News and Updates

Hammonds Charity Quiz for Childline

Here’s your chance to enter this year’s Charity Quiz… please print off and enjoy OR forward to anyone you know who may enjoy hours and hours of head scratching! You will find easy, easy cryptic, anagrams and easy(ish!) clever clues which, when solved, will give you a Country, Capital or Currency answer. Simply work out the answers and write them clearly alongside each clue. Only 65% of the entrants got a 100% score in last year’s Quiz! There will be a Prize Draw from all of the entries received – regardless of the score achieved All proceeds of the quiz got to support Childline. The closing date which is 12 Noon on Saturday 11th January 2020. The winner will be the entry with the most correct answers. In the event of a tie, all of the entries with the most correct answers will be placed in a hat and the winners will be drawn at random. Best of luck! Download... read more

June Meeting – 200 Degrees coffee

Alex Spampinato, the brand ambassador of Nottingham-based 200 Degrees coffee, visited Bingham Business Club to present an enlightening talk on everything you need to know about how coffee is made, from bean to coffee. He handed round samples of coffee berries and beans to the attendees, followed by a sampling of freshly ground, filtered and poured coffee, with the request from Alex for flavours and tastes experienced on the palate and any changes noted as the coffee cooled. Vouchers for a free coffee from the coffee houses that 200 Degrees run on Carrington Street and Flying Horse Walk were also issued to all attendees … to smiles all around. Niamh O’Brien, a pupil from Carnarvon School in Bingham, gave an update on her charity fundraising and thanked all those from the business club who had kindly sponsored her walk to help raise funds for a permanent memorial for a classmate of hers who had died from leukaemia. Niamh’s attendance and personal presentation at the previous meeting had helped to raise a significant sum from those present. Chairman Jonathan Hammond reminded the attendees of the time capsule photograph that is being taken this Saturday, June 30, in Bingham Market Place. The time capsule will be buried within the works being carried out at the newly-refurbished and extended offices of Hammond Property Services in Bingham, and town residents are asked to congregate in the Market Place for 10am for Bingham based photographer Malcolm Sales to take the photograph. Young Bingham resident Sam Surguy attended with his father Jason to ask for funding towards his ambitions as a long track speed skater, having already set records for his age group, with the donations to go towards the costs of... read more

May Meeting – Malcolm Darroch ‘Dolly Shepherd and when the ‘chute went up’

A young Edwardian woman who made her name as a parachutist was the subject of a talk given to members of Bingham Business Club at their latest meeting. Speaker Malcolm Darroch told how Dolly Shepherd’s career began when she was 16 and working as a waitress at Alexandra Palace in London – a job she applied for so that she could hear the famous musician John Philip Sousa, who was performing there. She waited on Sousa’s table, and met his friends, including one Samuel Franklin Cody, who ran a wild west show. When Cody’s wife was shot and injured taking part in the show, Dolly offered to take her place – having a plaster egg shot off the top of her head by a blindfolded Cody. Another friend on the table ran a touring show featuring hot air balloons. Dolly was asked if she wanted to be part of the show, and learned how to parachute from the balloon. Her performing outfit consisted of knickerbockers, a gold sash, cap and long boots. She would jump from the side of a hot air or gas balloon basket. Once she jumped alongside another female performer, whose parachute failed to open. Dolly carried out a daring mid-air rescue that saved her friend, but left Dolly paralysed for weeks. During that time Dolly’s mother stood in for her daughter. “You can tell where Dolly got her guts from,” Mr Darroch said. After having ground-breaking ECT treatment she was able to perform again and continued until 1912, when she heard a voice telling her not to jump again or she would be killed. She never jumped again. She worked as a driver and mechanic on the Western Front in the First World War and was a... read more

