Hays Travel is celebrating after winning the Leadership and Management award at this year’s Investors in People Awards.
Winners of the awards were announced at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate, London, where Hays Travel scooped the top prize in its category against other shortlisted organisations including Deloitte LLP and Jersey Water. The Sunderland firm also won the award in 2022.
The Investors in People Awards 2024 was a culmination of over 300 entries from 200 organisations across 15 countries to celebrate excellence in organisational development and people management. Hays Travel learning and development coach, Fiona Taylor, and learning and development team leader, Kaye Clyne, were there to collect the company’s award on the night.
Chief operating officer Jonathon Woodall-Johnston, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Hays Travel has won the Investors in People Award for Leadership and Management. I’m so proud of the support we provide and of our investment in colleagues’ continuous development, from apprentices through to senior leaders.
“Our aim is to provide a fun and fulfilling workplace with opportunities to progress and develop at all stages of your career. Last year we introduced the Aspiring Leaders programme to provide support and training for those managers seeking to progress into senior leadership and it has been wonderful to hear some of the positive feedback from those having completed the course.”
Investors in People CEO Paul Devoy said: “Congratulations to Hays Travel on this well-deserved recognition in The Investors in People Awards 2024. Their commitment to lead, support and improve not only the organisation, but their people too, truly makes them a standout employer, and one to watch in their industry. This award reflects not only the hard work and dedication of the entire team but also their passion for building a supportive and thriving workplace culture. At Investors in People, we are proud to celebrate organisations that strive to Make Work Better.”
Ten bottles of a Newcastle drinks firm's new gin are set to go under the hammer with part of the proceeds raising funds for charity.
The Sir David Hempleman-Adams Explorers Grand Slam Gin has been launched by Newcastle based Adventurers Drinks Company, and 10 bottles have been signed by the legendary Ƶ adventurer for a special auction. Phil Kite, ocean rower and founder of Adventurers Drinks Company, created the drink to mark Sir David becoming the first person to achieve the Explorers Grand Slam by climbing the highest summit on all seven continents and walking to the North and South Poles.
To celebrate his achievement, and raise some funds for Prostate Cancer Ƶ, Sir David has signed the bottles to represent one for each of the seven summits climbed, one for each pole walked and one to mark his achievement of completing the Explorers Grand Slam. He has also written the name and date of one of the individual challenges completed on each of the bottles and each bottle comes with its own presentation box and ownership certificate.
The bottles will be auctioned in the Anderson and Garland Christmas Country House & Fine Interiors Auctions, to be held on November 28 and 29 and 25% of the auction’s sale proceeds will be donated to Prostate Cancer Ƶ.
Sir David said: “I am delighted to be the inspiration for Explorers Grand Slam Gin. My love of adventure and exploration started when I took part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme and being the first to achieve the Explorers Grand Slam is something I look back on with pride. The world and its climate have changed considerably since I started out on my first climb, and I am delighted that the first ten bottles of gin will be auctioned, helping to raise some money for Prostate Cancer Ƶ.”
Mr Kite said: “Sir David is one of the world’s most inspirational adventurers and continues to explore the world from the land, sea and air. I have created an inspirational gin that captures the essence of his achievement by the inclusion of botanicals from all seven continents. The ten signed bottles will appeal to gin lovers and those interested in exploration and adventure, and acquiring a piece of history.”
EMG Solicitors has raised £40,000 for a national charity at its annual WonderLAN Ball. The sold-out event at The Fed in Gateshead brought 400 guests together from across the Ƶ to raise money for Headway’s Look Ahead North (LAN) weekend, which provides brain injury survivors and their family members, carers, and volunteers, the chance to enjoy an activity weekend at the Calvert Trust in Kielder.
Now in its ninth year, EMG Solicitors’ WonderLAN Ball has raised over £140,000 for Headway and the brain injury survivors it supports since the event was launched in 2015. Embracing a different theme annually, this year saw a twist on the famous German festival, Oktoberfest, with the event branded Novemberfest.
Emma Gaudern, CEO of EMG Solicitors, said: “We’re incredibly proud to continue our support for Headway and its outstanding work to improve life after brain injury. Every year our WonderLAN Ball raises tens of thousands of pounds to help deliver the charity’s annual Look Ahead North weekend; giving brain injury survivors in the North East the opportunity to try new activities and experiences, and to come together to share their recovery journey and support one another.”
The event had sponsors including Frenkel Topping, Adroit Financial Planning, Active Care Group, PLG Consultants, Concerva, Winn Solicitors, and Handelsbanken.
Luke Griggs, CEO of Headway - The brain injury association, said: “The support provided by EMG Solicitors over the past nine years has been phenomenal. This enabling and empowering weekend is for many people affected by brain injury, the highlight of their year as it gives them so much confidence. And it simply would not be possible without the efforts of Emma and Jemma, their team and all those who contribute to the amazing WonderLAN Ball each year.”
Children and young people with special educational needs took a seaside break thanks to funding from a County Durham business.
Chester-le-Street-based Integrating organised a five-day holiday to Butlin’s Skegness Resort for 24 of its young service users, after members of its youth forum suggested it as a venue for the charity’s annual trip. Integrating aims to involve children and young people aged between six and 30 years old with a range of disabilities and learning difficulties in mainstream activities which can help them build key life skills and friendships, improve confidence, and enable them to interact better with others. The charity, which marks 25 years next year, works with up to 100 children and young people a year and offers over 15,400 core activity hours a year during term time and school holidays.
Activities are organised between Integrating’s staff, the young people and their families, and include individual and team sports, music, rowing, going to the cinema or theatre, shopping trips, or going as a group to a restaurant. A £10,822 grant from property and mining firm the Banks Group enabled Integrating to cover the cost of taking the group and 12 support workers on the trip and to ensure the cost to families could be kept to an absolute minimum.
Kathryn Gaudie-Jones, business manager at Integrating, said: “We simply couldn’t have made this holiday happen without the funding that Banks has provided and we’re hugely grateful for everything it has allowed us and our young people to achieve and enjoy.”
Lucy Hinds, executive assistant at the Banks Group, added: “The positive impact of Integrating’s excellent work is clear in the enjoyment that their young people get from spending time with their peers and the charity’s team.”
Durham tech firm Hicomply is celebrating a number of award wins including the innovation trophy at the CyberNorth awards.
The information security and compliance business is also celebrating key client success and framework wins, including being awarded the G-Cloud 14 framework contract and a partnership with CyberNorth, the North East of England’s cyber security cluster.
Ed Bartlett, CEO at Hicomply said: “We were delighted to receive the Innovation Award at this year’s CyberNorth Awards, it’s a real celebration of our technology, our team and our ambitious approach to changing the game in the ISMS world. We want to stand out not only for our innovation and the quality of our solutions, but for our customer experience and how we support our clients and our industry.
“Being part of the CyberNorth community provides us with access to a vibrant network of cybersecurity experts and opportunities that align with our mission to create a secure, globally connected business ecosystem. At Hicomply, we believe no business should be excluded from markets due to unsecure data. We’re at a very exciting stage in our scale up journey and can’t wait to showcase some new and updates over the coming months.”
