VenueL MWB Business Exchange Plc, Quorum 16, Balliol Business Park East, Benton Lane, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE12 8BX6.30pm for registration, nibbles & refreshments.  7pm prompt start of event.

Are you a planner and like to work with structure and lists?  Do you ever get through your list or do you just keep creating a new one with the leftovers of the last one?  Or are you one of those women who keeps it all in your head assured that you’ll remember what you need to when you need to? 

Would you like an easier way to express what’s in your head to ensure that you either remember or don’t feel overwhelmed?

In this session Paula McCormack (of Ellmac Partnerships Ltd and founder of Women in Lifelong Learning Ltd) will facilitate your learning about Mind Maps which are designed to accentuate associations.  By clarifying associations of ideas, Mind Maps helps us to put information into our brains in a way that makes it easy for us to access.  They provide one of the clearest expressions of the way the human mind works, no matter what your style.

So if you want to de-clutter your mind and create space for you then this session is for you.

That an investment can be made without the responsibility of ownership?
Why so many people are investing in property products overseas and how they afford it?
An investment can be made using unproductive pension funds?
That £100 pm is all you need to start an investment pot?
That house prices in UK double every 10yrs, abroad every 5?
 But how, where and who do you trust?
Those are the crucial questions. Christine Boyd of Olive Tree International will present a talk on Property Investment to explain the detail. The talk is suitable for anyone looking for some very practical information on how to invest in property abroad.
Presentations are planned for the 30th July , 21st and 27th August and 9th, 17th and 25th of September.   We would stress these are not sales seminars but are designed to provide you with information on the best way for you to personally benefit from investing in property either here or abroad.
The seminars run from 7.15 and 8.30pm at 109 Centralofts, 21 Waterloo Street. Newcastle. NE1 4AL.  (opposite Dance City).   It is free and all are welcome.
For more information or to reserve your place, contact Christine Boyd on 0191 2611070 or email Christine.boyd@olive-tree.com

This is an informal event to give information about investing in overseas property for lifestyle or investment. This can also be funded through a SIPP investment.
Best wishes
 
Christine Boyd
Business Partner
Tel: +44 191 2611070
Mobile: +44 7941239976
christine.boyd@olive-tree.com
www.olivetreeworld.com

A grant scheme designed to help SMEs transform innovative ideas for products or processes into a business reality has made its 100th offer, providing a total of £8 million of grant assistance for projects costing over £18 million.

Regional development agency (RDA) One NorthEast was charged with delivering the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Research and Development (R&D) grant scheme across the North East in April 2005.

Although the scheme has long been established, formerly as the DTI Smart and Spur awards scheme, One NorthEast has increased uptake and utilised the grants as pre-seed funding to kick start many young technology businesses and new business start ups.

Sedgefield-based Kromek is the latest project to secure funding, with a £250,000 R&D grant from the Agency.

This will be used to develop ground-breaking x-ray technology that will transform traditional x-ray images into digital high definition, three dimensional, colour images that will vastly improve industrial process line inspection and quality assurance procedures.

The 100 grant offers made by One NorthEast to date span across all sectors, with a number of particularly strong projects in the Agency’s “Three Pillars” of economic activity for the region: healthcare and health sciences; energy and the environment; and process innovation.

These areas form three of the region’s Centres of Excellence, and each one has been challenged to generate £2 billion worth of economic growth over the next 10 to 15 years through a new generation of technology-based enterprises.

Women thinking of starting their own businesses are being urged to explore their ambitions further.

The call has been made by Business Link, which is staging more than 500 start-up workshops across the North East for anyone interested in going it alone. With a range of sessions designed especially for women, the workshops are ideal for those returning to work after a career break or looking for a career change as well as those not currently working.

Middlesbrough-based Yvette Sheekey received assistance from Business Link to help realise her ambition to work for herself, starting up Penelope’s Pitstops.

She identified an opportunity in the marketplace for a car servicing garage exclusively for women motorists. Business Link helped her right from the start, providing advice and assisting in the winning of support from Middlesbrough Council and Solutions Funding.

“I was a fitness instructor for over 20 years which meant as a woman I was very comfortable with the gym environment,” she said. “But I realised how it could be intimidating for a woman to enter into, which is why single-sex gyms have been so successful. Now working in the car industry, I recognised that the same issues were evident.”

Chris Simpson, account manager at Business Link, said: “We believe there are hundreds, if not thousands, of women out there in the North East with great ideas for starting their own businesses, but don’t know where to turn for advice.”

The free start-up workshops, being held over the coming year, will focus on all areas of business, providing access to practical advice, support and information. More information is available by calling 0845 600 9 006.

This is your opportunity to get to know your fellow members a little bit better and have a Northumbrian buffet using Glendale and local organic meat and local vegetables, along with a social drink at the same time in the most amazing country setting that is Northumberland – our very own back yard of greenery, nature, and outdoor bliss.  And if its cold, come inside this quaint country pub and join the local’s in a pint or two, sit by the massive log fire or just chill in one of the nooks and crannies this idyllic pub has to offer.  And of course allow yourself to be hosted by our very own member, the Landlady extraordinaire that is Claire Charlton & her team.  And better still, you don’t even have to drive, we’ve put on a bus to pick you up from Newcastle and drop you back (at a reasonable hour, given it’s a ‘school’ night!!!).

It is important that anyone who wishes to attend lets us know, especially as we are organising transport, and as last month shows, we were unable to let people know that the event had been cancelled as we were unaware that they were attending

MWB Business Exchange Plc, Quorum 16, Balliol Business Park East, Benton Lane,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE12 8BX

In this very different and most interesting session, led by one of our very own members, Chris Headland, we will learn and experience the art of Sound Therapy and its benefits into managing ourselves, our stress and creating relaxation in our busy lives.  In the session we will experience how different music can be used to change your mood.  Then we learn how to use your own voice to help relaxation using chanting to change your mood and who/how this can help.  Finally there will be a chance to feel and have a go at using one of the other tools that Chris uses for everyone.

Amongst her many talents Chris is also trained in many other holistic therapies, does a huge amount of voluntary work (especially with kids) and also runs Frisson Jewelers as well as a number of internet businesses – where does she find the time!!!

Ladies, please note that there is now a charge of £5 for all non-members, although this is redeemable if anyone then joins as a member. Any non member may attend up to two events, thus meaning that they can redeem a maximum of £10 from the membership fee at the time of joining.  Membership fees for 2008/09 are £75 for the full year or on a pro-rata basis for new members.

The members overwhelmingly voted that anyone renewing – no matter when renewing should pay the full £75 so the pro-rata is only open to new members.

GETTING GUCCI QUALITY FOR GAP PRICES!

Venue: Tait Walker Chartered Accountants, Bulman House, Regent Centre, Gosforth, NE3 3LS

Facilitated by the Committee Members of WiLL in this session - the last of the 2007/08 calendar we really wanted to explore WiLL -

• what is it about for you personally, for you as a group?
• what else can you get from it?
• what does the website really give you?
• and most importantly what else do you want ie:-

1. how can we help you get the most of yourself and in turn the most for your business?
2. how can we help support your business?
3. how can we help further support your development?
4. how can we use the network to enable you further?

All these questions and many more will be explored on the night.  So whether you’ve been with WiLL from the start, just joined, anything in between or thinking about joining - this session is a must.  Make the choice to make it work for you!! 

Sign up and pay on the night for 2008/09 and get 10% discount off the annual membership fee of only £75.

As always doors open at 6.30pm for registration, nibbles & refreshments.  The event starts at 7pm and we aim to be finished by 8.45pm.