Tracy Takes Inclusivity Message to Heart of Government

Tracy Fee and Shaun Ridley

Award-winning Tracy Fee is taking her message of inclusivity to the very heart of the UK government.

The founder of Hiyed Community Interest Company was a member of a small group of North East female founders of businesses who met Chancellor Rachel Reeves in Darlington in January.

Later this month Tracy and the rest of the women are visiting Downing Street and the next day she will travel to the House of Lords for an event to celebrate the winners of the National Learning Disabilities Awards. Tracy’s “visionary leadership”, said the judges, “turns opportunities into realities, empowering autistic adults to thrive in careers that celebrate their unique talents and aspirations.”

Tracy, 55, had a successful 30-year career as an NHS mental health nurse. She struggled, though, with anxiety and communication and five years ago was diagnosed with autism.

“If it was like that for me, with all the support from my family and work, what about the people who don’t have any of that?” said Tracy.

According to the latest Annual Population Survey there are 78,000 adults in County Durham who are economically inactive, with health and disability the most significant factors.

Tracy left the NHS and in late 2023 set up Hiyed in Bishop Auckland to try to change that. Hyed’s aim remains the removal of barriers to employment for adults with learning and mental health difficulties, autism and other health conditions.

Tracy had never run a business before and received advice and guidance from Durham Startups – which has helped more than 250 new businesses and not for profit organisations – the Durham City Incubator for startups with high growth potential, the North East Business and Innovation Centre (NE-BIC) and Point North.

Hiyed is now supporting 80 people in work and nearly 40 who have set up their own businesses, many of them referred by Durham Startups.

Twenty-year-old Megan Johnson runs – Meg’s Beauty – from a salon in Fishburn, specialising in nail care and nail art.

“I prefer it than any other job I've had because I'm my own boss and I run things at the pace I need to run them. My main issue is that I don’t find it easy to talk to new people, knowing what to say,” she explained.

“At college clients would come in and I’d just run away,” said Megan who is currently being tested for autism. “I think it will help me in clearing things up, because I do sit and wonder why am I different? Why do I act differently?”

Despite her challenges, Meg’s Beauty has been trading for more than a year and Megan is planning to open her own home salon in the coming months. In addition to initial advice on setting up a business, she has regular catch ups at Hiyed and has referred one of her friends for support.

“I didn't know where else to send her and if I didn't know about this, I'd be stuck as well. So there should be more places like this to help people. You shouldn't be limited just because you think differently to somebody else,” said Megan.

Forty-one-year-old Shaun Ridley from Shildon works three days at week as a job coach assistant for Hiyed, which has also supported him in fulfilling his dream to be a DJ.

Shaun, who has Williams Syndrome – a rare congenital disorder – and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), launched Ridley Vibes last year. He wanted to play the music he loves and see people like him have fun without the threat of abuse or even violence. “They can come into a safe environment where they can enjoy the music, be around people that they know, and feel safe,” he said.

Victoria Clark, 47, is working with both Hyed and Durham Start Ups as she continues to develop her not for profit business Connected in Nature. It delivers nature-based therapeutic

and educational programmes for young people and communities, initially based at Broompark in County Durham but with plans to expand.

“I've been a sole trader for over 20 years with my own holistic practice. And I wanted to create a team and make it much more community based,” said Victoria from Bishop Auckland. “As someone who's neurodivergent I have loads of ideas, I'm really creative and I've got a big vision.” Hyed has helped her become more ordered and systematic. “Without that support I would probably have crumbled and given up,” she said.

Oliver Towers from Middridge always wanted to work with animals. “But when he left college he was in a bad place because there was no help for him and we didn’t know what to do ourselves,” said his mum Denise.

Thanks to the continuing support of Hyed, 27-year-old Oliver, who is autistic, now has a well-established dog walking business called Dapper Dog Walks.

“He keeps saying it’s the best thing he’s ever done,” said Denise. “Without it he’d be sitting on his phone or playing with the PlayStation. It’s a slow work in progress, but without the support of Tracy this wouldn’t have happened.”

The founder of Hiyed said: “In an ideal world there would be no barriers for anybody. But we’ve got to work with what we have. There’s lots of work to do, but that also means there are lots of opportunities to make a difference.”

As well as the National Learning Disabilities Award, Hiyed won the Business Hero category at the National Small Business Awards in November.