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Business takes off at º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s Darlington campus

Business is taking off at º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s new £13m Darlington campus with a double booking.

The North East Fraud Forum, founded in 2003, is holding one of its series of masterclasses for the first time in the Tees Valley at the new campus. And the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) held a recent meeting for its Darlington members on the fourth floor – a bespoke facility for corporate events. Previously, the Fraud Forum’s masterclasses, which draw on expertise from the University’s Centre for Fraud and Financial Crime, have been held in the north of the region.

Senior lecturer Norman Wise said: 'This is the first time º£½ÇÖ±²¥ has been able to host a members’ masterclass meeting. Members who attend come from business and law enforcement agencies from across the North East. Darlington is a convenient location for them to get to, plus the corporate facility is really fantastic.'

Rachel Anderson, Head of Member Relations for the NECC, said: 'º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s new campus is an absolutely fabulous facility in a stunning location in Darlington itself. It’s a huge asset to the town and the way forward for business. It’s quite clear in terms of development for any business, the high tech knowledge here at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Darlington is what we need to place UK PLC at the cutting edge. It’s absolutely key to prosperity in the future. And now we have facilities like this right on the doorstep.'

Denis Pinnegar, Principal of DP Associates, a Business Mentoring company, chaired the NECC meeting and said: 'I’d highly recommend the new campus to businesses that are looking for an alternative venue to their normal outsourced meetings. I’d certainly like to use it again; it’s a first-class facility with good accommodation and acoustics.'

The North East Fraud Forum masterclass is on 22 September and will look at the cost of fraud and the use of covert surveillance. The Treasury missed out on £42bn last year because of tax fraud, avoidance and underpayment. The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that in 2008-09 benefit thieves stole an estimated £900 million from public funds.

Norman Wise explains: 'We put our expertise into helping businesses fight fraud across the North East.'

The masterclass – ‘Nice to see you, to see you nice’ costs £70 plus VAT. Anyone interested in attending can contact Norman on 07786 262889 or email n.wise@tees.ac.uk.

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