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Here is our Friday blog that details David Parkins’ weekly take take on the world. Sign up to here to receive it.
David Parkin on clubbing and natty knitwear
STAYING in is the new going out. Or so I’m trying to convince myself. Currently it is the only option for all of us – unless you are one of those arrogant prats who have convinced yourself that socialising with a few friends inside a “bubble” isn’t doing any harm. ...
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David Parkin on a milestone for the Lord Chamberlain and missing a deadline
NEWS arrives from a wise man. Robert Cockcroft is a former Yorkshire Post journalist who became editor of the Barnsley Chronicle while also writing brilliant restaurant reviews for the YP. He’s wonderful company and always a pleasure to see at any gathering of former staff from ‘Yorkshire’s National Newspaper’. Bob ...
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David Parkin on photographic memories
IT is a sign of the times we find ourselves in that I attended an online funeral this week. That is not unusual given the current situation, but what perhaps is is that it was the first online funeral I’ve been to and the person who passed away hadn’t suffered ...
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David goes all gaga over Biden and bye Don
PERHAPS it’s the effects of the latest lockdown, but I found myself surprisingly emotional during Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony. Standing on the steps of the Capitol, where just two weeks before a rabid rabble had swarmed wearing headgear ranging from woolly hats to combat helmets, MAGA caps to a horned ...
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David Parkin on an uplifting story
FAREWELL then Michael Apted. There can’t have been many other filmmakers with as varied a pantheon of work as the British director who died last week aged 79. From James Bond movie The World is Not Enough to Gorillas in the Mist, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Extreme Measures and The Chronicles ...
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David Parkin on deja vu all over again
YOU might not thank me for saying this. Happy New Year. I’m a cup half full type of person. But just when we hoped to have put the excesses of 2020 behind us – record numbers of coronavirus deaths and cases and national lockdowns, haphazard and apparently knee-jerk decision-making by ...
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David Parkin channels his inner Sinatra this Christmas
I THOUGHT you’d like this photo. In my own mind I think it captures the warmth of my feelings, the Christmas spirit and is, perhaps, a sign of positive things to come, a nod to a brighter, hopeful future. I think I look like those festive images from yesteryear of ...
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David Parkin on why the BBC needs to get its puppies out
WILL My Puppies Make Me Rich? I thought that would get your attention. Anyway, more of that later in the blog, I’ve got other things to discuss first. ::: IN a year that has been bleaker than most, there have been some shining highlights. Captain Sir Tom Moore captured the ...
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David Parkin Zooms into Hull
IF you are going to celebrate the end of a month-long lockdown then head east. I marked the end of the second lockdown of the year by going to Hull and back on Wednesday. But unlike most of my recent trips to this glittering jewel in the Far East, I ...
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David Parkin on a Black Friday experience
HAPPY Black Friday! Regular readers (yes, you sir) will have deduced that I feel the same about the annual pre-Christmas sales spectacular as I do about adults dressing up for Halloween. A rather tacky American import embraced by those without wit or wisdom. Does that sound a trifle judgey to ...
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David Parkin finds the Masters in the doldrums
I DON’T know about you, but watching the Masters golf just wasn’t the same this year. And you don’t need to be Hercule Poirot to work out why. Holding it in November rather than the traditional slot in early April meant we couldn’t feast our eyes on the flaming azaleas ...
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David Parkin connects with Kerry Katona and backs a racing winner
I’VE not built the network I have on Linkedin by being particularly fussy when it comes to invitations. While the rump of people I’m connected to I know well or have met at least once, I’ve always been keen to add those I don’t know if they look like they ...
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David Parkin on dream and nightmare lockdown dinner parties
MY idea for a fantasy dinner party based on the “rule of six” where you are allowed to invite five guests, living or dead, has had a huge response. OK, two people have bothered to send their suggestions. Food entrepreneur Mike Firth said the topic and title of his dinner ...
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David Parkin on Trump and Farage and Cannon and Ball
LET’S start with some good news. It was announced this week that the former chairman and chief executive of technology giant 3M has been named as the new chancellor of my alma mater the University of Huddersfield. Sir George Buckley gained a BSc in electrical and electronic engineering from the ...
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David Parkin sees Harry Gration shut that door
FAREWELL then Harry Gration. The BBC veteran departed the Look North studio stage left this week after a 42-year career with Auntie. I’m never sure what qualifies someone to be described as a “legend”. I suppose over four decades as a thoroughly nice bloke on the telly must qualify. Mind ...
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David Parkin on rude foodies, an inspiring story and a lockdown treat
HERE’S one for you. Who is the rudest restaurateur you have ever encountered? When it comes to Leeds, some might say up until the closure of La Grillade a few years ago, it was an easy choice. But even the irascible Gallic patron of the Wellington Street institution that operated ...
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David Parkin on McMafia, Meghan and a load of bull in Harrogate
UP to a couple of days ago, if you had asked me what links I had to the world of organised crime and money laundering, I’d have said watching Goodfellas and McMafia on television. But that was before headlines splashed across the national news this week about a Leeds businessman ...
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David Parkin cuts his cloth accordingly and doesn’t let celebrity go to his head
IF you think you’ve seen the pose above before, then you are right. Kays catalogue circa 1986. I was always struck by some of the nonchalant stances struck by models for the glossy chunky tome that used to drop onto the doormat twice a year. And I’m not talking about ...
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David Parkin on crackpots and conspiracy theories
WHAT a difference a day makes. On Tuesday I was basking in sunshine sipping an americano outside a Leeds city centre coffee shop as lawyers and accountants waved cheery greetings. To be fair, most of them were in insolvency which perhaps explains their sunny dispositions. The city appeared to have ...
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David Parkin gets back to work with a passion
I’M on a business development drive. I thought about leafleting firms on industrial estates. I considered putting cards with photos of me in a sexy pose in phone boxes. And if you doubt I can strike a sexy pose, then you are wrong. I used to have a Filipino yoga ...
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David Parkin bids farewell to a Yorkshire dame and keeps up with the Kardashians
FAREWELL then Dame Diana Rigg, whose death, aged 82, was announced yesterday. Her varied work as an actress over more than 65 years was known by many generations. What I didn’t know until yesterday was that she was born in Yorkshire – in Doncaster – and educated at Fulneck Girls ...
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David Parkin is back with a double milestone
YOO HOO! I’m back! What do you mean? You could at least pretend you missed me. Please yourselves. I hope you’ve had an enjoyable and relaxed summer and I find you healthy and happy. Given the limitations that still prevent life returning to anywhere near normal, all of us have ...
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David Parkin heads to the seaside, gives tourism a boost and signs off for the summer
FOR weeks he has been entertaining the nation. On a regular basis he has dropped into people’s homes to keep them focused. And during that time he has become a bit of a heart-throb. But all good things must come to an end. And so this week he has called ...
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David Parkin gets put in his place and hears about knockers in Harrogate
AN email arrives titled ‘Boy Genius’. It is from insolvency practitioner Gerald Krasner and the man tasked with unravelling the tangled mess that is Wigan Athletic’s collapse into administration. If I was in any doubt whether the title of the email referred to me or him, the content swiftly put ...
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David Parkin on a funny week for football and a Boris binge warning
FOOTBALL. It’s a funny old game, as dear old Jimmy Greaves used to say. And in the near three decades since the former striker used to make Ian St John chuckle on ITV sports show Saint and Greavsie, his words still ring true. In fact, football gets funnier. And weirder. ...
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David Parkin on Stray socialising and scoring a winner on TV
PLENTY of reasons to be cheerful this week with the return of Military 1st Fitness sessions on The Stray in Harrogate. All official rules were observed with the two instructors taking just five people per session, all of whom were positioned two metres apart. Which is more than can be ...
