"Thank you for the fabulous event today at the Holiday Inn in Wakefield. I am a big fan of Forward Ladies’ events anyway (and left some money with Mulberry Hall last week…), but this meeting today was extremely useful for my business and has given me the opportunity to learn more about these dreaded procurement processes and to have a chat with Sarah and Monica. I really appreciate the contrast between the social networking and the business meetings as you have mentioned today; already now I’m looking forward to next year’s events." Melanie Beaven, MD Joblink Systems.
"Since joining Forward Ladies I have hosted a couple of events, which have proven to be very successful. I took a number of bookings, raised my profile with a write-up in the paper and I was also fortunate to meet Liz Ball from You Agency. We worked together to produce my new course binder and recipe cards. This was a big project for both of us but I am very proud of what we have produced and these binders will now be visible in people’s households. My other surprise was to hook up with an old colleague from my working days, Sue Brown. She helped me in hosting my first Diwali Dinner Dance in November 2007 by doing the table and flower arrangements. Everyone loved them and she was a great support." Prett Tejura, Curry Cuisine.
“I am a new member to Forward Ladies and so far I’ve been to 3 events and they have all been brilliant. I have gained contacts to help me in my quest too look for voluntary charity work whilst I have an extended career break." Susan Brown.
"Just to say contact made through Forward Ladies has been brilliant and has brought us fantastic exposure and help with raising awareness". Tracey Clarke.
What our members say
Hi ladies, whether you're forward or not I can recommend Forward Ladies to everyone who might be thinking about joining. As a Yorkshire lass now exiled to Lancashire (Manchester) I'm always on the look out for a bargain and I reckon that joining Forward Ladies is the best fifty quid I've spent in a long time. So far, I've been to the ballet and the opera and on both occasions I've sat in the best seats (costing more than I would've paid); I've enjoyed lunch at two of Manchester's best hotels - and believe me as a picky vegetarian I'm hard to please - AND I've been to some interesting and stimulating workshops and presentations - last year when I feeling particularly low (must be all that rain in the NW) Jules Wyman picked me up with her confidence building workshop and more recently Sharon Cain at Quest PR gave me some new tips and introduced me to some news ways of looking at things even though I've been in the PR game myself for over 25 years. All in all I reckon I must be at least £200 to the good so that's a bargain in my book. I've enjoyed chatting to some really nice women who I hope to see at future events and I've always been made to feel welcome....................... now that's priceless! Lorraine Whitehouse, Royal Mail.
I'm fully paid up for the next 12 months, and looking forward to another fabulous year with wonderful Forward Ladies! Warm regards, Louise Biddulph, Silver Halo.
"I really enjoyed the coffee with Kloog, it was very informative. I was very lucky in that he used my material quite a bit so I did get a lot more out of it than maybe some of the others. I revamped my website on the strength of it too." Dorcas Eatch, of Fotodayz.
Just to say I very much enjoyed the social event at Simply Devine last week. I have emailed Liz to thank her. Foward Ladies is certainly a great way to meet some lovely and interesting people. Warmest wishes, Sally Weinstein.
"Tim Holden (of Fluid) was excellent - he added value and analysed my CV quickly and accurately. Very well worthwhile and a nice guy, easy to talk to. I was surprised only 4 of us opted for the session. Even self employed people need a cv to market themselves - so all women in business would benefit from his advice I would have thought.! Nicola Prior of Nicola Prior PR.
"What a thoroughly enjoyable evening last night - thank you so very much. There was a perfect balance throughout the whole evening with good company, good food, good entertainment and a thoroughly enjoyable explanation from Opera North of Falstaff and the Grand. Please pass on my thanks to all involved and, as a new member, may I say how glad I was to be given this opportunity to experience Opera for the first time. I think it may be the start of many to the Grand!" Paula Moss, The Team at CompanyP who went to our Leeds opera event in November.
"I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed my first Forward Ladies session and Jules' (Wyman) input on confidence building and becoming a superhero. I met some great people, learnt some new techniques and added to my sense of positivity! All good stuff..." Margaret Carmin, who attended Jules' workshop in Manchester in November.
