A trio of businesseshave signed up to support The Beacon of Light through a new shirt tiles display.
As the home of Sunderland charity The Foundation of Light, the city centre venue launched the tiles - displayed in the main foyer building - which firms can sponsor for 拢1,000. Proceeds from the initiative will support the community building and three city businesses have already signed up.
Woofs and Scruffs, a doggy day centre based in Stack Seaburn; Rorack Shipping a vehicle shipping firm based at Quay West; and BIM73, which offers precision digital engineering services from its North East base have all signed up, and they are urging more businesses to do the same.
Ian Cutter from BIM73 said: 鈥淭here are so many events here, and people walking around, seeing the company logo on the Shirt and Boot Tile. It gets my business noticed. Anything I can put into the Beacon to benefit the community is definitely worth it. I hope others get involved and support the Beacon of Light.鈥
Jamie Wright, managing director of the Beacon of Light, said: 鈥淭he support we have from businesses like Woofs N Scruffs, Rorack Shipping and BIM73 is a vital contributor to the Beacon, supporting a venue that makes such a huge impact on so many lives. We鈥檙e enormously grateful to our supporters.鈥

Holiday park operator Parkdean Resorts has landed an award of its contribution to the restoration of Cresswell Tower.
The North East firm scooped the title for Best Coast & Countryside Project at the LOVE Northumberland Awards 2022. The 14th Century Grade II listed building gives its name to one of the company鈥檚 holiday parks on the Northumberland coast, and was built as a Pele Tower, a common feature in Northumberland between 1350 and 1600 to protect local families from border reivers.
Prior to the restoration, the tower had been subject to vandalism and graffiti and had been roofless. Following a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, Parkdean worked with local charity Cresswell Pele Tower CIO and Historic England to restore the building over two years. It has now been removed from Historic England鈥檚 鈥淗eritage at Risk鈥 register and opened to visitors last year.
Stephen Griffiths, director of development & estates, Parkdean Resorts, said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to have won this award for our work in helping to restore Cresswell Tower. The team worked really hard to get it back to its former glory for visitors to admire and enjoy, and we鈥檙e delighted that their efforts have been recognised. Congratulations to everyone involved.鈥
In April, Parkdean Resorts announced a cash injection of more than 拢400,000 in Creswell Towers for 2022, as part of a record 拢140m nationwide investment programme to improve the guest experience and install park-wide Wi-Fi-capability.

North East England Chamber of Commerce鈥檚 Annual Dinner will raise money for Durham Catherdral, where it is being held on September 22.
Previous events catering for 800 guests have contributed around 拢250,000 towards the building, helping to protect it for future generations. John McCabe, chief executive, North East England Chamber of Commerce, said: 鈥淲e are delighted to be able to join so many members of our region鈥檚 business community in the magnificent Durham Cathedral once again, after two year鈥檚 pause due to the pandemic. This will be our third year and it鈥檚 the highlight of our Chamber events calendar. It鈥檚 also particularly important to us all that we鈥檙e able to support the Cathedral鈥檚 work with our fundraising through tickets and sponsorship.鈥
Cannon Michael Everitt said: 鈥淲e're delighted to host the North East England Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner once again. It is a very special evening in which the cathedral is transformed for the event 鈥 it鈥檚 an important event in our calendar, one that we are excited to welcome back after two years. We're ever grateful to the Chamber and its guests for the funds it has raised over the years. As well as enabling us to carry out the cathedral鈥檚 core mission, these donations have supported vital conservation work, helped to improve our visitor experience and will enable us to welcome generations to come."
Guest speaker at the evening will be TV host and Teesside-born Steph McGovern. Previous speakers have been architect George Clarke; and Sir Tim Lawrence, chair, English Heritage Trust who studied at Durham Cathedral.

Northumberland-based Moody Logistics and Storage is celebrating its success at the Amazon Everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards for a second time in two years.
Cheralyn Roden, the family-run firm鈥檚 digital marketing coordinator won the Above and Beyond category in the 2022 Freight Awards in recognition of the innovation and excellence she brings to her role. The mother-of-two, from Cramlington, was one of 16 winners designed to highlight the breadth of opportunities available for women in what is a traditionally male dominated industry.
Just two years ago her boss, managing director Caroline Moody, picked up the Freight Leader award in recognition of her positive contribution to the sector. Ms Roden, who is responsible for promoting the business, was instrumental in highlighting its in-house HGV driver apprenticeship scheme 鈥 successfully bringing it to the attention of the Department of Transport, which then featured it in a nationwide campaign encouraging people to consider a career as a lorry driver.
She said: 鈥淚t is a real honour to receive the Above and Beyond award, given the talent of the others who were also shortlisted. I鈥檓 passionate about promoting Moody Logistics and Storage and it鈥檚 fantastic to have your work recognised by your peers.鈥

Wealth manager Brewin Dolphin鈥檚 Newcastle office has been awarded the North of Tyne Combined Authority鈥檚 Advanced Good Work Pledge (GWP) award - recognising good jobs and a positive work environment.
The award is based on five criteria: valuing and rewarding the workforce; promoting health and wellbeing; effective communication and representation; developing a balanced workforce; and fostering social responsibility. Brewin Dolphin鈥檚 Newcastle office was awarded for its initiatives designed to help employees to feel included, supported and rewarded, and also for its support of the local community.
Gary Fawcett, senior investment manager at Brewin Dolphin鈥檚 Newcastle office, said: "We are thrilled to have achieved the Advanced Good Work Pledge award, and it just goes to show the hard work the business is putting into supporting its employees and the local community. I believe it is really important for large organisations to show commitment to their employees and the wider community in which we live and work, and hopefully this will help encourage other businesses 鈥 big and small 鈥 to join the Good Work Pledge initiative."
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