THE MEDIA HUB TURNS ONE
The Media Hub celebrates its first birthday this month. My friend and Cookham-based journalist Sarah Parfitt and I set up the lively networking group, and to mark the occasion, we are organising a special evening for all those involved and are inviting other media professionals to attend.
The celebrations will take place at 8pm on Thursday 19th June in the Garden Room at the Bel & the Dragon on Cookham High Street, with complimentary canapés by chef Ronnie Kimbugwe, singing by Renee Cullen and a presentation by two award-winning film-makers. The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Richard Kellaway, will also be making an appearance.
‘When Sarah and I launched the monthly gatherings, we had no idea what kind of response we would get,’ says Sarah Parfitt of Parfitt Media. ‘We have now welcomed more than 50 media professionals to our meetings, which is fantastic.’
We have met some brilliant people with diverse talents. Those who attend range from film producers to print journalists, broadcasters, digital and social media experts, and graphic designers. For example, member Gay Flashman is the founder and CEO of Formative Digital Communications and Jill Paul is an Online Content Editor for the Daily Mail.
We are extremely pleased with the success of the group. As well as providing a place where media professionals can network and share skills, our members now offer each other support and don’t like to miss a gathering. One member from the BBC Persian Service travels from London to the Hub each month, which is very impressive.
‘Given the wealth of knowledge and experience at the Media Hub, we have decided to invite a member to speak at each meeting before the social part of the evening begins. We might also invite the occasional VIP guest too,’ says Sarah Parfitt.
The birthday celebrations on 19th will kick-off with a presentation by writer, broadcaster and film-maker Angela Robson and photographer and film-maker Mike Goldwater about Ethiopia 30 years since the famine. Mike was in Ethiopia all those years ago, and they have both recently been back there with Partners For Change Ethiopia, a charity that has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of poverty-stricken orphan and vulnerable children and their communities in Ethiopia since 1984.
Angela has worked internationally as an independent film and documentary maker for the BBC, Aljazeera and the Guardian, and as a producer and reporter for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service. Her 10 years’ experience at the BBC have included all factual genres, current affairs, news, business, religion and the arts. She has worked and travelled in 32 African countries.
Mike’s pictures have been published in major magazines around the world, widely exhibited and featured in many corporate publications and presentations. Photo stories, assignments and film projects have taken him to more than 70 countries. Mike was also a founder member of the internationally renowned Network Photographers agency.
After the presentation, Cookham-based singer Renee Cullen will be performing while the attendees enjoy the canapés provided by the restaurant and a social.
Singer says: 'I am really looking forward to being a part of the Cookham Media Hub’s one-year celebrations.'
‘We would like to thank Ronnie Kimbugwe and his team, who have hosted the gatherings each month, and always put on delicious nibbles for us,’ added Sarah Parfitt. ‘We also must say a big thank you to Mohammad Sabahi of Mah Images for taking such fantastic photographs at our events.’
We would also like to thank Moor Hall Conference Centre for providing the technology, Purinto for helping with our marketing material and also Nelmarie Rennison for baking us a birthday cake!
Claire Pearce, General Manager at Moor Hall Conference Centre, says: ‘Moor Hall Conference Centre, Cookham, wishes the Media Hub a very happy first birthday and we are delighted to be able to sponsor part of your special evening.’
Nelmarie Rennison of The PaperCup Kitchen says: 'I always ask people to let me make your special day even sweeter. I'm doing just that for Media Hub - something sweet for a first birthday!'
Moving forward, the Media Hub meetings will take place quarterly. The next two meetings will be at 8pm on 11th September and 27th November at the Bel & the Dragon. Any media professional is welcome to come along to the next event. Register on our Facebook Media Hub page, or by calling Sarah Parfitt on 07900 411 715.
For more info:
Parfitt Media - sarah_parfitt@mail.com
Mums About Cookham - www.MumsaboutCookham.com
Mah Images
Partners for Change Ethiopia - www.pfcethiopia.org
Angela Robson - www.angelarobson.net
Mike Goldwater - www.mikegoldwater.com
Bel & the Dragon - www.belandthedragon-cookham.co.uk
Moor Hall - www.moorhallconferences.com
Renee Cullen
Purinto - http://purinto.com
The PaperCup Company - http://thepapercupkitchen.co.uk