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

Developer and land owner Northumberland Estates has raised £8,500 for cancer support charity Maggie's.

The business held a golf day at Alnwick Castle Golf Club earlier this month in support of the organisation which helps people with cancer and their families by offering a welcoming and comforting environment at its centres across the country.

The funds raised by the event will help the North East centre, next to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, by paying for services including support groups, stress management workshops and practical advice. The winning team was from Hebburn-based building firm Castle.

Read more: Northumberland farmer launches new village family homes with seven figure investment

Read more: Atom Bank toasts record results as operating profits top £27m

A spokesperson for Northumberland Estates thanked all the participants, sponsors, and volunteers and said: "The charity golf day was a great success thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of everyone involved. Throughout the year, we look forward to working with Maggie's on other fundraising events and are proud to support the charity’s work in the North East."

Karen Verrill, centre head at Maggie’s Newcastle, said: “We’re over the moon to be Northumberland Estates’ charity this year. Families from across the whole region will use Maggie’s for cancer support. Our North East centre is in the grounds of Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital. You can simply walk-in for immediate help and advice or, speak with our team of cancer support specialists over the telephone. Almost everything is funded by our local community – thank you to everyone who made the golf day so successful.”

Alnwick Castle hosted a weekend of heritage skills demonstrations recently, giving visitors a view of the techniques used to preserve the 950 year-old castle.

Maintaining historic buildings demands specialist skills focused on retaining original character and authenticity, reproducing materials, and using traditional techniques. Visitors got the chance to try restoration techniques, including stone cutting and lime mortar repointing.

Catherine Neil, head of Alnwick Castle Ventures, said: "The Heritage Skills weekend is a fantastic opportunity for visitors to understand the efforts behind preserving Alnwick Castle for future generations. Besides being an enjoyable event, we hope it will encourage some to explore the traditional skills vital for the castle and regional heritage."

Supported by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Historic Property Restoration, the event was intended to highlight the diverse opportunities within the construction industry and how to pursue them.

The general manager of Parkdean Resorts' Cresswell Towers Holiday Park has become the first employee at the firm to complete a Level 5 apprenticeship.

Alex Pearson, who began working for the national operator in 2020, began the two-year Level 5 Operations Management qualification in 2022 and has since inspired others in his team to follow suit. Seven other staff at Cresswell Towers are now on apprenticeships and Mr Pearson has become a panel member at the Institute for Apprenticeship and Technical Education to represent the hospitality industry in policy discussions.

Mr Pearson said: “I’m really pleased to have completed my Level 5 Operations Management qualification. Apprenticeships are an invaluable way to develop your skillset, and it’s fantastic to be able to apply my learning directly into my role. I would recommend an apprenticeship in the hospitality sector to anyone and I am proud to see my team working to amplify their talents too.”

Paul Stevenson, apprenticeships principal at Parkdean Resorts, said: “We’re committed to nurturing talent and giving our teams opportunities to learn and develop, and we’re really proud of Alex. He’s shown fantastic development since studying for this qualification, and he’s a great example for his team of how they can develop their skills and grow their careers with us."

The Barbour Foundation has donated £100,000 towards the restoration of Herd Groyne lighthouse in South Shields.

The foundation, formerly the Barbour Trust, supports charities and good causes mainly in the North East. Barbour's connection to the nearly 150 year-old lighthouse dates backs many years with the landmark featuring in the clothing company's catalogues since the 1900s.

Herd Groyne sits at the mouth of the River Tyne on South Shields seafront and is owned by the Port of Tyne. The lighthouse has served as a crucial navigational aid, guiding vessels safely into the River Tyne, and is still operational today. Barbour's donation will go towards a restoration project involving cleaning, addressing minor structural defects and repainting.

Dame Margaret Barbour said of the donation: “The Herd Groyne is a North East landmark and is synonymous with Barbour – it has been part of the Barbour brand since the very first catalogue in 1908. It is a symbol that we have used across the globe as a proud representation of our roots in South Shields. When we heard about the repairs that the Herd Groyne needed, we wanted to help and we are delighted that through The Barbour Foundation, we've been able to contribute towards the restoration to ensure that the Herd Groyne can continue to guide ships into the River Tyne for many years to come.”

Victoria Beattie, head of estates at the Port of Tyne, said: “We are extremely grateful to The Barbour Foundation for this generous contribution towards restoring a key piece of the region’s heritage to its former glory. This donation has helped the Port initiate the works earlier than would have been possible without it.”

Housing Association Tyne Housing has received a double ward recognition for its work.

The society secured the Standard Good Work Pledge Award, which is part of the North of Tyne Combined Authority's efforts to foster good working practices. It also scooped the Maintaining Excellence Award at the Better Health at Work Awards, recognising its work in promoting the health and wellbeing of its staff and the wider community.

In recent years, Tyne has introduced various initiatives to support its workforce, including one-off cost-of-living payments, salary sacrifice and season ticket schemes, as well as providing Wagestream, a financial wellbeing platform that allows staff to access income as they earn and receive a range of discounts. The housing provider also has a 'Better Health at Work Group', which consists of staff and volunteers from across the organisation who come together to arrange activities such as cooking sessions, craft activities and photography competitions.

Steve McKinlay, chief executive at Tyne Housing, said: “We’re thrilled to receive this double award recognition for our efforts in fostering a positive work environment for everyone at Tyne. Our employees are empowered to share their ideas and opinions, contributing to a workplace where collaboration and innovation thrive.”

Beaconhouse Events is celebrating a decade in business by launching a campaign to support 10 local charities and community initiatives over the next 12 months.

The Newcastle firm was set up in 2014 to design environments and experiences that bring people and ideas together; creating space for conversations that could change the world. After careers in media, linguistics, HR services and events, co-founders Catherine Duhaut and Sarah Thackray joined forces.

Ms Duhaut said: “We have been reflecting on the past 10 years and while there have been some major achievements, including national award wins and our largest capacity event which welcomed over 24,000 attendees, there have been some turbulent times to navigate too. In 2020 the future of events looked bleak, but with the support and dedication of our incredible team, we were able to pivot the business and invest in technology solutions that still allowed people to connect when they needed it most.

"Since then, we have continued to evolve the experiences that we create to better suit today’s working patterns and global teams, but our vision remains to drive lasting, positive impact with every event that we deliver, whether it be a conference, exhibition, membership, awards ceremony, celebration, virtual, hybrid, outdoor event, or festival.

"It feels like only yesterday that Sarah and I decided to embark on this journey together. We wanted to take the learnings from our individual career experiences and use them to create something better than what the sector was doing already; something that had a positive impact on the people working to deliver the events, that offered a great experience to clients and that fitted with our joint and individual ambitions for the future. One major driver was being able to partner with clients who were delivering great work that we believed in to allow us to have a positive impact on our team and the communities around us."