A Gloucestershire networking group is celebrating after £3million of business passed between its members.

Exactly 18 months since Tetbury-based Dolphins BNI group passed £2million, it has now smashed through the latest landmark thanks to its growing membership.

There are 26 companies from around Gloucestershire and Wiltshire with members situated in the group, which meets at the Snooty Fox in Tetbury every Friday morning from 6.45am.

They include businesses from Newent and Dursley to Calne and Fairford, as well as core areas like Tetbury, Gloucester and Cheltenham.

Membership consists of a diverse mix of companies, including trades, financial, media, IT, property, food and drink among others.

Tetbury Dolphins BNI is the strongest performing of the six BNI chapters in the South West Midlands area, with each seat at the Tetbury group sharing over £600,000 per year between its members.

Performance of the group is precisely tracked as each referral, and the resulting amount of business, is recorded and entered in an online system.

For the past 12 months the leadership committee has been chaired by coach Martin Croft, alongside chartered surveyor Phil Seymour as vice-president and florist and landscape designer Stephanie Jones as treasurer.

Mr Croft said that the emphasis over the past year on creating a functioning mentoring system has enabled all members to maximise their experience of the group.

He said: "We have spent a lot of time this year really focusing on what each other's businesses are about, finding out why people do what they do so that we can go and sell them more effectively.

"So each of the businesses around the table now has its own boardroom as well as its own salesforce - a group of like-minded businesspeople who not only have an interest in bringing in referrals but who also can provide advice and support when required.

"It's a very special group of people and we punch well above our weight. We continue to top the BNI table for the region and we should all be very proud of our performance over the past 18 months."

Non-members have also made a significant contribution to the total business passed, with figures showing the visitors have brought in over £460,000 of referral value.

Anna Gage, who runs a business offering HR advice and support for SMEs, is now set to take over directorship of the group.

She said: "The group has been so consistent with the amount of business is has passed for a number of years now so I am confident that this will continue. We are drawing in new members regularly, growing all the time and this enables us to collaborate increasingly and also develop new networks.

"All small business owners need people to help them with sales and business development so to have a weekly meeting whereby we can all pick up leads and support is invaluable to us all."

Part of a successful global organisation of business networking groups, Dolphins BNI is one of four BNI chapters in Gloucestershire - the others are in Tewkesbury, Coleford and Cheltenham.

One of the benefits of membership is that businesses in any chapter are encouraged to visit their neighbouring groups and share opportunities and contacts.

BNI is a 30-year-old business and professional organisation that allows only one person from each trade or profession to join a chapter.

Visitors wanting to attend any of the weekly Tetbury Dolphins BNI meetings should contact Anna Gage on anna.gage@hrdept.co.uk , Martin Croft on martin@thethougthbusiness.com  or visit https://www.bni.co.uk  and find a meeting.

Picture: Outgoing chapter director Martin Croft with new Tetbury Dolphins BNI director Anna Gage