Charity Christmas Quiz

Our Christmas Charity Quiz Night will be held at Hawkstone Park Hotel on Wednesday 2 December 2009 starting at 7.45pm. There will be a £10 entry fee for each person but the evening does include light refreshments. All proceeds go to our Chairman's Charity which this year is 2 Hands. Teams from other business networking clubs are welcome to attend. This will be a fun evening with plenty of opportunity to meet other like-minded business people.

Charity Quiz Night

Great fun was had by all in our charity quiz night held at Hawkstone Park Hotel. Our master of ceremonies Chris Page took us through 6 rounds of questions that certainly had a few people scratching their heads for answers! All proceeds went towards the Chairman's Charity which this year is 2 Hands. Ten teams took part and a good time was had by all.

Air Ambulance Flying High After Charity Donation

Members of the INC recently celebrated the culmination of a huge charity fundraising campaign with a cheque presentation of over £1100.

The Independent Network Club raised the money for the Midlands Air Ambulance and 2008 Chairman Ann Page presented the cheque for £1162.43 to Tony Neville, Volunteer Co-ordinator with the Air Ambulance at a group celebration held at Shropshire’s Hawkstone Park Hotel.

"The Air Ambulance was my chosen charity" explained Ann, "The INC committee and members managed to raise the money through a Race Night at Lower Lacon Caravan Park, Wem, An Evening with Mike Southern which included a promise auction and by taking part in the ‘Festival of Food and Drink’ at Dearnford Lake, Whitchurch."

Hawkstone Park Hotel was the natural location for the presentation as it’s where we hold our fortnightly networking meetings and where much of the fundraising was planned. We are thrilled with the total raised and know that it will make a big difference for the charity.

2 Hands has been chosen as the group’s charity for the coming year by INC Chairman for 2009, Terry Le Long. Born in Telford the charity works to mentor young students in the 12 to 18 age group, in UK schools, as part of their 'It’s Our World' programme, and help them design, develop and deliver fundraising projects for the benefit of poor communities in Ecuador, and Zimbabwe.

"We’re holding a Charity Quiz and Raffle on December 2nd 2009 to raise funds for 2 Hands and provide a festive end to the 2009 Networking Programme. Each round will be sponsored by a business and the overall winning team will receive the INC Charity Quiz Trophy for 2009 sponsored by Nigel Lomax Tax Assist Accountants" explained Terry. "Everyone’s welcome and anyone interested in taking part can contact the INC Secretary Jan Lloyd".

INC Flying High with Mike Southon for County Air Ambulance

Hawkstone Park Hotel was the venue for a stimulating talk by Mike Southon, International Speaker and Author, who currently has a weekly column in the Financial Times. His presentation entitled 'Something About the Beatles' was actually an inspirational talk about succeeding in business - which the Beatles overwhelmingly did - and included clips from many of the Beatles songs which the audience, young and old, joined in with - the finale concluded with everyone singing 'All you need is love'.

The event was organised by INC (Shropshire) and Mike's talk was followed by an auction of 5 unique items which raised £550 for the charity.   With ticket sales and a raffle, a total of £1192.00 was raised for County Air Ambulance. Winning bidders can now look forward to golfing in style, a Magical Mystery Tour flying over the Welsh borders, tea for two at the House of Commons, a luxury caravan holiday and a visit from the spring clean fairies.

SHROPSHIRE STAR 'TIPS TO IMPROVE BUSINESS'

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SPEAKER AND AUTHOR, MIKE SOUTHON, VISITS HAWKSTONE PARK

Mike Southon will deliver an interactive presentation called ‘Something About the Beatles' in the beautiful surroundings of Hawkstone Park.

Renowned author of 'Sales on a Beermat' and 'The Beermat Entrepreneur', Mike has helped thousands become millionaires with his sales tips and motivational talks. He is currently a weekly columnist for the Financial Times,

The event has been organised by INC (Shropshire) which is a business network club and rural support group that meets at Hawkstone Park every fortnight.   It will take place on Wednesday evening, 8th October in place of the normal INC meeting, 7.00 pm for 7.30 pm start.

