A Newcastle architectural practice has won a national award.
Ryder Architecture was named Architectural Practice of the Year at the Building Awards 2021.
Judges praised Ryder’s reputation with its clients in a year in which it won a Queen’s Enterprise Award and was ranked highly by Best Companies to Work For.
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The practice’s recent projects include designing net zero carbon offices for the Dogger Bank operations base at the Port of Tyne, the redevelopment of Whipps Cross Hospital in London and the completion of the new headquarters for West Kowloon Cultural District Authority in Hong Kong.
Mark Thompson, managing partner at Ryder said, “These are exciting times for Ryder, perhaps the most exciting in over 30 years. We have recruited over 90 people, established a new team in Manchester, delivered some fantastic projects across all our locations and achieved our profit share goal for our people.
“A fantastic collaborative effort that reinforces that it’s all about the team.”
A new hub designed to encourage collaboration between education and industry has been launched in the North East.
The Newcastle College Synergy Hub aims to provide businesses with the opportunity to interact with other firms in a co-working environment while accessing and contributing to curriculum development for the college and its students.
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The hub will offer practical support, advice and workforce planning, and also access to the technical skills training available from the further education sector and continued professional development for staff, networking and collaboration opportunities.
Grant Glendinning, executive principal of NCG North said: “I am really excited about what these facilities can offer both young people and local businesses. The idea of the Synergy Hub essentially derives from the need to connect education and industry in order to develop the knowledge and skills which are needed in the region.
“With the Synergy Hub, we hope to help nurture new talent as well as retain the talent within our region – Newcastle is a fantastic city with so much potential for growth, but in order to do so we need to provide an education to build the foundation for people to go out into their careers and thrive.”
The Great North Air Ambulance Service has received a £26,000 donation from Gateshead cheese manufacturer Primula .
Primula donates all its profits to good causes via the Kavli Trust and offers its employees the chance to nominate causes close to their hearts to receive a surprise donation. The £26,000 donation to the Great North Air Ambulance Service will help two new paramedics to join the service.
Hannah Powell, fundraising lead at the Great North Air Ambulance Service, said: “We are so grateful to Primula for this funding. Without investment like this we wouldn’t be able to continue offering the critical service that we do.
“We attend to around 1,500 people every year, that’s on average five incidents a day that require critical care in our region alone. Thank you so much to the staff at Primula for helping to make this service possible.”
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Michael Brunsden, senior national account manager and member of Primula’s charity committee, said: “It’s fantastic to have been able to visit the team at the Great North Air Ambulance Service and present them with this cheque.
“At Primula, supporting good causes is at the heart of everything we do and it’s really humbling to be able to visit the team and hear just how much difference the investment will make. Being able to support such an important charity makes all of our efforts worth it.”
An initiative supporting high growth North East start-ups has been launched with a £10,000 donation from Teesside technology entrepreneur Dean Benson.
Mr Benson, who runs Stockton and Newcastle firm Visualsoft , has pledged the financial support to the Entrepreneurs’ Forum Foundation programme, which is helping young businesses by providing them with access to the region’s most established entrepreneurs.
He said: “The North East is home to some of the best creative digital talent in the country and the future is bright with more tech start-ups on the horizon. In my experience, having a great business idea is just the first step. To build a successful company you need the right ecosystem of support, advice, and investment.
“The Forum’s Foundation is a perfect blend of this and will allow the next generation of tech entrepreneurs an opportunity to bring their ideas to fruition and build successful businesses.”
The Forum Foundation Programme sits alongside the Forum’s main activities, which represent experienced North East entrepreneurs leading businesses with a minimum turnover of £250,000 per annum.
James Robson, chair of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum said, “Dean’s donation is incredibly generous and allows us to move forward with a comprehensive offer for North East entrepreneurs.
“Through the Foundation we’ll support emerging entrepreneurial talent within the North East, providing access to experienced entrepreneurs via the Forum’s mentoring programme, a calendar of inspirational events and ongoing promotional opportunities.”
North East engineering group British Engines has donated £100,000 to training provider TDR to boost STEM training in the region.
The donation will go towards an estimated £300,000 required by TDR to achieve its current development plan, including the development of a STEM conference centre for North East employers, as well as further support to charitable trust school programmes to engage young people in STEM activities.
Alan Wilson, chief executive at TDR Training, said: “This is an incredible donation and I am very grateful to British Engines for their continued support of TDR.
“We are immensely proud to provide training and apprenticeships to British Engines, having worked with them for many years, helping to develop not only their apprenticeship scheme, but also supporting their management team with career development.”
Ron Dodd, consultant (engineering) at British Engines, said: “Whilst I was a managing director of British Engines in 1998, I, along with many others from industry, commerce and academia formed TDR under a Tyneside TEC Initiative. Initially set up due to a lack of skilled engineers and scientists, TDR has made a significant impact promoting engineering and science by mentoring students and adults, providing scholarships and running schools programmes.
“In line with TDR’s strategy of continuous improvement, this major investment is essential to keep ahead of the growing demands for a committed and skilled workforce at all levels.”