CHAMBER LIFE
chamber life The past few months have been exceptionally busy for the Chamber as in-person events of all kinds have returned in earnest. With a hectic schedule of conferences, dinners, workshops, webinars, and political engagements, we’ve been out and about since we last spoke to you all. As the autumn winds down and we look towards the final few weeks of 2021, it’s been another full-on period for the Chamber and the North West. Pandemic restrictions are all but gone, Foyle has two new MLAs, Derry once again proved why it’s the best place in the world to celebrate Halloween, and we’ve seen the roll out of the High Street Voucher Scheme. We kicked off our busy period by welcoming the newly appointed Economy Minister Gordon Lyons to the North West on 5 August. Minister Lyons met with a Chamber delegation and discussed a range of important issues including the ongoing impact of the pandemic on local businesses, the
Economy Minister Gordon Lyons MLA with Chamber President Dawn McLaughlin, Chamber Vice President Aidan O’Kane, and Selina Horshi, White Horse Hotel
Executive’s plans for economic recovery post-lockdown, and the Department for the Economy’s High Street Stimulus Scheme. A day later, we welcomed the new Special Envoy to the United States on Northern Ireland Trevor Ringland MBE on his first official visit to the North West. Accompanied by Chamber CEO Paul Clancy and President Dawn McLaughlin, the visit was to provide Mr Ringland with a greater understanding of the North West City Region and to see and hear first-hand the North West’s potential as a prime location for US foreign direct investment.
Chamber CEO Paul Clancy and UUP Leader Doug Beattie MLA
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We then met with UUP Leader Doug Beattie MLA and local Councillor Ryan McCready on 25 August. This was our first meeting with the two elected representatives, and we welcomed the engagement and their thoughts on everything from tourism to infrastructure. The next day, Sinn Féin President Mary-Lou McDonald T.D. stopped in at the Chamber as she visited the North West for a series of engagements. We discussed a series of issues including business recovery from the pandemic, our ambitions for our city and region, and tax relief for cross-border workers. On 10 September, Manager of the Global Future Council on Cities of Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum, Alice Charles, joined Chamber members and City stakeholders to discuss urban development, renewal, and a post-conflict future for our own city and region. We hosted a cross border customs clearance webinar in association with our members Conall Dunne and Claire McEldowney from Easy Customs and our colleagues in the Letterkenny Chamber on 21 September. Conall and Claire from Easy Customs, an independent and specialist customs clearance agency based in the North West, took attendees through how to operate and trade on a cross border basis.