Tickets cost £15 and include a glass of wine/juice on arrival.   Places limited.   Contact Jan at secretary@inc-shropshire.co.uk or on 01948 840102 for tickets.   All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Chairman's Charity - County Air Ambulance – along with proceeds from the auction of 5 unique iitems:

Tea for two and a tour of the House of Commons with Owen Paterson, MP;  a flight in a private plane donated by Graham Skeats of Computer Medicine; a Caravan weekend at Lower Lacon Caravan Park; a round of golf for 4 on one of Hawkstone Park's championship golf courses and a meal in the Terrace Restaurant; a mini spring clean from MyHome Cleaning Services

The auction will take place immediately after Mike's talk.   INC (SShropshire) would like to thank Hawkstone Park for sponsoring the event and the people who have donated auction items.

INC RACE NIGHT RAISES FUNDS FOR AIR AMBULANCE

INC ( Shropshire ) raised over £300 for County Air Ambulance at their Race Night.    The event was held at Jakk's Barn – the new function room at Lower Lacon Caravan Park which has an 8 ft LCD screen.  

INC members sponsored the races which included:

The Coniston Wealth Management Trophy,

The Utility Warehouse ‘Win a Mini' Sweepstake,

The Barbara Guest Fear & Phobia Eliminator,

The Duo Solutions Health and Safety Trophy,

The Rent-a-Rep Derby and

The Lower Lacon Holiday Sweepstake.

INC raises over £1500 for Macmillan Cancer Support

Members and guests at a recent meeting of the Independent Network Club (Shropshire) were treated to a fund-raising surprise when 2007 Chairman, Suzi Rixon, arrived to present Elodie Home with a cheque for £1539.73 for Macmillan Cancer Support.   Along with the INC committee and members, Suzi had organised a Barn Dance ‘Midsummer Madness' at Northwood Farmhouse, Wem and a 'Festival of Food and Drink' at Dearnford Lake, Whitchurch to raise funds for her charity of the year.  

Founder member, Neil Pharo of Park Row Associates also made a significant contribution to funds by donating to the charity part of his remuneration on referrals received from club members.

Apart from providing excellent networking opportunities, the events were a great success for all concerned.   Last September, MP, Owen Paterson joined members and guests on a beautiful sunny evening at Dearnford Lake along with North Shropshire District Councillor, Marilyn Patrick and Mac Sandal, North Shropshire Economic Forum Officer to support the event.   North Shropshire District Council provided £500 towards funding and many of the local food and drink producers that exhibited that evening have since benefited from the links that the event provided - in particular with an introduction to the buyer for the new Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway.

Ann Page, Chairman for 2008, has now chosen her charity for the year - Shropshire Air Ambulance - which provides a rapid paramedic response to the most life threatening medical emergencies and remote destinations, carrying out over 180 missions per month. The charity relies on people and organisations to raise in excess of £3 million every year to operate this valuable service.

INC (SHROPSHIRE) WELCOMES ANN PAGE AS CHAIRMAN FOR 2008

The Independent Network Club (Shropshire) is pleased to announce Ann Page as their Chairman for 2008.   Traditionally the chairman chooses a charity for his or her year in office, so one of Ann's first duties will be to select the charity that INC will suppport during 2008.

Ann Page runs Page Communication Limited, a company offering IT training and software development, which she set up with her husband Chris back in 1995.

One of INC's founder members, Ann has been a member of INC for over 5 years, often winning awards for giving referrals and introducing new members to the club.   At the annual awards evening in November, she again won the annual award for most referrals.  

Other awards winners were: Eric Churchyard of SevernServe, David Tipper of Driveway Doctor, Andrew Sceats of Pressuredown Therapies, Graham Skeats of Computer Medicine and Barbara Guest .   

'Hosts of the Year' were Nick and Margie Chavasse - for hosting the barn dance in June - and Jane and Charles Bebbington of Dearnford Lake where the food festival was held in September.   Both these events helped to raise a total of over £1400 for the Chairman's charity last year - Macmillan Cancer Support – the cheque will be presented by Suzi Rixon to Elodie Home at Hawkstone Park Hotel later this year.  

Awards Evening 2007

The 2007 awards evening lived up to previous expectations with a spectacular performance from the Geezers - which include two INC members - Eric Churchyard, lead singer and guitarist and Chris Page on drums.

