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

When it comes to branding, the team at Dunstable-based Essential Workwear will tell you that quality, everywhere, is everything. From a facemask to a hi-vis jacket, to a smart office shirt, workwear is, in the words of founder George Georgiou, “a living advert for your company” – and the quality of the branding reflects the values of the business itself.

We were lucky enough to get some time in George’s busy schedule recently to learn more about what Essential Workwear does, the company’s successes and ambitions for the future, and – not least – its involvement as Headline Sponsor in the 2025 SME Bedfordshire Business Awards.

The next exciting chapter in the SME Bedfordshire Business Awards is already well underway!

As organiser and host, we at Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce are building on the resounding success of last year’s Awards to deliver a programme worthy of successful local businesses that employ local people and serve our local communities.

As the 2025 Awards proclaim, ‘It’s Time to Celebrate You!’ – because you’re the beating heart of Bedfordshire business.

Whether it’s enhancing production efficiency, adopting cutting-edge technologies like automation, digital transformation, and AI, or driving sustainability initiatives, research and development (R&D) forms the backbone of innovation in manufacturing. In this thought leadership article, we delve into what HMRC is looking for in a validating manufacturing R&D tax relief claim.

At Essential Workwear, we’re passionate about supporting businesses of all sizes, from emerging start-ups to established global corporations. We’re thrilled to announce our headline sponsorship of the SME Bedfordshire Business Awards, an event that aligns perfectly with our commitment to nurturing business growth and entrepreneurial spirit both in Bedfordshire, across the UK, and worldwide.

As we step into a new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the accomplishments of the past 12 months and set our sights on the opportunities ahead in 2025.

At Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, this moment of reflection is just as important for us as it is for the businesses we serve. So, let’s take a look back at the recent past and venture a look forward at what’s to come!

Every Christmas Bonfire Creative Intelligence, like many companies, does something for charity - either by donating, fundraising and/or pro bono work. This year we set ourselves a challenge to find a way of using Ai to raise money for charity.

Reacting to the UK formally joining the Comprehensive and Progressive agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) today, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said:  
 
“This is a red-letter day for our traders.

The announcement of Vauxhall's decision to close its van manufacturing facility in Luton is undeniably a blow and a severe setback for our community.

“We strongly believe HR should add value to the business and help it grow.” When you hear a statement like that, you know the conversation will be about more than job specs, contracts, and pay grades, and at Haynes-based Resourceful People Group (RPG), they take HR far beyond this.

We caught up with Director Steve Botterill recently to learn more about how the company came into being, what it delivers, and how these services can benefit businesses of all sizes – particularly those in the throes of planning or executing change.

Competition is positive. It’s good for innovation, it’s good for motivation, and it’s good for customer choice. Yet the fact is that every one of your competitors could also potentially eat your lunch – or, at least, the tastiest bits of it.

And a quick look at our region paints a sobering picture. In Bedfordshire, 9,015 new businesses started in 2023, but the vast majority of these play into existing spaces – which, as a consequence, are becoming ever more crowded.

How, then, do you get ahead of these competitors?

Labour’s first Budget since 2010, announced yesterday, on 30^th October, certainly lived up to the hints the Government had been dropping over the past few weeks – but then any businessperson will understand you don’t find £40 billion in revenue shortfall without taking some pretty drastic measures.

Nonetheless, here at Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, we do share the concern, expressed in an announcementreleased by Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), to which we belong.

At Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, we’re proud of our track record in supporting education and training initiatives at both a local and national level, helping to prepare young people to meet the needs of businesses today and into the future.

We’ve written recently, for example, about our role as joint Designated Lead in the rollout of the Government’s Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIP) scheme in the region. But we’ve also committed to supporting education and training within our own organisation through apprenticeships.

Copybox Document Systems (Copybox) is a recognised provider of a range of comprehensive services and support for printers and multi-functional photocopiers, including cost-effective rental and lease packages, installation and repair services and on-going technical support.  Their customers include all types of businesses, schools, charities, and other workplaces in and around Bedfordshire.

A family run business, with father Paul Kamlesh and daughter Tanika Paul at the helm, Copybox has built an excellent reputation for providing a managed print service that is flexible and cost-effective.

Sustainability is a big concept – but helping organisations to get there one step at a time is something we at the Chamber are absolutely committed to.

And it’s member businesses like Sommers Waste Solutions (SWS) that make this journey possible – through innovation, education, and services that are flexible enough to accommodate every customer’s differing needs.

For businesses trying to attract and retain talent in order to drive growth, it’s undeniably tough out there at the moment.

