When it comes to cars, we all get the value of having a service, your car feels better, and you have peace of mind it will get you from A to B… Why don’t we put the same value on getting our computers checked up from time to time? Andrew has been great since initially advising on the best spec for my PC and any issues along the way. Yesterday he upgraded me to Windows 11 and cleaned its inner workings. This has resulted in it being much quieter AND running a like a dream again.

Today I was at Chamber House to deliver my Academy Workshops for my business members. The big screen makes such a difference when discussing the various areas of my website and how best to use it. Access to the training room is a great benefit to Chamber members, thank you!

Having attended last year I was keen to see what shape the event would take this year. To my delight, it exceeded all expectations this year! The new venue worked well, the catering was delicious and more importantly the speakers delivered exceptional value! The organisers ensured everything ran smoothly, creating an environment perfect for learning and networking. DigiFest is fast becoming a must-attend event for anyone in the digital space. I came away with new ideas and a fresh perspective on the latest digital trends. Already looking forward to next year!

When I dropped by to present them with their award certificate from business of the Year it was sooooo busy and the food smelt delicious I decided I needed to come back for a breakfast. So Christmas Eve I dropped by and had the medium breakfast which was very tasty. I would happily recommend you check it out for yourself.

Thank you so much Debbie, we had been looking for holidays within our family budget and not only did you find us some great deals you even beat them with a last minute suggestion! Each holiday just kept getting better and better! All within a family budget :)

Thank you to Gordana for taking the time to review my latest marketing materials layout and content. Your objective eye was very welcome and the finished result is substantially better as a result!

Swain Brother has been long standing members of thebestof Eastbourne and over the past 12 years I have heard nothing but praise for the team. So when it was time to update couple of my windows who else would I turn to? For peace of mind and comparison I talked with a few local double glazing companies but Swain Brothers were by far the most competitive estimate and 0 pressure to visit the property to measure up. As soon as I was ready Tim visited me to get the final measurements and discuss options to meet my needs. Windows were installed quickly and with minimal disruption. Great Job!

Our second event for thebestof Eastbourne was held at the club this week, this time in the downstairs function room. I was delighted to arrive to the room being set up the way I has asked and the team were only to happy to make sure we had everything we needed to keep our guests comfortable. As an organiser there is nothing better than your attendees commenting about the lovely surroundings and how they can also book the venue for their own events!

Thank you so much to Martin for again sharing his expert knowledge with fellow members of thebestof Eastbourne and our guests at the Business Boost event. Some great insights shared and we really appreciate the guidance on attracting and retaining the best possible employees for our businesses.

I have had to talk to One Answer Insurance more than normal as in November I cracked my windscreen and needed to have it replaced. I was able to source a local repair business that had me back on the road in just a few days and having submitted my claim to my insurer this was processed quickly and without any fuss at all. Thats to all the team members that helped me with my renewals and recent windscreen claim.

A HUGE thanks to Simon for making a suggestion on how I could help my members more with a small change. It has proven to be the most commented-on change over the last 5 or 6 years! Simon's attention to detail is a true asset.

Working with Mina for as many years as I have is a real blessing, when I noticed a significant change to Facebook Mina was my first point of call. We talked about the issue and the potential implications to the wider business community and how we can offer advice should it be needed!

I'm home after a fantastic 2 weeks at La Blanche Island Bodrum. Having trusted Debbie on all my holidays now for many years it really hit home just how prepared I am for them compared to other travellers booking their own way. On coming into land in Turkey the pilot said something about travel visas and so many passengers were unsure if they needed one or not whereas Debbie had already told me I did not need one. I knew about needing my face mask etc so no surprise there. On arrival, the hotel made me feel very welcome and on my first evening, the views simply took my breath away. When booking this time around my instructions to Debbie was to focus on the relaxation. I had not rested through Covid-19 and lots of personal challenges and really just wanted to unplug from the world for a while. La Blanche Island Bodrum did just that, from amazing views to friendly staff and enough space for me to find tranquillity when I wanted it. Debbie continues to amaze me with her finds and I can't wait to see her short list of recommendations for me for 2023!