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David Parkin stitches together a deal and gets a badge of honour
IT’S been a busy week. Gardening on Monday. Fetching the post from the office on Tuesday. A dog walk with friends on Wednesday. I needed a lie down yesterday and I’m still not sure I’ll summon enough energy for the trip I booked to the tip this afternoon. Actually I’m ...
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David Parkin celebrates Tom Jones, adds a bit of polish and hears showbiz stories
HAPPY Birthday Sir Tom Jones. The oldest swinger in town turned 80 last weekend. They used to use that term to describe an older man attempting to impress younger women by strutting his stuff on the dance floor of a disco. That certainly doesn’t apply to The Voice from ...
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David Parkin waves farewell to a good man, tries to get his head around Peston and sees a nerd alert
THERE have been plenty of cliches trotted out over the last three months. As lockdown restrictions start to ease we are all wondering what life will look like on the other side of the virtual domestic bubble we’ve been living in since March. One of the phrases you hear said ...
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David Parkin on why his postman has gone all Michael Jordan and bitter lemon memories
YOU could call it a coincidence but two readers have recently sent me old photos of myself. It could be a benevolent, munificent and solicitous attempt to keep my spirits from flagging in these challenging times. Or they could just be taking the piss. Firstly Richard Doyle sent me a ...
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David Parkin on the changing world of work, Max memories and a cruising ambition
FRIDAY is normally an early start for me so I can write this blog. This morning I was up a bit earlier than usual to listen to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Wake Up to Money show which runs from 5am for an hour. I’d arranged for a client, leadership expert ...
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David Parkin returns to find a bridge too far for Boris, headline news and insights from his fans
HELLO again! It’s nice to be back. Have you been anywhere nice recently? I took a week off last week. Well it was a Bank Holiday weekend with the bank holiday actually on a Friday for a change. It led to a deluge of complaints from avid readers about the ...
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David Parkin picks a few Cherry stories, hits the wall and paints the town a delicate Misty Buff
JUST a week after paying tribute to Leeds United legend Norman Hunter, today I’m doing the same for another of the club’s great players, Trevor Cherry. It might provide content for the blog, but there are no positives from losing men like this. Norman became one of the thousands of ...
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David Parkin cheers a true legend, finds too many cooks and faces the bald facts
YOU only have to have made a few appearances in professional sport these days before they dub you a “legend”. The term is chucked around like confetti. But surely it should really be reserved for those who have consistently performed at the highest level for many years? That’s why there ...
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David Parkin on a Stirling story, monkey business and social distancing Yorkshire style
MOTOR racing legend and all round colourful character Sir Stirling Moss died this week at the age of 90. Often when a well known person passes on I’ll write something and find an often tenuous connection or memory I have of them. In Sir Stirling’s case I don’t so I’m ...
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David Parkin sees cricket making the right pitch and finds Spring in the air.
AT a time when there is no sport taking place I’ve been cheered by recent news from the world of cricket. The current coronavirus lockdown has not just prevented live sport taking place for many weeks and possibly months, but also put many professional sports clubs in jeopardy. At ...
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David Parkin goes Large, reconnects old friends and gets on with his ironing
VETERAN comedian and performer Roy Hudd died a couple of weeks ago aged 83, just as the lockdown started. He was perhaps the last link to music hall in this country who also appeared on TV soap opera Coronation Street. I hope one of the broadcasters produces a fitting tribute ...
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David Parkin tries to find fitness and focus, gets a lesson from Joe Wicks and keeps smiling.
ATTENTION! Has anybody told you what to do over the last week? Given I run my own business I’m in charge of motivating me. And I have to say I’ve had mixed results since the Prime Minister’s request on Monday evening that the nation undertake social distancing and everyone who ...
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David Parkin on reasons to be cheerful, things to look forward to and ways to keep smiling.
I’M sure you are as sick as I am of emails from companies telling you what their response is to the COVID-19 outbreak. So you’ll be pleased to know this isn’t one of them. All of these emails follow the same format, often include identical wording and are designed to ...
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David Parkin on being positive in the face of challenges, a Fast Show experience and a Dock shock
IF you haven’t had an event you were planning to attend cancelled or postponed over the next couple of weeks then you must already be a recluse. I’ve had so many invites pulled that I’m already feeling like a trainee hermit. To be honest I’ve avoided discussing the coronovirus in ...
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David Parkin ponders the future of work and plays LinkedIn bingo
HANDS up if you are a fan of Dolly Parton? When I asked that question at an event I was hosting this week the only person who put their hand up was the barman. The audience of entrepreneurs, finance directors and professionals from the legal and financial sectors weren’t going ...
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David Parkin on making headlines and a storm in a teacup
IT is a strange experience writing about yourself. You might think: ‘He does it every week, what is he gibbering on about?’ I’ve had to write a press release about my business and that was an odd experience. I write this blog every week and while I do write about ...
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David Parkin steps in between Wilder v Fury and watches the private equity boys get cocky
WHEN it comes to heavyweight boxing this weekend’s clash of giants has to be one of the most anticipated fights for years. The stars have aligned to make the rematch between WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder and Britain’s unbeaten former undisputed champion Tyson Fury one of those rare occasions in ...
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David Parkin on Northern wailers, Boris, Zippy and the Honey Monster
CALM down, calm down! I know that was the catchphrase of Harry Enfield’s Scousers but you could currently apply it to quite a few people across the North of England. Last night this rather agitated lot were shouting loudly from the rooftops and ringing church bells across the North country. ...
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David Parkin on knickers down at the BBC, what reminds him of Love Island and the trouble with Gary Lineker
THERE used to be a programme on TV called Auntie’s Bloomers. The format was pretty straightforward: broadcasting legend Sir Terry Wogan presenting bloopers from BBC programmes. It was easy to see how it originated. Some bright spark in Television Centre had realised that all the daft out-takes from shows on ...
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David Parkin finds democracy is built on common sense and fine wine
I WITNESSED a very unusual phenomena this week. Five politicians from two different parties all talking sense. Long conditioned to put my hands over my ears and sing “la la la la la” whenever I see an MP’s lips move, my damascene conversion took place about halfway into an hour ...
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David Parkin on the genius of Terry Jones, special memories of David Jones and a Monty Python moment at the barbers
FAREWELL then Terry Jones. The co-founder of Monty Python’s Flying Circus died this week at the age of 77. As his great friend and fellow Monty Python member Michael Palin eloquently observed, Jones was multi-talented, hilarious and a really nice bloke. Palin added: “Terry was one of my closest, most ...
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David Parkin on airport ambition, a Royal welcome and surviving Dry January
AT last Leeds Bradford Airport has come up with plans that are ambitious, exciting – and backed by serious investment. You only have to travel from any other regional UK airport to realise that the West Yorkshire airport is the runt of the litter. Queues of passengers waiting to check-in ...
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David Parkin on an uninspiring encounter, a Next giant and a resolution too far
CAN I be the last person of 2020 to wish you a Happy New Year. If, like me, you’ve only come back to work this week after the extended festive break, I’m sure you are looking for a bit of focus, some motivation, perhaps a little inspiration? If so then ...
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David Parkin is totally en Vogue, sees a bit of Brass neck and bores some bankers
I WAS reading Vogue the other day. Well where else do you think I’m going to get my style ideas? And there in the pages of the world’s premier style magazine was a familiar face. Well, two familiar faces. One, Cate Blanchett, I only know from the cinema screen, but ...
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David Parkin is put on the spot, remembers when the Bald Eagle soared and smart ideas for Christmas
THE tables were turned on me this week. I’m used to asking questions of others but rarely has the spotlight been turned back on me. I’d spent some time chatting to Chris Allen, the managing partner of Leeds law firm Blacks at a Welcome to Yorkshire dinner in October when ...
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David Parkin on Brass tact and class acts
WHERE there’s muck there’s brass, they say. Unfortunately there’s now no Brass and a bit of a mess. The Leeds creative agency with a pedigree which goes back decades and an alumni list of talent that stretches out across Yorkshire to London and beyond, is no more. It took years ...
