Sunderland housing association Gentoo raised £10,928 for local children’s charity Love, Amelia in 2024.
Gentoo colleagues chose Love, Amelia as their corporate charity to support last year and held a number of fundraising and donating activities to support the children’s charity, including summer BBQs, sponsored runs, organisation wide raffles, tuck shops and the firm’s popular monthly payroll deduction scheme. Staff also made time to volunteer for the charity at its warehouse to help pack donations for those in need.
Love, Amelia also ran campaigns in which Gentoo colleagues took part in increase donations, such as the back-to-school campaign where colleagues at Gentoo and their partners Lyreco donated over 2,000 back to school kits.
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Louise Bassett, chief executive Officer at Gentoo said: “Child poverty is a significant issue in our region and Love, Amelia are doing amazing work to support families experiencing hardship. It’s been a pleasure to get to know Love, Amelia over the past year, learn more about their vital work in Sunderland and build a strong relationship so we can continue to work together to help our communities thrive.
“The generosity from our colleagues towards our chosen charities never fails to impress me and I’d like to thank everyone for their hard work to raise money for such an amazing charity.”
Steph Capewell, CEO of Love, Amelia, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Gentoo for choosing Love, Amelia as their corporate charity in 2024 and for their outstanding support throughout the year. From their colleagues to their partners, they have fully embraced our charity, showing commitment through fundraising, volunteering, and supporting our projects. Their efforts have raised an amazing £10,928, which has made a very real and significant difference.
“Many of the families we support live in Gentoo properties, making this partnership especially meaningful as we work together to address the challenges in our community. This collaboration has created a positive impact, and we are truly thankful for everything Gentoo has done to help us support children and families experiencing hardship.”
North East listed landlord Grainger plc has been added to a high profile list recognising its sustainability credentials.
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The Newcastle business is now a constituent of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for Europe for 2025, recognition which places Grainger among the top-performing businesses for sustainability in Europe and highlights its leadership in environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices.
The firm said the inclusion in the index reflects its commitment to ESG practices, having been a FTSE4Good constituent since 2010. The firm also won the EPRA Outstanding Contribution to Society Award for the Environmental category in 2023.
The DJSI is regarded as one of the most respected sustainability benchmarks, assessing companies based on a stringent set of criteria that measures ESG performance and Grainger is one of four European real estate companies to meet the threshold this year.
Helen Gordon, chief executive of Grainger, said: “Being recognised as a constituent of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for Europe is a significant achievement. This further highlights our commitment to maintaining sustainability at the core of our business and driving positive impact for our communities. We will continue to build on this recognition to deliver positive outcomes and create a lasting impact for our stakeholders.”
Northumberland charity Tynedale Hospice at Home has received a £1,500 donation from Barratt Homes’ Meadow Hill development. The charity supports families in Tynedale, West Northumberland and Ponteland, helping people dealing with life limiting illness by providing nursing care, complementary therapy, patient transport and bereavement support.
The charity’s registered nurses and support staff work directly with GPs, district nurses and other community services to allow people to be cared for in their own home, avoiding unwanted hospital stays.
Cathy Bates, fundraising manager at Tynedale Hospice at Home, said: “We would like to thank Barratt Homes for their generous donation to our charity. Donations such as this are essential in helping us to support people who are dealing with life-limiting illnesses, and ensure that our registered nurses are able to provide the correct care and support that is so vital.”
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Natalie Donnelly, sales manager at Barratt Homes’ Meadow Hill development, said: “Tynedale Hospice at Home do such incredible work across the Tynedale, West Northumberland and Ponteland area, and we’re so pleased that we have been able to support them. Their hard work and dedication truly shines through in all that they do, whether that is providing therapy, bereavement services or transport for patients. “We would like to take this opportunity to encourage other businesses to consider making a donation, to allow the charity to continue their efforts.”
Sunderland holiday company Tate’s Travel is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a series of events. The company opened its base in Park Lane in 1985 and is marking the milestone with a series of competitions with prizes from its holiday suppliers.
The office was opened by Ray Tate, to sell coach holidays. His coach company, Penshaw Coaches, had been growing since it was started in 1968 and he decided it was time to have a high street presence to sell his own coach holidays, as well as a selection of holidays from other holiday companies.
The business became a member of ABTA in April 1985 and has gone from strength to strength ever since, now acting as agents for Jet2Holidays, Tui, Easyjet Holidays and Balkan Holidays as well as other major tour operators. The firm is offering celebratory prizes including a mini cruise to Amsterdam, a London theatre break, and vouchers towards holidays.
A spokesperson said: “The office is still run by Ray’s children, Lisa and Lee, and although Ray retired in 2000 he is still going strong at 87 and shows a keen interest in the business he founded. Over the 40 years the office has been open in Park Lane, Sunderland, we have booked tens of thousands of holidays for our customers, with generations of families still booking with us like their parents and grandparents did before them.
“We’ll be offering some amazing prizes in our anniversary giveaway featuring fantastic holiday packages, travel essentials, and more.”