About Us
Business Guidance and Support
Combining 180+ years of traditional experience with the latest and most impactful approaches.
The Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber provides business and industry support across the two counties. A true champion of the incredible businesses born and bred here at a local, regional and national level. The Chamber sits at the heart of the community, working with companies of all shapes and sizes, and representing all sectors to achieve steady and sustainable growth.
Dedicated to sharing opportunities, knowledge and expertise, we are a dynamic Member-led organisation that is firmly committed to positively impacting the local economy, and we support a network of more than 1,300 county-based businesses, strengthening their position in the region, ensuring their voices are heard, and providing useful connections and valuable access to new ideas and innovations.
Social Value Policy
In recent years, the push for businesses to be about more than only making profit and to embrace a social purpose has risen. Executives, employees, customers, and even investors are looking beyond the bottom line and asking for the organisation’s social impact and social value policies.
Net Zero Policy
There are many business strategies, theories and models that reference Environmental challenges, Sustainability and Net Zero ambitions. Whether Internationally, Nationally, Locally, at a business level or as an individual, these are common topics of conversation and key drivers for positive change.
Corporate Social Responsibility
We aim to use our links with businesses to promote and encourage community engagement and corporate responsibility.
We believe that partnership working can enhance communications and understanding between different communities.
Our Vision – Working with the whole businesses community, to build sustainable economic growth in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Our Mission – To provide access to solutions that local businesses need to achieve their goals, through engaging, influencing and connecting. To be responsive to the external environment, offering responsive and relevant approaches.
Our social Value Objectives for 2024/25:
Community –
- Maintain and promote the Chambers Gold Defence Employee Recognition Scheme (DERS) accreditation
- Support 14 projects with Schools, Colleges, Further Education establishments and Universities
- Deliver 7 Chamber Health and Wellbeing and Skills services to people in the workplace and community
- Support 9 minority groups
- Raise local employee (40) awareness of EDI
- Support 1962 local Members and businesses
- Support 12 businesses via Policy Cases
- Create a baseline measurement for using local suppliers and venues
- Give £8,313 worth of discounts to Membership and services to Charities and Voluntary organisations
- Support 41 Charity Member requests
- Support 19 Charities
Our People –
- 4 wellbeing awareness and activities delivered
- Employee engagement survey to be above 80%
- Maintain IIP Platinum accreditation
Our Planet –
- Deliver 4 Sustainability Forums
- 460 views of the Sustainability Hub
- Reduce energy – KWh to 45097
- Reduce water – m3 to 261
- Reduce mileage to 68016
Our Commitment
Our Members come first
As an independent organisation funded by the subscriptions of our Members, and through the services provided to businesses in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, we understand the need to look after our Members and the wider business community.
Our complaints handling process
We are committed to maintaining a high quality of service for all of our customers but we do acknowledge that occasionally things can go wrong. When this occurs we have a formal customer complaints procedure in place to ensure that customers are treated fairly and openly. We will deal with all complaints in a timely fashion to ensure that a resolution is achieved.
For complaints please email: [email protected]
Policies
Equal Opportunities
Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce are committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity amongst its workforce. Our aim is that all staff members will be truly representative of all sections of society and that each employee feels respected and able to give their best. At all times the provisions contained in The Equality Act 2010 will be adhered to.
Equal Opportunities Policy
Other Policies
Privacy Policy
Direct Debit Guarantee
Terms & Conditions
Articles of Association
Accreditations
British Chambers of Commerce Accredited
The Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce is one of 53 accredited Chambers across the UK. We work to provide a respected voice to the business community as well as making sure their views are heard at government level.
Chamber of the Year
The Chamber was awarded ‘Chamber of the Year’ at the national British Chambers of Commerce’s annual Chamber Awards 2013 on 28th November 2013.
Investors in People standard
The Chamber is accredited to the Investors in People standard, which is the benchmark of good people management practice. 16% of UK employers are accredited with Investors in People. Our attainment of Gold Accreditation recognises our commitment and investment to people management excellence.
ISO 9001 certification
Our ISO 9001 certification shows commitment to quality, customers, and a willingness to work towards improving efficiency. ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard for the quality management of businesses. It applies to the processes that create and control the products and services an organisation supplies, and prescribes systematic control of activities to ensure that the needs and expectations of customers are met. You can view our Quality Policy here.