Getting back to work in the new year always means time to renew my insurance. For many years now One Answer have looked after my car insurance matching and on occasions beating online comparison websites! Today Dani M walked me through the painless process and was very helpful in making sure I knew all the details etc. Thanks for the help!

How much do I love Market Theatre Touring Company? I have seen three of their shows now and laughed so hard in them all. My first encounter was Roman Romp which I had now idea what I was in for... but certainly entertaining for adults. I for one can't wait to see them again in their next production!

2020 and 2021 have seen my plans for a holiday disrupted and cancelled numerous times. Without the amazing support from Debbie Designer Travel I think I would have lost my marbles! Debbie Hammond has monitored the situation and kept me updated on changes. Nothing has been to much trouble for her. I can think of nothing worse than trying to juggle all the changing advice from around the globe but Debbie does the hard bit so all I have to focus on is relaxing when I finally get there. Thank You Debbie, you have been amazing.

I hit a stumbling block when making a change to the new pc I got from AP-it and Andrew was able to talk me through it and even sent me the helpful article about how to resolve my issue.

My computer is the heart of my business and during the lockdown, it has been working harder than ever. Though I may be tech-savvy in terms of using programs etc the inner workings of my PC are still a mystery so when I found myself running low on hard drive space with only a fraction of my storage drive in use I was lost. Thanks to Andrew and the free tool he suggested I found the problem and resolved it very quickly. As I always say, listen to the experts they have years of figuring things out even if it seems a quick solution they have probably spent hours trying to make sure it is the most effective solution!

I have been using One Answer Insurance for my Car Insurance for many years now, every year when I get my renewal I do my homework to check rates in the market then call One Answer to check my policy information is as accurate at possible. Without fail they have always been able to get me as competitive or BETTER cover for my car. This year I was looked after by Daniella Mcpherson who was an absolute star! It is certainly unusual for me to enjoy renewing insurance but Daniella made the whole process painless.

I love Alison’s video advice that is shared on social media. Having been taught how to clean my teeth using an electric toothbrush I thought my mouth was pretty clean until the video about the water jet. When I spotted a deal on one I purchased it right away and WOW my mouth feels amazingly clean. Brilliant advice as always, thank you so much.

Thank you so much for your help Debbie, with so much to worry about in the world at present the last thing I needed to think about was my holiday and the increasingly unlikely event I would be getting to get away. Lucky for me Debbie is brilliant and not only rebooked it later in the year she saved me an extra £100 or so pounds. Kept me informed every step of the way.

Over the years I have often been asked why don’t I employ a team member and the answer is always the same. I am happy to pay a higher rate for a service that I don’t need to train, develop and check the work. I have a million and one things to do each day and that is before I wake up in the morning so knowing I can outsource copy or social media to Mina’s team without having to worry is priceless (but please don’t tell Mina than she might increase her prices lol)

I do love my renewal process with One Answer, the make my life so much easier and Natalie was very helpful in getting me the best possible price. They have looked after me now since 2014 and though some years I can save a few pounds elsewhere the service I get from the team is well worth it.

If I could go back to tell my younger self about the value of learning I would have been a much better student. Now I take every opportunity to learn from others that are “doing the do” and that is what I got when I had an EDEAL funded session with Mina. Yes, I am already knowledgeable about social media but if you have ever heard the saying can’t see the forest for the trees this can easily happen and taking time to sit and talk through strategy and the various changes to platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. Mina certainly reignited my love of LinkedIn as I have been favouring Facebook for a while now but certainly going to be looking at all the opportunities now open to Businesses owners like me on the platform.

Over the years I have invested a lot of time and energy to ensure I am working with hugely knowledgeable business owners and today Southern IT proved again they know IT! Today was the second Cyber Essentials workshop I have attended as it was focusing on how to keep your business safe online and I like to stay informed. Keeping in mind I live in the virtual world most of the time and having pretty good security practices they touched on a few what if scenarios that made me think… Thank you so much for the eye opening session I certainly got a nugget or two to implement not to mention a new level of confidence in recommending other BestOf Members contact you should they have IT requirements.

Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant! I laughed so much during the adult panto. The cast were brilliant and intermission icecream was delicious :)

My first visit on a Friday night. Great atmosphere and perfect place for a couple of drinks before heading to the theatre.

I needed help with reviewing multiple pages of content I had written and was far to close to the subject matter to see them anymore. Gordana was kind enough to review the content and give me feedback. My office work made easy with a little help, BIG thank you :)

I visited the new dent repair workshop to present Dent Devils with their certificate to recognise them are one of Eastbourne’s Best Businesses thanks to their customer reviews. While there Jon could not resist removing one of the dents from me car. It was a nasty dent on the body line and Jon still made short work of it… if I have not taken photos I would not know where it was damaged… I will take it back for a proper visit to remove the dents from the passenger side that I pretend are not there as I can’t see them! After Dent Devils get done with it I won’t need to pretend anymore.

Creating content is an ongoing challenge as you find a style and stick to it. I need to ensure that copy for thebestof Eastbourne along with our SEO text is as effective as possible and Mina has been a great help. Even when it is content I have created having a fresh pair of eyes look over it to catch the silly errors that slip in when you are so close to the subject. Thank you for all you do.

I love the bonfire procession. Even when it have been very cold the atmosphere is brilliant :) The fireworks and bonfire is always impressive.

I was delighted to attend the gala night when the Cineworld team were showing off what the new cinema had to offer. Having snuck in earlier in the week to take a peak it was certainly much better than expected. Tonight I got to watch a film in the new theatre and so impressed I did not spend the whole film shuffling about trying to find a comfortable position to sit in. No heads in the way and the screen is MASSIVE! Lots of Bruce Springsteen songs which were amazing on the sound system. It was like back in the day when I young and going to the cinema knocked my socks off.... nice to be genuinely impressed. Well Done Cineworld!

Such good food and friendly staff! Love visiting here and can't wait to arrange a large event to take other members of thebestof Eastbourne for a group evening.

Really enjoyed Roman Romp! Very funny adult comedy. The refit to the theatre certainly is noticeable on arrival.

Not long now before I ask Debbie to start looking into my holiday. As I only take one a year I need maximum relaxation with minimal fuss! Debbie always steers me in the right direction :)

As one of our qualifying restaurants I wanted to sample what was on offer. A friend and I had a table for 2 on a Sunday night. Waiting staff were attentive and when our food was served it looked delicious. Not sure I liked my beer in a tin cup but it was novel and the food extremely tasty. Certainly one of the best Indian meals I have had. Well deserved finalist, I look forward to returning to sample more dishes :)

It's key to business to success to outsource the things you are not 100% required to do... Ditzy Media help me with a number of things that free me up to focus on other areas of my business!

BIG thanks to Mina for stepping in at the 11th hour to speak at our #EBtweetup when our scheduled speaker had to drop out. As always the content was current, relevant and delivered in simple English… something that is always appreciated by our guests.

Promoting a business is not always an easy task but having worked with Jon for over a year now I can honestly say he is a pleasure to promote. At this weeks #EBtweetup the Dent Devil's logo was on screen as one of our members that had qualified for Business of the Year. One of our guests was so pleased with the results of getting rid of the dent at his office while he was working. As it was a leased car the penalty for the damage would have been significant but Jon saved the day! What more could a business owner ask for?

I live in the digital world and with that comes potential threats from anywhere in the world even if I am not the target. Yesterday the Cyber Essentials Workshop brought to my attention some very simple things I could be doing better. Well worth attending this, in fact if you have just ONE password for an online service YOU REALLY MUST ATTEND!

Tonight I had my birthday celebration dinner with friends and clients. The food was delicious and everyone had a lovely time. Staff were super friendly and I am sure we will be visiting again!

I do love calamari but finding a restaurant that does this well has been a challenge. I had lunch with a member of thebestof Eastbourne as per their recommendation and I was delighted with the lunch! Perfect setting for a lunch/business meeting. I will certainly pay them another visit.

