North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) proud to back Sunderland Echo Portfolio Awards 2019

A support organisation is backing Sunderland’s Portfolio Awards - and it has a strong history of helping Wearside firms to flourish.
Kirsty Miller, left, Nicola Pallas, centre, and Joanne Pallas of North Star Counselling CIC.Kirsty Miller, left, Nicola Pallas, centre, and Joanne Pallas of North Star Counselling CIC.
Kirsty Miller, left, Nicola Pallas, centre, and Joanne Pallas of North Star Counselling CIC.

The North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) is proud to be back on board for our annual competition which recognises the best in the area’s industry.

Chief Executive Paul McEldon explained why the BIC was back on board.

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“As a social enterprise ourselves, we’re passionate and committed to providing services to meet the needs of all businesses with an overarching social mission to drive entrepreneurial activity and accelerate innovation.

“Having delivered business support programmes to local start-ups and entrepreneurs for the past 25 years, sponsoring the social enterprise award was an obvious choice for the BIC,” Mr McEldon added.

More start-up businesses are choosing the social enterprise approach and the BIC aims to ‘inspire and support entrepreneurs to not only set up this type of business but to continue to seek new opportunities and scale-up.

“Social enterprises have an increasingly important role in economic growth and they have the enthusiasm and determination to make the world a better place.

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“In sponsoring the awards, we’re encouraging businesses to showcase their success and the great impact they are making in creating positive change in our community.”

He highlighted one company – North Star Counselling CIC – as ‘a fantastic example of a Sunderland-based social enterprise that continues to make a difference.

“The counselling service was established to help plug a gap, reaching children who are struggling with mental health issues and to normalise the topic and reduce the risk of crisis.”

Yet again, we have fantastic backers on board to help make the Portfolio Awards a success.

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Sunderland City Council is again our headline sponsor, and will sponsor our overall Business of the Year Award, as well as a Lifetime Achievement award, which is in the sponsor’s gift.

It is also backing the contribution social enterprises make to the city in the Social Enterprise Award.

Other sponsors are Gentoo, BIC, Station Taxis, Northern Rail, Stagecoach, The Bid, Station Taxis, SAFC, Utility Alliance, Northern, Bradley Hall, Sunderland College and the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust. We thank them all for their invaluable support.