North East business life: charity, community and award events of the week

Colleagues at North East law firm Hay & Kilner are set to step out in response to an emergency call for a regional charity.

A 10-strong team will be undertaking a 20-mile night walk today, from the firm’s central Newcastle headquarters to Wylam in Northumberland and back to raise money for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). Members of the firm voted to adopt GNAAS as their dedicated charity for 2024 and are organising a series of individual and team-based activities to raise as much money as they can for their chosen cause.

The service recently issued an urgent plea for more funding from the region after revealing that rising costs had put it at risk of running at a deficit, which could potentially mean it might not be able to afford to answer emergency calls. The organisation is looking to raise around £8.5m to cover its expected 2024 running costs.

Bethany Herbertson, solicitor at Hay & Kilner and head of the firm’s CSR committee, said: “Any of us could need the help of the Great North Air Ambulance Service at any time and the possibility that they couldn’t afford to provide support in an emergency situation is their worst possible prospect. Taking on this challenge at night adds an element of danger and fear for those of us who are scared of the dark, and without the motivation of seeing the scenery around us, we will need to support each other all the way, especially if the weather is as cold and wet as it has been recently.”

A partnership of North East organisations raising awareness of chronic pain and supporting those affected in the Tees Valley has been named a gold winner in Health Service Journal’s (HSJ) annual Partnership Awards. Thought to affect around 43% of people regionally, chronic pain is more prevalent in the North East than any other part of England and opioid prescription rates in the area are 300% higher than in London.

Connect Health and its public health campaign Flippin’ Pain, NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, Tees Valley Sport Active Partnership, Teesside University and You’ve Got This, pooled resources and expertise to create and deliver a series of events and activities for the public and health professionals.

Events included the Flippin’ Pain Tees Valley Outreach Tour, which included 19 events held over six days in May, featuring educational workshops, public seminars and experiential pop-ups. The team beat competition from eight other contenders to win gold in the Most Impactful Partnership in Preventative Healthcare category.

Robson Laidler Accountants , which has offices in Jesmond and Chester le Street, has achieved the top level of ‘Maintaining Excellence’ standard in the Better Health at Work Award programme. The Better Health at Work Award is exclusive to the North East and promotes workplace health and wellbeing. Robson Laidler was awarded the maintaining excellence status after following the awards programme for seven years with a lineup of activities including health checks, cancer awareness sessions, Dementia Friends training and physical activity classes including a walking and running club.

The team has also appointed staff as qualified mental health first aiders, domestic violence champions, and grief first aiders and has a diversity, equality and inclusion project team. Health advocate Gemma Graham said: “As a B Corp we meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose and as such employee wellbeing is embedded in everything we do. We have a calendar of health and wellness campaigns and workshops that run throughout the year to ensure our staff have access to support outside of their day job.”

Staff from NatWest bank in Newcastle raised more than £21,000 for charity at a ball held at Wylam Brewery. The event saw 190 people come together for an evening of entertainment, music and philanthropy in aid of Quinn’s Retreat, which was founded in 2020 by Tracey and David Beadle after losing their daughter Quinn and son Dyllon to suicide. They set up Quinn’s retreat to provide a place of sanctuary for other people navigating the loss of a loved one through suicide, with their two retreats – one in Barnard Castle, and one in Appleby.

NatWest employee Sarah Reed, who works as a personal banker in the Newcastle city branch, found that the charity resonated with her after losing her daughter Leah to suicide in 2020. She and her family took their own retreat a year later to be together and remember Leah.

Organisers Sarah Reed, Nicola Amara, Kate Dodds and Lesley Corbett, said: “We are overjoyed by the incredible support and generosity shown at our charity ball. It’s been amazing, and truly heartwarming, to see our community come together to support Quinn’s Retreat and those affected by the devastating impact of suicide.”

Tracey Beadle, founder of Quinn’s Retreat, said: “Their collective efforts will make a meaningful difference in the lives of the people supported by Quinn’s Retreat, providing them with much-needed comfort and solace in difficult times. Our ambition is to be able to buy a third retreat, perhaps a beautiful flat or a small house by the coast. This will allow us to support more people who have been affected by suicide, with a welcoming space for them to stay.”

Insurance broker Lycetts has donated £5,000 to Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter as part of the Movement for Good Awards 2024.

The shelter was one of 10 charities to be chosen in the animals and wildlife special draw by Lycetts’ parent company, Benefact Group. Established in 1896, the shelter reunites lost animals with their owners and finds new homes for those no longer wanted, ultimately helping thousands of lost, unwanted, neglected, abused and abandoned animals across the region every year.

Shelter general manager, Rachel Kendall, said: “We are tremendously grateful to Lycetts and the Benefact Group for recognising the importance of our work and awarding us the money. It costs us £1.2m per year to run the shelter, so every penny we receive is put to good use. The money we’ve received will help us to continue to care for the hundreds of dogs and cats that find themselves without owners.”

Mark Hews, group chief executive of Benefact Group, added: “Benefact Group is a family of award-winning specialist financial services companies and the third largest corporate donor to charity in the UK. Owned by a charity ourselves, charitable giving is at the heart of what we do. All of our available profits go to good courses, and the more the group grows, the more it can give.”