SUPPORTING LOCAL CHARITIES

Businesses of Exeter raised £5,000 for two environmentally focused charities, Devon Wildlife Trust and Climate Outreach following a successful charity prize draw at Exeter Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Exeter Business Dinner recently.

The guest speaker this year was Professor Penny Endersby, chief executive of the Met Office.  As the Met Office’s first female chief executive, Prof. Endersby leads the organisation as it manages the risks and opportunities associated with our changing weather and climate.

During the annual black-tie event, Prof. Endersby addressed businesses at Sandy Park stating the worrying situation the world faces regarding climate change and that businesses can do their part to help by making small or large changes within their companies. Quoting Sir David Attenborough, Prof. Endersby said that the best thing an individual can do is to ‘waste nothing’ and try to avoid the throwaway lifestyle that we as humans have become accustomed to. Prof. Endersby added: “I have been delighted to nominate these chosen charities, firstly supporting a local charity, Devon Wildlife which is the only charity that exists to protect all wildlife in Devon and to safeguard the county’s unique natural environment. Secondly, the work that Climate Outreach do is incredibly important as Europe’s leading climate change communicators, bridging the gap between research and practice and helping to widen engagement across a broader spectrum of society.”

Mark Pellow, chairman of Exeter Chamber of Commerce said: “It was a privilege to listen to Prof. Endersby give such an inspiring speech at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner as well as raise this sum of money for two very deserving charities. I was pleased to announce at the event that Exeter Chamber, as the voice for the business community, recognises the climate emergency and supports Devon County Council and Exeter City Council in their aspirations to work towards carbon neutrality. The initiative will launch in early 2020, with a programme of events, workshops and resources for businesses to use.

Glenn Woodcock, director of Oxygen House added: “We were very pleased to support the Exeter Business Dinner this year. It has been great to be able to show our support for all the local and regional businesses as we work towards Exeter’s commitment to being carbon-neutral by 2030, as well as supporting the Chamber and all that it does for Exeter’s business community.  Oxygen House’s sponsorship of the dinner has marked the beginning of a partnership between our organisations, where we will work together to encourage businesses in Exeter to be make environmentally conscious business decisions and provide tools and information to enable them to do this.”

Exeter Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 15^th Annual Dinner on Friday 1^st November at Sandy Park Conference Centre with 320 people attending the prestigious black-tie event. Oxygen House and Co Cars were this year’s sponsors – two companies which are heavily invested in sustainable business practices.