"I have been attending the Friday Coffee Morning in Bradford since the beginning of August. Its great to have a quiet place to go to to read and work, with free coffee, but until last week I hadn't met another soul!! Last week Diane was there and I had a wonderful free massage and maybe have the opportunity of working with her in the future.
Excellent...thank-you." Helen Astin.
"Forward Ladies thought that my business idea was inspirational and they really enjoyed the ‘Discover Victorian Bradford’ walk especially as it pointed out many interesting facts about the cities heritage and architecture that they had not known before." Rubina Khan from Yarnspinners tours, who has hosted Forward Ladies events.
A week in the life of a Forward Lady…by Clancy Walker
I have been a member of Forward Ladies for nearly three years – I joined about two weeks after I made the life-changing decision to set up my own business, thanks to the recommendation of a very supportive former client. He simply said “You need to speak to Etta Cohen, she runs a group for businesswomen and I think you might like it”.
Well, how right he was! I was motivated to write this testimonial after an amazing week during which I’ve attended three – yes three – Forward Ladies events. All of them were free and all of them were great fun and - equally importantly - great for me and my business.
I set up Vital Communications and thanks to the support of the FEE group (I am lucky enough to be a member of the first group that was set up by Deirdre Bounds and Sharon Cain for Forward Ladies nearly two years ago) it has gone from strength to strength. Etta came along to the first meeting just to see what it would be like – needless to say she now runs the sessions and attends every one!
Vital is about delivering creative communications campaigns for my clients – whether that is with the media, marketing or internal – and I work with a huge range of companies in many different sectors. I have secured a number of clients thanks to being a member, often it’s not work from other members but my fellow Forward Ladies are fantastic at passing my name on, which I’m extremely grateful for and I do in return for them. I’m a big believer in getting the most out of networking by keeping an open mind and practicing the principles of good karma. What goes around comes around as they say!
So, I reckon I’ve had my annual membership’s worth in one week alone – and I’ve just booked on to another four events. What can I say but thank you!
"I feel so honoured to be involved in Forward Ladies events as they really are the cream of the crop when it comes to networking." Jules Wyman, confidence coach.
"Thank you Etta, Cheryl and Anne, you do a fantastic job which is greatly appreciated by all your members. I wanted to write a few words of thanks and to describe my experience of FL for women who may be thinking of dipping a toe in the water. I would encourage you to take the plunge and experience it themselves. I'm sure they will happily be swimming in the deep end in no time."
"I think it is brilliant that the training session (with Jane Fowler) has led to the spontaneous formation of a FEE group. Forward Ladies is so great, you just never know what opportunity might develop!" Tonia Parris.
"The course(Jane Fowler) came at a perfect time for me and my business. After 18 months of focusing on building up my business I had started to lose a sense of control and strategy. It was great to have a day out to evaluate my progress so far and I really appreciated Jane's approach which encouraged us to focus on both the successes as well as any potential development needs. Taking time to recognise how far I've come was fantastic. The dynamic of the small group of ladies was so supportive and I learned just as much from listening to the experiences of others as I did talking about my own business. I was amazed at how much information Jane took on board during the day and her advice and guidance was so relevant and important to everyone. I'm hoping there will be the opportunity for a follow up session as so much was shared during the day and I know it will help me to keep focused on my goals with a supportive group around me rather than just on my own." Olivia Brabbs, Olivia Brabbs Photography.
Thank you for organising the Peter Grant event. It was a real treat for me as I have admired his singing for some time. It was lovely to meet him at the beginning of his career and I am sure Forward Ladies will watch his career with interest and remember this special lunch. Jackie Whiteley, Strulch.
Just to say I really enjoyed the Mulberry Hall evening last night - thank you.To make things even better, I have just been told I won the necklace! So all in all a lovely event for me.
Feedback from CV Clinic with Fluid Consultancy Tim Holden: “Thought he was ace. Loved him. His approach to finding employment is fresh, he is full of ideas, and he really helped me tweak my CV to show it to it's full glory. Yup, he's great." Chrissie Slater, Park Lane College.