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David Parkin has a surreal week with Bake Off, The Apprentice…and Christmas Kamara
IT’S been a bit of a surreal week. If you don’t believe me it started with me interviewing three of the contestants from this year’s The Great British Bake Off at Leeds Arena. And then watching football pundit Chris Kamara singing numbers from his new Christmas album. If you don’t ...
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David Parkin recalls his interview with Prince Andrew, meets a legend and sees a stage success
IT’S not hard to see why Prince Andrew has only done a few media interviews over the years. His appearance on Newsnight last weekend was initially described as a “car crash” by commentators but now looks more like a nuclear explosion which has wrecked his reputation and caused collateral damage ...
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David Parkin on how the Brownlee brothers are humble, YouTubers grumble and a comedy stumble
I’VE found the antidote to these dark, damp, dreary autumn afternoons. Do something uplifting. While my usual uplifting experience on a Friday afternoon is to down a decent bottle of vino collapso, last week was a bit different. As one of the honorary degree alumni of Leeds Beckett University, I ...
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David Parkin on changing Times and the full Monty
CALL me old fashioned but when I attended an event organised by The Times and The Sunday Times yesterday I expected to see a newspaper. But try as I might I could not find one copy of a paper at the Growth Summit in Leeds that the publishers organised with ...
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David Parkin on the rise of anger, retiring rugby fans and having a happy Halloween
IT appears to be a thoroughly modern phenomenon. Created through a unique conspiracy of social media and the anger generated by an ever more polarised society. The death threat. It seems a day doesn’t go by without a politician, celebrity or sports person reporting that they have been issued with ...
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David Parkin takes the highway to Hull and watches The Athletic flex its muscles
I WENT on a cultural tour of Hull last Friday. I know what you’re thinking. That must have been a nice 15 minutes, but what did you do for the rest of the day? Don’t worry I’ve heard it all before. To be honest, I’ve probably said it all before. ...
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David Parkin on Britain’s answer to Mad Men and crazy characters in football
FAREWELL then Lord Bell. With his slicked-back hair, Savile Row suits, and heavy drinking and smoking, Tim Bell, who made his name at advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, before going on to found the public relations firm Bell Pottinger, could have been the leading man in a British version of ...
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David Parkin on connections, controversy and cauliflower
THEY call it six degrees of separation, but sometimes it is a lot closer than that. In my last blog a couple of weeks ago I mentioned a trip to Grantley Hall, Yorkshire’s newest luxury hotel, and another trip to Huddersfield Town as a guest of Jason Taylor of Core ...
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David Parkin on a grand ambition, a shirty response and being lost for words
IF there is a better approach to a hotel in Yorkshire than the way you arrive at Grantley Hall, then I’d like to see it. But then when the aim is to be not just the best hotel in the county, or even the North of England, but one of ...
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David Parkin is super excited for a new dining star and a night out with Cardi B
IF you visit a British city centre and ask a local for a restaurant recommendation then chances are even the most knowledgeable will struggle to name more than just a handful of independently owned establishments. The rise of the chains continues unabated. Despite the demise of the likes of Jamie’s ...
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David Parkin on Man on the Moon, the Man from Delmonte and an honorary Yorkshireman
TWO men have dominated the news this week. Neil Armstrong and Boris Johnson. One was the first man on the moon, 50 years ago this week. The other can be a superhero rocket man or a space cadet – depending on your views on Brexit and what he is able ...
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David Parkin says goodbye to a good guy and flashes the plastic on Love Island
TERRY Hodgkinson was one of the good guys. A rare beast – he was an entrepreneur who successfully embraced a high profile public sector role. Terry died suddenly last week at the age of just 70. The construction company founder who became chairman of regional development agency Yorkshire Forward was ...
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David Parkin on bangers, Boris and BBQs
YOOHOO! I’M BACK! Calm down, calm down. OK then, you never knew I’d been away. Fair enough. A relaxing 10 days on the Greek island of Kefalonia has helped recharge the batteries. My last “official engagement” before heading off on holiday was to attend a very fun Royal Ascot event ...
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David Parkin on an amazing Sky experience, Where’s Wally and meeting the Ant and Dec of business
THOSE who watch Game of Thrones will look at the photograph above and think: “At last, a strong, stable ruler who everyone can look up to has united the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and ascended to the Iron Throne.” And those who don’t are thinking: “What’s that tosser pratting about ...
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David Parkin on bubbly with Bublé, D-Day tributes and Harry Gration gets the horn
“YOU can’t beat a bit of Bublé,” said Debbie Dobson of Dakota Deluxe Hotel. Or DD from DD as I know her. I don’t mind Michael Bublé but I’ve only ever heard his stuff on the the radio or on CD, I’ve never really seen him performing. So I was ...
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David Parkin on the demise of Filmore & Union and busking success
FAREWELL then Filmore & Union. The cafe chain, which has expanded rapidly across the North of England, disappeared even quicker, going into administration last Friday. Around 80 jobs were lost after joint administrators Phil Pierce and Paul Whitwam of FRP Advisory closed seven outlets including those in Harrogate, Skipton and ...
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David Parkin on a corner of Yorkshire in London, the tears of a clown and celebrity gossip
THE big news of the week comes from the Chelsea Flower Show…where Welcome to Yorkshire’s commercial director Peter Dodd was pictured wearing a tie for the first time in living memory. I thought Peter wouldn’t even wear a tie to a wedding. Given he has been lobbying me to get ...
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David Parkin on a winning combination, the earthy reality of football and finding Lord Lucan
THE first race meeting of the year at York is always my favourite. The Dante meeting in mid May is a highlight for its high quality racing. It is busy but never the bunfight you have during the Ebor Festival in August so you can achieve some quality networking. Throw ...
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David Parkin on blowing your own horn and retail rot
NO there won’t be a caption competition for the photograph above. When I was a journalist we used to love having an unusual picture to accompany the story. When you are one of the subjects in the photo and the photographer has just handed you a horn and told you ...
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David Parkin on the legacy of a local hero and feeling like a million dollars
FAREWELL then Keith Tate. I read a short obituary in the Yorkshire Post a couple of weeks ago about a boxing trainer I met 30 years ago and memories came flooding back. When I was a teenage student at Huddersfield Polytechnic (it turned into a university just in time for ...
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David Parkin on a supermarket sweep, rebels without a clue and judge cred
THE only people who seem surprised by the Competition and Markets Authority ruling out Asda’s merger with Sainsbury’s are the people running the two supermarkets. The CMA announced its decision yesterday saying it believed the deal to create Britain’s biggest supermarket – accounting for £1 in every £3 spent on ...
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David Parkin on why bottom of the league are top of the class, a hardy perennial blossoms at the Masters and getting hits with the ghoulies
IF my host at last Saturday’s match between Huddersfield Town and Leicester City had invited me to make himself feel better, then he didn’t mention it. The West Yorkshire club were playing their first game since their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed by a 2-0 loss at Crystal ...
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David Parkin on the future of Welcome to Yorkshire and rocking the boat
DEPENDING on your viewpoint, the scheduling of Welcome to Yorkshire’s annual Y19 conference this week came at the worst, or the best, possible time. Chief executive Sir Gary Verity resigned on health grounds two weeks ago from the role he had held for a decade. He left after concerns were ...
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David Parkin on Sir Gary Verity and getting shirty
THERE is no getting away from the big news of the last seven days. It all surrounded a larger than life figure with many fans, a good number of detractors and an ability to attract a huge amount of publicity and also some controversy. Most of us were shocked, some ...
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David Parkin on a leisurely discussion, luxury hotels and a rose of hope
NO the picture above isn’t a shot from the set of a new Yorkshire version of Mamma Mia. Although the bloke at front left does have a look of a young Pierce Brosnan. It is from an event we organised this week for financial recruitment firm Woodrow Mercer Finance at ...
