Tribute to man behind top leisure group
A successful businessman will be honoured by the global export brand he established.
Mark Hird was just 46 when he lost a long battle with cancer in December last year, but in that time managed to achieve more than most people could dream of in a lifetime.
As well as being a devoted family man, Mark, of Burdon Village, Sunderland, founded the Tavistock Hospitality Group, steering it to great success and changing the face of dining on Wearside while also branching into South Tyneside and Hartlepool.
Now the jewel in the crown of his leisure group, The Roker Hotel, and its award-winning Poetic License distillery, which exports gin around the world, will honour him with a special gin named in his honour.
For the hundreds of people he employed and the eight businesses currently in the group’s portfolio, it’s a way of raising a glass to a man whose vision spawned a multimillion pound leisure group - which is set to continue to thrive in his legacy.
Husband to Nicola and dad to Charlie, 19, Grace, 13, and Amelia, six, Mark was a wellrespected man in Sunderland whose death sparked an outpouring of grief from both customers and employees.
His best friend of 30 years, Jonathan Graham, was also his right hand man in business as operations director at Tavistock Hospitality.
The pair met on their very first day studying hotel and catering at Newcastle College when they were just 16 and forged a close bond, both personally and professionally.
Jonathan, who has vowed to continue the success of the group’s brands in Mark’s honour, said: “We’ll be keeping the existing products, with aggressive expansion in brewing and distilling in Mark’s legacy, with plans to increase the product range.”
Plans to name a five-year celebratory gin and bar in reference to Mark is a fitting honour for a man who lived and breathed his business, leading to multiple industry accolades including Sunderland Echo Portfolio Awards and The Publican Award for “best value gastro pub chain.”
Speaking at the Roker Hotel, which Mark propelled from a three-star to a fourstar venue, Jonathan said: “Every idea, every innovation, it was all Mark. He had such vision and was really on the ball when it came to predicting trends. He would travel to London, and all over the world, for ideas and then bring them home to Sunderland.”
Today, the Tavistock Hospitality Group own and run The Roker Hotel and its Poetic License distillery, Italian Farmhouse in West Rainton, S43 Brewery and its gastro pubs including The Lambton Worm in Chesterle-Street, but over the years have had 30 properties, including the Grand Hotel in Hartlepool, the Italia Retro and The Rattler restaurant in South Shields and the White Lead in Hebburn.