Awards 2007

Pink slip Award - Ann Page, Page communication - for giving the most referrals in 2007

Best Attendance Award - Graham Skeats, Computer Medicine - for attending the most INC meetings and events during 2007

Best ten minute presentation - Barbara Guest - for the most thought-provoking ten minute presentation (collected on her behalf by Brenda Hodnet)

Most interactive 60 seconds - Andrew Sceats, Pressuredown Therapies - for the most interactive 60 seconds (collected on his behalf by Paula Cowley)

The Squeaky Clean Award - David Tipper, Driveway Doctor for cleaning the barn at Northwood farmhouse for the barn dance (David received his award at the Festive Evening).

For Whom the Bell Tolls Award - Eric Churchyard, SevernServe - for getting the bell for every 60 second presentation

Hosts of the Year - Nick and Margie Chavasse for the use of Northwood farmhouse for the barn dance and Jane and Charles Bebbington for hosting the food festival at Dearnford Lake.

There were thank-yous to the many people who had halped with the barn dance and the food festival and long service awards for Geraldine Stephenson and Barbara Rainford who have both served on the committee for over 5 years.

Thanks you's also to Tony Goodwin and Ann Page for 'holding the reins' for the committee during the last few months of the year

There was a free raffle and then the grand finale - the Geezers - everyone got up to dance and we rocked around the clock until gone midnight. Thank you to the Geezers for providing such fantastic entertainment - and to Hawkstone Park for providing such a beautifully decorated room - and the food and the service were impeccable.

INC MASTERCLASSES

Training by members for members at Monkhouse Granary 6.30 for 7.00 pm start. Cost £10 members (£15.00 guests) includes tea-coffee and home-made cakes. To book email: secretary@inc-shropshire.co.uk

Monkhouse Granary is just outside Shrewsbury on the Ellesmere Road, opposite the Albrighton Hall Hotel.

INC MASTERCLASSES 2007

WEDNESDAY, 28TH MARCH 2007 : NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) Motivation for everyday use - Terry Le Long, national Legal Services - Business and Personal Motivation, Understanding shy we and others act like that!

WEDNESDAY, 25TH APRIL, 2007 : First Aid - The Basics - Paul Stedman, Cognet Training and Consultancy Services -Your Questions Answered.

WEDNESDAY, 9TH MAY, 2007 : Speaking with Confidence - Chris Page, Page Communication - This will not involve computers but will be an interactive workshop with a big 'fun' element, which will be useful in both business and personal life.

WEDNESDAY, 21ST NOVEMBER, 2007 : Improve Your Sales with Direct Mail - Nick Chavasse, NRG Direct Mail

INC Business Club Supports Macmillan Nurses

After 5 years, Suzi Rixon of Two's Company has again taken the reins for another outstanding year as Chairman of INC. Last year, INC raised a grand total of £5122.80 for Nigel Lomax's chairman's charity - Hope House. This year Suzi has chosen Macmillan Cancer Support which improves the lives of people affected by cancer. The Macmillan nurses not only care for cancer patients but provide support to their families as well. Elodie Home, Shropshire Fundraising Manager, giving a short talk about Macmillan Cancer Support at a recent INC meeting said: "It is wonderful to be able to enlist the help of so many people - thank you again for your invaluable support."

Suzi has chosen two fundraising events this year - the first is INC's Midsummer Madness - a traditional barn dance on Friday 8th June at Northwood Farmhouse, Wem. Traditional sideshows, hog-roast with salads and barn dancing with live band FIVE SPEED BOX. The event is supported by nrg direct Mail, Hanby's Ales and Tanner's Wines.

At the last meeting Suzi said: "This is a fabulous networking opportunity, bringing together so many like-minded people, creating a unique and vibrant environment in which to do business. It is sure to be a memorable success so get out your boots, bonnets and dancing shoes and get your tickets now." Everyone welcome.

INC are also organising a Festival of Food and Drink at Dearnford Lake, Whitchurch on Wednesday, 5th September which will be a celebration of Shropshire's finest produce.

