Around 130 businesspeople attended a special Christmas Gala held jointly by the British-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK on Friday, December 6. The event took place at the Conrad Algarve in Quinta do Lago.
Ross Matthews, chargé d’affaires at the British Embassy in Lisbon, was guest of honour. He focused his speech on the long-standing cooperation between Portugal and the UK, a driving force for the growth of businesses in the Algarve and abroad.
The event was sponsored by BPCC members Quinta do Barranco Longo, Sovereign, Conrad Algarve, SHARE Algarve and Fine & Country Algarve, and featured the Algarve’s all-girls rock band Gaijas who further brightened up the night with some music.
A Christmas tombola with fantastic prizes (including two tickets in World Traveller class to Europe region by British Airways) was held to raise money for a new minibus for Lar de Crianças Bom Samaritano in Alvor. A total of €2,500 was raised, with the amount doubled by Fine & Country Algarve, thus meaning a grand total of €5,000 to be donated to the Alvor charity.
BPCC’s chairman, Filipe Lowndes Marques, welcomed guests and Christina Hippisley, PCCUK’s general manager, closed the event. They focused their speeches on the importance of cooperation between the two countries and the two chambers of commerce to continue to strengthen the region’s business community.
Founded in 1911 and with over 400 members, the British-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce is an independent, non-profit organisation that sets out to promote the interests of its membership in respect to commercial links between businesses in the United Kingdom and Portugal.
Included in the Chamber’s annual events calendar, and providing a valuable meeting point for companies in the Algarve, are conferences, networking events and business breakfasts with selected speakers on relevant matters to the companies and the region’s economy.
To learn more about the BPCC and its work, visit bpcc.pt
