North East business life: key charity, award and community events of the weeks

North East software firm Salesfire scooped the Best Martech at the Northern Digital Awards.

The software-as-a-service business won the trophy at the annual awards which recognise businesses from who are at the forefront of digital marketing. The win comes in the same week that the business launched its new technology, Salesfire AI.

Salesfire AI helps e-commerce brands by enabling retailers to identify and retarget more of their anonymous shoppers with personalised messaging, without relying on third-party cookies. Using ID profiling technology, the solution can recognise returning visitors across different devices even when they are not logged in.

Chief executive officer Rich Himsworth said: “We are ecstatic. All of our teams have worked so hard to create this stand-out technology and receiving this award in the same week we officially launched Salesfire AI is fantastic recognition for what we bring to the eCommerce space.”

Organisers of an event celebrating the North East’s thriving technology sector are calling upon businesses to get involved. TechNExt will span five days in June, bringing together thousands of attendees who will share ideas, learn from one another and celebrate a sector that is thriving in the region. The event – hosted by a partnership of North East businesses and stakeholders, and led by Dynamo North East CIC and Sunderland Software City working with BeaconHouse Events – will feature community-led fringe events, displaying the diversity and innovation with the tech scene.

Organisers are calling for organisations in the region’s tech sector to pledge their support and get behind the festival by freeing up their team to engage and attend the TechNExt’s events and activities.

Dr David Dunn, CEO of Dynamo North East, said: “We’re delighted to launch our programme for TechNExt 2025, which promises to be a real celebration of the incredible tech businesses and teams we have in the North East, as well as a great platform to boost collaboration and support people to grow their skills and network.”

Scores of children joined members of local charities and community groups in helping to create a new 18-hectare woodland on the site of a former County Durham surface mine. North East employer Banks Mining enhanced the original restoration plan for its former Bradley surface mine site, which sits between Leadgate and Dipton, to