Member Article

New Networking Group Catches Imagination of Darlington Businesses

NORTH East networking organisation, Darlington Professionals, says it may have to seek bigger venues due to overwhelming demand for its second event.

The autumn lunch at Bannatynes Hotel, Darlington, this month (Nov 19) attended by almost 120 people from more than 40 local businesses was oversubscribed.

Guest speaker was Northern Echo editor, Peter Barron, who recalled his 35 years as a campaigning journalist, including good, sad and amusing anecdotes from his career.

Partner at Newtons Solicitors Darlington office, Gareth Jones, who jointly founded Darlington Professionals with corporate manager at Handelsbanken’s Darlington branch, David Walker, and arranged the event, says: “The response to Darlington Professionals has by far outstripped our expectations. We are delighted at the support shown by the local business community but couldn’t accommodate everyone as tickets sold out in three weeks.

Among businesses which attended were: Yorkshire Bank, Clive Owen & Co, Sanderson Weatherall, Latimer Hinks, Close Thornton, Atkinson White, Connect Property, St James Place, Carvers, Darlington Building Society, Santander, Bibby, Erimus Insurance, HSBC, Jacksons and Savills Smiths Gore.

Peter Barron waived his fee for the event so that a table collection could be made in support of Butterwicks Children’s Hospice, Stockton-on-Tees which raised £750.

Darlington Professionals was launched with an inaugural event in April. The date of the next event in the spring will be announced early next year (2016).

Newtons Solicitors also has offices in Harrogate, Knaresborough Ilkley, Leyburn, Northallerton, Ripon, Richmond, Stokesley, Thirsk and York. The group has 90 staff and a £4m turnover.

Handelsbanken launched in the UK in 1982 and manages a de-centralised network of more than 200 branches across the country. The Darlington branch opened in 2011. Handelsbanken specialises in providing personalised banking services to businesses and individuals and has been judged the most cost-effective European bank.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mike Clarke .