Jack Brooke-Battersby
By Jack Brooke-Battersby

Senior Staff Writer

1 August 2019

| | 4 min read

Lifestyle

Cintra lines up to sponsor TRY on the Tyne

North East firm Cintra HR & Payroll Services has signed up to support the region’s newest multi-sport event.

Steve Cram and Carsten Staehr of Cintra, title sponsor of TRY on the Tyne.
Steve Cram and Carsten Staehr of Cintra, title sponsor of TRY on the Tyne.

The Gateshead company will not only be headline sponsor of TRY on the Tyne, but will also field a sizeable number of athletes in the inaugural event on Saturday 10 August. Organised by Steve Cram’s company Events of the North, in partnership with Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council, TRY on the Tyne will include duathlon (run-bike-run) races, along with 5K and 10K runs and junior races, with all events enjoying a mass start at Baltic Square in Gateshead and finishing on the Newcastle Quayside.

Cintra provides HR and payroll software and outsourced payroll services to over 850 clients of all sizes and types, across a variety of UK public and private sector industries. Over 200,000 people per month and £1.8 billion worth of salaries per annum are paid using a Cintra Payroll solution. Cintra has enjoyed an average of 20% growth in turnover and staff numbers in each of the last five years and now employs 99 people.  CEO Carsten Staehr is a keen cyclist and runner and encourages a culture of physical activity throughout the business. Carsten has regularly participated in sporting challenges organised by COCO (Comrades of Children Overseas), the charity co-founded by Steve Cram, and jumped at the opportunity to get closely involved in TRY on the Tyne.

Carsten Staehr comments: “Cintra has an international presence, but we are really proud of being a North East company and are relishing the opportunity to support this exciting new event on our doorstep. It is in our DNA to develop and maintain fantastic relationships with our clients, our customers and colleagues, and part of that involves promoting better health.

“So, we see it as a duty to support a great initiative like TRY on the Tyne that will promote active lifestyles in such an accessible and inclusive way. With Steve Cram and Allison Curbishley at the helm, we know that this will be a great event, and I for one can’t wait to line up on for the start on 10 August.”

Steve Cram adds: “I have known Carsten for many years and he’s a brilliant role model for business leaders. Thanks to him, Cintra sets an excellent example by not only talking a good game about active lifestyles, but also facilitating opportunities for employees to participate in all sorts of events. TRY on the Tyne will be an ideal introduction to the sport of duathlon for people of all ages and abilities and a great summer opportunity to have a go at the sport, or alternatively tackle a flat and fast 10k or 5k run. We’ll work closely with Cintra to push those messages and put on an exciting event at the heart of Tyneside on 10 August.”

The TRY on the Tyne duathlon event will include races over the standard and sprint distances on a fast and largely flat route taking in the sites along both banks of the Tyne.  The 5K and 10K runs will follow the same routes as the duathlon running legs. Newcastle and Gateshead councils are both backing TRY on the Tyne as part of a wider push to inspire more people to get active through cycling or running, or both. Organisers at Events of the North hope to attract both regular athletes and beginners to a fast, flat course and an iconic setting, and hope to hold a triathlon at the venue in the future.