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Check your Cyber Security for FREE!

A successful cyber attack can cause major damage to your business. It can affect your bottom line, as well as your business' standing and consumer trust.Cyber Essentials is a government backed scheme which helps organisations defend against the most common cyber threats. You can carry out a FREE cyber security check via their website here: https://bit.ly/3LrlzaeIn addition to this, our experts can work with you to perform your evaluation and support you in achieving your Cyber Essentials Ce...

Spooky Halloween Podcast with Tony Liddell

Member Online Event:  Wed, 25 Oct 2023 20:30 - 22:30The Spooky Season is upon us, and it's time for DBN to plunge into the world of the mysterious… Archaeologist Tony Liddell is recording the Halloween Edition of A Northern Counties Paranormal Podcast (hosted by Within the Boggart Wood), and he’s inviting members of DBN to join him online for “The Strange Case of the Harperley Hotel” - a short presentation of things that used to go bump in the night at The Harperley H...

MEET TONY LIDDELL, ARCHAEOLOGIST AND BUSINESS OWNER AT VINDOMORA SOLUTIONS

In this DBN Podcast Tony chats to Melanie about the archaeological services he provides and shares what has been his most fascinating finds and why!More recently Tony has started a podcast of his own called Within the Boggart Wood, a Northern Counties Paranormal Podcast. In this podcast Tony shares stories and information on ghostlore, folk customs and superstitions, history and archaeology, as well as details on site investigations into our region’s alleged paranormal phenomena!Listen to our ...

DURHAM BUSINESS GROWTH

Investing in a brighter tomorrow.The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is here to empower your business for tomorrow's challenges.With the Right Support, Great Things Can Happen.At Durham Business Growth, we are your trusted partner in navigating the intricacies of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.  Our dedicated team of experts are committed to helping you unlock the full potential of your business.  Together, let's embrace the future of growth and make County Durham a hub of success.You're in s...

Meet Phil Andrew, Director at 121 Business Links

In this podcast Phil Andrew talks to Melanie Cant (DBN) about how the idea came about for his brand new business 121 Business Links, his USP and why he plans to organically grow his business.For the main part of his career Phil has worked in the financial services sector.  His main roles have involved business improvement, sales and most recently he was the sales director for a large cost reduction consultancy group .  Phil always wanted to do something himself where he could bring tog...

Melanie raises £500 for Willow Burn Hospice in memory of Gemma Justice

We are thrilled to announce that Melanie Cant hit her £500 fundraising target for Willow Burn Hospice after walking 20 mile to remember our friend Gemma Justice.For those who don’t know Gemma she was a client of Melanie’s but also a member of DBN until she received her cancer diagnosis. Sadly she passed away in June at the age of 42 leaving her family and friends heartbroken 💔 Willow Burn Hospice had been a great support to Gemma and her family over the years so Melan...

Building Self Belief's 5th Birthday Celebrations and AGM

On Thursday 7th September we had a lovely afternoon at the Derwent Manor Boutique Hotel for Building Self Belief's AGM and to celebrate their 5th birthday 🥳The charity’s core aim is to build stronger communities by building self-belief in vulnerable young people and run programmes that improve self-confidence, self-esteem and enhance the social skills of young people.A huge well done to Christine and Peter Thomas for providing a much needed support service to young people in our area. ...

Meet Carol Smith from County Durham Community Foundation

County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF) is an independent grant-making foundation that works with individuals, families and local businesses who want to put something back into their community, either in their lifetime, or through leaving a legacy.Melanie Cant (DBN) talks to Carol Smith about the foundation, how it works, who benefits and what Carol is looking for from DBN members.Listen to this Podcast HEREFind out more about CDCF https://www.cdcf.org.uk/Connect with Carol on LinkedIn&nb...

Networking and Coffee anyone? Join us on Tuesday 12th September at Durham Coffee for our next face to face networking meeting.

