Penzance Chamber of Commerce

Financial Windfall for Penzance Centre

The announcement that Penzance is to receive £1.2million in aid to give the centre of town something of a facelift is to be heartily welcomed. We certainly need to develop the outward appearance of the town in a sympathetic way.

As many of the independent traders in town are Chamber members, we'll be working hard to ensure that the money is spent wisely. We'll do this by ensuring that all published plans are examined in detail by the meetings of the Chamber and our collective voice is put forward to the local authority where necessary. Of greatest concern will be ensuring that any developments enhance the commercial aspects of the town while ensuring that shoppers and visitors have an enjoyable experience of Penzance.

We all have a stake in this. Remember that once the money is spent it will be too late to complain. All too often, one finds, those who complain loudest after the event are those who shrugged their shoulders beforehand and said "I know they'll mess it up", thus allowing themselves the luxury of declaiming "I told you so" when the plans don't work out as they would have wished.

If you are concerned - directly or indirectly - that the commercial centre of Penzance should wring every last drop of benefit from its good fortune in securing this grant, you should become active now. Contact the Chamber and have your say on this and all the other issues affecting the district now.

Pain Free IT from Penzance Computer Centre

Computers, depending on your personal prejudices, are either the defining technology of our century (equivalent to the power loom in the 18th, the steam engine of the 19th and the internal combustion engine of the 20th) or they are the instruments of Satan, designed to corrupt and obfuscate human interaction. Although most of us might subscribe to the latter view when faced with an unexpected crash and loss of half a day's work, we have to admit that they are powerful tools and, like it or not, are here to stay.

Fortunately, help with those sudden anomalies that blight the computer user's life is now available from the very centre of Penzance. Indeed the aptly named Penzance Computer Centre is found on the eastern end of Market Jew Street from where repairs, servicing, custom system building and sales and installation of upgrades and software is available for home and business users.

Penzance Computer Centre is a change of direction for Ian Fraser, following fifteen years in the district as a schoolteacher -at the Heamoor Primary School and latterly as a deputy head at Redruth. Experience in establishing schools computing programmes and building networks is put to good use in his new role.

The company today employs four people. Ian and his wife, Carol, oversee things while Microsoft Certified engineer Greg Huckfield is the lead technical authority and Marc Long helps out in the shop on weekends. Growth has been rapid. More than 200 custom-built systems have been installed since January, with many others repaired or serviced. Bespoke systems are approached in two ways. "Some people come to us with a specification from a newspaper or magazine ad, for others we design a specification around their needs. Either way our low overheads mean we can beat most advertised prices while remaining profitable," reports Ian. The build to order approach also means that users get the system they really need. "We won't sell someone a thousand-pound system if one that costs half as much will do the job," he promises.

As well as stocking a variety of consumables and upgrades (including CD and DVD drives, mice, keyboards and blank CDs) Penzance Computer Centre offers a variety of additional business services, such as fast internet access within the shop, photocopying, printing and fax bureau. The company is a member of the National Association of Specialist Computer Retailers and subscribes to that body's code of practice which is displayed in the shop.

Perhaps fittingly for the location one of the specific challenges for the computer field in this district is piracy. The 21st century pirates of Penzance are of the software variety. The company has a policy of only supplying and installing properly licensed software. "We have seen so many computers being brought in to us for repair where the problem lies in bad copies of applications. Unlicensed software leaves the user vulnerable to viruses and unable to apply security patches or upgrades," Ian advises.

According to Ian, Chamber of Commerce Members should look at the computer system they currently use. "Is it really doing a good job?" he asks "Is that printer really up to the task? Is it expensive to run? Is the computer itself painfully slow or crashing all the time? Are customers and staff unimpressed with the old TV style monitor and desktop clutter? Would a new flat screen increase productivity or sales?" Ian and his team are always pleased to quote for upgrades and replacement systems. "TFT flat screens are the 'big thing' this year. For a surprisingly small investment in a new screen a computer system can be given a new lease of life."

One of the reasons businesses hold back on changing systems is the worry of transferring files and records. Ian and his team offer a free service transferring data from your old system to the new one. They also offer advice as to the most cost-effective software to replace obsolete programs and allow continued accessibility.

