Boost for Northern businesses as The Northern Affinity restarts in-person events

The Northern Affinity has announced the return of in-person events across each of its regional hubs in the North of England.

In line with government guidelines, the firm has organised a number of local get togethers for business owners within South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.

From April 29th, outdoor meetings of up to six people at any one time will take place, all of which are scheduled for lunchtimes in order to give flexibility to those wanting to attend.

Each meetup will provide a great opportunity for attendees to get away from their desks, exercise, and enjoy conversation with other like-minded business owners from across the region.

In addition, face-to-face, indoor meetings for partners will return in late May, though places will be limited to 15 per event to comply with social distancing guidelines.

Michael Edwards, founder of The Northern Affinity said: “After 12 months of Zoom calls or Microsoft Teams it’s great that we’ve taken a big step back towards something like normality and people can now meet up again.

“Of course, we still have to be very careful and whereas we would have previously met up in restaurants, cafes and pubs, we are now meeting in the open air in some of our beautiful parks.

“Rather than sitting at the kitchen table hunched over a steaming laptop we can now meet up in small groups and have a walk and a chat in the fresh air and the Spring sunshine.

“The weather looks like it’s going to be set fair and the green shoots of recovery from winter are all around us. That’s a great metaphor for driving an economic recovery across the North.”

The Northern Affinity is a business community based across the north which provides a platform for business owners to connect, collaborate and support one another.

As a partner of the Northern Powerhouse, the firm is committed to championing businesses within the North by powering growth and development.

After growing its West Yorkshire community to 61 partners in early 2021, founder Michael Edwards expanded further across the north into South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

Since the new regional launch events in March 2021, an additional 40 local business owners have become partners.

Michael added: “We are proud to have partners right across the North of England and we know our partners like to meet with others in an informal setting.

“Our informal, small-scale meet-ups mean that people can get away from their desks for an hour, get some exercise – with their dogs if they like – and just enjoy a catch-up.

“While virtual meetings work perfectly well, there’s no substitute for meeting in person and getting to know other businesspeople in your own local area.

“The economy is opening up again, restrictions are easing and it’s time to get back to business and start beating the drum for the North once more.

“The pandemic has exposed more inequalities between the economies of the North and the South and it’s more important than ever that we join forces and come together.

“We all hope we’re on a one-way roadmap out of the pandemic and a great first step is to get out there to meet people again, start making new connections and look at ways to collaborate and build a better future for the North.”

To view the full list of upcoming in-person events hosted by The Northern Affinity throughout the North of England, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-northern-affinity-25146601593.