INC RAISES OVER £5000 FOR HOPE HOUSE

The Independent Network Club (Shropshire), which meets at the Hawkstone Park Hotel every fortnight, last year raised a grand total of £5122.80 for Hope House which included £750 match funding from Barclays Bank - who are club members.   Nigel Lomax, Chairman for 2006 presented the cheque to Vanessa Lloyd of Hope House at the INC Festive Evening.

Fundraising for the year culminated in an auction by Jon Rixon at the Awards Evening at Hawkstone Park Hotel.   Awards included the Host(ess) of the Year Award to Jane Bebbington of Dearnford Trout Fishery for hosting two barbecues during the year and a fly-fishing masterclass which was very successful despite the fact that several members found they were fly fishing without a fly! The Most Interactive Presentation Award went to Paul Stedman of Cognet Training for getting several members on the floor and asking them to take clothes off - in case you hadn't guessed Paul does First Aid Training! This masterclass was so successful that INC will be repeating it next year.

The new chairman for 2007 is Suzi Rixon of Two's Company, who has chosen Macmillan Cancer Support as the Chairman's Charity for this year.   INC is a rural support group as well as a business network club.   All fundraising events and masterclasses are open to everyone, not just members.

INC AWARDS EVENING 24th November, 2006

Awards

Chairman's Award to Marjorie Johnson, Everything But the Horse for her fantastic support for the Promise Auction.  

Best Ten Minute Presentation to Margie Chavasse, Kingsland Wealth Management, for standing in at the last minute and giving an excellent and amusing presentation without any props whatsoever (except for waving a pen about).

Pink Slip Award for most referrals - Andrew Turner, Aroma Coffee

Best Attendance Award to Eira Moore, accountant for attending every meeting - and masterclass - since she joined despite having to make alternative arrangements for getting children to school.  

Host (or should it be hostess) of the Year Award to Jane Bebbington, Dearnford Fly Fishery for hosting our barbecue at very short notice and also proving an excellent fly-fishing masterclass (despite the fact that Jon and Nigel found they were fly fishing without a fly!)

Best Sixty Seconds Award to Brenda Hodnett, Aquila Aloe for her public speaking prowess in confidently delivering 60 seconds.

Most Interactive Presentation - To Paul Stedman of Cognet Training - for getting Dan on the floor and telling Andrew to take off his clothes - if you weren't there ask Paul or Andrew for a replay.

Chef of the Year Award - to Vaughan Paterson - husband of Patricia Paterson, MBT Shoes and Sage Line 50 Training - for doing a superb job with bangers and burgers at the Dearnford barbecue.

Most Introductions Award to Terry Le Long for introducing the most new members to the club in 2006.

AUCTION AT HAWKSTONE RAISES OVER £4000 FOR CHILDREN'S HOSPICES

The Promise Auction held on Friday, 15 th September at the Hawkstone Park Hotel raised £3433.55, plus match funding of £750 from Barclays making a total of £4183.55 for Hope House Children's Hospices.   Vanessa Lloyd , the Appeals Co-ordinator at Hope House was absolutely delighted: "Thank you so much for your warm hospitality and fantastic fund-raising night on Friday," she said .   "What a fabulous, fun evening! And what a result! I'm still grinning now, just thinking about it!   Please pass my hugely grateful thanks on to everyone involved - you're a wonderful group of people!"

Vanessa gave a short talk about Hope House and the fact that only 5% of their funding comes from the Government.   Jon Rixon put on a fantastic performance as auctioneer, ably assisted by his partner in Two's Company - Suzi Rixon.

INC would like to thank all the businesses that provided promises; thanks also to Barclays for their match funding and to everyone who supported the auction on the night.

INC welcomes Owen Paterson as a guest at Hawkstone Park

Members of the Independent Network Club ( Shropshire ) were delighted to welcome MP, Owen Paterson as a guest at their recent breakfast meeting at the Hawkstone Park Hotel.   Owen talked about the results of the recent business survey conducted in his constituency – one of problems that has worsened appreciably since the last survey was that of finding capable employees.

In the questions that followed, Lynda Peate of John Peate Architectural Services asked why there are no government supported apprenticeships for professions like architects.   Discussion followed on the current state of the NHS - referring to a hospital poster that Mark Laws of Carter Jonas Property Consultants, had brought back from a holiday abroad saying: 'WE TREAT PATIENTS AS HUMAN BEINGS'.   Owen Paterson hopes to join INC members for breakfast again later in the year.

