Category Archives for Member’s Blog

My house to be featured in national magazine!

I have just heard that there is to be a photo shoot of my house in 4-6 weeks time and it will be featured in the magazine ’25 Beautiful Homes.” This will involve an interview with me, so will be a good way to (hopefully!) promote my Interior Style Consultancy business-Metamorphosis. It is really exciting!!
Denny Gaskell www.metamorphosisstyle.co.uk

Technology! Technology! – 1230 TWC East Grinstead

What a great meeting today and I could see you were all getting much from it.

Thank you also for your support when technology let me down.

Look forward to meeting up again soon – and I look forward to seeing your Blogs, Testimonials, etc.

What a fascinating talk from Gill Bentham of Hens Dancing too! A snapshot of women through the ages from the First World War to the modern day. If you missed today’s and get another chance to listen, do book in.

Lucy Locksmith won the business card draw – 3 months free membership of Hens Dancing!

We made it!

Chicken in the soup (tourists in the rain) – Chinese saying

“There’s nothing bloody heavenly about this Jim!” – swearing at our Guide as we reached the top of Heaven’s Ladder; a steep, crumbling stairwell of 300 steps up the side of a mountain.

Stretching 6000km in a dotted line across China, the Great Wall was begun in the 5th Century BC. As it snakes across the mountains it conjures up a sense of history which is difficult to grasp until you have had the opportunity to experience it.

Fortunately (or not), my mum and I were some of the lucky ones who, along with 36 others, spent 10 days in China taking on the challenge of the Great Wall. We had some fantastic Guides, including a local called Alan who spoke flawless English and knew the wall like the back of his hand. Each time we conquered a mammoth section of the wall, Alan would sit us down and give us a lesson on China and answer our burning questions! At night we were welcomed into the homes of local farmers who’s food and hospitality gave us a true cultural experience of rural China.

The trek itself was both a physical and mental challenge. Some sections would wind through remote woodland and terraced farmland with slippery stones and crumbling rocks. Other parts would lead us up the sides of mountains and across some high, narrow ridges with gale force winds – there were a few hairy moments!

But we couldn’t have reached the top of those mountains if it hadn’t been for all the support from our family and friends back home. So far the grand total is at £5,823 and we’re still collecting! Your generous donations will go towards Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital’s new cardiac theatre. This new facility will provide the flexibility to accommodate future advances in surgical techniques ranging from cardiac transplantation to keyhole surgery.

Overall, the new cardiac theatre will allow GOSH to maintain the quality of care expected of a centre of excellence, and ensure that the future vision for cardiac surgery is delivered, and children needing cardiac surgery get the best care possible.

As well as fundraising for GOSH, this trek gave us the chance to get our new charity, My Ten Days, off the ground. The charity encourages owner/managers of small to medium size businesses to give an extra ten days’ paid leave to one member of their team to do something worthwhile, either in the UK or overseas. www.mytendays.org

When we arrived at Gatwick in our hiking boots and oversized rucksacks, we didn’t know a soul. By the flight home, we had left China as a team who had helped each other out of some sticky situations and been together along one of the most incredible journeys any of us will ever experience.

Donations can still be made at www.justgiving.com/brightley-hodges

If you have been inspired to do something amazing, get involved with Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital at – www.gosh.org or lobby your boss and visit www.mytendays.org

Zero Cost?!

Marketing yourself and your business at zero cost

What an informative talk by guest speaker Jackie Barrie of Comms Plus today at 1230 TWC Croydon. This was certainly notdeath by PowerPoint.

We nodded in recognition and learning as Jackie took us through “Ten Key Messages to make online networking work for you”

Jackie’s presentations are always a delight – presented in her own fun, commonsense and interactive style. Big THANK YOU Jackie… look forward to meeting again.

oooo, the company and food were great too!

What on earth is Twitter??

Have you recently found yourself asking that question? Or feeling as if the whole world (except you) seems to be on Facebook?

Find out how Twitter can help you to develop meaningful networking relationships in person! At this month’s Woking meeting, we will be joined by 1230 TWC member Callie Carling to discover how we can all boost our business profile with social networking – mixing business with pleasure!

Callie is an integrated holistic therapist and trainer at Holistic Feathers who is passionate about online social networking. Callie has helped a wide range of clients develop their e-visibility with Moonpoppy Enterprises.

