The Giftware Association has once again been invited to Parliament by The Genesis Initiative. Sarah Ward will attend the meeting, hosted on 13^th March at the House of Lords,  alongside genesis parliamentarians and academic commentators to discuss and update on where the UK currently stands, two weeks before Brexit, with a focus on legislation in areas such as agriculture, the food sector, trade and customs and other areas particularly affecting SME’s and the home and giftware industry.

With two weeks to go until the proposed Brexit leave date, at the time of writing. There still may be a lot of questions to be asked by business in the home and giftware sector which Sarah Ward will be representing. Discussion of the day are below, but not limited to:

• Brexit state of play discussion and messages to government
• Brexit regulatory update including agriculture and transport legislation
• Relations with visiting trade missions and embassy high commissions
• Developing an access to finance breakage services to improve deal flow
• Possible US trade visit to Washington
• Apprenticeships and workplace skills project

CEO of the Giftware Association, Sarah Ward,  who will be attending the meeting stated “It is great for us to be at these events and to pass on the information to our members. I’m sure the mood will be very interesting around parliament, with two weeks to go before Brexit day, but will hopefully come away with some positive and encouraging news and information.”

If you are a member of The Giftware Association and would like to know more about Brexit or how you will be affected by Brexit, we would love to hear from you.

ABOUT THE GENESIS INITIATIVE

The Genesis Initiative was formed to improve the quality of the debate on SMEs and create economic reform, driven by SMEs and supported by Parliamentarians.

The Senate meets at least three times during each Parliamentary session, normally in March, June and October. It involves a highly professional and qualified representative of Entrepreneurs, SME Academia, Parliaments and Assemblies and SME Organisations within the UK (some 117 representing some1 million members).

This combination of entrepreneurial zeal, concentrated research, and commitment from experts working on behalf of SMEs is linked with All-Party Support across the House of Lords and Commons.

Their joint efforts contribute to the continued growth of the SME sector within the United Kingdom.

This experience and knowledge is shared with international partners who wish to work with or emulate this model.

Small business is the backbone of the British economy and when it does well the whole country does well. The role of Genesis is to act as an umbrella organisation, working on your behalf to optimise potential growth in the SME sector by fostering a “can do” culture. We aim to participate fully in achieving economic and structural reforms that will enable a business to flourish.

New jobs, new ideas and new wealth will be created if small businesses are thriving. Our role is to help sustain this business environment.

We work closely with opinion formers within in pressing for change where change is necessary. By galvanising the SME community we can ensure that the voice of the sector will be heard loud and clear.