INC Network club gives little Oliver a helping hand

The Independent Network Club ( Shropshire ) joins forces with Hawkstone Park Hotel and Hope House Hospice to help little Oliver Jones:

Last year, INC ( Shropshire ) raised £1600 for the chairman's Appeal Fund. Tony Goodwin, retiring Chairman, presented the cheque to Dean and Carolyn, Oliver's parents at Hawkstone on 16th February.   Oliver suffers from Cerebral Palsy and the money raised will buy aspecial hydro-tilt chair for Oliver which will help support his spine.

Fund raising included promoting the appeal at the Shrewsbury Flower Show, a Barbecue and Treasure Hunt at Hawkstone Follies, Fund-raising at the Aroma Coffee evening and the Awards Evening.   Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Nigel Lomax, Chairman for 2006 has chosen 'Hope House' the children's hospice as his Charity of the Year.   Oliver Jones and his family will be staying there shortly for a week's respite.   Hope House relies almost entirely on donations to provide care for terminally ill children and their families.

INC is a highly successful Business Network Club and Rural support group that meets at the Hawkstone Park Hotel every fortnight.   Guests often describe the meetings as the friendliest they have ever been to.

INC New Chairman for 2006

Nigel Lomax of Tax Assist Accountants becomes the new Chairman for 2006 choosing Hope House - the children's hospice - as his Charity of the Year. Tony Goodwin of One for all Hire and Leisureline Products, the retiring chairman, joins Suzi Rixon and Nick Chavasse as a non-executive officer. INC welcomes a new committee member - Dan Mepham of DWM Studios is the new Referral's Officer - the 'Pink Slip Man' for 2006 and Campbell Mackeller of the Utility Warehouse becomes Vice Chairman.

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INC Awards Evening

Dan Mepham, DWM Studios - The Rising Star Award. Dan is our youngest member, a talented musician and very promising entrepreneur.

Nick Greer, Bright Futures - Most Captivating Presentation. Nick is, amongst other things, a qualified NLP therapist: "Back into the room".

Jane Bebbington, Dearnford Fly Fishery - The Sexiest 60 seconds (At the meeting in question, Jane actually silenced the room - no-one could think of anything to say for a good 10 seconds - we were dumbfounded!)

Helen Gould, Kendlebell - The Invisible Member Award. Although Helen finds it difficult to get to meetings she has referred quite a lot of business to members of the club.

Andrew Turner, Aroma Coffee - Host of the Year - for hosting a summer meeting at Aroma Coffee on a beautiful summer evening and raising significant funds for the Chairman's Appeal Fund.

Stuart and Karen Palmer, Debt Dr. - The Chairman's Award - for their commitment to the club, being chefs at the barbecue, helping with the stand at the flower show and introducing guests and new members.

Terry Le Long, National Legal Services - The Life after Death Award - for making a difficult subject interesting.

Come and see us on Stand 18 at Shrewsbury Flower Show : 12th and 13th August, 2005

The Independent Network Club is a business network club and rural support group that also sponsors a local charity. We have over 50 members and we meet at Hawkstone Park on Wednesdays every fortnight, alternating breakfast (8.00 am) and evening (7.00 pm) meetings.

INC Leadership Development Challenge (Treasure Hunt and Barbecue)

The Treasure Hunt and Barbecue in the Grand Valley at Hawkstone Park was an incredible success with over 100 people exploring the Follies solving clues. Oliver Jones and his family joined members and guests for the evening. Funds raised from the event will go to the Oliver Jones Appeal Fund.

Congratulations to the Chavasse family who won the Treasure Hunt. Many thanks to Roger Whitehouse at Hawkstone Follies for organising the event and to Tony Goodwin who excelled as chef for the evening. Thanks too to everyone who joined in and helped to make it such a success. It was a beautiful evening, the sun shone and the food and wine were excellent.

INC taste the Aroma of Fresh Coffee

Members of the Independent Network Club (Shropshire) held their July evening meeting at Aroma Coffee in Hadnall. Andrew Turner very kindly hosted the meeting and gave members a tour, demonstrating the different ways coffee beans are roasted to create different flavours. Aroma Coffee also donated products bought by members to raise funds for the Oliver Jones Appeal - raising a total of £120.17 - thank you Andrew.

