January 2003

We met on 21 January in the Church rooms – our new venue for all events. Our first speakers Emma Moorice and Hattie Tuck came from Taunton Deane and provided us with excellent, useful information on the support available locally for small businesses.

A handout was supplied to all those attending providing a resume of the schemes available to us. Anyone wishing to see this can always borrow a set from those that were there and photocopy. Otherwise I will pin up a copy on the noticeboard at the next meeting for your perusal.

We agreed to pursue a grant for the group to use to print and distribute a flyer advertising Village Business, our own individual businesses and to collect information for a Bishops Lydeard and environs business directory.

John Thomson talked to us about using the Village website to advertise our businesses. The website is funded by the parish so would be free to advertise. Please contact John on john @ jtwsd.co.uk. The website address is www.bishopslydeard.org.uk. John says it has a lot of “hits” locally and internationally. We will begin to advertise the group’s meetings on there too.

Tony White also provided us with brief overview of the up-and-coming Parish Plan that will set out the parish’s vision for the next five years and will be put together after consultation with all parishioners. Look out for advertised events and questionnaires.

Annie Makepeace very kindly brought along options for a logo for the Group and we decided on a building block visual.