FARNHAM Chamber of Commerce’s annual general meeting was held at the Bush Hotel last Friday.

It was the return of Amanda Glover, who was voted in as president for the second year in a row, while the Herald’s general manager Eddie Pearce took on the role of vice-president.

The chamber has been supporting and promoting businesses since the 1920s, but has recently changed direction with Ms Glover appointed president, who admitted the chamber had become “far too slow”.

“When I was nominated as president, I was happy to take it on as long as people were happy we threw everything out and effectively started again, reconnecting with the current membership and getting back on board some of the people who had left over the past few years.” Amanda told the Herald.

She promised that since her shake-up, the chamber has a “far better connection” now with Waverley Borough Council and that businesses that had drifted away had started to return.

During the annual meeting, roles of the treasurer and auditors were appointed to Kevin Halstead and Wise & Co.

The chamber also announced its chosen charity as 40 Degreez, a youth and community centre based in Farnham.

In a statement on the chamber’s website, a representative of 40 Degreez said: “We are a business in that we hire space in the building to many organisations for young and old to fund the work we do.

“Our aim is to provide a 24/7 facility for the young people in Farnham.”

They added that although they are “surrounded by the Brightwells Yard Development”, it was still ‘business as usual’ for those wishing to hire space.

The chair of 40 Degreez said it was a good time for the chamber’s involvement, adding: “It’s work in progress, with a lot of changes and challenges, and having the chamber’s support is most welcome.”

Ms Glover, in her president’s report to the meeting, said total membership had increased by 40 per cent and that the chamber needed to look at what was good and to ‘fill in the gaps’.

She also found that, at three per cent, Farnham had the lowest vacancy rates, despite the perception there were empty shops in the town centre.

Ms Glover added the retail groups of the Brightwells and Woolmead development had sent surveys to businesses. which concluded that “businesses were trading very well, were positive about their trading space and would recommend other businesses to come into Farnham to trade”.

Following the normal annual meeting business, the chamber provided a light lunch for the officers and members who were attending.

To find out more about Farnham’s Chamber of Commerce, and how your business could join, visit its website www.farnhamchamber.org.uk