INclusive Worcestershire Employer
The Chamber is proud to have achieved recognition as an INclusive Worcestershire Leader, through our ongoing commitment to positive change within the county, through the implementation of fair, equitable, and inclusive practices within our organisation.
Disability Confident Employer
The Chamber is proud to have been awarded the Disability Confident Employer accreditation, which aims to help employers remove barriers, increase understanding and ensure that disabled people have the opportunities to fulfill their potential and realise their aspirations.
Armed Forces Covenant
The Chamber is delighted to demonstrate our support for the Armed Forces Community by signing an Armed Forces Covenant and being successfully awarded gold level of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
Worcestershire Works Well scheme
The Chamber is proud to have achieved a Level 2 accreditation of the Worcestershire Works Well scheme, which enables local businesses to improve the health and well-being of their work force.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Cyber Essentials is a UK government information assurance scheme operated by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) that encourages organisations to adopt good practice in information security. It includes an assurance framework and a simple set of security controls to protect information from threats coming from the internet. Cyber Essentials aims to help organisations implement basic levels of protection against cyber attack, demonstrating to their customers that they take cyber security seriously.
Stay Connected
The Stay Connected pledge has been developed to help put an end to loneliness by encouraging organisations across Worcestershire to take simple steps to help people feel more connected, less isolated, and ultimately healthier.
Carer Friendly Employer Network
Carer Friendly Employer Network is a membership and accreditation scheme for businesses. Becoming a Carer Friendly Employer Network member demonstrates a positive and proactive approach to staff wellbeing, equality and diversity.
Child to Parent Abuse Covenant
The Covenant gives employers across the UK the opportunity to recognise Child to Parent Abuse as a key type of domestic abuse, and begin offering support to their staff, volunteers, and any service-users or members of the public they come into contact with. Organisations can sign the Covenant whether they have existing policies and staff training in place, or whether they are completely new to their journey of discovering what CPA is and how it affects families.
Stamping Out Stigma
Stamping Out Stigma is a group of local people in Herefordshire and Worcestershire who are taking positive action to overcome stigma and discrimination towards mental health.
The Chamber is proud to support this campaign by implementing Wellbeing Champions and opportunities to discuss mental health within our workplace during wellbeing campaigns, as well as ensuring our team feel they have a safe space and plenty of opportunity to speak up and feel supported.
Good Recruitment Campaign
The Good Recruitment Campaign helps organisations benchmark their current recruitment methods and reinvigorate their strategies in order to attract the right candidate.
The Chamber is excited to be part of this initiative which is led by a collaboration of businesses that are continuously working towards improving the performance of their organisation.
Times Top 100
The Chamber has been named as one of the top 100 Best-Not-for-Profit Organisations to work for in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and one of the UK’s 100 Best Small Companies to work for in 2021.
In addition to this accolade, in the 2021 awards, the Chamber also placed on both the Midlands Best Companies to work for list and Best Business Services to work for list and in 2020 won the award for ‘Best Improver’, whilst being shortlisted for the Innovation in Engagement Practice Award due to the Time to Change work the Chamber undertakes.
Uniting, developing, motivating and nurturing our team enables us to provide the very best engagement and support to local businesses in the community, so for our Members and our staff, these awards mean the world to us.
Chamber Customs
ChamberCustoms® delivers a customs declaration service for UK importers and exporters of all sizes and in every region of the United Kingdom. With our extensive knowledge, reputation and first-class service in facilitating international trade, we can take the hassle out of your hands when it comes to exporting and importing goods.
Mental Health First Aider Champion
We’re proud for several of our staff to be Mental Health First Aid Champions. By undertaking the MFHA classroom course, they’ve been able to gain a better understanding of common mental health issues and the skills to signpost people to support.
The Orange Button
A Worcestershire County Council initiative, the orange button community scheme is freely available across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. We are proud to say that we currently have x members of the Chamber team who have completed training and are now orange button wearers.
People who are having thoughts of suicide or who are worried about a friend or family member can ask Orange Button wearers in their community for information and support.
Orange Button wearers are comfortable to say/hear the word suicide, can listen without judgement and can inform people where to find help and support
We are proud to be part of the scheme and help to promote the initiative service to our members. Full information about the program including how to become an orange button wearer may be found in the link below.
Orange Button Community Scheme | Worcestershire County Council
Become a Chamber Member!
Contact our Chamber Membership team to find out how we can help your business.