Huw James

Given the region’s economic strengths, scale and potential, a more focused growth plan should deliver higher returns on investment and greater productivity gains for the UK.

——-> looking forward to seeing West of England Mayoral Combined Authority publish its local growth plan 👀🙌

a building is being built with a crane and a yellow excavator Alt: a building is being built with a crane and a yellow excavator

⏭️ The Brunel Centre’s analysis suggests regional productivity improvements could be unlocked through targeted investments in capital infrastructure, education and R&D, which would help realise additional productivity growth and boost the region’s contribution to UK prosperity.

a cartoon character with white hair is standing in a room and the word stience is on the bottom Alt: a cartoon character with white hair is standing in a room and the word “stience” is on the bottom

🔬 Leveraging the West of England’s strengths in research and development (R&D) could drive productivity growth.

West of England constituent authority map

✈️ South Gloucestershire’s strong sustained productivity performance, which is anchored in advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defence.

⬆️ Bristol’s considerable potential to contribute to regional economic growth through productivity improvements.

Plane Engine, We the Curious Planetanium; Street; and Solar Panels edited into a circle

Researchers at The Brunel Centre have published their first research insights on the Productivity Gap in the West of England.

www.bath.ac.uk/announcement...

The report highlights:

Given the region’s economic strengths, scale and potential, a more focused growth plan should deliver higher returns on investment and greater productivity gains for the UK.

——-> looking forward to seeing West of England Mayoral Combined Authority publish its local growth plan 👀🙌

a building is being built with a crane and a yellow excavator Alt: a building is being built with a crane and a yellow excavator

⏭️ The Brunel Centre’s analysis suggests regional productivity improvements could be unlocked through targeted investments in capital infrastructure, education and R&D, which would help realise additional productivity growth and boost the region’s contribution to UK prosperity.

a cartoon character with white hair is standing in a room and the word stience is on the bottom Alt: a cartoon character with white hair is standing in a room and the word “stience” is on the bottom

🔬 Leveraging the West of England’s strengths in research and development (R&D) could drive productivity growth.

West of England constituent authority map

✈️ South Gloucestershire’s strong sustained productivity performance, which is anchored in advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defence.

⬆️ Bristol’s considerable potential to contribute to regional economic growth through productivity improvements.

Plane Engine, We the Curious Planetanium; Street; and Solar Panels edited into a circle

Researchers at The Brunel Centre have published their first research insights on the Productivity Gap in the West of England.

www.bath.ac.uk/announcement...

The report highlights:

Hue and Stephen looking at the Martin Parr exhibition

Stephen talking about LGBTQ History

Gender Stories exhibition

Peggy Haywood, Radnor Hotel landlady

Thank you to @stephenwi11iams.bsky.social for a great talk on LGBTQ History at Bristol MUSEUM & Art Gallery today preceded by a visit to Martin Parr’s exhibition and proceeded by a visit to the Gender Stories Exhibition. I had a lovely afternoon!

www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/bri...

Galeón Andalucia, a spanish tall ship, come up the Severn (a view from Portishead)

Great to see Galeon Andalucia on her way to Port in time for the Bristol Harbour Festival this weekend!

www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/wha...

Windy day at Clevedon beach

Seagulls, flocked like a swarm of military aircraft

Yellow flowers

A book ( Jan Morris on Hong Kong) with some Three Hills white wine outside in clevedon hill Road

Absolutely gorgeous day in Clevedon today, loving the breezy dramatic coast (whilst still, crucially, being warm)

In just one week, over 1,700 of you raised over £109,000 to help bring Turner's The Rising Squall home to Bristol. Your generosity enabled us to go to auction with a substantial bid, a true show of how much this painting means to Bristol and beyond. Whilst we weren't successful at auction, the response has been extraordinary. We're now exploring whether the painting might still come to the city on loan. Later this year, we'll also display four of Turner's watercolours from our collection, not seen in over a decade, in recognition of the incredible support this campaign received. Thank you to everyone who supported, donated and shared, this campaign was only possible because of you. All money received through the Crowdfunder will be returned to those who donated.

No luck, but a lot learnt about crowdfunding campaigns on the way!

The auction

Goodness me, £1.87 million

Prime minister addressing British Chambers of Commerce

Great to hear the PM announce a new trade strategy at @britishchambers.bsky.social Global Annual Conference today.

Pleased Govt recognise how trade, lowering tariffs & removing trade barriers, will prime regions like the West of England as engines for economic growth.

www.gov.uk/government/p...

An early J.M.W. Turner oil painting, "The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent's Rock, Bristol," depicts a dramatic coastal storm. The scene features a large, light-colored Hot Wells House, a prominent building with a tower, set against dark, rugged cliffs and a turbulent body of water, transformed from the Avon River into a wild sea. A small, vulnerable sailing boat is tossed by powerful waves near the building, while two figures, one on horseback and one sprinting, appear small on the rocky shore, highlighting human vulnerability. The sky is filled with heavy, dark clouds, broken by lighter, glowing patches, creating a sense of dynamic atmospheric movement. Turner, already "The Painter of Light," uses dramatic light and shadow contrasts, blurring object boundaries with varying shades of color to depict turbulent waves and evoke emotion. His revolutionary technique involves thin, watery oil paint layers, mimicking watercolor's fluidity and leading to wispy, almost abstract forms that foreshadow his later style. Bold, expressive brushwork captures the energy of the storm and conveys both observed reality and a romanticized, imagined world, central to his burgeoning Romantic sensibility. This rediscovered masterpiece, painted when Turner was just 17, demonstrates his precocious talent and innovative approach to light, color, and composition, fundamentally reshaping the understanding of his early artistic development and affirming his deep engagement with the sublime power of nature from the outset of his career.

