Netwalking - The highs and lows!

Last week Wendy and I went on a country walk in Guildford with a crowd of people.

Wendy and I are members of an online community called Ecademy, and one of the groups led by Tom Evans and Jenny Littlejohn, run a networking meeting with a difference!! A Netwalk!

The idea is that you walk and talk and build relationships whilst you do so. It is a great way to get out and about, exercise, meet new people and old friends.

We met in a country pub near Shere, and walked through the Surrey Hills for about an hour and a half and although is was raining, everyone had a great time!

As I had just returned from holiday, Wendy and I managed to talk the whole time (no change there then!) and to catch up on everything that had been going on.

Unfortunately, I did not take in too much of the scenery as I was too busy watching my feet to make sure that I did not fall over (one broken foot is enough for anyone!) which was a bit of a shame as the Surrey Hills are beautiful.

By the time we got back to the pub, we were soaked through. Most of us had hair stuck to our heads, very muddy boots and trousers soaked up past our knee caps, however, Wendy seemed to come off worse.

Her trousers were ruined, they were not only very wet, but they were also ripped, as she had caught them on a branch on the way round, so when it came to going home, she decided that she would take them off and drive home in her underwear!

We joked briefly about what she would do if she was stopped on the way home and she said it was unlikely.....However, about 5 minutes into the journey, I get a call from Wendy. "You'll never guess what?" she said. "what" I replied. "My petrol light has come on and I might have to stop to fill up!" It was so funny, I could barely see where I was driving for the tears of laughter!!

Anyway, I followed her back as far as Farnham, after which she assured me she would make it home - thank goodness!

The moral of the tale? Make sure when you are going on a walk, dress appropriately and make sure you have a spare set of clothes in the car!!

Relish Launch Guildford Community Event - featuring Getrude Matshe

I was really excited that Relish finally launched into Guildford recently!

The event was one of the best ever yet! Over 30 people attending and the atmosphere was fantastic!

The usual format for our events begins with half an hour of socialising, allowing opportunities to meet and talk with others. The next hour tends to be either a guest speaker or some sort of activity (with content such as games, quizzes or challenges which help us to mix together and also learn something new). Before bringing the meeting to an end and allowing people to ask questions and continue to talk and socialise.

We were really fortunate to have Getrude Matshe, an inspirational and motivational speaker and storyteller from Zimbabwe. She spoke about her life back in Zimbabwe and how fortunate she had been to receive an education, when many women did not. She told us about emigrating to New Zealand and how when she arrived she had nothing.

Her ability to succeed, in times of adversity, were a lesson to us all, and she encouraged us to take every opportunity that came our way, as we could never know where this might lead us.

Certainly, from the conversations I had after the event with some of the audience, it would seem that she inspired a number of people and caused a few others to reflect on what was going on for them.

And this is what our events are all about - inspirational, challenging, thought provoking and motivational, as well as being a friendly and sociable environment to meet new people.

Want to meet new people?
Want to be inspired, motivated, encouraged?

Look here for the nearest Community Event to you