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WELCOME DONNA LIDDLE FROM THE GENUINE CONNECTION

Please give a warm DBN welcome to Donna Liddle business owner at The Genuine Connection 👋Donna is a Confidante & Coach empowering business owners to grow authentically by nurturing their mental health and guiding them to embrace their true self so that they can cultivate a thriving business aligned with their values and find fulfilment in both their professional and personal lives.I you haven't already met Donna at one of our meetings please look out for her and introduce yourself.  ...

NEW DBN MEMBER: WELCOME CLARE DAVIS TRAVEL COUNSELLOR

Please give a warm DBN welcome to Clare Davis 👋 Clare is a Travel Counsellor who assists with both leisure and business travel. We know that Clare has already helped some of our network members with travel plans and we've had some great feedback.I you haven't already met Clare at one of our meetings please look out for her and introduce yourself. We'll be recording a podcast with Clare early next month so that you can listen to find out more about her services.Connect on Linkedin: Clare Davis...

ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS

Barrie is based in Lanchester and reached out to Melanie as he's looking for small business owners to feature in his podcast.He'll be coming along to our May meeting to introduce himself and to tell us more about the projects hes working on.Interested? Pop along to our May meeting to meet Barrie....

NEW PODCAST: MEET ROB RICHARDSON FROM DERWENT RESERVOIR SAILING CLUB

In this episode Melanie talks to Rob Richardson, Club Manager at Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club. Probably one of the best kept secrets in Consett, the sailing club has lots of water sports to offer. Rob talks about his plans for the club, membership options, their open day in June and how DBN members can get involved.Listen to the Podcast HEREFollow DRSC on:LinkedInFacebookInstagram...

NEW PODCAST: MEET ANTHONY CUNNINGHAM FROM CW FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Meet Anthony Cunningham, owner at CW Financial Management in Stanley, Co Durham.Anthony started his business in November 2023 and talks to Melanie about what inspired him to go self employed, the drive behind his passion for helping people plan for their future and the services available through his business.Listen the the podcast HEREConnect with Anthony on LinkedIn...

DURHAM CRICKET WITH RTC NORTH

We had a fantastic morning at Durham Cricket this week.Thank you to Lesley Hawke and Graham Stafford from RTC North for partnering with us to deliver a morning of networking and learning!  Also, thanks to Paul and John from Better Brand Agency who successfully got us all thinking about our brand strategy and what sets us apart from our competitors.We'd also like to say thank you to Mary Jallow and Michelle Spinks from Utility Warehouse for delivering their pres...

NEW MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT

Please give a warm DBN welcome to Anthony Cunningham DipPFS from CW Financial Management 🎉Anthony is a Financial Planner/Advisor who supports people to achieve financial freedom through careful planning and investment decisions.Please connect with him on LinkedIn and make a point of saying hello at our networking meetings.Melanie & David...

NEW PODCAST: MEET OLIVIA WILLMORE FROM USHAW HISTORIC HOUSE, CHAPEL AND GARDENS

In this episode Melanie welcomes Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and Gardens to DBN.Ushaw’s history is tied to the development and growth of Christianity in the region. Beginning over a millenium ago with St Aiden in Lindisfarne.Olivia talks to Melanie about Ushaws rich history, the charity it is today and what plans they have in store for the future. Listen to the podcast HERE Connect with Olivia on LinkedIN HEREVisit Ushaw Website HERE...

WESTWOOD ACCOUNTANCY CELEBRATES 15 YEARS IN BUSINESS!

Business Birthday Announcement 🥳Today is Westwood Accountancy's 15th business birthday and Sharron's 25th anniversary since she qualified as a CIMA accountant!When Sharron started in 2009, the country was going through a bad spot (a bit like now) so it probably wasn't the best time to start a business, but she did and here she is 15 years later! Sharron really enjoys what she does and she still has some clients with her who joined her at the beginning, and a lot of them have become friends ra...

MEET NIALL McKAY-MOUNT FROM THE SCREAMING CHIMP CHILLI SAUCE COMPANY

Hey everyone,Meet Niall McKay-Mount from the Screaming Chimp Chilli Sauce Company.Niall started his business from his home kitchen in Co Durham and now ships his award winning sauces all over the world! Melanie talks to Niall about what inspired him to start making chilli sauce,  the "sauceome" awards he's received, exporting and his plans for 2024 and beyond.If you follow Niall on social media you'll be familiar with his 'saucy' sayings,  "hello chimpions", "stay sauceome", "keep on c...

NEW MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT! DBN WELCOMES USHAW COLLEGE

We first met Olivia Willmore from Ushaw College at our June networking meeting last year.  Olivia then attended our Shoebox Expo at Beamish Museum in October. We were so fascinated with her presentation about the history of the college that we just had to visit for ourselves!In 2023, Ushaw College won the Historic Houses Collections Award, and were a finalist for the Visitor Economy Award at the County Durham Together Awards! Take a look at the featured video which highlights what is s...

