August 2018 breakfast

 

Last breakfast at our summer venue, two guests and help for the “lost” on a Friday night

 

Not put off by its being peak holiday time two guests joined us this month, making a total of 16 for breakfast.

One of them became a member shortly after the meeting. We must be doing something right!

Sarah Ruby has a newly-started business called The Sales Assistant. It’s specifically aimed at helping those small businesses who perhaps don’t have the time to pursue leads and new prospects. Sarah also helps anyone who either doesn’t have the money to employ sales people or really cannot stand making sales calls. She will either work with you to help you refine your sales strategy so you can do it yourself, or she will make sales calls for you.

Sue Oates was our second guest, from Barking Hall Nursing Home, near Needham Market. The home caters for the over 65s who need either general nursing or dementia care. It has 49 beds for long-term care or for convalescence and rehabilitation. The home also has opportunities for care assistants, nurses and healthcare practitioners.

 

Jonathan Steed on the role of Stowmarket’s Friday evening voluntary Town Pastors

This volunteer programme is supported by a Christian organisation and the police. Jonathan said its focus is to help those people out in Stowmarket on a Friday night, who might be lost, lonely or need a listening ear, without making any judgements.

He said: “People end up in difficult situations on nights out without intending to.”  The volunteers, who patrol in pairs, are careful to keep things confidential.

They are, in a sense, filling in a gap left by the police having insufficient numbers to patrol the town as often as they would like.

The volunteers can find themselves defusing arguments, listening when someone needs to talk, dispensing drinks of water, sweets or flat shoes to young women who are in no condition to walk in very high heels. He emphasised that the volunteers are not paramedics or police but are there to listen or to call for help for anyone who needs it.

 

Tell us what you want

Allan is happy to receive any suggestions for what members want to see the Chamber doing in the future. Please send your ideas (and your want lists) to [email protected].

 

Dates for your diary:

 

September Coffee Morning	September Breakfast
Needham Market Community Centre	The Mix, Stowmarket
Friday, September 7	Friday, September 21
10.00am	Starting at 6.45am

For more information contact Keely Taylor

phone: 01449 770965

e-mail: [email protected]

 

Anyone who has a story to publicise should contact marketing officer Alison Withers:

[email protected]