Newground replaces outgoing managing director

Mick Smith has been appointed the new managing director of Newground, an organisation he joined 20 years ago as a volunteer.

The new man replaces Peter Neill, who has led the company since 2004, who retires in the summer.

Mick originally joined the company as a volunteer in 1993 and worked his way up through the company to his most recent position as director of business services.

The social enterprise specialises in sustainable landscaping services and environmental business support.

A team of community regeneration professionals also deliver social projects that tackle issues such as youth inclusion, health and wellbeing and community cohesion.

As a social enterprise, any profits made by the company are invested into the charity Newground Together, which owns the CIC, and then used to fund community projects throughout the North.

Mick said: “Peter is leaving Newground in a very strong position with opportunities to grow the business both internally within the Together Housing Group and externally with the public and private sectors.

“We already provide professional services to a number of blue chip companies and we’ll be aiming to extend our range of services and our area of coverage, generating more surpluses to be invested into community projects.

“There are lots of new environmental and social projects to explore and we’re very excited about the future and what it has to offer.”

With Mick’s promotion, the company say a fond farewell to Peter Neill who headed up the merger of the then Groundwork Blackburn with two other local Groundwork Trusts and was instrumental in its transformation from a charitable trust to an award-winning social enterprise. Peter also led the company through major changes last year, when Newground left the Groundwork Federation to join the Together Housing Group and subsequently changed its name from Groundwork Pennine Lancashire to Newground.