AS A CHAMBER MEMBER, YOU'RE WELL CONNECTED.
AS A CHAMBER MEMBER, YOU'RE WELL CONNECTED.
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For the relaunch of our monthly news summary, Forbes Low (CEO, Kingston Chamber of Commerce), shares exciting updates on July’s activities and the latest on our upcoming events.
I was delighted to be invited to the launch of FUSEBOX, Kingston’s new creative space for young people, which was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on July 7th.
The project, led by local charity Creative Youth, transformed the basement space beneath John Lewis into a performance and exhibition hub where young people, emerging artists, key academic partners, and community organisations locally, nationally and internationally can come together for creative practice and co-creation. The renovation, funded by the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund, also supports the historical preservation of this unique space, housing the footings of the original 12th Century Kingston Bridge and the remains of a medieval cellar.
On July 19th, DoubleTree Hilton by Kingston hosted our quarterly Patron meeting. Joined by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Alison Holt, the breakfast was a great opportunity to hear how our Patrons have navigated the first half of the year and how their plans and predictions for the remaining months of 2023. In sharing their experiences, we found hiring or retaining skilled and local staff was a universal and significant issue, as the current status of the market, that is it being employee-led, places pressure on salary rises and salary inflation, job conditions and commuting times. There is no one solution to these complex skills and employment requirements, but even in these short meetings collectively discussing examples of good practice provides inspiration for positive change.
We want to extend a thank you to our Patrons, IQ in IT, Pearson Hards Solicitors, Kingston University, Kingston Council and Summers-Inman; guest, Hicky Kingsbury from Kingston Charitable Foundation; and, our Chamber President, Julie Leach of Julie Leach Associates, for joining us on this occasion – with the summer upon us some of our Patrons are taking a much-deserved break, so we look forward to also catching up with them at our next meeting. To learn more about our Patrons, view here.
Our monthly Kingston Chamber Business Breakfast was hosted on July 13th at the Guildhall. The breakfast was a combination of networking, great buffet food provided by Nikki’s Kitchen, and a valuable learning session on mental wellbeing provided by Jenni Cole and Åse Greenacre of MRT Consultants. This presentation shared how the ability to self-care can be found within all of us and, as Åse mentioned, “mental health awareness demands compassion, understanding and open dialogue. By normalising conversations surrounding mental health, we can break the stigma associated with it, creating a supportive environment for those who are struggling.”
Thank you to Jenni, Åse, Nikki Shadrach and all our attendees who made this an engaging morning. Taking time to be more self-aware of our mental health can make a difference to how we get through each day and week, and how we can be more mindful of others.
During each month, there are many meetings that I attend as a representative of and voice for our membership. From joining fellow Chamber CEOs at the London Chamber of Commerce Summer networking event, to meeting Barclays Bank to discuss an upcoming joint cyber security – a growing, genuine concern – event in September with IQ in IT, the variety of discussions are always interesting.
This month, it has been a pleasure to meet Claire Halyor, the new Centre Manager at Eden Walk Shopping Centre, and to hear how they want to engage with the business community.
The Bentalls Centre recently re-joined our Chamber, so Ilona Saliev (our Events and Engagement Co-ordinator) and myself met Tina Powley and Helen Horton of the Centre Management team to hear about their active business and community strategies. Retail is facing many challenges, but there is much going on behind the scenes to keep the Centre and Kingston a go-to attraction for visitors, including the sustainable and educational beekeeping project located on the roof of the premise – an ideal location and activity for school trips!
We have also been collaborating with Kingston College on ways in which we can raise the awareness on employability opportunities and support for individuals with autism in Kingston and neighbouring borough businesses. Inspired by these discussions, on October 11th the College will host an Employability and Autism event.
The aim of this event is to encourage more employers to support the career development and progressions of young people with autism within the local community, raising awareness of the barriers for young people transitioning from education into employment. The programme is currently being finalised, so subscribe to our weekly events newsletter and watch our Chamber website for more information soon. This is a start of an important conversation, and I am looking forward to learning more about this subject.
If you would like to know more about how we support our local business community, please visit www.kingstonchamber.co.uk, email us at [email protected], or connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
