We held another very successful Business Breakfast on 5th October, at the newly-established Nutshells by the Sea, which opened its doors for the first time only a few days before.
Our hosts, Ian and Jill Booth, did us all proud. A substantial buffet of Continental breakfast, freshly-ground coffee and juices was on offer to Chamber members and guests, and the venue looked great. Ian and Jill have retained and restored the fittings that many of us will recall when it was Bonnets and have added a charming coastal theme, with their excellent choice of décor.
It’s more than just a tearoom and ‘place to do lunch’, as they also sell local artisan produce, condiments, and delights to take home, too. We are sure that all our Business Breakfast attendees will be keen to return and support what is clearly a fine new asset to Felixstowe’s culinary delights.
So, what an uncertain and unsettling environment we find ourselves in! Brexit, COVID, inflation, the death of our beloved Queen, energy shortages, mortgages doubling, wars, strikes, major local road shutdowns and a Government in a state of flux…
It was therefore apt for the Felixstowe Chamber of Trade and Commerce to address how the current state of affairs is having significant impacts on mental health. And that was the theme for our speakers.
We recruited Jon Neal, the CEO of Suffolk Mind, who gave a presentation on how businesses and individuals can get support for their own mental health and how we can get support, resources, and training to help staff, colleagues, friends and family with theirs.
We were also fortunate to hear from Sam Phillips of ‘Dare to Dip’, who spoke about his mental health journey. This initiative – which sees individuals expose themselves to cold water for short periods of time – has, and still is, inspiring others, locally, nationally, and internationally; not just to fix mental health issues, but to improve resilience with the lows that we all experience on our paths through life. A truly inspiring tale and, we are sure, many will be turning down the hot tap on their showers to reap the many benefits that Sam highlighted.
And then, finally, Ian Booth told the story of ‘Nutshells’, how he and Jill gave up their unrelated careers to start and build a new business in Stowupland. And then watched years of hard work and investment burn down in a freak accident in January this year.
But they didn’t lose everything. They had each other, friends, customers, suppliers and strangers, who all gave their support, labour, and love. And, together, this community will help Ian and Jill to rebuild. Here in Felixstowe.
We all love a happy ending, and we had plenty of those that morning.
A tough subject, mental health. But we hope that everyone left with positivity and felt inspired to find more time to take care of themselves and those around them.
In conclusion: another sell-out event, another wonderful venue, three excellent speakers and fruitful business networking with lots of new happy and friendly faces.
Team Felixstowe Chamber of Trade and Commerce is ticking all the boxes.