North East software firm Salesfire scooped the Best Martech at the Northern Digital Awards.
The software-as-a-service business won the trophy at the annual awards which recognise businesses from who are at the forefront of digital marketing. The win comes in the same week that the business launched its new technology, Salesfire AI.
Salesfire AI helps e-commerce brands by enabling retailers to identify and retarget more of their anonymous shoppers with personalised messaging, without relying on third-party cookies. Using ID profiling technology, the solution can recognise returning visitors across different devices even when they are not logged in.
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Chief executive officer Rich Himsworth said: “We are ecstatic. All of our teams have worked so hard to create this stand-out technology and receiving this award in the same week we officially launched Salesfire AI is fantastic recognition for what we bring to the eCommerce space.”
Organisers of an event celebrating the North East’s thriving technology sector are calling upon businesses to get involved. TechNExt will span five days in June, bringing together thousands of attendees who will share ideas, learn from one another and celebrate a sector that is thriving in the region. The event – hosted by a partnership of North East businesses and stakeholders, and led by Dynamo North East CIC and Sunderland Software City working with BeaconHouse Events – will feature community-led fringe events, displaying the diversity and innovation with the tech scene.
Organisers are calling for organisations in the region’s tech sector to pledge their support and get behind the festival by freeing up their team to engage and attend the TechNExt’s events and activities.
Dr David Dunn, CEO of Dynamo North East, said: “We’re delighted to launch our programme for TechNExt 2025, which promises to be a real celebration of the incredible tech businesses and teams we have in the North East, as well as a great platform to boost collaboration and support people to grow their skills and network.”
Scores of children joined members of local charities and community groups in helping to create a new 18-hectare woodland on the site of a former County Durham surface mine. North East employer Banks Mining enhanced the original restoration plan for its former Bradley surface mine site, which sits between Leadgate and Dipton, to include the planting of 36,000 new trees and shrubs on the site.
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The family firm invited a range of groups and organisations to take part in a week-long series of planting sessions at the site. More than 170 children from Leadgate Primary School, Collierley Primary School in Dipton, Bishop Ian Ramsey School Primary School in Medomsley, Our Lady & St Joseph’s Primary School in Brooms and St Patricks Primary School in Dipton have been planting trees that will now grow as they grow up. Teams from Random’s Retreat CIC, Building Self Belief CIC and the Leadgate Health Walkers Group also got involved, along with local residents.
Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, said: “The help we’ve had from local volunteers of all ages in starting to create this valuable new community asset has been fantastic and it’s been great to see how enthusiastic everyone has been about getting involved. Planting this new woodland will enhance the long-term biodiversity benefits we can provide and will bring additional wildlife habitats to the site while also providing more opportunities for local people to enjoy it for leisure purposes.”
Newcastle fintech firm True Potential has announced it has raised £58,000 for regional children’s charity Mission Christmas over the last six years. The business plans to step up its fundraising this year, working towards a long-term target of raising £100,000 for Mission Christmas. All cash raised by the 700-strong Newburn Riverside team is matched by the company, making it one of the charity’s biggest fundraisers. The firm presented a cheque for £8,740 – the 2024 total – to Hits Radio stars Steve and Karen.
Samanpreet Kahlon, head of charity at True Potential, said: “Every year, Mission Christmas brings festive joy to children across the North East and beyond, and we are proud to continue to support their much-needed work. In addition to raising nearly £9,000 last Christmas, our team also donated hundreds of presents to families in need.
"As we enter 2025, we have a renewed focus on supporting our communities, and are thrilled that our fundraising for Mission Christmas has helped to support nearly a quarter of a million disadvantaged children in the last six years.”
The winner of this year’s St Oswald’s Hospice Big Car Raffle has decided to return her prize to Bristol Street Motors Silverlink Hyundai, part of the Vertu group, and make an additional donation of £3,000 – taking the total raised this year for St Oswald’s Hospice to £30,000.
Sally Henderson, who won the brand-new Hyundai i10 last month, is the second winner of the annual raffle to hand back the prize and boost the fundraiser.
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Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu Motors plc, said: “We are incredibly moved by Sally’s decision to return the car and make an additional donation. Her actions exemplify the spirit of giving and community support that makes the North East such a special place. We are proud to continue our partnership with St Oswald’s Hospice and support their vital work.”
Nikki Maguire, fundraising marketing manager at St Oswald’s Hospice, added: “We are absolutely delighted and deeply grateful for Sally’s generosity. The Big Car Raffle is one of our most important fundraising events, and gestures like this help us to continue providing essential care and support to our patients and their families. A huge congratulations and thank you to Sally!”