Sheffield Chamber of Commerce has begun the search to find the relatives of its founder members.

The Chamber will mark their 150th anniversary this year with an ‘Extra-ordinary’ Board Meeting on March 2, re-enacting the first ever meeting on that day in 1857 which led to its formation.
Attending the first gathering were some of the city’s most powerful men including the first ever President Edward Vickers, Fred Mappin, Thomas Jessop, W. Smith, Ernst Leopold Schlesinger Benzon and Mark Firth. The Chamber hope to invite relatives of the six men to attend the re-enactment, which will see the present day executive team and board members in period costume of the time at the Town Hall. Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Nigel Tomlinson, said: “We wanted to stage an event which was as close to the original meeting in 1857 as possible.

“What better way to do that than to get the actual relatives of those individuals that founded the Chamber. These men not only shaped the future of the Chamber, but they were influential in making Sheffield what it is today.”

The Chamber’s 150th anniversary celebrations will highlight the heritage and innovation that has built the modern day Sheffield as well as looking forward to the next 15 years.
It brings the Chamber together with the oldest football club in the world, Sheffield FC, who are also 150 years old in 2007.
If any relatives would like to come forward or if anyone would like to suggest someone, please contact Helen Cupit, Marketing and Events Co-ordinator at Sheffield Chamber of Commerce on 0114 201 8925.