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1408 Educators providing Networking courses

Raise Up Business Club (Silke Thistlewood)

raise up business club (silke thistlewood)

Cheshire

I (Silke Thistlewood, that’s me on the left with my 2 girls) set up a local networking group for mums in early 2017 after returning from (self employed) maternity leave and feeling decidedly isolated. I had lost my business mojo, felt pretty lonely, and couldn’t make any of the existing networking meetings (no babies allowed, too early, too late etc) so I decided to start my own. I called it Tonbridge Mums in Business and its facebook group grew to 500 members within just a few weeks (it surpassed 1,000 quite some time ago now). We’ve been having regular meetings ever since and the facebook community has grown from strength to strength, with the Thursday promotional thread having become a thing of legend. You have to see it to believe the amount of local talent! And now RuBC_LogoFinal_White_Rose.png In early 2019 I felt is was time to raise the bar and level up - in my own businesses and for the group. I had for some time been wanting to add more value for members - more structure, support and resources (mailing lists for meeting reminders, access to talks members can’t attend, accountability, goal setting etc). With 2 other businesses to run and young kids to look after this was logistically and financially not possible on a voluntary basis (paying for the yearly website subscription alone made my eyes water…..) so I made the decision to introduce a membership structure and a charge for the meetings. I very much hope that the pricing structure I have decided on reflects the value current members have gained from the group and the meetings, and the fact that most of us are working with small margins and reduced working hours crammed around child care and other responsibilities. To set the group apart from other networking meetings in the area, which are confusingly similar in name, the group has been re-branded and has a new name that I feel embodies what the group and community are - supportive, encouraging, non judgemental, inclusive, friendly and quite frankly, magical. I am blown away at each and every meeting by the friendships and kindness that members show each other. What you can expect Community, support, encouragement, friendship, collaborations, inspiration, education - online and in real life across both communities. Weekly check-ins, accountability prompts in the membership community to keep you on track, inspired and safe in the knowledge that this group of women will always have your back. We also co-work in real life and on zoom, go on walks together, discuss books and have coaching sessions with the one and only Action Woman. A wider community of businesses in the free facebook group with the chance to promote your business each Thursday, as well as getting to know others and forming friendships and a basis for collaborations. Someone will always have an answer to any questions you might have - business or otherwise. Regular networking meetings with expert speakers, mingling and cake and/or wine - and not an elevator pitch in sight (so no need to feel nervous). Easy going networking, without the need to “work the room” or hand out business cards at super sonic speed. Our meetings are informal but effective. Low key but inspirational, educational and supportive. Some kind words from business women in the community “There is always a warm excited, inclusive buzz within the group, with many friendships that have been formed over time and I know that some of us have started either using each other’s products or services – or formed collaborations with each other. It’s like a girls night out every month in Tonbridge! SAM HOGWOOD, ESCAPE FROM THE CITY This group has been very welcoming from my first step into my first meeting. I have found everyone in the group to be friendly and supportive of each other and encouraging of the development of one another's businesses. The facebook group and meetings have allowed for shared knowledge and experience in developing each others businesses. I have made great business links and come into work through the group, both paid and through joint collaborations. I have also made some lovely friends through the group which has been a really lovely added bonus CLAIRE READER, CAPTURE ME HAPPY PHOTOGRAPHY I started my Virtual Assistant business in the middle of last year and I am a regular on the weekly Thursday updates. These updates are great as not only do people learn how your business is growing but you can support and find out about other local businesses on your doorstep. I have not made it to one of the networking events that Silke kindly arranges yet, but I will, and when I do, I am sure it will be even more beneficial to my start up business than the group has been so far. EMMA HAGGART, KENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANT Since setting up my hypnotherapy business in 2018, I've found the support of this talented and diverse group to be wonderful. It's great knowing I am not alone in being new to setting up a business, and coming up against many of the same issues as others in the group. This is so reassuring, and I have really benefited from the shared knowledge, passion and experience of everyone in the group. Meet ups are friendly and dynamic, and the topics very fitting. I've made some good contacts and will always recommend fellow business owners where I can. Thanks to Silke this group has really grown and developed and I look forward to further collaboration this year.

University of Chester

university of chester

3.9(217)

Chester

The institution's original buildings were the first in the country to be purpose-built for the professional training of teachers. The first cohort of 10 male student teachers had been taught in temporary premises in Nicholas Street from February 1840, until increasing student numbers led to a move to further temporary accommodation in Bridge Street later that year. The need for a permanent site led the Dean and Chapter of Chester Cathedral to donate land adjacent to Parkgate Road and the new facilities were opened in 1842 for the 50 student teachers and their school pupils. The Parkgate Road Campus has subsequently been developed to accommodate the needs of students and the University still provides higher education in this location and at other sites in the city and beyond. Education qualifications remain significant and are now a fraction of the 420 course combinations on offer. In the 20th Century, the institution steadily expanded its student numbers and the variety and nature of its courses, which range from Animation to Zoo Management. The University of Chester now has over 1,700 staff and some 20,000 students, drawn from the United Kingdom, Europe and further afield, particularly from the United States, India, China, Nigeria, Turkey, Uganda, Pakistan, Ghana, Bangladesh, Qatar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. As well as undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, a new range of foundation degrees and apprenticeship degrees combines conventional university study with learning at work. MPhil and PhD qualifications are an established and growing area of activity, with the University gaining the powers to award its own research degrees in 2007. The emphasis is very much on research that has practical benefits both economically and culturally, and the University provides consultancy support across a variety of areas of expertise. Recent projects have included helping to develop England’s first ‘carbon neutral’ village, discovering a vitamin compound which reduces the risk of heart disease and dementia, translating the Bible into British Sign Language, and research into understanding the psychological impact of cancer to improve wellbeing and quality of life for patients and their families. Development of well-respected courses in Health and Social Care, Humanities, Business and Management, Arts and Media, Social Sciences, Science and Engineering, Medicine, Dentistry and Clinical Sciences, and Education and Children’s Services has further extended the University’s work and connections with industry, commerce and the professions. Many millions of pounds are continually invested in the accommodation and resources to enhance the student experience and there is a strong focus on making students feel supported and at home. Recent developments include the addition of two large accommodation blocks (Grosvenor and Sumner Houses) and a significant expansion of the learning resource centre at the Parkgate Road Campus. The Handbridge former Western Command Army HQ, in which Winston Churchill held wartime meetings with international politicians, is now the Queen’s Park Campus and opened for the academic year 2015/16 as a base for the Faculty of Business and Management, educating the leaders of tomorrow. This followed the launch of Thornton Science Park in 2014/15, hosting the UK’s first new Faculty of Science and Engineering in two decades and bringing together teaching and research with business and innovative industry practices on one site.