‘We help our members grow through a variety of networking opportunities.’

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

It has been another busy period for the Chamber and with ENTRIES CLOSING for the Greater Newry Business Awards in just TWO WEEKS, I would encourage all members to put your best foot forward, start preparing and perfecting your entries and get them in before the DEADLINE on Friday 11th July 2025.

On Thursday 12th June, we were delighted to host the NI Digital Marketing Conference in Canal Court Hotel, supported by Southern Regional College and IRP Commerce, attended by 150+ business representatives from the Greater Newry Area and beyond.

Newry Chamber, along with Dundalk and Drogheda Chambers, also made individual and joint submissions as part of their membership of the M1 Corridor, viewed as the ‘sixth city’ area within the NDP, emphasising that Newry City must retain its unique place as the only key Northern investment location in the Irish Govt’s National Development Plan (NDP).

We are delighted to be involved in and help launch a pioneering new initiative, ‘Together Works’, alongside Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald MLA, aimed at supporting adults with moderate learning difficulties (MLD) in Newry City on Friday to mark Learning Disability Week.

The Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee visited Newry on Thursday 12th June to hear first-hand from local businesses, retailers and community representatives about their practical experiences of operating within the Windsor Framework and how it has impacted business.

The Dept. for Infrastructure are pleased to launch their draft Transport Strategy 2035 which is now open for public consultation.

Our Corporate Patron, KPMG has produced a fantastic document, ‘Northern Ireland Delivers’ that sums up how as a region for investment, for business growth, NI delivers on every level.

I also urge you to sign up for the multi-million-pound investment, ‘Go Succeed which provides a holistic approach to government support services, with a focus on providing a tailored and FREE service to suit individual needs. and support entrepreneurs.

Michael Savage
Chief Executive Officer
Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade

2 WEEKS TO ENTER: GREATER NEWRY BUSINESS AWARDS
ENTRIES CLOSE: FRIDAY 11TH JULY 2025 AT MIDNIGHT

ENTRIES for the Greater Newry Business Awards will CLOSE in just TWO WEEKS and we are delighted to see entries already coming through and we would encourage all members to start preparing and perfecting your entries, over the next week or so and get them in before the DEADLINE on Friday 11th July 2025.

This year marks the 10th edition of the prestigious biennial awards which recognise, celebrate and reward the success of local businesses, organisations and individuals at the top of their game.

The Greater Newry Business Awards have become the district’s premier celebration of business excellence since their inception back in 2004 and kindly supported by this year’s two Principal Sponsors:

 Newry, Mourne and Down District Council
 NIE Networks

We want to hear your success story and celebrate your business and the individuals driving your pursuit of excellence and growth, so we urge you to start preparing and perfecting your entries now and get them in before the Friday 11th July deadline.

 KEY POINTS: 

FREE TO ENTER
24 CATEGORIES TO CHOOSE FROM
ENTER UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 4 CATEGORIES
OPEN TO ALL ORGANISATIONS IN NMDDC AREA

ENTER THE AWARDS HERE

CHAMBER HOSTS NI DIGITAL MARKETING CONFERENCE

Delighted to host the NI Digital Marketing Conference on Thursday 12th June in Canal Court Hotel, supported by Southern Regional College and IRP Commerce, attended by 150+ business representatives from the Greater Newry Area and beyond.

Attendees heard from an incredible line-up of specialists who delivered informative presentations and took part in interactive Q&A sessions across a wide range of areas including social media strategy, creating content, AI, eCommerce, email marketing, paid ads as well as the support available from our local FE College, SRC.

The stacked conference programme on the day had speakers including, Margaret McNamee, David Dickson, Richie Reynolds, Manus Loughran, Tommy McKeown, Kukoon, Adrian Markey and Lauren Toal.

The conference featured a fantastic panel discussion on the theme ‘Building a Global Community from a Local Base’ with four individuals from businesses who have built a truly incredible community, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers across social media in the process including Neil Cole, Lee Quinn, Grainne McCoy and Charlotte McAteer.

READ MORE HERE

NEWRY MUST REMAIN A KEY INVESTMENT LOCATION
IN IRISH GOVERNMENT’S NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Newry City must retain its unique place as the only key Northern investment location in the Irish Govt’s National Development Plan (NDP). That’s the view outlined by Newry Chamber in its submission to the NDP Consultation which closed yesterday.

Newry Chamber, along with Dundalk and Drogheda Chambers, made individual and joint submissions as part of their membership of the M1 Corridor, viewed as the ‘sixth city’ area within the NDP.

Michael Savage, CEO of Newry Chamber said:

“Newry Chamber has a proud and long history of working closely with our counterparts on the M1 Corridor to ensure our cross-border region attracts infrastructure investment that stimulates growth to provide significant socio-economic and environmental mutual benefits for our population.”

“Newry is uniquely placed as the only Northern area named in the original NDP and we need to ensure that Newry is retained within the plan. Our individual and joint submissions recognise the importance of investment in infrastructure along the M1 Corridor.”

“Newry’s submission focused on the need for financial support from the Irish Govt for wastewater treatment upgrades in Newry and Dundalk which will be the springboard for strong cross-border economic growth, much-needed housing construction on Ireland’s eastern seaboard and protection of shared sensitive ecology of Carlingford Lough & Dundalk Bay.”

“Tackling Newry City’s wastewater infrastructure deficit is a strategic goal for Newry Chamber and we believe that a cross-jurisdictional funding solution can ensure our cross-border area achieves its socio-economic potential and our shared sensitive environment is protected.”

