My affordable small office solution....

I have been looking to rent a small office for some time now and have come up with an affordable solution which has been right under my nose all along – office sharing!

I still do some work for the Coleford Area Partnership here at the Main Place, but my business clubs have grown and I have a couple of other ideas which I will be implementing soon. Hence I need an office facility to work from.

Basically all I require is space for a desk and a few storage drawers to tuck underneath, and it would appear others find themselves in a similar situation ......so there we have it, the perfect answer and I’m pleased to say, myself and two other businesses are moving in soon......a couple of weeks time.

I’m now looking forward to working in a busier environment, looking more professional and getting more work done.

It’s great to be able to offer local business, charities and organisations such a versatile range of rooms to meet, perform and enjoy.

Looking at out what’s on page, we host everything from business clubs, temporary and permanent offices to dance lessons, exercise classes and luncheon clubs.

There almost certainly a room to hire for most requirements.

See below for a typical week here at the community enterprise centre here at the Main Place, Coleford


The week upstairs at The Main Place17th February 21st February 2014

Monday
CAP Business Club: Meeting Room: 8.00 - 9.00 
Young Mums: Main Hall: 10.00-12.30

Tuesday 
Brandon Trust: Office 1: 09.00-14.30
CAP Business Club: Training Room: 17:00-19:00

Wednesday
Dr Charley Luncheon Club: Main Hall: 8.00 - 14.00
Learn Direct: Training Room: 9.00-17.00
Charleston Exercise: Main Hall: 14.00-15.00
Independence Trust: Office 1: 12.30–17.00

Thursday 
CAP Business Club: Meeting Room: 8.00-9.00
Learn Direct: Office 1: 09.00-17.00
Yoga: Main Hall: 09.30-11.30
Independence Trust: Main Hall: 12.00-16.00
Teentrepreneurs: Meeting Room: 10.00-15.30

Friday
Active Tots: Main Hall: 9.30 - 11.30
Independence Trust: Training Room: 09.00-17.00
Teentrepreneurs: Meeting Room: 10.00-15.30

Pilates and pregnancy.

Did you know that doing Pilates during pregnancy can be very good for you?

Esther Fransham is a Pilates expert and is currently running a class at The Main Place.

OK, so you are not pregnant yourself but you may know someone who is.  Why not pass on this information to them.

I am told that ladies who have gone through pregnancy could also benefit from this class

The classes are being held on a Thursday evening between 7.00pm and 8.00pm. Esther may be contacted by telephone on 01452 760120 or 07711 832042, or by email at esther@estherf.com.

Esther’s website is www.estherf.com so you can take a look at what she is offering.

Janet Marrott

(Coleford Area Partnership)

DR CHARLEY LUNCHEON CLUB

It was full house at the Christmas Lunch on Wednesday 11th December.

Members were visited by Father Christmas who brought party bags containing oranges and apples.

The succulent roast turkey lunch was served by the volunteers who had spent Tuesday afternoon and evening preparing the room which was beautifully dressed for the occasion. The traditional Christmas Puddings had been cooked at Coalway Schools’ kitchen. The meal was completed with the distribution of home-made mince pies and After-Eight Mints.

The Forest of Dean Lions very generously provided even more goody bags, filled with sweets and a Christmas card whilst one of their gentlemen provided music throughout the meal and Barbara helped the regular volunteers.

On departure members were given soft drinks to take away.

None of this could have been delivered without the constant support of a group of wonderful volunteers who generously give their time to enable our over 60s to come together for good home cooked food that is nutritionally balanced.  

The Club is now having a break until 9th January. Membership is open to anyone over the age of sixty who lives in the GL16 post code area. Enquiries about membership are always welcomed by contacting the committee through the Coleford Area Partnership office at The Main Place. The telephone number is 01594 836469.

The Versatile Main Hall

The Community  Hall here at the Main Place plays host to a tremendous variety of activities including conferences, dance classes, mother and tots as well as exhibitions, lunch clubs and children’s parties.

It’s a great space and can be transformed into pretty much any venue to suit the hirer, and includes a modern, well equipped Kitchen.

The ceiling height is also important especially for bouncy castles at children’s parties

If you are looking for such a versatile venue for your function, meeting, or any other event give us a call on 01594 836469.

