Formerly known as Whickham Villa LLP, the business has expanded and developed new services to cater for the needs of younger people with disabilities.

Queen Elizabeth obtained a lease of the manors and coal mines of Gateshead and Whickham, which she soon transferred to the Earl of Leicester.

His trademark is waving at motorists, a habit so well-known in Gateshead that he is known locally as the Waving Lollipop Man of Whickham.