March 2016: A well-deserved award, a talking defibrillator, dispute resolution and our treasurer in gaol
Andrew Bingham’s Independent funeral business has won the Funeral Planner of the Year award for the Eastern Region – congratulations Andrew.
Two members have been dealing with dispute resolution since our last meeting.
Chris Storey has been involved in a commercial rent review, which is heading, expensively, towards arbitration.
Peter Stanway, of Hillcrest HR Services, meanwhile, has been helping a client who, after interviewing a job applicant, thought he had texted a colleague to say the applicant was “too old for us” but had instead mistakenly sent it to the applicant. Peter is currently trying to extract the client from a potential anti-discriminatory action.
Venitia Billings, of Syrinx Systems, may be on the brink of winning a contract for a very large project – best of luck, Venitia!
And finally, our treasurer, Kate Kelly, the Business Plumber, sent along her representative Natalie King with apologies for Kate’s absence. Kate had volunteered to be locked up to raise money for the Papworth Trust charity.
Tell us what you want
Acting chairman Allan Scott 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].
Words of wisdom from Linda Barbour about mindset
March 2016’s 10-minute presentation was from Linda Barbour, of Calm for Change, who works to help people change their mindset.
She explained that everyone’s mindset depends on their personal beliefs, which are gradually developed and reinforced from early childhood on.
These can be limiting if we interpret everything that happens in our lives in a way that confirms more negative beliefs. For example, we may use statistics very selectively, or choose to remember only the unpleasant events in our day.
It is important, she said, to cultivate a flexible mindset, especially for those in business, and to be prepared to modify our beliefs in the light of new evidence.
Her advice was to approach new challenges by taking small steps. This reduces anxiety and as each action is completed successfully it will reinforce the positive.
Another trick is to develop a mantra starting with the words “I am …” followed by a positive statement about oneself. Repeat it daily for 21 days and it will change the patterns in the brain.
Dates for your diary:
| April Coffee Morning | April Breakfast |
| Needham Market Community Centre | Stowmarket Golf Club |
| Friday, April 1 | Friday, April 15 |
| 10am-noon | 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:
