BUSINESS LIFE
NEWCASTLE law firm for businesses Muckle LLP has been shortlisted in two national categories in the inaugural Legal 500 ESG UK Awards.
The awards aim to honour outstanding ESG initiatives within the UK legal sector, covering private practice, in-house lawyers and the Bar. They will single out organisations and individuals for their efforts to bring about change across all aspects of ESG; including diversity and inclusion, and environmental and sustainability strategy.
Muckle has been shortlisted for the Social Mobility: Best initiative to Attract and Retain Talent (outside London) for its North East Solicitor Apprenticeship (NESA) programme. The programme, in partnership with Northumbria University, allows young people to earn a law degree without the debt of student loans. Senior partner Hugh Welch has also been shortlisted for the ‘Social Mobility: Private Practice Champion of the Year’ award for his efforts in driving the business’s ESG strategy and commitment to giving back to the community.
Mr Welch said: “For the past two decades, we’ve been involved in supporting the wider North East community and driving positive change. It’s great to see our efforts being noticed across the region and nationwide.”
A major peat restoration project to restore eight hectares of land in Harwood Forest in Northumberland to peat bog has been completed.
Groundwork NE & Cumbria led the project with help from peat experts at Forestry England after receiving a £10,000 grant from the Hexham-based Vattenfall Company, through donations to the Ray Wind Funds CIC Local Initiatives Fund.
A further £41,000 project contribution was received from the Nature Returns programme, which is funding Groundwork’s wider Wansbeck Restoration for Climate Change project. This peat restoration project created an extensive area of rewetted deep peat which will sequester carbon, filter water and increase the unusual peatland biodiversity of sphagnum mosses, bog rosemary and cranberry that grew in the area before the forest was planted in the 1950s.
Michele MacCallam, Groundwork’s project manager, said: “We are delighted to have received the grant from the Ray Wind Funds CIC Local Initiatives Fund and the extra money from the Nature Returns programme. It has played a crucial role in supporting our wider Wansbeck Restoration for Climate Change programme and helped restore the land in Harwood Forest to deep peat.”
Staff at Komatsu in Birtley have secured places in the firm’s global Olympics contest, held in Japan.
Callum Soul, Adomas Burba and Jason Embleton won gold in a series of nerve-wracking events at the firm’s Birtley factory. The ‘Technology Olympics’ matches up some of the factory’s brightest talents against each other, other competitors from the firm’s suppliers, and highlyskilled specialists from Komatsu companies across Europe.
The engineering experts are assessed on their skills in three departments: welding, paint and assembly, with Callum, Adomas and Jason scooping honours in each, respectively. The challenges are designed to test and showcase precision, skill and concentration, with judges strictly assessing quality and technical knowledge.
Paul Blanchard, Komatsu UK managing director, said: “The Olympics is something everyone looks forward to and while competition is intense, it is also a great way to bring workmates together and showcase the incredible skill and acumen at the same time. A lot of the Olympians seem to thrive in the competitions, and it’s great when you see past champions return and new faces emerge.”
Housebuilder Barratt Homes North East is sponsoring the home kit for Whitley Bay Sporting Club’s Under 11 Tigers Girls’ Football Team.
Barratt Homes’ Church Fields development in New Hartley is local to the young players’ training and match location and the Whitley Bay Sporting Club U11 Tigers Girls’ Football Team is made up of young players from various primary schools in the North East. The sponsorship deal was created as the daughter of one of Barratt Homes’ senior site managers, Treverr Beynon, plays for the team.
Lucy Holmes Mongan, sales manager of Barratt Homes’ Church Fields development, said: “At Barratt Homes North East we take great pride in being part of the vibrant Whitley Bay and North East community.
This partnership resonates with our values of supporting local initiatives and we’re delighted to see Whitley Bay Sporting Club’s dedication to female football success and hope this sponsorship will help to support the team.
“We believe in the power of sports to inspire, and we are excited to be part of the team’s journey as they continue to shine.”
Steve Williamson, manager of the U11 Tigers Girls’ Football Team, said: “We’re so pleased that Barratt Homes has sponsored our home kit for the season, the team are looking very smart in their brand new kit.”
The Amazon fulfilment centres in Darlington and Durham have joined forces to make a £2,100 donation to the St John Ambulance branch in County Durham. St John Ambulance is the UK’s leading first aid responder, offering first aid training and a wide range of health and safety products to individuals and businesses throughout Durham and the surrounding areas. The donation will go towards the Spennymoor St John ambulance cadets and will be used to purchase training equipment to help cadets learn lifesaving skills. The Amazon teams also raised money for the organisation by walking 18 miles from the Darlington fulfilment centre to the fulfilment centre in Durham, adding £1,500 to the final donation total.
David Hall, site leader at Amazon in Durham, said: “The charity contributes invaluable first aid training programmes to the community, alongside keeping people safe at events. We had a great day participating in the fundraising walk and hope that the charity will benefit from our donation.”