In a new regular feature, we shine a light on members of Caerphilly Business Forum. Here Caerphilly Business Forum Chair Denise Lovering explains why everyone has a responsibility to make a contribution to the local community.
A business cannot exist in isolation. Caerphilly is a tight-knit county and businesses are often dependent on each other in some form or another, while customers, suppliers and other residents are also affected by these businesses too.
In short, we all have a responsibility to make a contribution to the local community. Here at Glenside Commercials, after 19 years at Trecenydd Business Park, in 2012 we moved to Bedwas House Industrial Estate to a purpose built workshop and administration centre. This move provided lots of opportunities that were unavailable to us at our previous address; larger premises meant we could take on a much greater workload and in turn employ more people too.
So we have been actively recruiting since the move, and it is great to see that the majority of our workforce is local to the borough. But Glenside is by no means alone in tackling such responsibilities, of course. Welsh ICE, as an organisation that brings together business people to share skills and resources, works day in day out to bring start-up businesses based within the borough into contact with the wider business and local community, for example. It exists because many businesses rely on word of mouth locally to secure trade, especially in the early days, and the hub as somewhere small businesses and community groups can physically call upon creates a vital support system for all those just beginning.
These connections and support systems are also important for established businesses too, however, and are why organisations like the Caerphilly Business Forum (CBF), of which I am recently appointed chair, also exist. With this in mind, a recent project has seen Caerphilly Business Forum linking with Bedwas High School, sending members to work with students and practice ‘mock’ interviews, and providing a mentoring voice for them. This is because it is vital young people are encouraged to think about their employment prospects whilst still in education not only for the sake of their own development, but for the economic future of Caerphilly too. Some wonderful opportunities in business await our young people, who must be made aware that their talents are both valued and relevant to the surrounding business community.
As part of my role as Caerphilly Business Forum Chair, I also recently met with Caerphilly Council’s Interim Chief Executive Chris Burns to express my concern that businesses are raising issues that at present are not being answered. The hope is to develop a relationship whereby CBF can mediate between the council and local businesses with a view to providing these answers, and it is crucial we are able to address the concerns of local businesses and create a collective forum where both business and community issues can be raised and resolved moving forward. A great starting point for encouraging such collaboration is, perhaps, the Caerphilly Business Forum Awards – where local businesses can not only showcase their work and most importantly gain the recognition they deserve, but also interact with different members of the business and wider community too.
Now in its 13th year, the event will shine a light on businesses of all sizes and sectors at Bryn Meadows Golf Hotel on November 21. Inspirational for bright up and coming business people, as well as those shortlisted, it’s also a chance for businesses within the borough to take stock of the positive impact their work has not only on the local economy, but also on the surrounding environment and the lives of their employees too.