START a conversation about hotbeds of business activity and you’re unlikely to hear Bingley mentioned.

“Bingley? That’s just a dormitory suburb, isn’t it? There’s no business there.”

That’s a genuine quote from a friend of mine who lives on the other side of Bradford.

To be fair, it’s an easy mistake to make; Bingley’s many creative and inspiring businesses – like many others in the Aire Valley – hide their lights under a bushel, as the saying goes.

That, however, could be all about to change.

Bingley is starting to find a new confidence, with a revitalised street scene and modern lighting, some interesting new shops and services emerging on the high street and a looming supermarket wars between two of the modern-day heroes of grocery retail, Aldi and Lidl.

For those who campaigned for the Bingley relief road back in the early ’nineties it’s exactly the sort of revival they’d hoped to see when the endless traffic queues that clogged the town centre finally started to dissipate.

Perhaps it’s taken a little longer than they’d hoped – thanks to the ups and downs of the economy, which are impossible to predict with any accuracy.

But now it’s here and, despite the ongoing uncertainties over Brexit, there’s a genuine feeling of optimism about the place.

Some of that is undoubtedly down to the establishment of Bingley Town Council which, now it’s finally pulling through the overly-rigorous and tiresomely-bureaucratic setting-up process, is starting to talk about a coherent vision for the town’s future.

For the first time since the failed grand plans to build a new digital business hothouse on the site of the former livestock market, there is talk of economic regeneration.

It is long overdue.

Bingley has unfairly suffered from its location as somewhere a little further out of Bradford than Shipley but not quite in Keighley which, even today, doesn’t really want to be part of the Metropolitan District anyway.

Bingley, which became a market town in 1212 with the grant of a charter by King John, now has a population of nearly 20,000 which, by any standards, makes it a significant place and more than justifies a distinct identity and character to separate it from the likes of Shipley and Saltaire.

And business, of course, will play a key role in establishing that.

The green shoots of a new business confidence were evident this week in the staging of the first (ever) Bingley Business Expo.

The event took place at Bingley Arts Centre and, if the first one is anything to go by, is destined to become a regular fixture on the town’s calendar.

It was the brainchild of two local businesswomen, Rachel Barratt, of digital marketing agency Aire Media, and Emma Steele, of content-writing service ES Editorial, who met through the Bingley Hour community networking event.

It was clearly a meeting of minds: “We just felt there was nothing in Bingley to promote a positive message about businesses in the town,” says Rachel.

“We both run businesses here and we knew there was a gap in the market for promoting everything Bingley is about.

“We’re so proud of the town’s entrepreneurial spirit that we want to shout if from the rooftops - and Bingley Business Expo is our rooftop!

“Our aim was not only to encourage local businesses to work together but attract attention to our multitude of highly successful businesses from further afield.”

The message struck a chord with Bingley’s Mortgage Advice Bureau and Janus Interiors, who quickly signed up as the event’s headline sponsors.

Rick Tonks, of Leonard Street-based Janus – who have built a reputation for supporting local events and good causes – said: “Business has been up and down since the Brexit vote and events like this are very useful in putting local businesses in touch with each other.

“We’ve made some really good contacts today and I’m sure they’ll be mutually beneficial for all those concerned.”

Exhibitors at the event were impressively wide-ranging: from solicitors to property consultants, from psychotherapists to accountants, from photographers to video animation services, from accountants to health and safety experts.

Barbara Greaves, business development manager of ShopAppy, which provides an online shopping platform for local independent retailers, was equally pleased by the response from visitors to the Expo.

“As a first event for Bingley, it has gone extremely well,” she said. “There have been lots of local businesses along today and a great mix of types as well, which is great for networking.”

Her words were echoed by Wendy Spencer, CEO of not-for-profit Airedale Enterprise Services: “It’s been a really good event and very worthwhile attending. The footfall has been excellent and it’s been very valuable to see so many interesting and diverse businesses wanting to inter-trade locally, which has to be good for boosting the local economy.”

All of which puts a big smile on the face of organisers Rachel and Emma.

“The support has been fantastic and we’ve had far more exhibitors than we originally anticipated,” said Emma. “We’ve had some very good businesses here and the feedback has been excellent.

“And we’re especially pleased that it’s helped us raise even more money for our chosen charity, the Danny Jones Defibrillator Fund.

“We set out to create a really positive business vibe about Bingley and I think we’ve been able to do that.

“Many of the people here have said they will definitely be back next year so we hope the next one will be bigger and better.”

All of which is music to the ears of Bingley Town Council chair Ros Dawson.

“It’s been an excellent event and, hopefully, it can be developed year on year to benefit Bingley,” said Councillor Dawson.

“I think it should inspire more events to come on the back of it. I hope it leads to more networking and, ultimately, more business investment in the town.”

Bingley – and its businesses – are clearly on the move. Watch this space….