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WORKING FROM HOME - GOOD, BAD OR JUST DIFFERENT?

Dr Jane Anderson contacted us the other day about an article she posted on her blog about working from home and it really struck a chord. Many of us are used to working from home but the current situation is different somehow and even with more time available to catch up on all those outstanding tasks, many of us aren't feeling as productive as we think we should be…Quite a few DBN members have been in touch about working from home. While it might seem to be an ideal time to do ...

CENTURION COMPUTERS - HELP! WE ARE HERE TO HELP

Centurion Computers are available to support you when working from home. Remote Support / Telephone Support and Product Purchasing. Always available to help: our Technical and Sales Team will be available on our normal Telephone Number to assist you with any queries, from IT Support to replacement devices. For more introduction or to speak to our head office, an advisor will be available to assist you. Telephone: 01434 604 800; Email: tech@centurioncomputers.co.uk Home & Business: ...

CONGRATULATIONS TO TONY LIDDELL!

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WELL DONE SAM!

What do you do to fill your days when you are a furloughed tennis coach, used to being on court every day and evening?  The answer for one Co. Durham coach was easy, put your 3D printer to use, when not making tennis racquet parts, why not have a go at making face masks for front line workers in care homes and surgeries who are struggling to get hold of personal protective equipment. Sam Stokoe, who is employed by Durham Community Tennis heard of the problems currently being experience...

FINALLY . . .

One of our local councils has been complaining about the increase in fly tipping which has gone up a huge amount in the countryside recently while the tips are closed.  We did report some of it to the guys at county to see if they’d remove it but it’s not on public land so we need to find who owns it (and the tips are closed).  However, he did say after looking through it that it’s mostly cannabis farming waste . . .Monica...

AND FINALLY . . . THE OVERNIGHT BREAD THAT WASN'T

So the plan was to let the dough rise very, very slowly overnight in a cool room and it would be ready to be baked in the morning.  Just like those YouTube videos... A quick check just before bed and the dough had gone completely crazy and was about to overflow all over the place.  And so the bread went into the oven at midnight and then no-one was going to bed until it was "quality checked" with some butter at 1:30am . . .  Today a 16 kg bag of bread flour has arrived . . .John @...

LAND OF OAK & IRON

Did you know that the Derwent Valley once played in building wooden sailing ships, in particular, the supply of oak and ironware to the shipbuilding ports on the south coast of England and particularly Greenwich on the Thames. It is more than likely oak was provided from Chopwell Wood, as in the case of HMS Sovereign of the Seas, built for Charles I (1625 – 1649) launched in 1637.You can read more about this here on the Land of Oak and Iron Website....

Is Virtual Networking Any Good?

We've had to quickly adapt to different ways of doing business. The feedback from our virtual meetings has been really positive and several of our members have had business enquiries and leads following the meetings. So please don’t just assume that people have stopped buying at present. Let's remind ourselves why we network... 1. To make business contacts2. Build relationships3. Learn something new such as "how to..."4. Share news and information5. Reduce isolation and build communi...

WHAT HELP DOES YOUR BUSINESS NEED RIGHT NOW? PLEASE LET US KNOW.

Businesses need lots of help and support at this difficult time. We're working with other networks and organisations to co-ordinate packages of vital support for our businesses. This week, we'll be speaking with MPs and local authorities about urgent help for our business communities. We want to ensure that it is effective and properly co-ordinated. It's really important that we understand what support will be the most useful to your business at present. For example: Rent / rates relief, help to...

TRAVEL & COVID-19

From Hays Travel for Business . . . We are using the attached images across our social media channels which we would be delighted if anyone can share. As this is a time of uncertainty not only for the travel industry but on a global scale for many, many companies. Airlines are following FCO advice and cancelling flights for the foreseeable. With this in mind, Hays Travel and Hays Travel for Business are encouraging all holidaymakers and business travel clients to amend their bookings f...

HOW DBN WILL SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS.

We're very concerned about the impact of the pandemic on our small business community and we want to do everything possible to support our members at this difficult time. We met up with some of our members this morning and agreed to take the following positive actions. From today, we will extend the membership period of all our current members by two months. We are doing this to give extra support to our local business community when they need it most. This means you will get two additional mont...

March DBN Meeting Postponed

Hello! As you know the situation has changed significantly since we contacted everyone earlier this morning. Clearly we can't run a DBN meeting in the light of the recent Government advice so we are postponing the meeting on Tuesday 17th March. We're very sorry about this but our priority must be to protect people and try to prevent the virus from spreading. People have still been booking to attend as late as 9pm this evening but we simply cannot run the risk of holding the event. We (the DBN Te...

