Doncaster Chamber Shortlisted for National Chamber of the Year Award

The “Chamber of the Year” accolade will be featured as part of the Chamber Business Awards event in October. A total of 53 accredited organisations — across the UK — and 78 international ones were eligible for this particular category and Doncaster ended up making the cut.

The Chamber was nominated for this illustrious award, having previously won it back in 2019. Since then, the team has continued to go above and beyond for its members: organising hugely successful events; tirelessly lobbying for the interests of businesses; and advocating for meaningful change in the wider region.

Over the past couple of years, the Chamber has used its platform and influence to drive growth in Doncaster wherever possible. For instance, the team led our successful city status bid, helped secure £45 million of Stronger Towns funding for the borough, played an instrumental role in founding the University Technical College (UTC), and was proactively involved in the Great British Railways (GBR) HQ campaign as well. Not to mention, they are now working with partners and businesses to help preserve the future of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), as a valuable asset to the local economy.

In addition to all this important advocacy, the Chamber does a remarkable amount of work to nurture the region’s future pipeline of talent. With a dedicated education and skills team, they aim to engage over 23,000 young people a year, raising awareness of the breadth of the opportunities that are available in Doncaster. They do this by connecting up businesses and schools, organising career readiness activities and hosting the largest careers-fair in all of South Yorkshire, Opportunities Doncaster LIVE.

The nomination also points out that Doncaster Chamber actually managed to grow its membership during the COVID-19 lockdowns, to the point where it now encompasses over 830 businesses. Not only that, but they even provided additional support to these members throughout that difficult time.

Reflecting on the award nomination, Andy Morley, President of Doncaster Chamber, said: “It is extremely gratifying to see the BCC acknowledge all the hard work and dedication that the Chamber has been putting in over the past twelve months. This time has not been easy for anyone, with economic strains and the enduring impact of the pandemic, but our team has capably risen to the challenge, and for that, they deserve this recognition.

“The Chamber always strives to punch above its weight as an organisation and has great ambition. Not just for Doncaster, but all of South Yorkshire. We want to see the region grow into the best possible version of itself and will always go above and beyond to make that happen. With that said, if businesses are struggling during these trying times, then I would urge them to reach out to the exceptional team at Doncaster Chamber, who will be able to provide them with much needed support and expertise. All in all, it is an honour to have made it onto the shortlist for this award, especially when you think about the calibre of our competition."

Congratulating the Chamber and praising all the work it does, Ed Miliband, MP for Doncaster North, said: “I was proud to support Doncaster Chamber's nomination for the Chamber of the Year awards. It is a brilliant Chamber. They do incredible work. This year Doncaster got city status and it wouldn’t have happened without Chief Exec, Dan Fell, and his excellent team.  Doncaster Chamber would be an incredibly worthy winner of the Chamber of the Year award.”

The Chamber Business Awards are being organised and presented by The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). More information can be found on their website. You can also find out more about Doncaster Chamber membership and what the offer entails here.