I had my first photo shoot with Pete today and it was great fun, so natural and the results were brilliant. Having to select my favourites from the shoot has taken an age but settled on my Top 10 which should cover most of my marketing needs for a while. Can't wait to see the results from the event shoot next week!

Sharing expert knowledge makes my job in promoting members of thebestof Eastbourne all the easier and in the last year or so working with Tectonic their commitment to excellence has been apparent. Offering electrical advice and hints and tips helping our online community have access to high quality information from local business!

Thank you once again for a great deal on my car insurance, when the renewal came through it was a little higher than last year and having had an expensive service I thought it best to check if I was getting the best price. Logging on to a comparison website I filled in a form with lots of questions and selected options as close to the policy I had. When the results came back showing the cheapest on offer was nearly £100 more I new I was in safe hands with One Answer so took up the renewal. Talked with Suzie W who was very helpful and made the process painless! Speak again in a month or two when my home contents is due for renewal 

I have just updated the majority of my social media campaign for 2018 including great photos from events in Eastbourne. Normally I have to make do with my own efforts or from public domain sources. Since working with Sarah my visual content has been 1000% better and I have complete confidence in all the images I am now using will have a positive effect.

An unexpected bonus! Having had Clean Corner clean my oven before Christmas last nights disaster was not that bad. Last night was New Years eve and I wanted to make a quick dinner so I could enjoy the evening… having put a pizza in the over I did not give it a second thought before the beeper was reminding me it needed rotating. Sadly I had forgotten to read the instructions on this one and the pizza was now part of the oven shelf. I thought it would take me hours to clean this up but thanks to how clean it was after its TLC it cleaned up quickly and my evening went on as planned! If you have not cleaned your oven recently and would rather get someone else to do it I can highly recommend Clean Corner for your new years clean up!

Tonight I attended the Mayor’s Christmas Charity event at Willingdon Golf Club. It was a brilliant night and getting to experience what the club has to offer as a function venue was great. The entertainment was excellent and the whole evening when to plan (if it did not it certainly did not show)

Today I got to spend time with many of Russ and Anne’s customers from over the years while celebrating their 25 years in business! A great achievement for sure and hearing stories of the lives that the “dream home improvements” have had an impact confirms that Russ Deacon Home Improvements was the right choice for the Kitchen’s member back in 2011 when they first became members of thebestof Eastbourne, long may your excellent service continue.

Time never seems to slow down in the digital world and opportunities pass in the blink of an eye. When I started working with Ditzy Media to manage some of my social media accounts to ease the burden from me managing them all, an amazing thing happened… being less “dizzy” from having to do it all myself I had breathing room to look at my accounts from a strategic point of view. Working with Joe and Mina we have made tweaks to the campaign and certainly getting the results I was hoping for. It was a big decision to trust a 3rd party with my brand but Joe and Mina have taken very good care of my hard-fought reputation.

Why did I put this off so long? My advice to businesses is outsource everything you do not need to personally take care of. This frees you up to get on and earn money from your expertise. Spending time cleaning your oven and washing your floors is not helping your business progress… that being said I finally took my own advice having Clean Corner come around to make sure my corners were in fact clean. My oven looks brilliant and my bathroom sparkles. Even better than having everything clean and fresh is I am not exhausted from having done it! My productivity is going to be extremely high and I will certainly have the Clean Corner team back again to make sure my home and office are the perfect work environment 

Where do I start? I am not sure how many photo shoots I have had with Sarah now between having her photography me for me social media headshots to events and some more creative marketing photos. This last one was a little more ambitious for me as I needed an array of outdoor photos showing me at recognisable locations in Eastbourne, Polegate and Pevensey! Sarah had some great ideas and captured the landmarks and a range of new photos for me and my marketing in Eastbourne. Really pleased with the results and now time to put them into practice.

