Happy Silver Jubilee Year

Our members are celebrating the beginning of our 25th year as an independent Chamber and they will continue to provide goods and services, employ hundreds of people and greatly contribute to the wellbeing of people in the Valley.

To mark the occasion, we will shortly be publishing a leaflet highlighting our members and the wide range of their activities, so look out for it in the coming weeks and make it your first port of call when you need something.

Right back at the very beginning, the first President, Jim King, made a remark which is still true today: “People outside the area may regard the Valley as a sleepy, Somerset backwater. But the truth is it is a hive of industry and our members reflect a wide variety of businesses, from traditional rural pursuits right the way through to the most modern of high-tech companies.”

Jim, who is now Honorary Life President, was succeeded by the current Vice President and Treasurer, Rod Podger, and later by myself, the third President and first woman to hold the office.

Starting as a sub-group of the Norton Radstock Chamber, we quickly became a Chamber in our own right, providing the three main traditional services. First, a forum for people to meet, helping them to get to know one another, do business and have some fun at social events.

Secondly, to represent the interests of members and make sure their views are heard by the people who make decisions which affects the local economy, regularly inviting senior councillors to meetings and thirdly, to provide relevant information to help members stay up to date.

Information comes in many forms, but one of the most important is the financial insight that comes from our Vice President, Rod Podger. Most recently he has explained how tax treatment of double cab pick-up vehicles has been clarified as part of the recent Budget announcements. Those with a payload of one tonne or more will be treated as cars rather than goods vehicles for the purposes of capital allowances. He has advice if you think you have overpaid tax to HMRC, the latest on income tax reliefs and news about the mandatory rollout of Making Tax Digital.

He has also drawn attention to the Government-backed Start Up Loan scheme, which offers personal loans to individuals aiming to start or grow a business in the UK. Those approved for the loan are also matched with a business mentor for a 12-month period. Importantly, this loan is unsecured, meaning there is no need to provide assets or a guarantor to support the application.

So, we are starting our 25th year in good spirits as a group who are doing the best in own businesses and we hope you will support us to create a successful local economy which will benefit the whole Chew Valley community.