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David Parkin on Game of Thrones, balloons, bikes and cat flaps
FROM gold medal winning Olympians to David Bowie, the Kaiser Chiefs, chart toppers Rudimental and Game of Thrones. At a dinner for alumni of Leeds Beckett University last week I learned of the cultural, teaching, sporting and learning influence that the institution, dating back to 1824, has had. And given ...
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David Parkin joins Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran
BEYONCE, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Coldplay. Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium has played host to some of the world’s biggest names in entertainment. This week it was my turn. Now admittedly, I didn’t appear in front of the size of crowd that Queen B and Jay Z are used to. And ...
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David Parkin on a heavyweight meeting, Italian restaurants and a dog day afternoon
WHEN it comes to stories of redemption, Tyson Fury’s is hard to beat. Seemingly on top of the world after improbably winning the world heavyweight title from long-serving champion Wladimir Klitschko, the self-titled Gipsy King’s fall from grace was rapid and shocking. Rightly vilified for making misogynistic and homophobic comments, ...
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David Parkin can’t escape Yorkshire on the other side of the world and has a Valentine’s date with a drag queen
YOU go on holiday to get away from it all. I’ve just spent two weeks in South Africa and couldn’t get away from Yorkshire. I suppose I wasn’t so much annoyed as surprised. You fly halfway across the world and you don’t really expect there to be many reminders of ...
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David Parkin on meeting a legend and words of wisdom from a barber
THEY say it is better to give than to receive. IT certainly felt like that for me last week when we delivered our latest event for Sky. The broadcaster brought together its 250 team managers from every corner of the UK to brief them on new communications technology which is ...
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David Parkin on the bad and good of banking, Spygate and staying power
THEY say that moving house is one of life’s more stressful experiences. Given I organised my house move five days before Christmas I was prepared for a good dose of chaos in the run up to and during the festive holidays. But the move itself was pretty smooth considering and ...
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David Parkin gets turned on to Brexit by Channel 4 and ponders the bear facts of Nookie
“THAT’S a nice scarf,” said the chap who served me a cup of tea yesterday. “He always looks smart and important,” said my companion. “Yes he looks like the main man, are you his bodyguard?” said the man behind the counter as he gave us our tea. Now given that ...
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David Parkin on a bizarre episode and Dire Straits
YOU can’t spend 20-odd years in journalism without annoying somebody. Being chased by the BNP, receiving death threats from irate football fans and and a warning of legal action from Ken Bates when he was chairman of Leeds United are all experiences which I don’t look back on fondly. But ...
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David Parkin on Brexit with Biggins and disappointing divas
IT seemed bizarrely appropriate that I was discussing Brexit with Christopher Biggins this week. The former I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here winner is appearing in Billy Pearce’s annual show at the Bradford Alhambra this Christmas. And given the pantomime that Brexit has become, talking to one of ...
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David Parkin enjoys sex in Hollywood and a nice bit of cheese on toast
YOU may not have heard of Dr Boyd Cooper but you would definitely know the names of some of his patients. The doctor, who has just turned 95-years-old, is one of Hollywood’s most celebrated physicians. In a career covering six decades he had an illustrious following including Liza Minelli, Karen ...
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David Parkin hears some great stories and finds the Greatest Showman
I WANNA tell you a story. Readers of a certain vintage will recognise this catchphrase of crooner and TV game show host Max Bygraves. Although apparently Singalongamax claimed it was apocryphal and was made up by impressionist Mike Yarwood. Whether it was true for Max Bygraves, it is certainly right ...
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David Parkin says blame incompetence not the internet for newspapers’ problems
JOHNSTON Press, one of the largest newspaper groups in Britain with a stable of 200 titles including the Yorkshire Post, Scotsman and national daily the i, went into administration last week. The management of the business will give you two reasons for why that happened – Google and Facebook. In ...
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David Parkin takes in the corridors of power, enjoys Arnold’s and gets an indecent proposal
EVEN before yesterday’s dramatic Brexit-related developments in Parliament, there was a slightly feverish feel to the corridors of power at Westminster. You could sense it on Tuesday when I attended the annual Yorkshire and the Humber MP Reception organised by the CBI and Barclays in the Churchill Room at the ...
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David Parkin on hard work, wine, Dakota dining and Persimmon pandemonium
SOMETIMES work just doesn’t seem like work. I’m currently writing a blog about wine for a client and met up with Adam Ketteringham of Corney & Barrow, the 230-year-old wine merchant which holds Royal Warrants as wine supplier to the Queen and the Prince of Wales. Adam, who used to ...
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David Parkin on knockout screen success from Leeds and party pooping
A COUPLE of years ago my old chairman from TheBusinessDesk.com, Chris Jones, introduced me to a talented filmmaker called Nick Ryle who was seeking funding for his next project. On the back of producing the critically acclaimed film ‘Being AP’, a fly-on-the-wall documentary about legendary jump jockey Sir Tony McCoy, ...
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David Parkin enjoys a day out with a moody bird and a good slap and welcomes another event ban
WHEN you put on the biggest agricultural show in Britain every summer, it must be difficult to find things to do in between times. But the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, whose Great Yorkshire Show is a three-day annual extravaganza every July, has created its smaller sibling in Countryside Live. The event ...
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David Parkin on the rich list, looking at birds and critical feedback
GLANCING at Insider magazine’s recently published Yorkshire Rich List I wasn’t surprised to see that there is no change at the summit for the umpteenth year. Brothers Malcolm and Eddie Healey once again top the table, with a combined fortune of £1.65bn. Malcolm Healey’s York-based West Retail Group includes Wren ...
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David Parkin on a funny old week
IT’S been a funny old week. That was one of my Dad’s regular expressions and given he died on Sunday, I think he’d agree. Some people choose sports people as their heroes, some choose leaders of nations, for me it was my father. He inspired me to go into journalism ...
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David Parkin on more Ivy experiences, joining the culture club and being James Bond
REGULAR readers will know of my frequent visits to Hull and my enthusiasm for this historic and welcoming East Yorkshire city. It has seen me invited to take part in an annual pageant celebrating the culture and rich history of Hull. It involves a group of Hull businessmen, led by ...
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David Parkin on Ivy reaction, Rhode Island reading and surreal celebs
WHEN I wrote about a recent experience at the Ivy restaurant in Harrogate last week I have to say I didn’t expect it to get the reaction it did. The blog has been read by more than 5,100 people so far and attracted 73 comments and over 250 likes on ...
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David Parkin finds the Ivy all fur coat and no knickers
ESCAPE rooms are an increasingly popular activity for groups of work colleague and friends. But I’ve got an alternative for you. Try getting into one of the many Ivy Brasserie restaurants that seem to have sprung up like knotweed around the UK over the past 12 months. If you do ...
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David Parkin on four boys in a boat and nearly selling a selfie
WHEN four burly blokes surround you and ask you to do a job for them it is difficult to decline. Fortunately they are a quartet of top men who are aiming to break the world record for rowing across the Atlantic and they want some help with a charity dinner ...
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David Parkin on strong transatlantic ties, the tooth of the matter and mankini selfies
DONALD Trump might be threatening to take a sledgehammer to many of the United States’ foreign trade agreements but that shouldn’t mask the huge opportunity that British firms have to do business with America. With Brexit looming, there is a renewed enthusiasm on both sides of the Atlantic to build ...
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David Parkin on the hottest ticket to the greatest show and the stars out at York
I’VE long held the view that the Firecracker Ball is the hottest ticket in the Yorkshire business and social calendar. So when Martha Phillips from the Firecracker Ball committee rang to ask if I would be interested in being media partner for this year’s event I didn’t hesitate to say ...
