Swan at Lavenham Hotel & Spa business networking group raises nearly £330 for charity

The business breakfast networking group at the 15th century Swan at Lavenham Hotel & Spa has raised nearly £330 for local East Anglian Children’s Hospices during its inaugural year.

A cheque was presented to Hannah Walker, EACH Community Fundraiser for Suffolk at the group’s Christmas lunch. Raised through donations and a raffle at the lunch, the funds will pay for nine sessions of music therapy or nine hours of end of life care.

The Swan also donated a ‘lunch for two’ voucher recently for an EACH Twitter campaign, which helped to dramatically increase EACH’s followers from 300 to 2,150 in just four weeks.

Networking events at The Swan are open to anyone working in the Suffolk area who would like to meet other businesses in an informal setting, while enjoying a delicious breakfast. Delegates are welcome to come to as many monthly sessions as they wish and there are no joining fees or membership charges.

A proportion of the delegates’ fees is donated to the group’s charity networking partner for the year; in 2016 this will be Age UK Suffolk, whose funds go directly to help support older people living in the county.

The group usually meets from 8am on the second or third Thursday of the month. Guest speakers for the first two events in 2016 are confirmed as Jo Reeder from Age UK Suffolk on 14th January and Vicky O’Leary from Right Angle Events on 18th February. After a 15-20 minute presentation, delegates have a chance to ask questions before exchanging ideas and discussing matters of local interest. Events finish around 10am.

Delighted with the success of the networking group’s first year organiser Jane Larcombe, Business Development Manager at The Swan said: “Our breakfast events have become established as an integral part of the local business calendar. We have welcomed some fascinating speakers this year and have an excellent programme lined-up for 2016, which we hope will attract an even greater number of delegates.”

To book a place email Jane on jane.larcombe@theswanatlavenham.co.uk or call 07787 426371; there is no limit to the number of businesses from the same industry wishing to attend. For directions and more details about The Swan visit