The Beverley & District Chamber of Trade met on Wednesday, 25th February at Blok & Vine, 16 Dyer Lane, Beverley. The meeting was hosted by Matt Holwell, owner and founder of Blok & Vine, who welcomed members into his café-bar-restaurant and provided food and drinks while attendees networked.
Welcome and Chair’s Update
Shaun Dart, Chair of BCoT, opened the meeting and quickly put everyone at ease. He gave a short overview of the Chamber’s activities over the past month, including:
- A successful Pancake Race result and the importance of supporting community events.
- Upcoming support for Linkage’s Bikeathon, “Flem to Wem,” on 26th March to raise funds for a Sensory Garden adjacent to their Flemingate offices.
- Congratulations to new Chamber member Zoe of Extra Help, who was named Franchisee of the Month for January.
Shaun also emphasised the Chamber’s approach of holding monthly meetings at new local business premises to help integrate businesses into the local commercial community. He described this practice as “Crossing the Threshold,” a way to give a boost to new and growing businesses from the outset.
Host: Blok & Vine
Matt Holwell introduced Blok & Vine, a small, stylish cafe-bar-restaurant in Dyer Lane, and explained his reasons for starting the business. Six months after opening, he reported the venue continues to thrive. Matt described the offer:
Matt said “We are Beverley’s stylish Cafe, a place for every occasion, we provide lunches, daytime treats, artisan cheeses, expertly brewed coffee, freshly made sandwiches through to evening sharing boards with drinks”. Matt continued, “our produce is sourced locally, excellent coffee, quality wines, all Yorkshire produce, we Invite people to come in to experience our relaxed atmosphere and escape the stresses of every day”.
Matt invited everyone to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and to visit for lunches, daytime treats or evening drinks.
Guest Speakers and Announcements
- First-time visitors Simon from Beverley Community Lift and Nicole Fewster from East Riding Theatre (ert) were welcomed by Shaun.
- Nicole gave an overview of ert’s work and distributed the new Spring brochure, reminding businesses that sponsorship is a vital contribution to the charity’s programme.
- Mayor Alison Healy reflected on her year in office and spoke with pride about fundraising for the Church Lads and Church Girls Brigade, which is aiming to buy a minibus.
- Karl Douglas of Beverley Travel introduced two staff members, both named Ella, and announced the recent opening of Beverley Travel’s second shop, North Bar Travel.
- Chris Leadley announced an advanced business networking skills training session next Wednesday at 5:30 pm at the Ferguson Fawsitt in Walkington, open to all, details here.
Chamber purpose and next steps
Attendees were reminded that BCoT provides a balanced forum for networking, encouraging sustainable growth by helping businesses build relationships, share knowledge, and open doors to partnerships and joint promotions. Shaun reiterated the Chamber’s commitment to engaging with local businesses and community events to build a stronger Beverley together.
The next meeting is scheduled for the last Wednesday of the month, 25th March; venue to be confirmed.
