How is everyone this week?
This was our first week without a training masterclass in recent months and we’ve taken the opportunity to work through our “to do” list … We’re still working on it which is why this weeks newsletter is (slightly) shorter than usual!
Next Tuesday morning we're having an hour’s catch up online with our members. It’s important to find out what’s happening in the DBN business community and share news and ideas and do some networking and we’d really love to see you there. We'll be hearing about free business support from PAM Assist and we’ll be announcing some prize winners at the meeting too.
The North East LEP area has been awarded more than £1.8m funding to help small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. We were delighted to see the SME Restart and Recovery Grants Scheme launch earlier this week but dismayed to see it close to new applications after just a couple of hours.
It was inevitable that there would be a massive demand for this and we feel they should keep the application process open and avoid another "bun fight" in September. The uncertainty it causes will only add to the stress currently experienced by many owners of small businesses.
We'd welcome your comments on this. Did you manage to apply? Did you miss the boat? Were you even aware of this grant scheme? We'd love to hear from you!
On a much happier note… Did you know this week is Afternoon Tea Week?
We have a wealth of great establishments for afternoon tea in our part of the world. So why not treat yourself to an afternoon tea and support local businesses at the same time?
