British American Tobacco closed its Darlington plant in 2004. A Legacy was left for the town to support business growth and economic development.
In 2006 the Legacy supported a marketing campaign called the Darlington Advantage to attract new business to Darlington, including a Darlington Where Quality Comes to Life CD Rom.
The BAT Legacy assisted businesses develop their workforce through the Skills for Success project, which ran during 2003 - 2007 (March) and assisted individuals train or retrain for new employment with help through the Self Development Grant. This project has now finished.
The BAT Legacy has enhanced the Falchion Fund, a unique soft loan scheme to support new and existing businesses. The Falchion Fund is supported by Darlington Borough Council and HSBC Bank.