Felixstowe Chamber are pleased to announce the arrival of their New Chairman and several new members to the committee.
Peter Dawes - Chairman
Firstly I would like to thank Shaun for his hard work as Chairman over the last 2 years. As the new Chairman I thought that it was best to introduce myself and tell you a bit about me. I run a business in Hamilton Road as a Stockbroker & Independent Financial Advisor and have been made very welcome by the local business community. On a personal note I have had connections with Felixstowe for some 14 years and I have currently inherited more free time as my "professional" career as a Father has come to an end as my 2 sons are now standing on their own two feet (well nearly!) also my football coaching career has come to an end, this has meant that I am driving my wife crazy with all my new free time.
As mentioned above with all this new free time I felt it only right to offer something back to the people of Felixstowe and the job of Chairman made perfect sense. I must add I have been very impressed with the hard work that the Committee have done over the past few years and how the profile of the Chamber has increased in the town to its present. As the new Chairman I feel it is my responsibility to carry on and enhance this good work so as the Chamber will go from strength to strength. I look forward to working with not only Committee members but the people of Felixstowe and building stronger ties with the sole interest of raising the profile of Felixstowe.
Tracey Laflin - Assistant to the Committee
Tracey Laflin –is a Partner with Jackaman Smith & Mulley Solicitors, based at their Felixstowe Office.Jackaman Smith & Mulley are one of the longest established firms in East Anglia offering a wide range of legal services with further offices in Ipswich and Diss.
Tracey heads the Property Team at Jackaman Smith & Mulley and specialises in Property Law.She has been with the firm for four years and previous to that with another law firm in Felixstowe for fourteen years.
Tracey has lived in Felixstowe for 21 years and is married to Andrew Laflin the proprietor of a local established building company.She is well regarded in the local business community and believes strongly in supporting local businesses.
Although Tracey does not have too much spare time, she does enjoy travelling, ski-ing and fast cars.
Sue Gipps
I am currently the Sales & Marketing manager for the Evening Star, one of the two daily newspapers published by Archant Suffolk. My reason for joining the Chamber is that I think it will be mutually beneficial as Felixstowe is a core area for the Evening Star as well as our weekly paper the Felixstowe Advertiser.
Prior to Sales & Marketing, I was part of the Advertising management team and have experience in retail, motors, property and business to business.
I'm currently renovating a house with my husband so any hobbies I had have had to go on the back burner, I still enjoy pottering about the kitchen when I can though.
My contact telephone number is 01473 324843 and email address is:
38 year old Dean Wales has lived on the seafront of Felixstowe for the last eight years but is a familiar face in Felixstowe as a regular performer with amateur theatre companies at the town’s Spa Pavilion since the 80s. With over 14 years experience in marketing and PR, Dean brings with him a wealth of client and agency side experience to the Chamber. As well as marketing management roles for commercial and public sector organisations Dean was a Senior Account Manager at Ipswich and London based marketing agency Jacob Bailey, then took the role as Marketing Manager at the County’s Business Link before turning freelance with his own marketing consultancy DW Marketing.
Ipswich born Dean has always been fond of Felixstowe, spending the majority of his leisure time in the town as a teenager. Now as a resident and a local business owner, he truly appreciates what Felixstowe has to offer and is dedicated to supporting the town’s amenities, activities and businesses.
Dean, who’s a great advocate of networking and its benefits, is looking forward to helping the Chamber and fellow committee members in supporting the Town’s businesses.
Dave Whiting
I was born in Leiston, as was my wife, and we moved to Felixstowe from Ipswich in 1977.My grown-up daughter and son live in Trimley and Felixstowe respectively.
Over the years I have served on a number of committees including Hospital Radio Ipswich and Ipswich and District Talking Newspaper.I am currently a member of the Theatre Safety committee which is part of the Association of British Theatre Technicians.This committee, which meets in London once a month, concerns itself mainly with the sensible application of Health and Safety legislation and standards to the world of theatre.I would like to think that I bring to the FCTC executive committee a wealth of experience with a particular slant towards the entertainment and tourism fields.I look forward to contributing in any way I can to enhancing the work of the Chamber.
My lifelong interest in the world of entertainment began whilst I was still at school - I lit my first play in 1964 - but, although I spent 21 years as the professional lighting operator at the Spa Pavilion Theatre, I did not work as a full time professional in the business until 2000.
My company, Showlite,has been trading in Felixstowe – as a part-time operation – since 1985; originally as Showlite Stage Lighting.This wasset-up as a direct result of my involvement with the professional lighting at the Spa Pavilion Theatre. As a part-time business the company was almost too successfulso, in 2003, I dropped much of the lighting work, changed the company name to Showlite Sound and Light and began putting more emphasis on the sound side of the business the beginnings of which go back to the 1950’s when I remember being fascinated by the huge loudspeakers and valve amplifiers used at the local Fetes. In the late 60’s and early 70’s I provided the PA equipment and commentary for the Stockcar Racing held at Sibton near Peasenhall, and for ten years from 1970 my partner Ernie Rabbett and I ran a disco and PA service called originally Top Hat Sound and later SoundsAround.Today Showlite has six indoor and outdoor PA systems varying in power from 40 to 700 watts.Some can be fully battery operated, including the radio microphones, and the outdoor loudspeakers and their cabling are totally weather-proof.We can provide sound systems for everything from weddings to funerals, conferences to cabaret shows, and a great deal more.
Formore information check out our website www.showlitesoundandlight.co.uk.Alternatively give me a call on 01394 274935 - advice is always free.
Kelly Sayers - Vice Chairman
Kelly Sayers is a Partner within the Employment Services department of Prettys Solicitors. Founded in 1906 Prettys is one of the leading law firms in East Anglia employing over 120 staff in offices in Ipswich and Chelmsford.
Kelly has worked within the employment law field for over 7 years. She trained with another local law firm before joining Prettys on her qualification. Kelly has a strong reputation within the local area having provided employment advice to numerous local businesses and institutions.
Kelly has lived in Felixstowe for over 20 years and attended both local primary and high schools. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys socialising with friends and going on exotic holidays. She has recently developed a passion for skiing.