If you haven't been to Durham Coffee before then you're in for a treat!Bernhard and Carina are a father-daughter roasting duo with a passion for ethically sourced quality coffee and building sustainable relationships.With a range of beans from around the world, they aim to showcase the diversity of flavour within the speciality coffee industry and hope to encourage people to savour the moments – cherish the taste and connect to the wonderful North East through our Heritage Range...

Who fancies a trip to Beamish Museum?

Beamish Museum have recently opened the next phase of the 1950's town which includes replicas of a semi-detached council house from Red House in Sunderland, police houses and office from Leam Lane in Gateshead, and a bowling green and pavilion from Billingham.In the month of September we are giving our members the opportunity to visit Beamish and do a bit of networking too! Our Beamish pass allows up to 5 people entry at a time so we plan on making a few trips with small groups for networking an...

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: FUN AND FOOD OCTOBER HALF TERM HOLIDAYS 2023 OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS!

We are now accepting applications for the October Half Term Holidays 2023. We have around £7,500 to allocate for activities taking place across the DVP area over the October Half Term Holidays. Please note that the maximum amount you can apply for is £1,000.The scheme aims to support local community groups and organisations based in the Derwent Valley Partnership AAP area to deliver enriching holiday activities during the October Half Term holidays including healthy food.Please note ...

AFA POLICY ADVISORY LETTER FOR SMALL BUSINESS FORUMS

Changes to the way County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service respond to calls for assistance from Automatic Fire Alarms (AFA) in non-residential premises. I am writing to notify you of a key change which may affect you and your organisation. When an AFA actuates for any reason other than a fire condition, this is referred to as a false alarm. The point at which the Fire and Rescue Service is requested and responds to a false alarm is referred to as an Unwanted Fire Signal (U...

'DO BUSINESS' NETWORK - 15th AUGUST 2023

Thank you for coming along to our "small but perfectly formed" walk this morning.Hope you are keeping well after our ramble through the woods - at least we did not manage to lose anyone and we all got back to the café shrub all safe and sound (eventually)!  Also, we had great weather.  On Monday, the weather was quite atrocious, but, by Tuesday, the sun was out and the temperature was quite pleasant!Thank you to the café shrub for their warm hospitality.  And, a big th...

In Memory Of Gemma Justice

Hi Everyone,We now have a fundraising page set up for our sponsored walk on Saturday 2nd September:https://willowburnhospice.enthuse.com/pf/steeltown20dbnIn case you missed our post earlier in the week, we are inviting DBN members to help us raise funds to donate to Willow Burn Hospice in memory of former DBN member Gemma Justice who lost her battle with cancer recently.You can get involved by either registering to participate in the walk (see details via the above link) and/or making ...

Remembering Gemma Justice

It saddens us deeply to share the sad news of the passing of Gemma Justice who lost her long battle with Breast Cancer in June. Gemma and her husband Steven were DBN members for a time and have continuously supported our meetings with their warm hospitality when we have hosted our networking mornings at the Derwent Walk Pub in Ebchester.After learning about Gemma's passing we thought it would be a nice idea to fundraise in Gemma's name and thought it would be fitting to donate any money rai...

LUMO detail how you can use Patent Box to help businesses capitalise on their R&D activities

Last week Lee Quarzi and Roger Tipple from LUMO had the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience about patents and patent box with the The R&D Community Ltd.The article is a really good read so if you are interested in this topic you may like to click on the link below to find out more: https://bit.ly/47iAYDkIf anyone has any question on this topic the LUMO team would be happy to have a conversation with you. Email info@lumo.tax...

LAND OF OAK & IRON - CHRISTMAS MEET THE MAKER MARKET 2023

VENUE: Land of Oak & Iron Heritage Centre, Spa Well Road, Winlaton Mill, NE21 6RUDATE & TIME: Sunday, 3rd December 2023 - 10:00-16:00Land of Oak & Iron are excited to host our Christmas Meet the Maker Market, bringing together some of our past Meet the Makers and new local artists and creatives too!We love hosting our seasonal Meet the Maker Markets, they’re great events for buying hand crafted items, getting inspired and meeting new local makers and artists – we’re e...