Another highly popular service is offered in the shape of inkjet printer cartridge refills. This involves restoring depleted cartridges to use at a fraction of the cost of replacement and has a powerful ecological case too - less waste, less impact on the environment. The internet café is another well-subscribed part of the business, particularly in the tourist season.Ian reports having helped visitors from as far as Japan, New Zealand and South America to keep in touch while visiting Penwith.

Ian defines the business philosophy as one of low-cost and high turnover, allowing the business and individual access to effective computing without the multi-thousand-pound budgets deemed necessary elsewhere. "We offer great support and very competitive prices for all our services," he says. "Rather than taking a lot of money from a few customers, we'd like to have a lot of customers each paying a little." Penzance Computer Centre is at 76 Market Jew Street, Penzance, Tel: 01736-333386, E-mail: pzcomputers@yahoo.co.uk Web: www.pzcomputers.co.uk

Tourism Skills Support Makes Chamber Debut

The Chamber's November meeting opened with an address from Tamsin Harvey of the Tourism Skills Network. This is a body which supports employment in the tourism industry with a range of training and marketing services.

These include supporting local tourism organisations with the recruitment and retention of their employees. The network provides careers advice and support to individuals considering a career in the tourism industry and works to raise the profile of the tourism industry and create awareness of the range of exciting career opportunities at all levels. It does this in part by developing closer links between education, training providers and industry to improve the quality of study, work experience and career opportunities for students.

A limited number of funded places are available on upcoming programmes run by the network in our area, Tamsin told the meeting. These include twenty individual places for jobseekers and ten business places on six-week courses covering the gamut of tourism skills - including hygiene, marketing, IT, reception duties, first aid and many others. Critical issues such as the impact of the Disability Discrimination Act will also be covered. A second series of courses for managers at a cost of £350 - under the heading "Managing for Success" will be offered to up to 45 businesses. These will engage business advisers to offer in-depth training and advice on the challenge of tourism management.

To some extent, there has been a tendency to regard employment in the tourism industry as rather ad-hoc. Born from a seasonal nature and an element of informality, some employers and employees have regarded tourism work as almost casual. The injection of higher professional standards on both sides which is the goal of the Tourism Skills Network's goal is welcome. It will enhance both the standing of the industry and our region's appeal. Support for these initiatives and local demand for the network's services will determine how much assistance becomes available in our region in the future. We urge all members engaged in tourism to make use of this valuable resource.

Anyone interested in taking up the offer or in learning more about the Tourism Skills Network should contact Tamsin on telephone number 01872-260188 or Email cornwall@tourismskillsnetwork.org.uk.

Put on your Best Face for Santa!

Christmas is coming up soon and it's time to dress in your best finery for the season. Your shop window is also part of the town's shop window. The Chamber would like to encourage all traders to make the most of the opportunity to dress up and show off for the festive season.

Many summer visitors who fell in love with the district during the past record-breaking summer will want to come back in the run up to Christmas. You should all make sure that the show you put on for them reinforces their view of Penzance and the district as one of the highest aesthetic standards.

As an added incentive, the Chamber is once again holding its Christmas Window competition. Judging takes place on the evening of Thursday 11th December with the awards to be made the following week - Thursday 18th. The judges this year will be Niki and Dennis Dowrick, Hazel Trembath, Howard Phillips, Mike Waters and Yvonne Neale. Each will circulate independently and mark their favourites and the winner chosen by a complex statistical analysis involving counting the votes.

Let's make the most of the season - the lights go on Thursday November 27th and late night shopping will be each Thursday and Sunday until Christmas thereafter.

More than Tourism

Although it would be facile to dispute the importance of tourism to our district, it needs to be borne in mind that there are other areas of economic activity, many of which make valuable contributions to local life. Measuring these by financial activity alone is to misunderstand the true meaning of economy - economics and finance are far from synonyms.

Our economy is built as much on interactions between local traders, service organisations and professionals as it is on the spending power of welcome visitors. We and those charged with providing fuel for our economy should recognise that many people who live here, both incomers and locals, have business ideas and drive that have nothing to do with tourism.

When virtually all of the state assistance available to business in our region is predicated on developing tourist services (and only direct tourist services at that) one can detect a crude form of social engineering. Some would turn this part of the country into a designated national playground. As long as there are jobs, wealth creation (albeit seasonally) we are expected to be grateful for the business,

Two apparently contradictory forces related to tourism cause problems. The first is the tendency to "invest" in tourism infrastructure that changes the nature of the district too much - to the point of destroying our unspoilt beauty which attracts in the first place. The second is the tendency to preserve for preservation's sake. The result of these paradoxes can be (as other tourist-dependent locales from Mexico to Greece can attest) the building of an artificial landscape, part museum, part theme park. It also doesn't matter what happens out of season for people who have to live and work here - out of season we're supposed to be closed.

