Pedal power for Sierra Leone

Half-a-dozen brave souls returned to Hastings on Monday afternoon after cycling to Boulogne and back to raise funds for the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link.

The group were welcomed back from their 200 kilometre plus trek by a band of supporters and sponsors including Councillor Jeremy Birch.

The six cyclists - Roger Mitchell, Steve Frost, Bill Evans, Mike Cooper, Einar Einarsson and Jansen van Rensburg - were waved off on their challenge on Saturday morning from Hastings Pier by the Mayor Councillor Maureen Charlesworth and members of the Hastings-Sierra Leone Friendship Link. From there the group made their way to Dover and across the channel for a 2 night stay in Calais. Sunday saw them cycling to the port of Boulogne and back – a journey of around 50 miles – in blazing sunshine.

The Pedal for Sierra Leone was arranged by Diligence sister company Nice Work. Money raised from the event will help funding for the Community Resource Building in Hastings Village in Sierra Leone.

Where will you take your customers in 2008?

Looking for somewhere suitable to take your staff, your colleagues or your customers?

One of our favourite events is Glorious Goodwood - one of the highlights of the social summer scene. Indeed, King Edward VII once described Glorious Goodwood as ‘a garden party with racing tacked on’.
The meeting not only offers the very best in top-class racing - ‘Glorious Goodwood’ is a real English summer institution, where racing, socialising and fashion go hand in hand.

Goodwood is reckoned to be one of the world’s most beautiful racecourses. Set high on the South Downs with the most beautiful of views, it really is the perfect place to enjoy summer’s day. The Thursday of the Goodwood Festival is traditionally ‘Ladies’ Day’ and the feature race of the day, the Goodwood Cup, is Goodwood’s oldest race.

Our sister company, Nice Work, has been organising trips to Goodwood for some years now and are now taking reservations for a Glorious Goodwood VIP Package.

For more information, contact martin@diligencegroup.co.uk

Turf's Up!!

There's something particularly English about a Day at the Races.

Goodwood, Epsom, Aintree and Newmarket are all iconic English Sporting Venues providing a memorable opportunity to entertain staff, clients and colleagues. But, there's more to a day at the races than the top meetings held at the leading venues. There are some highly cost-effective events to be had by entertaining at some of the country's smaller racecourses such as Lingfield, Plumpton and Lingfield Park.

We regularly take groups - from 12 upwards - to racecourses throughout the country. We cater for top of the range meetings such as Cheltenham, The Derby and Glorious Goodwood; summer evening meetings at both Goodwood and Folkestone; as well as regular weekday and weekend meetings at most other courses.

Our favourite is Goodwood - particularly on Ladies Day. Widely regarded as the world's most beautiful racecourse, Goodwood is set high on the South Downs - the perfect place to enjoy horseracing and socialising at its very best.

Now's the time to start planning your summer event - so why not consider a day at the races? All our trips are catered for individually with a bespoke itinerary and package which includes:

Travel to and from the racecourse

Breakfast or pre-departure refreshments or optional meal stops

Optional packed lunch

Optional breakfast stop
Admission to the racecourse

Post race picnic or barbecue
Welcome aboard pack
The services of guides throughout the trip

Why not contact us for your next Day at the Races?

Strolling .... just strolling!

Details have been announced of the next overseas sponsored walk for local charities in Deal and Hastings.

The Stroll for St Michaels and Martha – is a three day overseas sponsored walk which raises funds for St Michaels Hospice and Martha Trust.

Boulogne to Le Touquet is the 5th sponsored walk overseas for St Michaels Hospice and 2008 will be the third time that funds have also been raised for Martha Trust. This year the walk takes in some stunning countryside as it wends its way along the coastal footpath between Boulogne and Le Touquet.

The walk will cover some beautiful French countryside and pass many places of historic interest en route. There are also a number of refreshment stops along the route and the overnight base will provide ample opportunities to sample the local cuisine.

The event is perfect for people of all ages and families are welcome to participate. The route is primarily flat and with a longest day mileage of around 15 miles, only a basic minimum level of fitness would be required.

If you can raise the minimum amount in sponsorship, places on the Stroll is fully funded. This is now a really popular event and as well as being a great weekend away, it’s a superb opportunity to demonstrate support for both St Michaels Hospice and Martha Trust in a healthy and fun way.

