Hadleigh Chamber AGM

With membership of nearly 100 and an active next generation website, Hadleigh Chamber is breaking new ground. (Membership now nears 110 and growing!)

Strength of membership and communications will be invaluable next year as the Chamber gears up in the battle to get the best deal possible should Tesco build in the town centre, said President Cyndy Hilton at the annual general meeting.  She also reported that there would be a major push to market Hadleigh, mainly through the website. (Marketing initiatives are going ahead involving posters and film.  Tescos has not yet put in detailed plans.)

About 40 members attended the meeting.  Among issues raised from the floor was the problem some members face with repeated vandalism in the town centre, particularly in areas with poor lighting and no security.  Among potential problem sites was Lady Lane Industrial Estate. It was agreed that the Chamber committee would look into the matter.  Already a poll is running on this web so we can judge the scale of the problem and the matter will be raised with the council and local police.  (There have been meetings with the police to discuss this problem, and the Chamber has worked to bring industrial estate members together to discuss the issues.)

It was also agreed to look into the needs of young people in Hadleigh on the basis that providing some facilities for young people may reduce the level of anti-social behaviour.  A sub-committee is being set up to consider both the matter of security and the facilities for young people. (The Chamber brought together experts involved in youth work in a bid tosolve this problem.  This committee is currently looking into possible solutions.)

Chris Edgar has taken over responsibility for organising networking meetings for members in the new year.  These will take the form of short informative talks, followed by time to socialise and meet fellow traders. He'd like to know what topics would interest members and what time of day would be most suitable - breakfast, lunch etc. (There have been a series of very successful lunches involving several speakers.  All have been well attended and a schedule for 2007 is under review.) 

Cyndy stressed the importance of keeping an eye on what's on offer from the Chamber.  All meetings and issues will be posted on the web.  So keep in touch and let us have your news, events etc. (Though some organisations are now taking advantage of the web, the facility is still underused and we would welcome information or contributions.)