THAT is not the lobby of a luxury five star hotel in the photograph above.
It is the reception area and some of the meeting space at Copthall Bridge, workspace provider WorkWell’s new office building in Harrogate.
I’m not one for overstating things, but I think the launch of this building is a game changer for the commercial space market in Harrogate.
The building, which neighbours the town’s railway station, was once home to a furniture shop, some nondescript offices and several retail units.
In fact, I used to get my hair done in a hairdressers in the building.
So you can tell how long ago that was.
Stop tittering at the back, I do the jokes here, thank you.
The wealthy spa town is home to plenty of outstanding businesses and talented entrepreneurs but certainly hasn’t had the quality of workspace available that big Northern cities like Leeds and Manchester can offer.
The redevelopment of Copthall Bridge represents a major investment in Harrogate’s commercial landscape and WorkWell has committed £10.5m to transform the site, creating modern, flexible office spaces that cater to businesses of varying sizes.
With options ranging from single desks to 40-person offices, co-working areas, and meeting rooms available for hourly hire, the development is designed to meet the evolving needs of organisations looking for high-quality, adaptable workspaces.
I was involved in the launch event for Copthall Bridge last week, hosting a panel discussion in front of an audience of business leaders exploring how workspaces and company culture can enhance productivity and success.
We brought industry experts together who shared their perspectives on how office environments influence business performance.
Alongside Oliver Corrigan, managing director of WorkWell, we had Rachel Fellows, collaborative CEO at Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate; and Adam Pearson, a well-known sports executive with experience in football and rugby league.
The discussion centred on the role of workspaces in fostering collaboration, well-being, and efficiency.
Before her current leadership role at the much admired family-owned coffee, cafe and Yorkshire Tea business Bettys & Taylors, Rachel Fellows worked for household names like TUI and Kelloggs and I’ve known her since she was head of public relations at supermarket giant Asda during its glory years.
Rachel told the audience that she believes in how company culture and a strong sense of purpose contribute to business success, linking this to the physical environment in which teams operate.
She underscored the importance of spaces that encourage collaboration, creativity, and a sense of belonging among employees, something that has served Bettys & Taylors well over many decades.
Oliver Corrigan highlighted how WorkWell’s approach focuses on creating work environments that provide modern facilities and enhance team productivity and engagement.
With more than two decades of experience in the commercial property sector, he emphasised the importance of well-designed office spaces in enabling businesses to attract and retain talent.
You only have to look around the lobby and shared workspace on the ground floor of the building to see the quality of the facilities with big monitors that you can plug your laptop into and several ‘pods’ for private video calls.
Even the toilets reminded me of a five star hotel with their green tiling and sleek marble sinks.
Adam Pearson, whose career spans roles as chief executive at Leeds United and Derby County and chairman at Hull City, drew on his experience in professional sports to highlight parallels between high-performance teams in business and sport.
Adam, who most recently sold rugby league club Hull FC to successful Yorkshire businessmen Andrew Thirkill and David Hood, spoke about how a positive environment, whether in an office or a sports team, plays a crucial role in motivation, performance, and achieving strategic goals.
His insights added an interesting dimension to the discussion, demonstrating that strong leadership, the right infrastructure, and a supportive culture are fundamental across all sectors.
One of the first tenants at Copthall Bridge is international technology business Mobile Tornado, which has already moved its head office to the site, citing the need for a space that aligns with its growth strategy and hybrid working approach.
Mobile Tornado’s chairman is Jeremy Fenn and its major investor is Peter Wilkinson, the entrepreneur behind Freeserve, Planet Online, InTechnology and Sports Internet, which he sold to Rupert Murdoch Sky for £300m.
Peter, who backed Adam Pearson when he bought Hull City, is a larger than life character so when he positioned him himself in the front row of the audience alongside Jeremy Fenn, who Adam worked with at Leeds United, I wondered if they were going to heckle their old friend.
But Peter was on his best behaviour and reserved his barbs to give me some stick during the drinks reception after the event when attendees attendees had the opportunity to explore Copthall Bridge’s state-of-the-art facilities.
The launch event showcased WorkWell’s commitment to developing office environments that go beyond simply providing a workspace.
It already has locations such as Carrwood Park and Brookfield Park in Leeds and the addition of Copthall Bridge strengthens its portfolio of high-quality office spaces.
I know that entrepreneur Oliver Corrigan is keen to grow WorkWell’s portfolio and he made a move to do that this week with the announcement of the acquisition of the historic Aire Street Workshops near Leeds City Station.
At a time when many firms are wrestling with the challenge of how to get their teams to spend more time in the office rather than working from home, WorkWell’s message that well-designed workplaces are integral to business success, providing a foundation for collaboration, innovation, and employee satisfaction, is bound to resonate strongly.
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LEEDS United hasn’t always got it right when it comes to talent acquisition.
Fans can reel off a long list of players and managers who haven’t cut the mustard for the club.
So it was interesting to see that when club CEO Angus Kinnear announced he would be leaving to take the helm at Premier League Everton at the end of the season, the club’s owners 49ers Enterprises, moved quickly to replace him.
The man chosen is Peter McCormick, a longtime supporter of Leeds United who has previously been the club’s lawyer and was a director there in the 1990s.
As supporters like to sing, McCormick is definitely “one of our own” but this is no heart over head appointment.
There can’t be many people in football who have more experience than Peter.
A vastly experienced lawyer, who still has his own firm in Harrogate, he has held numerous senior positions across The Football Association and Premier League.
Between 2020 and 2023 he was the interim chairman of both the FA and the Premier League.
When I dropped him a line to congratulate him on the new role I wasn’t surprised to learn that he has had hundreds of similar messages.
Peter told me he had been “deeply touched” by the messages of congratulations and support.
He said he feels this is just the right time to do this and is looking forward to spending more time in Yorkshire with his wife Kathryn, a huge support and ally to Peter in building a successful law firm and becoming one of the UK’s leading sports executives.
“I worked out the other night that over the last 11 years of doing Monday to Thursday in London, I have spent almost 2,000 nights in hotels in London!” he told me.
Let’s hope his appointment at Elland Road can coincide with Leeds United promoted to the Premier League this season.
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THE positive feedback from the Rodney Dalton Tribute Lunch I wrote about last week has continued.
Debbie Dobson, the sales director of the Dakota Deluxe Hotel in Leeds, who was a good friend of the great man, said to me: “What a fabulous event from start to finish, Rodney would have absolutely loved it!
“Amazing work David, you should be so proud of the event you delivered.”
Debbie said she knew she would be emotional at the memory of her friend at the event but told me she was pleased she managed to remain “relatively strong” throughout, except for three occasions when there were a few tears.
The first one was when Rodney’s son Henry sang one of his father’s favourite songs on stage, she said the second was when I took my mother’s hand to dance and the third one was when ‘Mr Sous Le Nez’ Robert Chamberlain stood on her toe as they were dancing to the Elvis impersonator.
It made me think that perhaps I should have danced with Robert, rather than my mother.
Well, at least it might have got me a free lunch at Sous Le Nez.
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I WAS telling our film club the other day that as well the Rat Pack tribute act who entertained at the event, the Elvis impersonator Tony Fletcher is only The King in his spare time as he has a full-time job at furniture giant IKEA’s largest European distribution centre, which happens to be in Doncaster.
My friend Stuart Clarke MBE, the founder of Leeds Digital Festival, quipped: “So you went from Rat Pack to flat pack…”
Have a great weekend.