BILL Alder, chief executive of Maidstone Chamber of Commerce, has suddenly left his job.

Mr Alder, 52, stunned bosses and staff with a surprise message telling them he had resigned and would not be returning to the office.

He left on the eve of Maidstone Enterprise Week, an important event that Mr Alder launched in Maidstone Corn Exchange a year ago to promote local business and help people thinking of setting up their own enterprise.

There was no hint of his imminent departure when a few weeks ago, Mr Alder joined Richard Thick, borough councillor for Headcorn, for a widely-publicised 120-mile charity walk from Farnham, Surrey, to Dover in aid of Childline.

The walk was part of a campaign to raise £200,000 of European cash to promote the walk and local green tourism.

Mr Alder's shock departure came while chamber chairman Bryan Godwin was away on holiday. Directors were trying to contact him to tell him the news.

Alan Reading, chamber president, said the first the board knew about it was when they received a hand-written letter from Mr Alder.

Mr Reading said. "No one in the chamber was expecting him to just to wake up and send a letter saying goodbye."

Mr Reading said Mr Alder had told the board he was feeling "under pressure" and needed a break. He was not aware of any serious medical problem.

Mr Reading paid tribute to Mr Alder's achievement, saying he had built on the sound finances established by former chief executive Jim Thompson.

"He has built the Maidstone chamber into the fastest-growing chamber in the country and there are major projects we have on at the moment that he has made a great contribution to," Mr Reading said.

"It leaves a very difficult position to fill. It's very difficult to know what the solution is at this time but we are looking at several options."

Jo James, membership manager at Ashford chamber, a fellow member of the Kent Gateway group of chambers that Mr Alder played a key part in creating, offered support to Maidstone chamber.

"Obviously our priority is the members and anything we can do to help them in the meantime, we are here to do it," she said.

Before joining the chamber, Mr Alder worked for a Scottish newspaper publisher.

His departure is another blow to the chamber movement in the county, coming just weeks after the financial collapse of Kent Maritime Chamber of Commerce, a group of chambers in east Kent.

Mr Alder was unavailable for comment.