VIEW FROM THE CHAMBER

Happy Almost New Year! While it’s safe to say that although 2020 won’t be getting a big send-off in the traditional way; it’s definitely one year that we’ll ALL be glad to see the back of!

Still, as we head towards a new and better year, it’s a good time for the team at the Chamber to reflect on what we’ve achieved for our local business community in a topsy-turvy, unpredictable year!

Lochaber Chamber of Commerce immediately stepped up to support our business community, helping them to access help, keep them up to date with changes, and to raise their concerns with Scottish and UK government and Highland Council. We adapted what we do to offer online training, assistance, and networking for our members.

We launched a new easy-to-use contact tracing web app across our destination to provide businesses with a secure way of collecting contact details when people sit-in for food or a drink, called protect.outdoorcapital. co.uk. The app is a simple, quick, and secure way for people to give their details for contract tracing and be confident in the way their information is being looked after.

As part of our Covid support project, we collaborated with local businesses and members Ben Nevis Distillery, The Highland Soap Company and Lamont Design to produce custom-labelled whisky bottle sanitiser dispensers. These were distributed to key businesses throughout Lochaber. We also produced ‘Outdoor Capital of the UK’ face-coverings that you’ll see our members wearing throughout the area.

We also ran a successful ‘Lochaber Loves Local’ campaign across social and print media throughout the summer and autumn, producing inspirational videos featuring the huge range of Lochaber experiences on offer close to home; and it was great to see local people trying out new outdoor experiences and supporting local retail and hospitality.

We’re delighted that our membership numbers have grown over the year and we look forward to helping our fantastic and resilient business community to make the most of 2021.