BEST NEW COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS
SPONSORED BY
AWARDS 2021
FINALIST
BETH HODGSON ( REDCAR CLEVELAND AND BEYOND )
Kay Coleman receives the Best New Community Champions award from Paul Heeran , operations director of award sponsor Vistech Services .
WINNER
KAY COLEMAN & ASSOCIATES
A change in focus forced on her by the pandemic has been successful for Kay Coleman – and even more so for the charities she now helps .
Previously , Kay ’ s work involved writing funding bids for commercial companies , but much of that dried up when Covid came along .
Instead , a chance conversation with a local good cause saw Kay switch to submitting funding applications for charities .
And having since brought in vital cash for many organisations , it ’ s proved an inspired change for all concerned – and one which earned Kay Coleman & Associates the Best New Community Champions title at the Best New Tees Business Awards , in association with PD Ports .
A complete wraparound service for charities doing amazing work , but struggling organisationally and / or financially , Kay ’ s firm analyses what is needed and provides structured support to grow , develop professionally and help more beneficiaries .
Having launched in April 2019 with just Kay at the helm , the extra charity work means the organisation now has three associates who go above and beyond to help Teesside good causes support the most vulnerable and deprived in our communities .
The organisation has secured funding for charities with poor track records in fundraising , so they can help people into employment and training , to move away from benefits , to move from experiencing homelessness into tenancies and to avoid food poverty .
But Kay , who runs the business from her Ingleby Barwick home , says it ’ s the charities who are the real heroes , adding : “ They ’ re the ones on the frontline .”
SPONSOR MESSAGE
“ What a fantastic evening highlighting promising new talent across Teesside . It was extremely well organised and the staff were a credit to the venue , which was superb . Our sponsored category , Best New Community Champions , celebrated the achievements of three local businesses in their quest to support our local community . It ’ s a category we feel is essential , to encourage social responsibility across all businesses . Congratulations to Kay Coleman & Associates , who were worthy winners , using their knowledge to work with small charities , developing their offering to become more successful in winning funding . I feel privileged to be able to present this award to such a worthy and gracious winner .” Paul Heeran , operations director – Vistech Services
Beth has been championing small businesses in Redcar and the surrounding areas since 2020 .
She started on social media as a Redcar and Cleveland Ambassador , selflessly helping local businesspeople in the area , sharing their stories on live social media posts , writing behind-thescenes posts and spotlighting businesses to help them become more discoverable and , ultimately , more successful .
Beth has also developed a new monthly newsletter ( RCAB ) which once again supports local businesses in the community and is emailed direct to a growing list of subscribers .
Beth is incredibly passionate about helping others succeed and works tirelessly to promote her local area .
FINALIST
ENGINEERING TOGETHER
Engineering Together incorporates a variety of organisations that aim to make a real difference by raising awareness of engineering and inspiring young people to choose it as a career .
The initial agreement was to have two North East Community of Professional Engineers groups in Tyneside and Teesside . The group ’ s first meeting included key Tees Valley representatives from local engineering institutions .
Over a short time , they enthusiastically created a purposeful vision for this now large and diverse group , naming themselves Engineering Together .
Launching in June 2019 , Engineering Together was asked to present at the Tees Valley LEP in September 2019 and expanded their network with other local leaders .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 87