I visited the Wycombe Business Expo held in Wycombe last week  http://www.wycombebusinessexpo.com/– fabulous to see so many positive and motivated business owners taking part. Did you know that Buckinghamshire is the entrepeneurial capital of the UK, with over 40% more new businesses starting every year than the national average? I didn’t… this and many other really useful and interesting snippets of info were given to me by Charlie Smith, the Regional Vice Chairman for the Federation of Small Businesses for the area. In fact, I was so impressed by the range of info resources and support for small and medium business that the Federation offers, I bought it! Well, not the Federation, but I certainly became a member. I’m looking forward to really capitalising on the access to legal / HR / free banking offers, and especially the networking opportunities.
I met some really good people at the expo – I especially liked  the guys at Silent Sounds who promote deaf awareness and continually strive to ensure that deaf and hearing impaired people have access to the services they require. They work in a wide variety of sectors, including NHS trusts, GP Surgeries and Hospitals, Schools and Colleges, Charities, Local Authorities, Police forces, and Corporate Events.
Apparently, there are approximately 9 million deaf people in the UK using various different forms of communication, and it got me thinking about how we ensure our messages in business are reaching everyone – including the deaf and hard of hearing.  I, for one, will be thinking about that very carefully next time we are working on an event or corporate activity.
You can find out more about Silent Sounds here http://www.silent-sounds.co.uk/blog.php