The Journal

BUSINESS LIFE

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■ THE Percy Hedley Foundation partnered with Barratt Homes and Show Business Interiors to create the first inclusive show home at the new Old Durham Gate developmen­t.

The foundation, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabiliti­es, took part in a collaborat­ive workshop with the housebuild­er and its interior designers to design, create and bring the project to life. The workshop, which took place at the Foundation’s Percy Hedley School, saw students choose specific details to feature within the home, including geometric wall panelling, carefully selected paint colours, and artwork created by the students themselves. Other factors woven in included sensory items and lighting fixtures.

This activity was part of a wider partnershi­p between Percy Hedley and Barratt Homes, which will see students gain work experience in different areas of the business to increase their confidence, improve their employabil­ity skills and find their own passions. Barratt Homes’ relationsh­ip with the Percy Hedley Foundation follows a previous £25,000 donation made by the housebuild­er, in conjunctio­n with Hellens Group.

Kerry Robinson, project manager at Percy Hedley, said: “We have seen what a hugely positive impact that this experience has had on the confidence of our students, which has come as a result of being exposed to an entirely new world of work.”

Carl Sobolewski, managing director of Barratt Homes North East, added: “Our partnershi­p with Percy Hedley is one that sits very close to our hearts, with the launch of the show home being the first of hopefully many activities to come.

“It has been incredible to see the students’ creativity and excitement during the show home project, and it is especially rewarding to be able to provide an experience within the workplace that is completely new for their developmen­t.”

■ NORTH East law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has been recognised for its commitment to the ESG (Environmen­tal, Social, and Governance) agenda after winning two awards at the inaugural The Legal 500 ESG Awards.

The awards, held in London last week, celebrated the very best ESG initiative­s across the UK legal market, with winners singled out for their efforts to bring about change within diversity and inclusion and environmen­tal and sustainabi­lity strategy. WBD’s winners were planning partner Jon Bower, who won Environmen­tal/Sustainabi­lity: Private Practice Champion, and senior responsibl­e business manager Charlotte von Sicard, who was named ESG Rising Star, which recognises individual­s in the industry who are contributi­ng across various areas of ESG.

Mr Bower, partner lead for net zero, has helped WBD to reduce its measured emissions by more than 50% since the 2019/20. He has also advised clients on their own net zero projects for over 20 years. Ms von Sicard, meanwhile, has transforme­d the company’s sustainabi­lity practices to put it in the top 2% of companies reporting globally.

Sally Dallow, the firm’s partner lead for responsibl­e business, said: “Womble Bond Dickinson is committed to creating better places to live, work and do business and we’re delighted to be presented with these awards.

“This latest success is testament to the work Charlotte and Jon are doing to build sustainabl­e practices within WBD. These awards are the result of a lot of hard work, and I’d like to personally thank them and our teams for the amazing work they do.”

■ EMPLOYERS joined forces to help raise thousands of pounds for charity at Middlesbro­ugh College Group’s third annual charity football tournament.

The competitio­n, held last Friday, rallied behind the foundation’s impactful community initiative­s and saw the largest participat­ion yet, with 31 teams from local companies competing in five groups.

Firms competing included Northern Skills, Tees Components, Active Chartered Financial Planners and tournament winners Natara.

Event organiser Peter Donnelly, associate director of business developmen­t at Middlesbro­ugh College, said: “We are thrilled to see the overwhelmi­ng response from the community in our third year running this competitio­n. It demonstrat­es the collective commitment of local businesses and organisati­ons towards making a positive difference in our community.”

The event rised £8,112.55 for Middlesbro­ugh Football Club Foundation, the charitable arm of Middlesbro­ugh Football Club which is dedicated to using the power of football to improve lives and make a positive impact in the community.

■ RABY Castle has secured a significan­t achievemen­t in the Green Tourism awards certificat­ion programme with a silver in recognitio­n of its commitment to sustainabi­lity.

The Green Tourism awards are acknowledg­ed as an indicator of good environmen­tally-friendly practice and act as a hallmark of ‘green quality’. Raby Castle submitted evidence to the organisers of its investment­s in renewable energy at The Rising scheme, which include the geothermal heating network, and its work to minimise packaging and use of cleaning and conservati­on chemicals.

Raby Estate’s sustainabi­lity manager, Victoria Cadman, worked alongside a team at the County Durham landmark to complete the award applicatio­n. She started her role last year after previously working as an environmen­tal scientist with over 25 years.

She said: “We’re very proud of what we are achieving across the estate and, following the helpful advice and feedback Green Tourism has provided, we will continue to progress and aim for gold following the opening of The Rising in late spring this year.”

■ NEWCASTLE tech consultanc­y Opencast was named Fastest Growing Large Tech Business at the prestigiou­s 2024 Northern Tech Awards.

Chief financial officer James Hodgson and chief executive Tom Lawson picked up the trophy at GP Bullhound’s gala dinner for investors and business leaders at Manchester Cathedral.

Opencast was also ranked fifth in the NTA’s top 100 list of fast-growing technology business in the UK North. The ranking is based on compound annual growth over the last three years.

Mr Lawson said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have been named as the fastest-growing large tech business in the North, as well as in the top five in the Top 100 list. It’s also brilliant news for the North East, demonstrat­ing that Newcastle-founded businesses can break through on to a wider stage. The NTAs recognise three-year growth for businesses – showing the reality of our growth position over this period.

“I could not be prouder of the whole Opencast team for the efforts everyone has put in over the past three years.”

 ?? ?? > James Hodgson and Tom Lawson of Opencast with their Northern Tech Award
> James Hodgson and Tom Lawson of Opencast with their Northern Tech Award

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