Go North East has won a gold award at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Annual Awards for Excellence.
The company won the award for Passenger Transport Excellence, with judges praising its efforts to increase passenger numbers and switch to low-emission electric buses.
Stephen King, commercial director at Go North East, said: “The last two years have been difficult for most and there has been great work done by many businesses, so to come out on top and to be recognised alongside these companies is a major honour.
“Everyone across Go North East has worked tirelessly to provide the best possible service to our customers in difficult times, so it’s brilliant that we’ve been recognised as delivering excellence in public transport.”
Businesses from across the North East of England have been recognised for their achievements over the last year at the Federation of Small Businesses Celebrating Small Business Award.
Winners at the event included Teesdale Cheesemakers, Excelpoint, Arian EMS and Kellys Heroes Private Tuition .
FSB regional representative Richard Askew, said: “Achieving success against the backdrop of the last two years is hugely impressive. Businesses have shown incredible resilience in surviving, pivoting and thriving and we should all say a big thank you for the role you have played in keeping our economy moving and supporting your communities through the services and goods you supply and the jobs you provide.”
The North East winners will now go on to represent the region at a national event in Glasgow in May.
North East engineering firm British Engines has provided a number of lorries to a local appeal to transport donations to help Ukrainian people fleeing to Poland.
The company joined a campaign coordinated by members of Newcastle’s Polish community to help deliver around 150 pallets of items to the Polish border via its shipping company, Stadium Export Services. Donations were collected from drop off points set up around Northumberland by Northumberland County Council, as well as collections from North East businesses across the region.
Wojciech Ploszaj, a design engineer at British Engines who is also a Northumberland county councillor, said: “The response to the appeal has been amazing and much bigger than we imagined. I’d like to thank everyone for their generosity.”
British Engines group chairman Alex Lamb said: “We are extremely pleased to be able to help this project in transporting much needed aid to the Ukrainian refugees. Wojciech’s efforts in coordinating the appeal are admirable and I speak for the whole group when I say we are extremely proud of his hard work.”
Northumbrian Water has secured funding totalling £1.8m for three projects that aim to improve services for customers.
The water company has secured the funding from the Water Breakthrough Challenge, Catalyst Stream competition run by its regulator Ofwat and innovation foundation Nesta.
The funding will back a project called Support for All, which will establish a region-wide utilities register to help vulnerable circumstances, and a scheme called Treatment-2-Tap that will see engineers adding water quality sensors to the final leg of water’s journey from treatment works to tap.
There is also support for a the SuPR Loofah (Sustainable Phosphorus Recovery) project which involves the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater using an innovative micro-algae coated on loofah material and held in place by a sustainable polymer coating.
