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Our first meeting of 2025!

Our first networking meeting of 2025 was held at Beamish Park Golf Club, thank you to Andy and his team for looking after us.We discussed training, introduced new members Tori Bradison, James Ibbitson and Allison Dore. Did some speed networking and even participated in a spot of indoor putting ⛳️😆The perfect environment to ‘Do Business’!Make sure you book your place at our next meeting on Tuesday 18th Feb at WE ARE UMi  - BOOK HEREIt’s great to be back, let’s work together to...

UNLOCK GRANT FUNDING FOR YOUR PROJECT - HERE'S HOW!

Grant funding can transform your business, fuelling growth, innovation, and productivity.  But with fewer than 10% of applications succeeding, it’s clear the process is challenging.  The good news?  Securing grant funding is a skill that can be learned. Where to StartWith £156bn available annually across 1,700 UK schemes, finding the right grant may seem overwhelming.  UMi’s Funding and Grants Finder simplifies this process, highlighting local and national...

MASTER MOVING YOUR GOODS AROUND THE WORLD WITH OUR FREE WEBINARS!

Secured a new deal and need to know how to get your goods in front of your international customers?Over the next few weeks, here at the UK Export Academy, we are here to help with a range of webinars covering the fundamentals of moving your products from A to B.Explore the topics on offer below and book your place today!Giving you the know-how to move your goods overseas . . ....

OPEN FOR ENTRY: MADE IN THE UK, SOLD TO THE WORLD AWARDS 2025

Do you want to be recognised and celebrated for selling internationally?Apply to any one of the below categories:Advanced Manufacturing & ConstructionAgriculture, Food & Drink  Consultancy & Professional ServicesCreative IndustriesDigital & Technology (new)Education & EdTechFinancial Services & FinTechHealthcareInfrastructure & EngineeringLow Carbon EnergyRetail & Consumer GoodsExport Services (new)What's in it for you?This year we have partnered with Lloyds ...

BUSINESS SECURITY RISKS - WE ARE LISTENING!

The government’s number one priority is to grow the economy and enable businesses to trade safely, securely and flourish.Please complete the short survey to let us know about your business experiences relating to security issues and accessing government security guidance.  Your views are important and will help shape security guidance provided by the UK government to the business community.The survey is in four sections and will take less than 10 minutes to complete.All responses are anon...

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP TO OUR BRAND-NEW FREE HOW TO EXPORT SERIES YET?

Then you need the UK Export Academy's brand-new How-To series to help you!  Our new series will give you the essential knowledge and the confidence you need to grow your sales in overseas markets.The first sessions may have already passed, but if you can't make a session, don't worry!  We will send you the recording to watch back at your leisure.What will you get out of the How To Export series?Learn how to sell overseas for the first time;Gain the confidence you need to...

Catherines Festive Fun Run

On Sunday 15th December DBN Members joined Colin Groves from Sign Design for his 6th and final festive fun run in memory of his late wife Catherine.Colin said, "It was great to have so many friends, family and some business connections there to support us including Moira Barnes ( Moira Barns.com)  Melanie Cant ( DBN & Elm Marketing Solutions)  Ian Worrall-Dutton ( Ian Dutton Designs ) Ian Groves, Jennifer Hartburn ( Harrington Brown Estate Agents ) and Richard Heslop.For CFFR 1-5 w...

GET GRANT READY: SIMPLIFY FUNDING FOR YOUR NEXT BIG PROJECT - JOIN US ON 21st JANUARY 2025!

Ready to Secure Funding for Your Next Big Project? Join Phil Sly, Grant Funding Specialist at UMi on Tuesday, January 21st from 10am for Episode 2 of our Get Funding Webinar Series, where you will learn how to navigate the grant application process with ease. In this session you'll learn: How to find and access the grants you're eligible for. Proven strategies to maximise your chances of success.Practical tips to craft winning applications.  &nbs...

Christmas at Beamish Museum

Thank you Liz Peart and the team at Beamish Museum for inviting us along to the Friends of Beamish Christmas open evening on Saturday.If anyone is looking for an injection of Christmas cheer we’d highly recommend a visit to Beamish!Hot chocolate, Middletons chips, fairground fun, Christmas carols and a trip to Santas grotto was enough to make the Grinch smile 😆👏We are pleased to announce we’ll be back at Beamish next year for more networking, dates will be announced in the New Year �...

ENHANCE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE & BOOST SALES WITH CONSUMER INSIGHTS

From the creation of your company to scaling it successfully, understanding your customers and meeting their needs is the cornerstone of thriving in today’s competitive market.  Knowing who they are, what they want, and how to serve them effectively can mean the difference between success and failure. Join Elaine Morris for an engaging and FREE online programme designed to help you elevate customer satisfaction and make your business stand out.  Packed with p...

GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SUCCESS IN 2025!

Well here at the UK Export Academy, we are here to help you make that goal a reality in 2025, with our brand new How to Export series that covers the fundamentals of selling to the world.  The new series kicks off on Thursday, 9th January, and bookings are now open!What will you get out of the How To Export series?Learn how to navigate international regulations;Learn how to choose the right export markets for your own business; andGet top tips on how to find new int...

INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORT FOR YOUR BUSINESS GROWTH

As we start to enter the festive period and 2024 comes to a close, we would like to take this opportunity to send you our best wishes for the New Year.  We look forward to continuing to work with you and supporting your international growth ambitions in 2025.Read on to find out what’s coming up, including our latest trade missions, events, and international trade news....

MAYOR'S LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN CONSULTATION

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has already responded to the North East Local Transport Plan consultation.  With nearly 6,000 responses so far, we’re off to a fantastic start - but there’s much more to do.This consultation is about shaping a transport network that works for everyone - a vision for safer journeys, better connections, and making sustainable travel the first choice.  We want to hear from as many voices as possible including the business commu...

