Pembrokeshire Chamber of Commerce

You may not be aware of this but, your Chamber - the Pembrokeshire Chamber, is now one of the leading Chambers in Wales. Out of more than 60 Chambers in the Principality, we are in the top four. With still very limited resources (we know how you feel - struggling to run a business with only a couple of staff and minimal revenue!) we have, nevertheless, managed to achieve a broad recognition of your Chamber's efforts over the last few years. Once the process of establishing the National Assembly was under way, it was recognised that the Chamber movement in Wales would have to create a cohesive 'voice of business' to lobby for effective economic development policies. It was quickly realised that no true National Chamber could be formed without us on board! So, last year we were invited to join 6 other Chambers on the working group to form Chamber Wales. For the last 6 months we have been devoting many a jolly Sunday to, at times, tortuous discussions to ensure that Chamber Wales really did represent the whole of Wales - not just the powerful, more industrialised parts.
In March, Chamber Wales - Siambr Cymru Ltd, was established, as a Company Limited by Guarantee. It is intended to be an umbrella organisation of Chambers in Wales and, therefore, has a membership consisting of Chambers of Commerce, Trade, Industry and Tourism throughout Wales.
The membership is structured on a regional basis with equal representation on the Board from all four of the economic regions defined by the Welsh Assembly. Pembrokeshire currently has two Board members: Mike Neal, nominated by the Pembrokeshire Chamber of Commerce, and Richard Rowell, nominated by the Pembrokeshire Association of Chambers of Commerce and Trade. (PACCT) The first Chairman of Chamber Wales is Mike Theodoulu, Chairman of the Carmarthenshire Chamber. The Secretary is Stephen Welch, Chief Executive of the North Wales Chamber. The creation of Chamber Wales is an historic event for the business community in Wales. It is the only totally-Welsh business representative body driven by, and for, Welsh businesses. The Chamber movement has the largest membership of any business representative organisation in Wales. Our strength is not just in numbers, but also comes from the fact that we have an established local and regional structure which guarantees a bottom-up approach.
	Chambers represent the business community throughout Wales, and the formation of Chamber Wales gives us a significant voice in any discussions with the Welsh Assembly which, under Section 115 of the Government of Wales Act, has "a duty to consult with organisations and representatives of business".
There are more than 60 active Chambers in Wales, many of which have been in existence for well over 100 years. Membership of these Chambers is already in excess of 5,000 individual businesses, ranging from small retailers to large industries. The total employed by these members exceeds 200,000 people. Both Mike Neal and Richard Rowell are committed to reflecting, within Chamber Wales, the views, aims and objectives of businesses in Pembrokeshire and beyond. They need the support of all Chambers in the area and would welcome the opportunity to hear your views in order to carry forward the opinions of business in Pembrokeshire, to both the national and regional level of Chamber Wales. For more information about Chamber Wales or for an informal discussion with either Mike or Richard e-mail us or contact us on 01646 622858 Back