Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2011-02-18 03:11:26 - Graham Ellis
The Melksham Chamber of Commerce and Industry is an independent organization, funded by its members and run mostly by volunteers (the committee) who give their time for free. The Chamber is a member of the Wessex Association of Chambers of Commerce - a group of 17 Chambers and similar business organizations in (or close to) Wiltshire, each representing a town or individual area. The chambers buys secretarial support from the Wessex Association - so that our secretary is actually an employee with part of her time allocated to us. We do not receive other outside funding such as a government grant, nor a precept from the council tax. We differ in this aspect to American Chambers of Commerce, which are partly taxpayer funded. We also differ from Chambers of Commerce in many other areas of the UK which (I understand) and now operated by commercial companies, and from other business organizations such as the FSB which is centrally run with subsidiary local interest rather than the reverse.
The Chamber's remit is to look after the interests of its members. But it will look after the interests of other businesses in the Melksham area, and the Melksham area in general too ... where those align with member's interests (they usually do). This has to be done only to a very limited extent; the Chamber really can't ask its members for fees which are then spent on helping other businesses who have chosen not to pay / join ... nor should the Chamber get involved where other organizations have the remit - it shouldn't duplicate the town council's activities, for example, or those of the library or tourist information centre to inform the general population of the town.
The Chamber of Commerce meets once a month; dates and venues are on the Chamber website. Visitors are welcome at our Chamber meetings, but please let us know ahead of time if you're coming. If you find our meetings and services useful, then please join the Chamber so that you can continue to enjoy the benefits.
Some of the areas in which the Melksham Chamber has been involved recently include: Online Social Media Seminar - Police Budget consultation - Waste Disposal - Transport Connections - County Budget - Communications / newsletter - Road Works / timing and tax rebate advise - Consultation and inputs on Parking - Asda Planning - Networking events - Tour School and visits to businesses - Selling to Wiltshire help / seminar - Business Advice - Mailing List - Discount schemes - Social - Business to Business events - Annual New Business Competition / £1000 prize - Spot the Oddity - Consideration and inputs to planning applications that effect businesses. Members also get to be involved where they wish to do so with Chambers in neighboring towns, and may become "association members" if they wish to take full advantage of the local activities to chambers in those other towns.