April Meeting – Non-verbal communication

  The importance of body language in getting a message across was the subject at Bingham Business Club’s April meeting. Chris Hallam of CH Coaching Solutions has in the past worked with Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United and the world-cup- winning England Rugby squad. He also spent 30 years with the Lloyds Banking Group. He now works for Nottingham-based Boots, part of the Wallgreen Boots Alliance, the first global pharmacy-led health and wellbeing enterprise. Chris said that body language played a far greater part in getting a message across than what was actually being said. He said research shows that 55% of communication is effected through non-verbal skills, 38% through how the words are said, and only 7% through the words themselves. He said that, when it came to important presentations or speeches, many people spent far too much time focusing on writing the words and not enough time on how to deliver them effectively. He also said the brain responded better to simple messages, recognising pictures or gestures more easily than complex written or spoken messages, hence the growth in the use of emoticons in messages. Chris highlighted areas of non-verbal communication where cultural or geographical elements could confuse the message. For example, the concept of personal space or the use of eye contact has different meanings in different places. He also spoke about the role played by posture, gesture, tone of voice, and physical response. While people could learn how to improve their non-verbal skills, some elements could not be faked, such as shaking when under stress or blinking rapidly when lying. He said one of the best ways to learn the skill was by watching others and trying to work out the dynamic between them and... read more

March Meeting – Lost Houses of Nottingham

The lost houses of Nottinghamshire were the subject of a talk to Bingham Business Club’s March meeting. Mr Graham Hayes, from the Rotary Club of Wollaton Park, described his talk as a story of vanished heritage, illustrating it with pictures of the buildings, and maps showing where they had once stood. He explained that many large homes were lost through death duties, often being sold and converted, damaged by mining subsidence, or demolished for housing or other development. The Town and Country Planning Act of 1944 was passed to help protect such buildings, but Mr Hayes said the legislation had been too little, too late. The great houses he mentioned included Sherwood Lodge, which was built in 1791 and was the home of the Vicar of Arnold for 60 years, the Rev George Holcombe, who was also a magistrate. Sherwood Lodge was later owned by the National Coal Board and then Nottinghamshire County Council. It was demolished in the 1970s and the county police headquarters was built on the site. Calverton Hall, former home of Colonel Frank Seeley, was demolished in 1961 to make way for a miners’ welfare. It was said to have been haunted by a maid who killed herself after being jilted on her wedding day. The Guide House, built in 1710 as a farmhouse on the old north road out of Nottingham, was once an inn where people could hire someone to guide them safely through Sherwood Forest to Mansfield. It was demolished in 1978 to make way for housing. Burton Joyce Hall, whose cellars were once used as a lock-up for village drunks, was later owned by the county council and the Royal British Legion, before being demolished in... read more

February Meeting – Children’s Bereavement Centre

The work of the Children’s Bereavement Centre throughout Nottinghamshire was outlined to members of Bingham Business Club at their February meeting. The centre’s corporate and community engagement officer, Caz Froggatt, gave a breakdown of the number of children that had been helped by the Newark-based charity in the last year. Of more than 700 children supported, 188 had lost fathers, 128 had lost mothers and 13 had had multiple losses. Cancer had been the cause of death in 146 cases, sudden death in 96 cases, and suicide in 68 cases. Ten deaths had been due to murder. About half the children helped were under ten, and half aged from 11 to 17. The charity holds sessions in Bingham Children’s Centre each week, which have helped more than 30 children in the past year. Caz showed business club members some of the practical props used to help children coming to terms with grief, including cuddle bears, worry monsters, and books about bereavement. People can refer themselves to the centre for help, or be referred by outside agencies, such as a GP or school.  The services offered are free, which means the charity relies on donations, grants and trusts to meet its costs. “We do not think anyone should have to pay for our services,” Caz said. After Caz’s talk, Paul Zemontas from the Advertiser Media Group volunteered to run Newark Half-Marathon in aid of the charity this summer. In other news, club chairman Jonathan Hammond announced that his company, Hammond Property Services, would be marking its 30th (pearl) anniversary by raising money throughout the year to sponsor a Guide Dogs for the Blind puppy called Pearl. As part of the anniversary, the Hammond Property Services building... read more

January 2018 Meeting – Bingham’s Plans to Remember WW1

Plans for Bingham to mark the centenary of the end of the World War I were outlined to members of Bingham Business Club at their January meeting. Mr Richard Montgomery and Mr Wally Rees of Bingham Royal British Legion were guests at the meeting and spoke about different aspects of remembrance. Mr Geoff Ashton of Bingham Heritage Trails Association also spoke briefly about some of the local men who died in the war. Mr Montgomery said that, in the biggest membership event in its history, the Royal British Legion was recreating its 1928 pilgrimage to the World War 1 battlefields. A decade after the end of the war, veterans and war widows visited the Somme and Ypres, before marching to the Menin Gate on August 8, 1928. This August thousands of legion members, including two from the Bingham branch, will recreate the pilgrimage 90 years on. The branch is trying to raise £1,000 to cover the cost of sending the two members, who will take the branch standard and a wreath. Mr Wally Rees spoke about commemorative events due to take place in Bingham in the run-up to Remembrance Day this year. This will include young people from Toot Hill College playing the part of servicemen and their families in various locations around the town, including the market place and railway station. The group, known as a ghost squad, will represent 36 Bingham men who died during the First World War. They will also parade to the parish church on Armistice Day, Sunday, November 11, but will not take part in the service, to represent the fact that they did not survive the war. A wreath will be placed in the church in their memory during... read more

