I thought I knew quite a lot about the area before I attended the Welcome to NewcastleGateshead training course. I’ve lived in the North East for over 21 years. How wrong I was!
There were 10 of us on the course from a mix of backgrounds, which made the day all the more interesting. The trainer –Fiona O’Connor, a freelance facilitator in leadership development – was excellent. She’d been running the course for several years, updating it each time.
The morning session
Having introduced ourselves we were each issued with a reference workbook packed full of images and useful facts and figures. We explored the history of the region, NewcastleGateshead today, what to see and do, where to eat etc – using a range of training techniques: videos, quiz’s, sharing experiences etc. The training even included quirky facts such as Lucozade was invented here, as was the first flavoured crisp (vinegar flavour)! However, the best part for me was at the end of the morning when we had to put ourselves in the shoes of different types of visitors to the region and decide what they (not me!) would want to experience. We also worked in (very competitive) teams throughout the morning.
The venue – The Biscuit Factory – was the perfect host. A large meeting room, refreshments and a very tasty lunch – not forgetting a great start to the day with the best bacon buttie I have eaten in ages!
The City Tour
Each time they run the Welcome to NewcastleGateshead training course, the afternoon part is a ‘city tour’. Our one was the new ‘Back to the Future’ tour close by, run by the Ouseburn Trust. The guides were very informative and enthusiastically took us up the Ouseburn Valley towards the Tyne and back. They really knew their stuff and were pointing out all sorts of things along the way. Every time were turned a corner, there was yet another fascinating piece of history. Luckily the rain held off until just after we finished!
I hadn’t been to the Ouseburn for a while and I couldn’t believe how much it had changed, what an interesting history it has had and how much there is to see and do. I’ll be going back soon!
It was a really enjoyable, interactive course that has already been useful in my work. I learnt a lot and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone working directly or indirectly with visitors to the north east region.
Click here to find out about our next Welcome to NewcastleGateshead training dates and book your place.