BUSINESS LIFE
NEWCASTLE financial specialist True Potential has reached a milestone after making donations totalling £1m in the last year to a range of North East charities and causes.
The company’s beneficiaries in 2023 included The Chronicle Sunshine Fund in a partnership which saw True Potential sponsor the Sunshine Fund Great North Run team for a fifth year running, helping to raise over £20,000 for children living with disabilities, additional needs, chronic and terminal illness.
True Potential also helped First Stop in Darlington, which focuses on equipping people with the skills needed for employment, and Sunderland’s Foundation of Light and the Newcastle United Foundation, both of which received continued support from the company and its charity partner, the Harrison Foundation. Donations to St Oswald’s Hospice, which cares for people with incurable conditions, included several pieces of equipment.
As well as cash donations, True Potential has put other resources into boosting financial literacy around the country to bridge the gap for the younger generation.
The firm’s ‘On the Money campaign’ has so far seen 115 of its financial advisers volunteer to teach personal finance to 30,000 school children this academic year.
Daniel Harrison, CEO of True Potential and trustee of the Harrison Foundation, said: “The £1m in donations from True Potential and the Harrison Foundation in 2023 reflects our commitment to supporting organisations and initiatives that uplift and empower communities. We are proud to stand alongside our partners, working together to increase social mobility and create new opportunities for those in need.”
NEWCASTLE shopping and dining destination Eldon Square has opened a new Community Quarter.
The Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Coun Veronica Dunn, was joined by charities from across Newcastle – including Newcastle United Foundation, Newcastle Hospitals Charity and The Children’s Foundation – to mark the launch of the new community hub. The space has been designed to bring the local community closer together by providing an information-sharing hub that supports local initiatives that matter most to Eldon Square’s shoppers.
Based in the upper Grey’s Quarter, the area can be hired for free by registered charities, schools, colleges and universities, and is also available for arts and cultural, employability, civic and heritage, environmental and volunteering organisations to use.
Cormac Hamilton, general manager at Eldon Square, said: “Our aim is to help bring the local community closer together. It will also boost community engagement by encouraging individuals and groups to cross paths and interact with each other within this vibrant and inclusive space, that has been created especially for them.”
PLAYERS in the mini and junior sections at the Newcastle Vikings Handball Club are now wearing new playing kit provided through a sponsorship deal with North East law firm Hay & Kilner.
Described as football with hands and water polo without the water, handball is a fast-paced team sport which is especially popular across continental Europe. Newcastle Vikings was founded by chairperson Marlen Slinning Goulty after the sport was showcased during the 2012 London Olympics. The Vikings now run weekly training sessions for junior players at the Beacon of Light in Sunderland and at the Benfield Centre, with anyone aged between three and 16 welcome to try it out, as well as training sessions for senior players at the NuCastle Foundation Sports Centre and at the Benfield Centre. Marlen says: “All our young members look great in their new sponsored kit and it’s really giving them an extra feeling of belonging, so we’re hugely grateful to Hay & Kilner for their support.”
Ruth Fell, HR manager at Hay & Kilner, whose six-year-old son Charlie has been part of the Vikings for two years, said: “Charlie and his friends are so proud of their new kit. This is a great way for Hay & Kilner to support a community sports club and we hope it helps to encourage more North East kids to give handball a try.”
WINN Group hosted its first-ever awards evening at Newcastle Civic Centre to recognise excellence across the company. The Byker accident management business, which grew its workforce to 650 last year, said the event, sponsored by business partners, will now become a regular fixture in the Winn calendar.
Chris Birkett, CEO of Winn Group, said: “The evening was a tremendous success. It was not just a celebration of the outstanding achievements of our employees, but also a testament to the hard work, dedication, and spirit of innovation that defines our company.”
Winners included the finance team for exemplary attendance; Esther Wheatley as customer service champion; Liam Parker for innovation excellence; Laura McCombe as rising star of the year; Josh McKay as winner of the people’s choice award; Paul Hewitson for the leadership award; Kieran Embleton for outstanding achievement and Chelsea Shepherd as employee of the year. Founder Jeff Winn won the hall of fame trophy.