AYCLIFFE EXILES: GARETH JACKSON

From Byerley Park School to head of finance at Comedy Central in London, Gareth Jackson is the subject of our first Aycliffe Exiles feature, as he talks to Martin Walker…

Speaking from his plush Oxford Street office in the middle of London, Gareth Jackson remains as grounded as ever despite a hugely-successful career to date.

The 34-year-old, who went to Byerley Park and Greenfield schools before spreading his wings, still holds very fond memories of the town in which he grew up – despite his globetrotting which has taken him to just about every corner of the world.

Rare football wins over his rival school teams, larking about around the Chase housing area and Bluebell and, of course, his schooling all remain close to his heart.

But his life lies very much in London these days. He’s lived there on and off for about 12 years – in between travelling the world – and is now settled in his own house in Balham, near Clapham, in the South-West area of the city.

“I have great memories of growing up, I had lots of fun,” says Gareth.

“Going to school, playing football against our teachers once a week, always beating them!

“I went to Byerley Park, it was a small school but you knew everyone and it was close-nit.

“Then I went to Greenfield and they were good memories as well. Although I remember I went through a bit of a dodgy spell, I started knocking around with a couple of wrong-ens and I nearly got moved down a few classes after my schoolwork dropped.

“My dad came in from a parents evening and quickly put a stop to that nonsense!

“I’ve not been to Aycliffe for about three or four years, when my Nana was poorly. I don’t have any family in Aycliffe now, dad lives in Darlington, I just have friends in Aycliffe and I stay in touch on Facebook but, sadly, that’s about it.”

After leaving Greenfield in 1993, Gareth studied A-levels in business studies, economics and sociology at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington before going to the University of Liverpool, where he gained a degree in business and economics.

He returned to Darlington in 1998 where he worked for Orange for a few months, saving up to travel the world, and he didn’t mess about.

He began with three months in India and South-East Asia then a year living and working in Australia, split between Sydney and Melbourne. Another three-month flit followed, to New Zealand then Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador in South America.

“It was OK, I suppose,” sighs Gareth, who’s never been one to get too excited about anything in life.

“Nah, some of it was amazing, and I’m very lucky. I’ve seen so many different places over the years, some of them I’d only dreamt of seeing.

“India was unbelievable. I probably wouldn’t go back, but it was an amazing place to see.

“But Bolivia was probably my favourite of all. It was so diverse. We saw these amazing dried-up lakes, called Salt Flats, in the South of the country and then the Amazon rain forest in the North.”

Gareth admits his travelling days are now long gone. “It’s a young man’s game,” he insists, after eventually settling down and buying his own pad in Balham, a 30-minute Tube ride from central London.

He moved to the ‘Big Smoke’ and started working for BSkyB on the firm’s graduate finance scheme in May 2001 and went to night school during the three-year “scholarship” to become a Chartered Management Accountant.

After qualifying he became a financial analyst with Sky before he was appointed initially as a financial controller at Comedy Central, the UK’s biggest comedy network which boasts a string of well-known shows, in August 2008.

Now head of finance, he leads a team of five financial analysts at the firm’s offices on Oxford Street in London, Europe’s biggest shopping strip. “Quite a handy location,” according to Gareth.

Still as unassuming and unenthusiastic as ever, you won’t find the relatively quietly-spoken Gareth boast about his impressive CV.

It took a few days to persuade him to do this feature. “I’ll get loads of abuse from the lads,” he said. Par for the course.

Newton Aycliffe is but a distant memory for this high-flier. The local boy done good. But most Newtonians, like me, will be proud to see one of our own do so well in such a short space of time.

And, hopefully, the town will always be in his blood. Just.

Are you an Aycliffe Exile? Or do you know one? We’d love to hear from you!

Email us today: [email protected]