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DBN Member Podcast

Coral Sirett is a qualified nutrition and weight management adviser, speaker and the founder of Zest Health.In this podcast episode Coral talks to Melanie about how employers can support their employees by offering ways to support health and wellbeing in the workplace.After moving to the North East just under a year ago Coral tried various networking groups before joining Do Business Network. Networking has not only helped her connect with other business owners but it's also introduced her to ne...

AUTISM ACCEPTANCE WEEK

This year, we'd love you to celebrate with us by attending our 'Working well with Autism' event.  Here, we will be screening our national documentary about:Positive relationships between employers and Autistic employeesSuccessful self-employed Autistic peopleOrganisations who are going above and beyond to make the work place better for Autistic peopleWorking Well with Autism - Thursday, 30th March 2023 - 13:00-16:00Star and Shadow Cinema, Warwick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 1BB.Tickets...

AND FINALLY . . .

A big thank you from "Our Hec" to Ruth at Jacwicks Designs for making us an extra large pet perch which has already been on several picnics as well as every room in the house.  No more soggy doggy bottoms here!...

KEVIN BREWERTON: "A JOURNEY FROM WHITE TO BLACK; FIGHTER TO ARTIST"

In 2020 we had the pleasure of meeting Kevin Brewerton online at two of our DBN After Dark events.  He joined us from Los Angeles to speak about his childhood in Newcastle and his fascinating journey of self-discovery.  A few weeks ago our very own Ann English bumped into Kevin at TEDxNewcastle . . . well this is his talk which is now available to watch by clicking here.  We hope Kevin can join us in person at one of our events later this year....

ANN @ CREATE INTRIGUE

Truth be told I’ve struggled to write this post . . . I struggle to write every post.  As a naturally introverted person I prefer to be invisible.  My default is to hide behind the work I do, and I like to connect with people individually through private messages.You may think you see a lot of me on social media . . . in reality I only created 42 posts on LinkedIn last year, even though it is actually my go-to favourite platform because of all the lovely people I’m connected to.&nb...

MARY JALLOW & UTILITY WAREHOUSE

DID YOU KNOW UTILITY WAREHOUSE (UW) started in 1996 and has over 70 awards of which half are 'Which' awards, for our home services and customer service.DID YOU KNOW UW will pay up to £400 to buy you out of a contract. You don't have to worry about early termination fees.DID YOU KNOW UW will pay up to £200 in your account as a boost to help with energy.DID YOU KNOW UW will pay you £50 to have one of our smart metres installed.DID YOU KNOW UW have the highest paying cashback card, up to 10% sho...

WILLOW BURN DIAMOND RAFFLE 2023

Win an 18ct White gold diamond cluster pendant with Pear, Marquise and Round brilliant cut diamonds with Willow Burn Hospice.  Donated by Berry's Jewellers.  Worth £5295!  More details on the pendant can be found here.The 18ct White gold diamond cluster pendant with Pear, Marquise and Round brilliant cut diamonds has been donated by Berry’s Jewellers, a luxury, independent and family-owned top quality retail jewellers with a store on Grey Street in Newcastle and across the UK i...

TOOTH FAIRY!

In Japan, when a child’s tooth comes out, we throw it towards the roof or under the rim, hoping that a strong adult tooth will grow like rat teeth. Rats usually live under the roof or the rim, so by giving the baby teeth to the rats, children grow strong teeth.When we were visiting Japan this summer, I told my children that there is no tooth fairy in Japan.  They had wobbly teeth but they said they would hang on to their teeth until they go back to England.  But not everything goes a...

HAPPY 14th BUSINESS BIRTHDAY, WESTWOOD ACCOUNTANCY!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us on our business journey, here's to celebrating many more!Sharron, Westwood Accountancy...

INNOVATION MEETS HISTORY . . .

Over the Summer we had some interesting projects to undertake, which included six walkover surveys in Northumberland combining to well over 1000 hectares.  Some of the sites we inspected were stunning examples, one of which was the Kettley Rock Art Shelter, Scheduled Ancient Monument List entry 1417677.  The rock art panel likely dates to the Late Neolithic or early Bronze Age, and was originally discovered in the late 20th century.  Unlike a lot of the panels we inspected in the ...

JAN COOK WILLS & TRUSTS

I was delighted to be featured in the Hexham Courant in their supplement on coping with bereavement.  Lots of signposting for receiving advice at a very difficult time.Lasting Powers of Attorney are one of the most important documents any of us can have in place - not just for older family members although often they are considered to be more time sensitive.  To chat about helping elderly relatives get their affairs in order, or to discuss setting them up for yourself, please give us a...

VOLUNTEER AND GROW YOUR CONFIDENCE!

"I volunteered at the Willow Burn shop in Consett with my friend a couple of years ago and found that my confidence and development of people skills increased significantly through engagement with customers.  For many young people, volunteering is seen as a way to gain experience for future job applications, however it is often ignored how much the opportunity can improve personal values, leading to the growth of skills that are beneficial in any situation - whether professional or personal...

SUNDERLAND BUS RETURNS TO THE NORTH EAST!

We’re thrilled to welcome Sunderland Corporation Leyland Lion bus No. 2 to the Beamish Transport fleet!  No. 2 dates back to 1929 and served routes around the Sunderland area, it was part of a first batch of buses purchased by Sunderland Corporation.The Leyland Lion design first appeared in 1925 and marked a significant step-change in bus design – moving from what were essentially adapted goods vehicle chassis, to a design that was tailored to carry passengers.Following use by Sunderlan...

