A pat on the back goes a long way

It is lovely to get positive comments especially when people seem genuinely pleased for you and wish you well in your career.

Of course not all feedback is positive, which is the same in all jobs, so when you get a pat on the back it feels all the more special.

I was recently contacted by a friend from my school days, wishing me well with my forthcoming wedding and complimenting my “amusing” articles. Thank you Andy.

The great thing about this job is that I also get to keep in touch with people and find out what everyone else is doing.

My friend is also doing really well for himself training young people who want a career in the catering industry.

In fact I recently bumped into him at Magna where we had both been invited to talk to youngsters about our areas of expertise. Haven’t we done well for ourselves!!

Once upon a time all we wanted to do was party at weekends and earn just enough money to pay for our nights out.

Now, as we all hit our 30s, it’s just fantastic to see so many members of our friendship group holding down high-flying jobs and passing on wisdom to the young hopefuls we once were.

It’s no surprise really that Andy has done so well for himself. He comes from a hard-working family who have run the Brecon Hotel on Moorgate for 50 years now and it has gone from strength to strength.

The family is well-known in Rotherham and has built up a great reputation within the town.

So I was pleased to learn that business is good, they are refurbishing the whole hotel and have recently opened a new lounge bar.

During these tough economic times it is great to see family businesses doing well in Rotherham and success doesn’t come easy so here is to hard work!!!