More dangerously, the history of this part of the world is littered with dominant industries that came and went. Our best protection against another slump when we cease to be the tourists' choice is not just better marketing or higher standards of hospitality, important though these are. It is about using such resources as tourist wealth and any outside assistance to build a diverse and robust local economy that, for once, is not dependent on fluctuating tastes or even weather patterns. Diversity is strength.

The Chamber will continue to support the widest range of business activity in the district and campaign for equal access to support.

Yvonne Wants a New Computer

In a moment that sent our treasurer strangely quiet, the Chamber's long-suffering secretary Yvonne Neale appealed to the November meeting for the provision of a new computer with which to attend to her many Chamber duties. Her existing machine is a little long in the tooth and is hardly keeping up with Yvonne's remarkable work rate.

Although we'll doubtless soon review the availability of Chamber funds, your press officer promised to raise the matter in these pages by way of an appeal - if anyone has a suitable machine unused which they might like to make available for chamber duties, please get in touch with Yvonne on 01736-719222. However, bear in mind Yvonne's strict admonition that she's looking for a (relatively) new computer. If yours runs on steam or involves punch cards and tape drives, please donate it to a museum rather than induce her wrath!

Bellair Development Plans Spark Concern

Members raised objections at the November meeting to the temporary arrangements for the redevelopment of the Bellair Clinic and Penzance Ambulance Station. Although all recognise that this important local resource is in need of improved accommodation, it was felt that the current proposals for relocating the facility while the work is carried out are both impractical and unwelcome.

In principle, the Chamber is always sceptical of any move that might restrict the availability of parking places within the town. To use the St Erbyn's car park in Clarence Street as a temporary site for the clinic, ambulance station and all associated services (including a temporary septic tank) was decried as poor planning. The loss of the car park for two or three years would be bad enough but the effect on local residents and businesses at that end of town appears much worse. There is also the need to resite the recycling facility from St Erbyn's. It is to be understood that the local authority might want to offer the Primary Health Care Trust the use of land already under its control, to avoid any contractual wrangling but, the Chamber concluded, better options present themselves.

On behalf of the Chamber, Yvonne Neale was asked to write to Penwith District Council's Roger Harnett expressing the view that the Ambulance Station would be better placed and Ponsandene Sidings while the temporary clinic could take either take over the defunct Space gallery and garages or place its temporary structure in Voundervour Square. These options offer both better access to the facility and a minimal impact on the town for the duration of the work.

This is just the sort of campaign at which the Chamber excels - identifying a problem and, rather than blocking progress, proposing valid alternatives. The outcome will be reported at future meetings and through these pages.

Join the Chamber

The Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of local business with the County, District and Town Councils, Government agencies and public bodies. It actively campaigns on issues affecting the business community as well as issues affecting the community as a whole. This requires finances and direct involvement by committed people, and deserves the support of every business in the region.

Our Chairman is coordinator of the West Cornwall Group of Chambers and the Cornwall Business Partnership. He is a member of the Priority Management Group 3, which approves Objective One funding in the area of Learning and Skills development He is also a member of the Penzance Regeneration Steering Group that has worked on the submission of an Objective One bid to greatly enhance the prosperity of the town and its inhabitants. Other members represent the Chamber on such bodies as the Police Consultative Committee and Tourism Committee.

All businesses have problems from time to time, and it has been proved that representation from a Chamber Officer on behalf of the member concerned can greatly enhance the prospect of a satisfactory conclusion. With major issues, such as the Penzance Regeneration Project, West Cornwall Hospital, Objective One and so on needing input from the business community there has never been a better reason for all businesses to become Chamber members - the greater our membership, the bigger our voice. JOIN NOW!

We invite membership applications from individuals and businesses large or small. For further information, visit the Membership Enquiry or Membership Application pages on this site.

Forthcoming Meetings

The next monthly Chamber Meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 2nd at 7.30pm at the Pirates Rugby Club, Alexandra Road, Penzance.

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PENZANCE - THE PLACE TO BE

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