Tonight the first Anniversary of the Seven Kings and Newbury Park Sophia Hub was celebrated at St John's Seven Kings. The Bishop of Chelmsford, Bishop of Barking and Mayor of Redbridge were present to mark this momentous milestone, as were many of the staff, Directors, Steering Group members, volunteers, start-ups and Enterprise Club speakers who have supported the Sophia Hub in its development and achievements.
In its first year the Sophia Hub has worked with 23 business start-ups, many of which were present at the event and sharing news of their progress and ways in which the Seven Kings & Newbury Park Sophia Hub had supported them. This support has included our Sophia Course (which helps generate ideas for social enterprises), our weekly Enterprise Club (which provides input on key business topics and peer to peer networking), membership of our Timebank (which enables start-ups to receive volunteer support on a give and take basis), and use of Business Mentors (who accompany start-ups on the initial phase of their journey into business).
Olive Hamilton-Andrews spoke about her business (Hamiland Management Limited) which provides practical policies, projects and office organisation to other businesses in order to reduce workload, release time and get results. Aidan Ward, a Director of Sophia Hubs Limited, outlined the ethos of the Sophia Hub while I spoke about our many achievements in the year. Myra Whiskar and Ros Southern, our Project Co-ordinators, compered the evening and were thanked for their tremendous input in shaping and taking the project forward. The Mayor of Redbridge and the Bishop of Chelmsford then offered personal responses to all that they had seen and heard of the project.
Delegates enjoyed a hot vegetarian buffet provided by Fusion Foods, a start-up run by Manzoor Ahmed who has spoken at the Enterprise Club. The event concluded with use of the World Cafe method of structured conversations, where those who attended contributed their thoughts on the benefits of businesses engaging with their communities. Feedback centred on the significance of businesses building long-term relationships with local customers where trust and confidence are built through the delivery of personal but professional services.
Olive Hamilton-Andrews spoke about her business (Hamiland Management Limited) which provides practical policies, projects and office organisation to other businesses in order to reduce workload, release time and get results. Aidan Ward, a Director of Sophia Hubs Limited, outlined the ethos of the Sophia Hub while I spoke about our many achievements in the year. Myra Whiskar and Ros Southern, our Project Co-ordinators, compered the evening and were thanked for their tremendous input in shaping and taking the project forward. The Mayor of Redbridge and the Bishop of Chelmsford then offered personal responses to all that they had seen and heard of the project.
Delegates enjoyed a hot vegetarian buffet provided by Fusion Foods, a start-up run by Manzoor Ahmed who has spoken at the Enterprise Club. The event concluded with use of the World Cafe method of structured conversations, where those who attended contributed their thoughts on the benefits of businesses engaging with their communities. Feedback centred on the significance of businesses building long-term relationships with local customers where trust and confidence are built through the delivery of personal but professional services.
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Dry The River - History Book.
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