Deborah Lester-George invited me over to Newbury News Limited today for the launch of the West Berkshire Business Awards & a bite of lunch, 3rd lunch this week!

I arrived a little early as I like to do and met Deborah, a chap from the Hungerford Chamber and a young lady who was on a graduate programme at Vodafone, who I then introduced to the Hungerford chap because he was looking for funding and she was aware of a pot, not related to Vodafone but one she was creating awareness for… I’d only been there 10 minutes!

(1 roll, 1 ton, 12 miles of recycled paper… they use 7,000 rolls a year producing 80 titles at newburytoday!)

30 minutes later people started to arrive, I knew less than half a dozen as I don’t do much networking over Newbury… usually pop over to see Quinney or Graham at Verbatim but the rest is really new turf… saying that, recently met up with the ladies at Newbury Education Business Partnership and funnily enough, today ended up connecting her to the caterer, he has room for an apprentice 😉

This ain’t just any old pack lunch in a box you know… my fear was curly white bread and fat fuelled crisps was not realised on opening the magic box provided by John & Simon from Oldburys… watch the video… call 01635 226066 and fill your healthy boots!

In the world of IT, Roc Technologies are kicking some global butt and Matt Franklin was on hand to say how it was great to win an award last year & sponsor one this.

Bayer were on hand to get the party started and Thomas Plant, for all of you who watch antique shows in the afternoon rather than smiling & dialling which you know you should be doing, entertained us with tales from the gavel!

One bloke had gone to shake my hand but he obviously had flu or something similar… why do people go out when they are full of bugs, for self employed folk like me who don’t get paid when they are sick it’s very annoying… he is probably influential and I’ve made a bit of a boob there but I would rather not shake a germ full hand… am I wrong or was he being very inconsiderate?

GO ENTER YOUR WEST BERKSHIRE BUSINESS FOR THIS YEAR’S AWARDS…

Best of luck…

Thank you.

Jon