RICHMOND MP Rishi Sunak has praised the work of a new Dales businesswomen’s network and their individual members.

Mr Sunak, who was in business before entering politics, told the newly-formed Dales Business Women’s group that it was doing a great job in bringing together enterprising women working in the Dales.

He said: “I am full of admiration for people who forego the regular employee’s paycheck to launch their own enterprise and create something new.

“That is potentially more challenging when working in a relatively isolated part of the country so the work of the network is very valuable.”

Addressing a meeting of the Dales Business Women (DBW) at Tennants Garden Rooms, Leyburn, Mr Sunak said he was inspired in business by his mother who set up a community pharmacy in which he had helped out as a teenager.

He said: “My mother launching her own business helped transform our family and I am sure it is the same for many of you. I am consistently impressed by the enterprise and creativity I find in some of the most isolated parts of my constituency and DBW is helping to foster that spirit.”

He said that advice and support was vital for the self-employed and the DBW group fulfilled an important role in providing women with the opportunity to share their experiences running their businesses.

Sharon Davis, the founder of the group, said DBW was established at the end of 2017. It had held a number of networking events during 2018 and had profiled many Dales businesswomen on its online blog.

“In 2019, we are launching membership subscriptions to allow the women to enjoy discounted services, come along to our 20-plus events and also benefit from some tailored PR and marketing services,” she said.

“All this is in response to surveys in which I've asked about business women's biggest challenges and needs. There has been a great response to the concept of DBW this year, which has been something of a trial with a regular blog and some networking events.