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Wedding Showround Day, Sunday 25th March 2007

The Wessex Conference Centre at Sparsholt College is holding a Wedding Showround Day on Sunday, 25 March, 2007. This is not a full-on Wedding Fair, where brides can sometimes feel as if they have “information overload”, it’s a low-key, no-pressure day, when we invite brides and their nearest and dearest to view our function rooms and picture their own special day in a calm, relaxed environment. We dress the rooms in several different styles, just as if a wedding is about to take place and invite our guests to come and sample canapés and wine. Anne, our Weddings Co-ordinator is on hand to answer any questions and is always happy to offer hints and tips for making any wedding a day to remember.

Racing Ahead for Cancer Research UK

Once again, staff from the Wessex Conference Centre laced up their trainers and entered a team in the Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. This year, the Winchester Race took place in the grounds of River Park Leisure Centre on Sunday, 7th May – a beautiful day, bright, sunny and warm.

Spurred on by the enthusiasm of two of the previous year’s entrants, Eileen Bolton and Sue Reeves, the Wessex Conference Centre fielded a team of five; Eileen and Sue, plus Kate Woodland, Julie Longman and Amanda Stebbing. And through what they describe as “a winning combination of persuasion and charm” they have exceeded their agreed target of £500.

Sue Reeves comments: “We all know someone whose life has been touched by cancer and we feel that this is an excellent way of making our own contribution to cancer research.”

The route was an easily manageable 5K and the five girls raced using a mixture of running and power-walking. All the entrants were supportive of one another and the watching crowds, cheering us all on, were enthusiastic, which made for a wonderful atmosphere.

Race for Life is the UK’s biggest women-only fundraising event. Over £100 million has been raised since it began in 1994. The Winchester Race for Life hopes to raise £200,000.`

The Wessex Conference Centre Awards Finalist

The Wessex Conference Centre is thrilled to announce it has been shortlisted for the Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2006.

The Award, sponsored by Hampshire County Council, will be presented to an outstanding rural business that balances the need to be competitive with a responsibility to the local environment and community.

The Wessex Conference Centre had to demonstrate sound financial and business planning and show how it has endlessly to balance the requirements of commercial clients with the needs of academic staff and a floating student population.

Commenting on her team’s success, Hospitality Manager Eileen Bolton said “We are already a firm favourite with rural industries and businesses such as Hampshire Farmers, gamekeepers, vets, and parish, town and County councils but importantly, many non-rural businesses have also recognized the value of our rural setting for fun and effective training and team-building days.”

A panel of judges consisting of Cllr Mike Woodhall, Hannah Burnley from Hampshire County Council’s Econonic Development Department and Richard Bathurst from Business Link Wessex, visited the Wessex Conference Centre on Friday, 12 May. After a short tour of the facilities, the judges sat with Eileen, Sue Reeves (Wessex Conference Centre Manager) and Amanda Stebbing (Marketing) in Chute Boardroom and quizzed them on the nature of being a business in a rural setting, the business plan and the marketing of the Wessex Conference Centre.

Having made site visits to all finalists, the judges now have to deliberate and decide on the winners. All Awards will be presented at a dinner at Winchester Guildhall on Thursday, 8 June.

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