Running multiple social media accounts is very time consuming even more so when I know what I want to say I just don’t have the time to share this in a time fashion or take the time to schedule them. I made the decision to have Ditzy Media take over the management of a few of my social media feeds and have been so pleased I did. They respond quickly to my requests and now with Joe as my point of contact I am pleased to see the service levels have not dropped! Joe has been very thorough with getting to know my objectives and is ensuring that my accounts are well maintained and informative. Thanks Mina and Joe between you Ditzy Media saves me a lot of time!

When it comes to LinkedIn most people would agree recruiters use it was great effect and as LinkedIn itself keeps reminding me with their bubble messages “just one profile view can result in getting that top job” or words to that effect. So when I wanted to share some expertise with our members and audience there could be no better option that Martin Ellis the Head Hunter at RSE. Martin has presented at two workshops for me an in-depth 2 hours and a summary 10 minutes showing his flexibility as a speaker jam packing both sessions with high useful information. Really enjoyed learning about this highly underrated social media platform. It is certainly not just for people looking for jobs but a huge online extension to your business network!

I have been wanting a new kitchen since 1999 when I moved into my property but I want a good one not just a budget job. Today I got the final quote from Russ and I am really pleased with the detail and the drawings. I know exactly what I need to save up for and can't wait to give the go ahead on transforming my kitchen :)

I was so sad when I discovered someone had walked across my car bonnet. A big dent right on the crease with foot prints leading to it. My immediate thought was body shop repair and it needing a respray and I would be without a car for a day or two. Fortunately I spotted a post on Facebook about some recent dent repairs carried out by Jon Taylor. I checked out his Facebook page and sent him some photos. Jon got back to me right away and we arranged to meet. Jon was exactly on time and explained what would be needed. The quote was with me the end of the day and it was very reasonable as I would be able to work from home while they did the work outside! I was so pleased to see they got the dents out and the car looks brilliant again. Thanks to Jon and the Dent Devil apprentice that made my car dent HISTORY!

A big thanks to Michael for his help and load of some big screens for our #AskTheExpert event at Pacific House. He has also helped me on a number of occasions with IT questions over the time we have worked together and always happy to leaned a hand to our business members in need.

Mina is a huge help to thebestof Eastbourne and a joy to promote. Mina and I have known each other since 2006 and she has always been someone I can turn to for advice. Since the launch of Ditzy Media I have watched the business truly take shape and grow. Having Mina available to help with copywriting for our features, hosting #EBhour and generally just being there when needed. We have great creative sessions and often fill in the gaps in each others knowledge which is the perfect compliment to our working relationship.

I was able to renew my first of 3 policies I hold with One Answer Insurance today, service was as always excellent. Stuart talked me through specifics of the policy and made it a very straight forward process.

Just had a lovely coffee morning with cakes in the lovely showroom of Russ Deacon Home Improvements for MACMILLAN Cancer Support. Well Done for getting involved and helping to raise money.

When meeting with businesses to discuss supporting them with their business marketing in Eastbourne I always look for businesses with a generous nature willing to support community initiatives and events. This year Simon has really impressed me with his support for a number of local charity events and he even invited me to a Cricket event he was a sponsor for in Bexhill. In addition to being charitable Simon also makes regular quality contributions to our business marketing workshops and put forward suggestions how to make thebestof Eastbourne even better for its business members.

I loved my profile photo shoot so much I asked Sarah if she could help me with a complete update for my feature on thebestof Eastbourne along with some photos for use on my social media. Sarah had some great ideas and was able to guide me in what was possible and what would most likely work. The shoot itself was even better than the first one as I was completely relaxed and trusted Sarah’s eye for detail. After all people are still telling my how much they like my new photos. A HUGE thank you to Sarah I know I am a bit of a perfectionist but you did me and thebestof proud!

I am notoriously difficult to buy for though my new watch from Chatfileds is awesome. When I first saw it I knew I had to have it. To receive it as a surprise gift for my birthday with engraving it is even more special. Thank you so much.

I have been buying my business stationary from a variety of suppliers online over the years and when I found that Copylink Digital offered this service I gave them a try. Best of all they were cheaper on some of the items I buy on a regular basis. Copylink Digital have been a great supporter of Buy Local over the years and I am so pleased to now be working with them.

