NEWS ADVICE
Redworth Hall Hotel director of sales Teresa Nicholas with Aycliffe Business Park Community business development manager Martin Walker . Pic by Chris Booth .
MAKE YOUR MARK
Historic hall set to host return of Aycliffe business awards
A
historic hall will host a popular business awards event after a threeyear hiatus .
Aycliffe Business Park ’ s Make Your Mark awards are scheduled to return in May next year .
And for its first time , the awards event will be held in the 17th Century , listed Redworth Hall Hotel , on the outskirts of Aycliffe .
Organisers are now seeking sponsors for the event , which was a hugely popular annual occasion after its initial launch in 2014 .
Tekmar Energy , Finley Structures , PWS and Stiller Warehousing and Distribution were Company of the Year winners in previous Make Your Mark awards .
Now organisers Aycliffe Business Park Community ( ABPC ) are on the look-out for more winners in several different categories as they relaunch the awards with a black-tie ceremony on Friday , May 20 , 2022 .
Martin Walker , business development manager for ABPC , said : “ We originally launched the Make Your Mark Awards in 2014 , when Tekmar Energy was crowned the inaugural Aycliffe Company of the Year .
“ Since then , we ’ ve seen Finley Structures , PWS and Stiller Warehousing and Distribution pick up the major awards , as well as several big names and smaller businesses recognised with well-deserved awards over the years .
“ After the last 18 months , we can ’ t wait to get back with a bang and celebrate all of the amazing companies , large and small , on Aycliffe Business Park with this prestigious event .
“ And we ’ re delighted to be partnering with Redworth Hall for the relaunch of Make Your Mark , which will provide a stunning backdrop for the awards and hopefully help to create a memorable occasion .”
Redworth Hall director of sales Teresa Nicholas said : “ We ’ re delighted to be chosen to host such an important event .
“ As all businesses recover from the effects of the pandemic , it ’ s the perfect time to return to celebrating success and networking with other businesses . We ’ re excited for a sell-out event .”
Several categories will be open for Aycliffe businesses to enter in the 2022 Make Your Mark awards , including Company of the Year , Small Business , Manufacturing & Engineering , Best Newcomer and Apprentice of the Year , among others .
Category sponsorships are now available , with a package that includes pre-event publicity , event branding , a chance to be involved in the judging process and to present an award , plus a table of 10 for the awards ceremony , including a reception drink , threecourse meal and table wine .
Any businesses interested in sponsoring the Make Your Mark awards , or would like more details , can either call Martin Walker on 01325 728024 or email martin @ aycliffebusinesspark . co . uk .
SEE PAGES 14-15 FOR MORE NEWS ON AYCLIFFE BUSINESS PARK COMMUNITY .
GET THE TWO-FACTOR
You know when you log in to Facebook and it asks if you want to add a further layer of protection by adding an authentication process and you ignore it because you think ‘ No thanks , I just want to snoop on Aunt Mel and her baby drama ’?
Facebook is actually trying to get you to do a good thing !
Two-factor authentication is the name given to the process of adding an extra layer of security to your login , be it receiving a confirmation email of your recent login attempt , or a text message , or an app notification .
Two-factor authentication ( or 2FA ) is designed to keep your data secure and unwanted snoops out of your accounts . A lot of companies have adopted the technology in recent years , and encourage users to take it on , for the sake of an extra 30-45 seconds during the login process , but a lot of users haven ’ t adopted it .
2FA for WordPress can prevent unwanted password requests from unknown sources , account blocking , wpadmin scripting and more .
Insecure or stolen passwords account for 81 per cent of website attacks according to a security report from Panda .
When you have 2FA in place you can customise authentication to your requirements , so it can be enforced for specific users , or all users , to suit your team ’ s requirements .
All of Thrive ’ s clients are offered websites with extremely secure passwords , to minimise the risk of this , but even with 2FA it ’ s not impossible to prevent .
But having 2FA can massively reduce the risk as it makes the task so much harder for hackers that they are more likely to move on to an easier target – a site that isn ’ t two-factor authenticated .
Sarah Burns Thrive Marketing thriveability . co . uk
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 9