Newcastle financial services and technology company True Potential has reached a milestone point in its drive to raise £100,000 for national children’s charity Mission Christmas.
The Newburn based business has so far raised over £50,000 for the charity over five years, with the company match-funding every penny raised by the 700-strong team. In 2023 the team raised over £10,000 and this year they plan to beat that, retaining the title as the biggest regional fundraiser for Mission Christmas.
This year, True Potential sponsored the Newcastle and Gateshead edition of Monopoly, with all proceeds from staff purchases of the board game going to the charity - and then being doubled by the company. Additionally, the organisation is hosting creative fundraising events for staff, including dress-down Fridays and a Christmas Jumper Day, to further support the cause.
Esther Heale, group executive assistant, who is leading the fundraising efforts, said: “As a local North East business, we are proud to have supported Mission Christmas for the past five years. It’s a cause our entire team gets behind and we are committed to our long-term goal of raising £100,000 for the charity.â€
True Potential is also continuing its fundraising tradition with the annual office-wide ban on the word ‘Christmas’. Each time a team member says it, a £1 donation is made to Cash for Kids for every mention with senior managers giving £10.
Blyth based Draeger Safety º£½ÇÊÓƵ has marked a 10-year partnership with The Children’s Safety Education Foundation (CSEF), as well as sponsorship of three new schools near its º£½ÇÊÓƵ bases in Blyth, Aberdeen and Hemel Hempstead, as the partnership enters its 11th year.
The relationship sees Draeger Safety º£½ÇÊÓƵ provide funding to help enable CSEF to conduct its ‘Respect’ safety educational programme in secondary schools across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ, and the latest schools to be supported have been selected based on their locations near the business’s three º£½ÇÊÓƵ bases in Blyth, Aberdeen and Hemel Hempstead.
Juliana Okodoa, a senior quality engineer at Draeger Safety º£½ÇÊÓƵ who is also one of the firm’s Community Champion, said: “Being able to support young people in this way is something that many of our team feel very passionately about. Keeping people safe is very much in line with our mission as a business, so we are delighted to be able to play a small part in helping CSEF team carry out their important work.â€
Steven Foster of the Children’s Safety Education Foundation added: “The support such as that offered by Draeger Safety º£½ÇÊÓƵ is vital in helping to support our work with young people in schools across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ, inspiring them to think differently, reject harmful behaviours, respect their communities and raise their aspirations.â€
Hays Travel has qualified for a 2024 Fast Payer Award from Good Business Pays, joining only 5% of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s 5,367 largest companies that report payment terms. Good Business Pays has named the 275 companies to be awarded its prestigious Fast Payer Award 2024, which recognises companies that have demonstrated the best payment performance to their suppliers over the past year. The award recognises big businesses that pay at least 95% of invoices on time and within 27 days or less, over the last 12 months.
Ken Campling, finance director of Hays Travel Group, said: “We are delighted that Hays Travel has received Fast Payer status. As a family-owned business, that began with one shop in 1980, we know that timely payments are essential - especially for smaller businesses - to maintain trusted business relationships and ensure the smooth operation of the supply chain.â€
Terry Corby, CEO of Good Business Pays CIC, added: “This is our fourth year of Fast Payer Awards, and we are seeing hundreds of large companies working hard to improve their payment performance to small suppliers. But only 5% of big companies are winning our Fast Payer awards so we have a long way to go.â€
An IT and cybersecurity leader from Newcastle life science consultancy ramarketing has won a national award. Ruth Humpherson, ramarketing’s IT and cybersecurity lead, has won the Next CSO Award at the 2024 CSO Awards º£½ÇÊÓƵ for her innovative contributions to cybersecurity and IT operations.
Emma Banks, ramarketing’s CEO, said: “Ruth’s exceptional leadership in cybersecurity has been transformative for ramarketing. Her forward-thinking approach has not only enhanced our security but also created a culture of engagement and awareness across the company. Ruth’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and ethical AI practices reflects the values we hold as a business. She is an invaluable part of our team.â€
During her two years with the company, Ms Humpherson has introduced an IT framework designed to meet modern security challenges while supporting team development. She said: “I’m honoured to receive this recognition, but it’s a testament to the incredible team and collaborative spirit at ramarketing. Cybersecurity is as much about people as it is about technology, and I’m proud to work in an environment that values innovation and inclusivity.â€
People living across a dispersed County Durham community will be coming together for Christmas with the help of funding from renewable energy developer OnPath Energy.
The village of Great Stainton near Darlington stretches right across the surrounding countryside and includes several outlying farms, but no longer has any shared community buildings where people can meet up. A £840 grant from the community fund linked to OnPath Energy’s nearby Moor House Wind Farm is being used to pay for the village Christmas tree, while it will also help cover the costs of 36 local people gathering at the Dun Cow pub in Sedgefield for their annual Christmas function.
It’s the third time that the village has received support from the Moor House Wind Farm Community Fund, with a £2,277 grant paying for the purchase and installation of a defibrillator outside the village’s former Kings Arms pub in 2019, which has proven invaluable on several occasions.
Sue Bell, secretary of Great Stainton Parish Meeting, said: “Great Stainton stretches across a very wide rural area, and as we no longer have any community facilities available, it can be difficult for people to meet up, especially during the darker winter months. Our Christmas tree lighting event and carol service aims to give everyone the ideal opportunity to come together at this special time of the year, while we’re obviously all very excited to be welcoming Santa Claus into the village.â€
Lynsey Stephenson, communication manager at OnPath Energy (formerly Banks Renewables), added: “The Moor House Wind Farm Community Fund was designed to provide direct enefits to nearby communities like Great Stainton. We’re really pleased to be extending the support it has enabled us to provide to village projects and to this project in particular, which really captures the spirit of the festive season.â€
