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Three North East businesses have been recognised for their outstanding contribution to communities through the inaugural Giving Back Award, delivered in partnership with Community Foundation North East, as part of the NET 250 awards.
The new award was created to spotlight top-performing businesses who are also making a significant social impact across the region through charitable giving, employee volunteering, workforce development and community engagement initiatives.
Greggs was named the winner of the Giving Back Award, with Bellway and Esh Group receiving highly commended recognition.
Community Foundation North East worked alongside Newcastle University Business School to review the NET 250 list and identify patterns and trends in how businesses support communities across the North East. The research was undertaken by Armel Konan, postgraduate MSc student in Sustainability Management, under the supervision of Dr Fiona Whitehurst.
The research examined how businesses contributed through financial donations, in-kind support, employee volunteering and engagement initiatives. Findings highlighted the North East’s strong culture of corporate giving, reflecting wider research from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), which shows businesses in the North East are among the most generous in the UK.
More than half (57%) of businesses on the NET 250 list made financial contributions to charitable organisations or initiatives, while 55% supported employee volunteering. The research also found that 29 organisations operate their own charitable foundations.
However, only 23% of businesses had a dedicated webpage or section on their website highlighting their charitable activity, suggesting there is more opportunity to celebrate and share the impact businesses are making across the region.
John Hollingsworth, Chief Philanthropy and Development Officer at Community Foundation North East, said:
“We should be proud of the North East’s business community for leading the way when it comes to charitable giving, but we know there is an enormous amount of social impact from businesses that goes unrecognised.
“We see it in the companies we work with at the Community Foundation, and this initial research highlights the many different – and often innovative – approaches that businesses are taking to community and social impact.”
Greggs was recognised for its long-standing commitment to supporting communities, with a history of giving back dating back to the 1960s through initiatives including free pie and peas suppers for older people in Gateshead.
Today, Greggs donates 1% of its pre-tax profits each year to The Greggs Foundation, which oversees hundreds of breakfast clubs supporting children across the UK. The foundation provides approximately 7.5 million free breakfasts to primary school children each year across more than 1,000 schools.
The business also supports a range of charitable initiatives across the region, including St Oswald’s Hospice’s arts trail programme, while 45% of unsold food was donated to good causes last year.
Bellway was recognised for its employee volunteering and involvement strategy. Since 2024, employees have completed 2,260 volunteering hours through a range of community initiatives supported by the company’s Charitable Engagement Committee.
The business has also developed a national fundraising partnership with Cancer Research UK, raising £5.1 million to support cancer research.
Esh Group was recognised for its work supporting workforce development, economic inclusion and skills across the North East. Through programmes including Constructing Careers and Soldiers to Site, the company has created tailored employment opportunities and ringfenced roles for local people, alongside developing strong partnerships with schools, colleges and training providers.
The Giving Back Award was introduced to celebrate the many ways businesses are supporting communities across the North East and to encourage greater recognition of the positive social impact taking place across the region every day.