January 2019 Meeting Shorts
If we weren’t feeling ready for the new year before 2019’s first Newark Business Club meeting of 2019, then we certainly were afterwards. Two fitness and leadership coaches took to the stage to cleanse our minds and get us thoroughly warmed up for the year ahead – which was just as well, because there was a lot of news being shared at this month’s meeting.
Chair, Kerri Saxby introduced the meeting to tell us about how the club is getting behind a campaign led by Nicholson’s to recycle crisp packets in aid of Beaumond House Hospice in Newark and St Barnabas in Lincoln as well as a small business conference taking place at Lincoln Drill Hall on 7th March.
Warming up
Last month, club members were tasked with singing along to Robbie Williams and once again we were out of our chairs as this month’s sponsor, Leigh Aliss from Health 4 You got us to do some warm-ups. It’s well worth visiting our Twitter page @newarkbc to see a short video of this arm-flailing madness, including Cllr Keith Girling flossing like a pro completely by accident.
Every month, we ask our sponsor to draw two business cards, with the winning newcomer (Major Oak Homecare) winning an advert in the Newark Advertiser. The winning established member was Ian Jenkinson from Back to Life Clinic.
Ian is an osteopath and physical therapist based in Newark, helping to treat aches and pains from head to toe. Ian’s goal is to free you from pain so you can get back to living and enjoying life again. Whether that’s being able to play with your children, taking part in sport or even working without pain. Unlike other therapists, Ian isn’t just focused on treating the symptoms of a problem, he focuses on the cause, using hands-on therapy and exercise/strengthening advice to help resolve the underlying issue to stop pain in its tracks. Ian also offers on-site desk setup checks and postural advice to help keep all your employees free from pain at their desks.
You can find out more about BackToLife Clinic by visiting BackToLifeClinic.co.uk or by calling Ian on 07990 900 400.
Hail to the chief
The new chief executive of Newark and Sherwood District Council, John Robinson was the next to speak. John joined the authority five months ago and is responsible for the work of the council’s entire paid workforce. Previously, John worked at Gedling Borough Council as well as Nottingham City Council and Peterborough City Council and he spoke at the meeting to introduce himself and set out his stall.
John emphasised that he was here to listen, not to talk (sadly, there wasn’t time for questions afterwards – ah well!) but he has been gathering the views of 11,500 district residents who, he claims, are helping to shape the council’s agenda. He also wants to hear from businesses too so he can continue to act in our interest.
The council’s four main goals are to make the area cleaner, safer, greener; to accelerate the supply of new homes; to reimagine and regenerate the town centre; and to reduce levels of deprivation – amazingly, John explained that there are pockets of the district where health and wellbeing is so poor that life expectancy is 10 years behind the most affluent areas.
Elsewhere, John said that he’s hoping for construction on the site of the Robin Hood Hotel to begin in the next three months, that the council is making plans to convert parts of the town centre from retail to residential and that the council is working very closely with the police in order to address anti-social behaviour and tackle serious organised crime. Since coming to Newark, John said he was shocked by the town’s traffic issues and he said the council making the Southern Relief Road and the A46 Northern Bypass one of its top priorities.
Key to John’s message was that he wants to work with businesses in the area: He’d like our help in making the case for the road improvements and he’d like us to tell him what it’s like doing business in the town, what challenges we’re facing and what we honestly think of the district council as well what the council could do to help us thrive.
Be the best
Our second coach of the new year was Nicola Ellwood from Ellwood Performance & Mastery. After being bombarded by endless posts on social media that say “New Year, new me”, Nicola boldly says “No – you’re already perfect”. She asked us to be the best version of ourselves and to live 2019 as we were when we last did something we’re truly proud of.
Speaking of new beginnings, it’s six months since Iliffe Media acquired the Newark Advertiser. Iliffe’s managing director, Richard Parkinson was next to speak and he announced two exciting developments: Firstly, the paper will soon be moving back into the town centre. Staying true to his promise to be making long-term investments in the paper, the company is buying, rather than renting a new office for the team within the next three to four months, which is great news; Second, the paper is launching a new and improved Newark Business Awards for 2019.
Held at the Newark Showground on 21st of June, the awards will be bigger and better than before with inspirational speaker, Claire Lomas MBE, who famously completed the London Marathon despite having been paralysed from the chest down. The business awards will have 10 categories and businesses can nominate themselves or nominate others. Sponsorship is very welcome with Duncan & Toplis, Reflect Recruitment and a certain local business club having already pledged support.
Newark Business Club is always a great opportunity to network, find out the latest news affecting businesses and to raise issues that matter to the business community. Our next meeting will be held on Friday 1st February at the Everyday Champions Centre and, once again, newcomers can come free so there’s no reason not to come along and represent your company.
Sponsor a Meeting
Want to see your name on the big screen? Please contact Simon Shaw, Club Vice Chair, to find out more about our sponsorship opportunities. For a one-off payment, you will get 10-minutes in front of a range of businesses at one of our meetings and we’ll use your logo and business details in our marketing materials.
We’ll also give you a shout out on social media and share images of your presentation during the meeting before writing you up for a feature in the Newark Advertiser.
Join the club
New to the area? Just set up your own business? Or in a new role? Why not join us for our next business club?
We’re a group of supportive, welcoming and approachable people representing a range of different disciplines and businesses from across Newark and the surrounding area.
Each meeting takes place at the Everyday Champions Centre in Newark on the first Friday of the month, 7am-9am. Entry is £7 and includes free tea and coffee, with breakfast rolls available to purchase during the break.
Got a question about joining us? Get in touch via social media and ask a question or read through some of our recent updates on our website. Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/newarkbc or search for Newark Business Club UK on Facebook.
In the meantime, you can find out more about the club and sign yourself up to receive our newsletter via the website: www.newarkbusinessclub.co.uk.
By David Sykes – Carrington Communications
Carrington Communications is a PR agency based in Lincoln with a strong client base in Newark. They specialise in traditional public relations, helping companies to reach the audiences that matter to them through the media. They also offer SEO and social media management. Clients include startups, SMEs, charities and large organisations.
