In the months we celebrated bonfire night and got into the Christmas spirit, we ended the year with a ‘bang’ (the Christmas cracker kind…).
To round off our collaboration with the BHF, members were treated to a behind the scenes visit to the Bristol Heart Institute and a talk from the head of research, Professor Sarah George at our Monthly Meeting.
We were shown various research projects by the current PhD students, all of which are funded by money raised and donated via the BHF. Some of the projects included the connection between gum disease and heart disease and aortic aneurysms. It was a fascinating evening and it was great to see how the funding is being put to amazing use.
On 10th November the BJC Wine Club had its inaugural tasting. Hosted by Ben Franks from Novel Wines in the Clifton Club. We were initially taken through the tasting process to make sure we were getting the most out of each wine. We then got taken on a guided tour of some of the worlds lesser known wine regions and their wines, including a sparkling wine from Slovenia, white wines from Switzerland and Hungary, red wines from Romania and Brazil and finally a sweet wine from Hungary. All of the wines were perfectly paired with a local cheese to bring out the right flavours in both the wine and the cheese. For details on upcoming wine club events, please do contact Oli Stavrakakis.
In November, three willing volunteers from the BJC agreed to conduct some school interviews with students from St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School. This took place virtually on a weekday evening and was a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding experience for all involved. The feedback from both the students and the school was overwhelmingly positive, and is sure to be something that we look to continue to do on a regular basis. Thank you again to those involved
Alongside all our usual events, our DE&I committee has been meeting bi-monthly in order to start building a foundation of considerations and actions for us to implement going forward. We are committed to making the BJC an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
We’re always looking to hear opinions from our Members so if you’d like to attend the next meeting, please reach out to Catherine Harris.
Rounding off November, was the exchange trip with our twins (since 1947) Wirstschaftsjunioren Hanseraum (Hannover Junior Chamber or WJH). You can read more about this in a blog coming soon.
December’s monthly meeting took a slightly different form; give us a dance floor, glitter ball and a festive dress code, and we’ve got ourselves a Christmas Party! The evening was held at the Artists’ Residence with a successful charity raffle and two of the BJC’s most wanted DJs, it was the perfect night to celebrate 2022 and all the events hosted by our President this year.
Continuing in the festive spirit this month the BJC book club embraced an Icelandic tradition ‘Jolabokaflod‘, meaning ‘Christmas Book Flood’, where everyone gifts a book for people to enjoy on Christmas Eve. Our members took part, but with a charity twist – all books must have been purchased from a Charity Shop, wrapped and then exchanged on the evening of the book club. We hope everyone enjoys their books!
It wouldn’t be Christmas without some festive wreath making courtesy of our charity partners The Brightwell. It was a wonderful evening, getting crafty for a wonderful cause, and our final event of the year.
Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
It’s been a brilliant year for Bristol Junior Chamber and we’re looking forward to what 2023 has to hold. Thank you for your continued support and for staying in touch.
Warmest wishes,
Kate Woosnam & the 2022-23 Council of Management