Picture this: a warm July evening, welcome drinks in hand, and the elegant Horsted Place Hotel as your backdrop. Add in 60 local business professionals, buzzing conversation, and the chance to network on the croquet lawn, and you’ve got the recipe for another fantastic Uckfield Chamber members’ meeting.
Just over a year since our last visit, our flagship bi-monthly gathering made a stylish return to Horsted Place. Guests were greeted with a welcome drink and a chance to mingle in the garden before the formal proceedings began.
Chamber President, Chris Dowling provided key updates, including the latest on the Maiden’s Head, High Street carriageway closure and a rundown of upcoming events.
Introductions and invitations
Our hosts, Adam and Emma from Horsted Place, also shared a few words, reminding everyone why this venue is the perfect place to gather for corporate events and meetings. And our late Queen used to stay here in the 1960s, don’t you know!
There was also an invitation to their upcoming Croquet & Cocktails evening, which was met with plenty of interest and more than a few enthusiastic nods at the idea of mixing mallets with martinis!
We were delighted to officially welcome Debbie Elliott to the Chamber’s executive team. She jumped straight into action (quite literally) taking on the lively role of roaming mic-wielder, ensuring our new members had their moment to shine as they introduced themselves and their businesses to the room.
One of the evening’s highlights was guest speaker Vicki Orbell, Head of Business Development at East Sussex College Group. She gave an insightful talk on career-based learning, apprenticeships and how local businesses can work with the College to help shape the workforce of tomorrow.
What’s next?
Following the meeting, guests then tucked into a fabulous selection of food, including seabream, venison sausage rolls and ham hock toasties. And the delicious, sweet treats of strawberries and cream, carrot cake and scones rounded off the evening perfectly.
The conversation continued over dinner, with members catching up, swapping ideas, and already looking ahead to the next event.
A huge thank you to Horsted Place Hotel for hosting us so beautifully once again, and to everyone who came along and made the evening such a success. Summer networking doesn’t get much better than this.
And speaking of what’s coming up – our next members’ meeting will be held at Uckfield College on Wednesday 17 September.