Proud of time as president of chamber of commerce

As part of the Barnstaple and District Chamber of Commerce centenary celebrations Joel Cooper spoke to former president Herbert Malek about his time at the helm. As part of the Barnstaple and District Chamber of Commerce centenary celebrations, Journal reporter Joel Cooper spoke to former president Herbert Malek about his time at the helm. HERBERT Malek, 72, is known to many in the town as Mr Wimpy, having run the Barnstaple franchise of the burger bar since 1984. Originally from Austria, Herbert moved to the UK in 1959 for one year to learn the language. However, after meeting his future wife of nearly 50 years, Herbert decided to stay in the country and moved to Barnstaple in 1984.Having previously worked for Wimpy as a field operations manager, Herbert decided to open his own franchise of the brand in the town. He said: "I was very keen to get involved with the local community and meet some other businessmen in the town. "I joined what was then the Barnstaple and Braunton Chamber of Commerce just a couple of months after moving to the area." When Herbert joined the group there were 412 members. He said: "In its heyday the Chamber was at the forefront of the business community. "Almost every local business owner would join up and even the national chains like Boots and Marks & Spencer would encourage their managers to get involved." Herbert was president of the Chamber from 1988 to 1989. He said: "My year as president was fantastic. I made many friends and forged some great business relationships. "It also put Wimpy on the map in Barnstaple and Rosetta Stone Language attracted a lot of customers who wouldn't otherwise have visited." Herbert said his year at the helm had afforded him some fantastic experiences. He said: "I made it my business to attend every event I was invited to. "We supported the Pounds 10,000 CLIC Scanner fundraising scheme, played a big part in the Armada 400th anniversary celebrations and when he was North Devon MP Tony Speller, who was an honorary member, even took me on a tour of the Houses of Parliament. "My proudest moment as president was being invited to the opening of the fair at the Guildhall in 1988. I felt privileged and honoured and the experience will stay with me for the rest of my life." Herbert is still a member of the chamber but says he is more of a "backbencher" these days. He said: "We no longer have the influence because we have so few members. "National businesses don't encourage their managers to join any more and out-of-town shops like the new Tesco have pulled a lot of trade away from the High Street. "I would recommend the Chamber to anyone. It's a great way of meeting people, making friends and developing your business." IT was during Herbert's year as president that one of his former businesses, Mr M's Burger Bar on Queen's Street, was the subject of an attempted robbery. The would-be burger burglar burst into the restaurant wearing a pair of Y-fronts on his head and holding what appeared to be a shotgun. While he ordered a member of staff to empty the till, a female customer told the thief a police car had just pulled up outside, something she made up to distract him. The robber ran out of the shop without taking any money.

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