This year's business expo will be held on Wednesday March 14th at The Carlton House Club in Olney. 

 

The Expo will run from 2.00pm through to 6.30pm in the function room and entrance is FREE. An impressive list of speakers are also being lined up to talk on a variety of business related subjects. 

 

To book your space at the expo please click here. 

 

Olney Chamber of Trade held it’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday 8th September. Kim Durden, Chair, opened a well attended meeting with her report confirming the successes of the Chamber over the last twelve month period, including the resounding success that was the Big Olney Food Festival; the monthly breakfast networking and monthly coffee mornings which continue to be well attended by both local business people and those from further afield; the Christmas campaign to promote the town’s retailers and food outlets in the run-up to Christmas; of course, the Christmas trees organised and erected once more by volunteers from the Chamber; our input to Dickens of a Christmas; and the Business Expo held at Bridge House in February giving local businesses the opportunity to showcase their trades. There is also the new website, much more user friendly, and a real added benefit to all members. All this hard work by the committee has meant that Kim was able to confirm in excess of 90 members, but confirmed there are still plenty more businesses out there that will benefit from the voice that is the Olney Chamber of Trade! 

 

Kim Durden confirmed that after three years’ service, she would be stepping down as Chair of the committee. The committee thanked her for all her hard work over this time in steering the Chamber to be a much more proactive force for its’ members. The new committee was elected as follows: Chairman – Liz Butcher; Vice-Chairman – Samantha Tomlin; Secretary – Nicola Watts; Treasurer – Ian Brewster; Membership – Dee Bethune, Bill Bethune and Steve Axtell; Networking and events – Samantha Tomlin; Website – Steve Axtell; Social events – Kim Durden; Retail representative – Kathy Danskin; Town Council representative – Dee Bethune; Christmas trees – Gaven Mumberson; Publicity – Maria Tennant; General Members – Mike Reed, Mary Sambrook and Rose Palmer. 

 

Chamber members meet at 10.00am for networking over a cup of coffee at The Bull. These events offer an opportunity to meet informally with other local business men and women to share news, views and business ideas. 

 

It was great to meet with Mark Lancaster TD MP when he attended the January coffee morning. 

There's no fee to attend - simply an honesty pot each time you re-fill your cup! 

 

Non members are welcome. 

 

 

 

For further information, please contact Samantha Tomlin 

 

 

The Chamber Committee usually meets on the second Thursday of the month at The Bull. All members and non-members are welcome. 

For further details, please contact Kim Durden 

 

 

 

The Olney Chamber of Trade holds business networking events at 12.30pm in the Bull, Olney on a monthly basis. 

 

Non members are welcome and the cost is £15.00. If you would like to join the Chamber, as a member, these meetings would cost you £12.50. 

 

 

 

 

Willen Hospice has been busy producing a CD "I'll be there", a song of love and caring, written especially for Willen Hospice by John Hawkes and sung by Gilly Giddings. The CD is now available to buy and we are looking for Business and Retail supporters who would be willing to sell the CD at their offices and shops. 

 

A song of love and caring, written by John Hawkes and performed 

by Gilly Giddings in aid of Willen Hospice 

 

Gilly has been busy promoting the CD and performed live at the annual Milton Keynes Fireworks spectacular. 

 

The CD will make a great gift, with all net proceeds going straight to Willen Hospice. 

 

The song was originally performed at the 2011 Summer Concert at Olney Parish Church, near Milton Keynes, and created for the Megalith TV charity film "Always There to Care". 

 

John Hawkes, the songwriter, was touched by Willen Hospice over a decade ago and kindly gifted the song so that the Hospice could raise vital funds. 

 

The song has special meaning for Gilly because her father, Fred Mitchell, was cared for at Willen Hospice in 2010. This is how Gilly describes her experience 

 

“Willen Hospice was a place that said to me let’s embrace life, let’s celebrate it, let’s focus on the good we can do here.  Willen Hospice gave my Dad his life back during his stay — it was the most comfortable he had been in a long time.  Willen Hospice is a truly wonderful and inspiring place and I will never, ever forget its support and kindness through the most difficult of times”. 

 

The CD is a real collaboration of local talent with not only John’s writing and Gilly’s vocal skills, but Alan Haughton, a local accomplished composer who orchestrated the music and Phil English, a recording engineer based in Willen village, who provided his skills to produce the track. Marshall Amplification has kindly helped in sponsoring the CD to ensure that all net proceeds go directly to Willen Hospice and Igloo Creative donated their fantastic creative and design skills for the supporting materials. 

 

Copies of the CD can be ordered from the Willen Hospice Warehouse at Kiln Farm by contacting Lynn Reeves or Mel Tyrrell on 01908 578280. To register your interest and to order your CD’s you will need to complete a Sale or Return Record which can be emailed to you by Lynn or Mel. 

Upon order of the CD stock you will also receive an A4 Poster and A5 Flyers which can accompany the merchandise display. The flyers can also be placed in prominent locations throughout your premises for people to read or take away. 

If you require a merchandise display stand we can supply these to you at a cost of £6 per stand. For orders of more than 50 CD’s you will receive a free display stand. Below is a visual of how the display stand should look, with the A4 Poster placed behind copies of the CD. The stand can hold up to 10 copies of the CD. 

Please ensure that you can play the CD within your outlet whenever possible. 

The cost per CD is £5.00.