And for small and medium enterprises (SME), that often don’t have extensive recruitment resources and capacity to draw on internally, it’s tougher still.

It’s not just about the difficulty in finding people to fill your roles – in fact, the skills shortage also often means the candidates you do find don’t have the training and education they need to do the job.

At Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, we’re all about making local business succeed – and this is a commitment CEO Justin Richardson is steeped in.

An accountant by trade, Justin quickly found out he had a knack for identifying and solving business issues by focusing on people, systems, and processes. Initially brought on board at the Chamber on a temporary basis to implement a finance system and manage public sector contracts, he now leads and steers the entire organisation - with, as he’s quick to point out, the support of an excellent and dedicated team.

For service businesses based in Central Bedfordshire, the prospect of expanding their reach into global markets is far from being a pipe-dream.

Bedfordshire, as a county, has always punched beyond its weight in business innovation, and for businesses based in Central Bedfordshire there is now practical support available specifically to help these companies market to international prospects – free of charge!

That’s right – there is no cost to you. Here’s how it works.

For many of us, the thought of managing the intricacies of a fibre broadband rollout and organising wayleaves or running organisational change programmes probably sounds like a colossal headache.

But for Bedfordshire-based Mantralis, these are just two examples of the project and programme management challenges they relish – and they use their skills to not only deliver positive commercial results, but social value as well.

A “New Deal for Working People” is one of the key pledges of the new Labour government, but how could this change UK employment law? In this article, I highlight how the new rules could soon impact employers…

Wyboston Lakes Resort is a finalist in two categories in the Meetings Industry Association’s highly prestigious miaList 2024. 

The Resort have been shortlisted for the Sustainability Award and Marketing Executive Josh Billings is an Individual finalist.

SustainableTech4Good.co.uk turns your redundant tech into a force for good! Working with businesses, we have so far helped more than 6,300 people get access to devices for digital inclusion, improving their life chances, while preventing over 10,400 kg of e-waste and 1.35m kg of needless CO2 emissions through sustainable reuse.

Wild Wellbeing Days, Wild Work Days, Nature Walks and Evening Bat Walks are just some of the new health and wellbeing initiatives recently introduced by Wyboston Lakes Resort to enable delegates to Experience More at the Bedfordshire venue.

Taking a business from strength to strength is an achievement worthy of recognition, and for Darren King, Managing Director of Shefford-based fire safety specialist Kings Fire, winning the London Luton Airport High Growth Business category in our recent SME Bedfordshire Business Awards delivered exactly that.

When we caught up with Darren recently, he said: “The awards gave us massive exposure, and they inspire confidence for people to pick the phone up or email and ask for our help.”

When I meet business owners, I love hearing how they’ve built their business up and what their plans are for the future. One of the questions I always ask them is have they future proofed their business at which point many of them look at me quite quizzically.

In any business, cash flow is king, and in smaller businesses, cash flow issues can cause particularly severe impacts.

A recent survey from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) found that over half of respondents who sought additional finance for their business said cash flow was the main reason.

But the good news is you can manage cash flow better – and so improve it – by adopting just five key habits.

Both country and county were on tenterhooks on 4^th July – the country for the election result, and the county for the outcome of the SME Bedfordshire Business Awards 2024!

And what an outcome it was. Proud winners in 23 different categories, and a night to remember - not just for its drinks reception, fine dining, and high-end entertainment, but for its turnout (the highest yet) and its serious networking opportunities.

Wyboston Lakes Resort has again been recognised among the most sustainable venues in the country. 

The award-winning Bedfordshire conference, training and leisure resort has won Silver in the Sustainability category for Venues at the highly coveted Conference & Events Awards.

Bedford Radio invites Bedfordians to tickle their taste-buds and test their general knowledge at its first Curry and Quiz night, on Monday August 5th.

Bedford’s local radio station is partnering with the New Bombay restaurant on Harpur Street, for a fun evening that will also raise funds to cover Bedford Radio’s broadcasting costs.

As the nation held its breath for the outcome of the General Election on 4^th July, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) had already made its intentions clear - whatever the result.

It would continue to champion the cause of our businesses, our towns and cities, and our communities at the top table in Westminster.

And as members of BCC, at Bedfordshire Chambers we’re proud to be part of that process. But what do the objectives look like?

Stagecoach East, Bedford’s largest bus operator, has called for improved communication to tackle the scourge of local traffic congestion, after figures highlighted the role that buses play in shrinking jams, cleaning up our air, tackling climate change, and improving our health and local economy.