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MESSAGE FROM MEMBERSHIP
BY PHIL BRIDGEMAN MEMBERSHIP MANAGER AT BUSINESS WEST
Bristol cheese shop scoops best in show
The Bristol Cheesemonger has won the Best Retailer award at the Great British Cheese Awards for the second year running. The Great British Cheese awards celebrate the best of British cheese produced and distributed by independent cheese makers and retailers. Now in their second year, the
Love it or hate it, Christmas is just around the corner and for many businesses November and December is one their busiest trading periods. In retail and leisure, Christmas
can make or break the year. So why leave it to chance? Did you know that you can post
special offers for membership on our website and have them included in this very magazine? Simply post them via your online profile today! We also offer specially discounted morning and evening networking events, which attract between 60 and 80 attendees from a range of sectors and size of business. This is a great opportunity to get your products and services in front of other businesses and give your coffers a festive boost! As well as making the most of
this special time of year, I know many of you will also be making plans for a successful 2018. And while the year will bring many opportunities it will also bring a few challenges too. One of the key hurdles that
businesses will face in 2018 is GDPR, which comes into effect on 25 May. A number of members have raised concerns over how GDPR will impact them, so we have decided to create a brand new section on our website to help businesses overcome the challenges presented by the changes. This will be launching shortly, but
in the meantime members can view a number of blogs on the topic on our website at
www.businesswest.co.uk/blogs or alternatively call the ICO helpline on: 0303 123 1113. Until next time, enjoy the Christmas break, we’ll see you in the New Year!
12 insight NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
awards stand apart from other events as the general public have a large influence on recognising and rewarding outstanding British cheese. This year saw a record number of entries and over 9,000 people voted for their favourite cheeses, producers and retailers. Only those producers and retailers who received the most votes in each category were shortlisted for an award. A prestigious panel, including Brian Turner, chef restaurateur and president of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, judged the overall category winners. The Great British Cheese Awards were organised
‘We feel this is a fantastic initiative to be involved with’
by Great British Chefs and Peter’s Yard, whose crispbread was named as “the best biscuit for cheese out there”. Wendy Wilson-Bett, co-founder of Peter’s Yard,
said: “We feel this is a fantastic initiative to be involved with especially as there is such a positive involvement by the general public. We hope that these awards will also encourage more people to seek out and buy great British cheese like those sold at The Bristol Cheesemonger. Ollie Lloyd, CEO and founder of Great British
Chefs, said: “We launched The Great British Cheese Awards last year with the objective of producing a catalogue of great artisan cheese and to also discover up-and-coming cheesemakers. “The response we have received again this year was way above expectation and we are grateful to
L-R: Brian Turner - chef restaurateur and president of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, Rosie Morgan of Bristol Cheesemongers, Wendy Wilson-Bett of Peter’s Yard and Ollie Lloyd of Great British Chefs
the remarkable support from producers, retailers and especially the general public. We are confident to continue our quest to create a platform for cheese producers and retailers to showcase the very best of the artisan cheese industry. Together Great British Chefs and Peter’s Yard have a social media reach of over 1.3 million and we will continue to utilise this to help promote British cheese talent.” The winners were announced at a ceremony held
on 11 October at The Gilbert Scott, an elegant British restaurant and bar by Marcus Wareing’s team, which is set within The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London.
Executive hotel meets demand
With a shortage of executive accommodation options in Swindon, Hamilton Grace are addressing a real local need. Company owner Clare Fuller gathered together local businesses for an afternoon of prosecco and nibbles and a tour of one of the brand- new apartment complexes in Bridge House on 28 September. The event was attended by
Honda, Swindon Town Football Club, Swindon Wildcats Ice Hockey and head of Switch on to Swindon’s Gavin Calthrop among others.
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