Guest Blog by Alex Brocket, Cumberland Buiding Society
Thanks for having us, Windermere Jetty!
One of the first contemporary buildings to be constructed on the shores of Windermere in decades provided a dramatic backdrop to the launch of the LA23NET 2019/20 season.
The recently opened museum of boats, steam and stories helped welcome both new and old faces to LA23 NET in true style!
Picking this fresh, new venue packed full of interest is typical of the LA23NET team, and is one of the reasons why their monthly events prove so popular, you can check out all of the fabulous ‘people papper’ Victoria Sedgwick‘s LA23 snaps in the gallery at the end.
Canapes & Captain Flint
After some welcome drinks and delicious canapes (the caramelized onion tartlets were my personal favourites, and I ate far more than my fair share, sorry!), we set off on a tour of the museum.
You get such a sense of the rich Lakeland heritage as you walk around the collection – and it’s as much about the people behind the boats, as it is the boats themselves. The collection includes Beatrix Potter’s rowing boat, and Esperance, one of the boats that inspired Captain Flint’s houseboat in Swallows and Amazons.
LinkedIn Magic
LA23NET chair, Grant, from here at The Cumberland, gave us a warm welcome and shared his top LinkedIn tip with us. Have you ever noticed the little square in your LinkedIn search bar? Give it a tap, and you’ll be taken to a screen where you can connect with people simply by scanning their LinkedIn code (so long as they’ve tapped their little square too!)
Before you could say ‘Would you like to scan my LinkedIn code?’ we had our phones out left, right and centre, feeling very high-tech, and making new friends.
Hoist the mainsail!
Liz Moss of Lakeland Arts shared the Windermere Jetty journey with us – and what a fascinating journey it was! Liz revealed that it was a fun, but tough road to launch, and that the team had to be agile in their approach to development of the attractions and promotion of the museum.
The Cumberland works closely with the local tourism industry through both our business lending arm and business banking so it was great to better understand one of Cumbria’s new attractions. We think collaboration is key for this sector and it was interesting to learn about their partnerships with local businesses and organisations, like Cumbria Tourism (working together to position the Lake District as ‘The place to be’), the Lake District China Forum, and Hawkshead Relish. A shout out must also go to the museum for championing skills development in Cumbria.
Some fantastic questions from the room too, asking Liz what plans Windermere Jetty has for the winter months, and how local businesses can get involved to support and collaborate with the museum. Contact Liz Moss for more information.
Plain sailing
The night had such a positive energy and it was fantastic to see lots of friendly faces. As an LA23NET newbie myself, I loved the welcoming, upbeat, and informal vibe of the evening. It was so easy to connect with new people and I’m really looking forward to the next event.
Thank Yous
A huge thank you to Chair Grant Seaton, and of course Janett and Soph of Flock for welcoming us all back for a fresh and exciting new season of LA23 NET.
To Liz Moss of Lakeland Arts, for sharing the Windermere Jetty journey with us, and their exciting plans for the future.
To John Haley of supporting sponsor Edwin Thompson for a superb Vote of Thanks, and also to fellow supporting sponsor NXT Recruitment.
And to all you lovely people who joined us!
Join us on the 8th October for an uplifting and insightful talk from this year’s High Sheriff of Cumbria, Dr Marcia Reid-Fotheringham JP.
BOOK HERE
- Alex, Marketing Exec at The Cumberland
To stay up to date with LA23NET and other Flock events sign up here, full gallery of snaps below too!
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]GALLERY BELOW
Feel free to use these photos, please credit Victoria Sedgwick.
