On Thursday 6 November 2025, we celebrated with our suppliers at our GEM Awards. Open exclusively to our suppliers, the GEM (‘Going the Extra Mile’) Awards highlight the innovative and impactful contributions our suppliers make across the business.
We welcomed 160 people to the event from a range of large and small businesses across our supply areas. The awards support us in building strong relationships with our partners.
We wanted to make sure the night benefitted the local economy as much as possible, so we held the event at The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle, a local independent art gallery. We also worked with other local suppliers in the region including Big Purple for the sound and lighting, Yorkshire Rose events for the decoration and NE Trophies, who provided the sustainable bamboo trophies for our winners.
We held an exciting raffle and auction on the night too, raising £3,710 for Cancer Research and WaterAid, to go towards the vital work both charities do.