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David Parkin goes to Hull and back and needs new balls
TO Hull and Back. That was the name of the Only Fools and Horses Christmas special way back in 1985. I remember watching it on my new portable colour TV in my bedroom right after the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day. It was the first feature-length episode of the sitcom ...
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David Parkin on unsung heroes of business and a Gazza own goal
UNSUNG heroes. It’s a strange phrase. I’ve always loved unearthing the unsung heroes of business. You know, the entrepreneurs who have created something special but also wanted to put something back. But by highlighting their achievements doesn’t that mean that they are no longer unsung? That might be the case ...
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David Parkin on a Tour de France finale and too much monkey business
“ARE you taking your Ferraro Rocher?” I was asked when I told a friend I was off to watch the finish of the Tour de France on the Champs-Elysées, preceded by a drinks reception on the lawn of the British Embassy in Paris. “No, we’re flying to Paris and anyway, ...
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David Parkin on Sky inspiration, a sporting Rolls-Royce and getting short shrift for wearing a suit
FORGIVE the self-indulgence in including yet another photograph of me in this blog. But given I wrote about attire in the workplace last week at least the above shot proves that I don’t always go to work in a suit or dinner jacket. This was me compering a recent event ...
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David Parkin meets rabbits and muppets at the Great Yorkshire Show
YOU know you’re at the Great Yorkshire Show when you patiently wait for a pack of beagles to cross the road in front of you and walk contentedly around a barn staring at prize-winning rabbits (the English Spot is like Thumper crossed with Perdita from 101 Dalmatians). Having failed to ...
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David Parkin finds clean air in Norway and mucky birds in Yorkshire
LAST weekend was spent in Norway, a country I had never been to before. If that Scandinavian nation which isn’t in the European Union is what Britain can be like post Brexit, then I’m all for it. Blue skies, sparkling fjords, bright-eyed smiling people and it doesn’t get dark until ...
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David Parkin tastes luxury on the coast and says farewell to a friend
THREE months into his year as High Sheriff of West Yorkshire and Richard Jackson MBE admits he is busier than ever. As well as his voluntary role hosting High Court judges and welcoming royalty to the county, he is continuing his business projects. Richard’s Yorkshire Ventures business acquired the Raithwaite ...
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque ac urna in nunc blandit placerat. Aliquam hendrerit lacus euismod ipsum interdum vehicula. Interdum et malesuada fames ac ante ipsum primis in faucibus. In euismod sem ligula, vitae pulvinar augue dignissim non. Praesent imperdiet odio nec ipsum faucibus venenatis. Aenean semper ...
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque ac urna in nunc blandit placerat. Aliquam hendrerit lacus euismod ipsum interdum vehicula. Interdum et malesuada fames ac ante ipsum primis in faucibus. In euismod sem ligula, vitae pulvinar augue dignissim non. Praesent imperdiet odio nec ipsum faucibus venenatis. Aenean semper ...
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David Parkin on Sky presenting and a food challenge with a difference
IT has been a busy but rewarding week with the high spot a day-long training session for Sky on presentation skills. No it wasn’t the Sky newsreaders who needed the benefit of my help but regional managers who work in the group’s home service division. We put together and I ...
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David Parkin on the danger of Leeds resting on its laurels, bolting in Brid and TV fame
IN the last few weeks Leeds has hosted England Test Match cricket versus Pakistan at Headingley. Across the city international football was played at at Elland Road with England v Costa Rica plus boxer Josh Warrington won a world title in his home city front of 20,000 fans. Meanwhile last ...
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David Parkin on being a Love Island virgin, Peter Stringfellow and a testing time at the cricket
UP to now ITV2 show Love Island has passed me by but I did notice the interest it has generated among viewers and the media. It seemed to attract an audience that wasn’t just the crowd who watch other reality TV shows such as Geordie Shore, The Real Housewives of ...
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David Parkin pays tribute to two top men, spots celebrities and encounters a naked lawyer
FAREWELL then Brendan Ingle. The eccentric Irishman forged five world champions in his gym perched on a steep hill in the Wincobank area of Sheffield. “Prince” Naseem Hamed, Johnny “The Entertainer” Nelson, Clinton Woods, Junior Witter and Kell Brook were trained by Brendan in the St Thomas’s Boys & Girls ...
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David Parkin on a little bit of the other….
IF you’re going to pick a sporting hero then you are not going to be short of stories with Gazza. BBC football commentator Guy Mowbray admitted that his true sporting hero is Sir Ian Botham but he felt he should stick to his own sport when choosing a subject to ...
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David Parkin meets a Judge, a Sheriff and Royston Vasey royalty
I WENT up before a judge this week. I know what you’re thinking: not before time. But be fair – I haven’t been in any bother since the tag came off. So fortunately the long arm of the law didn’t so much mean I had my collar felt as put ...
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David Parkin on seeing double, Tour de Yorkshire triumph, Leeds United and Huddersfield Town
TWO David Parkins. What a prospect. I can hear women fainting across Britain. And beyond. But last night, about 8.15pm in a marquee near Harrogate, that is what mankind (and the ladies) were faced with. Up popped my visage on the big screens at the Variety Yorkshire Property Awards where ...
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David Parkin on ABBA, the Tour de Yorkshire and going plural
YOU go away for a week and it all happens. The Home Secretary resigns, Sainsbury’s and Asda announce they want to merge and the brains trust at the Football Association want to sell Wembley to an American football club owner. It all seemed to be going on last week. You’ll ...
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David Parkin freezes in London, blows up a balloon in Leeds and runs out of words
A TRIP to London last weekend underlined the gulf that now exists between certain parts of the capital and the rest of the country. Spend some time walking the streets of Knightsbridge, Mayfair or Kensington and you see plenty of examples of what now makes modern London. From Kazakh billionaires ...
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David Parkin on losing Len, veterans in Vegas and Yorkshire on TV
WARM, intelligent, generous, thoughtful and honest, Len Tingle had these and many more qualities. A top class journalist and broadcaster, Len died this week after a year long fight with stomach cancer. Len, 63, who lived in Huddersfield but was brought up in Cudworth near Barnsley, was a familiar face ...
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David Parkin on Carol Vorderman, the bard of Bardsey and a swinging sensation
IF you asked most people 30 years ago to explain what “equity release” was, they almost certainly couldn’t. In fact the phrase probably hadn’t even been invented then. But a bit like social media it is a product of the way we live today and there can’t be many people ...
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David Parkin on failing a taste test and seeing Yorkshire in all its glory
“NO, no, no. You don’t do it like that!” All I was doing was posing with a tea cup for a photograph. But it was in the tea tasting room at world renowned Yorkshire tea and coffee maker Taylors. And, according to Mo, one of the firm’s seven-strong tasting team, ...
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David Parkin on the business of food and drink and being tickled by Doddy
THE most interesting thing about meeting an entrepreneur is learning what inspired them to start out in business and what challenges they faced. Self doubt, inexperience, lack of funding, challenges with cashflow are oft quoted examples of hurdles faced by those who embark along the hazardous path of launching their ...
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David Parkin on doing things right in business, making networking deliver and sporting winners and a loser
THE youth of today. Every generation throws their hands to the heavens and always says things were “better in my day”. I’ve never been a subscriber to that approach. Having interviewed and employed lots of young people, I’m continually impressed by the communication skills, maturity, enthusiasm and tenacity that so ...
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David Parkin warms his cockles with a kangaroo and lunches like a lounge lizard
HAS the picture above warmed you up on a snowy March morning? I almost used it in the blog last week as it was the last Friday in February and I figured that by the time March arrived we would be heading into spring at full speed. And then the ...
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David Parkin on hipsters in Halifax, Prince Naseem boxing clever and discovering a surprising lookalike
IT’S official! That definitive guide to all things trendy, The Guardian, has declared that Halifax is the ‘Shoreditch of the North’. In my younger days The Guardian was the newspaper read by Birkenstock-wearing teachers and social workers and certainly couldn’t be termed trendy. Nowadays it is popular with those who ...