GUIDANCE ON THE NEW WORKER PROTECTION ACT - SUPPORT AND HELP AVAILABLE

Starting October 26, the UK Worker Protection Act requires employers to proactively prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Unlike before, employers now have a legal duty to take “reasonable” steps to prevent harassment, both on-site and during work-related activities like training days. Employers can be held liable even if unaware of misconduct, but they can defend themselves by proving they took all reasonable precautions. Key actions to take now include: Educating ...

CATHERINE'S FESTIVE FUN RUN/WALK 2024

If you are local to the Consett area and you’d like to get involved in some fun, festive , family fundraising, you might like to come along to the Catherine’s Festive Fun Run/Walk on Sunday, 15th December 2024 - starting from 9:30.On 20th December 2018, my wonderful wife Catherine lost her brave fight against Breast Cancer.  She spent her final weeks in St Cuthbert's Hospice in Durham, a place that means so much to my family as they gave the most amazing, end of life care to Catherine b...

TRADE MISSION TO AMBIENTE 2025

Don't miss out on your chance to join us on our trade mission to Ambiente.Dates: Friday, 7th February to Wednesday, 11th February 2025Location: Frankfurt, GermanyPre-Mission Briefing: Tuesday, 17th December 2024 - Online The mission will provide you with an exclusive programme of activities allowing you to research the latest trends and connect with key buyers in the retail and consumer goods industries from across the globe.Benefits of joining:Access to the Department for Business and Trad...

FREE DIGITAL WEBINARS

Customer Personas Webinar - Thursday, 9th January 2025 - 10:00-12:00In this webinar we'll look at what customer personas are and how to write them. By the end of the webinar, you'll be able to describe who are your main customer groups, and understand their needs.  This in turn will help you write compelling messaging that resonates with your customers and improve your wider marketing.  Register here. Value Proposition Webinar - Thursday, 16th January 2025 - 10:00-1...

GPSR COUNTDOWN + KEY INSIGHTS ON VAT AND ChatGPT FOR YOUR BUSINESS

David, stay ahead in international trade with our upcoming webinars, designed to help you tackle regulatory changes, simplify VAT compliance, and harness cutting-edge AI tools.  Whether you’re exporting to Europe or looking to innovate, these sessions are packed with practical insights to drive your business forward.Scroll down to see all the sessions on offer, and simply click on the buttons to head over to our website and book your place.Friday, 6th December 2024 - 10.00-...

OUR DECEMBER NETWORKING MEETING AT DERWENTSIDE COLLEGE

What a lovely end to our 2024 networking season at Derwentside College Thank you to Tom and Ryan from KL Accountants for the tax advice for 2025 and to David Andrew Kelly for pulling together questions for our Christmas quiz!We have lots to celebrate this year, DBN is growing and we have some amazing members. We are committed to growing bigger in 2025 to create more businesses opportunities, promote the amazing business talent we have in the North East and provide support for business owners in ...

SOUTH EAST ASIA TECH WEEK 2025

The UK Government is delighted to announce UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week 2025.  This is the UK’s flagship annual event on science, innovation and technology in Southeast Asia.UK-Southeast Tech Week 2024 was a resounding success, with 150 bespoke business meetings organised, several of which resulted in commercial partnerships for UK companies.This year’s event will run from Monday, 24th March to Friday, 28th March 2025 in the Philippines (Manila) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City).Progra...

OUR LAST NETWORKING EVENT OF 2024

We Ho Ho hope (sorry 😂) you can join us for our last networking meeting of 2024 at the Steel House Bistro, Derwentside College on Tuesday, 3rd December🎅It's become a DBN tradition to finish off the year at the College and it's always been a fun and well attended event.This year we will be celebrating our members' successes during 2024 as well as thinking about goals for 2025.Time: 8.30 to 10.30Cost: FREE to members and £10 non membersWhere: Derwentside College, Front Street, Consett, Coun...

121 BUSINESS LINKS DRAFT

Following our September networking event at Beamish Museum we received this lovely email from Chris Bonas, co-director at 121 Business Links."Phil and I are proud to be members of DBN with our company 121 Business links Ltd. "We find the meetings fun, informative and above all give us opportunities to generate business through meeting professional people at quality venues. "Melanie and David are friendly, positive, and open to help in any way they can. If you are a seasoned networker o...

INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORT FOR YOUR BUSINESS GROWTH

Welcome to our newsletter.We are pleased to share some great highlights including the launch of our 2025 Women's International Networking (WIN) programme, as well as our new Enhanced Trade Partnership scheme launched in Greater Manchester to get more small businesses exporting.Read on for updates on our latest events, missions and international trade news....

EXPLORE GRANTS, LOANS & INVESTMENT STRATEGIES TO FUEL YOUR BUSINESS GROWTH

Join Julie Cuthbertson, Business Funding Director at UMi on December 2nd, 2024 from 10am for Episode 1 of our Get Funding Webinar Series, where we’ll explore the full landscape of grants, loans, and investment funding options available to your business. In this session you'll learn: An overview to the various grant, finance, and investment opportunities.How to determine which funding source aligns best to you.Tips and strategies to make the application process smoother and more ...

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY - FRIDAY, 6th DECEMBER 2024

On Friday, 6th December I’m undertaking gravestone recording at St. Oswald’s Playground, Durham City.  The playground was originally a cemetery, but when the council converted it to a playground they just left the bodies where they were and moved the gravestones to line the cemetery/playground walls.The aim on the 6th is to transcribe, photograph and map the location of the gravestones, with the results being made available on the web for people to search: Durham County Counci...