‘It doesn’t matter where you’re from, you can realise your dreams with a little help’
ACHIEVERS: Alex Costin, left, and Becca McCoid, Hull’s two Youth Enterprise Champions
Chewing the Fat, out to lunch with Phil Ascough
This week’s guests: Alex Costin and Becca McCoid, Hull’s Youth Enterprise Champions
Venue: Everything Toastie
It made sense to start with Judith, Hull’s first Youth Enterprise Champion, and to ask her about memories from her homeland in Congo.
“We left Congo when I was four and my sister Esther was one,” Judith recalled.
“The last thing I remember was being outside and sitting down ready to eat our meal. But then the guns started going off, so we ran into the bush and never went back.”
The experiences of the current champions, Becca McCoid and Alex Costin, are rather less dramatic but are typical in many ways of the obstacles facing young people as they try to get a foothold in the world of work.
Becca said: “I did really well at school in my CGSEs but after that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I’ve lost contact with my parents but as far as I know they never worked – I never saw them work. It was really hard, but I’ve always worked since I was 15.”
Alex said: “So many young people now are told they have to go to university. I was the first person from my family to do that. I finished with a load of debt and everything I have achieved has been outside university and is the result of me pushing, not because of my degree. People have to understand that you don’t need a university education to get on in business.”
It’s timely on two fronts that we were able to meet at Judith’s café, Everything Toastie, this month to talk about the support which the champions are helping young people to access.
PIONEER: Judith Meza, Hull’s first Youth Enterprise Champion
Enterprising young people from across the region have just taken part in Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), which presented a variety of activities including challenges, masterclasses and awards all designed to inspire and encourage an interest in business.
During the previous week, Hull City Council held a memorial event for Mark Jones, its Director of Regeneration who hit the headlines for bringing major investments such as Siemens to Hull, and who also worked tirelessly and quietly to drive the creation of economic opportunities for young people.
Mark’s contribution was highlighted over our lunch by Charles Cracknell, Hull City Council’s Youth Enterprise and Microbusiness Manager, who dubbed Making Changes for Careers as MC4C to reflect his support for a football team from Manchester. One essential difference is that they’ve got money to burn, whereas Charles has developed a productive youth policy.
MC4C was launched in 2016 as a result of Mark’s recognition that the regeneration brief had to embrace people and not just property.
Over lunch at Everything Toastie these four young people – two of them refugees who had travelled thousands of miles to get here – spoke with confidence, maturity and authority about their experiences and achievements. They were impressive and even inspirational as they demonstrated ambition, awareness of their responsibilities, and a desire to help others.
Judith and Esther told us about their journey, from dodging the bullets as they ran for their lives to building new futures in Hull and opening a charming little business in Carr Lane, under the City Hall.
“We came to Hull as refugees in 2006, when we were ten and seven,” said Judith.
“We grew up in refugee camps in Tanzania and Zambia. Life there was hard but our dad was a nurse so we didn’t have it as bad as others. Mum was very entrepreneurial and that’s where I got the inspiration about running my own business.”
Hull is home now. Esther is a registered nurse and currently works in higher education at the university. Judith finished her business and accounting degree at the University of Hull in 2017 and went in search of practical experience.
BUILT A NEW LIFE IN HULL: Judith Meza, left, and sister Esther
She said: “Helping young people set up in business and owning my business were my dreams – I have been able to achieve two of my dream jobs. I liked MC4C. I wanted a mentor, someone to guide me, because learning business in theory is very different from reality, and they were very helpful.
“I became a champion during Covid and I was working closely with young people on the programme, talking to them about their experiences and finding out what they liked about the programme. Self-confidence was one of the big problems, believing in themselves.
“Going through the programme helps them. There is a big difference between when they start and when they finish. They feel supported, and even after they have finished the programme they can still contact the team for more support.”
Everything’s tasty at Everything Toastie, where the USP is the introduction of African culinary influences which liven up some of the more traditional creations, all crammed between slices of sourdough bread.
You’ll find various combinations of cheeses, ham, chicken, pepperoni and tuna but with intriguing names including Salt Bae, Yes Chick, Sweet Button with its raspberry jam, and Cheesy Esther Beans.
Esther was invited to explain the filling of cheddar, mozzarella, refried baked beans with onions, garlic, chilli and seasoning.
She replied: “I also call it ‘University struggle meal’ – beans on toast with a bit of cheese!”
The price of all the toasties includes a side of homemade soup or the special house sauce, made to a West African recipe with tomato, herbs and seasoning, and delivering a slight kick but not too much.
VENTURE: Becca McCoid’s original market stall
“It’s probably our most time consuming ingredient,” said Esther, who also makes the most delightful desserts. A piece of her cinnamon cake was sensational. I’d previously tried the lemon cake. Everything Toastie is open every day from 10am until 4pm, but you need to be early to be sure of getting cake. To book, you can call them on 01482 210796 or look them upon Instagram @everythingtoastie
They came up with the idea during a trip to the Netherlands, inspired by a meal in a toastie café.
Judith said: “Right through school and college we loved eating toasties. We haven’t met anybody who doesn’t like them but we have other ideas which we can introduce as we get established, such as jacket potatoes and salads.
“Being from Central Africa we tend to use a lot of seasoning and spices – the beans are an example of that. Through our friends we are also influenced by West African food, such as the sauce. There are different foods that we have in our culture and we will introduce some of them here.
“It’s been a three-year journey but it was hard to find premises. Because of my background I know that location is very important. This place is perfect.”
Service brought a period of silence as we tucked into toasties and sauce, but the pair who succeeded Judith as champions had work to do so we picked up the pace.
Alex told how he was inspired to apply to become a champion after seeing an email from Judith alerting him to the opportunity.
He grew up in Bradford and travelled to Leeds every day to study photography and film and English language. He got his A-levels, didn’t want to go to university but was persuaded by a tutor so did three years at Sunderland, gaining a degree in photography, video and digital imaging.
INCLUSIVE APPROACH: Alex Costin
A chequered employment history included selling prints on Etsy, working sporadically in a Bradford photographic studio as he struggled to come to terms with the world of self-employment and HMRC, then becoming homeless and sofa surfing with a friend in London.
After meeting his partner, known as J, Alex lived in Oxford but wanted to move back North and found a job at a studio in Hull. He’d never been here before but he got to know a few people and someone recommended MC4C.
He said: “I decided to give it a go. It helped me network with people and I started doing photo shoots. I had never had a base location and it was very difficult but I wanted to find out how to do it and run something that was going to earn me money.
“I got a lot of help from MC4C and that was a boost because a lot of people had never had any confidence in me. They said I would never make any money from photography but this experience made me realise I could do it.
“I wasn’t sure about the champion role because I was working part-time at Humber Street Gallery as well as running my business and I loved it, but I also have a partner and two cats to support.
“It was the prospect of helping people that interested me. I know young people can really struggle getting into business, working out how to make a start with no money. I have first-hand experience of that which I am able to pass on.
“It’s been a challenge because I haven’t worked full time with other people for two years but seeing people every day has been lovely. What I have always wanted from a job is to get to know people and make connections with them.”
The MC4C workload allows time for the champions to develop their own businesses, with Alex Costin Photography promoting itself as a low-cost option committed to accessibility and inclusivity.
‘BELIEVED IN YOUNG PEOPLE’: Mark Jones, Director of Regeneration at Hull City Council, who died in September. Picture by Tom Arran Commercial Photography
“My inclusive approach stretches from LGBTQ+ people, BIPOC, disabled people, neurodivergent people, low-income people, all body types and more, allowing everyone access to photoshoots without fear of discrimination,” said Alex.
“My editing process is also inclusive and doesn’t involve making people skinnier or smoothing people’s skin to make them look absolutely flawless. I try to keep editing to a minimum and keep the client looking natural because there is power in natural beauty.
“I will make small tweaks that the client asks for because sometimes they may be severely self-conscious about certain features, and I want them to have photos that they can cherish forever.”
