Chinnor BUZZ
Chinnor BUZZ – a friendly forum for businesses based in Chinnor
Formed in June 2012, Chinnor Buzz is an independent group of Chinnor businesses with support from the Chinnor Parish Council, whose aim is to provide support and a forum for the businesses in the village, and also to help promote Chinnor as a destination for business, trade and tourism. However, although most residents in the village will be familiar with the shops and pubs in Chinnor, there are a large number of other small businesses in Chinnor, many working from home. Part of the rationale for forming the group was the realisation that these businesses may feel isolated and that providing a forum for them to share their knowledge, learn from each other and also to create one voice for them to express their views would be extremely useful.
The initial objectives of the group are to:
• Promote the use of Chinnor businesses to keep wealth and jobs in the parish
• Provide peer support, advice and guidance to local businesses
• Be business neutral and impartial. The aim is to help members, not promote products or services directly.
However, the group is still growing and developing, so we aim to respond to members’ wishes with regard to the direction the group takes.
Some of the things we have already helped with include:
• Connecting businesses which may be able to do business together.
• Providing advice to help business recover expenses of poorly executed ads.
• Holding a social media coaching session.
• Adding a couple of representatives to Chinnor Parish Council’s Community Led Future group to represent the views of businesses.
• Promoting the shopfront improvement grant scheme to members.
• Arranging a visit from a member of South Oxfordshire District Council to update us on issues relevant to businesses, and make them more aware of commerce in Chinnor.
• Increase business through networking.
Some of our members have significant experience of business networking and others are new to the concept. However, we provide a friendly, informal environment; no one is forced to make presentations, etc., if they don’t feel comfortable doing so.
Chinnor BUZZ meets every other Thursday at 08:00 in the Village Centre. Any Chinnor businesses interested in learning more about the group or attending a meeting can contact us through this page.