READ MORE HERE

‘TOGETHER WORKS’ PILOT SCHEME LAUNCHED IN NEWRY

We are delighted to be involved in and help launch a pioneering new initiative aimed at supporting adults with moderate learning difficulties (MLD) in Newry City on Friday to mark Learning Disability Week.

The pilot scheme, ‘Together Works’ was launched by the Economy Minister, Caoimhe Archibald MLA brings together a coalition of local community organisations and businesses to deliver a scalable social enterprise model which will focus on inclusion, development and therapeutic employment.

‘Together Works’ offers adults with MLD the opportunity to build practical, work-ready skills, earn therapeutic income and feel fully integrated within their communities. The programme will be delivered by Newry Chamber, Clanrye Group, SRC and Newry Gateway Club.

Up to 30 participants will initially engage in fulfilment-based services for local businesses, which may include packing, sorting, assembly and inventory management, delivered as a structured and supportive programme.

Over the summer, the Chamber looks forward to working with our members to help shape how ‘Together Works’ can meet their needs while advancing their commitment to inclusion and equality, with the hope of having the first cohort of participants in place by September.

EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST & FIND OUT MORE:

E: charlie.billham@clanryegroup.com
P: 028 3089 8119

READ MORE HERE

HOUSE OF LORDS COMMITTEE VISIT NEWRY TO LISTEN
TO LOCAL BUSINESS VOICES ON THE WINDSOR FRAMEWORK

The Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee visited Newry on Thursday 12th June to hear firsthand from local businesses, retailers and community representatives about their practical experiences of operating within the Windsor Framework and how it has impacted business.

The visit formed part of Committee’s ongoing inquiry into Strengthening Northern Ireland’s voice in the context of the Windsor Framework and will help shape the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations to the UK Govt in its final report, expected to be published late Summer 2025.

We were represented at the Committee Hearing by President, Edwina Flynn, CEO, Michael Savage and a number of prominent Chamber member businesses with direct engagement with the regulations around the Windsor Framework.

Edwina Flynn, President of Newry Chamber said:

“The Windsor Framework has thrown up a few challenges for local businesses and the Scrutiny Committee got to hear from those businesses first-hand about their experiences.”

“The Dual Market Access advantages that flow from the Framework provide the Greater Newry Area and its strategic location as the gateway to both markets, with a unique opportunity to become a hub for trade between the EU and UK markets.”

“The Chamber is working to maximise this opportunity, and we were delighted to facilitate discussion with the Scrutiny Committee to outline our ambitions from the area but also highlight areas of concern that needed to be addressed.”

“The engagement was excellent and I commend those businesses for their testimony and thank the Scrutiny Committee for coming to Newry to hear the views of local businesses and stakeholders.”

READ MORE HERE

DEPARTMENT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE LAUNCHES
DRAFT TRANSPORT STRATGEGY 2035

The Dept. for Infrastructure are pleased to launch their draft Transport Strategy 2035 which is now open for public consultation.

The Department states this draft Transport Strategy 2035 is the beginning of a bold and necessary journey to ensure our transportation system meets the demands of tomorrow, while reflecting the values and priorities of our community today.

The last strategy was published in 2002 and since then, there have been significant changes, notably recognition of the Climate Emergency and Executive’s commitments in the Climate Change Act 2022 (CCA), alongside the reform of public administration in 2015, advances in best practice and the development of the transport network.

These changes have resulted in the previous Transport Strategy becoming considerably outdated. The public consultation will run for 12 weeks to the 16th September and the draft document and the consultation portal is available through the following links:

DRAFT TRANSPORT STRATEGY 2025:
https://shorturl.at/2X1Gc

ONLINE CONSULTATION PORTAL:
https://shorturl.at/4UgOs

KPMG: ‘NORTHERN IRELAND DELIVERS’ DOCUMENT
‘YOUR GATEWAY TO THE UK AND THE EU’

Our Corporate Patron, KPMG has produced a fantastic document, ‘Northern Ireland Delivers’ that sums up how as a region for investment, for business growth, NI delivers on every level.

Take the pro-business policies which ease the process of setting up and growing your company; or exceptional talent base which can flex to meet business need; or indeed the fact, NI is ranked one of the highest regions in the world when it comes to quality of life.

These are just some of the reasons 1,500+ international companies have set up home on our shores in recent years, and the reasons more than 70% of them have reinvested, time and time again.

For over 50 years of their operations in NI, KPMG has worked with a broad swath of inward investors so they know firsthand the opportunities that exist.

With a diverse team of over 400 highly skilled people offering a range of services including their Digital Centre of Excellence which delivers a vast array of consultancy services in areas such as cyber security, AI and digital transformation.

As well as servicing their loyal and growing base of local companies, they are also working on global projects for some of the world’s most progressive organisations, partnering with them to transform their businesses to meet the challenges of the modern marketplace.

READ MORE HERE

GO SUCCEED – NI BUSINESS SUPPORT AVAILABLE
TO HELP YOU GROW AND SCALE YOUR BUSINESS

Launched in November 2023, Go Succeed represents a multi-million-pound investment in local entrepreneurs and businesses. It provides a holistic approach to government support services with a focus on providing a tailored service to suit individual needs in a bid to foster enterprise across the region.

The service, which is FREE and supports entrepreneurs to start, grow and scale their businesses with easy-to-access advice and support including bespoke mentoring, masterclasses, peer support networks and access to grant funding at every stage of their business journey.

It takes only a few minutes to sign up and once you’ve done that someone will be in touch with you to assign you to a mentor.

Catherine Elliott from Newry-based BT35 Physiotherapy & Pilates was able to use Go Succeed to help accelerate their business, see how they did it.

FIND OUT MORE HERE
SIGN UP HERE