Back in 1999, Last Night of Freedom was born – when the web was first booming and I was just a cider-swilling student, taking business calls in my pants. The concept of the company initially began its life supplying ideas and inspiration for people trying to organise their own stag and hen dos, but fast developed into helping customers actually book their weekends.
At first, I focused on a select few locations which I knew from my own experiences, were popular with stag and hen parties – primarily focusing locally. To begin with, I was providing customers with stag do ideas in Newcastle, such as the best nightlife areas and bars to visit, as well as the top stag do activities in the city. I then branched out to other locations across the UK and even abroad, as flights became cheaper and budget airlines became increasingly prevalent.
At this point, Last Night of Freedom was based in a small office above a Greggs – 18 years on, business progressed and the brand started to become recognised as an industry thought leader. I have since expanded into not only providing weekends, but also supplying stag and hen party fancy dress and accessories. We are now located in swanky 15,000sq ft offices on Newcastle’s Quayside and have just under 50 employees, as well as a huge warehouse and personalisation department. We’re also the UK’s largest online stockist of stag and hen party accessories, with hundreds of novelty items, games, fancy dress costumes and personalised items dispatched every day.
We’ve sent thousands of stags and hens to far flung corners of the globe – and currently offer 65 destinations across the world – including the North Pole, Las Vegas and everything in-between – with popular destinations including Prague, Budapest and Amsterdam for stag dos and Marbella, Dublin and London for hens. Across our locations we offer thousands of activities, with everything from epic shooting packages, DTV Shredders and supercar racing, to spa days, naked chocolatiers and steamy strip shows.
Last Night of Freedom is a fantastic place to work – if I do say so myself – with the highest levels of comradery I’ve ever known in a working environment. We’re all proud of what we do, and go out of our way to ensure that our clients receive the best possible bespoke experience – from their initial enquiry, to their stag or hen do itself. Not only are we part of the Living Wage Foundation, but all of our customers are ABTA protected – meaning that we adhere to a strict code of conduct, leading to high standards and added financial security for any booking. This means that customers can travel safe in the confidence that in the rare instance of a problem, it will be quickly and efficiently resolved.
Of course, there have been hurdles in Last Night of Freedom’s 18-year history, but now, we’re bigger and better than ever, and excited by the challenges that lie ahead.
