Blog by 2014 President Ben Hawley 

JCI Barnsley's annual dinner has always been held in mid-January and acts as a way to celebrate the success of the previous year, but it also marks the start of not just JCI Barnsley's new year, but also is normally the first official duties of the new National President. The theme for the dinner is set by the previous year's president, in this case me, and as I love a good sing, I went for a Stars In Their Eye's themed dinner. The entertainment was provided by the members from Barnsley and across the region. We were treated to performances by The Fugies, The Blues Brothers, S Club 7, Morrisey, The Cranberries and what was apparently Meatloaf.

The real stars of the evening for me though were the members who won awards for their hard work during 2014, not just for JCI Barnsley, but also on a national level. Also, congratulations to Richard Grange who was awarded a well-deserved Senatorship on the evening. The dinner is also a chance to look back at the past year and how much we as a chamber have achieved. Every member played their part in 2014 and I do feel proud of everything that we achieved during the year.

The presidential chain was passed over to Tracy Anderson, then Jo Mackfall recived the Deputy Chain. I'm more than certain that the chamber is in safe hands going forward.

A special thank you also needs to go out to Ian Bragger and Jenny Storey who MC'ed the evening. It was the first time they had done it and they both did a brilliant job. Also, the evening wouldn't have been as successful without the efforts of Kathryn Brookes who created all the marketing materials, dressed the room and overall made the room look great.

For me, the evening topped off a great year perfectly. Thank you to everyone who came along to make it so memorable.