FROM BURUNDI TO UGANDA WITH DURHAM COFFEE

Hello coffee lovers,We wanted to inform you of a little change within our core Heritage Range Coffee Selection; namely that our St. Cuthbert’s Journey coffee is once again going on a pilgrimage and this time we’re moving on from Burundi to Uganda.We have chosen a bean that suits a medium-light roast profile that will blend well in our Castle Blend and stand it’s own as an exciting new single origin too.  You can buy our new Ugandan St. Cuthbert’s Journey Coffee here or pop into our ...

HAVE YOU MET THE LUMO TEAM?

It's been such a busy start to January here at Lumo, our team have been run off their feet but they always have a smile on their face.Last year we had the pleasure of working with the team at Wander Films and we asked them to capture the essence of what makes Lumo different to other R&D firms.Anyone who knows us would agree that the Wander team have captured us perfectly - socks and all!  If we haven't had the pleasure in meeting you yet this video will give you an insight into who we a...

NORIKOART NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Do you have newspapers you don't need any longer?Noriko runs Chigiri-e (Japanese paper collage) workshops and she uses newspapers as art material.  If you have unwanted newspapers, and also live near Consett, please contact Noriko.  She'd love to come and collect your old newspapers in exchange for some of her Chigiri-e cards.Thank you for your help!Noriko's contact: admin@norikoart.comMany thanks,Noriko...

DBN Member Podcast

First Cohort International Ltd is a state-of-the-art substance abuse testing and safety service provider. Based in the North East of England, they deliver workplace drug testing services to businesses and individuals.Managing Director David Bainbridge talks to us about drug testing in the workplace and the effects that consumption of drugs and alcohol can have on both the individual and the people working around them.Listen to full podcast HEREAnyone wishing to get in touch with David can contac...

Free Counselling Sessions

Northern Lights Counselling in Consett is offering a number of free therapy sessions. They currently have a counsellor on placement with them until October and therefore they can offer individuals between 4 and 6 sessions of counselling free of charge. Ideally this will be face to face therapy which will be provided at Consett Innovation Centre but they can offer online therapy too. If you are interested or know anyone who you feel would benefit from this opportunity ( over the age of 18 ) ...

FIVE ACRES COMMUNITY GARDEN C.I.C.

Five Acres Community Gardens CIC was set up by Debbie and Gavin Iceton, it opened in May 2019, after many months of planning around the kitchen table.  They wanted to set up a day service for young adults with special needs in our area.They work in the transport sector and have spent many years transporting young adults to different services within the region.  They noticed that many of these services had been greatly reduced over the years and wanted to offer a unique service where th...

DBN Meeting Dates from February to July 2023

Let's Get Organised For 2023!Here's the dates of our 'Do Business' Network Meetings for this year - February to July. All meetings run from 8:30 through to 10:30.Pop the dates in your diary and book your place HERETuesday, 21st February - Consett Rugby ClubTuesday, 21st March - The Greenhouse, GreencroftTuesday, 18th April - Venue TBCTuesday, 16th May - Lanchester Garden CentreTuesday, 20th June - Derwentside CollegeTuesday, 18th July - DBN Netwalk at the Land of Oak and Iron...

DBN NEWSLETTER

Calling all DBN members!  The deadline to submit your free article for our next newsletter is 5pm on Friday 24th February.If you miss this deadline we can carry your article over to our March newsletter.If you are not a member you can sign up to receive our newsletter by completing the box in our website footer.  The DBN newsletter is currently circulated to just over 800 North East businesses.If you are interested in becoming a DBN business member please find out more here....

It's a wrap! Ending on a high at our Big Ideas event.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 'Big Ideas' event.Over the last two weeks we've covered;* Business Planning* Setting Goals* Offline Marketing* Digital Marketing* Creating Content* Customer Service ( Looking after your customers)It was lovely to see everyone leaving happy with lots of ideas for their business in 2023 and beyond.A special thank you to Jo Long,( Jo Long Marketing) Melanie Cant (Elm Marketing Solutions) and Terry McStea (RTC North) for delivering the tra...

APPRENTICESHIPS AND JOBS FAIR

News from Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham . . .My next Apprenticeships & Jobs Fair - Friday, 10th February 2023 - 11:00-16:00 at Derwentside College.Whether you’re starting your first job or thinking of changing career there are lots of apprenticeships and jobs available.  I can’t wait to see as many of you there as possible.  Apprenticeships drive productivity and growth in our economy as well as allowing you to earn while you learn.Apprenticeships are also great for ...

OUR BIG IDEAS FOCUS FOR 2023

Day 1 of our Big Ideas event and we've built our business empires with Lego!Thank you to Terry McStea for leading our Lego Serious Play session which got us thinking about short term and long term business goals, what we need to do to achieve our goals and what obstacles we may encounter on the way.The second half of the day was focused around offline marketing and was delivered by Jo Long from Jo Long Consulting. Jo focused on identifying your target audience, business values and exploring trad...

HAVE YOU MET THE LUMO TEAM?

It's been such a busy start to January here at Lumo, our team have been run off their feet but they always have a smile on their face 😁Last year we had the pleasure of working with the team at Wander Films and we asked them to capture the essence of what makes Lumo different to other R&D firms.Anyone who knows us would agree that the Wander team have captured us perfectly - socks and all !! 🤣🤣. If we haven't had the pleasure in meeting you yet this video will give you an insight int...