And they're off......

We kicked off the walking club last Sunday with a steady 8.5 mile stroll around Macclesfield Forest, which took slightly longer than normal after a pint of real ale (or pot of tea in Wendy's case) at The Hanging Gate near Langley.

This pub is small and cosy, with open fires almost all year-round due to it's exposed location on the side of a hill in Cheshire.

The views are fantastic on a clear day, but the outside toilets can be a bit of a 'challenge' when temperatures drop well below freezing!

The vista of the Cheshire Plain, looking out towards Jodrell Bank and Manchester Airport is only bettered if you make the climb up to the top of Shutlingsloe (The Mini Matterhorn), as we did on Sunday.

So here we are, the intrepid founder members of the Elior Walking Club - Mike, Wendy, Janet, Nicola and yours truly.

As you can see, the weather couldn't have been better, other than the fact that it was a bit chilly!

The team from Credit Control in Macclesfield were great - and all seem eager to continue training through to the Challenge itself. Hopefully, we will have a few more victims fellow walkers next time - a 10 -11 mile hike in the Derbyshire hills at the end of October. Winter drawers on!

Taking it easy this weekend as the 'children' are both home from University. John is studying back in Sheffield after graduating in Physics & Medical Physics in 2009, and is now doing his teaching degree. He's about to impart his scientific wisdom on the pupils of Doncaster, which I'm positive he will do extremely well. Claire is also in Sheffield studying Music - and performing in various bands, ensembles & orchestras. I know she doesn't get her significant musical capability from me, but that doesn't make me any less proud or appreciative when I go to one of her concerts, or listen to her practicing.

Another Day, Another Charity

Attended the Hospitality Action 2010 Ball last night, so am feeling slightly frayed round the edges today, all thanks to the excellent hospitality of Andy & Jo Cork and the team from Cadbury. The Lancaster Hotel in London hosted the event and it proved to be an enjoyable evening all round, with great food and great company! Thanks to Matt Joplin for his impression of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', after he bled all over his white dress shirt, and to the other Matt & Rachel for keeping us entertained until 4am! The 'Angels' from Hospitality Action were very good at parting people from their money, and they certainly did a good job on my wallet.

This is a charity close to my heart though, as they support people within our industry who have fallen on hard times or need help in other ways.

Back to the challenges, and we have our first training walk on Sunday - about 7.5 miles around Macclesfield Forest, taking in the little hill of Shutlingsloe.

I'm looking forward to this as it's my first walk since Helvellyn and Haystacks back in late August! There should be six of us for this one, and I'm hoping it will generate more interest for the future... but the good thing is that I have at least 11 people signed up for the Cloud Seven Challenge walk next March. I thought I was going to be on my own for a while there!

I've planned the first of a series of promotions around my catering contracts, kindly sponsored by Cadbury. It's a 'buy six & get the seventh one free' offer on Cadbury's Wispa, and the promo will go under the strapline of  'Chinese Wispas'.

http://www.wispa.co.uk/

A new addition to the Smallwood family!

My brother will probably read this and think that he's an uncle again ... but don't worry, I won't be looking for babysitters any time soon! The 10,000 mile return trip to China in March made me think about all the carbon emissions, so I went online ( http://www.carbonfootprint.com/ ) to find my personal carbon foortprint over the year.

With significant travel being a major part of my job, and including all personal and business elements, I will create a frightening 20 tonnes of CO2 in the next 12 months!

So, to ease my conscience help save the planet, I have paid for a new 'Small Wood' (get it? I can hear the groans!!) to be planted in the North West of England.

These 21 British broad leaf trees will offset my carbon emissions for life, and provide new habitat for wildlife.

As the song by the late, great James Brown goes, I feel good!

Back to the challenge, it's been a good week, with another six people now coming on the first training walk, and hopefully joining me in taking on the Cloud Seven challenge next March. Welcome to all - Paul Jarrott, Andy Davies, Rowena Moore, Janet Farrell, Nicola Ward and Mike Abercrombie...... and there's still room for more!!

Sadly, I think I mis-timed the Krypton Factor challenge, as a number of people are on leave on 12th November, so the event will be re-scheduled (and maybe amended to make participation a bit easier!)

and I thought I was mad.....

Lots of planning work this week, so not a lot to share. We now have a few members of the walking club, but still need another dozen or so names to make it work.

Wendy Hulme, Purchase Ledger has agreed to help with organisation
Others joining the team are:
Eric Storto, who has completed previous challenges with me
Ian Williams, who will do his training in Scotland (hopefully with other entrants for the challenge walk)
Alan Armitage from Leeds will also train with his own club
Megan Whitehead will 'probably' join us.

                                             I will be having a big recruitment drive this week!!!

On a totally different matter, I am supporting two great guys from Bentley Motors in Crewe with their charity challenge, which makes mine look very tame!

They are planning to build a glorified 'pedalo', and race it 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean next November (2011)!!! It's far more high-tech than I've described, but no less crazy! They are hoping to smash the World Record of 111 days by completing the crossing in just 38 days. In doing so, they aim to raise £250,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Make a Wish Foundation. Read about it - and watch out for the TV documentary next year. http://www.torpedalo.com/