2023/2024
WELCOME TO LICHFIELD AND TAMWORTH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce is an integral part of the local business community. We work with a diverse range of sectors and engage nearly 150 businesses. Our membership base is vibrant and dynamic.
We’ve proudly supported over 300 businesses through the challenges of the last few years, and are thrilled to see exciting growth across our economic landscape. We also host an annual awards dinner, drawing in more than 200 attendees. This is a fantastic way to engage with other businesses and forge valuable connections.
We’re here to connect, support and grow organisations across all sectors. Join us today to make meaningful connections with like-minded individuals. We can help support you and encourage you to flourish!
As an accredited Chamber of Commerce, Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber is recognised for delivering excellence in business support, advocacy, and member services. This prestigious accreditation from the British Chambers of Commerce ensures we meet high standards in governance and operations, giving our members confidence in our ability to drive growth, offer valuable networking, and influence policy. Our accreditation also connects members to a national and international network of resources and opportunities, supporting their success locally and globally. It symbolises our commitment to fostering a thriving, dynamic business community in the Lichfield and Tamworth region.
BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
BE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER. As a Chamber member, you are part of a vibrant business community, a collective that has been championing business unwaveringly since 1813.
BUILD YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND NETWORK through our inspirational programme of workshops, events, campaigns, our connections and resources.
BOOST YOUR PROFILE. Showcase your business through our extensive news and social media platforms, directory and member-to-member offers.
BENEFIT FROM SAVINGS. Access to a range of Chamber, partner and member discounts to help your business manage costs.
A STANDARD MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE INCLUDES:
• Support from a Relationship Manager at the Chamber
• Discount on Chamber services
• 24/7 access to HR & Legal helpline
• Member marketplace promotion
• Blog submission
• Use of ‘proud member’ logo
• Member Directory access and listing
• Social media promotion
• Monthly prize draw entry
• Chamberlink magazine
NOT YET A MEMBER?
Membership starts from as little as £300+VAT per year and we offer quarterly payments at no extra cost (depending on membership level).
To join, please email newbusinessgroup@birmingham-chamber.com
STATISTICS & TESTIMONIALS
KEY STATS
The Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce has 120 members.
Over 214 delegates attended Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce events in the last 12 months.
Over 220 delegates attended Royal Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield & Tamworth and Cannock Chase Awards in January 2024.
Over 1793 subscribers receive our weekly newsletter.
TESTIMONIALS
“Being a member of the Executive Committee for the Chamber of Commerce has been an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s allowed me to connect with a network of like-minded professionals who are just as passionate about shaping the local business landscape as I am. The role has given me the opportunity to not only influence key decisions affecting the business community but also showcase my own business to a broader audience of new contacts.
What makes this experience even more special is the people. The Chamber is made up of a genuinely friendly, supportive, and collaborative group. Everyone is dedicated to seeing each other thrive, and that’s created a wonderful environment to be a part of. I’m proud to be involved and would highly recommend it to any business owner looking to make an impact locally.”
Sharon McCormick, The Listening Centre Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce committee member
“I have served for 7 years on the Lichfield and Tamworth Executive Committee, including the past 4 years as Vice President. During this time I am proud to have had the opportunity to have witnessed the achievement of positive and meaningful impacts and outcomes. I joined the committee, to utilise my professional expertise and passion to support, develop and grow partnerships between businesses and education.
This has proven to be substantially mutually beneficial to all partners involved. These relationships have supported young people with their careers planning, and have supported businesses to address the skills gap and to recruit into their future talent pipeline.”
Julie Poppleton, Chase Terrace Academy Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce committee member
THE LICHFIELD AND TAMWORTH CHAMBER CHOSEN CHARITY
Grace Cares is an award winning not-for-profit on a mission to make care sustainable
• We provide ESG and sustainability resources, guidance, and support to care providers across the UK.
• We rescue care equipment from landfill and offer it to the public, NHS, and care sector at less than half its original price.
• The profits we generate fund hardship grants and support for care workers and older people nationwide.
• We also generate social value by facilitating care-focused, sustainable activities and events.
Click here to make a donation!
ROYAL BUSINESS FAIR
2024 AND SPONSORS
SLTC AWARD WINNERS 2024
CANNOCK CHASE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR –GEOGROW LTD
LICHFIELD & TAMWORTH MICRO BUSINESS OF THE YEAR – THE CAREER OWL
LICHFIELD SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR –HAYWOODS CONTRACTS LIMITED
TAMWORTH SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR –BOLD IT
ROYAL SUTTON COLDFIELD MICRO BUSINESS OF THE YEAR – X2 WORKSPACES
ROYAL SUTTON COLDFIELD SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR – ARK MEDIA
SLTC YOUNG PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR –GRAHAM ALLSOPP
SLTC LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR –CROWN HIGHWAYS
HEADLINE SPONSORS
AWARD SPONSORS
ROYAL SUTTON COLDFIELD SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
LICHFIELD SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
LICHFIELD & TAMWORTH CHAMBER PRESIDENTS AWARD
ROYAL SUTTON COLDFIELD, LICHFIELD & TAMWORTH AND CANNOCK CHASE
LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR YOUNG PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
LICHFIELD AND TAMWORTH MICRO BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
ROYAL SUTTON COLDFIELD PRESIDENT’S AWARD
TAMWORTH SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
ROYAL SUTTON COLDFIELD MICRO BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
WELCOME FROM OUR PRESIDENT FIONA ROUSE
PRESIDENT, LICHFIELD & TAMWORTH
CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE
Reflecting on the past 12 months, it has been a challenging one again within the business world, but I am filled with a sense of pride for the great work that our local Chamber has achieved. This would not be possible without the unwavering support of Julie Poppleton and Hannah Montgomery, my Vice Presidents, the wider Executive Committee as well as you the local members. We welcome Grace Cares as our new Charity Partners and look forward to working with them. We said goodbye to Chris Brewerton and welcomed Charlie Elliott as our new Head of Division. She shares my passion for our local community and championing the needs of our local businesses and I’m excited to be working alongside her for a further year as President.
