We chose HYST because it is a brilliant creative community in a brilliant location

Events company entrepreneurs have gone from working at pantomimes to supporting global stars with the help of Hull Youth Support Trust (HYST).

National Event Support Limited set up shop at HYST, 161, High Street at the beginning of 2019. They had their first big gig as the stage crew for the cast of Cinderella, at Hull New Theatre at the time.

Today they have a star-studded list of people they have worked with including Lady Gaga, Ed Sheehan, George Ezra, and the Killers.

However, their nationwide success wasn’t always nailed on.

Company director Ashley Hagyard, says the pandemic put his company in dire circumstances and it was the support he got from Hull Youth Support Trust that helped his company survive.

He explained: “All our work stopped or was postponed. It was tough. Hull Youth Support Trust helped us apply for a grant to cover bills and our rent and they gave us the strength to get through.”

Two years later and the company is flying high, crewing and supporting conferences, musicals and working at concerts and rehearsals for big names.

Ashley said: “We work really hard and we feel lucky to do what we do, but our  success is a total blur because we are always focused on the next job.”

The company has two other directors, Dale Alcock and John Foulds, and a staff team of around 30. The team has just gone on a trip to Benidorm for a work outing. 

Ashley explained: “We are really proud of the team and everything they have achieved and times have been hard so we just wanted to say thank you.”

He said he would also like to thank Hull Youth Support Trust (HYST), as they prepare to move out of the building. He said: “We are very grateful for all the support we have received, and it has made a difference. We have had help with things like HR as well as help in the pandemic.”, Ashley had worked in the events industry for around a decade before he set up his own business. 

He said: “We chose HYST because it is a brilliant creative community in a brilliant location.” He said that anyone thinking of taking a room at HYST had “nothing to lose,” so long as they had the finance to pay the small rent bill. He said: “It has given us so many opportunities and we feel very lucky. I would recommend HYST to anyone starting out.”

Ashley and his team will be working remotely as they continue to develop as an important part of the UK entertainment industry.