A Brilliant Bonfire Night with WorkWell

WorkWell on November 25, 2024

This year’s bonfire was a resounding success, bustling with over 400 WorkWell members from Carrwood Park and Brookfield Court, along with family and friends. It was a fantastic evening filled with community spirit, lively conversations, and a great celebration to start off the winter season.

Held by  Carrwood Park, the evening was another excellent bonfire night, with an incredible display of fireworks and bonfire to warm up beside. Members had the pleasure of tucking into some fantastic traditional dishes, from hearty pie and peas to sweet slices of parkin—all catered by the magnificent Wilson’s Pies. The delicious food added to the festive mood, ensuring no one left with an empty stomach.

“It was a fantastic evening made even better by the clear skies and mild weather—no rain or cold to dampen the fun!” – Nathan Walker, team member at WorkWell.

The night wasn’t just about fireworks; it also served as an invaluable icebreaker, offering members from a variety of sectors a relaxed setting to connect outside the usual office environment.

This event fosters a strong sense of community and provides an excellent opportunity to build positive working relationships—essential for attracting and retaining high-performing teams. By strengthening these connections, the evening helped cultivate a genuine sense of belonging within WorkWell, supporting the development of a collaborative and motivated workforce.

The relaxed atmosphere encouraged a healthy work-life balance and helped people reconnect with company values in a fresh way. These informal gatherings can spark stronger teamwork, aligning everyone with the company culture while strengthening bonds across teams.

We want to express our gratitude to all the members and family who attended the event. We also want to give an extra special thank you to the WorkWell team whose hard work made the night unforgettable – we’re already counting down to our next celebration with the WorkWell community.

Leeds serviced office provider launches new workspace solutions to address our new way of working

WorkWell on July 16, 2024

Leeds-based serviced office provider, WorkWell, has launched a series of new products which have all been designed to address the changes to the ways in which people are now working, following the coronavirus pandemic.

For the last 16 months, the majority of office workers across Leeds, and beyond, have been working in isolation at home. For many businesses across the region, working from home is only a temporary solution. Many are keen to get back to the office as the last year has brought to the forefront just how important team collaboration and working environment is to the performance of their teams.

WorkWell, who operate two serviced office sites, Carrwood Park and Brookfield Park, on the outskirts of Leeds, have been working closely with their customers over the last year to determine how they and their teams perform best, given that many have been working remotely for over 12 months.

One finding that has been highlighted is that working environment matters and that staff perform better at work when they have the right environment in which to do so.

For many, the pandemic has made both senior management and staff lose sight of their company values and culture and now need an environment in which to bring everyone together to help realign them.

In response to this and to support its customers workplace strategy, WorkWell has created a series of products and flexible ways to purchase which all focus on space with purpose. They have also recently launched a new website to reflect the new offering.

Even before the start of the pandemic, the serviced office provider has been ahead of the curve and focused it’s offering around more than just providing a room. They are passionate about helping advise customers on how to create an environment that gets the best out of their staff.

WorkWell owner and managing director, Oliver Corrigan said: “Even before the start of the pandemic we had very few companies come to us for a standard office set up. Many of the companies we speak to, particularly now, are much more concerned about re-engaging and retaining their staff and re-establishing a culture that may have been lost while working from home.

“What we’re talking to our customers about, as many return to the office, is creating space with a purpose. Businesses don’t take office space because they need a room, they take it for a team, and that space has to serve the team. So, where we begin is actually looking more closely at what actually happens within that space before offering a solution. For many years now, commercial office space has been designed for the investors, the people that pay the bill, rather than the people that use it. In no other industry will you find so little regard for the people who use the space, and so little thought given to how they actually want to use it.

“Flexibility is at the core of our new solutions, we’d don’t just look at the business as a whole, but the needs of the individuals within the business. Our offering is therefore unique, many other serviced office providers are unable to offer the flexible product mix that we can due to our size and location.”

By offering a variety of workspace options and ways to purchase, including space on demand, membership and partnership product options, WorkWell is providing customers with flexible solutions and access to the right space for them.

Oliver added: “Our goal is to get the asset set up right, and to do this we need to first determine why the customer needs the service, look at the company objectives and tailor the assets around that. Once we establish the primary reason they use the space, we’ll package our offering in a way that complements their working style, whether that’s a full-time membership package or space on demand.”

For more information on WorkWell’s new products visit:

https://www.workwelloffices.com/products-places/

WorkWell invests half a million pounds to redevelop Brookfield House 

WorkWell on July 16, 2024

Tailored office providers, WorkWell, is celebrating 50% occupancy pre-let, following a £500,000 investment to redevelop the Leeds-based 18-century manor. 

Purchased by the Corrigan family in 2002, Brookfield House has been the home to Leeds-based businesses for the last 21 years. Currently undergoing an extensive renovation, the office space is set to open in September 2023 and is already signing up new customers ahead of its launch.

Located next to Brookfield Court on Selby Road, the renovation of Brookfield House will create access between the two impressive red-brick office buildings, and will feature new office space, an open plan kitchen, a new reception and additional meeting space including two new meeting rooms and a 16-person boardroom available to the public for corporate bookings.

Oliver Corrigan, Managing Director at WorkWell, said: “Brookfield House has proudly been a part of the WorkWell portfolio for many years, and my family has personally farmed the area for 50 plus years, so we’re thrilled to be able to create a greater future for the building while respecting its incredible past.

“At WorkWell we’re proud to offer a different way of working with Leeds businesses. Our approach is not just about offering an office space with four walls. Each office park within our portfolio perfectly balances aesthetics with functionality, to create a purpose-designed office space which aligns with our member’s company values and purpose.”