Oaklands Auctions goes computerised

Oaklands Auctions at Weston-under-Redcastle is now one of the biggest auctions in the West Midlands with over 1800 lots at many sales.   Leading the field with items for sale pictured on the website each week, Oaklands have furthered their technological abilities with a custom-built database program created by Chris Page of Page Communication based at Shawbury.

The new software tracks sales and sellers electronically at the click of a button which means Oaklands can find and match items for sale with sellers and buyers instantly so sales run much more smoothly and buyers and sellers are provided with clearly printed sales sheets and invoices.

Oaklands are delighted with their new system which will be utilised to the full at their next Special Sale on 9 th July which is an Antique and Vintage Sale with an incredible variety of antiques, collectables and vintage machinery.   In the meantime you can book for the next car boot sale on 25 th June or visit the General sales held every fortnight – the next one is on Saturday 2 nd July – for full details visit the website www.oaklandsauctions.co.uk.

Derek Whittall, owner of Oaklands met Chris Page through the Independent Network Club which meets just down the road at Hawkstone Park .   Derek had obtained quotes from the south of England then found he had the perfect solution right on his doorstop – at a much better price – a perfect example of how valuable networking can be to rural businesses.   For further details go to www.inc-shropshire.co.uk

Festive Evening - INC Chairman presents cheque for £2000 to the Umbrella Appeal

The Independent Network Club Shropshire has raised £2000 for Josie Mitchell's Umbrella Appeal which now brings the total she has raised to £130,000 – over half her target figure of £250,000.   Fundraising events included ‘an evening with John Peters' at Hawkstone Park along with an auction by Jon Rixon of Two's Company.   Committee members also donated gifts which were auctioned at the Awards Evening held on 19th November.

Nick Chavasse, who chose the Umbrella Appeal as his charity of the year, is now retiring as Chairman and Tony Goodwin will choose a new charity when he takes over at the next meeting of the club on 12th January next year.

The Independent Network Club is one of the most successful business network clubs in Shropshire , they meet every fortnight at the Hawkstone Hotel.

The John Peters Story

'An evening with John Peters' Wednesday, 22nd September, 2004 was sold out. John Peters gave a very emotional yet heart-warming talk to an audience of over 80 people. Proceeds from the evening are being donated to the Umbrella Appeal - support for stroke victims. Josie Mitchell, the founder of the appeal will be attending the Festive Evening on 8th December to receive a cheque from chairman, Nick Chavasse of nrg Direct Mail.

John Peters proved to be a very entertaining speaker with the ability to make his audience laugh and cry - sometimes both at the same time. He talked of faith in the face of adversity, how his harrowing experience had affected him and how his thoughts of his baby son helped him get through. However bad our experiences they can change us for the better - if we put our minds to it. Determination is a quality shared with John Peters by all the business men and women of INC (Shropshire). A spell-binding evening.

The Shropshire Star and the Shrewsbury Chronicle both covered the event showing pictures of John Peters with Josie Mitchell, members of INC and guests.

The Friendliest Network Club in Shropshire

INC ( Shropshire ) is pleased to announce their new Chairman for 2004 is Nick Chavasse of nrg Direct Mail.The Chairman's chosen charity is The Umbrella Appeal, run by Josie Mitchell and based at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital .

When the stroke and rehabilitation unit moves to its new purpose-built centre later this year, a quarter of a million pounds is needed for equipment to make sure the facilities in Shrewsbury are as good as they can be for stroke victims. INC is pleased to support this appeal and will be holding events throughout the year to generate funds – watch this space.

INC meets at Hawkstone Park , and is so successful (over 50 members) that a new club has been set up to cover the Welsh and Cheshire borders.   Despite blizzard conditions, INC (Borders) got off to a flying start with 25 people attending the first meeting at The Cross Lanes Hotel on the Bangor Road, near Wrexham.

INC meets on Wednesdays, every fortnight, alternating breakfast ( 8.00 am ) and evening ( 7.00 pm ) meetings.   It is open to all business people and operates as a rural support group as well as providing excellent networking opportunities.