Why we love Yorkshire!

In celebration of Yorkshire Day, 1 August, Stone King’s Leeds office is taking a moment to consider what makes Yorkshire a special place to live and work. 

Polly O’Malley, Partner in Stone King’s Employment Team, says she loves working in Yorkshire because of the vibrant professional and personal life it offers.

“Professionally, an ever-growing body of legal, finance and other professional service firms are recognising the benefits the region offers in terms of belonging to a thriving business community and being able to undertake seriously high quality work outside of London without City prices or pressures,” she says. “The Northern Powerhouse continues to go from strength to strength and the people of Yorkshire are passionate about growing its economy and national standing.”

She adds: “Personally, I can find everything I want within an hour of home or work. We have a beautiful coastline, fantastic national parks, nature, nightlife, history, cities, architecture, Michelin-starred cuisine, street eats, live music from classical to Kylie. It’s just fantastic and I’m truly proud to be an honourary Yorkie for the past 18 years!”

The national law firm opened its Leeds office in May 2016 and has since moved several times to accommodate its growing team and client base of Northern colleges, schools and charities in particular.

Since April 2019 the firm has been based at One Park Row in the city centre. With charity partner Tom Murdoch’s move to Leeds last year and a burgeoning employment and HR practice with partner Polly O’Malley, Head of HR Consultancy Services Craig Vincent, as well as the firm’s national Head of Further Education Tom Morrison, Stone King’s Leeds office has never been stronger.

Tom Morrison says: “I am blessed to have lived in Yorkshire all my life and to be bringing up my young family in this beautiful county. My professional life takes me all over the country, working with our passionate FE team across all our offices supporting colleges nationwide, but I had to admit to pride that this is being coordinated from our Northern base right in the heart of Yorkshire.”

Yorkshire fact box:

• York comes from the Viking name for the city Jórvík. The word Shire is either from the Old Norse word Skyr or from Old English Scir, meaning care or official charge
• Whip-ma-whop-ma-gate is one of the shortest street in York, with the longest name
• ‘Gate’ is the word commonly used in York for ‘street’, coming from the Nordic for that word
• The most commonly used Yorkshire flag – the White Rose on a blue background – was recognised by the Flag Institute on 29 July 2008, after 50 years of use
• The fortified city of Eboracum (now known as York) was named as capital of Britannia Inferior and joint capital of all Roman Britain. Emperor Septimius Severus ruled the Roman Empire from Eboracum for the two years before his death
• Legend has it that on any day apart from Sunday, in York it is legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow