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Greetings!
If Spring brings change, Autumn brings familiarity. Despite the colder mornings and darker nights, it is comforting to be surrounded by such inspiring people and beautiful venues.
Things are buzzing over at Portland House, too with meeting rooms busy and a wave of new mailing clients registering their businesses with us. We also have new office space available if you can help us to find the next tenants, we can welcome to our business community.
Autumn always arrives with a packed calendar, and this season has been no exception. Recently, we’ve enjoyed tractor rides, animal encounters, and soft play fun at Adventure Valley. We also joined the 85,000 people who have experienced the incredible Culture House Sunderland, courtesy of Richard Reed Solicitors, and spent a fantastic afternoon at the Newcastle Races with The Executive Group.
And still more to come, thank you to Graham and Aprile for covering the upcoming November events.
💼 Budget Briefing Breakfast with Broad Chare Partners, The Pin at Ramside
🧉 The Copper Pot, New College Durham
☕ New Member Meet & Greet, Portland House, 3rd December
🎄 Annual General Meeting & Christmas Lunch at Lumley Castle
✨ Executive Group Christmas Lunch at Durham Castle
With my out of office ready to go, I'm looking forward to spending some time at sea, I’ll be back refreshed and raring to go for the festive season!
Happy Networking!
Alison
| | DBC Budget Briefing Breakfast with Broad Chare Partners, The Pin at Ramside | |
Following the first Budget of Chancellor, John Healey, there's lots to unpack! Stephen Adair of Broad Chare Partners and Brian Logan will share their insights and analysis on what the Budget means for businesses, while enjoying a networking breakfast with our brilliant business community.
The Cathedral Suite at The Pin will provide the backdrop, overlooking the greens of the Cathedral Golf Course for this DBC Budget Briefing.
| | DBC at The Copper Pot, New College Durham | | Join us as we return to The Copper Pot Restaurant at New College Durham and enjoy their excellent facilities, where the front of house students offer a warm welcome, and keen chefs cook up a storm in the kitchen using the finest and freshest ingredients from local suppliers. | |
Durham Business Group Annual General Meeting & Christmas Lunch, Lumley Castle
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You are invited to join us for Durham Business Group Annual General Meeting, at the beautiful and historic Lumley Castle Hotel as we reflect on the year’s activities.
Following the formalities, we invite you to embrace the festive spirit and enjoy an optional Christmas lunch.
12.00 pm | Networking & Reception Drinks
12.30 pm | Annual General Meeting
1.00 – 2.30 pm | Christmas Lunch
Round off the year in style with a delicious two-course Christmas lunch, served with a glass of wine (£25 & VAT).
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From Receptionist to Qualified Lawyer: Debbie’s Inspiring Journey Earns National Recognition in The Times
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Everyone’s career journey is different, and sometimes the most inspiring stories are those that begin with an ambition that once seemed out of reach. BHP Law are delighted to celebrate the achievements of Debbie Palmer-Gittins, whose remarkable route into the legal profession has recently been featured in The Times.
The national coverage follows an especially proud period in Debbie’s career, including a trip to London to attend her graduation ceremony, marking the successful completion of her qualification journey. Seeing her achievements recognised in a leading national newspaper is a fitting next chapter in a story that reflects years of dedication, perseverance and hard work.
Read more
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Stockton Born IT Company Grows From Two-Man Start-up to Multi-Million Pound Tech Firm
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What started as a dream between two ambitious IT professionals has grown into one of the North East's leading providers of managed IT services and cyber security solutions.
Thirteen years ago, founders Tomas Roberton and Michael Povey took a leap of faith, leaving the security of a PLC employer to build a business dedicated to helping North East SMEs get better value from their technology.
Following its early growth, Circle Cloud benefited from support provided by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Through the Council's business support initiatives, the company established its base at The Fusion Hive, an environment that has supported its continued expansion. Circle Cloud remains proudly based there today. Read more
| | Join Circle Cloud and HR2day for a practical webinar | | |
AI is transforming the way businesses operate, helping teams improve productivity, automate routine tasks and make faster decisions. However, many organisations are adopting AI without clear policies, governance or visibility of how it is being used.
Join Circle Cloud and HR2day for a practical webinar designed specifically for SME business leaders looking to embrace AI safely and effectively. Read more
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Net-Defence launches The Signal: a new hub for business resilience advice
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Net-Defence has launched The Signal, a new dedicated advice and resource hub designed to help businesses cut through the noise, make sense of emerging risks and build genuine organisational resilience.
With businesses facing an increasingly complex landscape of cyber threats, regulation, fraud, supply chain disruption and technological change, The Signal has been created as a trusted source of practical advice and informed insight – helping organisations find clear answers when they need them most.
The Signal goes beyond cyber, IT and telephony, covering topics including compliance, regulation, supply chain risk and proactive defence. It also features perspectives from the Net-Defence Leadership team, reflecting the importance of taking a coordinated, organisation-wide approach to resilience. Read more
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Durham's newest gallery opens for dinner:
7 Paintings comes to Radisson Blu Durham
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The immersive dining show brings seven courses, seven artists and 3D projection art to the city from 28 November, running through December and into 2027.
Radisson Blu Durham will launch 7 Paintings, an immersive dinner show that combines fine dining with projection art, on Saturday 28 November 2026, with dates running through December and into 2027. This is the first time the experience has come to Durham.
7 Paintings is a seven-course dinner where each course is inspired by a different world-famous artist. 3D projection brings the artists' work to life on guests' plates and across the dining room. During the evening, guests take part in the show: they solve da Vinci's riddles, guess the artist and create their own Pollock-style action painting with edible colours.
The menu, prepared by the Radisson Blu Durham kitchen team, takes diners on a journey through art history and around the world. Read more
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Stanhope Station is transformed into a magical Christmas destination, with twinkling lights, festive music and cheerful elves to welcome families aboard. The train then journeys through the beautiful Durham Dales, with festive entertainment along the way, before Father Christmas himself joins the train - visiting every carriage, meeting each family and delivering a special gift to every child.
Our Durham Business Club members have kindly been given offered a 10% discount off the experience
Discount code: ELF10
Book by 31st October to get 10% off any Santa Express journey, including Gold and VIP seating (excludes Christmas Eve).
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RSPCA Pet Food Donation bins are out!
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A huge thank you to all the wonderful businesses and organisations who have welcomed the bins and are helping support pets and families in need.
Bins can be located at the following places:
NorthPaw Vets
Tansy Centre South Hylton
Mighty Mutt House
North East BIC
Cornerstones Centre for the Community
The Louisa Centre
Paws Truly Grooming Studio
Lumley Castle
Durham Business Group, Portland House.
Sunderland Wall
Your support means so much and makes it easier for people to donate when they’re out and about. Next time you’re shopping, why not pick up an extra tin, pouch or bag of pet food and pop it in one of the bins
Together, we can help keep pets fed and families together!
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