair to say we all roll our sleeves up to get the job done, we each have specific skill sets we bring to the table:

Jim Johnson Tanners, Hostmen Keith Hall Masters and Mariners, Hostmen, Colliers Chris Atkinson Ropemakers

Jim has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the rules, regulations and the whole of the Town Moor estate and keeps us all on track. He provides oversight in the office for admin and IT matters but perhaps Jim’s most important role is Events Manager. He is on the Town Moor Joint Working Group, has an excellent relationship with all of our event and business partners and works exceptionally long hours to keep things – especially events such as the Hoppings - running smoothly. Jim, his sons and now his grandsons are NUFC nuts! For many years, Keith was a trustee of the St Mary Magdalene and Holy Jesus Hospital and was instrumental in project managing the building of 49 fabulous new bungalows on the estate. He is the Chairman of the Town Moor Money Charity (TMMC) which has provided much needed financial assistance for thousands of Freemen and their widows over the years. Keith has completed 29 Great North Runs so far, raising thousands for charity and is looking forward to his 30th GNR next year. Chris has particular interest in all construction and infrastructure projects. Chris provides expert advice on issues relating to the property portfolio such as Guildhall, Blue House and Moor Bank Lodge to name a few. He also provides invaluable input to projects involving the history of Newcastle and is a trustee of TMMC. Chris has been an associate of the Great Run Company for almost 40 years Chris, is grandad to the lovely Grace, who we met in Issue 24

Alan Bainbridge Goldsmiths, Hostmen

Phil Powell - Masons

Helen Birkett Cordwainers, Hostmen

David Waugh Upholsters, Hostmen

Paul Anderson Bricklayers, Wallers and Plasterers, Hostmen

Kevin Batey - Town Moor Superintendent

Alan organises the Annual Lord Mayor’s Parade, liaising with the Lord Mayor’s Office and St Nicholas’s Cathedral. Alan has extensive knowledge of the whole Freemen estate and provides expert advice on local and community activities and leads on our Allotment Estate Management. He is also a Trustee of the St Mary Magdalene and Holy Jesus Trust. Alan’s daughter Lesley was one of the first women to be sworn in as a Freeman

Phil has a wealth of management, HR and finance skills and experience and is the best possible choice to provide line management support to our staff. Phil stepped in when our previous Treasurer was unavailable and more recently, he has provided invaluable CV-19 guidance to ensure safe working practices for the Stewards Committee, staff and Freemen in general. Phil is Vice Chair of TMMC. Phil coaches the Chester-Le-Street Amazelles ladies football team Helen has reviewed the Stewards Committee Governance processes bringing them in line with Charities Commission guidelines and introduced a new Code of Conduct. She leads the Editorial Team which produces the Freemen Magazine and is one of the Facebook admins. She is a Trustee of the St Mary Magdalene and Holy Jesus Trust, setting up and chairing their Residents Committee and is helping to review their governance. Helen is a Reiki Master and Wellness Coach

David is the latest recruit to the Stewards Committee and is our Honorary Treasurer. He is a chartered accountant and therefore professionally qualified for this role. David has revised and significantly improved accounting processes and produces detailed and comprehensive financial reports for Stewards Committee and Guild. David is proud new Grandad to future freeman George Paul enjoyed a career for over forty years as a manager in the NHS and Private hospitals working in the North East and Yorkshire. He is a Trustee and Secretary for the TMMC, Finance Committee member and Trustee of the St Mary Magdalene and Holy Jesus Trust. Paul has also recently taken on the mammoth task as Archivist for the Freemen. Paul is currently researching his family ancestry, and with four young grandsons to date, hopes to see them all sworn in, in due course.

Kevin is responsible for land management of almost 1000 acres of Town Moor. This includes treating and maintaining the grass, grazing, cattle management, liaising with farmers and contractors, fencing, buildings and estate maintenance, drainage and preparing for the many and varied events. The Admin Team, under Kevin’s leadership liaise with the City, Lord Mayor’s office and our other business partners. They keep records up to date and arrange swearing in ceremonies and much, much more…

Finally, the Executive Team wouldn’t be complete without:

Kevin relaxes by fishing and chasing his chickens around the garden.