bp Coast 2 Coast charity cycle raises more than £2million

Cyclists who have taken part in bp’s Coast 2 Coast cycle across Scotland have raised more than £2million for local charities through their annual fundraising efforts.

A total of 35 local charities of all sizes in the North-east have been helped to deliver vital services within the community.

The Coast 2 Coast committee anticipates raising £120,000 which will be shared evenly between the four nominated charities - Ythan Valley Rotary/Rotary Club Kharkiv International in Ukraine, as well as Northsound Cash for Kids, ACIS Youth and The Archie Foundation Baird Family Hospital Appeal.

The team at Appetite for Business is celebrating after being named in the prestigious Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023 list alongside household names such as David Lloyd Leisure, FatFace and Pizza Express.

The annual Top 100 identifies UK organisations with the highest employee engagement and wellbeing levels, which in turn helps retain and recruit employees. The award is based upon the organiser’s trust index employee survey and culture audit.

In addition to being featured in the rankings, Appetite was also highly commended in the Best Places to Work for Women category.

Located in Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, Appetite is a people-focused technology consultancy that specialises in Microsoft 365 and associated applications to support organisations achieve significant cost savings and process improvements through better understanding of how employees engage and interact with technology.

Neptune Energy has announced it has received its best environmental, social and governance rating to date from Sustainalytics, putting it in the top 3% of all global oil and gas companies rated by the organisation.

Neptune’s industry-leading rating of 21.4 was awarded in recognition of its enhanced disclosure and performance across a range of areas including greenhouse gas risk management, equality, diversity and inclusion and community involvement.

Working as a special needs teacher, Danielle Flecher-Horn witnessed children coming to class without adequate clothing, and so after much discussion with her motherMichelle Herd, Danielle set up an operation in her garage to collect and distribute nappies and formula milk to babies across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Before a year was out, the CV19 pandemic had arrived, resulting in job losses, and reduced furlough payments, causing great financial hardship, leading to more and more families living in poverty.

Three years later, AberNecessities operates out of a large headquarters in Dyce, and distributes individually collated packages to families five days a week. A proudly female-led organisation, AberNecessities has a team of 12 employed staff, alongside a group of enthusiastic volunteers, who everyday sort donations and lovingly curate packages for families who cannot afford to provide basic essentials for their children.

A mother-of-four, Danielle is proud of the part AberNecessities plays in helping local families. Currently at least one in five children in Aberdeen are classed as living in poverty. AberNecessities has expanded from providing formula milk and nappies to clothing, footwear, baby equipment, beds, toiletries and non-perishable food for young people up to the age of 18.

This March, Danielle was named a ‘cost of living champion’ by Save the Children UK, with her efforts, and those of her team, expecting to support over 10,000 local children this year.

Danielle’s mother Michelle, who is Co-founder and Operational Director for AberNecessities, commented: “Dani has always been driven to help other people. Her initial idea to help children at school, as well as new mothers by providing nappies and formula milk, came at the right time. The pandemic and cost-of-living crisis has left so many in need. Dani has put together a fantastic team with some impressive people, who are all committed to helping less fortunate people in our community. Dani’s enthusiasm and desire to help is infectious – and despite having four young children of her own, she is always keen to move the organisation forward. We have some exciting new projects in the pipeline which we know will help large numbers of families. She is a truly inspirational leader – and we are very proud of her.”

From Presidents to Prime Ministers, monarchs to megalomaniacs… I’ve met quite a few in my time. But what makes one leader glorious and inspiring, while another mediocre or disastrous? It’s difficult to pinpoint one thing, but we’ve all worked for leaders you love to engage with and others that are narcissistic frauds you can’t bear to be in the same room with. For me, there’s an aura about a great leader that feels innate somehow - an ease in the position as they set the standards the rest follow. They inspire confidence in yourself and give you the freedom and flexibility to do the job you’re paid to do. In my opinion, great leaders don’t preach, or pontificate, they set a cogent and enthralling strategy, and step aside to allow their fired-up team to get on with it (while being approachable to support, facilitate, and guide). Much of a strong leader’s energy is focused on the future; what lies ahead - how do we improve, what opportunities can we engage with? But they are also there – often – to give people the confidence to tackle their challenges in a way that suits their skills. Sometimes you don’t know you’re in the presence of greatness until the bomb drops. Early in my journalistic management career I made an almighty cock-up when a sailing ship went missing at sea. I named the wrong one. My boss stood by me as he took the heat. He was calm, supportive, and assured - and gave me the chance to prove my worth providing I learnt from it. For that, Geoff, I shall always be in your debt. But none have ever been the complete package – I would love to see, in an ideal world, all leaders get six months to step away, inhabit another sector and then return to the fray with new skills and understanding of a different world to add to their portfolio of attributes. But life’s not like that - most leaders just have to try their best and project an air of confidence, even if they are faking it like the rest of us.

Damian Bates, Co-founder and Director, Digitising Reality

What makes an inspirational leader? Honestly? Well, I would never claim to be one. Rather, it is something to aspire to. For me, the journey in leadership starts with understanding that not everyone will share your passion and vision for the business. It is essential to accept that your team members have their own individual goals, strengths, and limitations. Communication is key. Listening to your team members’ concerns, ideas, and feedback and using this to improve the business. I also try to communicate my vision in a way that inspires the team to work towards a common goal, using positive language to motivate them to perform at their best, while maintaining a positive and supportive work environment. I try to lead by example and inspire our team to achieve their goals by being passionate, authentic, brave and empathetic. Every day, I aspire to be someone who helps my team unlock their motivation and drive for the job they do and turn it into feeling like a hobby instead of an obligation or chore. Being able to provide your team with opportunities for growth and development is something I have taken inspiration from others and implemented into my own leadership style. It creates a supportive work environment that fosters learning, innovation and creativity. I understand that my team members are the key to growth and success, and I know the business would not be where it is now without them. Tough love is sometimes needed to get someone to where they should be. Do not be a pushover. Sugar-coating something is not going to help your team learn their strengths and weaknesses. I try to lead our team by being my own humble self, leading with authenticity, and always learning and growing, embracing the fails, and celebrating the wins.

Kenny Robertson, Managing Director, KR Group