Durham fishing business rakes in profit following successful training venture

A Durham fishing business is reeling in additional sales after benefiting from a free training scheme designed to boost business performance for the region’s companies.

The Durham Fly Fishing Company has landed an estimated 20 per cent increase in bookings for its specialist courses after proprietor Stuart Wardle went through the ‘Boost Your Business’ programme, led by the North East Enterprise Agency.

The programme is part of a £1m package of business support being rolled out to local organisations as part of the regional skills and enterprise programme, Go>Grow.

Expert trout fisherman and qualified coach, Stuart Wardle, runs his business from Hutton Henry and provides various fly fishing services to individuals, groups and companies, including guiding, coaching, tuition and team building days.

Now, after seeing new bookings roll in, he predicts an increase of around 25 per cent in revenues in the next year if demand for his services continues to grow at the current rate.

He said: “Participation in the course has been an invaluable experience definitely helping to move my business forward and secure more work. My diary is the busiest it has been since I opened for business.

“Gaining new skills in enterprise development and digital promotion and sales tools, along with the opportunity to network with other businesses, has been really useful.

“It also allowed me to take some time to think about my business, future goals and how to achieve them. I’m really excited about the future and the opportunities for growth.”

The three-day ‘Boost Your Business’ course covers a range of topics including understanding social media, producing digital content, measuring the success of digital promotion, as well as enterprise techniques.

Adam Clemerson, skills project manager at the North East Enterprise Agency, said: “Since launching, the course has helped hundreds of people across the region, delivering tailored content to businesses. This is equipping them with the skills they need to develop and grow.

“It’s great to see that Stuart is taking away so much from the course. He has a great business and with the help of the skills he learnt, he now has tools, expertise and confidence to go for growth and realise his ambitions.”

Go>Grow has the backing of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership and the North East of England Chamber of Commerce.

Experts in the Go>Grow team will work to develop training that meets individual needs of businesses, or offer those who wouldn’t ordinarily undertake training programmes, the opportunity to access bespoke packages specific to their needs.

A tailor-made programme is then developed and delivered at any of the Go>Grow training provider sites, or within the premises of the individual businesses.

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