Our recent meetings
In April we had our first AGM - reflecting back on an amazing first 16 months, with 53 paid-up members and lots of busy networking meetings under our belt already. The founding committee bowed out and an eager new team has now taken over. After all the official business, Amanda O'Garrow, of AK Solutions Ltd in Carnforth, gave us a lot of tips about how to make sure our company websites actually do what we need them to - rather than sitting invisibly in cyberspace.
March saw LBN trying out another new venue, in the newly-refurbished Burlington Room at Holker Hall. Our speaker this month was Helen Bebbington, clinical aromatherapist (amongst other things), from the Lakeland Holistic Centre, and she spoke on using essential oils for inspiration, stress reduction and winding down after a hard day running your business.
The venue for our February meeting was the amazing Magik House home technology showroom in Milnthorpe - hosted by LBN member Carol Burrow, who also kindly provided the wine and freshly-made popcorn! Over 30 members heard Lucy Barden speak on how to use photography to promote your business, with handy tips on how to commission photography. Lucy is a freelance photographer based in Kearstwick, near Kirby Lonsdale.
Our first meeting of the New Year saw 34 of us squeezed into the upstairs room at Wilf's in Staveley, to hear Janette Carroll of National Legal Services advise us on wills, enduring powers of attorney and other ways of making sure our dependents are not left in the lurch. We also had a good discussion about our new website, which we aim to launch in the spring, to promote all our members more professionally.
Just before Christmas, our December meeting was both a Christmas social and a celebration of one year since a group of local businesswomen got together to set up the LBN. Photographer Lucy Barden and PR Kim Smith managed to get us into the paper to mark our first birthday - the Westmorland Gazette and the North West Evening News - and a great time was had by all. |
