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’s bid to sit alongside the Newcastle United Big Six conversation has taken a serious turn in the opening weeks of the season. Three matches played, unbeaten, and a 2-0 win at a Tottenham side that spent £322m this summer to get there. The jury that wrote off this club in June is looking decidedly uncomfortable.What Newcastle United’s Big Six rivals actually spentContext matters here. Tottenham are the second-highest spenders in the division this summer, behind only Chelsea. Their outlay includes a club record £85m on Mateus Fernandes, then broken again with a deal for Sandro Tonali that could…
The Jupiter trine Saturn August aspect is the headline move of the week, landing on Monday 1 September and giving every sign a window to turn effort into actual progress. The eclipses are done, but the ripple effects of last Friday’s lunar eclipse in Pisces are still running through the week, so expect the ground to keep shifting under your feet even as the overall astrology settles down.Why the Jupiter Trine Saturn August Aspect Actually MattersThis is not a routine transit. According to The Cut, Jupiter moved into Leo on 30 June and will remain there until 2027, opening a…
The Wissa Jaissle Spurs win gave Newcastle United their first opening away-day victory in six years, and Matthias Jaissle used it to send a clear message: enjoy it, but keep your feet on the ground.Anthony Elanga broke the deadlock after more than an hour of limited creativity from Newcastle, and Yoane Wissa’s overhead kick made it 2-0. The result lifted United into the Premier League Champions League places, but Jaissle was careful not to let the mood spiral out of control.’We have our own goals and we are clear with that. We are also realistic,’ Jaissle said. ‘Now you write…
Elanga and Wissa revitalised: that is the early-season verdict on Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle United, after a 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium underlined just how quickly his ideas are landing on Tyneside. Yoane Wissa scored his first goal of the season on Saturday, hooking the ball past Antonin Kinsky after Nick Woltemade headed down Lewis Hall’s inswinging corner. Anthony Elanga had opened the scoring earlier, turning past Sandro Tonali and sweeping a left-footed finish off the post and in. Two players, two goals, one message: the new manager is getting through. Wissa names Jaissle his ‘best signing’ after Spurs win…
The Gateshead Northumbria inpatient survey results are in, and both trusts have landed in the national top tier, the only non-specialist hospital trusts among 12 highest-rated in England. The Care Quality Commission’s annual inpatient survey, which quizzes patients who spent at least one night in hospital, placed Gateshead Health NHS Trust and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust among the standout performers across the country.For Northumbria Healthcare, the recognition is nothing new. According to the Northumberland Gazette, the trust has now been recognised as a top performer for a fourth year in a row, a run that covers hospitals serving Northumberland…
Newcastle Tottenham Premier League action arrives this Saturday teatime as the Magpies make their first competitive away trip under Matthias Jaissle, heading to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a fixture loaded with subplots.Top of the list: Sandro Tonali. The midfielder left St James’ Park in the summer to join Spurs in a £100m deal, and this will be his first meeting with Newcastle since that move. He is expected to feature, and if Jaissle hands new signing Nico Gonzalez a start, the midfield battle between the two could define the afternoon.Newcastle Tottenham Premier League build-up: the numbers that matterNewcastle arrive…
A cooperation agreement signed in London this month has drawn Turkish research on waste reduction and resource efficiency into the capital’s international climate calendar, ahead of the COP31 summit. The deal, agreed between The Zero Waste Foundation and London Climate Action Week, formalises exchange on zero waste and circular economy work between the two organisations and gives Türkiye’s research a direct link into the London-based network that brings together government, business, finance, academia and civil society during the annual event. The protocol, signed on 17 August, followed the launch ten days earlier of a book examining how zero waste principles…
Mike Waller Trenchers pianist and beloved fixture at Whitley Bay’s Spanish City Dome has died, with tributes flooding in from diners who built lasting memories around his music. Spanish City announced his passing on their Facebook page on Thursday, describing it as ‘a very heavy heart’ moment for everyone connected to the venue.Mike was the resident pianist at Trenchers, the fish and chip restaurant inside the Spanish City Dome, where his playing became as much a part of the experience as the food itself. Guests arriving for lunch or an evening meal would find him at the keys, trademark striped…
Middlesbrough FC will hold a pre-match tribute to Pc Matthew Blades and Pc Tom Clough as part of the Middlesbrough FC A66 tribute ahead of Saturday’s 12.30pm home fixture against West Bromwich Albion, following the deaths of the two Cleveland Police officers in last weekend’s head-on collision.Pc Blades, aged 37, and Pc Clough, aged 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way on the A66 at South Bank collided with their vehicle. Cole Worthy, 17; Theo Rae, 17; Makai Saddington, 18; and 23-year-olds Michael Cahill and Jakub Matusiak also died in the crash.What Middlesbrough FC said about…
The Pinterest Newsroom has published its Pinterest hobbies trend report for 2026, and the data is clear: people are putting down their phones, picking up a craft, and actually doing the things they see online. Whether that’s pressing flowers, brewing homemade coffee syrups or learning to read tarot cards, the appetite for hands-on, offline activity is growing fast.The report draws on Pinterest’s internal global search data, comparing searches made in May 2026 with those made in May 2025, according to Elle Decor. That year-on-year window makes the percentage jumps all the more telling. These aren’t niche micro-trends quietly ticking up.…