A round-up of awards in the North-East business community.

Seaham Hall and Serenity Spa, in County Durham, has achieved Investors in People Accreditation. The award comes after a great year for accolades for the region's premier hotel and spa. Last year, Seaham Hall, home to acclaimed gourmet restaurant The White Room, was named North-East small hotel of the year in the region's first North-East England Tourism awards and also won an RAC Gold Ribbon Award. It was named one of the AA's top 100 recommended hotels. The Serenity Spa was named best spa by Sunday Times Style and voted the best UK spa destination and is one of the top Spas in Europe according to Conde-Nast Traveller.

Harrogate's urban farm shop Weetons has been named best rural retailer in Yorkshire. The store, which opened in West Park in August, is now in the running for a national title, which will be announced at a House of Lords reception this month. Weetons was one of 13 regional winners chosen from 600 nominations for the awards, which are run in conjunction with British Food Fortnight and Farmers Weekly and the Countryside Alliance. The judges praised Weeton's broad range of produce, which includes local game, buffalo mozzarella, made in Thirsk, and Harrogate spa water.

A partnership between Wear Valley District Council (WVDC) and Sones Landscaping was runner-up for an award recognising service excellence in the public sector in the UK. At the first Performance Networks Awards, organised by the Association for Public Service Excellence, WVDC and Sones Landscaping were acknowledged in the parks, open spaces and horticultural services category.

Northumbria University marketing graduate Sarah Hall, from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, has been named the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) North-East Postgraduate Student of the Year. The 28-year-old, who is a Junior PR account director at integrated communications agency Robson Brown's Newcastle office, studied for her MA part-time while working in a full-time job and was singled-out for the award after achieving the highest course marks in the region, graduating with distinction. Last year she was named Young Communicator of the Year at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations North-East Pride Awards.

Michael McGarry, of Lloyds Konecranes, was presented with two awards at an event hosted by industry body for lifting equipment The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA). Mr McGarry won the Harry Brown Memorial Shield for best paper across all subjects and the Cyril McCaully Memorial Prize for his paper on Runways and Light crane systems. Mr McGarry is a project engineer.

Three members of Esh Group's civil engineering operation, Lumsden and Carroll Construction, who have between them amassed 80 years service, have been honoured by colleagues. Malcolm Turner, Kevin Starr and Fred Gressmann received awards. John Davies, managing director of Lumsden and Carroll Construction, said: "These long-service awards give us real pleasure. Derek, Kevin and Fred are valuable members of the team and we rely on them for their huge experience, enthusiasm for the business and extensive knowledge of the construction scene here in the North-East."

Project and cost consultant Faithful and Gould, which has its headquarters in Teesside and an office in Newcastle, has been named employer of the year in the QS News awards, presented by the leading trade publication. Established by QS News and its sister magazine, Building, the awards recognise the top quantity surveyers and encourage higher standards in the sector. The company has already been named project manager of the year in the Builder and Engineer Magazine awards.