Being in business is challenging – even in the good times.

Whether you are on your own, in a small team or having to shoulder the responsibilities of a sizeable business, life could hardly be tougher than it is today.

Christchurch Chamber of Trade and Commerce is an association of local businesses whose purpose is to support one another and represent our combined interests in the community.

We have members from across the spectrum of business. Sole traders, partnerships and small to large companies covering retail, service, hospitality and manufacturing industries and everything between.

In the good times, and when conditions again permit, we run regular social events (our 5 o’clock sponsored drinks event is infamous), motivational breakfast meetings, business talks, summer socials and Christmas dinners. Let’s hope we will be able to do that again soon.

In these Covid days, our main focus has been to represent the business interests to the powers that be and disseminate the fast-changing rules under which we have to operate. We regularly attend meetings with the BCP Council departments and are well represented on the Economic Development, Tourism and Planning Strategy committees and a number of other crucial organisations to ensure the voice of Christchurch businesses is heard. These bodies are often keen to listen to the real-life problems that we are facing.

As member’s meetings are no longer possible at present, we have started a newsletter – the Christchurch Chamber Chat – that we are delivering to businesses in the Christchurch Borough as a method of communication so you can keep up with what is going on. As a member, we will be happy for you to contribute to that newsletter.

Although some of us may be in competition, the shared problems we are facing give us much in common and much we can help each other with.

We are a member-based organisation. Membership is by application and we charge only a modest annual subscription to help cover our running costs. We are a non-profit making company run by members for members. Our executive is made up of local people with wide business experience. We are non-political which means we are free to support or oppose proposals as we see appropriate.

And the annual subscription to get all this? It starts from only £35 per annum for businesses with 1 to 5 employees – see the Join CCTC page for more details. So do apply to join us and become part of our local Christchurch business community.

When we say Christchurch we mean all of the former Borough of Christchurch so we include all Highcliffe, Mudeford, Stanpit, Somerford, Burton, the town centre, Bargates, Barrack Road, and Fairmile upto and including Hurn and the airport business park and all industrial estates and retail units in the Christchurch conurbation.