Creative Northumberland businesses invited to design challenge

Creative businesses throughout Northumberland are invited by The Rural Design Centre Innovation Project (RDCIP) and Ad Gefrin to take part in a design challenge.

The aim of the challenge is to design, create and produce bespoke new gift products with the chance to sell them through the Ad Gefrin Visitor Experience and Distillery when it opens in Wooler in 2022.

Launching on Monday July 26, Northumberland businesses are invited to sign up for the challenge by visiting the RDCIP website.

Entrants are advised to produce unique, environmentally sustainable, commercially viable, designs. They could be inspired by (but not restricted to): Textiles, Glass, Leather, Jewellery, Ceramics and Wood.

Eileen Ferguson, Partner in Ad Gefrin with her husband, Alan, said: “Northumberland is a county with innovation and creativity at its very core. At Ad Gefrin, we are focused on becoming a place where local heritage, culture, food, arts and crafts will be re-imagined, celebrated and promoted in a contemporary future-facing marketplace.

“In bringing together exciting new creations from within our community in this new challenge, we hope to continue inspiring and supporting local businesses, and forge even stronger bonds with our local area.”

To mentor and help businesses throughout the process, creatives will be offered professional insight and grant support. At the end of the challenge there will be the opportunity to pitch for a commission to be stocked by Ad Gefrin and sold through their new visitor destination and online.

Nick Devitt from The Rural Design Centre Innovation Project said: “This new design challenge is such an exciting opportunity for local businesses to showcase their creativity and craft.

“We are all really looking forward to not only seeing what innovations rural businesses come up with, but also to supporting them throughout their design process.”