CHAIRMAN of the Bridgwater Chamber of Commerce Steve Leahy explains how the Chamber is Backing Bridgwater through tough times...

MARCH followed February’s trials and tribulations for traders within the Wylds Road/Bristol Road traffic scheme areas and as a Chamber we have been in contact with EDF on a near-daily basis trying to get some sort of early conclusion to these works initiated due to the Hinkley C Project.

EDF has agreed to add more labour to the project and extend working hours but unforeseen work to redirect utility company cables has caused a delay to this.

When that is complete EDF have assured us that they will be then flat out to try and complete the work at the earliest opportunity.

Bridgwater Town Council will be working with the Bridgwater Chamber of Commerce (BCC) to try and reduce congestion for businesses and tenants in Bristol Road, the Drove and Wylds Road.

The council will also be working with the BCC to develop procurement workshops for small businesses, to make sure they have access to contracts that become available

A concerted effort to try and get the public to ignore the road works and still visit this area as normal to support these traders has been undertaken by Sedgemoor FM, Sedgemoor District Council, Chamber of Commerce and the Bridgwater Mercury, is not really seeing much success but we still try. I implore all that avoid this area for the reason of spending time in a queue to rethink and visit as normal.

Bridgwater as a whole is still seeing large growth mainly due to the Hinkley Project finally coming to fruition and as much as the Chamber embraces this growth, it is well aware that the challenges which accompany such a large project will also be huge and sometimes disastrous to some local businesses.

The Chamber will try and find ways through these challenges but needs not only the support of the towns businesses, but people to persevere and still trade in Bridgwater even though sometimes it is tough.

The Bridgwater Mercury’s Backing Bridgwater campaign really should be applauded and let’s all support it by spending locally.

We have also just held the fifth Sedgemoor Business Awards which has seen great support from Sedgemoor businesses, and I am pleased to say it was a sell-out again at the McMillan Theatre.

Along with many other awards, the event is the showpiece for local business to stand up and demonstrate their quality to their peers.