Basepoint Business Centre in Basingstoke is where you can find The Bead Base. This is where, for the next few days, I was headed to help spread the word about Sgt Slingsby and his Band of Bears and for a bit of Beading, Banter and fundraising ... and I think that's enough "B's" for now!
After an inspection of the shop, and I can honestly say I have never seen so many beads in one place, I took up the very important position by the till so that I was able to chat to every single customer and hand out business cards whenever I could. (01)
They have a very interesting bucket of beads called Bead Soup. I thought at first it said "bean soup". It made me feel quite hungry. (02)
At night I was taken home to Chez Bead where I was wined and dined in fine style. I was usually tucked up in bed by a stunning blonde! (03)
During my stay I helped Terry, Basepoint's jack of all trades, deliver the post to some of the business units. (04)
I visited some of the other businesses on the site and, smooth guy that I am, was able to schmooze a little. This resulted in some donations to the Hols4Heroes charity auctions. Thanks go to Nancyz Crafts for their donation of a wedding album, Top Notch Interiors for a cake knife and bottle stopper, and Poison Ink for their donation of 1 hours tattooing! Poison Ink also offers a forces discount of 25%. (05, 06)
Nosh, the on-site coffee bar, is where I was treated to my lunch every day by The Bead Base girls. (07)
I was invited to attend a Social Networking day at the business centre, run by North Hampshire Enterprise. Not being a Bear who hides his light under a Bushel, I was able to do a bit of networking myself! I was able to explain who I was and what Sgt Slingsby and his Bears work so hard for. I think I generated quite a bit of interest, as quite a few people picked up the Slingsby website details and a few of the guys I spoke to were going back to their offices to peruse the Slingsby website. Several attendees insisted on having their photos taken with such an esteemed personality as myself. North Hampshire Enterprise provided a slap up lunch too! (08)
I spent a day in Reception at Basepoint in the company of esteemed Site Manager Anne and Debbie, the Assistant Manager. I took up my position by the mint imperials and took it upon myself to ‘meet and greet'. I did find myself blushing when several people enquired about purchasing me, but I did explain I was not for sale as I am a unique bear.
I met the Mayor of Basingstoke when he came to present The Bead Base with a certificate for coming second in the Arts and Crafts category in a competition to find the best loved businesses in the UK. Several photographs were taken and I managed to get one of myself with the Mayor who seemed very interested in the work that I do. (09)
Thanks are due to the following for their generous donations to the Sgt Slingsby/Hols4Heroes charity auctions.
www.poison-ink.co.uk
www.nancyzcrafts.co.uk [link not working at the moment]
www.topnotchinteriors.co.uk
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Without super supporters like you, we couldn't help as many people as we do.
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Holidays 4 Heroes is an informal group of people that assists wounded service personnel and their families get a precious break from the routine of rehab, hospital appointments and visits to welfare offices by facilitating holidays away from it all in accommodation donated by our sponsors in the UK and abroad. 
Deals with the cases that either lie outside the normal remit of the main Service Charities, or require a faster response than they can usually provide. Sometimes the cases require financial assistance, a little bit of nudging in the right direction for long-term help, or the application of a bit of expertise.