Rochdale President of the Chamber

Delphine Greenhalgh is Rochdale President of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

Delphine Greenhalgh is Rochdale President of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

“I can’t quite believe that it is nearly three months since I first stepped into the role of Rochdale President of the Chamber.

"My duties started with a very busy event in February which saw over 70 people attending a networking lunch at the Norton Grange Hotel. I was delighted to embark on this journey at a time when the Rochdale borough is seeing a number of new exciting developments.

“A hefty £32m has been spent on completing the long-awaited tram line between Rochdale and Manchester, allowing a hassle-free way to travel between the two areas for the residents of the borough. I believe the new Metrolink service is unquestionably an improvement to the transport in the region as well a good way to reduce our carbon footprint.

“We’ve also seen two major developments in our education sector, which have resulted in the retention of students and increased employment of qualified teachers in the area.

"Hopwood Hall College has improved its catering and health and beauty departments, and, in order to compete with Oldham and Bury, Rochdale is now offering sixth form education with state-of-the-art new facilities. Rochdale Sixth Form College has gone from strength to strength since opening its doors in 2010 and is now recognised as an A-Level institution in the top 5% of the country.

“I firmly believe that Rochdale is an ideal place to set up a business of any size. Only 12 miles from Manchester, 40 minutes to Manchester Airport and located along three motorway junctions, we are in a perfect location and I’m not the only one who thinks that.

"JD Sports’ distribution centre was one of the first companies to take advantage of Kingsway Business Park. The strategic site opened last Easter, and was shortly followed by the massive ASDA distribution centre. The Kingsway Partnership played a key role in securing funding for those major distribution developments.

“You might not associate Rochdale with the word ‘international’ and yet Rochdale was awarded the prestigious title of “World Capital of Co-operatives” in 2012. Born in Rochdale, the co-operative movement has since been adopted in many countries around the world. The legacy of this accolade will help Rochdale project a global image regionally, nationally and internationally which I am always keen to endorse.

“I also wanted to pay tribute to Malcolm Dunphy, Chairman of Dunphy Combustion, who passed away last month. Malcolm was a well-known figure in the Rochdale business community and had been heavily involved with the Chamber of Commerce. I particularly admired his achievements in export which were recognised with an MBE in 1992.

“Finally, our next Chamber event is on 22 May at the Norton Grange Hotel, Rochdale. Our guest speaker, Henrik Sternberg, Country Manager at the Rochdale-based company Vileda will talk about carbon reduction. The company has achieved an amazing 40% energy saving over the last four years.

"You will also, as always, have the opportunity to network and promote your business. For more information and to book a place, visit www.gmchamber.co.uk/events.”

For more information about the Chamber, contact Michelle Geoghegan, Rochdale Local Policy Manager, via michelle.geoghegan@gmchamber.co.uk or visit www.gmchamber.co.uk