Blackpool woman takes chamber lead

Dawn Cheetham, owner of Cornford Road based Commercial Kitchen Services, was appointed and took up the role at the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce at its 100th Annual General Meeting held at the Imperial Hotel on the Promenade.

She succeeds Norman Tenray of Longridge-based OBAS UK, who has held the position for the past two years.

The new president’s appointment was one of the key matters dealt with at the meeting which was followed by a Centenary business Lunch.

Guest speaker, the Leader of Blackpool Council and Chair of Lancashire Combined Authority, Coun Simon Blackburn spoke to an audience of 170 business leaders from across Lancashire about the future of the county with plans for a combined authority currently being mooted.

Dawn Cheetham said: “It is a great honour for me to be asked to take on the role of president of the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and in particular during its Centenary year.

“The Chamber has been a strong voice for business in Lancashire throughout this time and my ambition is to continue this throughout my time as president.

“It’s testament to our longevity as a chamber that we’re still here, as vibrant and effective as ever, when so many other business support agencies have fallen by the wayside.

“I look forward to working with the chamber’s chief executive, Babs Murphy, and her team to carry on the relentless drive to make Lancashire a better place for business.”

In her maiden speech Mrs Cheetham addressed the issues of Brexit, Shale Gas Extraction, and exports and concluded: “All of us in business prepare an annual business plan that sets out the direction we want to go. We need a Business Plan for Britain that clearly sets out the way forward.”

The North and Western Lancashire is one of the biggest business groups in the county with a membership of 1,600 members, which account for more than half the private sector jobs in the area.

It provides a range of business information, networking, training, seminars, and a wide range of business services, international trade services, information tools, legal advice and HR services.

The Chamber is also behind the annual Be Inspired Business Awards, the BIBAs.