There are not many local businesses that can say they have been going for more than 100 years but Nicholson’s Butchers in Whitley Bay certainly can.
The 108-year-old business in Park View was founded by Charles Nicholson during the First World War and has seen four generations of the family serve Geordies in the same premises it occupies to this very day.
Charles’ great-granddaughter, Kathryn Meadows, has now taken over the reins and spoke to Chronicle Live about how being a part of her family's legacy is a dream come true.
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"Lots of people who own their own businesses can be quite negative because it is really hard work but it is the most rewarding job I have ever had," she said.
"I have such a passion for it. I feel really lucky to be able to come to work every day and do this.
"If someone said to me, 'what's your dream job?' I would say, 'I am doing it.' It's just amazing."
While the 38-year-old spent her childhood helping out in the shop and had ambitions to work in the food industry, she admitted taking over the family business had never been part of her original plan for the future.
After graduating from university with a degree in food science, Kathryn went on to work for several major food manufacturing companies. However, at the age of 28, she felt she was missing out on a work-life balance and decided to quit her job to move home.
"I have been involved with the business since I was small and have memories of going out doing deliveries of turkeys at Christmas and coming in during the summer holidays and making kebabs," she said.
"It was all hands on deck and the whole family has always been involved."
Kathryn continued: "I had a conversation with my dad and he said, 'why don't you work at the shop?' and that's what happened. Nearly 10 years ago left my job working for a massive retailer in Yorkshire and moved home.
"I wanted to learn everything about the business so I spent time in different departments.
"[Then] just before the first lockdown my dad, Doug, decided to take a back seat and let me take the reigns in terms of how I wanted to run things."
The mum-of-two quickly got to work and the shop underwent a revamp and expanded its food offering to include sandwiches, pies and side dishes.
However, Kathryn admitted that being the fourth generation to take over is "big pressure," with the weight of her family's legacy on her shoulders and a team of 15 people to manage.
"Our biggest challenge has been price increases," she said.
"We can't pass every price increase onto the customer. We will never allow the quality to be affected.
"We have had to make changes to ensure that we don't push the prices up in the shop. We still want customers in 100 years time."
However, having a knowledgeable team - with some butchers working at Nicholson's for more than 20 years - and locally sourced meat is key to the business.
"We know the quality," Kathryn said.
"We have relationships with farmers that my grandparents set up and now we are working with their children's children's children. They are in their fourth generation like we are.
"We buy most of our animals live every week and my dad heads that up. He will visit the farms and hand selects the meat."
Seeing generations of families become customers in the shop is also "a really special" part of the business, with one of Nicholson's oldest shoppers said to be 94 years old.
Kathryn, who scooped the national 'Meat Businesswoman Retailing' accolade in the 2021 Women in Meat Industry Awards, is passionate about encouraging more women to join the meat industry.
"I want more females to be interested in working in the meat industry and realise that they can do it and it's not just all guys," she said.
So what does the future hold for Nicholson's Butchers with a woman at its helm?
"My dream would be to build a Nicholson's emporium with a wet fish counter and a cheese mongers and collaborate with more bakers," Kathryn said.
"I definitely don't want to stand still."
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