THE more serious topic of business was put aside in favour of comedy at the last meeting of the year of the Bolton professionals’ curry club.

As a Christmas special instead of the usual business oriented speaker, two comedians took the microphone to entertain more than 70 guests.

Salford comic Greg Cook and Bolton comedian Dave Wolfe delivered two entertaining post lunch comedy spots.

The professionals’ curry club was set up last year as a joint enterprise by KBL solicitors and RSM Tenon in order to provide a convivial quarterly talking shop for Bolton-based business professionals.

The event is both useful for networking and to listen to guest speakers’ opinions on the world of business and finance and how Bolton can benefit.

For many business people the quarterly meeting is a great way to meet contemporaries they might only see infrequently and to discuss a variety of business opportunities.

Sean Greenhalgh, manager of newly opened branch of Swedish bank Handelsbanken in Bolton, said: “It’s just a great way of meeting up with fellow professionals.

“When we have different speakers I find it a great way to find out what’s going on in Bolton and the wider business world.”

Hosts and sponsors of yesterday’s lunch were restaurateurs Subhash and Geeta Kotecha, who own Spice Valley in Horwich and Spice Valley in the Valley, where yesterday’s lunch was held.

Mr Kotecha said: “I think it’s great for people to do some networking with fellow business professionals and people can keep in touch with what’s going on in and around Bolton.”

Phil Stephenson, managing partner at KBL, said: “It’s a great, well attended event, where members of the local professional business community can get together to share ideas.

“There are lots of opportunities where businesses and professionals can meet up and see what’s going on in the business community in Bolton.”

The membership is selective and those invited to attend are usually partners, decision makers or senior managers in a variety of local professions. At the moment the club is open to bankers, accountants, solicitors, independent financial advisers, insolvency practitioners, estate agents, commercial property agents and developers.

Representatives from Bolton Council, including regeneration and development director Keith Davies and chef executive Sean Harriss, usually attend.

Guest speakers have included Robert Hough from the North West Development Agency, Keith Davies and Sean Harriss from Bolton Council and The Bolton News editor Ian Savage.

Future speakers lined up for next year include representatives from the University of Bolton, Media City and MIDAS