A lasting legacy: Enterprise hub honours regeneration champion
VISIONARY: Mark Jones MBE
By Rick Lyon, Co-Editor
A new centre created to represent young entrepreneurs, schools and the youth enterprise eco-system across Hull and East Yorkshire will also celebrate the achievements and legacy of one of the key figures behind the region’s regeneration.
Elevate @ Mark Jones MBE Centre – named in honour of Hull City Council’s late director of regeneration, who died in September 2023 – is the result of a £2.2m project funded by the Government to transform offices at 161 High Street, Hull, into a safe space where young entrepreneurs can develop and promote their own business ideas.
The centre will be the base for the city council’s Youth Enterprise & Microbusiness Team and will support its delivery of the Making Changes for Careers programme (MC4C).
Facilities include 14 rooms all available for rent to aspiring young entrepreneurs from Hull. Other space in the building includes a meeting place and a podcast studio, both of which can be used by the young entrepreneurs – many of them from disadvantaged backgrounds – to promote their businesses and by the different organisations in the city that support their work.
An open day at the new centre was led by Cheryl Payne, the outgoing Lord Mayor of Hull, and Tony Robinson OBE, who was representing the Microbusiness Alliance. Members of Mark’s family were also in attendance.
Known affectionately by many as ‘Mr Hull’, Mark was awarded an MBE in 2016 in recognition of his dedication and commitment to economic regeneration and inward investment in the city.
He had a 49-year career working in local government, first joining Humberside County Council as a clerical assistant in 1974, before switching to Hull City Council in 1995.
Mark would go on to be responsible for many major projects in the city, including getting Hull ready to stage the 2017 City of Culture, which he saw through from the bid process to delivery.
REALISING POTENTIAL: Charles Cracknell, centre, youth enterprise and microbusiness manager at Hull City Council, with, from left, Tony Robinson OBE, Adam Corbally, Claire Young and Jenn Crowther – all Vice Presidents of John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank
He was also the guiding light behind the local authority’s Room 42 initiative – a project providing a place for young people to meet and have their voices heard.
Mark died at the age of 66 following a short illness.
Charles Cracknell, youth enterprise and microbusiness manager at Hull City Council, said Elevate is all about supportingyoung people on their enterprising journey and taking inspiration from Mark.
Charles said: “Mark devoted himself to the regeneration and growth of Hull and Humberside, serving his community with unwavering commitment.
“His work was not just about buildings, infrastructure, or investment – it was about people and in particular young people. He believed in the potential of Hull and its residents, and he worked tirelessly to create opportunities that would benefit generations to come, including its aspiring young entrepreneurs and those who were care-experienced.
“Mark loved hearing about their individual journeys, particularly those who attended Room 42 – a place in the Guildhall dedicated to supporting care leavers – and those involved with the Making Changes for Careers (MC4C) programme or supported by the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank, which established Test Market Grants to help young people who are care-experienced set up in business. The partnership fused Mark’s two main passions.”
Mark’s daughter, Kim Jones, said: “We were so pleased to be able to join everyone at the open day – on what would have been his birthday – to meet his colleagues, and we loved the fact that everyone was so complimentary about Dad and what he did at work.
“We were also amazed at the painting of dad by local artist Mary Wells, commissioned by the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank – it certainly caught his likeness and humour.
IMPRESSIVE FACILITIES: Guests at the open day exploring the space at Elevate @ Mark Jones MBE Centre
“We wish Charles and the youth enterprise team well in their new base, and look forward to hearing updates about what they are doing and the many young people they are supporting.
“The Mark Jones MBE Centre is so vibrant and truly represents everything about dad and his love of Hull, and we believe that it lives up to his memory and vision.”
Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, the city council’s portfolio holder for economic renewal and housing, said: “The opening of Elevate @ the Mark Jones MBE Centre is a significant step forward in the council’s commitment to help create an enterprise culture, which is vital to establishing a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive economy.
“It is a much-needed friendly and welcoming space for young people in Hull, offering the chance to grow their skills-base and self-confidence by learning from local businesses experts and inspiring peers, before using what they have learned to strengthen Hull’s economy.”
The refurbishment of the premises was managed by Design Building Services at the city council, with work carried out by F Parkinson Ltd and overseen by a project board that involved all key partners under the leadership of the city council’s youth enterprise and microbusiness team.
Ross Bennett, managing director of Engaging Education and chair of Hull & East Yorkshire Youth Enterprise Partnership, said: “The naming of the building in Mark’s memory is a testament to his exceptional service, those who knew him will remember him for his warmth, humility and generosity of spirit, as much as for his role helping to attract Siemens to the city.
“Whether in the boardroom or on the street, Mark treated everyone with the same respect and genuine interest. Beyond his professional achievements, Mark was a passionate advocate for everything about Hull.
“He was Hull’s answer to Pep Guardiola in how he inspired and motivated people to dream dangerously and achieve what they believed in by giving them a platform to do that.
SPACE TO GROW IDEAS: The new Elevate @ Mark Jones MBE Centre
“Mark’s passing in 2023 left a void that cannot be filled, but his legacy will live on in this centre named in his memory and other projects he championed."
Marc Ortmans, chair of GEN UK – which represents entrepreneurs – and Global Entrepreneurship Week UK, added: “Over the years, Hull City Council and the Hull youth enterprise eco-system have played a significant part in their commitment to supporting youth entrepreneurship in the United Kingdom.
“Hull City Council has always demonstrated a commitment to engaging with enterprising young people and sharing good practice with colleagues across the UK and the rest of the world. With the establishment of Elevate @ the Mark Jones MBE Centre they have established the bricks and mortar base for its work.
“We are delighted at GEN UK to see the city recognise the inspiration Mark provided for the establishment of one of the most integrated eco-systems in the world to support enterprising young people. We thank him for this vision.
“As Mark would say, ‘Just do it!’. Well, you have done that with this fantastic new facility so that the Hull youth enterprise eco-system can continue to support the benefits of youth entrepreneurship and enterprise skills for local communities as well as across the world via its Commonwealth Partnership.”