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David Parkin finds out why all the world is a stage and ponders his demise
ONE of our most celebrated Shakespearean actors was the rather surprise guest speaker at last week’s Harrogate Business Lunch. Simon Callow followed in the footsteps of entertaining and inspiring raconteurs including Brian Blessed, Sir Matthew Pinsent…and Barry from Eastenders. Mind you, I don’t think anyone else could get the reaction ...
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David Parkin on a reality rocket, the business of food and drink and Victoria’s secret
HOW times have changed. In my youth, if you were told that an exotically-named billionaire was planning to launch a rocket to the moon that was twice as powerful as anything sent before it into space, you’d have probably thought it was the fantastical plot of the next James Bond ...
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David Parkin on Power, the Presidents Club and the Big Ticket bash
WHO is the most powerful person in Yorkshire? I’ll give you three guesses. You want a few clues? OK try these. Our Power Person was born in Lancashire, grew up in Bristol and lives in the West Midlands. No idea? It’s Sajid Javid, the Conservative MP for Bromsgrove and the ...
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David Parkin breaks new ground, ponders a Boris bridge and competes with panto royalty
IF you are looking for inspiration, ambition, fortitude, hope and positivity, then a muddy patch of grass next to a multi-storey car park on a chilly Monday morning in January is a strange place to find it. But I found all that and more at the ground-breaking event for the ...
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David Parkin on a new self-help app, the magic of Ryan Giggs and keeping cheery on Blue Monday
THIS week started with Blue Monday, the day which is said to be the most depressing of the year. I’m not sure why, but I suppose if you are going to dub a particular day the worst of the year, then a bleak and chilly Monday in January is a ...
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David Parkin on supermarket success and a hairy time for dealmakers
WHEN I had a pop at Asda’s failings last year I contrasted its performance to that of fellow Yorkshire supermarket Morrisons. Under chief executive David Potts, Morriebobs, as it is sometimes affectionately called by shoppers, is getting back to the glory days it had when run by the late Sir ...
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David Parkin looks to banish the January blues
FOR the first time in years I went to a pantomime at Christmas. No I’m not going to say it. OK I will. Oh yes I did. Sleeping Beauty at the Woodville Theatre in Gravesend. A host of theatrical greats were in the cast. Well, Linda Lusardi and 90s girl ...
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So…David Parkin has a surreal experience
WHEN I started working at the Yorkshire Post one of the first contacts I made was a larger than life public relations man called Andy Green. A West Ham fan, when Andy spoke his mind moved so quickly and he knew so much that words seemed to just tumble from ...
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David Parkin finds Hollywood in the Yorkshire Dales, ducks Mad Friday and meets a music legend
WELCOME to Yorkshire held its latest dinner for its Y30 corporate members in the wonderful surroundings of the Swinton Park Estate this week. I always enjoy the venues and the company at these events, but this was even more special – given the timing and surroundings, it felt like someone ...
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David Parkin on the Tour de Yorkshire, Forward Ladies and growing Chinese links
IF the Tour de Yorkshire doesn’t go past your house then the chances are that the cycle race will not be too far away. The annual event, the legacy of the county hosting the phenomenally successful Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014, will be bigger, longer and more challenging ...
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David Parkin starts feeling festive, misses an invite from a Legend and sees Yorkshire food and drink take off
IF you are anything like me you’ll have been trying to avoid Christmas for the past month. Much to the annoyance of retailers, who now switch to festive sales mode as soon as Halloween has gone. While a near two month window of opportunity to push their goods is great ...
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David Parkin on the changing face of the media, a Trump card in the Middle East and crisp thinking
A TWEET earlier this week from my former colleague Ian Briggs reminded me it was 10 years to the day since we launched TheBusinessDesk.com. I knew it was a decade since I took that leap into the dark from the Yorkshire Post to launch the first regional business news service ...
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David Parkin tries to find a business barometer in a bar
WITH the twin aims of researching how the economy is fairing and building up stamina for the Christmas season, I headed off to two drinks parties last night. First it was to AECOM’s annual ‘Winter Warmer’ at Crafthouse in the Trinity centre in Leeds. I didn’t know much about the ...
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David Parkin on the farce of Fifa, a pioneering sports lawyer and the tale of a tailor
IN a world where news is delivered via 280-character Tweets, video clips and soundbites, David Conn is something of an oddity. He is a sports journalist who can take weeks, months or even years to produce his work. Conn started to write about the Hillsborough disaster 20 years ago and ...
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David Parkin on a Big Night Out, all change at Asda and the ultimate insult
FROM the service you get at Bridlington Tourist Information Centre to the performances at Hull Truck Theatre to the food and drink at The Pheasant Hotel in Harome and the Bay Tree pub at Stillington. The White Rose Awards are a yearly celebration of Yorkshire’s burgeoning tourism industry and my ...
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David Parkin on a company that lacks vision, the Domino effect and becoming a dealmaker
YOU may have missed it, but there is currently a battle raging around the future direction of regional newspaper publisher Johnston Press. The group, which owns the Yorkshire Post and the Scotsman, is the second largest publisher of local newspapers in the UK. And it is valued on the stock ...
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David Parkin goes to London to meet the great and good of Yorkshire
ONE of the best perks I ever had was a press pass to the Houses of Parliament. The weight of history combined with knowing that you were here in the “Mother of Parliaments” was genuinely awe-inspiring. And the subsidised press bar and restaurant was nice too. I used to take ...
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David Parkin on a devolution dead parrot and the event that sells out quicker than Take That
THE stand off between the Government and a majority of Yorkshire councils over regional devolution is starting to resemble Monty Python’s dead parrot sketch. You remember the one – where customer John Cleese has bought a parrot which is dead but pet shop owner Michael Palin is trying to convince ...
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David Parkin on America’s biggest danger, language differences and fame at last
WITH his sombre tone and measured words, Donald Trump struck a strangely presidential figure as he reacted to the Las Vegas massacre, the kind of scene we have rarely seen since the President took office in January. Similar words on his Twitter feed looked oddly out of place, juxtaposed as ...
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David Parkin on an exchange of export success, a Playboy story and a new role
THE sun was threatening to push itself through the clouds above York Racecourse bathing the Knavesmire in an early morning autumnal hue. There is nothing that compensates for having to get up in the dark than arriving at your destination and being inspired by the setting. As I walked out ...
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David Parkin looks into the future for Asda, remembers Raging Bull and names from Game of Thrones
IF I’d known writing about Asda would create so much interest, I’d have done it years ago. As well as being emailed out to more than 7,000 people I also publish this blog on Linkedin. Last week’s set a record with 5,850 views on Linkedin and 146 likes. Interestingly 671 ...
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David Parkin on the price of failure at Asda and a Goodfella who hit a high note as a Soprano
THEY used to run a scheme at Asda’s head office in Leeds called the Golden Cone Awards. Staff, or “colleagues” as the supermarket likes to call them, voted for the most effective and popular team members who then were allowed to park in a space marked by a golden traffic ...
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David Parkin goes to Hull and back, meets a finance director with a fan club and embraces gender diversity
HULL has really embraced its title of UK City of Culture with a gusto that is impressive. Cultural events are happening on a daily basis throughout 2017 and the East Yorkshire city now provides a case study of how to leverage such an opportunity to maximum benefit. It has been ...
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David Parkin on a nice guy of business, boxing clever and working hard…just like that
GOLF is not something I spend much time playing these days but when an invitation was received from David Ansbro, the former UK and European boss of law firm Eversheds, I jumped at the opportunity. David is one of those rare individuals who combine warmth, humour, intelligence and wisdom along ...
