It was 9 July 2015 and we were taking part in the Business
Lab’s Supplier’s Showcase in the Stratford Centre. As we made final touches to our stalls, Glen
Addis, the man in charge gathered us together for a motivating pep talk before
counting down and lifting up the shutters to unsuspecting passers-by. The Business Lab had been transformed into a
high end market place of goods and services, vibrant, colourful and
talkative. Everyone did their business
proud.
Exhibiting Link4Growth NE London was an opportunity not to
be missed. Our aim was to let more
people know about the benefits of coming to one of our meetings and judging by
the number of people who joined our mailing list it was a very successful
event.
In spite of the tube strike there was still a good
turnout. I met lots of new people and
spotted some familiar faces too. There
were also some comical moments such as sharing a joke with Ade about his office
in Paris, but that’s another story. And
the woman looking for ‘eggless’ sweets as she was allergic to eggs! When you’re working with people you have to
be prepared for the unexpected and with uncertainty comes excitement!
Alex Burton helped me set up the stall – it
looked great - before checking out the catering and some hot sauces on display
at the front of the Lab. Indeed, he had
one or two Italian moments when he discovered that our fellow stall holder was
an Italian restauranteur. You couldn’t
have planned it better, two foodies together!
Fiona Flaherty, Community Leader NE London set up her
‘surgery’ behind us sharing her wisdom on all things health related that was
much appreciated. At about midday, the
cavalry arrived in the form of Jane Walker, our District Leader and Tony Cohen,
Community Host Walthamstow St James Street.
Jane didn’t waste any time talking to camera about the virtues of
Link4Growth NE London, whilst Tony helped to get some more sign ups. It truly was a team effort!
When I got the chance I had a look at the other stalls and
spoke to quite a few small business owners.
What struck me was their passion, self-motivation and strong belief in what
they were doing. I was so impressed at the array of goods on offer and the
skills and talents of the people behind them.
The sum of all these parts was potentially huge; if only I could bottle
such enthusiasm I would be wealthy indeed.
Being part of a collective activity like this event, got me thinking
that when people come together for a common purpose it creates an energy or
buzz that is somehow infectious as well as powerful.
As Stephen Covey said, “Strength lies in differences, not in
similarities”.
I haven’t mentioned the jewel in our crown yet and I must. It’s our
Afternoon Tea on Thursday 6 August 2-4.30pm at Christ the King Church Hall, 455
Chingford Rd E4 8SP. Quite a few
people took photos of our poster advertising the event. Like us they’re looking forward to having a
chat over a decent cuppa and homemade cake in a pleasant and friendly
environment. Mary Berry we salute you
for making this simple occasion so popular again.
If you haven’t booked in yet please register here
so we can make sure we’ve got enough cake for everyone! And why not bring someone with you too? Maybe a family member, friend, colleague or
favourite customer? Children are welcome to come along too.
If we can do more to raise
the profile of our communities and promote the importance of the local economy
at the same time, then we must. That’s where you come in. Let’s be inspired by Mary Berry’s revival of home
baking and see what we can do to restore our communities by working together. Here’s a photo from last year’s event.
But we can’t do it on our
own and we need your help. If everyone
on our database told at least one other person about Link4Growth NE London, we’re
talking about more than 1,000 people, all potential contacts with a phenomenal
range of skills and knowledge. Now that
would be useful, wouldn’t it?
See you soon, Debra Oakaby, Community Leader NE London