NEW PODCAST: MEET KEIRON & CRAIG FROM WALK & TALK TRUST

New DBN members Keiron Young & Craig Southern from Walk & Talk Trust talk about their new project Heritage 100.The charity is looking to help fund the establishment of a series of walks spanning the region, to be known as the Heritage 100. These short walks will encourage people to explore the region and gain a wider awareness of its wonderful countryside, its history and heritage. Families will be able to walk together in new places and discover some of the treasures that...

Jan Cook Wills and Trusts

At our recent meeting at Lanchester Garden Centre, Jan from Jan Cook Wills and Trusts Ltd spoke to members about the importance of getting the right planning in place and that it was actually one of the kindest things we could do for our families.She spoke about the difference between a standard will and a will with a trust within it and how this might benefit families.  It was the difference between making predictions now on what you think the situation might be for each of your beneficiar...

THE DBN SMALL BUSINESS SHOEBOX EXPO AT BEAMISH MUSEUM

We had a fantastic day at Beamish Museum for our Small Business Shoebox Expo yesterday.A huge thank you to all the exhibitors for putting so much thought and effort into your shoebox presentations - they were all amazing!The focus of the day was to talk about the services each business provided and what they are looking for from other DBN members/ exhibitors in terms of support, referrals and feedback. It was also great to see so many 'light bulb' moments when exhibitors identified opportunities...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

Mary Jallow, Utility Warehouse

Meet DBN member Mary Jallow who is a self employed consultant for Utility Warehouse. Since registering as a self employed consultant, Mary has saved her customers anything between £50 to £500 per month!  In this podcast Mary talks to us about why she loves her job and how networking has helped grow her customer base.https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-8rb3h-14225df...

Interior Designer Lorraine McGill from Willow and Maine talks to us about growing her business

Meet one of our newest DBN members, Lorraine McGill from Willow and Maine Interior Designs. Lorraine started her business in 2018 and grew it while she was employed in a full time role for a North East IT business. Now, four years later she is working in her interior design business full time! In this podcast Lorraine talks to us about growing her business, some of the projects she's worked on and what her future plans are for Willow and Maine.Listen to the podcast HEREWebsite: https://www....

Maximising Your R&D Claim: The Secrets To Securing More Funding

So, you’ve filed a research and development tax claim - nice work. Better still, your claim was successful and you’ve received R&D tax relief. But what if we told you that you could have received more?Lumo Tax have written a blog giving you the secrets to optimising your R&D tax claims and helping you to maximise the amount of funding you’re entitled to. With some strategic tweaks to your internal processes and operations, you could begin reaping the rewards sooner than you think!...

EMPLOYMENT LAW BREAKFAST SEMINAR - SWINBURNE MADDISON LLP & BUSINESS DURHAM

DATE & TIME: Tuesday, 25th April 2023 - 8:30-10:30VENUE: Swinburne Maddison LLP, Venture House, Aykley Heads Business Centre, Aykley Heads, Durham, DH1 5TSEMAIL: srs@swinburnemaddison.co.uk...

BIG IDEAS EVENT IS BACK!

This is the 3rd fully funded programme we have been able to deliver thanks to the team at RTC North and Supply Chain North East.The DBN Big Ideas event is an action-packed, two-day event full of 'BIG IDEAS' to help you think, create, focus, be inspired and innovative with your business!Packed full of bite sized interactive workshops, our programme is designed to get you thinking about how to work smarter within your business and to encourage growth, increase your profit, customer satis...

NATIONWIDE TEST OF EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM ON SUNDAY, 23rd APRIL AT 3:00 p.m.

Nationwide test of Emergency Alert system on Sunday, 23rd April at 3:00 pm.The UK Government are launching a new life-saving Public Emergency Alerts system in the UK, which will give the Government and emergency services the capability to send an alert directly to mobile phones when there is a risk to life.Alert systems such as this are already successfully used across the world and save lives.The system went live on Sunday, 19th March and you may have heard that there will be a national test of...

OUR 'BIG CONVERSATION' ONLINE MEETING

Great to see everyone at our 'Big Conversation' online meeting this morning.... just look at all those smiling faces!Our Zoom meetings are another way to network with fellow DBN members when you are unable to attend our face to face meetings.Thank you to Gary and David for being wonderful hosts 😀Take a look at our meeting line up for the coming months HEREJo Long Ann English ★ Create Intrigue Jan Cook Trish Guy 3D Virtual Spaces Owen Weightman Mary Jallow David Andrew Kelly Coral Sirett Gar...