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David Parkin on the style of York Races, a Northern Powerhouse and a Brucie bonus
THE BBC 4 channel had a surprising TV hit on its hands last year when it put a camera on the footplate of a train travelling down the East Coast Main Line. I think I’ve come up with a sequel. I’m going to get a drone to fly over the ...
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David Parkin on the perils of out of office, Uber, the madness of the Premier League and celebrating Elvis
EVERY week I spend part of my Friday morning deleting several hundred automatic email out of office replies to this blog. Most of them have the usual message about being away from the office on holiday or on a day off and details of when the person will be back ...
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David Parkin on Yorkshire’s path to the promised land and his Kylie connection
I’M always impressed by the passion that the people running Yorkshire’s accountancy and law firms have for the region as a whole. Of course, if the region in which you live and work thrives, then there is a good chance that your own business will do pretty well. But putting ...
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David Parkin on being the centre of attention for Yorkshire women
LAST week’s blog caused quite a kerfuffle. Not from any of the words in it, but the photograph that accompanied it. I described a trip to London to speak to the YEWTGH Club – which stands for Yorkshire Exiles Waiting To Go Home. The photograph of me with members of ...
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David Parkin on finding a bit of Yorkshire in London
UNTIL a few months ago I was unaware of the existence of an organisation called the YEWTGH club. It’s like a Yorkshire version of SPECTRE, except a bit more secretive. YEWTGH stands for Yorkshire Exiles Waiting To Go Home and is a dining club for ex-pat Tykes who live and ...
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David Parkin on Dr Who, BBC pay, farewell to a cricket icon and putting your best Louboutin forward
FORGIVE me for not being bothered about the two biggest stories that have obsessed the BBC and the rest of the mainstream media this week. The Beeb threw all its resources at both the announcement of the new Dr Who and the publishing of a list of its 96 best ...
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David Parkin on how Huddersfield will conquer the world and a royal appointment
THIS time last week I was hosting the launch of Export Exchange, a new initiative from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and the Department for International Trade with funding from the European Union’s Regional Development Fund. The scheme is aimed at bringing together a group of experienced exporters, ...
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David Parkin on Celine Dion, being tickled by ukeleles and sharking skills
IT’S been a musical week. And I’ve not even been to Glastonbury. Much to the chagrin, I’m sure, of the BBC, which put so much effort into the music festival it almost hurt. I couldn’t think of anywhere worse to go. I’m sure there are people working for the Beeb ...
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David Parkin on mingling with the glitterati, Jigsaw’s puzzle and finding a new hobby
THE latest restaurant to launch in Leeds opened its doors this week. Issho is part of the D&D stable, the London-based chain that acquired the Conran group and already operates Crafthouse and Angelica in Leeds. The new venue is in the Victoria Gate shopping centre and boasts a restaurant, bar ...
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David Parkin beside the seaside, finding an oasis of calm in the city and boxing the Terminator
I WENT to the seaside in my suit last week. The Welcome to Yorkshire team invited me to join them at a new event called The Business Day at Bridlington Spa. Launched by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hull City Council, the fear was that any event organised by ...
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David Parkin on election negatives and why football is all Greek to him
HOW do you sum up the election campaign? As far as Theresa May’s Conservative Party goes, I’d quote my late grandfather. Somebody who had lived, indeed served in the armed forces, during the First World War, whenever there was a crisis, or even a minor mishap, he’d exclaim: “It’s the ...
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David Parkin hears the naked truth about Beckham and salutes the left’s answer to Boris Johnson
THE challenge of any event featuring more than one speaker is you are always going to have comparisons made by the audience. The Lord’s Taverners Balloon Debate takes that a step further in that it has four speakers and the audience has to vote them out over a series of ...
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David Parkin sees Tory silence speaks volumes, economic boosts and why wine and cheek don’t mix
THE Radio 4 Today programme was broadcast from Leeds yesterday morning with presenter Nick Robinson based at the Winder Power factory in Pudsey. Given the city is a key election battle ground, narrowly voted against Brexit and has an economy with a strong manufacturing and financial centre, it provided a ...
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David Parkin on the Tour de Yorkshire, Star Wars, Burberry mac attack and being showered with attention
DID you experience this year’s Tour de Yorkshire? Whether you were on the route or just took it all in from the TV, this year’s three-day cycle race was a tour de force. After last year’s downpours and the technical problems that led to the grounding of the aircraft due ...
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David Parkin on being suited to a role alongside David Gandy and going all Groucho Marx
OF all the jobs I fancy doing, “brand ambassador” is top of the list. You’ve seen them, whether it is David Beckham and Breitling or George Clooney with Omega, down to a flurry of reality TV stars who promote particular products, being an ambassador for a brand looks a great ...
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David Parkin on election excess, sporting recruitment and finding your inner Frankie
I WAS strangely enthused and a bit excited by the announcement of a snap general election by Prime Minister Theresa May this week. I say strangely, because I thought after last year’s referendum on Europe, a general election in 2015 and the vote on Scottish independence in 2014, I, like ...
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David Parkin on fake news, customer service the United Airlines way, and celebrity chef sightings
FAKE News. Or Fake Nooze as dear old President Trump says it. It is certainly the topic du jour. The plethora of news providers combined with the online ease to access news as well as readers’ ability to connect and share it via social media means that it doesn’t take ...
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David Parkin on great sporting clashes, robots v lawyers and the dark side of Harrogate
EVERY sport has had its memorable clashes. In boxing Ali versus Frazier stretched to three fights culminating in the Thrilla in Manila. In cricket the Ashes gets the juices flowing every two years when England and Australia clash. And in football every weekend appears to throw up a big match ...
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David Parkin finds a positive approach to Brexit, hears about rascals in Downing Street and continues his quest to find the perfect way to mix beer and business
ON the day that the government triggered article 50 which will lead to the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, to be hosting an event aimed at helping businesses create and grow overseas trade opportunities, seemed entirely appropriate. We were working with the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) ...
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David Parkin hears a crisp message, sees Yorkshire in all its glory and learns how to be irresistible
THE jamboree that is Welcome to Yorkshire’s annual conference to promote the region took place this week. I hadn’t been to one of the events since Y15 two years ago, so was interested to see what this year’s event would be called. So there I was at Y17 at the ...
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David Parkin on going clubbing and celebrating a lack of lawyers and WAGs
I’VE found the secret to eternal youth. It’s called the Bradford Club Annual Dinner. I was invited by long-standing member Craig Burton, who runs The Works Recruitment firm. The thick shag pile carpet at the impressive club in Piece Hall Yard saw me trip as I walked through the door. ...
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David Parkin on cycling success, overseas ambition, anger management and too many cooks
CYCLING is described as the new golf in business circles these days. Executives meeting in coffee shops on Monday mornings no longer discuss their performance in the golf club medal at the weekend, more likely their lycra-clad escapades on two wheels across the British countryside. And this hobby is also ...
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David Parkin on a degree of success, turning visionary and accountants at the Oscars
I PAID a visit to my alma mater the other day. No, not Borstal or Rampton. In the spirit of political correctness, younger readers should refrain from Googling those names. Anyway, I visited the University of Huddersfield thanks to an invitation from Professor Bob Cryan, the vice chancellor, who took ...
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David Parkin on the end of a quest, Pickles at Convive and hunting for bunting
HE did it. I’ve featured the story of football fan Ed Wood here before. Last August he set out on a quest to break the world record he first set 25 years ago for going to a match at every league ground in England and Wales in the shortest possible ...
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David Parkin on doing business at a beer festival and busting the cosmetic surgery myth
IT’S beer festival season and the latest craze in business circles is a corporate afternoon at a festival. This basically consists of accountants, lawyers and property professionals cramming into the venue for a few hours drinking and socialising before they let the riff raff in. This is done not because ...