I’ve just chipped in to Bristol Museums’ fund to acquire Turner’s Rising Squall.

The city has one week to crowdfund £100,000 to help secure a lost masterpiece by one of Britain’s greatest artists and bring it home where it belongs! 🌊

#BringTurnerHome

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/bringturne...

Tweet from British Chambers of Commerce

🌆 From civil contingency measures to planning for a post-war renewal, I thought looking back at the archives provided some great learning into how businesses can lead in times of hardship.

Thanks to BJC, Business West, and British Chamber of Commerce for helping share these stories.

Bristol Chamber of Commerce World War Two Timeline 1938 - 1939 War Looms Air Raid Precautions – B2B advice, support and training. Emergency Contingency Planning – convening industry 1939 - 1941 ‘Phoney War’ Emergency Government Orders National Conscription Business Advice & Support Services scaled-up significantly 1941 - 1943 Bristol Blitz Heavy bombing impacts Bristol, Bath, and surrounding areas Significant losses of property and life 1943 - 1945 Tide of Victory Businesses engage in economic planning, based on Hayek & Beveridge Report. Airport, Aerospace Industry, and Exports play central role in economic vision. 1945+ VE / VJ Day Post-War Recovery Begins, top-down design based on Keynesian Economics. Bristol CoC launches Bristol Junior Chamber in recognition of demobilised Armed Forces’ contributions to war effort.

Here's a timeline that I produced from my findings in the Archives, looking through Newpaper Archives, reading John Penny's Bristol at War and Helen Reid's Bristol Under Siege, Chatting to Kathryn Davies from Visit West and Duncan McKellar from Bristol Blitz Tour. Grateful to Bristol Archives.

Bristol Cenotaph

Aprox 1/3 of men served in the armed forces by 1944, with conscription for all British men between the ages of 18 - 41. Many others serving in the Territorial Army, and with many women filling roles in industries, in voluntary organisations such as the red cross, and military & intelligence roles.

Bristol Junior Chamber gong

Newspaper Article - Western Daily Press - City to have junior chamber of commerce

✊ Immediately after VE Day, the Chamber began establishing Bristol Junior Chamber for younger generations of proffesionals. They noted the role of young demobilised servicemen as “the venturers of the future.” Hope returned with peace. #Victory80

Read: bristoljuniorchamber.co.uk/bjc-commemor...

Bristol Chmber of Commerce calling for firms to treat women volutneers the same as men who joined the TA.

Women of Britain Come into the factories poster.

🤦‍♀️ The Chamber supported women in the war effort but hesitated on equal pay. It backed the 1944 Equal Pay Commission—however in the end the Chamber conveyed to government that it believed implementation could harm “national wellbeing.”… Col Whitwill's own daughter served at Bletchley during the War.

Brabazon - Bristol Aerospace Company

UK International Trade Levels - including post-war boom

Bristol Post-War Construction - Bristol Debenhams

✈️ The Chamber's post-War vision was of an ‘airminded’ Bristol: they called for a new regional airport, hotels to host global conferences, and local SMEs engaging in international trade. Bristol’s future would be in flight - with a thriving aerospace and export economy.

Hayek

Lord Bevridge

🧑‍🏫 The Chamber invited thinkers like Hayek & Schumacher to speak in Bristol on employment, inflation and the free market. Export revival, full employment, and productivity were seen as the keys to peace and rebuilding Bristol. The Bevridge Report was hugely influential on discussions.

Image of Col Mark Whitwell

Mark Withill & Sons Advert

🧠 By 1942, eyes were on the future. Chamber President Col. Mark Whitwill set up subcommittees on post-war trade, housing, and employment: “Businessmen appreciate the significance of post-war planning,”. Col. Whitwill was the longest serving BCC Pres, serving for the entire duration of the war.

Port of Bristol State of Emergency advertorial - the port of bristol urgently requests the assistance of all users of the port in avoiding congestion of the quays, sheds, and warehouses

🛠️ Bristol’s industry pivoted towards the war effort – mobilising for victory. Paper, Sweet, and Tobacco factories adapted to produce munitions. Ports transformed the way they cleared cargo. Companies found new wartime roles—from shelters to aerospace.

Comic on War Profiteering (Excess Profits Act)

Backout WW2 Poster

📢 The Chamber became a vital advocate for business. It voiced industry concerns around war taxation, the status of temporary and mobilised workers, air raid compensation, and business continuity. The Chamber was careful to lobby through private channels with the Govt during war locally & nationally.

Image of Bristol Telephone Exchange in the 1930s

📲 The Chamber helped decode government orders for its members struggling to keep up. This new heightened advice & support function of a Chamber saw it increase its business engagement and gave it a strong membership offer for the needs of its members firms going through a crisis.

Castle Street, now castle park

Castle Street, now castle park

💣 The Blitz devastated Bristol. The Chamber of Commerce's own offices were bombed in January 1941. 1,299 people were killed, with 1,303 seriously injured, with large amounts of the old city destroyed or in flames. Businesses carried on— Bristol bus services continued to serve workers during attacks.

Bristol Chamber of Commerce ARP pamphlet

Braby Bristol Air Raid Shelter Advert

Anti-Gas Measure guidance

🚨 During air raid sirens preparations, we can see that some firms resisted stopping work and responding to drill. Before the Blitz began, the Chamber had to convince businesses to take safety through blackout measures and air raid precaution seriously. #BristolBlitz