A moving and inspiring last Business Club meeting in 2022

Lamp’s latest Business Club meeting took place in December at Winstanley House in Leicester. We were joined by around 50 representatives from our Business Club network.

The event was kicked off by Sarah Higgins, vice chair of the Business Club who welcomed guests and outlined how we could take the learnings and best practices from the session into our own workplaces.

Sarah handed over to Lamp CEO, Richard Kotulecki who talked about the people now coming to Lamp who are experiencing crises in multiple aspects of their lives. These can be anything from incorrect diagnoses to anxiety caused by cost of living issues such as the inability to pay bills or even homelessness.

The charity is currently seeing significant increases in people approaching them for help and support, up from 460 last year and now on course for over 600 people supported by March 2022. Lamp is also looking at extending its reach next year to help teenagers and young adults but these increases can’t be sustained without more financial support, Richard reported.

Richard also highlighted the Take Time to Talk dinner in June 2023 and the lamp 5k campaign in May.

Richard then handed over to the guest speaker, Mehmooda Duke MBE DL. Mehmooda is the High Sheriff of Leicestershire, founder of Moosa-Duke Solicitors, an award-winning medical negligence lawyer and the first female president of the Leicestershire Law Society.

Mehmooda talked about her very personal mental health journey, pointing out the major triggers in her life, and how she recognised and reacted to her own issues. She explained how running the Race for Life in 2010 and joining the Fosse Business Breakfast Club gave her the courage to engage with life and and build confidence again.

She also talked about her approach to mental health and leadership, and the importance of ‘Recognition’, ‘Awareness’, ‘Team’ and ‘Self’. After reflecting on the love and support that she shared with her daughter, Mehmooda finished her moving and inspiring speech with a suggestion ‘to get in touch with your inner child’.

The audience then had the opportunity to commend Mehmooda for her courage and ask questions about her journey.

The Business Club meeting ended with a time for members to talk in groups about their challenges and struggles, and their priorities for 2023.

To find out more about the Lamp Business Club, visit www.lampadvocacy.co.uk/business-club/