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David Parkin on a big night out for dealmakers, memories of The Moorside and The Last Word on Sir Ken
WHEN we devised (it sounds so much more strategic than ‘came up with’) the Big Ticket event it was in response to plaintive wails from corporate financiers. Unlike some sectors of the business and finance world, dealmakers are a sociable and lively crowd who tend towards camaraderie rather than backbiting. ...
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David Parkin on the wit and wisdom of Sir Ken Morrison
THEY don’t make them like Sir Ken Morrison any more. Well not that I can see. He may have been 85, but the death of the Knight of the Supermarket Aisles this week came as a shock. He just seemed like he could go on forever, a never-ending font of ...
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David Parkin on the power of business, Trump tales and dressing for success
PRIME Minister Theresa May’s early attitude to the Northern Powerhouse idea didn’t appear very enthusiastic. She certainly didn’t back it wholeheartedly and her appointment of the MP Andrew Percy as the Northern Powerhouse Minister came almost as an after thought to the majority of her ministerial moves. The fact he ...
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David Parkin hits the gin trail, enjoys stories about a true sporting hero and gets battered by names
OTHER than this weekly blog (which has variously been described as “ramblings” “scribblings” and “drivel” – and that’s by the people who enjoy reading it) I haven’t really written anything seriously since leaving TheBusinessDesk a couple of years ago. And when I bumped into former journalism colleague Jo Francisco, now ...
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David Parkin on tricky times for Trump, remembering Taylor and maid in Harrogate
IN a week’s time President Elect Donald Trump gets given the keys to the White House. And those hoping that since his election win in November he has had the chance to reflect and perhaps become more statesmanlike only had to tune into his press conference this week to realise ...
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David Parkin on words of wisdom and a plumptious honour by Jove!
WADE through the umpteen gongs for Britain’s Rio Olympians and Paralympians and the honours given out to civil servants for simply doing their jobs and there were some interesting and worthy recipients of New Year Honours. I’m not saying our sporting stars didn’t deserve recognition, but the volume dished out ...
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David Parkin cheers Bradford’s celebration of Hockney, sees success at Elland Road and embraces the Christmas spirit
BRADFORD doesn’t seem to get much positive publicity these days. Through a combination of unjust views from those outside the city and a local authority which hasn’t always made the best decisions, Bradford has not really been seen with its name in lights very often. So it was great to ...
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David Parkin on not boxing clever, ring names and Christmas cheer
IT seemed a good idea at the time. After a boxing training session I was chatting about fitness to my friend Nathan Lane of Campfire PR. I told him he lacked stamina and he told me he didn’t. One thing led to another and suddenly a challenge was laid down ...
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David Parkin on a maritime marvel, sartorial success and dinner with dummies
BRITAIN bid a fond farewell to aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious this week after 32 years in service with the Royal Navy. The ship, which weighs 22,00 tonnes, is 210 metres long and has sailed 900,000 miles across the world’s seas, left its home port of Portsmouth for the final time ...
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David Parkin banks on change, sees his musical taste go pop and crazy Christmas adverts
IT is rare that you go to an event and the speech by the sponsor makes headlines. But yesterday’s Forward Ladies National Women in Business Awards Grand Final lunch certainly did that. I was a guest of James Cliffe, UK head of business banking at global group HSBC and he ...
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David Parkin on a Strictly seaside myth, tourism stars and a date with Beyonce
I’M thinking of reporting the BBC to trading standards. Not because I’m consumed by that ‘licence fee waste’ paranoia that obsesses some newspapers. But I’m worried that many innocent people may be planning trips to Blackpool after the Strictly Come Dancing special from the seaside resort on Saturday. The way ...
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David Parkin hears inspiring stories in a spectacular setting and remembers a gritty pugilist and smooth operator
IF there is a more historic and impressive venue to celebrate your degree graduation than York Minster, I’d like to see it. Oxford and Cambridge colleges boast so much heritage amid their dreaming spires, but when it comes to breathtaking buildings, York Minister takes the biscuit. I joined an audience ...
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David Parkin on a big night out, cafe culture and embracing a Trump future
I’VE been to enough events to know what makes a bad one. I’m sure you have too. So when discussion turned to an event that the region’s corporate finance community would enjoy attending, we knew what it shouldn’t have. The Big Ticket night out for Yorkshire’s dealmakers will have no ...
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David Parkin on the Commons touch and dressing down for Halloween
TO London at the start of this week for the annual Barclays and CBI reception for Yorkshire MPs and business people. If the aim of the event was to encourage clear thinking debate then they certainly achieved it: there wasn’t an alcoholic drink in sight, just soft drinks and tea ...
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David Parkin on why Brexit doesn’t suit everyone, saying goodbye to blue chip bankers and a date with Miss World
WHEN a successful entrepreneur confides in you that watching Leeds United is “enjoyable” then you realise how tough his day job must be proving. I called in for a cup of tea with Simon Berwin, the fourth generation of the family tailoring business Berwin & Berwin, founded back in 1885. ...
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David Parkin on Yorkshire’s Finest, Brexit bother and a 21st century play problem
I LEFT Eversheds’ Leeds office suitably inspired the other day after hosting their Yorkshire’s Finest event. A celebration of the best of the region’s food and drink, white rose bunting adorned the law firm’s glass atrium in Bridgewater Place, Yorkshire’s tallest building. And the Yorkshire’s Finest theme didn’t just apply ...
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David Parkin on more cycling success, creating a vibrant economy and a cure for killer clowns
IF anyone was in any doubt that hosting the Grand Depart of the Tour de France would help deliver a serious cycling legacy in Yorkshire, then this week’s announcement that the 2019 Road World Championships will be held in the region probably dispels those doubts. The annual competition, which features ...
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David Parkin avoids telling porkies, remembers a football great and finds his inner gangster
IT is never a good thing when you receive an email from a company which begins with the words: “We’ve been sent your blog by our solicitors”. Deep intake of breath. Having avoided the threat of litigation from Ken Bates when he was chairman of Leeds United, I don’t really ...
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David Parkin on Yorkshire’s Rio Heroes, football spivs and a marvellous view
NEVER before have so many talented individuals who have given so much been gathered together to show off the precious metal they had earned in pursuit of greatness. And that was just the mayors present. Yorkshire’s Rio Heroes homecoming parade through the streets of Leeds on Wednesday evening and the ...
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David Parkin on the good guys of business, a perfect day at the races and crunch time for biscuits
TRADE secretary Liam Fox appears to have got back in his box following his comments about British business being fat, lazy and too keen to play golf on a Friday afternoon. The comments were pretty idiotic and ill-thought out. For a man facing the Himalayan task of helping negotiate Britain’s ...
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David Parkin on a big screen star, a night in New York and a sting in the tale
THEY’VE been predicting the demise of cinemas for decades. But they are undergoing a renaissance, led in no small part by “boutique” cinema chain Everyman. This independent business opened its 19th cinema in Harrogate last week. Having visited the Everyman in Leeds’ Trinity shopping centre, what I like about their ...
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David Parkin celebrates the culture of Hull and has an arresting experience at the cricket
I DEFINITELY need to get out more. Why, you ask? Well I’ve just had one of the best days out of my life…in Hull. Yes Hull. I suppose I’ve only got myself to blame. Invited to a lunch a few months ago at the offices of Chameleon Business Interiors overlooking ...
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David Parkin on the genius of Gene Wilder, celebrity masterminds and a naked lawyer
FAREWELL then Gene Wilder. I hadn’t realised until I listened and watched the radio and TV reports on the death of the US comic actor at the age of 83, quite how many great films he had appeared in. I also didn’t realise he was that age. Having suffered from ...
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David Parkin on Olympic heroes, a BBC obsession and words of wisdom
WHAT was your highlight of the Rio Olympics? I’m not asking because I’m interested, it’s just I think I’ve absorbed the BBC mentality of: if it’s not the Olympics then it’s not worth talking about. Even Carol the weather woman on BBC Breakfast was asked for her personal favourite highlight ...
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