Going into this year, I figured it would be a very busy January. And it definitely was. I thought though that by the end of March things would have settled into a nice, relaxed pace. I thought we'd all potter along happily until the end of the year. No chance.

It feels like we were taking things easy and have all just sprung into action! I can barely keep up with all the fantastic stuff that happened in March, let alone with all the awesome stuff in the pipeline.

Business tours

Despite being a member for almost three years I have managed to miss every business tour we have put on! I rectified this with Gripple and WOW, it was a good one. Having grown up in Sheffield and worked in the city for over ten years, I have always been aware of Gripple and their innovative approach to manufacturing and employment. Since finding out the founder, Hugh Facey, is a past JCI UK President I have been even keener to learn more about how they operate. I think we all left wanting new jobs with them...

Next up, New York Bagels (in Swinton, obviously) and a talk from Julie Kenny CBE, of Pyronix.

Twinning is winning!

I absolutely LOVE our twins. Having started the chamber from scratch in late 2011 they are flying from strength to strength . I won't go into detail about our trip over to see them as it's has all been said here already but clear your diary for their return visit - 11 to 14 July - and let's make it even more amazing.

And as if that wasn't enough international stuff, I'm off for my Glasgow debut next month for the JCI Scotland National Convention and both the European Convention (Malta in June) and World Congress (Leipzig in November) are set to have record numbers of Sheffield and Mayo delegates. Twins on Tour!

Making an IMPACT

JCI Impact is a key course for ensuring we run sustainable projects. I was delighted to see 12 members present - including ALL of JCI Doncaster - and to collect in 28 Easter Eggs to donate to Sheffield Children's Hospital. We're collecting until Fri 11 April so keep them coming... If you're not involved in a JCI project yet, speak to me or your buddy and let us know what you want to do. This could be anything from helping organise our annual dinner (which is going to be EPIC), to setting up the first Great JCI Bake Off, to devising a new community project from scratch.

As you know our chosen charity this year is SAFE@LAST and many of our planned projects will be supporting the vital work they do.

To find out more about why we chose them, the impact they make and how you can get involved, come along on 9 April to our interactive session.

Work hard, play hard

I am a firm believer in this motto. The team this year is so dedicated to making your chamber the best it has ever been - you would simply not believe the number of emails, Facebook posts, Skype calls and meetings these guys get through every week - so we felt was important to have a night just chilling out and catching up over dinner at the start of the month. Plus it was my first "cheat" day so I got to pile on the meat and cheese!! It also means we'll be plotting a few social activities for the whole chamber - ideas include paintballing, climbing and whisky tasting. Probably not all at the same time.

All in all, I'm very happy with how this year is going. But, of course, I still want to be better. And I still want the chamber to be better. So all those ideas you have about what else we could do, and how we can help you to reach your goals, please tell us!

Finally, keep up the good work!