Revive & Thrive Local Legends

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Dec 10, 2016 - A campaign highlighting one business a week on the town's ... on shops without planning permission. The s
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Sponsored by

Dear Legends, I am so proud to be the sponsor of Revive & Thrive Local Legends Campaign. I’m really looking forward to learning about the great people and projects in our places. I’ve have reviewed the early entries and they are truly inspirational. What I find

During my hunt to find the UK’s Local Legends I have spoken to and met some extremely creative, determined and inspirational place people who all have the ability to engage their places. If you are a place mover and shaker then you may well be familiar with the demoralising experience of talking to an

really interesting about this campaign is not only the opportunity for places to show off about their remarkable people, but the focus of the Legends interacting with the wider community and vice versa.

& Thrive will ensure we promote your good work and inspire others to follow your journey. This will not only put your work in the national spotlight but it will allow other places around the country to benefit from your experience.

Remarkable volunteers and place makers who go that extra mile to see their communities flourish, need the support of other stakeholders to see their projects succeed and sustain. One of the greatest challenges in place making is good communication between councils, BIDs, community groups, retailers and most importantly residents and visitors.

As sponsor of Local Legends and Revive & Thrive’s Ambassador for Place I’d love to hear from you directly and if there is anything that I can do to help please email [email protected] Have a great Christmas Legends, you deserve it!

A Local Legend who can achieve this whilst staying true to their vision is not only remarkable but also inspirational and, with your help, inspiring others is what we will do. PinPointer and Revive

Love and best wishes, Alison xx Alison Bowcott-McGrath is Founder and MD of PinPointer and Revive & Thrive’s Ambassador for Places

empty room? Spending weeks planning a meeting or event with the purpose of engaging the community, businesses and local stakeholders to which no one turns up!

At our Legendary Places Conference on the 2nd & 3rd of March 2017, we will be using their stories as a vehicle to start discussions about issues all people who are passionate about place face.

Here are our first 15 Local Legends nominations - one thing they all have in common is that they are planning to or have been successful at engaging the people in their place. They range from individuals and individual businesses to BIDs, Councils and Town Teams. Who, with imagination, energy and a big dose of motivation have made their places remarkable.

Are you a Local Legend or do you know one? Please nominate your Local Legend today!

We will be following their progress over the next two years as part of our Local Legends campaign, learning from their experiences and work.

http://reviveandthrive.co.uk/uks-locallegend/ I look forward to following your stories, Imogen Imogen McIntosh, Director of Commercial and Membership Services

encourages anyone of any age who has an interest in running. However when she mentioned a couple of local 2K or 5K races to inspire the younger generations the new runners were despondent, intimidated. There was no run just for them that wasn’t tacked onto a longer, adult race. Zöe wanted to organise a unique event dedicated solely to children.

MayMile - : "Own your run at the May Mile™ this year and race home feeling like a superhero!" Chippenham as a centre of athletics excellence and innovation 9 years ago Zoe Rucker launched the only cross country race dedicated for children. The event is targeted at children who have not taken part in a sporting event. The event is built to replicate an elite adult race with finish medals, course branding, finish gantry, professional timing, finish podium. Children who take part are introduced to competitive sport and prove to themselves they can take part. Zöe is an amateur athlete running half, full and ultra-marathons. As a qualified FA Football Coach, she spends voluntary time encouraging children to exert their energy outside! From her own experiences, Zöe

Zöe has a deep belief that there should be simple sporting opportunities for young people. She believes that no matter what their ability, children should have a chance to achieve without pressure. CASE STUDY 1 In 2010, I came across a young lad and asked if he was running the May Mile™. He looked at his feet and mumbled something about not knowing anything about it. I told him it was a race for him, I told him he had nothing to lose and I told him it was just fun and gave him a registration form. The day of the May Mile™ came and this young boy ran the May Mile™ because he wanted to. In 2012 I came across the same young lad on his bicycle and asked him if he was running the May Mile™. He looked up, pulled his shoulders back and said ‘No, I’m not’. Noticing his new confident demeanour I enquired why not. ‘I didn’t realise I could run,’ he said. ‘Now I’m running in the cross-country county team!’

CASE STUDY 2 In 2014 I spoke with a parent whose child had just begun his new secondary school – quite a sporty school. She proudly told me of how her son was already in the school Athletics squad for long-distance running. She went on to confide that she believed he would never have had the confidence to trial for a position in the school team if he hadn’t been part of the May Mile™. Without the May Mile™, a lot of children would not necessarily be exposed to competitive running and could miss out on an athletic future. The aim of the May Mile™ is to have one in every county throughout the UK. Running is a universal activity. The objective of the May Mile™ is to engage as many children as possible into a nonthreatening competitive environment. Zöe's 2014 message to all May Mile™ runners is: "You can run a mile, you can run two or probably five miles if you put your mind to it. Believe in yourself and feel all the benefits of pushing your own boundaries through the May Mile™. And more importantly, enjoy it!" Not only Has Zoe helped children find their true potential changed but she has raises the profile of Chippenham as a centre of athletics excellence and innovation and attracts 2000+ visitors to the town centre from across the county and country. www.maymile.co.uk

catering, appropriate toilets and much more!

