Chamber news from Delphine Greenhalgh

Delphine Greenhalgh is Rochdale President of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

Next stop, Rochdale!

It only seems like yesterday that I was writing about the changing face of Rochdale town centre. Yet, the next time you travel to Rochdale, you could be mistaken for thinking you are in a completely different town.

Firstly, the tram is now taking commuters all the way to the town centre, new constructions have been erected, the new bus station sits next door to the award winning Number One Riverside building, and more importantly, old buildings are being demolished. I am astonished at how quickly those changes have happened.

As this is happening under our very eyes, the plan to restore the River Roch, which has been hidden for over a century, is well on its way. Once the river is re-opened, it will enhance the town centre and give the borough an inviting blend of natural features, heritage assets and modern buildings. All those improvements will certainly give Rochdale a strong selling point to attract visitors, businesses and inward investments.

I would also like to welcome on board our latest Chamber member, Rochdale Sixth Form College. The Chamber is delighted to have such a high-achieving college amongst our members. This will hopefully encourage a closer cooperation between the academic and the business world. We are keen to hear from other schools and encourage them to contact the membership team to find out about Chamber benefits for the education sector.

Lastly, at our last Action for Business networking forum, we focused on business rates, which is badly affecting many business all over the country but particularly in the borough. A business rate expert, Chris Stern, managed to make what can be a very complex subject a lot easier to grasp.

Our next forum is taking place on Wednesday 4 June at the Norton Grange Hotel. The topic, which is close to my heart, will be export and international trade and how the Chamber can facilitate export projects.

We will have a Rochdale-based exporter and expert advice from the Chamber, plus news of our new Overseas Business Network initiative. For more information and to book your place, visit: http://www.gmchamber.co.uk/events/781.

Delphine Greenhalgh
Rochdale President of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce