Latest Updates From Surrey Chambers CEO – July 2023
3rd July 2023
The Surrey Chambers of Commerce AGM took place last month in the beautiful setting of the Merry Harriers in Hambledon. We were delighted to welcome Alison Galvin to the Board as well as new Council members, Steve Page, Anita Saini, Jeremy Yates and Vic Chetty. Following the formal business, where President Daniel Morgan gave an overview of a very active year in the life of the Chamber, the 45 attendees were then taken on a tour of the llama fields. Who would have known how much llamas love beer; some of our members found out very quickly! We then visited the Shepherds Huts, which have been fitted out in a very stylish, comfortable way. Highly recommended for a stay in the country.
Chamber activities
Having submitted our Local skills Improvement Plan to the Department for Education a couple of weeks ago it was full steam ahead for new initiatives, created for our members. We are currently working on a series of podcasts called “The Compass: Navigating Business Leadership and Beyond,” where we shed light on the realities of running a business today, beyond profit margins and balance sheets. This thought-provoking series is powered by Capital Content, a leader in content creation, and brought to Surrey businesses by the Surrey Chambers of Commerce, the voice for businesses and Carver Coaching, Team & Leadership Development Experts. We are still looking for individuals keen to share their thoughts on an important issue via the podcasts. Anyone interested should contact us at the Chamber. We were excited to launch the Heathrow portal as part of our website last week, bringing up-to-date news direct from one of our local international airports and a major reason why so many businesses locate themselves in Surrey.
Did you know?
This May marked the 80th anniversary of the Dambuster’s Raid on the primary targets in the Ruhr Valley, Germany. Brooklands Museum, Weybridge is commemorating this milestone with the opening of a brand-new permanent exhibition, Inventing the Future: The Innovations of Sir Barnes Wallis, which explores the broader story of Sir Barnes Wallis and his inventions, including geodetic aircraft and the revolutionary Stratosphere Chamber. In a career that lasted over 60 years, Barnes contributed significantly to the development of British aviation, from airships to aerospace, predominantly from his base at Brooklands, Weybridge. The exhibition delves into the world of engineering, looks at what it takes to be an innovator, and focuses on the most important people in Barnes’ life. And we have the pleasure of running Chamber events on the site, giving people the opportunity to have a look round.
The Chamber team steps up for members.
Several members of Surrey Chambers took part in Crossroads Care for Surrey’s “I’m a Director get me out of here”, recently. The day was huge fun, was organised magnificently and raised a staggering £17000 to date! I was assigned to the same team as our President, Dan Morgan and we supported each other as we were challenged to hold various reptiles and a tarantula and were “forced” to eat unimaginable grubs and parts of animals, best left in the food waste! In spite of our valiant efforts, we came second which meant the winning team could poor gunge over us! We all came out looking like smurfs but Tej Walia, General manager of Foxhills, one of our great team members, was crowned King of the jungle, raising nearly £5000. There were 14 directors involved and much activity on Social media so do take a look!!
Later this year, Sam and Laura, the Surrey Chamber’s events team, will be taking part in a sponsored skydive for Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care. They are ready to conquer their fears and make that jump to support an incredible charity that does so much amazing work in Surrey and beyond.