Meet the Management Team

Back with a fundraising bang

The past 18 months have been incredibly tough for the charity sector so our team have been re-doubling their efforts to help those individuals and businesses which have been hardest hit by the pandemic.These are just some of the initiatives we have supported...

We've had a spring clear out

We are very proud supporters of Changing Lives, a not-for-profit organisation which helps over 12,500 people each year who are experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, addition, longterm unemployment and more. Earlier this year we hosted a spring clear-out campaign with all items being distributed across numerous Changing Lives projects.

We also recently donated several PCs and other IT equipment to support their employability programme in association with Karbon Homes.

We went “Back to Africa” in support of Suubi Africa UK

Suubi Africa UK is a local charity which was originally formed in 2008 with a dream to build a home for 6 abandoned children in Uganda. Fast forward to today and, not only has the charity succeeded in building that home, they have also created an entire community to go with it. This community, known as Suubi Africa Village, now offers its residents a home for adopted children, a medical centre, primary school, community building, playground and farm, as well as a range of outreach programs and educational opportunities for the adults in the community.

The difference that this charity has made is phenomenal and it wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing efforts of the Trustees and fundraising committee back home in the UK. Our very own Kath Hill has been a proud Trustee of the charity for the past two years and Partner, David Low, will be joining the ranks as a committee member from next year. The committee is responsible for organising a range of events each year – including the everpopular Chinese Banquet Night at the Pavilion restaurant – and one of the biggest nights of the year is the annual “Back to Africa” black tie ball.

Held this year at Ramside Hall Hotel, the Ball was attended by around 200 people and for many it was their first big social outing for more than 18 months, so it was always going to be special night. Guests were treated to a delicious 3 course meal, an auction and raffle and spectacular entertainment with a live band keeping everyone dancing until 1am. The event raised a staggering £24,000 for Suubi Africa UK and was a hugely memorable night for all who attended.

We made a splash at the Durham City Run

Our team returned to the streets of Durham, armed with cartons of water, providing water station support on another scorcher of a day at the Durham City Run. The annual event (which was a big miss in 2020) gives runners the choice of a 5k or 10k route, taking in the beautiful views the city has to offer. We were very proud to sponsor the first water station on the track, providing much-needed hydration to thousands of very hot runners, including members of our own team who were running for a range of charitable causes. Hats off to everyone who took part – we think you’re all amazing!

What’s coming up?

We’re Feeding Families and Changing Lives this Christmas

In August 2021, Corporate Partner, Alex Wilby, was appointed to the Feeding Families Board of Trustees to assist them in their efforts to provide food parcels to vulnerable individuals across the region.

We are calling upon our team, clients and contacts to support us with our upcoming Christmas fundraiser by collecting and donating food items for Feeding Families and by donating whatever you can to our Christmas advent campaign in support of Changing Lives.

We will be opening our Christmas Food and Gift Appeal drop off point on Monday 1st November 2021 and any donations would be very gratefully received. For further information, please visit our website or contact Sara Stammers on 0191 384 2441.

We’ve supported North East businesses

In early 2020, Managing Partner, Jonathan Moreland was appointed to the Open North Foundation (ONF) as a Trustee. When the pandemic swept the nation, the ONF made it their mission to help facilitate the region’s economic recovery by supporting businesses which have been adversely affected. To date, the organisation has supported more than 16 businesses with over £20K of grants.

We’re thinking ahead to the festive season

We are the very proud sponsors of St Cuthbert’s Hospice’s charity Christmas cards and have a beautiful range of cards and wall calendars available to buy in our office for anyone who would like to make a start on their Christmas shopping whilst supporting a wonderful local charity.

We will also soon be kicking off our annual Selection Box collection on behalf of Durham Foodbank, giving our team the chance to help make Christmas a little bit brighter for families who may be struggling this year.

So, what do we need?

