Member Article

Record turnout for Darlington business networking lunch

THE chief features editor of the Northern Echo, Chris Lloyd, turned from writer to orator when he was guest speaker at the Darlington Professionals autumn lunch in the town this month (Nov 2016).

More than 120 representatives from over 40 businesses from in and around Darlington attended the business lunch at the Mercure Darlington Kings Hotel on November 16.

Chris Lloyd gave an enthusiastic talk filled with fascinating news items from Darlington’s past along with humorous and insightful anecdotes from his time as a journalist in the North East.

The event was organised jointly by director and head of Newtons Solicitors Darlington office, Gareth Jones, and corporate manager of Handelsbanken’s Darlington branch, David Walker, who founded Darlington Professionals with an inaugural event in Spring 2015.

Gareth Jones says: “This was the biggest lunch event so far with attendees representing business sectors including banking, accountancy, wealth management, surveying, insolvency and law. Darlington Professionals is now firmly established as part of the local business diary and as a significant force for business development within the town.”

A collection raised over £900.00 for St Teresa’s Hospice, Darlington, a registered charity which provides free services for people in south Durham and North Yorkshire including specialist palliative care beds, hospice at home respite services, day therapy, carers support and counselling, social work and bereavement support. Darlington Professionals has now raised more than £4,500.00 for local causes.

Newtons Solicitors, which has its head office in Knaresborough, has had continuous fast growth since it was founded in 2009 and has seen fee income rise by £1m annually for the last three years. The company has 10 offices across Yorkshire and the North East.

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 Communications .