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NewsThe Hanging Baskets of WottonJuly 1st 2010 Click on the pdf below to see how the Gazette reported the hanging of the last baskets in the town More Information :
Wotton Chamber of Trade to set up discussion group over town parking planJuly 15th 2010 The Chamber of Trade in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire has invited the town’s traders to join a discussion group to explore the feasibility of the Town Council purchasing a piece of land adjacent to its centre and creating a new car park. This follows the Council’s decision to put its Working Party on hold for three months. Earlier this year the Town Council decided to set up a Working Party to consider the feasibility of purchasing a piece of land from local engineering company Renishaw in order to create extra parking for the town. However, following an instruction from the Government to put a freeze on the town’s precept for the next 12 months the Working Party has been put on hold. The Chamber’s President, Alex Wilkinson, said: “Our members have been getting increasingly frustrated over the lack of parking in the town for many years and we had hoped that the formation of a Working Party was a light at the end of the tunnel. We are concerned that Government policy has forced a delay so we are trying to preserve what momentum there is by forming our own discussion group and feeding our ideas through as, when and if the Working Group gets going.” He continued: “The aim of the discussion group would be to consider how such a project could be financed, taking into account the current fiscal situation. It would look at all of the issues and either come up with suitable proposals or determine that the project is unlikely to succeed on financial grounds. We accept that even if funds can be raised there will be other issues such as planning consent to be considered but without funding there will be no point in addressing these wider issues.” Traders wishing to join the Discussion Group can contact Alex Wilkinson by email through the Chamber’s web site at www.wotton.biz. See how the Gazette has reported the story by clicking on the pdf below More Information :
First baskets hung in WottonJune 11th 2010 Click on the PDF below to see how the Gazette reported the hanging of the first basket More Information :
Chamber members give to an Excellent DevelopmentJune 2nd 2010 The Chamber’s special guest speaker at its May Supper Meeting was Simon Maddrell, Director of the award-winning charity Excellent Development. At the meeting he described how his organisation is helping thousands of people in arid African communities to transform their environment sustainably and improve water supplies, food production, health and incomes. One such person who has received help is Watson Kivungi Kasyumi, a farmer in the Matiku Tia Ngui Musyi region of Kenya. He said: "Through the hard work of the group we have water from the sand dams and pipeline. I no longer wake up early to go fetch water as I used to. The water has enabled me to plant trees - medicinal trees and fruit trees. When the fruits are ripe I can sell a ripe piece for ten Kenyan Shillings." After the talk a collection was held which raised just over £165 towards Excellent Development's work in Africa. Gazette report on the Chamber's advice to those seeking compensationApril 22nd 2010 See the pdf below for the Gazette's report on how the Chamber is offering assistance to any of the town's traders who are seeking compensation following the road closure. More Information :
Road closure compensationApril 18th 2010 Your Committee has discussed the issue of seeking financial compensation from Gloucestershire Highways and decided that it should not spend members' money seeking legal advice (see the Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on 31st March 2010 on the link -www.wotton.biz/pages/meetings.php). As an alternative and something which is available to EVERY trader in the town (CoT member or not), the Chamber of Trade is offering the attached template for individual claims - see the pdf below. In this way the Chamber is helping the town's entire business community. It is recommended that anyone making use of the template personalises it in some way (possibly by the use of headed paper) and adapts it to their own requirements. The Committee's thanks go to Gareth Kitchen of Cookability who has already gone through this process and who has kindly offered his letter as a template for all to use. More Information :
Road closure causes fury with tradersMarch 31st 2010 See how the Gazette reported the emergency meeting and read two letters to the Editor in the pdf below More Information :
Road Closure Emergency MeetingMarch 11th 2010 Click on the pdf below for details More Information :
Road closure updateMarch 10th 2010 Click on the pdf link below for an update of the installation of the traffic calming system in the town centre. More Information :
Wotton Chamber says give road repairs priority and keep centre openMarch 7th 2010 The Wotton-under-Edge Chamber of Trade is to press for a delay in the installation of a new traffic calming system in the town following protests at the short notice given to traders and residents of closure of its main street to enable the work to be carried out. Chamber President Alex Wilkinson said: “The notice given about this work is just not enough. For Gloucestershire County Council to say that they followed the standard process is ridiculous. Letters hand delivered on a Friday saying the town’s main street is going to be closed for five days as of the following Monday is just not acceptable, even if the closure is only partial as they hope. The same thing happened not long ago with another road in the town. Something has gone very wrong with the Council’s communication processes. The week leading up to Mothering Sunday can be one of the busiest of the year for some of our businesses and to have had such little notice is beyond belief. If our traders had been given reasonable time, even the week that the Council claims, then they would have had a chance to consider alternative plans and stock accordingly. To be fair we were notified last December that the work was planned for this week but since it was never confirmed, as we were promised we would be, we naturally assumed that priority had been given to repairing the county’s weather damaged roads. This is why I am going to press for a delay in the work. It is much more important at this stage that our roads are repaired. Traffic calming in the town can wait until a better time when the proper notice can be given.” Click on the pdf below to see how the Gazette reported the story. More Information :