Over the past year we continued to navigate an ever changing economic landscape, advocated for our members’ interests, and celebrated their success. We have worked closely with local education providers to address skills gaps and ensure positive business engagement and are looking forward
to launching our Business and Education Toolkit. Additionally, we have championed initiatives to promote sustainable business practices and reduce our environmental impact. We will be publishing our ‘Why ESG?’, a practical guide for local businesses by the end of the year. My thanks to the two sub-committees who have put so much energy and time into these projects.
Our focus has continued to be centred around
• Business Sustainability
• Engagement with our Future Workforce
• Equity and Diversity
We’ve delivered a range of events focused on working with marginalised communities, the benefits of ESG activities and business resilience.
No business is an island, and the same is true for our local Lichfield and Tamworth Division. It has been great to see the success of our joint networking events with our neighbours in Burton & District, Sutton Coldfield and Cannock.
WELCOME FROM OUR PRESIDENT FIONA ROUSE
› Continued
These have provided invaluable opportunities for members to connect, share ideas, and learn from one another. Myself and the three other Presidents are working closely together to ensure the successes and unique needs of our local business community are represented within the larger GBCC network.
As a division we are huge advocates of Future Faces, the Young Professionals Division of GBCC. We secured twenty funded memberships provided by Lichfield District Council and Tamworth Borough Council, and are very grateful to them for this investment in our future leaders. We hosted our first joint event with Future Faces, bringing together 30 members from across the whole of Greater Birmingham to take part in a St Giles Elephant Hunt and to network together in a less formal way.
Today sees the launch of our new Division Strategy which is focused on: Enhancing our Business Networking Promoting our local business to a wider audience
Support skills development Advocating for business-friendly policies
Many people default to thinking community as being our local area, but it is so much more than this. For my final year in post my focus will be BUSINESS and COMMUNITY, drawing together many of the topics we have covered over the past two years.
• Our Internal Business Community: Our colleagues, our culture, our working practices
• Our Local Community: Local businesses, schools, charities, local government, our local area
• Our Global Business Community: Import and Export, building international links, and global cultural awareness
As we look ahead, I am confident that our Chamber will continue to play a vital role in supporting the growth and success of local businesses. By fostering a strong sense of community, we create a more vibrant and dynamic business ecosystem. One that enables our businesses to grow, enables new businesses to start and ensures ongoing dialogue about our business needs with local and national decision makers.
Thank you for your continued support of the Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber of Commerce. Together, we can build a stronger and more prosperous future for our business community.
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
ADAM GADBSY Head of Operations PI-KEM Ltd
HANNAH MONTGOMERY Founder – Sustainability Lead Grace Cares
RAFFO Director Embello
PETER HOWARD Managing director PHd design
CLARE LUBRANO Partner RD Apparel
JOHN MOORE Director Fruition Accountancy Ltd
LOGAN KHAN Managing Director The Boss Partnership
EMMA BISSEKER Company Director Reach Peak Performance Limited
JULIAN FISHER Managing Director Townhouse Communications Ltd
HALL Managing Director M Hall Management Ltd
FIONA ROUSE Director PI-KEM Ltd
JULIE POPPLETON Director of Careers Chase Terrace Academy
Founder Cloud Accounting Support Services Ltd
PAUL BARNES
MARTIN
KYLE
THANK YOU CHARLIE ELLIOTT
HEAD OF ROYAL SUTTON COLDFIELD, LICHFIELD AND TAMWORTH CHAMBERS
I would like to express my appreciation to everyone who has played a role in the ongoing success of the Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce this year. The remarkable achievements we celebrate today are the result of a collective effort from our members, sponsors, and partners, whose unwavering commitment has been crucial in advancing our local business community.
A special thank you to our Executive Committee for their exceptional leadership. Their strategic vision and dedicated service have shaped our direction, ensuring we remain a vibrant and supportive platform for businesses in our region. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our outgoing committee members for their invaluable contributions and dedication during their tenure. Your efforts have laid a strong foundation for our future.
At the same time, I am thrilled to welcome our new committee members. Your fresh perspectives and enthusiasm will undoubtedly bring new energy to our initiatives and help us continue to serve our members effectively.
As an accredited Chamber, we are proud to offer high-quality services and
support that align with the needs of our community. This accreditation from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) allows us to provide valuable resources, advocacy, and networking opportunities, ensuring that your voices are heard both locally and nationally.
Reflecting on the outcomes of this year’s AGM, it’s clear that our Chamber is wellpositioned to navigate future challenges. The resilience and adaptability demonstrated by our members showcase the strength of our collective network. Together, we are building a foundation for sustained growth and prosperity for Lichfield and Tamworth.
Looking ahead, I am optimistic that our collaborative spirit and shared vision will guide us through the coming year. Our focus remains on fostering a vibrant, innovative business environment that benefits all members, regardless of size or sector. I look forward to continuing our work together as we build on the progress we’ve made.
Thank you once again for your ongoing support, dedication, and engagement. Together, we will continue to shape the future of our business community.