LAND OF OAK & IRON - AUTUMN MEET THE MAKER MARKET 2023

VENUE: Land of Oak & Iron Heritage Centre, Spa Well Road, Winlaton Mill, Tyne & Wear, NE21 6RUDATE & TIME: Saturday, 23rd September 2023 - 10:00-16:00Land of Oak & Iron are excited to host our Autumn Meet the Maker Market, bringing together some of our past Meet the Makers and new local artists and creatives too!We love hosting our seasonal Meet the Maker Markets, they’re great events for buying hand crafted items, getting inspired and meeting new local makers and art...

LAND OF OAK & IRON - SUMMER MEET THE MAKER MARKET 2023

VENUE: Land of Oak & Iron Heritage Centre, Spa Well Road, Winlaton Mill, Tyne & Wear, NE21 6RU.DATE & TIME: Sunday, 13th August 2023 - 10:00-16:00Land of Oak & Iron are excited to host our Summer Meet the Maker Market, bringing together some of our past Meet the Makers and new local astists and creatives too!We love hosting our seasonal Meet the Maker Markets, they’re great events for buying hand crafted items, getting inspired and meeting new local makers and ar...

WITHIN THE BOGGART WOOD EVENT AT THE LAND OF OAK AND IRON

DATE: Sunday, 27th August 2023 - 10:00-15:30On Sunday 27th August, the Boggart will be at the Land of Oak and Iron Heritage Centre to collect (should you choose to) your stories of all things weird and wonderful!  I’ll be coming armed with audio recording equipment and a notebook . . . if you’d like your story to appear on an upcoming podcast episode you’ll have the option of me just reading it out, or your voice appearing on the podcast!If there are enough stories collected, the aim ...

***BREAKING NEWS***

After the very positive feedback from our July Wag and Walk, we have decided to hold another in August.  Please feel free to bring along your dog and your children too!  We look forward to seeing you there.  This event is FREE for ALL attendees.  Venue: The Land of Oak and Iron, Spa Well Road, Winlaton Mill, Blaydon upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE21 6RU.Book you place now....

CHIGIRI-E WORKSHOP AT ORIENTAL MUSEUM

DATE & TIME: Saturday, 29th July, 14:00-16:00VENUE: Oriental Museum (Elvet Hill, Durham, DH1 3TH)Chigiri-e is the art of Japanese hand torn paper collage.  I will take you through the step-by-step process of designing and creating your own unique chigiri-e.This workshop coincides with the current exhibition "Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki" at the Oriental Museum in Durham.  We'll be making chigiri-e inspired by the themes of 'peace' and 'hope.'Book your place here....

James Miller from UMi talks about how to digitally drive your online presence!

Digital Advisor, James Miller from UMi talks to Melanie at DBN about the FREE Digital Health Check available for North East SME's and shares 5 top tips on how to strengthen your digital presence!https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-9476m-142379fIf you enjoyed this podcast and have any questions for James you can contact him via the details below... T: +44 (0)191 716 0960 M: +44 (0)7741 091 196E: james.miller@weareumi.co.uk Sat Nav: weareumi.co.uk/satnav...

LANDMARK POST-BREXIT TRADE DEALS TO COME INTO FORCE IN MAY 2023 DRIVING ECONOMIC GROWTH ACROSS THE UK

Press release: 4th May 2023From: Department for International Trade, Department for Business and Trade, Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street, The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, and The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP.The Prime Minister met with his Australian and New Zealand counterparts on 5th May 2023 for talks ahead of the King's Coronation.Benefits of ground-breaking free trade deals with Australia and New Zealand to be unleashed for British businesses and consumers later this mont...

EXPAND YOUR GLOBAL REACH WITH A KING'S AWARD FOR ENTERPRISE

Expand your global reach with a King's Award for Enterprise - Applications for  2024 are now openConsidered to be the most prestigious accolade presented to UK businesses, previous winners of the globally recognised award have reported benefiting from increased commercial value, greater press coverage and a boost to staff morale.This year saw 13 of the North of England’s top exporters receive the first ever King’s Award for the Enterprise International Trade category.&nbs...