I would not normally leave a second review for a photo shoot but this week I have had yet another comment on how brilliant my new photos are. Keeping in mind my branding is of utmost importance to me and I also hate having my photo taken. To have so many compliments and that it is a great likeness of me is music to my ears. Rather than thinking phew I don’t need to update my photo for another year at least I am thinking about booking with Sarah again soon!

Over the years running thebestof I have worked with a number of photographers and I have to say I have not had as much fun on a photo shoot as I did with Sarah. The pleasant surprise was also having a great selection of photos that “look like me” I am proud to use for thebestof Eastbourne. Having updated my Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter and Blog profile for thebestof I can whole heartedly recommend Sarah for you next professional photo shoot.

Being a business owner means sacrifice to get things up and running. I took that a little too far and put off proper rest breaks thinking anywhere I went would potentially be disappointing. I am so glad Debbie kept me in the look about holiday deals. When the time was right I got the holiday I dreamed of. Literally I must have been falling asleep standing up! Don't be like me and leave a holiday till you need it. Get Debbie to find something you can truly enjoy... I am already look at a get away this year as coming back fully refreshed has made me all the more productive. Thank you Debbie and the H10 Hotels group!

Since I first launched my marketing support workshops I have really enjoyed providing helpful and timely advice to my members. In June with thebestof Buy Local campaign, my first expo and of course the #EBtweetup my diary of "free time" was non existent so I turned to Ditzy Media to help fill the gap. WOW was I impressed, not only was I covered but Ditzy Media also involved another member of thebestof Eastbourne and crafted a very comprehensive content workshop. Much more detailed and with facts and figures I don't always have time to drill down to. To say my marketing support work shop was in safe hands in an understatement! Huge thanks to you Mina for all the values you bring to thebestof Eastbourne.

What a fantastic venue! I held my first business expo here and the Willingdon Golf Club team were so helpful and accommodating. Everything was exactly as I wanted it when I arrived to set up and the staff were all so helpful and friend through the day. Even though it was a very wet and windy day there were so many comments on how beautiful the view was from the venue. Had it be a sunny day it would have been great to finish off the day with drinks on the terrace. I hope to hold another event here in the future.

When I needed to get a birthday card and gift for my Mum I knew Paperlane was the place to visit. I also had in my mind to get a birthday balloon (one of the foil types) I talked to Sam who suggested an alternative. The balloon display was fantastic! Better yet I got a reaction money could not buy! I put the balloon on the door step and hid to the side. My Mum was over the moon with excitement and even though she is not a fan of photos asked to have her picture taken next to it. She also asked me to pass on her thanks to Alice for creating such a clever creation. Thank you to all for the help in making my Mum's 70th the BEST it could be.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Polegate office to renew my public liability insurance policy. The team very friendly, knowledgeable and "talked in my language" I got a better deal than my renewal offer and I am even more confident I am in safe hands with them. Big thanks to Stuart C for all his help and patients trying to get hold of me with my hectic diary! See you again when my Car and Home policies are due.

Mina has been a member of thebestof Eastbourne now for a short while and also helping me with my overflow of social media work. From helping look after my secondary accounts to content creation Mina's help has been invaluable. Feeding the content hungry social media is nearly a full time job in itself and being able to depend on the abilities of someone like Mina to create content I can trust is something that could not have arrived sooner. I am not sure how I coped without someone with the level of experience Mina has before now. Social Media is not going away and I am so pleased that local business now have somewhere to turn to in the form of Ditzy Media!

When it all goes wrong it is great to know your telecoms provider actually cares. Not long after I got my lovely new phone in a moment of clumsiness it slipped from my hand and next I knew the screen was shattered. I got in touch with Derek who talked me thought my options and the best part was when he did NOT SAY I told you so when he did suggest insurance for the phone. As I do not normally have my phone far from reach thoughts it would be fine... So my lesson it to listen to the experts they are not just trying to sell you something extra just making sure you don't regret it. My fully repaired phone is now back with me having been kept fully informed along the way. So if your business phone is due a review give Telecom Direct a call they will see your well looked after.

