My Yorkshire: Erol Erturan, managing director at Adept Consulting Engineers
Adept is currently celebrating its tenth year in business and employs a team of 30 people in Leeds, Manchester and London, predominantly working across the commercial, warehousing, retail, educational, healthcare and residential sectors, providing a full range of civil and structural engineering solutions.
Where do you live / where are you from?
I was born in Altrincham but my mother is from Pudsey and my father is Turkish, so I grew up in Turkey but regularly visited my grandparents in Leeds. I now live in Cookridge.
What is your favourite place to visit and why?
I really enjoy the North Yorkshire coastline, around Whitby. It offers great beaches, a bustling town centre and is a great spot for a mini-break.
What is still on your to do list in the region?
I feel like I should do more cycling in the Yorkshire Dales because I usually stick to flat ground but I’d love to do some of the stretches from the Grand Départ – I just need to work on my fitness levels first!
What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever had in Yorkshire?
It would be my first wedding anniversary meal in 1996 at Brasserie Forty 4 in Leeds. It was great to be able to contrast the relaxed surroundings, with the wedding a year earlier. We’re just about to enjoy our 22nd anniversary meal there too.
What is your most Yorkshire trait?
It has to be my Yorkshire accent, with more than a hint of Turkish twang thrown in for good measure!
Favourite piece of trivia about the region?
Yorkshire is home to almost a third of all England’s National Parks which cover a fifth of the county.
What is your favourite cultural icon from the region?
Michael Palin – I’m a big Monty Python fan and I also enjoy his travel documentaries.
What is one thing you’d steal from Lancashire if you could?
The Capernwray Diving Centre near Carnforth. For anyone that hasn’t visited, it’s a former quarry that has been flooded to create a superb inland scuba diving site that’s more than 20 metres deep and filled with sunken planes and shipwrecks.
What’s the worst experience, or the worst thing about Yorkshire?
It’s got to be our transport links. Things are getting better, with the recent openings of new railway stations at Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge, but at the moment we still don’t have a viable alternative to large volumes of cars heading into our city centres each day.
