By GEORGE AFEDAKIS,President, Weymouthand Portland Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism

"NOW'S the time to work together to make a difference, this is an absolutely amazing opportunity for the business community," Gary Fooks told one of our most inspirational business briefings in recent years.

Ranging over a number of Olympic issues, he revealed that £18 million would be spent on installing intelligent' bus stops in the borough, showing when the next bus would arrive and where it was going.

Traffic lights would talk to each other' and help to smooth the traffic.

"We expect an increase in tourism before and after the games. Weymouth and Portland are at the centre of the only natural World Heritage coastal site in the UK - there are only 165 World Heritage sites worldwide."

£10 million was being invested by our members at Southwell Business Park in a new four-star hotel, expected to open in October.

Team Dorset 2012 Legacy manager Gary Fooks is a local man doing a super job in whipping up interest in Dorset. His spirited performance at the Banus club delighted members of the business community.

Some have been sceptical about whether they could benefit from the Olympic bandwagon, fast coming down the line.

He spoke of the many advantages of Weymouth and Portland - the National Sailing Academy is the first Olympic venue to be finished! The borough would become a centre for marine industries.

A number of local businesses signed up to support Team Dorset on the spot, impressed by Gary Fooks' enthusiastic message. The chamber has already joined; the Team Dorset logo sits proudly on our revised website, www.wpchamber.co.uk I thank Gary for giving us such a superbly inspirational talk and we will invite him again soon.

Our friends and members at the Nothe Fort have invited the Chamber to hold a midsummer barbecue at the fort on Thursday, June 26 from 7pm. Helen Rettie and her team have made so much progress, turning a damp ruin into one of Weymouth's top tourist attractions.

The tour of the fort will reveal how much has been done. The views from the ramparts are simply breathtaking.

Then Sarah Liddle will light up the barbecue and serve some super sizzling food - outside if it's dry, inside if not!

Put June 26 in your diary and watch for details on how to book.