Well done to David for showing that being down doesn't mean being out. After hardship and bitter disappointment caused by an industrial accident, my hat is off to David for showing that starting over may be a daunting experience but through determination and a little support positive lifestyle changes are achievable and highly rewarding.

Excellent photography and great professionalism with a smile. Keep up the good work!

Wayne Flowers

Sedgefield

Fwd:

I have been busy the last couple of days, drumming up business for wedding and event photography. I have also completed some child portraits as part of a birthday party package which Margaret , the beauty therapist organised. This entailed a group of party girls having their hair and makeup done and then moving on for their hair styled, and ending up with their portraits taken.

Today, I have met up with a lovely couple who have just got engaged, and are organising their wedding photography.

Entrepreneurs Forum Annual Conference, Progres5ive'

I found the day completely inspiring and a great opportunity to glean pearls of wisdom from both those established business people who have made such a success of their businesses and also new entrepreneurs who are starting out like me. It was great to meet the other finalists and hear of their experiencesa which is the whole aim of the 'If We Can, You Can' campaign. The peer to peer support gave me such a boost.
Harvey Goldsmith was so inspiring and a lot of the things he said rang true for me with things that I have experiences in the last few months.
I spoke to so many great people and got lots of tips to take away with me. All is all it was a fantastic day.

Dave had an absolutely fantastic time yesterday at the Hilton Hotel, and after collecting him at 11pm, he had so much to tell me about all the people he had met throughout the day. This has been a big achievement for Dave and I don’t think words can explain how much it means to him to have come this far. Winning would be like all his Christmas’s come at once. I believe all the finalists are winners, and deserve to be recognised for this.

Sonia

If somebody had said to me a couple of months ago that I would be attending the Entrepreneurs forum at the Hilton hotel, I would have laughed out loud. What a fabulous experience it was.

I met some truly fantastic people; the highlights of the day for me were Harvey Goldsmith (no relation), Guy Browning, Angus Thirlwell, Charles Morgan and my fellow challenge entrants.

I particularly found Harvey Goldsmith fascinating. He spoke of his early days in business and how he had to make decisions to take him forward. I could relate to some of the situations he went through and admired his drive and determination to succeed.

I also gained some great contacts which I hope to follow up.

I was really looking forward to the evening. After getting changed for the black tie dinner, I sat with the other finalists before going in for the evening meal. Again Guy Browning amazed me with his humour. For me Jon Culshaw was the highlite of the evening. I have been a fan of his for a number of years, and he met my expectations, causing me to have sore ribs through laughing.

The evening gave me further opportunity to network, talking to the most interesting people gaining insight into their experiences in the journey of starting up a business to where they are now.

I would like to thank the entrepreneurs forum for inviting me to a fantastic event.

I think my husband has done fantastic and deserves to win. He has had a long and bumpy journey to get the where he is today. Winning this would mean so much to him and everyone who is supporting him,

Sonia

It really is fantastic to be a part of this competition, even better to be one of the finalists. I would like to congratulate my fellow participants. I would also like to thank all of my family and friends for all their support. I really could not have done it without you!

Summerfield photography has expanded in the last month, we are moving in to a state of the art Gym in a brand new building in Coopies lane industrial estate Morpeth. We hope that we will be fully operational in the next couple of weeks.

Over the weekend I was involved in a fund raising event for children’s charity so that has been a lot of fun and of course worthwhile. Today I have been shooting a portfolio for a hair dressing student for her final year at Northumbria University. This was based on a theme of Fire & Ice. We used two models in a local pub in Ashington it was really good fun.