Durham is close to home. A college formal, a graduation reception, a regatta marquee or a country-house wedding in the county gets people from our North East team, briefed on the venue, the parking and the hill up from the station.
Durham is small, but its event calendar is unusually dense. The university and its colleges run formal dinners, balls, graduation receptions and alumni events through the academic year, often in historic halls where service has to fit round narrow stairs and old kitchens. In June the regatta brings crowds to the riverbanks. In July the Miners' Gala fills the city for a day, and in the years it runs, the light festival draws visitors through November evenings.
County Durham adds the rest: an open-air museum with a busy events programme, a racecourse at Sedgefield, the county cricket ground at Chester-le-Street, castles, country houses and barns that host weddings and private parties, and a string of hotels along the A1 corridor that carry conferences and Christmas parties.
Durham is about eighteen miles from Newcastle, and many of our people live between the two. We only charge travel beyond 15 miles of the worker's base, so a large share of Durham city bookings carry no travel line at all. Further into the county, towards Barnard Castle, Teesdale or Weardale, travel is quoted at cost as its own line and agreed before you book. Chester-le-Street, Consett, Bishop Auckland and Darlington are all quoted on the same card.
Durham and County Durham are charged at the national rate. There is no regional uplift. Travel is at cost only beyond 15 miles of the worker's base and is shown as its own line on the quote.
| Tier | We pay them | You pay us |
|---|---|---|
| CoreBar staff, waiting, runners, kitchen porters, event crew, stewards, cloakroom, admissions | £14.00 + 12.07% holiday | £25.00 |
| SkilledCocktail bartenders, baristas, fine-dining and box waiters, hosts, brand ambassadors, team leaders | £16.50 + holiday | £28.00 |
| LeadSupervisors, event managers, chefs de partie | £20.00 + holiday | £34.00 |
| Senior chefSous chefs, head chefs | £24.00 + holiday | £40.00 |
Every client booking carries the same five guarantees, written into our terms of business.
Written, itemised, ex VAT, 8am to 8pm every day. Three hours outside that.
Your account manager's mobile is on the booking confirmation, answered on any day we have people working.
Anyone not right? Tell us in the first hour. No charge for them and a replacement on the way.
New clients get one person for one four-hour shift free on their first booking. See what you are buying.
Names confirmed within two hours of booking. If we cannot fill a position we say so at booking, never on the day.
Only if the person lives more than 15 miles from the venue. Many of our North East team live between Newcastle and Durham, so most city bookings carry no travel line. Further into the county, travel is quoted at cost.
Yes. Waiting teams for the dinner, bar staff for the reception and bars, and a Lead at £34 an hour ex VAT who works with the college staff. We brief the room, the timings and any dietary list 48 hours before.
Yes, on the same card. Travel is at cost beyond 15 miles of the worker's base and agreed before you book.
Often the same day or the next. We confirm within two hours whether we can fill it and who is coming. Short notice never changes the price.
Four hours per person per shift. There is no minimum number of people.
See the whole rate card and the instant estimate, or start a full quote. Looking for shifts yourself? Work with us.
Your brief lands with Tasmyn or Liam, not a queue. A written quote within 60 minutes (8am to 8pm) and a call if anything needs clarifying. A named mobile is given to every client at booking.
Every person paid through our PAYE payroll, so you carry no status risk. Right-to-work checks before day one. Employers' Liability £10m, Public Liability £10m. Certificates with your first confirmation.
Keep them. Use us for the shifts they cannot fill, or the ones that matter most. Overflow is where most first clients start.
Short on people for a big weekend? We supply overflow to other agencies on the same published terms.