A Tyneside workplace consultancy is set to grow with the help of a five-figure investment from the North East Small Loan Fund.
Gateshead based Talk Works aims to help improve the mental health and well-being of individuals and organisations by delivering access to therapy, e-learning and training services both in person and online. The firm’s practitioners work alongside HR departments, occupational health teams and business managers to help employees work well, feel well and engage well at work.
Now the company has worked with Newcastle-based regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers to bring in the £50,000 investment, which will support a new business development and marketing drive, as well as the recruitment of the additional staff required to meet growing client demand. Four new jobs will be created within its head office team, while it is also looking to expand the network of specialist practitioners that support the delivery of its services.
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Talk Works was originally launched by clinical psychologists Dr Jennifer Cottam and Jane McCarthy in 2014 and now lists well-known names among its client base, including the North East Ambulance Service, Newcastle United Football Club, the Marine Management Organisation and the Percy Hedley Foundation. The business was picked out as one to watch by Goldman Sachs when it took part in the investment bank’s 10,000 Small Businesses UK programme in 2021, while it is also currently working towards B Corp Certification.
Kathy Bevan, managing director, said: “Employees are every business’s most important asset, and the importance of ensuring they are in the best possible place to fulfil their roles has become universally recognised in recent years. Management teams know that they can face a wide range of different challenges in creating the conditions in which this can happen and the expertise we offer provides practical solutions for overcoming these barriers.
“Our services are applicable to businesses of every size, although we tend to find that they have the biggest impact in larger organisations, and the range of sectors in which we’re already active shows their relevance to every industry. We have very few direct competitors in the North East and have been able to secure a strong position in the regional market, but now want to spread our wings further and deliver the positive impacts that our expert team facilitates for clients right across the UK.”
Susan Snowdon, investment executive at NEL Fund Managers, added: “The Talk Works team recognised a growing workplace need and has developed a high-quality service that enables employers and their staff to gain substantial, tangible benefits.”
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