CHISWICK TRADERS AVOID DISASTER

The EGM of the Chiswick Traders Association (CTA) saw the emergence of new committee members to stave off the threat of a winding up of the society.

The new Chairman is to be Cole Manson with James Holmes-Siedle taking over the membership secretary role. Mr. Holmes-Siedle became aware of the urgent need to fill the role through this site.

Chris Lucy of Fotoswift remains Treasurer and the commitee now comprises Elizabeth Whittaker, Sally Price, John Rowntree, Di Bennett and Dan Mortimer.

Hugh Brendon who was retired from the membership secretary role was optimistic about the future of the society and said the CTA would continue to lobby hard on issues like parking and graffiti.

One CTA member commented, "The association is struggling because of a lack of support from the major chain stores and the newer businesses that have come into the area. The mainstay of the group are the local business owners but they are a dying breed and the High Road is increasingly populated by operations who only see Chiswick as a place to make money as opposed a community of which they are part."

Business Associations in Chiswick have a long history with a commercial directory of 1826 listing 40 shops. The Chiswick Chamber of Commerce from which the CTA developed was founded in 1913. Through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries these associations have striven to represent the interests of the business community and ensure that Chiswick is an amenable place for local people to do business. Membership of the CTA has climbed steadily to the present figure of 135 members.