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The White Room Music Cafe

In the spirit of supporting local we'd like to introduce a new business located in Stanley!Initially a picture framing house, the White Room Music Cafe has since been established as a warm, friendly and very accommodating place for people to enjoy good coffee, cakes and great craic as well as attracting top local musicians to their weekly acoustic & folk club sessions and various monthly events.We are looking to host one of our DBN meetings at the cafe in 2024. In the meantime, if you'd like...

BEAMISH MUSEUM - TAKE A SEAT!

Sponsor a seat in Beamish Museum's 1950s Grand CinemaBeamish Museum is building a recreation of The Grand from Ryhope in Sunderland and you can have the opportunity to sponsor a cinema seat as part of our Take a Seat campaign.Beamish buffs and film fanatics alike can sponsor an individual seat within the main auditorium of our recreation of The Grand, supporting the museum.Cinema seats can be sponsored by individuals or businesses.  Those who Take a Seat can have a name of their choice engr...

Celebrating individuals who have helped raise money for Willow Burn Hospice

David & Melanie had a lovely evening at Willow Burn Hospice last night to celebrate the individual fundraisers who have challenged themselves this year to raise money for the hospice.Willow Burn is 44% funded by the NHS which means that 56p in every £ they spend needs to be raised by them.Melanie took part in the Consett Steel Town 20 this year and walked 20 miles to raise money for Willow Burn in memory of DBN member Gemma Justice who passed away earlier this year.Thank you to&nb...

'DO BUSINESS' NETWORK AFTER DARK WITH TONY

A big thank you to Tony Liddell.  We thoroughly enjoyed the meeting and were thrilled, shaken and bewildered by stories of things that go bump in the night!  Or do they!?Tony has now edited the material and if you have some time to spare it is definitely worth listening to!  Pop it on in the background as you are working (the podcast lasts about one hour).There are two sites where you can listen to the podcast:https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-cykyr-14ee487https://theboggartwood....

NEW PODCAST. MEET ONE OF OUR NEWEST MEMBERS, MICHAEL GIBBON FROM RAINTON BRIDGE GROUP LTD.

Rainton Bridge Group Ltd is an IT solution business providing an outsourced IT department to SME's all over the UK.In this episode Director Michael Gibbon talks to Melanie about how he started his business, what is main 'bread and butter' service is and the benefits of using his services.You can listen to this podcast hereConnect with Michael on LinkedinWebsite: https://www.raintonbridgegroup.co.uk/...

NEW DIGITAL SUPPORT - FREE TO NORTH EAST BUSINESSES

At Department for Business & Trade (DBT), we have now rolled out new specialist support programme open to all businesses across the Northeast, specifically for all aspects of Digital support, to help you grow your overseas sales. This new support includes access to free one-to-one support with a Digital Trade Adviser, employed within DBT, to assist across all areas of your digital objectives, this can include a website analysis for example a deep dive into your website reach or competit...

FUNDING AVAILABLE: CHRISTMAS 2023 HOLIDAY ACTIVITY WITH HEALTHY FOOD (HAWHF)

Holiday Activities with Healthy Food (HAWHF) – Christmas 2023 - Derwent Valley Partnership AAPFunding is available for face-to-face activities for children young people and families during the Christmas holidays in 2023.  The scheme aims to support local community groups and organisations based in the Derwent Valley Partnership area to deliver enriching holiday activities during the Christmas holidays including healthy food.  Please note we cannot fund individuals or profit-making or...

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...

Create Intrigue Celebrates 10th Business Birthday!

This week Ann English from Create Intrigue is celebrating a milestone that isn’t just about numbers… it’s about the impact made by the countless individuals and businesses she's had the privilege of working with over the last decade. In October 2013, when she embarked on this rollercoaster of a journey which is called self employment, she didn’t know where that would take her, or all the incredible people she’d meet, many who’ve become clients and life-long friends. Along the way sh...

DBN AFTER DARK AT HALLOWEEN

The Spooky Season is upon us, and its 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 Hotel near Stanley, followed by a question and answer session....

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 from 20:30The 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 Hote...

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...