Another Awesome Newcastle has come and gone at the Young Street Hotel in Carrington, and, as always, good times were had by all.

This past Wednesday we welcomed guest board members Carol Duncan of Lost Newcastle, Christine Armstrong of the University of Newcastle and Nick Cook from John Holland.

Interestingly, our three finalists had all pitched to Awesome Newcastle in the past! We welcomed James Chapman of Knock and Run Theatre, Jay Winter of The Tribe and Nook O’Dea of Adios.

James went first. He was actually one of our very first Awesome Newcastle winners nearly ten years ago! He explained he was pitching for money, like last time, to put on a play called The Lifespan of a Fact. This play examines truth and storytelling in the modern world. This play is particularly timely to put on in a society where misinformation spreads so rapidly. He would use the money for the production and ideally it would help generate ticket sales which could help pay his local cast and crew.

Jay went next. He explained that he’s a counselor and founder of ‘The Tribe’ a community of likeminded individuals in Newcastle where people get together and he fortifies their connection.  He has hosted events in various places in Newcastle where he works hard to get authentic and go deep with people. As so much meaningful conversation happens, sometimes challenging topics come up in these sessions. Jay would use the money to bring in psychologists for some of the sessions to ensure everyone is looked after in terms of their mental health.
Nook was our final finalist. For years she’s been working on her (death) event planning website Adiós. It keeps information in a central place that can be accessed immediately by the deceased’s loved ones. After her own challenging experience when she had to manage her father’s estate, she decided tot create an end of life platform for people who want to reduce the burden for their friends and family after they pass away. She’d use the money for help with her website and to secure her trademark in Australia.

The board discussed and debated and at last they reached a decision. Carol Duncan took the stage and awarded Nook the cold hard cash! The board loves her idea and are proud that she’s still continuing to work hard on it even a year after she first pitched. Good luck to you Nook, and good luck to James and Jay as well.

As Wednesday night’s Awesome Newcastle attests, we love return guests! Just because you don’t win the first time that doesn’t mean you won’t win the next time! Remember, applications never expire, so start brainstorming your next big idea for Awesome April.