Author: Graeme Pallister
Graeme Pallister
Graeme Pallister spent fifteen years in operations management across the North East before he started writing about the businesses that kept the region running. He came up through logistics at a mid-sized haulage firm on the Team Valley, moved into procurement at an engineering outfit near the Tyne, and ended up running supply chain for a renewables contractor during the offshore wind build-out. He left the corporate side in 2021 and started covering North East business because most of the people writing about it had never seen the inside of a Gateshead warehouse at six in the morning. He writes about manufacturing, construction, logistics, and the firms between the Tyne and the Tees that rarely make the nationals but employ half the region. Graeme lives in Jesmond with his wife and two lurchers. He thinks the phrase "levelling up" should have been retired in 2022, and that anybody who describes Newcastle as "up and coming" has not been paying attention.
Newcastle United ended their pre-season programme with a penalty shootout defeat to Strasbourg at St James’ Park, but the Aladji Bamba Newcastle performance gave Matthias Jaissle plenty to smile about after a 1-1 draw that went to spot-kicks. Will Osula had opened the scoring with a header past Strasbourg goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, only for Gessime Yassine to equalise in the second half and force a shootout to decide the VisitMalta Trophy. Sean Neave and Bazoumana Toure converted for Newcastle, but misses from Osula, Jacob Ramsey and Bamba proved costly as Strasbourg goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen saved two of five and the…
The Virgo season horoscope week of 16 August brings two key celestial shifts: a First Quarter Moon in Scorpio on 19 August, then the Sun’s move from Leo into Virgo on 22 August. After last week’s eclipse rattled the skies, this week is comparatively quiet, but that does not mean nothing is happening.Before Virgo takes over, the Sun is still burning through Leo, and as People notes, that Leo energy has been putting confidence, visibility and personal expression front and centre, unapologetic in its desire to take the lead. That fire-sign swagger carries through until Saturday, so use it.The First…
East Coast Main Line disruption brought Sunday morning rail travel to a crawl between Newcastle and Darlington, with overrunning engineering works blocking the line from shortly after 08:00 and knocking four operators off schedule. LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express and CrossCountry all reported delays and cancellations as a result.National Rail initially warned disruption would last until 09:30. A further update at 09:39 confirmed lines had reopened but advised that trains may still be cancelled or delayed while the service recovered. The expected end of disruption was then revised to 10:00, before a final update at 10:09 confirmed the incident had cleared.What…
A 17-year-old from Stanley has put himself squarely in contention for a Mason Miley Premier League debut against Liverpool next Sunday, with Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle making clear he would not hesitate to hand the teenager the nod if form demands it.Miley caught the eye against Bayer Leverkusen in pre-season, completing a man-of-the-match performance alongside his brother Lewis before going off with cramp. Jaissle pulled the youngster in for a hug at full time and then used his attitude as a direct message to the senior dressing room.’I was really happy,’ Jaissle told Chronicle Live. ‘Mason did an…
The Miley and Steur midfield partnership got its first run-out against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, and for everyone backing Newcastle United’s bold rebuild, it was exactly the kind of glimpse they had been waiting for.Lewis Miley and Sean Steur started together in a 2-1 pre-season defeat to Leverkusen, and the combination turned heads. Miley looked a physical force in the middle of the park, winning the ball and showing the quality the club have spoken about in private all summer. Steur, the teenager, was positive from first whistle to last: always looking to go forward, consistently threading passes into the…
The National Lottery Lotto draw is live tonight with a £3.5 million jackpot on the line, and all eyes are on the numbers. Draws take place at 8pm for Lotto and 8.15pm for Thunderball, so if you have your ticket, now is the time to check.Entry costs £2 per play. That stake puts you in the running for a life-changing sum and, just as usefully, contributes to a funding stream that raises around £30 million every week for good causes across the UK.Tonight’s National Lottery Lotto Draw at a GlanceThe Lotto jackpot tonight stands at £3.5 million. Miss out on…
Lewis Miley’s Lewis Miley Leverkusen debut arrived at St James’ Park on Saturday, but the afternoon took a sour turn within 45 seconds as Ibrahim Maza worked space onto his left foot and lashed the ball past Lukas Hornicek to put Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 up before barely a bead of sweat had been shed.Miley lined up alongside new signing Sean Steur in central midfield, with Mason Miley (who has had an excellent pre-season) getting the nod at right-back. The Miley brothers starting together was one of the pre-match storylines, but it was the early concession that dominated the opening exchanges…
The UK wildfire emergency alert sent to millions of phones across England and Wales on Friday evening has triggered an unprecedented government response: a nationwide ban on disposable barbecues, the deployment of around 100 military personnel to South Wales, and a commitment to emergency funding for overstretched fire and rescue services.Prime Minister Andy Burnham issued the alert after visiting Stourbridge in the West Midlands, where wildfires caused widespread destruction. ‘I was in Stourbridge today and saw first-hand the devastating impact these fires have had on people’s homes and lives,’ he wrote on X. ‘Our priority now is to keep everyone…
Christian Kofane Newcastle scouting goes live today as the Magpies host Bayer Leverkusen at St James’ Park, giving Matthias Jaissle and his recruitment team a front-row seat to assess the 20-year-old forward Leverkusen are believed to have valued at €100m (£87m) this summer.The game is the opening fixture of the VisitMalta Weekender, and the timing could not be more useful for Newcastle. Sporting director Ross Wilson has just over two weeks of the transfer window left to work with, and while a full-back and a centre midfielder remain his primary targets, adding an attacking player before the deadline is also…
If you are putting together your Italy travel packing essentials this summer, the Amazon rabbit hole is deep and mostly unhelpful. Here is the edit that has actually been road-tested across European destination weddings, beach days, and 9pm dinners, curated down to the 20 items genuinely worth the luggage space.The Italy Travel Packing Essentials That Pull the Most WeightStart with the clothes, because they have to work hardest. Levi’s Women’s 501 Original Shorts ($30) are the anchor piece: they dress up or down, handle a beach day and a restaurant dinner equally well, and take up almost no space. Pair…