Customers who look local first
The Wexcombe Directory logo sits in members' windows and on the Chamber's map, and shoppers use it to find independent producers. The Christmas voucher scheme alone puts £84,000 into member tills each December.
Wexcombe & District Chamber of Commerce · est. 1894
Local business, better connected.
The Wexcombe & District Chamber of Commerce speaks for 460 independent shops, workshops and firms across Somerset. Members swap leads at breakfast meetings, get advice on rates and licensing, and have a collective voice with the council when High Street plans change.
First breakfast as a guest is free. Next meeting is on the second Thursday at 7:30.
Three reasons owners renew every year
Members tell us the same things in the survey: meet the neighbours, hear it first and be heard.
Rooms full of useful people
Monthly breakfasts, quarterly business surgeries and a small-firm lunch club bring owners together with accountants, solicitors and the council's economic officer. Introductions often become orders within the week.
A seat at the High Street table
The Chamber sits on the town's regeneration board and publishes a quarterly footfall report. When parking charges rose last year, members' evidence reversed the increase on Saturdays.
Find a Wexcombe business you can trust
Every listing is checked by Chamber staff for a trading address and a live phone number.
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Sourdough, saffron buns and wedding cakes baked in a wood-fired oven behind the shop. Orders for weekend collection close on Thursday at noon.
Sash window repair, bespoke staircases and farmhouse kitchens made in a Wexcombe workshop. Quotes are free within a 15-mile radius.
Bookkeeping, payroll and VAT for sole traders and small firms, with a free half hour for new Chamber members.
An independent bookseller with a children's loft and a monthly signing for local authors. Special orders usually arrive in two days.
Membership for every size of business
Fees are charged by the number of employees and include one free guest at every event.
Two months free when paid yearly
Sole trader
For one-person businesses and home-based firms.
GBP18 per month
- Directory listing and window logo
- Monthly breakfast meeting
- Helpline for employment and tax queries
Small business
For firms with up to 25 staff.
GBP42 per month
- Everything in sole trader
- Export documents desk
- Two free seats at the annual dinner
Corporate
For larger employers and anchor organisations.
GBP120 per month
- Seat on a policy panel
- Sponsor an awards category
- Dedicated account manager
Chamber calendar
Dates repeat each month, and the full list lives in your member inbox.
- Second Thursday
Business breakfast · Corn Exchange, 7:30
A short talk, three-minute introductions and tea, bacon rolls and a seat next to someone new.
- Last Tuesday
Free surgery · With local advisers
Book fifteen minutes with a solicitor, an HR consultant or a business banker.
- June
Wexcombe Business Awards · Assembly Rooms
Nine categories chosen by customers and judged by a panel of non-members.
- November
Small Business Saturday market · Market Place
Sixty member stalls fill the square with seasonal food and gifts.
Your board
Unpaid volunteers who run their own businesses and give up an evening a month.
- Fiona PenhalePresident · Penhale Joinery
- Adrian RoweTreasurer · Rowe & Daughters
- Lucy BrookEvents chair · Brook & Hollis
- Samir QureshiPolicy lead · Cornerstone Books
What members say
“I joined for the window sticker and stayed for the Thursday lunch club. Half my wedding-cake orders this year came from introductions there.”
“When the council proposed new bin charges, the Chamber had a one-page briefing on my desk before the vote.”
“The export desk helped me post my first crate of marmalade to Norway, forms and all.”
Composite quotes from fictional Wexcombe members.
Joining the Chamber
Is membership tax deductible?
For most UK businesses, subscription fees are an allowable expense. Check with your accountant for your own circumstances.
Can I try before I join?
Come to any breakfast as a guest, once a year, with no obligation.
What if I trade online only?
You are welcome. Several members have no shop at all and still use the directory, surgeries and events.
Do you lobby on party lines?
No. The Chamber takes positions only on matters that affect trade, and every policy paper is voted on by members.
Join the Wexcombe Chamber
Tell us about the business and the director will call within two working days to arrange your first event.