North East footwear entrepreneur to step into BBC's Dragons Den

A County Durham-based entrepreneur is set to feature on BBC’s Dragon’s Den this weekend.

Simon Bourne, founder of The Hand Dyed Shoe Co, will appear on the show on Sunday in a bid to secure investment to grow his business.

Launched in 2014, The Hand Dyed Shoe Co specialises in designing and manufacturing dyed leather footwear, and is based in Ushaw Estate on the outskirts of Durham.

In the last year the firm turned over £250k of handmade shoes, and Simon hopes that the Dragons will support his ambitions for expansion.

Simon explained: “I’ve watched the show for years and always loved sitting with my wife, dissecting other people’s pitches and ideas. Even before I had conceived the business, I would always say that I would love to go on there and have a stab at it.

“When it came to it I was scared, anxious, nervous, excited, apprehensive, and worried - but just made a promise that I would remain true to myself, which I did.”

Simon will appear on Dragon’s Den this Sunday (March 8) at 9pm on BBC Two.