Newcastle based recruitment firm, Central Employment has partnered with Changing Lives to help support and remove barriers to employment for people in the North East.
Central Employment's team will use their expertise and knowledge to assist those who use the charity’s services to seek employment. They will provide applicants with their specialist services, including drafting CVs, interview techniques, coaching and work experience.
Will Palmer, director at Central Employment, said: "We are looking forward to supporting Changing Lives’ employment initiatives. We are also delighted to present Changing Lives with a cheque for £5,000, which has been raised by staff through a number of fundraising activities, which will also help to support employability barriers, including financial and mental health issues.
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"As a highly experienced recruiter, we can identify both the opportunities and the barriers to employment and working in partnership with Changing Lives, we will utilise our staff's specialist skill set to help bridge the gap into employment.”
Alice Fisher, corporate fundraising manager at Changing Lives, said: "This is a generous donation and very much appreciated by the team here at Changing Lives. We recently met members of the Central Employment team and are looking forward to seeing how we can exchange best practices, as it is crucial that everyone leads a fulfilling life. In partnering with Central Employment, we hope to help people overcome the barriers they face when seeking employment."
Northern Leaders Trust (NLT) has announced the launch of NLT Community Champion Awards to celebrate the achievements and acts of kindness of young people in the community.
The awards feature seven categories including Community Hero, Young Fundraiser of the Year, Welcoming New Students into the Community, Special Recognition, Act of Kindness, Young Carer and Courage Award.
Lee Kirtley, CEO of NLT, said: "I wanted to create the opportunity to acknowledge the kindness and support towards others that so many young people demonstrate every day."
Nominations, which close on Friday, can be made by anyone provided that the young person attends a primary or secondary school or college in Newcastle – whether that is in the independent sector, a local authority-maintained school, a faith school, an academy or a school for children with special needs.
North Tyneside-based hospitality consultancy Halo Business Consulting has been shortlisted for the coveted Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
The husband and wife team from Whitley Bay are shortlisted in the Family Business category which celebrates entrepreneurial spirit, dedication and achievements. Michael Donald, co-founder at Halo Business Consulting, said: "Having come from a long line of entrepreneurs with self-employed parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents and beyond, we are thrilled to be recognised this year in the Family Business category at Great British Entrepreneur Awards. We are so grateful for all of the support we have had along the way. Congratulations to all of the shortlisted entrepreneurs and we look forward to celebrating with everyone at the awards ceremony in November."
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards is now in its 11th year and celebrates individuals and businesses with stories of innovation, employment creation and contributions to the UK economy. Awards founder Francesca James said: "Every year I am blown away with the quantity and quality of applications we receive, and this year is no exception. The Great British Entrepreneur Awards receives thousands of applications annually and the competition is tough. I am truly inspired by the remarkable accomplishments of this year's finalists."
A North East bike charity has surprised pupils at Beaconhill Primary School in Cramlington with free bike checks following a donation of £1,500 from Barratt Developments North East as part of the housebuilder's monthly Community Fund.
Recyke y’Bike refurbishes donated bikes to sell them at affordable prices in order to fund its charitable objectives; to give away hundreds of bikes to disadvantaged individuals and deliver free bike maintenance workshops to different groups of people. With two shops in Newcastle and Chester-le-Street, the charity also aims to improve sustainability by repairing unwanted bikes that would otherwise go to landfill, promoting bicycle re-use and encouraging cycling as the most environmentally friendly mode of transport.
At Beaconhill, 17 pupils bikes were fixed while they were in lessons. Mechanics Jack Swain and Ryan Collins pumped up tyres, adjusted and replaced brake and gear cables, and replaced worn pedals. Joel Routledge, headteacher at Beaconhill Primary School said: "We were delighted that Jack and Ryan from Recyke y’Bike were able to check and fix all the bikes.
"We have an impressive number of children that cycle to school, who will also no doubt be using their bikes more during the summer holidays. We are very lucky that Cramlington is so well connected by cycle paths and we’re thankful to Barratt Developments for organising this great surprise for the children and encouraging them to get out on their bikes."
Newcastle-based law firm Womble Bond Dickinson has been named Planning Law Firm of the Year at the 2023 Planning Awards.
The firm's planning and infrastructure team has acted on a series of high-profile schemes in sectors including securing Development Consent Orders on offshore windfarm projects for energy firm Vattenfall, work for North Somerset Council and the West of England Combined Authority on the Portishead rail line and work on Bristol Airport's expansion plans.
Judges praised the firm for "the breadth of legal work" and noted that "the issues involved across these high-profile projects is simply staggering".
Jon Bower, head of planning at Womble Bond Dickinson, said: "Our firm has a strong history of advising on planning and consenting issues for some of the largest and most complex developments across the UK. In the last eighteen months particularly, our team has had the opportunity to be involved in some major developments up and down the country, all expected to hugely benefit communities and the environment. As a firm committed to net zero by 2030, we're proud to have advised our clients on these ground-breaking, sustainable projects which are helping to decarbonise the economy.
"We were nominated in a very strong peer group who all significantly contribute to the development sector and we're thrilled that our planning work, the talent we have in our team and our clients' trust placed in us with their exciting schemes were all recognised by the judges. Congratulations to everyone shortlisted and who won an award."
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