Tallie Bush, chief operating officer at Newcastle care technology firm Circadacare, has been recognised as one of the Ƶ’s leading women innovators at the Innovate Ƶ Women in Innovation Award 2025. The award, which includes a £75,000 grant and tailored business support, celebrates trailblazing women driving pioneering solutions to key societal, environmental, and economic challenges.
Based at Newcastle Helix, Circadacare is developing solutions to enhance the quality of life for older adults and those with cognitive impairments. The firm provides circadian lighting technology to care homes - a system proven to regulate sleep patterns, improve daytime engagement, and reduce falls among elderly residents.
Ms Bush has played a pivotal role in leading Circadacare’s research and development, and the award funding will lead to further R&D, supporting the expansion of AI-driven health monitoring technologies.
She said: “This recognition is incredibly validating - not just for me, but for our entire team. It highlights the importance of what we’re doing and how our innovations can positively impact lives. More than just a personal achievement, this award fuels our ability to continue developing cutting-edge solutions that make independent living safer and more accessible.
“The business world has grown up around male innovators. Women can often communicate and think differently, and we shouldn’t be afraid to bring our unique perspectives into innovation. This award, and the wider support networks available, are key to ensuring more women can lead groundbreaking companies in the future.”
A Northumberland sports club’s fundraising drive to pay for new grounds maintenance equipment has received a four-figure boost from North East employer the Banks Group. Blyth Rugby & Cricket Club has been working towards raising the £25,000 it needs to bring in a new compact tractor, to help it to prepare and maintain its five-hectare grounds more effectively and efficiently.
The new tractor will replace a failing mini-mower that has been used to look after the ground for the last 20 years. The £2,000 Banks Group grant has taken the total raised past £21,000, with the club committee hoping to reach its target and have the new tractor available for use by the spring.
Jonathan Barlow, secretary at Blyth Rugby & Cricket Club, said: “Our volunteers put a huge amount of work into our pitches, but the enduring drainage issues we have and the worn-out equipment we’re currently using means they’re not always in the condition that we’d like them to be, especially during the winter.
“We’ve put a huge amount of work into raising the money we need to make this significant purchase, and the response from individuals and groups within our community has been fantastic. The Banks Group’s generous contribution has pushed us even closer to our target and we’re confident that we’ll have everything in place by the spring.”
Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at the Banks Group, added: “Blyth Rugby & Cricket Club makes an impact right across South East Northumberland, both on the field and in the opportunities it provides to its younger players to learn about teamwork, fitness, self-confidence, respect, and community spirit.”
Accountants at Robson Laidler will take on the Ƶ’s highest peak this year to raise money for its community fund. Ten members of the Newcastle firm will tackle the 1,345m Ben Nevis in Scotland on May 10, to raise funds for its own community fund managed by Point North, which will support projects and community groups in the North East.
The team is aiming to raise £1,000 in the one-day adventure, which will see them take on the summit, then celebrate their success on the descent with a campfire, cold water dip and onsite sauna.
Robson Laidler head of people and culture Amy Park said: “Each year our team and clients get together and embark on fun and physical activities to support local projects and community groups that make a positive difference to people’s lives. We’ve done everything from climbing the Yorkshire Three Peaks, through to an intense velodrome race and a Coast-to-Coast challenge.
“These activities bring us together as a team and give us a shared sense of purpose. Supporting important causes reflects our commitment to making a difference beyond numbers and building lasting connections with our community along the way.”
Point North chief executive Michelle Cooper said: “The money raised by Robson Laidler Accountants will be distributed throughout the region to charities and community groups who are working tirelessly to help people who need urgent support today and to create opportunities for a better life tomorrow. The donations might go towards a food bank for local families, or cooking lessons for young adults. It might go to community centres who keep their doors open and their heating on throughout winter, or it might support a talented young athlete to travel to a tournament.”
Esh Group has underlined its commitment to helping everyone who works on or visits an Esh site to return home safely at the end of the day by rolling out its latest safety initiative. The Durham contractor has invested in 55 defibrillators which have been installed across sites in the North East and Yorkshire throughout January as part of its Everyone Safely Home campaign.
Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Director William Stobbs, said: “We have an ongoing commitment at Esh Group to maintain our safety – built on an ethos that everybody working on one of our sites or at one of our offices, should return home safe in an evening.
“Part of our continuous improvement comes on the occupational health side too and we have had the full backing of the executive board to make a substantial investment to introduce this life-saving equipment. I encountered a personal tragedy with my father-in-law when he suffered a cardiac arrest on a bus between Tebay and Blackpool. He took ill and unfortunately, despite our efforts with CPR, we weren’t able to save him.
“I then fortunately, had a better outcome when my mother-in-law collapsed in a local pub and her friends used a Community Sponsored defibrillator until the paramedics arrived. I was expecting to tell my wife that her mother had died at any moment, but when the paramedics arrived and continued use of their defibrillator, they found a slight, faint pulse and told us that the efforts with the defibrillator had saved her.
“We naturally hope that, as a business, our teams won’t need to use them, but rolling out the defibrillators will provide reassurance that there is access to immediate support in an emergency.”
A key member of the air traffic control team at Teesside Airport has celebrated reaching 40 years with the team. Karen Maidment first joined the airport’s roster in 1985 after spells in the St George Hotel and aircraft cabin crews.
She has spent 35 of those 40 years keeping Teesside’s skies safe in the Air Traffic Control tower, and her years of service were marked in an award ceremony this week. During her time in the tower, she has waved off Concorde from Teesside – and Princess Diana.
She stepped back from her leadership role last year, but still works part time offering up her invaluable experience, advice and expertise gathered over the years.
Karen said: “There was a new information desk built, and I started to come over to Air Traffic every night to request the weather every day – and I just loved it. I spent hours here and decided it was what I wanted to do. I applied for a job in 1987 – but I didn’t get it. I tried three times, and the third time I was lucky. I’ve just loved it.
“I must be a bit geeky and technical – I didn’t think I was but maybe I am. I’ve always been fascinated by it and still watch planes take off and land. It’s a job that’s hidden. Not many people understand it, but we are an important cog in an airport.”
