Bright spots in the Valley despite stories of economic gloom

Daily stories of raging inflation, foreign conflict and energy prices going through the roof, might suggest the British economy is on its knees.

However, whilst acknowledging those difficulties, our members are telling me a different and much more optimistic story. For example, Bristol Airport say passenger numbers have returned almost to pre-pandemic levels and they are pleased to report they have seen the fastest recovery of any UK airport. You only need to look above your head to see the proof of the increase in the number of flights coming in and out.

There’s also good news from the retail sector with the PetHub in Chew Magna reporting a fantastic first year in business which far exceeded their expectations, topped off by being crowned Petshop of the Year and Excellence in Grooming services for the Bristol area.

Manufacturing seems to be in similarly fine fettle if Manor Farm Engineering is anything to go by. The company say they are currently bursting at the seams, though hopefully not literally, with work progressing on no fewer than five boilers, which is unheard of.

People working in the recruitment area are finely attuned to how the world of employment is looking and there comes more good news from Macstaff who are busy with professional, skilled and technical recruitment. They are seeing high demand for workers at a time of low unemployment and deep skills shortages driving demand.

We have such a broad membership that we can also spot potential future trends. Thompson Consultants have responded to demand by making Cyber security a large part of their practice now and are helping businesses deal with a growing threat.

We were also very interested to hear that another member, who had been working within the world of credit card technology, has now switched back to old fashioned cash, by joining Notemachine, a company selling ATM machines to give people access to bank notes.

They are seeing a big rise in demand for their services as quite a lot of people are apparently responding to price pressures by preferring to deal in cash rather than using credit cards. They will be providing machines, especially in communities like ours, where banks have previously removed ATMs.

This isn’t a case of looking through rose coloured spectacles, the facts are that our members are using their skills and experience to provide excellent services which are in great demand and succeeding in their businesses. If there’s something you need, have a look at the members list on our website and you may find someone to suit you, just around the corner – www.chewvalleychamber.co.uk