Fellow Members, thank you for appointing me as your Chamber President. I feel honoured to have been entrusted with this prestigious post. I would also like to thank Kerry-Anne Kitson for agreeing to keep me in check as our Vice President throughout the 2020/2021 appointment.
Messages of thanks
I would like to thank the following Board Members for their selfless service during the last twelve months, and hope that they will continue to work with the Chamber in their future roles.
Firstly, our outgoing President, Jeremy Webb, for his hard work over the past year. I think we can all appreciate the challenges Jeremy has faced during his Presidency owing to the problems which the current pandemic has brought upon us. Jeremy has been at the helm as we have grown from the Leatherhead & District Chamber into Mole Valley Chamber during this difficult period, and has taken the benefits of Chamber Membership out to the district. This has borne fruit, as the Membership offer has been taken up by many during the transition. I hope Jeremy will continue to bring his speciality skills and professionalism to the Board.
I would also like to thank John Howarth, our outgoing Vice President, as he leaves the Board to concentrate on other schemes. John has served the Chamber several times, and is a past President. John’s calming influence and wisdom will be missed, but I am sure you will all join me in thanking him for his service to our business community.
We are fortunate to have retained two of our senior Directors in Jackie Quinn and Peter Snell, as well as the financial expertise of our Secretary & Treasurer Paul McWhirter. I thank them all for continuing in their roles on the Board, and look forward to our ongoing working relationship.
Jackie Adams and Miranda Virgo are new faces on the Board, but hopefully not the last. Jackie brings a wealth of knowledge in Human Resources skills, whilst Miranda has skills in marketing and promotion management, and also runs her own photography business.
We have room for further Director appointments, so if you are interested in becoming involved or have a particular skill to bring to the table, please let us know.
Covid 19 Update
It is critical that everybody observes the following key behaviours:
- HANDS - Wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds.
- FACE - Cover your face in enclosed spaces, especially where social distancing may be difficult and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
- SPACE - Stay 2 metres apart where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place.
Published 9 October 2020
- The Chancellor has announced that the Job Support Scheme will be expanded to support businesses across the UK required to close their premises due to coronavirus restrictions
- government will pay two thirds of employees’ salaries to protect jobs over the coming months
- cash grants for businesses required to close in local lockdowns also increased to up to £3,000 per month
Under the expansion, firms whose premises are legally required to shut for some period over winter as part of local or national restrictions will receive grants to pay the wages of staff who cannot work - protecting jobs and enabling businesses to reopen quickly once restrictions are lifted.
The government will support eligible businesses by paying two thirds of each employees’ salary (or 67%), up to a maximum of £2,100 a month.
Boris Johnson has confirmed a new three-tier system of coronavirus restrictions is to be introduced in England. The country will be divided into three Local COVID Alert Levels – ‘medium’, ‘high’ and ‘very high’ - depending on local infection rates. The move is aimed at simplifying the range of different COVID-19 restrictions which were already in place across various parts of England.