Flying visit to share my happiness

I am SO excited!

The beautiful Rachna Sachdeva (of Mums in Control) has kindly written a review of my facial rejuvenation and Raw Gaia signature living facial treatments – and it appears in the Spring issue of her magazine, which has just been printed!

Whoooohoooooo!!!
http://bit.ly/Moonpoppy_in_print (pg 29 for the review about Holistic Feathers)

Thank you SO much Rachna, you’ve made my month!

Maidstone Launch

Very excited, we have found the perfect venue for our Maidstone launch. It is going to be at The Pippin, London Road, Maidstone on the 20th May. We have also arranged press coverage, and everything is coming together.

Moon Walk update

Well another lovely morning I left home at 6am and walked to join my other walkers so I was off to a head start. Lots of pain now and a very large blister but I am getting there.

Great days!

Yesterday Penny and I were delighted to be invited by 1230 TWC members Fiona McAllister and Nicola Broadhurst of Mundays to the Princess Alice Hospice Friends Extra Lunch at the new Epsom Race Stadium. We met some fabulous people there with John Short comparing the event and Simon Lycett demonstrating the most stunning floral arrangements. These and other items were auctioned to help the wonderful work that the staff at Princess Alice Hospice do to help the terminally ill.

Today we attended a Women in Management network Conference at Radison’s Hotel in London to hear inspiring speakers Liz Jackson, Pauline Crawford, Cali Bird, Amanda Annandale and Linda Griffiths – thank you 1230 TWC Chislehurst Manager Jan Woollett for inviting us. If you get the opportunity to hear any of the speakers yourself – grab the chance immediately – you won’t be disappointed!

Birthday cake – and learning to fly in the Twitterverse

Monday 20th April saw 1230 TWC Wimbledon celebrating her 1st birthday: helping us to celebrate the happy occasion were Penny Denby and Jackie Groundsell (founders of 1230 TWC), with Teresa Leong (Wimbledon manager) bringin along the most divine carrot cake I have ever tasted in my life!

I arrived very early, keen to help Teresa prepare the room … unfortunately, none of us had thought to bring along a camera as we would have loved to share the decorations in the Piaf restaurant’s conservatory with you. Gorgeous pink ballons fluttered gaily in the breeze, while a few mini Womble characters lay sprinkled on the table and I brought in my own personal collection of Wombles – rather fitting, really, as the Wombles live in Wimbledon Common. Jackie Groundsell also kindly brought in a massive Womble which eclipsed my offerings … ahh well!

Back to business, we met some great new faces, as well as the usual friendly faces such as Fiona Coppard (Electra), Meera Prasad (Spa owner), myself and Fiona Syrett (1230 TWC Woking manager).

The meeting started with a talk on social networking and how it can help to boost your business, delivered by me (with my business consultant head on!) at the kind request of Teresa. Passionate about networking in all its guises, Twitter and Facebook etc. all help me to communicate with potential clients and businesses.

For the last half of the 30 minute talk I focused more on Twitter: a free, social networking tool which allows you to communicate globally in just 140 character ‘tweets’. I was delighted to launch my newest e-guide “Starting out on Twitter: Learning to fly in the Twitterverse” (available via www.moonpoppyenterprises.com/enetworking.htm) at 1230 TWC Wimbledon’s birthday celebrations and I know that a lot of business was exchanged on the day!.

Fiona Coppard (Electra) had thoughtfully given Teresa a wonderful handmade Womble birthday card and distributed a birthday gift (£5 voucher) to all the attendees, which was so thoughtful – and very gratefully received, especially now I have spied the latest bracelets she has in stock!

Azmina Jiwa also kindly offered 1230 TWC members a massive 70% discount on her one-day workshop “Zest for Life”, which I am heading off to tomorrow (Saturday).

Fiona Syrett has kindly invited me to be a guest speaker at the 1230 TWC Woking meeting in May 2009 to talk about Twitter so do please come along and join us …

Yet another great networking lunch where we were all able to make valuable connections and mix business with pleasure

Many congratulations to Teresa Leong for all her hard work and for the opportunity to share 1230 TWC Wimbledon’s birthday celebration in such a great way.