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

The Foxley Kingham Anniversary Foundation aimed high – literally – this year to raise funds for its charity partners. The courageous team of accountants undertook challenging, even ‘death-defying’ acts to inspire people to dig deep into their pockets for the three important local health and wellbeing charities.

When it comes to the importance of employees’ mental health and wellbeing, the stats speak for themselves: in a recent CIPD UK survey, 75% of HR professionals stated that these would be the most important areas in which to provide support to staff in 2023.

Fast-growing businesses across Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire only have a few weeks left to sign up for a dynamic peer networking group.

Company colleagues’ charity collections assist aid efforts following earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

Caring colleagues at Peli BioThermal have made substantial donations to help the ongoing relief efforts, supporting victims of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

As the new financial year kicks in on 6^th April, your business will naturally find itself focused on the challenges and opportunities the new year will bring – projecting leads, assessing pipeline, forecasting income, and planning budgets.

Wyboston Lakes Resort in Bedfordshire has introduced a new sustainability initiative to reduce food waste across the resort.
 
The People’s Pantry will ensure that unsold or unused food from the Resort’s hotel and two event venues will be made available for colleagues to take home to share with their families.

Bedford-based Stuart Amies, of new Chamber member Kenect Recruitment, has a very clear vision of his role. It is not to shoehorn candidates into positions, but to understand and solve employers’ underlying recruitment problem – something they may not themselves be fully aware of.

With over a decade’s experience in recruitment, initially in the specialist education sector, he runs and manages the entire business - covering Commercial, Industrial, Travel, and Recruitment Consultancy.

The Bedford Giving Residents’ Panel has awarded its first grants to organisations to help young children in Bedford to thrive.

Neville Funerals, one of the Home Counties longest-established family-owned businesses, is reporting an increase in requests for Direct Funerals in the wake of both the pandemic and as a result of the current cost of living crisis.

Schoolreaders is a national child literacy charity, and their vision is that every child should learn to read well.  The charity was founded in Bedfordshire in 2013 and so celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. By recruiting volunteers and placing them into primary schools across the country to provide one-to-one reading support sessions, Schoolreaders is bringing greater literacy skills to many thousands of children every week.

“Cutting and simplifying” – this is how the Government headlined its 2023 Spring Budget.

So, we did some cutting and simplifying of our own, boiling the budget down into its business essentials to highlight the changes and opportunities you need to be aware of - and how we at the Chamber help our members take action to get on top of them.

Time is running out for businesses to access a free intensive support programme designed to help them achieve sustainable long-term growth.

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.  

Five ways looking at your foreign exchange provision can help you cut costs in 2023

By Sophia Awan
Strategic Partnerships Manager at Moneycorp 

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.

The Residential Conveyancing team at leading regional law firm Taylor Walton has been strengthened with the arrival of Chartered Legal Executive Tricia Moxey, who joins after a 25-year career with Dunstable law firm Knowles Benning.

A major new occupier is coming in to land at a new headquarters at London Luton Airport, commercial property consultancy Kirkby Diamond announced today.

People of Bedfordshire will be able to access free and informal peer-to-peer bereavement support from Thursday 9 March, when Sue Ryder launches its brand-new Grief Kind Space in Milton Ernest just north of Bedford.

Expansion of Crēdo™ product portfolio to include deep frozen applications optimised to minimise amount of dry ice required without sacrificing superior thermal performance.

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.