Power Up The North: A love letter to Yorkshire and its people - Kate Hardcastle

THE place I am so very fortunate to call home is rich in its diversity. The strands that weave to make up the rich tapestry of Yorkshire are so varied in tone and texture, but combined create a stunning piece of art, that then envelopes you in its warmth and comfort.
Consumer champion Kate Hardcastle is backing the Power Up The North campaign.Consumer champion Kate Hardcastle is backing the Power Up The North campaign.
Consumer champion Kate Hardcastle is backing the Power Up The North campaign.

There is not one time on my journey across the M62 back from Manchester Airport where I have not reached the peak of Saddleworth Moor, and felt a sense of excitement and pride to be returning home.

My travels have been far and wide, in a career of over 20 years in which I have been fortunate enough to hone my skills as an expert in my field, and to be in demand for projects across the globe.

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Each time I visit a new place, I feel to be a responsible ambassador of our precious Yorkshire through my warm, broad accent.

The Angel of the North has become the symbol of the Power Up The North campaign.The Angel of the North has become the symbol of the Power Up The North campaign.
The Angel of the North has become the symbol of the Power Up The North campaign.

The very same accent that when I started my career, and was presenting to the great and the good in business, has, at times, been mocked. The words ‘flat cap’ and ‘whippet’ have been bandied around too much – and in some kind of insulting way.

Kate Hardcastle: Why our high street shops must wake up and smell the coffeeI am a lover of flat caps. Indeed when I had an event to celebrate 21 years of charity voluntary work – hosted at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, with Elland Silver band playing guests in – each guest was gifted a flat cap and a glass of Yorkshire Ale. Guests from far and wide decked out in our regional uniform.

People make the place. We have wonderful scenery – children hopping across the stones in the river at Bolton Abbey, the fish and chip eaters under the whalebones arch in Whitby, the cranes that light up the M1 at Christmas near Meadowhall and the mills like Salts Mill which tell an important part of our history each day.

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Yes, we have the scenery to tell the story – but people make the place.

There are over 5.4 million of us (more than there are residents in Scotland) not one of us the same.

We are home to legends in every discipline – leading surgeons, science leaders, sporting heroes, business gurus, stars of stage, screen, the writers and performers, farming champions, the list goes on.

There are those whose names are not as known, but their work is just as impressive.

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For instance Faye Banks an engineer, originally from Wakefield, who is 
Head of Transmission for the National Grid and the youngest fellow at the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Faye grew up in a care home and left school at 16. I was fortunate enough to meet her at an event at which we were both highlighted as Inspirational Women – and my Huddersfield accent and her Wakefield accent found each other across a crowded room.

Lorraine Smith MBE, a manager at South Yorkshire Fire Station and 
foster carer, who was awarded her honour from the Queen for services to the public.

Rifhat Malik, who has helped many women to overcome cultural barriers and get involved with exercise and activity.

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There is Cameron Osburn, 17, who is the first ever UK black belt in Silat (an Indonesian martial art) despite suffering from cerebral palsy, and Dr Byongjun Hwang who joined a team of researchers in the Arctic to understand more about climate change.

Thanks to The Yorkshire Post, our paper, I have learned of so many more inspiring and engaging people – and then each weekend, I am fortunate to come back home and meet even more everyday heroes.

I am proud to host friends and family, and walk them around the Yorkshire Sculpture Park – hearing their reaction and surprise as to just how good it is. Then there is the joy of taking my children to the Bradford Alhambra for world-class theatre – or enjoying the hospitality of one of our wonderful restaurants.

We are no longer a best-kept secret, but now a global player. Like every brand that is a leader, we must work hard and humbly to present ourselves in the very best light everyday.

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We should not hang our hat on just one or two major talking points – but present the whole beautiful picture and those who bring it to life everyday as this newspaper looks to Power Up The North and win new investment and recognition for the county that we’re all proud to call home.

No one person is Yorkshire. We all are.

Kate Hardcastle MBE is a consumer champion from Yorkshire. Known as The Customer Whisperer, her website is www.katehardcastle.co.uk