Becca refused to be defined by her background of growing up in a home where going out to work was almost unheard of.
She tells how her own work opportunities were limited because the priority for her parents was the income which resulted from her staying in full-time education. She studied drama, then photography, and is a good example of someone going to college but not for subjects that interested or inspired them. Of making young people fit the opportunities available, rather than finding or creating roles to match their talents and turn an interest into a passion.
Becca solved that conundrum herself, getting a part-time job at 15 and gradually progressing to a full-time role while also exploring her dream of making clothes for her children, ten-year-old Ethan and Olivia, aged eight.
“I started by making personalised clothes for my children and posting them on Facebook,” she said.
“I got the original idea from watching someone else on YouTube. They were making clothes and I just watched and learned. People said I should make things to sell and I loved the thought of what I did becoming a job but I didn’t think I could run a business. You hear things like tax and HMRC and you freak out!
PROUD: Becca McCoid, with children Ethan and Olivia
“But I had a friend who was working with MC4C with her business and she suggested I go with her. Signing up was the best thing I ever did. It gave me confidence. You get so nervous worrying about things you think you can’t do.”
There were glitches along the way, but they were overcome.
Becca became pregnant the first time at 19, and there are only 18 months between her children, but she kept working and the family’s security was helped by her partner Darren having a full-time job.
When her friend decided she no longer wanted to be involved, Becca continued as a sole trader.
After the failure of a gamble in taking a stall at Bransholme indoor market, she learned a valuable lesson and made the business more stable and secure.
She said: “The rent was too high so I closed the stall after a year. All my orders were online anyway so it was basically just a collection point. With the equivalent of two month’s rent I bought a summer house for the garden and now I run the business from there.”
The Personalised Gray Rose has moved on from just making clothing for children. Becca offers T-shirts for hen and stag events, workwear and all sorts of other personalised clothing with examples and rave reviews set out on a highly professional Facebook site.
The decision to become one of the MC4C champions comes from Becca’s awareness that, years after longing for a mentor, she can now fill that role for others.
TASTY TOASTIE: A cheesy bean dish made by Esther Meza at Everything Toastie
She said: “I saw this job and felt it would be amazing to help other people. A lot of them are a lot like me. They come from a council estate, they were told growing up that they would never accomplish anything. I know if I can do it they can do it.
“It doesn’t matter where you are from, who you are, what lifestyle or childhood you have had. You can do what you want to do – within reason obviously! I love going to work every day wondering who is going to walk through the door next and how we will be able to help them.”
Support is available in many forms including training in the Big 13 Enterprise Skills, funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) via the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank, and the advice and guidance which can steer young people in the right direction, building confidence with every step towards a rewarding career.
People will pay handsomely for the right hair stylist or photographer. They also splash out for stylish designs to wear themselves, or to kit-out their children, homes, gardens or whatever. One young man I saw at a Youth Enterprise trade fair did presentations with live reptiles. I didn’t hang around to get his name.
During the last seven years MC4C has worked with 600 young people, most of whom were on universal credit and were not in employment, education or training. Around one-third of the businesses set up are still trading, although some are hobby projects. Charles reckons that about 40 per cent of participants have been helped into employment or training by becoming more enterprising individuals.
He said: “MC4C has morphed. It had a team of five and through Enterprise Zone funding and SPF it’s now a team of nine. It has raised the profile of enterprise skills and entrepreneurship in areas of the city where business support organisations were not really engaging with people.
“We fundamentally believe that everybody is enterprising in some way or other and I hope everybody who experienced MC4C has had the opportunity to change their view about what they may or may not be able to do. Whether it be training, not being the second or third generation on universal credit, getting a job, setting up in business, or earning enough money to get by.
“The idea of champions came from Mark Jones. He gave me the freedom to do what I thought was needed to ensure that we could equip the next generation of people to work effectively in a job without having to go to university and get a lot of qualifications. He also had real belief in young people.”
Become a Patron of The Hull Story. For just £2.50 a month you can help support this independent journalism project dedicated to Hull. Find out more here