A sense of fighting spirit amongst Doncaster's business community

The pandemic caught us all by surprise but Doncaster businesses have coped tremendously, there is a real sense of community.”
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"We have seen some businesses who have diversified their services, collaborated with competitors or taken their businesses wholly online to survive, a testament to the fighting spirit that Doncaster has.”

Jill Wood president of Doncaster Chamber and business owner at Signum Facilities Management has been impressed by how businesses in the borough have fared during the coronavirus lockdown.

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Jill who was appointed as Doncaster Chamber President at the end of 2019 could never have predicted businesses would be faced with such a tough year when she took up her role.

Mum-of-two and owner of Signum FM in Bentley, Jill WoodMum-of-two and owner of Signum FM in Bentley, Jill Wood
Mum-of-two and owner of Signum FM in Bentley, Jill Wood

Jill said: “We know that businesses have struggled and that for some looking to the future currently looks bleak. We’ve sadly seen a huge rise in unemployment across the UK and we know that the virus has and continues to have a huge impact on people’s way of life and mental health.

“It’s important for people to take care of themselves and their employees and for many it has been a case of throwing away this year’s business plan and rewriting it for survival.

“I’d say do take a moment to look how far you have come. We have all had to make changes to the way we do business, and we may never go back to ‘normal’. If anyone had suggested 12 months ago that we’d be in the position we are in now we wouldn’t have believed them for a second, yet here we are and it's important to know that there is a huge amount of support available to help us come out the other side.

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“If you aren’t sure where to start then we can help – even if you aren’t a member our team is here to support all Doncaster businesses no matter how big or small.”

Doncaster Chamber president Jill WoodDoncaster Chamber president Jill Wood
Doncaster Chamber president Jill Wood

Throughout the pandemic Doncaster Chamber has offered lifeline support to businesses including free information events giving residents the chance to speak to local MP’s about issues businesses were facing and signposting businesses to the financial support that was available to them.

Jill balances her duties at Doncaster Chamber with running her own successful firm Signum Facilities Management, providing tailored facilities management services to more than 50 organisations across the UK.

Along with businesses across the globe Jill has had to adapt in both her roles in order to deal with coronavirus challenges.

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"At the Chamber and Signum w e had to re-evaluate what we do and how we do it and I think it's fair to say that we are both stronger now than before the pandemic.

Jill Wood at Doncaster Rovers Jill Wood at Doncaster Rovers
Jill Wood at Doncaster Rovers

“It’s been long hours and hard work, but everyone involved has given their commitment to ensuring that we provide the support for our members to help them work through this.

“Our relationships have strengthened with partners and stakeholders across the borough and there is a commitment to ensure that we get through this together.

“At Signum we used the initial lockdown to evaluate our systems and processes and we invested in improvements that have significantly increased our efficiencies. We haven’t stopped delivering our services throughout the pandemic and we are so proud of the way that our team responded to the challenges.”

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Signum had been a member of Doncaster Chamber for over six years before Jill was appointed Chamber President.

Ladies Circle,Ladies Circle,
Ladies Circle,

Speaking about her appointment Jill said: “It was an incredibly proud moment, as someone who has lived and worked in Doncaster for most of my adult life, I feel honoured to be representing our business community.

“Winning Chamber of the Year at the British Chamber of Commerce awards in November 2019 shows how ambitious we are as a Chamber and I am committed to ensuring that we continue to deliver our objectives over the term of my presidency.”

Jill has enjoyed several highlights since taking up her p residential position including s urviving the pandemic and Opportunities Doncaster – the largest careers fair in the region.

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.Jill added: “Doncaster has a flourishing business community and over the past few years we have seen a growth in SME’s and we need to continue to support their growth and development.

“We have seen a great deal of investment into the borough of the past few years that have raised the profile of Doncaster as a great place to live and work and through Opportunities Doncaster we are working hard to raise the aspirations of our future workforce, we have so many amazing career opportunities right here on our doorstep that weren’t available five years ago.”

Visit www.doncaster-chamber.co.uk to find out more about becoming a member