We can arrange a time for your personal viewing.

Top 5 uses for the Training and Meeting rooms here in the Community Enterprise Centre at the Main Place

1: Networking – great for lead generation, help and advice.

2: Social Media training – Excellent for marketing stratagies

3: Company Training days

4: Job seekers – temporary office

5: Activity training

Of course the rooms are used for a multitude of reasons, being well equipped, modern and comfortable, but the above is our current top 5

For more information on special offers for either room call 01594 836469 

I’m hearing the C word a lot lately!

No not that C word....what on earth are you thinking? I’m talking about Christmas peops.

This signals the start of several things for me; firstly summer is officially over and Autumn is well and truly on its way. Personally I don’t mind Autumn even though I’m a summer fan (the hotter the better)....but Autumn has a some magic there that takes me back to my youth. Secondly, the shops will be changing their stocks soon and the decs will go up way too early as usual (or am I just getting grumpy?) and the TV ads will gear up for the festive season.

Anyway the point is this – the C word indicates a busy time for many businesses and for some an essential time to get things right! Planning is the key for both sales & services. I guess no-one wants to think about Christmas in September, but the truth is we have to.

Whether you are a shop, online sales, wholesaler or whatever your business, plan now, cream some profits and I have to say, I believe this year will be the best for a while as business in general appears to be on the up.

Here’s to that trend continuing eh.......and a happy pre C to you!

HERITAGE OPEN DAYS 2013

May I express gratitude on behalf of  the organisations and individuals who made such a fantastic contribution to the programme for Heritage Open Days in the Forest of Dean over the weekend 12th to 15th September.

Thanks to them it was possible for the Coleford Area Partnership to arrange for 26 venues, walks and talk to be available.  Some of these provided more than one opportunity for participants.

The Partnership has to rely on the goodwill of others to be able to bring this programme to fruition. Many hours are spent making contact with people and organisations before we are able to let the central people at Heritage Open Days know what the programme for the Forest of Dean will be.  We have to do this prior to 1st May each year in order to ensure that we obtain the necessary cover and national publicity.

In 2014 we will be making particular reference to the period around the First World War and looking for opportunities to highlight the effect of that on our local communities.

If you would like to know more, or even become involved in the future we would be very pleased to hear from you.  Contact can be made by telephone to 01594 836469 or by email to info@coleford-area.org.uk or heritage@main-place.org.uk.

Janet Marrott

16.09.13.

Children's Party Season is Back!

We seem to have had a sudden influx of inquiries for children’s party’s over the past couple of weeks, does this mean Autumn is around the corner? Oh yes it certainly does.....groan.

Still, it’s good to get them and I can fully understand why. The Hall here at the Main Place is an excellent venue for kids to have a fun time, especially when accompanied with a bouncy castle and disco.....yes there’s plenty of room for both and youngsters love them!

We always set up a cafe style area around serving hatch area, so the adults have somewhere to sit together whilst the kids run riot on the castle or dance with the music. This way mums and dads have a good time too!...and we keep them in Tea, coffee and biscuits.

Also, the party’s generate business for local traders, catering, inflatable hire etc, so it’s a great situation to be in and we enjoy the whole kaboosh. Find out more here http://main-place.org.uk/childrens-parties

Now, what else is good about Autumn and the following Winter months? Umm..... 

Networking Rooms

Networking is an important part of building your business and the Forest of Dean has its fair share of Business Clubs, all of which are excellent, well run and have their own styles.

The question is – How important is the venue? Personally I think it is, in fact I would go as far as to say it’s very important......depending what you want!

So what style is best? Grand old buildings, Hotels, Inn’s, or modern premises?  

Now there is no particular right or wrong here, it’s just a case of which suits your group best. The Speech House Hotel is a great example of comfort, good food and grand surroundings, the Orepool Inn is cosy and friendly, Bells Hotel is very corporate, and here at the Main Place we have a modern, well equipped room.

All four examples above are the right rooms for the style of the club. You have to ask yourself “What am I trying to create?” Here at the Main Place we feel the room is perfect for our needs, we have all the technology and equipment in a light airy modern room which is also comfortable. Its the image we have tried to create and it works well.