Business as usual with DBN

Be a Business Star with DBN on Tuesday, 17th March 2020. Over the weekend some of our members were in touch asking if our meeting is still going ahead. We’ve decided to go ahead having given a lot of consideration to the facts (e.g. number of confirmed cases in the region) but we totally understand if people don’t feel comfortable in attending and would like to cancel. Please let us know. We're adding an extra item to our agenda tomorrow on business continuity planning and how our small busi...

Free expert business advice, support and mentoring for businesses in Chester-le-Street

If you run a small business, it’s important to get some extra help, guidance and support from time to time. From April 2020 DBN's Leading Businesses Programme will be delivering hands-on support to businesses in Chester-le-Street. We have experts waiting to give you the personalised, free advice you need. Get straightforward help, advice and mentoring with issues such as:Planning your future business journeyBetter social media and digital marketingSuccessful sales techniquesGett...

LAST CALL FOR MENTORS FOR OUR LEADING BUSINESSES PROGRAMME

CAN YOU INSPIRE BUSINESSES TO GROW IN CHESTER-LE-STREET? Leading Businesses is a growth programme managed by DBN to support businesses in Chester-le-Street. We will use the knowledge and skills of small business owners to lead other local businesses through a series of mini-workshops and mentoring. We have already delivered two highly successful Leading Business Programmes in the Derwent Valley and we're delighted that Chester-le-Street AAP is sponsoring the programme in 2020. Leading Busin...

NORIKO'S CREATOR'S DESK

A Japanese newspaper reporter got in touch with me a while ago and told me about their new column called ‘Creator’s Desk @ Artist’s Workplace.’ This column is aimed at teenagers to help them boost their dreams and goals, and they wanted me to appear in their first column. What an honour!The three items on this artist's desk are Sketchbooks, Coloured Pencils and a Treasure Map.You can read the full article by clicking here....

DIGITAL DRIVE COUNTY DURHAM - FAST TRACK APPLICATIONS LIVE

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IT'S ALL GO FOR JOANNE

I'm now booked up for commissions until September 2020!  I'm thrilled about that, it's fabulous that people love what I do enough to trust me with a drawing of their treasured pets. Once spaces are full, until Christmas, we'll move to a waiting list system which I'll open up if time becomes available due to drawings going faster than expected. I knew I needed to free up some more time from somewhere, to create more space to draw, so while I hadn't PLANNED to build a new website early t...

FOCUS ON A SPECIAL OFFER FROM PHIL

Talented photographer and DBN member Phil Benton is offering free delivery on everything ordered through his website with 10% discount on all orders over £25. And you can also buy direct from Phil at his upcoming events at Metro Centre, Gateshead - March 19 - March 22 and April 9 - April 12....

VIRTUAL OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE IN CONSETT AND CHESTER-LE-STREET

Many small businesses face the dilemma of how to best portray their business location. The advantages of working from home are balanced against the professional image that a dedicated business address portrays. Recognising the increasing demand for more flexible options CDC Enterprise Agency are now offering Virtual Offices in their Consett and Chester-le-Street locations. A low cost alternative to having dedicated space, the virtual office can be used as a mailing address, registered address or...

BUDDY BENCH COMPANY PLEDGES TO SUPPORT NSPCC IN ANTI-BULLYING BID

A DBN member that manufactures Buddy Benches for schools has pledged to raise £1,700 a year for children’s charity the NSPCC.  Marmax Products Ltd, which specialise in recycled products, will raise the money through the sale of their buddy benches to provide funding for the charity’s school services in the North East. Managing Director of Marmax, Jackie Robshaw said, “Our Buddy Benches are created to make sure every child has an opportunity to be included, breaking down the barriers ...

TAYLOREDFIT PHYSIO GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

Tayloredfit Physio continues to go from strength to strength after moving premises less than 2 years ago. Based in Langley Park, just outside Durham, in a beautifully renovated and converted old baptist chapel, Tayloredfit Physio provide all things physio, health and wellness. They continue to increase their team and have been shortlisted for 3 awards this year! With the FSB, they are finalists in the micro business of the year and self employed/ sole trader of the year, and also with the N...

ANN ENGLISH PRODUCES A NEW DOODLE ABOUT DBN BUSINESS WISDOM AND NICKIE GOTT

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'Do Business' Network Newsletter - March 2020

Hot off the press!  Our March Newsletter can be read here!...

DBN at The Owl & Otter [18th February 2020]

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