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Joining Fees
£100 for first year then £75 for subsequent years if paid by standing order renewable in January of each year.
Pro rata at £10 per month if joining mid year - (eg if joining in September 4months at £10 per month = £40!)
Cheques payable to "Kirkby Lonsdale Chamber of Trade" send together with application (download below)
FAO: Robin Sadler c/o
Information & Gift Shop
24 Main Street,
Kirkby Lonsdale
Cumbria
LA6 2AE
Aims of the Chamber
The Kirkby Lonsdale Chamber of Trade is an organisation run for the town business people by the town business people with the aim of promoting Kirkby Lonsdale and improving trade in the town.
History of the Chamber
The Kirkby Lonsdale Chamber of Trade was originally established in 1957 and, after a six year lapse from 1969, was reinvented in 1975 by a small group of town business people who recognised that the combined efforts of like minded people who had similar business goals and limited marketing resources would have a more powerful effect than their own disparate individual efforts. This broad minded thinking has led to many initiatives over the years; some one-offs, some which have grown into annual events. The notable annuals are the Victorian Fair which has been held on the first weekend in September since 1980 and the Christmas Fair held on the first weekend in December. These events are town defining occasions. (The town business people organising themselves to draw visitors to the town for an event filled weekend which leaves visitors with a very positive impression of the town and the appetite to return at other times of the year).
The Mechanics of how the Chamber Works
A meeting is held every month on the first Monday of the month at 5.30pm. Occasionally this arrangement is altered for Bank Holidays etc. The venue is currently Plato's, Mill Brow. Since January 2007 the Chamber has been run by an elected committee of individuals who have representative responsibility for sections of the membership. ordinary members are welcome to attend any monthly meetings in order to view the workings of the committee and to raise any items for the agenda during the first fifteen minutes of the meeting. Minutes are produced and circulated to all members by e-mail, hard copy to those who prefer and are available on the Members Area of the website. The next meeting date is alwaysconfirmed in the preceeding months minutes in case it varies from the first monday principle. The Chamber AGM is held in January each year at which officials are voted into position and membership rates are set.
In the main subscriptions are collected in January by standing order. For certain reasons some members prefer not to arrange a standing order. In these cases an invoice is raised in December for the preceding year for payment by the end of December. A statement and reminder process will follow but if payment is not received by 14th January membership will lapse and the member will be delisted from the website and various other Chamber publications. (Due to the time delays in printing only paid up members as of 14th January each year will get listings on the printed publications for that year).
Benefits of Chamber Membership
Direct Benefits
- Listing on the town website which is run by the Chamber of Trade and is updated regularly. It currently gains in excess of 3000 hits every month. (This benefit in itself justifies the membership fee as advertising through a similar site would coast individual businesses more than the cost of the membership).
- Directory style listing in the town brochure which is published by the Chamber of Trade in conjunction with South Lakeland District Council and distributed mainly through the town and other Tourist Information Centres.
- Eligibility to officially participate in the Kirkby Lonsdale Car Parking Voucher Scheme.
- The above direct benefits can all be costed on the open market. The sum total of the items exceeds the membership fee.
Indirect Benefits
Organisation of events in town to benefit the common good:-
- Christmas Fair Weekend. A 2 day event to kick start the Christmas shopping in the lead up to Christmas.
Marketing and Social Organisation
- Combined effect of members marketing skills to produce a package to benefit the town.
- Combined effect of members social organisation to produce fund raising distractions.
Contact
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