Local firm started ‘by accident’ in a Heaton student bedroom turns 25 after hitting £100m turnover

Matt Mavir started Last Night of Freedom in university in 1999 and has gone on to organise 50,000 stag and hen parties in more than 60 destinations, from Newcastle to the North Pole.

Indeed, the company estimates its total value to the Tyneside economy to be over £10m so far.

But his ambition wasn’t quite as grand when he first set up a website while on an ‘industry year’ from his business degree in Heaton, offering best men tips and pranks for stag nights - despite the fact he’d never been on one himself at the time.

Matt said: “It happened almost completely by accident – I was a student and enjoyed a night out, so when I wanted to design a website I just started writing about that.

“After a while I think something must have changed in Google’s algorithm because all of a sudden we topped search lists and the number of people visiting our website just exploded.

“People started asking us to organise their stag weekends for them, and the rest is history.”

Last Night of Freedom became the first company to purely focus on organising pre-wedding getaways, offering packages with accommodation and activities while arranging guides and guaranteed entry to top bars and clubs.

But things could have been very different.

“In the early days, my shared house in Heaton was broken into,” continued Matt.

“The thieves had the choice between my TV or computer, which had all the files for the Last Night of Freedom website on it. Thankfully they chose my TV otherwise the company might never have happened.”

The firm is now based in Gateshead, and also offers stag and hen accessories and personalised clothes, fulfilling more than 350,000 orders.

And the company has sent thousands of stags and hens to Newcastle itself, with the city regularly topping lists of its most-booked destinations.

“We’re a local company and have always been proud of Newcastle and its popularity with stags and hens over the years,” said Matt.

“To us it’s the best place in the world and we wouldn’t want to be based anywhere else.

“Newcastle is the ultimate party city - it’s got everything, incredible nightlife, friendly locals and an unbeatable atmosphere.”

But Matt – who has become a go-to stag and hen industry expert, regularly featuring in national and international media like the BBC and the New York Times – has seen massive changes in how people celebrate their stag or hen do.

“Boozing on a pub crawl was pretty much as adventurous as our customers got,” he continued.

“Don’t get me wrong, while partying is still a massive part of a good stag or hen, people are now on average drinking less alcohol and are looking for much, much more – they want to visit somewhere new and pack in as many activities as they can.

“Even though things have changed, we’ve had an incredible time building the business and it’s surreal for us to have reached 25 years,” Matt continued.

“I think the secret to our longevity is our personal touch. People will usually only have one stag or hen do in their life and we understand it’s about much more than just throwing a party.

"We listen to exactly what our customers want and then pull all the strings to make it happen, simplify the process and do all the hard graft so that they can sit back, relax and truly enjoy their trip."