News from Felixstowe Chamber

How to attract, recruit and retain staff with Felixstowe Chamber

With spring almost upon us, Felixstowe Chamber is committed to nurturing the ‘green shoots’ in our local economy and taking an upbeat view on the world, no matter how challenging the outlook may be.

As such, we were very encouraged that so many local businesses were able to join us at our ‘Attracting, Recruiting and Retaining Staff’ Business Breakfast at SeaYou Cafe & Restaurant on 9 February. This was one of our biggest events ever, with over 40 attendees.

We learnt about the importance of building a strong, values-driven brand for your company and getting a perspective on where your business is pitched within its marketplace from speakers Leanne Gittins, Managing Director of LME Recruitment and Emma Sheppard FCIPD, Director of PS Human Resources.

Suffolk has one of the lowest unemployment records in the UK, making attracting and retaining talent a real ‘hot topic’, so it is imperative to develop a respectful, flexible culture within your company with incentives to staff, such as hybrid working and medical health benefits, in order to help retain them in the longer term.

Thanks also to Anne Willett of DWP Jobcentre Plus for giving us some helpful insights into the valuable work that the organisation undertakes within our community, such as through its Recruitment Support Service and Sector-based Work Academy Programme.

We also welcomed Joy Baker, Outreach Worker at The Compass, which is one of the Mayor of Felixstowe’s three charities for the year. As Joy explained, we are lucky to live in a community that is relatively prosperous, but where deprivation is also a very real and pressing concern.

Our thanks go to the excellent team at SeaYou Cafe & Restaurant for a delicious breakfast and a very warm welcome.

Next Chamber Business Breakfast – Thursday 23 March

We will be holding our next Chamber Business Breakfast on ‘Cyber Security’ on Thursday 23 March, 9-11am at Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club. Numbers are limited to a maximum of 30 for this event, so sign up now!

‘First Aid at Work’ training

We held our inaugural ‘First Aid at Work’ training on 2 February at DWP Jobcentre Plus in Hamilton Road. The six-hour course, which was run by TrainEEAST, the commercial training team of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, covered a wide range of topics including ‘Assessing a Scene’, ‘Casualty Assessment’, ‘Using First Aid Equipment’ and ‘Assisting the Ambulance Service’, amongst many other key areas.

Felixstowe Chamber is keen to continue to work with the highest-quality, accredited trainers to ensure that we deliver the very best courses here on our doorstep in Felixstowe.

You can find out more about future training courses with Felixstowe Chamber at: https://felixstowechamber.co.uk/training

Felixstowe Chamber of Commerce to celebrate growth and investment at March AGM

Felixstowe Chamber of Commerce will be holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at The Orwell Hotel in Felixstowe on Thursday 9 March 2023, 6.30-8.30pm at Felixstowe Library. The meeting is free to attend, with refreshments provided, and is open to the public.  

Felixstowe Chamber is celebrating a record 64 members – an increase of some 50 members since its last AGM in March 2022. Encouragingly, a significant proportion are choosing to join at the higher Silver and Gold levels.  

Paul Borroughs, Chair of Felixstowe Chamber of Commerce, says: “It is fair to say that Covid had a tremendous impact on membership and participation in Felixstowe Chamber of Commerce. However, we are grateful that, with a lot of hard work and cooperation from our community, we have been able to grow our numbers and invest even more in supporting businesses in and around our vibrant town.  

“As Chair, I am lucky to be supported by such an active and enthusiastic committee, and our AGM is a chance for us to provide an update on our developments and significant progress over the past year, as well as sharing our exciting plans for 2023. 

“We will also be announcing a few upgrades and improvements to our overall offer to our membership, as well as unveiling a new events programme over the coming months.” 

Anyone wishing to attend the Felixstowe Chamber of Commerce AGM is encouraged to register their interest by 2 March with Business Officer Amanda Oliver: 01394 248440 / amanda.oliver@felixstowechamber.co.uk 

To join the Chamber, or to find out how Felixstowe Chamber can help you grow your business, please contact Business Officer Amanda Oliver: 01394 248440 / amanda.oliver@felixstowechamber.co.uk

Find out more about Felixstowe Chamber at: https://felixstowechamber.co.uk