My choice would be the Canon IXUS 220 HS which you can get for maybe £120 now. I use it as my "take anywhere" camera as it's so slim it can fit in a shirt pocket. Excellent low light capability for clubs, parties, bars and very good quality images with probably the widest angle you can get on a compact - again good for close groups. The battery last for ages and I'm beginning to find I use the SLR less and less.
The shortcoming is the zoom at a mere 5x.
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