HARROGATE Chamber of Trade & Commerce is sponsoring the Best Small Company of the Year category and they will also be promoting the awards to the local business community through their monthly meetings and their newsletter REVIEW.

Chief Executive Brian Dunsby says: “The Chamber warmly welcomed Ackrill’s initiative in devising and expanding the awards programme to recognise the many successful companies in this area and we are pleased with the response to the awards.”

The main objective of the Chamber is promoting Harrogate business and it therefore welcomes the opportunity to recognise and support those successful small but rapidly growing businesses that enter the Small Company of the Year category.

The Chamber now has a membership of over 250 local businesses of all sizes and it welcomes any Harrogate firms who wish to do more business with other firms in the area.  The Chamber is organising the Yorkshire Business Market on 28th April 2008 to stimulate business-to-business trading.  Brian added that the winner of this category will be offered a FREE stand space at this very popular Business Market.

Founded in 1896 the Chamber is now the main voice of business in Harrogate, with direct and frequent contacts with the key departments of the District and County Councils and related organisations and partnerships.

The Chamber is represented on many local committees where it promotes the needs of the business community - particularly in the areas of promoting Harrogate, improving the town centre and improving traffic and transport between Harrogate and the key towns of Leeds, York, Bradford and London.  Harrogate Chamber cooperates closely with the other local Chambers in Boroughbridge, Knaresborough, Nidderdale and Ripon and is also affiliated to Leeds Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Brian says "the Chamber is particularly keen to support the Ackrill Media Group Business Awards because it covers the whole of the Harrogate District, together with the adjoining business centres in Wetherby and Tadcaster served by the Ackrill Media Group newspapers, which is the primary catchment area for our Yorkshire Business Market"

Chamber President Granville Simpson said "he was delighted that the Best Small Company category attracted the highest number of entries in the Business Awards with many high quality applications, which made the judging very interesting and challenging.  This is a very good initiative from Ackrills and we are pleased to support it again.”