Insider Media Limited

Insider's round-up of some of the week's quirkiest stories and events across the region.

Scooby-doo where are you?
Has Sheffield finally gone to the dogs? Of course not, but the business community did just that this week and it was a howler. More than 170 of the city's elite stepped into the Lyons' Den and had a fun-packed night at Owlerton Greyhound Stadium while raising much-needed funds for the Master Cutler's Challenge. Never one to shun the limelight, group founder Alan Lyons took the lead for the big finale to the night by donning a Scooby-Doo costume and taking on Sheffield University's Ian Procter in a Gromit costume and Sheffield Steelers Rachel Bateson who was dressed as Steeler Dan. Needless to say Rachel showed her "metal" and led the pack to take victory in the hotly-contested race along the track. Alan said: "I put myself on the line and had to overcome my embarrassment for what turned out to be a fantastic event. My biggest concern was keeling over and having a heart attack as the headlines would read 'Scooby-Doo dies of heart attack'." With an ever-increasing membership Alan is already plotting more madcap networking nights and has two planned for the end of July. Join the group on LinkedIn to find out more.

This is jam hot
Hats off to food business Clippy's, which has struck a deal with Tesco by which their groundbreaking apple jam products – including Apple Pie Conserve, Apple & Figgy Diggy Conserve and Apple & Blueberry Conserve – will hit 800 stores next week. Tesco desserts and spreads buyer James Moyle said: "It’s bizarre – apples and jam are two of the most iconic products enjoyed by Brits yet the two have never been combined. When we were presented with that idea we just thought why not?" We’re told the jams are crammed with more fruit than standard varieties, making them versatile enough to be used with cheese, meats and other dishes. We’re counting it as one of our five a day in that case.

Dancing whiff whaff on the rise
Insider could only marvel when it read about the latest craze sweeping the capital. Fancy heading to the ping pong table tennis disco, anyone? The brainchild of Eli Baraty, former England youth coach and current professional table tennis coach, the "sport" is being promoted at nightclub Gilgamesh. The press release does lose some of its pace, however, as visions of Studio 54 with a pimpled bat give way to the Forrest Gump reality. "The ping pong nightclub will hold competitions, coaching, interactive activities and exhibitions from world class players," it announces. Happily a return to fantasy is confirmed with this snippet: "One table is designated for a robot machine, which fires out balls at different speeds and spins." See you there.