Latest updates and stories from Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and its Members

It’s been a busy few weeks here at the Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce.

We welcomed a visit from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Director General, Shevaun Haviland, published the results on an opinion poll on the planned expansion of Luton Airport, met with Vauxhall to discuss electric vehicle strategy and funding, and hosted a Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) event to help businesses combat the skills shortage.

Company’s industry-leading passive products receive renowned recognition in annual Asia awards, achieving accolades for excellence five years in a row

Peli BioThermal, the life science industry’s partner from discovery to distribution, is celebrating its latest awards success, including being announced as Best Temperature Control Packaging Provider.

James Trumper, is a sixth-generation member of the family-owned Neville Trust group of businesses based in Luton that includes Neville Special Projects, Neville Joinery and Neville Funerals. He made the decision that a degree apprenticeship, that will lead to him being fully qualified as a Quantity Surveyor via the programme offered by Westminster University, was the choice that best suited his needs, and his future plans.  

Giving her full reaction to today’s spring budget, Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 
 
“The Chancellor has acted to address the unfilled jobs blighting our economy. It is especially good to see the help on childcare and for over 50s workers.  

Kirkby Diamond is celebrating being crowned the leading commercial property agent in Bedfordshire after completing 122 deals in 2022.

One of the region’s longest established family-owned businesses Neville Trust, which comprises of Neville Funerals, Neville Special Projects, and Neville Joinery has announced it will be supporting the local homeless and welfare charity, NOAH Enterprise in a year-long partnership.

What’s coming your way, what’s it worth, when will it pay out, and how likely is it to come good? If you needed a handy definition of a sales pipeline, you probably couldn’t do better than this.

But like any pipe, it’s susceptible to two common problems: it can easily become too full of stuff that sinks to the bottom and doesn’t make the distance, or too empty of the stuff that flows through healthily.

With the usual yearly flurry of cards, chocolates and flowers, Valentine’s Day has come and gone again.

But whilst we hope you and your beloved enjoyed the occasion, here at Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce we believe in spreading the love all year round - in a strictly professional sense, of course.

Commercial property consultants Kirkby Diamond has rewarded its senior team for another outstanding year of business by announcing four key promotions.  

Wyboston Lakes Resort will mark 40 years of trading from its site in Bedfordshire this year with several events and activities.

Assure Consulting Ltd, based in Bedford has raised £5,000 for palliative, neurological and bereavement support charity, Sue Ryder, during a year-long partnership.

Louisa Watson, Director of Marketing at Wyboston Lakes Resort and Sustainability Director of beam has been recognised as Sustainability Industry Champion at the prestigious Greengage Sustainability Awards.

National healthcare and bereavement charity Sue Ryder is on the search for volunteers in Bedfordshire to help set up a new local initiative offering vital support to residents who are living with bereavement. 

The charity is opening a series of Grief Kind Spaces across the country in 2023, with the first in Bedfordshire opening in Milton Ernest, just north of Bedford in the coming months.

With the national labour shortage making it increasingly difficult for Bedfordshire businesses to fill posts with suitable candidates, bringing workers in from abroad can be a pragmatic solution, especially as the UK is seen as an attractive professional destination.

6th – 12th of February marks National Apprenticeship Week, with this year’s theme focussed on Skills for Life. The week aims to bring together businesses and Apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that Apprenticeships make not only to individuals, but businesses and the wider economy too.

 
Wyboston Lakes Resort has made an outstanding start to 2023 following a year of record results in 2022.

More than 3,000 trees have been planted in Bedford as part of a Miyawaki forest project involving Cranfield University. 

Bedford had its first Miyawaki trees placed in the ground on Saturday (21) – through a partnership between Bedford Borough Council, Cranfield University, the Forest of Marston Vale, and Bedford Rotary Club. The project is part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ funded Trees for Climate initiative.

Nothing makes people rethink their health and wellbeing like a succession of hard knocks – and if we didn’t all know that before, we certainly do now, in the wake of assorted global and national turmoil.

Esther Roche has been named one of the UK’s most inspirational and dynamic female entrepreneurs by the f:Entrepreneur ‘#ialso100’ campaign.

In recognition of its wide-ranging support for small businesses, outstanding student entrepreneurship provision and dedicated work with small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to support growth in the local community, Cranfield School of Management has achieved the Small Business Charter Award.

•    After significant declines across all business conditions tracked by the BCC in Q3, most indicators have stabilised at a low level. 
•    Profitability confidence remains at Covid-crisis levels; only one in three (34%) businesses believe their profits will increase over the coming year, while more (36%) expect a decline.   
•    Just 33% of firms experienced an increase in sales over the past three months, while 25% of firms reported a decrease, with hospitality firms the least likely to report improvements.  
•    More firms are reporting taxation (38%) and interest rates (43%) as growing business concerns.  

Years ago, a proverb was inscribed over the fireplace of an old Bedfordshire pub: “Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No-one was there.”

It’s a reminder that, even in times of turmoil, all is often not what it threatens to be, and we believe that there are genuine signs that the coming year potentially holds hidden promise for businesses forearmed with the right knowledge and the right connections, despite the wider economic issues.

Here are a few examples of what’s on our radar.

Stephen Blythe, Business Manager at Jaltek Systems Ltd., is proud to be part of the Luton electronics manufacturer that has seen its business double over the last four years, and is targeting further ambitious growth across sectors including Automotive & Electric Vehicles (EV), Clean Energy, Medical, and Defence & Aerospace.

Commercial property consultants Kirkby Diamond has completed a hat-trick of deals at a leading technology park in the heart of the Oxford Cambridge Arc.
 
The deals at Cranfield Technology Park, next to the world famous Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, are expected to bring new jobs and investment to the region.

The people of Bedford will soon be able to enjoy a new art project by Bedford Creative Arts (BCA). Four murals in the style of “Ghost Signs” will be popping up around the town and all will depict historic and technical developments from Bedford’s past.  

Reacting to the ONS GDP figures for October, David Bharier, Head of Research at the BCC, said:    

"The monthly growth in GDP for October of 0.5% is overshadowed by the underlying three-month trend revealed by the data, which shows a contraction in the economy of 0.3%.

Bedfordshire company Colpac has received the nationally recognised Health and Safety Seal of Excellence Award from the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) after scoring 100% in a recent audit.

Marsh Farm Futures Staff and Board Members attended the SME National Business Awards at Wembley last Friday, 2nd December 2022 and were very pleased to witness Mr Mohammed Rafi, CEO of Marsh Farm Futures being awarded GOLD for the category of Lockdown Leader, following on from his success, in September, at the Luton & Beds Regional Awards, when MFF won Silver for being the Best SME Business with under 50 employees.

Crouchers are proud to announce that they have recently launched a new office branch in Luton. “We have been operating in the Milton Keynes area for over nine years and we have decided it is time to branch out into Bedfordshire as well. We already have an office in Wellingborough, and we think it's time to expand our reach even further.

As you may be aware, the Government’s Skills for Jobs White Paper set out an ambitious employer-led approach aimed at making Further Education (FE) provision more responsive to local skills needs and ultimately local economic needs.