Meeting shows town has the right moves

Business leaders and captains of industry attended a very important conference last week to discuss the growth of Ashford and its economy.

But on the lighter side of the event, which was held at the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce’s base at Waterbrook Park, there was some funky lighting and a funky playlist.

Some of the music being blasted out of the speakers at the event would have rivalled any radio station for cheese.

Perhaps the carefully selected tunes were meant to be motivational for the guests, to gear them up for speeches about housing developments and new motorway junctions.

But for our reporter, Aidan Barlow, it had an altogether more different feel, that of an old-school disco, which was remarkably difficult to photograph using a phone.

There was Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran, which he mistakenly thought was One Direction, with the lyrics “we found love right where we are” – quite.

We heard Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, and of course we all have Moo-eee-oooo-eee-oooves Like Jagger, along with Calum Scott’s Dancing on My Own.

But without doubt the highlight was Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk – perhaps the best description for Ashford’s developments at the moment.

There are projects for the expansion of the Designer Outlet, Chilmington Green, Curious Brew and Aldi, the Commercial Quarter and more.

And if you don’t believe me, just watch.

One from the world of PR to finish with this week.

It seems that Hillary’s Blinds are determined to eke out any marketing opportunity they can from market research.

The company is represented by 10 Yetis Public Relations, who asked 2,296 adults in relationships about ‘household debates’ including whether ketchup should be put in the fridge, and which way the toilet roll should hang.

Apparently, two thirds of respondents said they have disagreements with partners over how things should be done at home.

The majority said ketchup and mayonnaise should be in the fridge, while spuds and eggs should be in a kitchen cupboard, door mats should be outside, toilet roll should hang to the front, and blinds should be tilted upwards internally.

We know what you’re thinking; what a boring set of observations from the research.

But spare a thought for those 2,296 adults who took part in the survey. They aren’t getting any of those moments of their life back.

Musical interludes at the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce meeting; is toilet roll hanging or potatoes a hot topic of conversation in your house?