Latest Chamber News

The Annual General Meeting of Torquay Chamber of Commerce

To be held on Tuesday 24th January 2012 at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, Beacon Hill, Torquay at 6.00pm for 6.30pm.

The speaker will be Gordon Oliver – Elected Mayor followed by Q&As.

 For further information email admin@torquaychamberofcommerce.co.uk

Another Successful Chamber open meeting

Chamber Chairman James Cross was delighted to welcome members and prospective members to another successful Chamber open meeting on the 20^th September at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club.  Trevor Coleman, MEP, for the south west gave an enlightening talk on the European Union, its evolution,  European Treaties and their effect upon the UK.

Questions and answers could have gone on all night, but Trevor’s interesting talk was drawn to a close to hear from Mike Byfield and his colleagues from the Ark Royal project who confirmed their plan to sink the Ark Royal off Torbay to form an artificial diving reef.

The team behind the project have raised £3.5 million in an effort to beat competition from 20 other potential purchasers in a Ministry of Defence auction for the Ark Royal.

With “in principle” backing from Torbay Council, the intention is for the Ark Royal to be sunk 5/6 nautical miles out from Torbay where it would become the largest artificial reef in Europe and could pump millions into the local economy, with divers wanting to explore the huge wreck.

For more information, follow the team on Facebook and Twitter or contact them at arkroyalreef@hotmail.co.uk

Chamber lobbys transport minister

Chair of Torquay Chamber of Commerce, James Cross, and business leaders lobbied Transport Minister Norman Baker at the House of Commons on 13th July 2011. The delegation included MPs Adrian Sanders, Anne-Marie Morris, and Sarah Woollaston with Jeremy Filmer-Bennett acting Chair of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership and Michelle Hargreaves, Managing Director of Stagecoach South West, Alan Archer, Chairman of the Torbay Business Forum, Alan Denby Chairman of the Torbay Development Agency, and Jim Thompson, Chairman of the Torbay Branch of the Federation of Small Businesses.

The Link Road project is currently in the Government’s development pool competing for funding with other small road schemes across the country. Our Chairman James Cross commented after the meeting:

“We had a very positive and helpful meeting with the Minister. We know we have a strong case and we conveyed to Mr Baker the impact that the South Devon Link Road would have on Devon’s economy, opening up both counties in terms of business, jobs, and education.”