July 2015 breakfast: A new TV star, permission to talk rubbish and scary things under the floorboards

After much lively networking 20 people sat down to another excellent Cedars breakfast.

Annya Stoddart’s newest venture, Wisdom-Mind, will be offering a training course on Mindfulness in September.

Mike Drain, of Superb Airport Transfers, told us of a horror story a recent customer had experienced with previous transport arranged by a holiday company, where the driver was an hour late, turned up tired and then had to stop for fuel, finally delivering the by now very stressed passenger with just three minutes left to check in and board their flight.  Not surprisingly, the customer turned to Mike’s company for their next airport transfer.

Meanwhile, Shelli Moyes, of MPM IT was invited to appear on ITV Anglia to talk about the state of broadband supply – or the lack of it – in rural Suffolk.

We also welcomed former member Neil Lennon in a new role having moved from bank manager to bin man, as he told us.  Neil is now in charge of looking after business waste collection for Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils and, as he says, is officially “now allowed to talk rubbish”.

Finally, lovely to welcome our newest members, Kieran and Julia of I.T.S. Systems, to their first breakfast.

 

How to tell if your house is falling down, and scary things under the floorboards

Chris Storey, of SB Surveyors, was the 10-minute presenter this month with an A to Z of the hidden, scary things under the floorboards (or anywhere else) that can undermine the structure of old houses.

His catalogue of horrors included bathwater seeping unseen behind the bath and damaging floorboards, cracks in walls caused by tree roots, damp and wet rot, death watch beetle, floods, the blight to property that can be caused by Japanese knotweed, mould, pests, dodgy wiring and wobbly chimneys.

After all that one might think twice about buying an old house and one would definitely need a session or two of de-stressing with Annya’s Mindfulness techniques.

 

Peter’s Bees

Peter provided brief updates on two initiatives being supported by the Chamber.

Gateway 14 proceeds, slowly, he told us, as various services need to be connected to the site via a tunnel under the A1120, but the hope is that there will be buildings on the site next year.

The proposed new Stowmarket tech hub has won support from the New Anglia LEP and currently there are five potential locations, including three sites along Gun Cotton Way have been identified.  Current estimates for building the hub are £5.5 million. Proximity to the rail station and town centre shops have been identified as “highly preferable” criteria.

Any comments or suggestions for the future please contact the Chairman, Peter Down at:

[email protected]

Dates for your diary: 

August Coffee Morning	August Breakfast
Red Gables, Stowmarket	Stowmarket Golf Club
Wednesday, August 5	Friday, August 21
10am-noon	6.45am-8.30am

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]