Urban River

Longstanding creative business Urban River is one of the latest North East firms to sign up to the South Tyneside Pledge after employing new recruits following a 60% growth increase during the pandemic.

2022 is a milestone year for the South-Shields based business as Managing Director, Carl Buckley, celebrates two decades in business.

Carl and his team have gathered a strong reputation in the creative industry, having delivered a series of award-winning website designs, branding campaigns and digital marketing solutions.

A fully integrated marketing agency known for delivering eye-catching results for a variety of organisations including the NHS, Northumbria Police and Juvela, Urban River is acting upon its close connections with North East firms to further drive employment opportunities and retain financial prosperity within the South Tyneside region following some additional major contract wins.

The future of South Tyneside and its tightly knit communities has always been at the core of Urban River’s ethos.

The agency now employs seven people, with two new recruits from the borough joining the team after Urban River won new contracts with businesses in the e-commerce, public health, and education sectors.

Carl said:

“I believe businesses within the private sector can really help improve South Tyneside and the Pledge is a great platform to collaborate with others and achieve this. The Pledge is inviting a critical mass of firms to ‘do’ rather than ‘talk’ and make South Tyneside a better place to live, work and do business.

“We’ve made a commitment to put more time and effort back into the borough and the community. We are volunteering more, visiting schools to raise aspirations, looking to further develop a borough-based supply chain and ultimately recruit wherever possible from South Tyneside.”

Urban River is looking to capitalise on its sustained growth by expanding its services with the development of brand new digital products and pushing its offering to all corners of the UK while keeping South Tyneside at the root of its operations.

Carl said:

“For me, the North East is a sleeping giant. If collectively, we could harness our creative power and forward-thinking abilities, then there are endless possibilities for our region.

“We’re all little pieces of the picture, but we’re going to need everyone pulling in the same direction to create a bigger picture, and the Pledge is a significant start.”

Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council and Chair of South Tyneside Partnership, said:

“Each week, we are welcoming more South Tyneside businesses to the Pledge who are all committed to improving our communities and ensuring South Tyneside is a vibrant place to live, work and enjoy.”

“Urban River was one of the original agencies in the region and continues to punch above its weight after 20 years in business. A huge congratulations to Carl and the team on a special milestone and we look forward to working alongside them in the coming months.” 

Launched in January 2022, the South Tyneside Pledge aims to encourage local economic activity, reduce health inequalities, trim carbon emissions, and boost civic pride for the greater benefit of the entire Borough. The pledge sets out nine commitments, which are all about keeping things local, through a short report every six months. 

To find out more about Urban River, go to https://www.urbanriver.com/

Organisations, public and private, big businesses, and small firms, can sign up at any time and become part of the Pledge South Tyneside network at www.southtyneside.gov.uk