CONCERNS that a prominent North Cotswolds chamber of commerce branch could close after its chairman announced he may stand down have vanished after he agreed to stay in post.

Bourton-on-the-Water Chamber of Commerce was at crisis point in April following chairman Phil Ralph’s announcement that he was considering stepping down.

The village’s parish council said that the lack of people involved in the group, and lack of support from the village, meant the future of the chamber was in doubt.

The chamber plays a major role in Bourton, providing the village’s world-famous Christmas tree in the river, organising the Christmas fair and managing the upkeep of the tourist attraction’s hanging baskets, as well as providing support to local businesses.

Following an Extraordinary General Meeting, Phil Ralph said that members were now feeling positive about the future and he had agreed to remain as chairman of the group.

“We had to get people invigorated and we had to start moving forward,” he said.

“At the EGM we realised everyone wanted to continued. We are now focusing on the Bourton website, which gets thousands of hits each month and social media too, which is working well.

“We are also looking at finding new businesses to get involved.”

“We did have to drop the hanging baskets because they are unfortunately quite expensive, but we are definitely still going to have the Christmas tree and lights and this year’s Christmas fair later this year.”

To find out more about the chamber of commerce, visit bourtoninfo.com.