RORY CO-HOSTS ‘CUMBRIA DAY’ BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENT IN HOUSE OF COMMONS

Rory Stewart MP, together with his parliamentary colleagues, co-hosted the second ‘Cumbria Day’ in the Houses of Parliament this week, showcasing the very best of Cumbrian produce and ingenuity in London, and setting the scene for one of a high-profile business networking opportunity in the heart of Westminster.A total of 18 businesses from across the county were invited to make the most of the opportunity to network and show off their products to representatives from across the whole country; from Penrith and The Border, companies included Eden Brewery from Brougham, and Lakes and Lambs from Plumpton.

The event also included award-winning marketing initiative Choose Cumbria, which works with employers including BAE Systems, GSK, Kimberly-Clark, the NHS, the University of Cumbria and Furness College, to promote the county as the place of choice to work, live, learn and play.Speaking at the event, Rory said: “Cumbria’s future relies on many things – of course a part of that will be reliance upon big business like the nuclear energy industry, defence and infrastructure investment – however, an incredibly important part of the future of Cumbria is to understand our landscape and our micro-businesses. Micro-businesses are essential to the Cumbrian economy, some of which are on display here today. In my constituency, roughly 92% of people are employed by companies which employ less that 10 people, 25% are self employed, and 27% work from home. This reflects a need to understand our environment, our businesses and our ingenuity. The businesses on display here today represent the globalised nature of all businesses, as we have coffee beans bought from the Americas and brewed in European coffee machines, and Cumbrian beer made using Japanese green tea. We are helping Cumbria, and Cumbrian businesses, connect the best of our tradition with the best of a global future”