TEES TECH AWARDS 2021
BEST DIGITAL NEWCOMER
SPONSORED BY PYTHON PROPERTIES
FINALIST
DASH MEDIA
WINNER
UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES
Winners – Unforgettable Experiences hope to roll out their services across the UK .
An email to Darlington-based Unforgettable Experiences from a service user confirmed to chief executive Victoria McMann the value of what it provides .
The social enterprise provides personalised care and technical support to help older people with mental health issues , dementia and neurological conditions to access live , creative and interactive artistic activities online . These improve their emotional wellbeing , stimulate cognition , reduce social isolation and improve their overall quality of life .
Victoria , who said she didn ’ t expect to win , given the calibre of the other finalists , said : “ I received a lovely email from a lady with moderate dementia who said she had ‘ lost her words ’, but taking part in our artistic project had helped her get them back .
“ What we have done has made a lot of difference and significantly helped only a small number of people – but now we are at the point of scaling it across the country .”
From a concept to a fully-fledged social enterprise supporting more than 100 older people per week , the company was one of nine organisations chosen from applications to receive funding from Innovate UK to design , develop and pilot its new and innovative digital model of care .
In a short time , it has launched in the Tees Valley and expanded across the UK , employing five staff and recruiting 16 volunteers .
And there ’ s more to come . Victoria explained : “ We have a significant amount of lottery funding for the next two years to be able to give people access to the service for free .”
A creative web design and marketing agency , Darlington ’ s Dash Media launched during the pandemic with a budget of £ 10,000 and big dreams . A year on , there are 17 staff across six departments .
Embracing inclusion and diversion , the team consists of individuals from all over the continent , each bringing the riches of their culture and experience .
From a non-existent database , Dash now has more than 500 active customers and regularly garners five-star reviews . A percentage of all company proceeds is donated to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children ’ s Charity and any further services are given for free to local charities for which Dash has built a website .
FINALIST
EVOLUTION XR
Evolution XR offers virtual reality ( VR ) and augmented reality ( AR ) human performance development sessions to high-hazard industries and has developed response apps to assist multi-national players in a range of sectors .
Founded in Hartlepool , initially an emergency response consultancy , Evolution XR is now a leading company for VR training , with platforms allowing clients to interact remotely and access training , which is carried out to the same exacting standards as pre-Covid .
Successfully delivering projects in the North Sea as well as offshore operations across the world using VR / immersive training , the company is working with several global partners and is currently in negotiation with two sovereign state oil companies .
SPONSOR ’ S MESSAGE
Python Properties co-founder , Martin Johnson , said : “ Python Properties has been operating in Middlesbrough since 1997 and in that time , we have seen the growth of the tech sector within the region . We ’ ve recognised the emerging digital sector , particularly in our Boho Zero building , and are proud to have sponsored the category of Digital Newcomer at this year ’ s awards . We were impressed with finalists Dash Media and Evolution XR , as well as the category winner Unforgettable Experiences , all of which utilised tech to enhance their business offer .”
34 | Tees Business