A warm welcome to our new readers!

I’m delighted to welcome some 3,500 new readers to Chamberlink this month.

This follows a review with Bluestone, publishers of Chamberlink, in which we concluded that Spring was the right time to implement the first stage of our plan to widen the distribution of Chamberlink beyond our members to all businesses in the Plymouth travel-to-work area.

We’re sending a free copy to all businesses in the PL1 to PL9 postcode areas for which we have address details but we’re happy to extend this to all other businesses that would like their own copy.

As so many who are reading this are new to the Chamber, it’s perhaps appropriate to reiterate our purpose which is “to lead the business community in the delivery of Plymouth’s sustainable economic growth”.

We do this by a variety of means, including:

• organising networking and social events through which companies can meet new contacts and develop more business

• carrying out projects such as co-ordinating the city’s priority sector groups on behalf of the newly-formed City Development Company and promoting the take-up of Foundation Degrees by employees

• leading the debate on the key issues affecting the Plymouth business community through our Crunchy Breakfast sessions on the first Wednesday of each month

• developing cogent business cases to support the lobbying for change that the business community wishes to see in areas such as skills, transport, the Plymouth offer and business efficiency

• working in partnership with the City Council, SW Regional Development Agency, the Government Office for the South West, and other private and third-sector agencies, liaising with them at the highest levels on bodies such as the Local Strategic Partnership.

Several of these activities have been developed further through recent initiatives.

With this latest one of increasing Chamberlink readership, I believe the Chamber has reached something of a plateau – several stages higher than the Base Camp it was at when I joined in December 2005, but not yet top of the mountain.

Indeed, we now have something of a choice as to which mountain to climb.

Do we stick just to Plymouth, or should we be venturing further afield and seeking to extend the influence of the business community through the Chamber further into Devon and Cornwall and the South West?

I hope our new readers will decide to join the Chamber and make their voice count in determining our future direction.

David Parlby
Chief Executive, Plymouth Chamber