The Stroll takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend with a coach departure from Hastings and Dover on Saturday morning – returning to the towns on Monday evening.
In addition to the coach, back-up vehicles will also carry basic first aid facilities and refreshments will be available at regular stops along the way. All meals, accommodation and refreshments for the duration of the walk are provided.

For more information, contact The Event Manager today.

From Calais to Boulogne - on foot!

Looking for a teambuilding event with a difference?

How about a three day walk between the two French ports of Calais and Boulogne?

The towns of Calais and Boulogne are around 25 or so miles apart by road - but a comfortable but more interesting walk of two to two and a half days separates them. They are linked together by a coastal footpath which provides for a breathtaking walk with views over the surrounding countryside and, of course, across the English Channel. In addition to walking, we can build into the programme a wide range of teambuilding tasks - with plenty of opportunities for themeing as the route passes many places of historic interest.

We also build in a number of refreshment stops along the way and the two overnight stops also provide ample opportunities to sample the local cuisine and to enetertain or educate. The event is perfect for people of all ages and although we would describe the route as undulating, with a longest day mileage of around 15 miles, only a basic minimum level of fitness would be required.

Our Calais to Boulogne teambuilding events includes:

Transport to and from France
Accommodation, meals plus drinks and refreshments en route
Back- up transport throughout the duration of the event
Celebratory lunch in Boulogne
The services of a back-up crew and guides
A daily goody bag plus a commemorative tee shirt

The Calais to Boulogne route has always been our most popular overseas events and those who join us can expect some stunning scenery, some good company and a great social experience.

For more information, on using walking as a teambuilding event, contact us today.

All set to Pedal to Dieppe

Details have been announced of a three day sponsored cycle ride to the French port of Dieppe to raise funds for the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link.

The Pedal for Sierra Leone will cover some beautiful countryside on both sides of the Channel and take in many places of historic interest en route. There are also a number of refreshment stops along the route making the event suitable for cyclists of all abilities. The overnight base in Dieppe will also provide ample opportunities to sample the local cuisine.

The event is perfect for people of all ages and families are welcome to participate. The route allows for relatively easy cycling, with most of the route in France using a purpose-built cycle roadway.

If you can raise the minimum amount in sponsorship, your place on the Pedal is fully funded.

Organiser Martin Burke from event managers Nice Work, a Diligence sister company, says “This should prove a really popular event and as well as being a great weekend away, is a superb opportunity to demonstrate support for the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link.”

The Pedal for Sierra Leone takes place over the second May Bank Holiday weekend with a departure from Hastings Pier on Saturday May 24th – returning to the town by the Monday evening.

Back-up vehicles will carry basic first aid and cycle repair resources and refreshments will be available at regular stops along the way. Your ferry crossing, all meals, accommodation and refreshments for the duration of the cycle are provided.

For more information, contact organisers Nice Work on 01797 230730; email info@nice-work.org.uk or visit http://www.nice-work.org.uk/

What's your era?

Finding the right music for your conference or training event can be difficult. The choice of music is subjective - and if you have delegates covering a wide age range it can be tricky finding common musical tastes!

We organise entertianment at many events and in our experience, deciding the musical input is often made easier by getting some agreement on musical tastes by era. So, a good old fashioned Rock 'n' Roll band playing 1950's covers usually apeals to most tastes - although, naturally, the more mature will find it more to their liking. One of the best 50's rockabilly band around, Lucky Strike are on our recommended list as are The Drifters - still drifting after more than 50 years!



Similarly there are some great bands from the 1960s still touring and playing to the coporate market. Bands such as The Merseybeats and The Searchers, after some 40 years on the road know just how to put a great show on - and, of course, the music is considered by some to be timeless!

Moving on to the 70's and its an opportunity for Glam Rock and Glitter to make an appearance - the choice of original artists isn't as great as it could be, but, once again, if you're to pick an original artist rather than tribute, you're pretty certain to get highly polished entertainment. We've used bands such as The Rubettes - and they certainly know how to put on a show! Remember those white caps? Well they're still around.



Then its on to the 80's, a much-maligned era but one that is now providing some great acts for the corporate market - there are enough Bee Gees, Elton John, Eagles and Bon Jovi tribute acts to fill a Convention Hall and bands such as Go West and Haircut 100 are now available again.

The problem era though is the 1990's - with a paucity of both original artists and good tribute bands available. That said, tributes such as Fake That and Noasis are still good enough to provide great post conference entertainmnet.

If you'd like to know more about choosing the right entertainment for your event, why not get in touch with us?