3 Chambers Hockley Rayleigh Rochford

09/10/2026

The next meeting of Hockley Chamber of Trade will be in the meeting room behind the White Hart pub Hawkwell from 6pm on Tues 27 October with lots of local issues to discuss in an informal setting. If you have a local business and want networking opportunities and advice you need to be there.

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

🎃👻 HOCKLEY HALLOWEEN TRAIL IS BACK! 👻🎃

After the amazing turnout and incredible atmosphere last year, we’re so excited to announce that the Hockley Halloween Trail is returning for 2026!

📅 Saturday 31st October
⏰ 4pm – 8pm
🎟️ FREE family event!
🚧 Spa Road will be closed from 3 to 9 for the children safety

Bring the whole family down for a spooktacular afternoon and evening of Halloween fun around Hockley! 🕷️🦇

🍬 Trick-or-treat around our participating local shops
🎨 FREE face painting
🗺️ Halloween Trail Maps can be collected from ANY participating shop on the day
🎃 Lots of Halloween fun for the whole family
✨ PLUS… keep your eyes peeled for a SPECIAL SURPRISE at 5pm & 6pm!

⚠️ IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION ⚠️

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 All children must be accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult throughout the trail.

🆘 CHILD SAFETY POINT – CK BLINDS
There will be a dedicated Child Safety Point located at CK Blinds throughout the event. If a child becomes separated from their parent or guardian, please make your way to the Child Safety Point for assistance.

🚦 Please take extra care when walking around Hockley and crossing roads. Keep children close to you at all times and use designated crossings where available.
🍬 Parents and carers are responsible for checking any sweets or treats collected, particularly for children with allergies or dietary requirements.

🧡 A HUGE THANK YOU 🧡

We simply couldn’t put on events like this without the continued support of Rochford District Council. A huge thank you for supporting our local community and helping us bring events like the Hockley Halloween Trail to life.

Last year was AMAZING — and we want to see even more of you joining us this Halloween! 🎃

📣 NOW IT’S OVER TO YOU!

🎃 SAVE THE DATE – Saturday 31st October
👻 GET YOUR COSTUMES READY
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 INVITE YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY
📲 SHARE THIS POST and help us spread the word
🧡 COME OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL HOCKLEY BUSINESSES!

Let’s fill Hockley with families, costumes, laughter and Halloween fun and make this another night to remember!

📅 SATURDAY 31ST OCTOBER
⏰ 4PM – 8PM
🎟️ FREE TO JOIN

👇 TAG the people you’re bringing with you and SHARE this post so nobody misses Hockley Halloween 2026! 👻🎃

WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE! 🧡

02/10/2026

Have your say on the future of our town centres

If you trade in Rayleigh, Rochford or Hockley, now is the time to make your voice heard.

Rochford District Council has appointed Locus Management Systems to speak with local traders about what’s working, the challenges you face and what could help our town centres thrive.

This follows feedback from the High Streets Summits held between March 2025 and March 2026.

We encourage all Chamber members to take part.

Locus is now visiting our high streets, so if a representative contacts or visits you, please take a few minutes to complete their survey and share your views.

The three Chambers want to ensure our members’ voices are heard. This is your opportunity to highlight what matters and what you’d like to see change.

01/10/2026

Could empty shops become new opportunities for our high streets?

The Government has announced a £210 million high-street regeneration package aimed at bringing vacant and neglected buildings back into use.

The funding includes:

• £125m to transform derelict buildings into workspaces, cafés, health centres and community facilities
• £65m to help communities acquire and revive valued buildings and businesses
• £10m for High Street Rental Auctions
• £10m to support co-operatively owned businesses

For places such as Rayleigh, Rochford and Hockley, the interesting question is how initiatives like this could help tackle long-term vacant premises and create new reasons for people to visit our town centres.

And perhaps we shouldn't automatically assume every empty shop needs to become another shop.

Could vacant premises provide opportunities for independent businesses, flexible workspaces, health and wellbeing services, cafés, leisure, community facilities or something completely different?

What would you like to see occupying empty premises on your local high street?

Let us know in the comments.

29/09/2026

Are you part of Essex's creative economy?

Designers. Marketers. Photographers. Filmmakers. Musicians. Games developers. Content creators. Web developers. Production companies. Writers. Printers.

These aren't simply “creative” jobs.
They are part of our local economy.
Almost every business relies on creative skills somewhere, from its website and branding to photography, video, advertising, packaging and social media.
And when Essex businesses use Essex creative businesses, more of that spending stays within the local economy.
So we'd like to discover more of the creative talent operating across Rayleigh, Hockley, Rochford and the surrounding area.

If you run a creative business locally, tell us in the comments:
Where are you based?�
What do you do?�
What type of businesses would you like to work with?

We'd like to showcase more of the people and businesses helping to build Essex's growing creative economy.
Because creativity isn't just a nice extra.
It helps businesses communicate, compete and grow.

👉 Read more here: https://www.3chambers.co.uk/post/essex-creativity-is-an-economic-asset-not-a-nice-extra

25/09/2026

Good to see the restored Hockley village sign back in place.

24/09/2026

What one improvement would make the biggest difference to your high street: parking, events, appearance, promotion, transport or business support?
Comments below.

24/09/2026

Entries are now open for the Rochford District Business Awards 2027. With refreshed categories covering growing businesses, sole traders, visitor economy and community impact, this is an opportunity for more local businesses to receive recognition. Entries close at 9am on 7 December.
Apply here:

https://rochford-self.achieveservice.com/en/AchieveForms/?form_uri=sandbox-publish://AF-Process-b3679337-2c95-4e34-9675-024eeecf8443/AF-Stage-14aebc3e-da61-47d7-811a-dfd386e31254/definition.json&redirectlink=%2Fen&cancelRedirectLink=%2Fen&consentMessage=yes

24/09/2026

Small Steps That Lead to Business Growth

Growing your business does not always require big changes.
Often, it's the small improvements made consistently that create the biggest results over time. Whether it's improving customer service, refining your marketing or making better use of your time, every step counts.

Our latest blog shares practical ideas any business can start using today.

👉 Read the full article here:
https://www.3chambers.co.uk/five-simple-ways-to-attract-more-local-customers

What small change has made the biggest difference to your business?