The best of County Durham was illuminated and celebrated at a showcase event in London.
The reception, hosted by Business Durham, the business arm of Durham County Council, at the House of Commons, was a one-off opportunity to highlight the county’s growing connection with light.
It followed the world class Lumiere festival and highlighted the ever increasing cluster of companies involved in the science of light, imaging, optics and photonics that have made the county their home. Lumiere is an Artichoke production and was commissioned by Durham County Council.
The reception included representatives from Business Durham, Durham County Council, Visit County Durham, associated businesses and Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson.
Cllr Neil Foster, Cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “It was a hugely successful event with lots of positive feedback on County Durham being the place for business.”
Organisations showcased at the event included: • Centre for Process Innovation, NETPark, Sedgefield. CPI helps companies to prove and scale up processes to manufacture new products and create more sustainable, efficient and economic industries of the future.
• Compound Photonics, Newton Aycliffe. Creating the world’s smallest high definition projectors for mobile devices.
• Durham University, Durham. A world-leading University in optics and space science.
• PolyPhotonix, NETPark, Sedgefield. Pioneering the early adoption of organic light to create devices that improve quality of life.
• Thorn Lighting, Spennymoor. Indoor and outdoor lighting, controls and energy lighting.
(l to r) Dr Jonathan Sachs, Compound Photonics; Richard Kirk, PolyPhotonics; Simon Henig, Leader, Durham County Council; Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson and Simon Goon, Managing Director, Business Durham.
