North East born Hairy Biker, Si King, has added his voice to a new promotional campaign from NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI).
A series of short films, narrated by the Hairy Biker, form part of a wider project to promote local, independent food and drink businesses as they recover from the pandemic.
In A Taste of Gateshead, Si King introduces viewers to five separate films where the people behind these diverse food and drink related businesses go on to tell their own stories of how they were founded, through to what visitors can expect – from serving food created using local and fresh, sustainable ingredients to beers that are brewed just minutes along the road from where they are served.
Ian Thomas, Destination Director with NGI said:
“The food and drink sector is a hugely important and staple part of the visitor economy in NewcastleGateshead, making up more than a third of visitor spend, and this campaign is part of the city’s commitment to supporting the sector and promoting our independent and diverse businesses such as those highlighted in the new films.
“This series of films is just one aspect of a campaign funded by Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council that NGI is leading and is a vital contribution in support of the visitor economy. The campaign has also focused on delivering and distributing brand-new content to shine a light on our food and drink offer, as well as hosting a series of travel writers and influencers.”
Hairy Biker, Si King said:
“It’s such a pleasure to be involved with the project. It’s important to communicate the amazing produce, producers and hospitality we have in Gateshead and Newcastle. We should be rightly proud and it’s up to us in the North East to tell the nation about it and anyone who stands still long enough to listen. I’m always proud to welcome people to my home cities because I know they’ll have a really good time. It’s what we do and we do it like no one else in the country.”
The creation of “Proudly Independent with a Flavour of Our Own” is another aspect of the marketing campaign NGI has developed to promote independent food and drink businesses and is a short film about a foodie city break in Newcastle.
The film has been produced with Food & Drink North East and follows two couples over the course of a day, starting with breakfast at Jesmond Dene House hotel and taking in a wide range of the city’s independent food and drink establishments; it has been created with a North East soundtrack of Kathryn Tickell’s Peter Man.
Peter Udall, Strategic Director with Gateshead Council said:
“The food and drink project is helping promote independent businesses in the sector as they recover from the pandemic while at the same time making people from outside of the region aware of the fantastic food and drink scene that we have in NewcastleGateshead. We’re confident our food and drink offering is among the many reasons people choose NewcastleGateshead for an overnight stay.”
Newcastle City Council’s Director of Place, Michelle Percy, said:
“The food and drink industry in the North East employs many local people and is an important contributor to the region’s economy. Like many industries it was hit hard by the pandemic but is now emerging with real creativity and flair.
“This is a great project as it showcases many of the human stories behind these independent businesses which help make NewcastleGateshead a great place to visit.”
To date, the films have been viewed almost 500,000 times and they can be viewed on NewcastleGateshead’s YouTube food and drink playlist