Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 38 | Page 15
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 15
ABOUT DBOP…
The DBOP team (left to right): Guy Bashford,
Lisa Wall, Pam Reynolds and Michael Harriott.
T
“The courses were a great success last year
and participants were able to take a lot of
useful information and experiences that they
can use to benefit their business.”
where businesses can start to grow and then
create a deliverable business plan around them.
“They are aimed at giving practical advice and
support tailored to growing your business and
are interactive, fun and engaging.
“Participants can always expect lots of group
discussion, ideas generation, problem solving
and interaction.
“The courses were a great success last year
and participants were able to take a lot of useful
information and experiences that they can use
to benefit their business.”
DBOP is a three-year programme for SMEs
which is funded by the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by
Business Durham.
Places on the course are limited but you can
find out more by contacting Lisa Wall on 01207
291 268 or email [email protected].
he Durham Business Opportunities Programme has been
providing support for businesses in County Durham since late
2016.
In that time, the team has delivered strands of intensive support to
businesses in the childcare, creative, food and drink and engineering
and manufacturing sectors.
A fifth strand, ‘Routes to Contract Success’, is also being launched
in early 2019, which will help the growth of SMEs in County Durham
by supporting them to take advantage of new and existing tender
opportunities in the private and public sectors.
The programme has already intensively supported over 170
businesses in County Durham as well as engaging with over 320
SMEs, connecting them with opportunities to support the growth of
their business.
The team aim to help businesses by connecting them with
opportunities to support their business growth, as well as plugging
gaps in business support and providing intensive strands of support to
businesses which no other business support organisation can offer.
Rockpool Children’s Books received support for their business
through DBOP’s creative strand.
“It was an enjoyable and informative day, within half an hour I knew
I was in the right place to move my business forward,” said Stuart
Trotter, creative director of the publishers.
Lee White’s electrical engineering business, Bespoke Electrical, has
doubled its headcount and won new business worth £30,000 in the
space of a year.
Lee explained “The business was only three weeks old when we
attended EMCON last year.
“The DBOP team gave us great support – at the show we picked
up four really good leads that have led to some big projects and
ultimately allowed us to grow.”
Childcare entrepreneur Laura Davis, meanwhile, received support
from DBOP which has seen her County Durham nursery acquire two
other businesses.
“At Child’s Play we approach childcare with a focus on
development,” said Laura.
“My ambition is to bring that model to other nurseries – eventually
we’d like to have a group of five to six sites.”
DBOP is a three-year programme for SMEs which is funded by
the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by
Business Durham.
To find out more about DBOP support, call Lisa Wall on 01207
291 268 or email [email protected].