Chamber president reflects on 'reasons to celebrate' in the last year

Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce has held its annual general meeting (AGM), with its president, Gill Durkin, reviewing the region 's progress in recovering from the Covid pandemic.

Over 40 local businesses and Chamber members attended the AGM and networking lunch at the Roman Way Hotel in Cannock Chase and were joined by Gill Durkin (pictured) and Councillor Olivia Lyons, leader of Cannock Chase Council.

Ms Durkin addressed the meeting to discuss the highlights of her presidency during the past 12 months, as well as the activities taking place across the district that are contributing to post-pandemic recovery.

She said: “My first 12 months as president have been an interesting one and, like it has been for everyone, it has been challenging and rewarding at the same time.

“When I became president, we were hoping for the government to start to relax some of its restrictions and looking forward to seeing family and friends at Christmas.

“A few weeks later the government advised us to stay at home again. This pandemic has meant many different things for many businesses with some seeing growth opportunities whilst seeing tragically our retail and hospitality suffer.

“Despite the challenges of the past 12 months, we have had lots to celebrate in the Cannock Chase region.

“A key milestone of this year must be the long-awaited opening of the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Village in April. I was delighted to be invited together with fellow Lichfield president, Jason Challoner, to the official opening on 12 April when our non-essential retailers were able to open their doors again.

“Later in July we were invited back for a 'behind the scenes ' tour and I was joined by fellow board members and our chief executive, Henrietta Brealey, to meet some of the team.

“It is encouraging to hear that visitor numbers are higher than expected and that 75 per cent of the staff there live within 20 minutes of the village. This is excellent for the region bringing much needed jobs in the retail sector whilst having a positive impact on the environment.

“Having worked in the training industry for almost 30 years with Performance Through People, skills and employment are always close to my heart.

“Over the last 18 months we have welcomed the financial support provided by government that has included much needed support helping people get back to work. As part of the support to help businesses recover, the £2billion investment in the Kickstart programme is providing much needed paid work experience for 16-24 year olds.

“Alongside the governments grants of £3,000 available to employers when recruiting an apprentice, we must thank the county and district councils for the additional funding through the Staffordshire Means Back to Business campaign.

“These funds are helping our businesses grow by creating new jobs and upskilling opportunities for the existing work force. ”