Vegetarian for Life

Getting to know you

Posted by Guest on 17/09/15 in VfL News and Events

Our Roving Chef, Jane Hughes, met 50 contacts in just an hour…​
All credit to John Cotcher at the Manchester branch of Age UK for his brainwave – a networking event with a difference. Networking is hard work, even for those of us who are naturally chatty. John created an event where representatives from around 50 organisations involved with helping seniors in the Manchester area got together in a room, and within an hour or so, we all knew each other. How? Each of us stood up and spoke to the group, for just 1 minute, about our work. Backed up by a directory full of contacts and a table covered with everybody’s leaflets, this was an approach that worked brilliantly. Vegetarian for Life was the last organisation listed in the directory. I wasn’t sure whether we were going to be asked to do our presentations in alphabetical order, and I didn’t much relish the idea of going last, so I sat right at the front and sure enough, I was asked to go first. Well, possibly I over-ran by a few seconds, as I announced to the audience that groups of older adults ‘can have me for free!’ and John gently suggested that this might be a good point at which to end. Then I was free to absorb what everybody else had to say, and I heard presentations about social groups, specialist equipment, legal and financial advice, free transport, volunteer befrienders and much more. Afterwards, several people came to say that they applauded what we were doing and I was asked if I was able to work with disabled people and those who have had strokes. The answer, of course, is always yes – and I’ll learn as much from them as they learn from me.

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