The last official act of every Ealing Business Expo – a Contactus Ealing local business event in West London which was started in 2015 – has been the handing over of monies raised for the event’s chosen charity.
Last week on 18 May 2023, exhibitors and Expo well-wishers were invited to an Ealing Town Hall reception by Mayor of Ealing, Councillor Mohinder Midha to celebrate a donation of £5,200, comprised of £200 from Ealing Business Expo, and £5,000 raised by Expo exhibitor Barclays in a fundraising exercise led by the bank’s business development manager Indy Bhamra.
The £5,200 is being donated to the Mayor’s chosen charity, Heartlink, which is based at Ealing Hospital.
At the reception, Mayor Midha thanked the local business community, saying: “All of you are important to me – I honour you, you are here, and you support my charity, and this is the main thing. I know that so many people will benefit from the money raised, so I pray to God for the good health of everyone.”
Ms Bhamra asdded: “I feel proud to be working for Barclays Bank as we have been matching thousands of pounds for many local charities over the years.”
The meetup, which was attended by roughly 20 Ealing-based business people, gave Expo director Carlene Bender an opportunity to congratulate the fundraisers, and also to announce that Ealing Business Expo has now come to a close, and will not take place in 2024.
“We have put on nine fantastic business shows since 2015, held in different venues across the borough of Ealing, and which have brought together hundreds of local business people,” she said. “But it is time for Contactus to step aside and let another company organise and deliver these events – perhaps they will be able to carry the ‘Ealing Business Expo’ concept to its full potential.”
Mrs Bender, who has been sharing her breast cancer treatment journey on social media since 2020, counted her health as another factor in the decision to no longer put on the Expo.
She also disclosed that a number of West London organisations are looking into plans for staging a business show in Ealing next year, so business owners are advised to keep a look out for an announcement about this.
Since 2017, Ealing Business Expo has donated over £2,000 to local charities, including Ealing Foodbank and Hope for Southall Homeless.
Also in 2023, Ealing Business Expo donated £400, raised from a portion of exhibitors fees, for local community Ealing Wildlife Group.
