Brothers Jack and Tom Atha have helped transform the skyline of Middlesbrough town centre, with their luxury student accommodation the envy of learners nationwide. But their journey to such heights wasn’t always a lofty success. Having dropped out of higher education to pursue careers in property development – despite having no idea what a Phillips screwdriver was – they began at the very bottom.

When Antonia Philp qualified as a nurse 15 years ago, she quickly developed a terrible skin condition, the consequence of repeated hand washing during relentless shifts on her first children’s ward. Devastated when she was forced to take a two-week break so her cracked hands could recover – and convinced she'd be forced to abandon her childhood dream – she spent a small fortune searching pharmacy shelves for a solution.

Entrepreneurs and innovators are being encouraged to apply for cash from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II when it launches next year, one of six new Nations and Regions Investment Funds which aims to deliver £1.6 billion of new support to drive sustainable economic growth across the UK. And it will all be spearheaded by Newcastle- born Louis Taylor, who, as Colin Young discovers, has his heart set on adding extra value to his beloved North East through the Government’s small business bank.

Sometimes, our paths are simply destined for us. Born into a long line of metalworkers, whose hands helped craft ships for the world, Richy Almond’s certainly was. And when Britain was squeezed by financial recession, Richy, who grew up near Newcastle, twined the two together. Although enjoying his time as an architect in London’s luxury interiors industry, Richy yearned for the days of steel crafting yore, and – while designing unique metalwork for a Swiss villa – realised he could fuse his passions into a single entity. The result was Novocastrian.