Businesses in Baildon have been urged to sign up for a new chamber of commerce in the town.

Baildon Ignition Group (BIG) is looking to unite the town’s firms, large and small, and get them working together.

The venture will be officially launched on Wednesday, from 7pm, at the Copper Beech Club, Northgate, Baildon.

The group, which was started informally on social media earlier this year by Lucy Stock, 26, owner of Baildon Nibbles, a cafe based in Green Lane, will be launched as a chamber to give a voice to local businesses and encourage mutual support.

It initially held two monthly meetings which proved popular with traders and led to the idea to make the group more formal.

A total of 50 businesses have already expressed an interest in attending the launch event, which include self-employed personal trainers, plumbers, cake makers and also four pubs in the town.

Miss Stock, chair of BIG, who opened Baildon Nibbles in March this year, said the chamber set-up will provide a chance for town firms to network and set up new relationships and potential deals.

She said: “It aims to provide a collective opportunity for local businesses to come together in a dynamic environment to have a voice within the community.

“Being self-employed, I found it a very lonely world and I wanted to create a networking group that would benefit businesses. BIG is about how it can benefit businesses.

“People can get extra work from it. I have had three catering deals out of it so far, it’s effortless.

“It is a way of making Baildon a more profitable place for businesses. BIG is about how it can benefit them.

“People have been working out of hours of their businesses and delivering leaflets about BIG.”

Miss Stock, who lives in Baildon, will be presenting the vision for the new chamber at the event and will be offering businesses their chance to have their say on setting the agenda for future meetings.

She added that businesspeople have already volunteered their services for key roles within BIG.

Membership of BIG will be £5 for the rest of this year and then £25 for 2018.

The initiative, which is led by Baildon businesses, is being supported by Baildon Town Council (BTC), who asked if BIG could be made into a more formal chamber of commerce-type organisation.

Gill Dixon, chair of BTC’s economy committee, praised the group for helping to build a stronger economy in the town.

She said: “It is a great step forward to see businesses interested in working together to build a better Baildon, and a stronger local economy to support skills and jobs in the area.”

Meanwhile, Baildon Nibbles has set up an online donation page to pay for a Christmas Day dinner for the vulnerable, elderly and lonely in the town.

It will be held at Baildon Methodist Church, The Grove, between noon and 2pm and is aiming to raise £700.

Go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/baildonnibbles to make a donation.

To register for the BIG launch event, or for more information, email bigbaildon@gmail.com or call 07930 048002.