I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to all the staff at the Afton Hotel. From getting things set up for my events to putting up with my endless meetings in their lounge area. Today they even accommodated my filming about thebestof with Lone Coyote TV! Such a flexible venue I think they are great :)

I have known Mina (owner of Ditzy Media) for many years now. At a previous Tweetup I invited her to speak as a local expert on the use of social media. As many consider me an authority on Social Media I have to admit it is such a vast subject that having someone I can trust to do an exceptional job and brain storm with is a huge relief. Any business be it a member of thebestof Eastbourne or other local business can be assured of the best possible service and access to an impressive knowledge bank!

Today was the day when my mobile phone switched over from Vodafone to O2. Everything went to plan but when the port time of 4pm went by and no phone on either network I got a little worried. One call to Telecome Direct and within 30 minutes my new phone was active and I am very happy with the whole process. Mostly because I don't have to call 02 and can let Derek's team look after than if need be.

Test Review - With so much going on with local and loved I needed to "unplug" where better than the Cinema and Cineworld was a great place to do just that. Mobile phone turned off. Comfy seat, fantastic sound and visuals and the new Robocop did not disappoint. I am looking forward to enjoying the big screen more often as when I watch a film or TV program the mobile is so tempting to get involved with the outside world not to mention pop corn does not taste the same!

When I needed something to help promote the local and loved campaign in the Arndale Centre Paperlane had the answer. A beautiful balloon arch and a great monkey balloon prize. Everyone that commented said it looked fantastic and the prize winner was over the moon. Thanks!

With so much going on with local and loved I needed to "unplug" where better than the Cinema and Cineworld was a great place to do just that. Mobile phone turned off. Comfy seat, fantastic sound and visuals and the new Robocop did not disappoint. I am looking forward to enjoying the big screen more often as when I watch a film or TV program the mobile is so tempting to get involved with the outside world not to mention pop corn does not taste the same!

Having my Christmas party at the Afton Hotel and wanting to enjoy it with a few festive drinks I thought I would take advantage of staying overnight. I have used the Afton Hotel on many occasions for my events over the years but never had a need for staying over. After checking in I found my room which was nice enough. The wall art was a beautiful shot of the pier. I had a few hours before my guests were due to arrive so lay on the bed and watched some TV (a reasonable size TV with a simple enough remote). I have to say the bed was much more comfortable than I expected hence falling asleep and nearly missing my party! Whenever I travel I normally opt for a Premier Travel Inn but safely say that the bed I had at the Afton Hotel offered me just as good a night sleep (not aided by Alcohol at all) I know most of the staff well but they were just as friendly as always. Everything for the evening went smoothly and to time. Pleased to see that drinks were not expensive. When at an event earlier in the year (in Solihull) I was disappointed at being charged £5 a pint where drinks at the Afton Hotel are not the normal hefty mark up you can get at hotels.

Recently I gave the writing services of the My Admin Support a try. Sarah was extremely professional and totally understood my needs. The copy was provided within the agreed time frame and it is getting the results I really wanted to see. Finding a copy writer that can deliver content in the style I want has proven difficult but from the results of this first trial I shall certainly be putting more projects to the My Admin Support team.

A very happy household for a special 18th Birthday. Having just delivered the amazing balloon arch and stand alone balloons the room looks fantastic. It will be hard to top this birthday but not long till the 21st birthday party when we can go bigger and better :) Thank you Sam

I have been an NHS dentist user for years always thinking private would be so expensive I could just make do with basic dental care. Having the opportunity to give private care a chance I now know the difference! I have a better understanding of my teeth and gums my dental routine is much better and I have seen a 80% improvement after just 1 visit! The team are all really friendly and I feel they care more about me than my limit on my credit card. The payment plan looks affordable so I hope to be looked after by true dental professionals for the care I know I should have been taking but put off due to "cost" after all looking at what I have spent in repair could have been avoided with proper preventative care.