Designed by northern-based creatives, Ekho Studio, the former manor house will combine impressive aesthetics with performance-enhancing technology and will feature 9,000 square feet of workable space set amongst 100 acres of accessible countryside.

To book a viewing of Brookfield House, visit our contact us page: https://info.workwelloffices.com/contact-us 

7 Reasons we love to do Business in Leeds

WorkWell on August 2, 2016

“Leeds is probably the best place in the UK to be working right now.” Now there’s a statement and it was one made just this time last year by BahGum, a social network for careers, companies and job seekers.

It’s no secret that in recent years more and more of Britain’s top employers have been setting up a home in Leeds. And being home to the likes of HSBC subsidiary First Direct, Yorkshire Bank, more than 200 law firms, not to mention a myriad of innovative technology companies and start-ups, it’s hardly surprising Leeds has gained a justifiable crown of being regarded as being probably the best place in the UK to work right now, where jobs are “plentiful, meaningful and successful.”

WorkWell takes a look at how and why Leeds has become widely known as the ‘London of the North’ and whether you’re starting a business in Leeds or are already well-established, seven reasons why it makes sense to do business in Leeds.

Leeds’ thriving business history

Even in the medieval times, Leeds showed entrepreneurial vision. Medieval Leeds was flourishing, with carpenters, bakers, butchers, blacksmiths and a weekly market, crafting a colourful commercial medieval landscape. Though the main industry in Leeds in medieval times was wool-weaving.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the woollen cloth industry started to flourish in Leeds, which escalated and grew more prosperous throughout the 17th century. The city began to experiment in other industries and in 1770 Leeds pottery scene began. As Local Histories writes, craftsmen such as clockmakers, booksellers, jewellers and coach makers, all set up shop in Leeds.

During the early 1900s, engineering and tailoring were amongst the many industries in Leeds prospering, with big brands like Montague Burtons and Hepworth’s making Leeds their home. By the end of the century Leeds had also become a primary hub in the UK for banking, insurance, pubs and hotels, and remains so today.

Leeds Business School

Another reason doing business in Leeds makes sense can be pinned on the presence of Leeds Business School. Leeds Business School is a faculty of the University of Leeds and is a member of the Russel Group of research-intensive universities. The School of Business and Economic Studies was established in 1997 and the Faculty of Business in 2003.

This ‘triple accredited’ Business School is placed in the top one percent of business schools across the globe and according to the findings of the Research Excellence Framework 2014, Leeds Business School is a top ten UK business and management research institution.

Each year, Leeds Business School sees undergraduates, Masters, MBA, PhD and executive education level students from over 80 countries graduating with great qualifications. Some of its most notable alumni include Peter Jackson, former Kingfisher plc CEO and Chairman, Stephan Daintith, Chief Financial Officer of the Daily Mail and general Trust, and John Hirst, former CEO of the Met Office, amongst many more.

Fantastic networking scene

Being such a business-centred city, Leeds is awash with opportunities for networking. In fact barely a day goes by without some kind of business networking event going on.

If you’re looking for business networking in Leeds, look no further than the Yorkshire Mafia. Putting on numerous networking events, the Yorkshire Mafia encourages executives and stakeholders from the Yorkshire business community to network, meet, greet, share experiences, learn, build and do business.

The Yorkshire Mafia was founded in November 2008 and is built around the LinkedIn community. It provides a fantastic opportunity for small business to acquire the necessary skills to take their business further from established entrepreneurs.

Leeds is home to great A-level results

If you’re looking for exceptionally bright new recruits brimming with ideas and innovation, then you’ll be pleased to know that Leeds tends to nurture great A-Level results. Or if you are looking for a college to assist you in getting good A-Level results, Leeds has a lot to offer.

For example, Leeds City College has a reputation for achieving good A-Level results. In 2014 Leeds City College garnered a 98% overall A-Level pass rate, with two thirds of A-Level programmes achieving 100% pass rates.

Great travel links to and from Leeds

Another reason it makes sense to do business in Leeds is due to the fact the city enjoys a comprehensive travel network.

As we wrote in our blog about city centre offices versus those located on the outskirts of town, with major motorways leading into Leeds, a major railway network and with a myriad of bus routes taking travellers in and out of the city centre, travel to and around Leeds is easy.

Visit Leeds states the merits of Leeds’s travel links, saying:

“Getting to Leeds is incredibly easy. Located in the heart of the UK, Leeds is one of the country’s most accessible cities.”

Reap the benefits of a city centre

We also love to do business in Leeds due to the fact you can enjoy all the benefits of conducting business in a vibrant, busy and pioneering city. What’s more, Leeds is a happy city. A recent poll, by The Sun we hesitantly admit, voted Leeds as the second happiest place to live in Britain.

As the Guardian writes in its report titled ‘Living here in Leeds to happiness’:

“Leeds is big but small, a city but green, Yorkshire but every bit as diverse as London.”

And we all know what a happy workforce nurtures…. A more loyal and productive workforce – that’s definitely good business!

Business parks in Leeds

The final reason we love to do business in Leeds is because of the many quality, well-facilitated, well-located and professional business parks dotted in and around the city.

If you’re looking for a business centre in Leeds, you never have to travel far until you find a first-rate business park designed to help a company do what they do best – carry out their business.

One such place is WorkWell, where you’ll find premium serviced offices and meeting rooms on the outskirts of Leeds. We provide first-rate services in our offices and meeting rooms, with easy access to the M1, M62 and City Centre.

Download our travel and meeting rooms guide for more information about WorkWell.