AN INNOVATIVE organisation which connects home-based business owners with “colleagues” at offices across the North-East plans to expand into Darlington and North Yorkshire.

Colleagues on Tap is the brainchild of Jayne Graham, 48, a business coach and nominee in last year’s Queen’s Enterprise Awards, who wanted to ensure that people with home-based businesses didn’t have to always work alone.

Now her Coworking Days – where people can go into an office and work alongside fellow small business owners – have proved so popular she is increasing the number of venues.

Almost 200 business owners regularly attend the days at locations in Durham, Newcastle, Stockton, Redcar, Consett, Benton and Alnmouth – the 100th event is in Durham in March.

She has now appointed a new associate in Middlesbrough and is actively seeking Coworking Day hosts and venues in Darlington, Northumberland and North Yorkshire.

“Many people who work from home do so to enjoy the benefits of low overheads and the flexibility of being their own boss, but it can also be quite isolating,” said Jayne, the former chief executive of Business Link County Durham who runs her new venture from her home in Low Fell, Gateshead.

“The beauty of Colleagues on Tap is that we’re not a traditional networking group. It’s about being connected with other people and having the support of colleagues while increasing business confidence.

“We help those who work for themselves recognise that they’re doing a great job and for them to feel like they’re not on their own.”

Kathryn Clarke, of Spennymoor, who runs Kathryn Clarke Image Consultancy, hosts Coworking Days at the North East Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters at Aykley Heads in Durham.

She said: “I worked in an office for a couple of years and I liked the colleagues and the social side of it. With the Coworking Days you get all that – the support of colleagues and the chat – but you don’t get wrapped up in any office politics. It also gives me the chance to really focus on the business away from clients and the home.”