Laura Woodward-Drake, chairman of Exmouth Chamber of Commerce, writes for the Journal.
Maggie Irving, Director of Comedy Matters, has lived and worked in Exmouth for many years and is a brilliant community supporter, often dedicating her time and ideas to volunteer groups and projects. I have had the pleasure of working with her in the TEFL industry (teaching English as a foreign language) and as part of the volunteer Chamber network.
Pre 2020 Maggie had her own business teaching dynamic workshops to individuals and teams, to help build communication, confidence & comedy skills for healthy business growth.
When the crisis first hit, it was a challenging time for the business, but she found opportunities for her comedy classes to connect with people all over the world, thanks to the new focus on virtual learning and managed to grow her network amazingly.
I was excited to catch up with her recently, to hear about her plans in 2021, after seeing the fantastic events she ran in 2020.
Maggie said: “I want to do something for people who are home alone, low in spirits and looking to bring back a bit of a spark and join a community. Being able to help yourself from not feeling isolated is so important – we are stuck at home, in our home offices, socially distancing from being social, so I am offering a free session to raise spirits and give people a boost.”
On Wednesday (January 21) 21 at 7.30pm she is running an Exmouth Humour 4 Health virtual meet up and the following Wednesday, expanding it to women in the west country in general, hoping to uplift a community of people who may be struggling at the moment or looking for something new to try.
“Comedy can’t cure everything, but it sure can help!” Maggie said.
She has also been successfully running a 6 week intensive course for individuals and has thoroughly enjoyed teaching the group. I love seeing all the new things Maggie develops and her passion for supporting others is fantastic.
Sharing my optimism of the future of Exmouth as an thriving place to live, work and visit, Maggie hopes that we use these new opportunities in the virtual world to access global groups as well as continuing to progress as part of a local community that raises each other up.
The Exmouth Chamber of Commerce has some exciting things ahead, hoping to continue growing and supporting our business community. If you are a member of the network or have a business in town or are an entrepreneur with many projects and have some good news or learnings to share, I’d love to hear from you and find ways to grow stronger, together within our brilliant town. Email chair@exmouthchamber.co.uk for more information or to arrange a chat
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