Red Door training issues warning to small businessesFebruary 22nd 2010 The South Gloucestershire training consultancy and Wotton Chamber of Trade member Red Door Coaching and Training has warned that if there is a general election then a major source of funding for staff training within small businesses could be axed. Red Door, based in Charfield, has discovered that grants of up to £1000 which are available through the Learning and Skills Council’s Leadership and Management Advisory Service could be withdrawn if a general election is called. The scheme is available to any businesses with between five and 249 staff (including volunteers) and provides an initial grant of £500 for training and development of staff and another £500 if the business chips in with the same amount to take things further. Red Door Director Tracy Francksen said: “It is very difficult to determine whether funding is going to be maintained. It has been suggested that a new Government might well change some of the existing arrangements. We just don’t know. Therefore we have to assume that it will be stopped which means that if anyone wants to take advantage of this great offer then they need to act quickly. It really is a gift. If a small business wants to conduct staff development of any kind and improve on skills such as customer services, marketing or leadership and management then this is too good a chance to miss.” One such business which has already taken advantage of the scheme is the Edge Health and Beauty Salon in Wotton. Salon owner Penny Ling said: “The impact that the training this money has enabled us to have was quickly evident in the increased sales and repeat bookings.” See the pdf below for details of the offer More Information :
Parking in the town - Your President needs your feedbackFebruary 22nd 2010 Wotton-under-Edge Chamber of Trade President Alex Wilkinson is seeking the views of traders prior to a meeting this week with architectural design consultants Quattro to discuss parking in the town. This follows the decision last week by the Town Council to fund a feasibility study into the purchase and development of the plot of land formerly occupied by Stokes Bakery. The scheme which was originally put together by Alex Wilkinson and now being considered is for the Town Council to purchase the land from its current owners, Renishaw, and develop it into a car park with 50 spaces; mixed short and long term along with a limited amount of housing. One element for consideration is how best the council could finance the scheme and arrange so that as much as possible can offset the purchase price. Some parking slots could be leased or sold to businesses in the town for their exclusive use. In addition to the cottage at the entrance to the land, there is space for the building of between four and six houses or possibly eight to ten apartments. There is also the potential for more apartments and perhaps a couple of shops where the old bakery shop was located with, perhaps, some sort of thoroughfare from the car park. Alex Wilkinson said: "As our members will be aware I have been struggling with the problem of insufficient car parking space in the town for some time. It has been a thorny issue for many years and this could be the last opportunity we will ever have to acquire a plot of land in a central location. There is a long way to go and we have much to consider, such as access to the site. This is where our members can play a vital part. I need their feedback. Perhaps they might be interested in buying one or more of the spaces; in which case, what would they be prepared to pay? Do they think it should all be made over to long term parking with the Chipping being dedicated solely to short term? Should there be a charge put on the local community tax for this facility? I want to hear from them as soon as possible." Alex Wilkinson can be contacted by email through the Chamber’s web site at www.wotton.biz. This story has prompted considerable interest in th elocal press. See how the Gazette is following the story in the pdf below More Information :
Mixed reaction to news that recession is officially overFebruary 4th 2010 See the pdf below for comment from Chamber President Alex Wilkinson More Information :
Parking limit bid ditchedJanuary 28th 2010 Wotton's Chamber President, Alex Wilkinson, has been quoted in the Gazette following a Town Council meeting where councillors unanimously voted to abandon plans to limit parking times in the Chipping car park. See the pdf below for how the Gazette reported it. More Information :
'S no problem for Wotton's ChamberJanuary 14th 2010 After seeking advice from the town, district and county councils, Wotton Chamber of Trade President Alex Wilkinson has recommended that business holders in the town make every effort to clear the area in front of their premises. He said: "Everyone in the town has been aware of the confusion and considerable frustration over the implications should members of the public slip over and hurt themselves outside one of our businesses. Following conversations with our local councils we have come to the conclusion that to do nothing is worse than making an attempt to clear the pathways - BUT if they are to be cleared then it must be done properly by removing the ice and snow right down to the surface." Alex worked with Wotton Town Council's Maintenance Officer Mark Schofield and secured a limited supply of salt and grit. Town Councillor John Law also lent a hand. He is one of the Wotton's Scout Leaders and he mobilised a number of his fellow leaders who helped in the snow clearance. They concentrated their efforts on major pedestrian and vehicular routes in the town such as Rope Walk and Ludgate Hill, Church Street and both sides of Long Street and High Street. Alex was also able to make some grit and labour available to business holders. The Chamber is to make a donation to the scout group as a gesture of its thanks. See the pdf below for a picture of the 'action' (courtesy of under-the-edge media) More Information :
Wotton businesses targeted by thievesDecember 15th 2009 Two businesses in Wotton have been targeted by thieves: 1) Although not positive in the identity of the thieves, Store 1 believes it was two middle aged women in leathers who looked around the shop Monday afternoon but didn't buy anything. In an unguarded moment the staff left the till unattended - just long enough for some of its contents to be taken.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED Free Training For Your BusinessNovember 11th 2009 Red Door Coaching and Training are now able to offer FREE training for your business!! This genuine offer of free training is funded by the Leadership and Management Advisory Service and is available for businesses of 5 to 249 employees who have not previously received Government Funding. Business Link provide a local 'broker' who sort out all the paperwork on your behalf and can then recommend a supplier (which we hope, of course, is Red Door but it doesn't have to be). The training can be any 'soft skills', Leadership skills or indeed Business Coaching but not mandatory training (like Health and Safety etc). There is £500 available as a grant plus a further £500 matched by the business (ie £1500 of training for a max payment of £500). We have already delivered training to a number of local businesses under this scheme – it is a real offer of support at little or no cost to you! Please contact us through the website for more information and details of the broker for this area.
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