Monmouth businesses have attended the first face-to-face networking event in the town since the pandemic. The event, which was held on Tuesday 3rd August in Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools’ Hitchcock Pavilion, was organised by Monmouth Chamber of Commerce and provided an opportunity for local business owners to meet with members of the chamber, and with councillors and officers from Monmouthshire County Council.

The Leader of Monmouthshire County Council, Councillor Richard John was joined by Deputy Leader, Councillor Sara Jones along with officers from the Skills and Employment, Business and Regeneration teams. The council’s Regional Development team were also on hand to answer questions about proposed future plans for Monmouth. The Chamber of Commerce, including Sherren McCabe-Finlayson, Cerys Watts, David Evans and Mark Lindley welcomed local business owners in what is hoped will be the first of many such business support events.

At the evening event, Councillor Richard John said:

“The past 18 months have been an incredibly challenging time for Monmouthshire businesses, and while we have been able to continue to provide support and information via ‘virtual’ meetings and social media during this time, actually being able to meet people face-to-face again is fantastic. We’ve been visiting businesses across the county over the past few weeks, and we’ve been hearing about the resourceful and innovative approaches that businesses have been taking to try and address the profound financial issues caused by the pandemic. Events such as this really help us to have a direct dialogue with Monmouthshire’s business community, learn from their experiences and help work to meet their ongoing needs.”

Councillor Sara Jones, Deputy Leader of Monmouthshire County Council, said:

“We have tremendous respect and gratitude for the hard work of both Monmouth Chamber of Commerce and of all the town’s businesses throughout the pandemic. They have all worked tirelessly to build a sustainable and positive future for Monmouth, and for the county. We are proud to be able to support and assist this and look forward to similar meetings with businesses across Monmouthshire in the coming weeks and months.”

Sherren McCabe-Finlayson, Chair of Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, said:

“It was lovely to be able to welcome Monmouthshire County Council representatives and town businesses to join us for our first in-person networking event since the Covid restrictions. We are grateful to everyone who helped make the evening a success and especially to Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools for their hospitality and use of the splendid Hitchcock Pavilion.  We are looking forward to holding regular meetings and similar events in the future.”

For information about joining the Monmouth Chamber of Commerce visit www.monmouthchamber.co.uk