The Feeding Families emergency food parcels are slightly different to our normal food collections. The charity has provided us with a list of items which they require:

• Part baked bread and biscuits • UHT milk, tea and coffee • Cereal, rice and pasta • Cooking sauce, soup and baked beans • Tinned vegetables, fruit and meat

For our Changing Lives Collection, we are looking for new and unused items including;-

• Toiletries and gift sets • Winter woollies and PJ’s • Toys, books and crafts

Richard Bennett has worked with Swinburne Maddison for over twenty years. Although his initial contact was in relation to an employment law issue, he has gone on to use a wide range of legal services from us and describes us as his ‘go-to law firm’ for which we thank him. While others of his age (which we choose not to reveal) may be thinking of retirement, to use a well-known phrase, ‘you can’t keep a good man down!’

Adding value. Scaling up. Diversifying.

It’s just another day in the office for Richard

When you start your career as a chemist and move into environmental testing, it seems like a reasonably complementary shift.

But when it’s a move from environmental testing to running a printing company and supplying PPE to the healthcare sector, these are more complicated decisions to get your head around.

However, entrepreneur, Richard Bennett, is quite philosophical about how he ended up doing what he’s doing now because it was quite simple. He felt too young to retire after selling his business, Derwentside Environmental Testing Services (DETS), in 2016 and had an appetite for a few more challenges.

After talking it over with his wife Julie, who has worked in the business with him for quite a few years, they decided to ask their accountant whether he knew of any businesses for sale where they could add value – a business they could grow and develop.

When it was suggested that they might consider a printing company – a sector which was totally alien to them – others may have turned down the opportunity out of hand. But not Richard and Julie.

As a keen amateur photographer Richard was drawn to the idea of having an outlet for his creativity and when he met the business owner, he was persuaded that the combination of printing and creativity could be a heady mixture and an interesting proposition. Richard takes up the story:

“NPS, just off the Scotswood Road in Newcastle - the specialist print and design solutions company we proceeded to buy - has a strong client base, particularly in the care home sector.

“During the pandemic, we were hit hard. Much of our business disappeared overnight. Businesses closed. People were working from home. Then one day, a care home we supply with leaflets and flyers asked if we were able to source PPE for them. And when we successfully did that, they asked if we could source some more.

“We rummaged through our contacts from DETS days, which opened up a raft of new wholesalers and we started providing hand sanitiser and PPE. This whet my appetite for looking at the potential of the sector to provide opportunities for further growth. It was also a great feeling with all the doom and gloom around us to think that we were doing something positive to help during the pandemic.”

Richard put feelers out again with his business network to see if there were any companies available where the current owners were looking to retire. Caremore Services of Redcar, a healthcare equipment supplier, was perfect. It had been established for 15 years providing medical and janitorial products to regional clients in the healthcare and care home sector, and the two brothers who ran it, were looking to retire.

“We jumped at the chance to acquire the business as it was an excellent strategic fit. With our scientific background and contacts, it was an area in which we had quite a bit of knowledge and it allowed us to formalise our entry into the healthcare sector. The deal went through on 1 June.”

The deal was eleven months in the making due to hold-ups with Covid but it did not stop Richard buying another business, Atkinson Print in Hartlepool, during the same period.

The three businesses now employ 26 people: eight in Caremore, two at the Hartlepool site and 16 at NPS - yet it does not look as if the Bennett business empire will cease expanding any time soon. Richard continues: “With the superb level of support Caremore has continued to provide for its clients in residential care homes over the years, supplying them with anything and everything around the care home sector, the logical next steps for us are the hospitality and leisure sectors, then we might look at GPs and dentists, introducing more products, servicing and repairs.

“We will start putting growth plans into place during the next couple of months.”

And what of the immediate future? “We have a new press, which I am very proud of - a Xerox Iridesse - which is the first in the North East and it prints metallics – gold and silver – which we hope will give us a market lead and help to keep prices competitive. We also have a new, large format printer with a UV flat bed facility for printing promotional materials, pens, notebooks and the like, allowing us to print a very wide range of materials, so we are very busy selling our printing capabilities too!”

So, is there any chance he might ease up soon? “My eldest son and daughter in law are involved in the business. In time, my younger son may follow. We’re building their future. My plan is to eventually ease back as they take on more responsibility and I will act as a sounding board, but I’ve got a good few years in me yet ….”

We were hit hard. Much of our business disappeared overnight. Businesses closed. People were working from home.