I was recently invited along to The Altrincham and Sale Chamber of Commerce, which was celebrating its 110th anniversary with a lovely New Year Dinner at the Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham.

Master of ceremonies for the evening was Denise Laver, from Altrincham Court Leet, who did a great job in making sure the whole evening ran along smoothly.

The Mayor of Trafford, Cllr Rob Chilton, was in attendance and after giving an introductory speech he then performed the official ceremony of installing the new president, Sue Aldridge and her vice president Alex Evans at their official inauguration. They also gave rousing speeches about the history of the chamber and it was really interesting to learn about its humble beginnings from a butchers shop in Altrincham and how it has since developed and grown over the years.

The guest speaker for the evening was Sir Graham Brady MP, who talked passionately about the chamber and the great work it does for businesses in the area. I then provided the after dinner entertainment with a set of classics from the rat pack era to help make the evening go with a swing.

Speaking afterwards the MP said “The Altrincham and Sale Chamber does a great job supporting local businesses and helping them to grow. I was delighted to be a part of the chamber’s 110th anniversary celebrations and to wish them success for the next 100 years too”.

It was a lovely evening, in great company, that I was very proud to perform at and I’d like to thank Val Dykes and Alyson Hulme for inviting me to not only perform at the prestigious event but to also join the guests for a lovely three-course meal. They put on a fantastic evening and I really enjoyed being a part of it all.

The Mayor of Trafford said: “I was delighted to be part of the celebrations for the chamber’s anniversary. I am very proud to be a patron of an organisation that has promoted business and enterprise in South Trafford for 110 years”.

I think we have some lovely people here in Trafford who do great things in the community and it was great to meet some of those people at this event. The fact that the Chamber of Commerce is 110 years old is testament to the commitment that those involved in the chamber have in keeping it a strong and supportive network of trade and industry in the Altrincham and Sale area. I wish them all the very best and here’s to the next 110 years.

To finish this week I’d like to say a huge congratulations to the heavyweight boxing champion, The Gypsy King - Tyson Fury. Val and I are huge boxing fans and we got up at 4am on Sunday morning to see Tyson reclaim the WBC world title belt within seven rounds in a fantastic display of boxing, the likes of which has not been seen for many years. We have been friends with the Fury family for many years and they have been brilliant in supporting my charity events with signed gloves etc for which I am very grateful. I have performed for Tyson on a few occasions at his charity ball at Bolton Football Stadium and even at his home and have always found him an absolute gentleman. Quite the opposite of when he is in the ring!

Tyson suffered from some serious mental health issues and really struggled with life after he first won the world titles. He reached the very top and from there he felt he had nowhere else to go, then he came crashing down to the pits of despair but with the support of his wife Paris and his family and friends he picked himself up and fought back to regain his title.

He now needs to meet Anthony Joshua to get back the IBF, WBA and WBO titles and I hope that that will happen this year. He is a great example of following your dreams and over coming all obstacles and never giving up. From where he came from to where he is now makes this victory all the more sweeter. So congratulations to Tyson and all his family and team. A true sporting champion.

I’ll see you all next week.