November Meeting – Tim Sutton

The role of a non-executive director was outlined to members of Bingham Business Club at their last meeting by Tim Sutton, managing director of Fresh Growth Solutions. Tim Sutton began by joking that NEDs had been likened to a bidet. “They are expensive, no-one knows what they do, and people are unsure how to use them,” he said. Tim has more than 35 years’ experience in the fresh food industry, including being managing director of Geest Fresh Food, supplying major retailers including Waitrose and Morrisons. Geest was later acquired by Bakkavor. “You will all have their products at home in your fridge,” he said. After 20 years at Geest, he took a complete change of direction, going into fish farming. The company went bust and had to be re-financed twice. “That’s when I really learned about business,” Tim said. The company went on to sell its fish products to Harrods. Tim now works as a non-executive director and business coach, advising many companies on how to improve their performance. Tim is a highly-focused NED, advisor and personal coach, experienced in plc, family-owned and SME high growth businesses. He has extensive contacts in the business support sector, retail and fresh food industry. He said it was vital, firstly, as a NED, to understand your sector. A good NED had the highest ethical standards, supported and challenged the leadership team, questioned intelligently, listened sensitively, gained the trust and respect of board members, showed curiosity and courage. The role then primarily involved remaining independent, being a critical friend, offering wise counsel, and both challenging and supporting a company’s leadership team. He said it could be difficult getting a first NED role, but further position were easier to obtain, often through business-to- business... read more

Christmas Luncheon *** RESERVE YOUR PLACE NOW!!!! ***

This year’s Christmas Luncheon is being held at The White Lion, Nottingham Road, Bingham NG13 8AT. 12.15pm arrive for 12.30pm start Thursday 14th December 2017 Download the details and booking form here. So… I do need to know how many turkeys I have to pluck and how many Haddock to catch…. the Menu you need to choose from is here. The perfect way to celebrate a successful 2017 – why not bring along a work colleague to thank them for their efforts throughout the year, or family or clients or… current or future clients? To reserve your space, please write a cheque, send or drop off the completed menu choices and your payment to: Bingham Business Club, c/o Samantha White at Bostock White Cabourn House, Station St, Bingham, Nottingham NG13 8AQ OR BACS PAYMENT TO BBC ACCOUNT NUMBER: 69036438 SORT CODE: 60 02 41 Quoting your name/business as the... read more

October Networking Meeting

There was a chance for members and visitors at Bingham Business Club’s latest meeting to do some networking before breakfast. The club is a support, social network and forum for businesses in and around the Bingham area. It offers members and other attendees the chance to meet and constructively work together to generate revenue and help address the issues that face local businesses. Whether you are a new business starting out or a long-established part of the landscape, the club welcomes your input and looks forward to seeing you at one of its future meetings. The Bingham Business Club meets monthly at Yeung Sing on the corner of Market Street and Long Acre, Bingham, at 8am, except for the summer barbecue and Christmas lunch. Meetings usually take the form of introductions, followed by a speaker, and then breakfast. But the October meeting was a networking session, giving existing and new members the opportunity to meet one another and learn about their businesses. Meetings also regularly include 30-second slots, in which members or visitors can tell the meeting about services, events or news that may be of interest. At the latest meeting, club chairman Jonathan Hammond introduced Stephen Hoare, who specialises in tutoring in chemistry and biology; Joanne Buckley of Fraser Brown solicitors, who spoke about the Christmas Tree Festival at Bingham Parish Church from November 30 to December 3, and invited businesses to take part; Jan Parnham of Long Acre Studios, who highlighted a charity fashion show at Bingham Healing Centre on November 13. Jonathan also reminded members about his annual charity quiz, which is now open for entries. The next meeting is on Tuesday, November 21. Copy provided by Advertiser Media... read more