The Grand Finale of “Brentford Dragons” took place at Brentford School for Girls on 3rd July in the presence of The Worshipful The Mayor of the London Borough of Hounslow, Councillor Corinna Smart. The winning finalists from the heats were “Handy Bra”, “Aviation Shake” (right), “Student Loop” (below) and “Shake-n-Pop” (above with Deborah Hall). Chamber…
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Over the past few years, Brentford Chamber of Commerce has held its summer picnic in the grounds of Syon House, followed by a tour of the archaeological digs that have coincided with our visit.
This year, on July 9th, for the first time our members and guests were treated to a different style of evening which included an exclusive tour of the house itself. On what proved a very popular event, everyone gathered outside in the sunshine at the rear of the house for a few drinks and an excellent cold buffet, before starting the tour in the Great Hall with a short history of the house.
Councillor Amrit Mann, deputy leader of Hounslow Council, welcomed more than 100 guests including Suzie Betlem and several members of Brentford Chamber’s executive on 21 July to the launch of the second edition of Great West magazine, which he described as “a fantastic publication which showcases our borough and tells the world our story”.
The event was hosted by the Hilton London Syon Park and, on a sunny evening, was held in one of its courtyards. Mann said: “We’d like to thank the hosts for this very fine venue; our sponsor, the Treaty Centre; the organisers, 3Fox International, publisher of Great West; and all the MIPIM and magazine sponsors. Both the leader and I recognize that business in Hounslow is the key to our success, so we are very supportive of business and want to make sure it is valued. The overall success of our borough, the economy of Hounslow, is reliant on those businesses and some of the key players are here today.”
On Tuesday 15th July Chamber Council Members (Garth Buckle, Brian Johnson & Tim Luckett) represented the Chamber at the Partner and Agency Marketplace Event in Hounslow Civic Centre. This was an opportunity for the newly elected Councillors to meet and find out about the services provided by organisations throughout the Borough. Many of the organisations…
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Joanna Russell, Vice-President of Brentford Chamber went along to Watermans Arts Centre on Friday afternoon for the Spark! Summer event. It was an excellent couple of hours.
The audience started in the theatre where Andrew Dakers thanked his team and spoke briefly about the student placements this year, how they are working with education and business to prepare students for working life, and asking for volunteers to opt into the scheme.
Once again we had a fabulous AGM in the Hock Cellar at Fuller’s, sampling their new world beers like Chimay and Sierra Nevada, as well as Fuller’s own brews. Thanks go to the Griffin for once again providing a splendid buffet. We were welcomed by the newly arrived Operations Director, Steve Wilkinson and in turn welcomed Alessandro Marchesini, President of Rotary Club of Chiswick and Brentford, with whom we are continuing to rebuild our relationship.
Financially we made a small surplus for the year and added 7 new members.
The current executive were all re-elected into the same positions, as was the auditor and solictiors.
Those present voted that London Borough of Hounslow become an honorary member, in recognition of the closer relationship that exists between Brentford Chamber and the Council.
Brentford is growing fast, with plans for the regeneration of areas to the west and east of the town, as well as to the High Street already well advanced. On a larger scale plans for changes to the Golden Mile and to public transport links will have an enormous effect on Brentford. The potential for businesses of all kinds and sizes is very exciting and Brentford Chamber of Commerce is at the heart of everything that is happening in the town.
The following presentation was delivered at this year’s AGM, along with the list of activities that Brentford Chamber has hosted or participated in. Brentford Chamber Activities 2014
The Residents’ Clubroom at Brentford Dock was the site of fierce discussion about the future of the High Street.
Some 60 people, formed of Brentford Chamber members and other local businesses, local residents turned up to meet Joe Swindells, Ballymore’s recently appointed Senior Development Manager.
The last time we heard from Ballymore was in November 2013 when they announced they had further modelling to do for TfL and that the application would have to be on hold for six months.
West Thames College is celebrating following a very successful Ofsted visit from 10th to 14th March 2014, as it is now officially one of the highest achieving colleges in London. The Ofsted Report, officially published on 18th April 2014, awarded the college an overall grade 2 ‘Good’ with several areas graded as ‘Outstanding’ (grade 1), including Leadership and Management of the college. The inspection report highlights the significant improvements that have been made since the last inspection in 2010 when the college achieved a ‘Satisfactory’ grade 3.
Achieving an overall ‘Good’ grade with outstanding features is a significant achievement which very few London colleges have achieved this year. This, along with the college’s improving success rate, firmly places West Thames College as one of the top 5 (of 30) London colleges.