Sue Bowden

Macclesfield video production company mediafour was commissioned by Manchester Airport to mark its 80^th birthday with a memorable film that encapsulated all of its history and its exciting future. It involved many hours of filming, archive research and editing, including an exciting day capturing drone footage filmed from one of the runways, giving viewers unrivalled and rarely seen views of the UK’s third biggest airport.

Producer Michelle Barker said:

“It was a very exciting project and even though we had a good understanding of the history and working of the airport it was an incredible experience to delve into the archive and talk to so many people with so many different stories of Manchester Airport”

“The challenge was not having any prior insight into what Tony would write until the first read through which was 2 weeks before the release date. So the clock was ticking and the team worked tirelessly under tight time frames on what has been a fun and successful project for Manchester Airport”.

Head of External Affairs at Manchester Airport, Adam Jupp, said:

“From the get go mediafour totally understood our brief and what we needed from this project, under tight timescales. Their passion and dedication to get the job done was exemplary and they fully understood the difficult nature of working in a live airport environment, which is incredibly tricky. The final video is standout, striking and poignantly showcases how the airport has evolved over the last eight decades and where it is going in future through our £1bn transformation.

It is clear external audiences are also keen on the final result, with the video amassing a staggering 35,000 views in less than 24 hours.”

You can view the video at https://vimeo.com/277060650

Having recently completed our successful name change and rebranding to become North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise, the team held the first of many ‘Meet the Chamber’ networking mornings at The Colony HQ in Wilmslow with Tatton MP, Rt Hon Esther McVey, joining as guest speaker.

The ‘Meet the Chamber’ initiative is an opportunity for businesses throughout our catchment area to learn more about the services and benefits of becoming a member of the Chamber whilst enjoying a relaxed networking environment.

Attendees were treated to a continental breakfast and refreshments in the stylish surroundings of The Colony HQ; a private business members club blending the latest technology and business facilities within sophisticated and discrete areas in which to work and meet clients.

Esther talked about her views on the world of work as it evolves and the challenges of running a Government Department with a turnover the same size as the 37^th biggest nation in the world. She talked about the need for the benefit system to be able to support people both in and out of work. She then answered members questions on local, national and international issues.

Esther added “I was pleased to be at the inaugural ‘Meet the Chamber’ event of the rebranded Chamber. It is always interesting to meet business owners, who I see as key to the success of Cheshire as a whole, and the event had a wide range of business interests reflected in the attendees”.

The Chamber’s 2018 Golf Day was in full swing earlier this month at the challenging yet picturesque surroundings of Macclesfield Golf Club.

On yet another beautiful day, seven teams teed off for their chance to win the coveted Gradus shield and enjoy a well-deserved pint after walking the 18-holes of undulating terrain.

Winners this year were the ‘Chamber Mixed Team’ made up of Andrew Thorp (MojoLife), Andy Walker (Filtration Services), John Butcher (Immense Digital) and Ollie Tovee (representing Macclesfield Golf Club). Runners up were the defending champions from 2017, SAS Daniels led by Nigel Read. Charlie Reed from the Wright Marshall team won Longest Drive and Bob Mortimer from the Macclesfield Golf Club team won Nearest the Pin.

This year, we offered a ‘Golf Clinic’ for aspiring or completely novice golfers which proved extremely popular and great fun! Dave Myers, Macclesfield Golf Club professional, took everyone through their paces on the driving range and putting green.

The day was rounded off with an informal BBQ and networking.

Our thanks to Macclesfield Golf Club and Tom Yam Thai for providing the prizes.

Local gin distillery Forest Gin was the venue for our most recent networking event, when owner Karl Bond welcomed our members to his charming 17^th century stone barn on the edge of Macclesfield Forest.

With a growing following not just in the UK, but as far away as Japan and China, Karl and his wife Lindsey have made a huge success of producing the best gin they can from the finest locally sourced ingredients wherever possible … including water from their own ancient spring!  And it doesn’t stop there, the highly covetable ceramic stone bottle is produced in Staffordshire by Wade Ceramics with the design commissioned by the respected Papercut artist Suzy Taylor and featuring the famous forest weasel.

Steph (multi-tasking Girl Friday at the distillery) gave a fascinating insight into the history of gin, from the 18^th century when gin got its’ reputation as “mother’s ruin” to the cult product it is today, and Karl took us through the family’s journey to getting Forest Gin onto the world stage and his exciting plans for the future … a fantastic local business success.

It was a lovely late Spring evening so we sampled tasters of both the original Forest Gin and Earl Grey Forest Gin in the bar, and then outside in the courtyard we enjoyed fabulous freshly cooked paella from Spanish Caravan who we discovered at the Treacle Market.

Certainly networking with a difference!

Let’s raise our glasses to North Cheshire Chamber

The launch of North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise was celebrated with a cork popping party in the elegant grandeur of Macclesfield Town Hall.

Read More “North Cheshire Chamber launches with a party!”