The number of Third Sector organisations who are now active members of Guernsey Chamber is rapidly increasing and represents a diverse cross section of the business community and island as a whole. With some 500 charities here – twice as many per head of population than the UK – the value of work carried out by volunteers has been estimated at between £75m and £120m. Chamber is keen to work with as many of them as possible and to investigate opportunities for not for profit groups.
One ongoing example of collaborative work is Chamber’s support for the Bright Futures initiative. Led by Susie Crowder, Bright Futures launched with an aim to highlight awareness of the rapidly changing world of work, coupled with providing funding for students of any age who wish to acquire skills or retrain.
Chamber is also a strong supporter of the Guernsey Disability Alliance and associated initiatives, such as Accessible Town. With a headquarters in the centre of Market Square, Chamber’s Business Development Centre has been used regularly by both groups for events, meetings and awareness campaigns.
Through connections with the Youth Commission, Chamber offers employment insight events, including 8 places at each OGH monthly lunch, for students.
The state-of-the-art premises are available for any Third Sector organisation which needs meeting space and Chamber is also happy to make available its various communication channels, including the website, a presence at lunches and seminars and monthly pages in Business Brief magazine.
