Another Awesome Newcastle has come and gone. A small but vivacious crowd  gathered at the Young Street Hotel for July’s Awesome Newcastle. This week we welcomed returning guest board member, Dan Farthing of Pitcrew!

Our finalists were Hailey Aiken, Nook O’dea and returning finalist James Bevin.

Here’s more about each of our finalists and their fantastic pitches.

Nook moved to Newcastle from Melbourne 18 months ago. Her idea is Adiós, an End of Life planning platform for people that would like to leave their family and loved ones with reduced burden, confusion or conflict and instead provide an increased understanding, transparency and clarity on their end of life wishes and arrangements. She would use the money to for website help, legal advice and trademark.

Hayley is a School Learning Support Officer, passionate about supporting and working alongside people and students with various disabilities. She wants to create a Chill-Out Zone/Sensory Space that provides a calming environment for our students with additional needs, promoting mental health and well-being through sensory engagement and relaxation. She would use the money to equip the space with various sensory tools and equipment like Weighted Blankets, Lap Pads, Fidget Tools and Sensory Toys and more.

James again told us about his Cargo bike that’s been retrofitted with a car stereo and subwoofer and a DJ deck. The aim of bangers on a bike is to provide the Newcastle community with a platform to get together and enjoy tunes. He does this free of charge and to engage with the community and spread some fun. He would use the money for a  lightweight lithium battery.

The judges had a tough task in front of them but they discussed and deliberated and finally a decision was reached. Dan passed the cash to James from Bangers on a Bike! Congratulations James! We hope to see you riding around town soon, bringing joy to everyone.

Keep in mind, just because you don’t win the first round doesn’t mean you don’t have another great chance at winning Awesome Newcastle!

Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you soon.