Tommy artist to open new centre

Artist Ray Lonsdale will be the guest of honour at the official opening of Enterprise House Seaham on Thursday,.

Ray, the man behind the famous Tommy sculpture of a soldier from the First World War, will open the business centre which will offer high quality, flexible accommodation for new and growing businesses.

Ray’s Tommy sculpture, officially named 1101 in tribute to the armistice which went into effect at 11am on November 11, 1918 and is now being used as the inspiration for the internal décor of Enterprise House Seaham.

Andy Laundon and Lee Bishton, who are directors at electrical contracting firm Retroflo, are the men behind the development of Enterprise House.

Andy said: “We are so passionate about our area and really wanted to put Seaham at the very heart of Enterprise House.

“We thought about the things that make Seaham the fantastic area it is, and of course nothing epitomises the transformation of the town more than the Tommy sculpture. “Throughout the building there are touches that really celebrate the sculpture, while we’ve also had the walls decorated with visually-striking images of the town. Andy said: “The building also provides meeting rooms for our tenants, and conferencing facilities for companies in the area.

”A big thing for us is to encourage all of our tenants to interact and help each other, which will not only create a real community spirit within Enterprise House but will also support growth and success.”