Ashfield District Council - Celebrate your local celebrities and successes

Kirkby’s Double Paralympic Gold Medallist and World Record Breaker Ollie Hynd, along with Team GB Olympic Gymnastics stars, Becky and Ellie Downie from Hucknall celebrated Rio 2016 in style with local supporters.

Hungerford - Celebrating their 25th Victorian Extravaganza 2016 Every year for 25 years on the second Friday of December, Hungerford celebrates the beginning of Christmas by transforming the town into a Victorian Extravaganza, a wonderland of delights: the high street and Bridge Street are filled with side-shows, a helter-skelter, a big wheel, steam engines and fairground organs. This is the largest event in Hungerford and was originally set up to provide a thank-you from the businesses in town for the support and custom of the local populace. Shiny Days - Catering for all As a parent of a child with Down's Syndrome and as a Makaton tutor Caroline Wheeler Evans plans to hold an outside event for people with additional needs, their friends and families. The event will have with music, inclusive entertainment, carefully considered

“I am very aware that often families feel unable to attend public events due to lack of amenities, safety and acceptance. There are many events, festivals and activities that are completely out of reach to many people with additional needs.” The aim is to give these families an opportunity to celebrate their lives, give inspiration and a day where they can go with like minded people to relax, indulge and most importantly have FUN!

Swansea Business Improvement District/ The Big Heart of Swansea - A Successful BID embracing change

Swansea BID has just secured a 2nd renewal ballot and will begin its new term in Feb 2017, and at an exciting time in for Swansea city centre where 4.5 Billion pounds worth of regeneration projects are about to begin. Swansea BID are about to embark on a B2B strategy using technology as the key driver for communications and engagement. This will allow them to communicate with businesses about the regeneration timeline, impact on trade and ensure existing businesses and the BID area’s economy and vibrancy continues to grow. http://swanseabid.co.uk/ FB: SwanseaBID | thebigheartofswansea

Welshpool - If you build it, they will come! A 3 day weekend of 1940’s reenactments, a big band dance, vintage singers, civilian & military vehicles of

the era including a Spitfire aeroplane, displays and exhibitions of memorabilia / fashions of the period all attract several thousand people from various parts of the UK and with this bring additional trade into the town centre businesses as well as to local accommodation providers, campsites etc. Thanks to David Alan Crowe of Welshpool and a number of local businesses, organisations and voluntary groups including Royal British Legion and Oldford Tenants & Residents Group, this growing event will be in its third year in 2017 and the biggest yet!

Willesden Green Town Team - A kind gesture sparked a bright idea to light up Willesden Green Due to a kind local resident of Willesden Green (who wishes to remain anonymous ) donating a Christmas tree to Willesden Green Town Team, the Team decided to start up a fund to Light Up Willesden Green for the festive season. The donor then doubled the amount they had offered!

The fund is still running and more money is still coming in - They now have over £900 donated by their community and will be decorating a Christmas tree for the entrance area to Willesden Green Tube Station and putting lighting on as many trees along the high road as they can afford. These lights will remain in the trees all year and will be available to be used by other organisations for their events. Their aim is by next year to have raised enough funds to light up all the trees along a long high road, about 60+ trees, to create a Willesden Green Fairyland!

Gloucester Road Art Banners

Sarah Thorp, owner of Room 212 Art Gallery, also the HQ of Gloucester Road Central, Bristol, is the energy behind many exciting projects that have been happening on the Gloucester Road and she has come up with a new idea! The exciting project involves putting giant Gloucester Road Art Banners on lamp posts all along the high street. The banners will be about 2 metres high with different artworks on either side depicting all the great things about the high street and community. The banners will have Gloucester Road written along the bottom and a word that conjures up something about the area at the top, for example “Famous....Gloucester Road”, “Love.... Gloucester Road”, “Community.... Gloucester Road”. She realised that traders and customers would like more art on the street. The hope is that the banners will encourage people to wander the high street, enjoy the art and independent shops, businesses, bars, cafes and friendly community. The banners could possibly be the longest outdoor art exhibition in the world. If successful, the

Gloucester Road Art Banners can be a model for other town centres and high streets. Word has spread amongst the Bristol art community with postcards given out at studios, colleges and art galleries. Artist submissions are coming in and some well known artists have confirmed they will be putting forward artwork. Local school, Bishop Road School, will be running a programme of activities with the children to produce artwork for the banners as two of the teachers are also artists at Room 212. Other local schools are encouraged to join in and the Bristol School of Art and UWE are spreading the word amongst their art students. There are plans to create big wheelie bin stickers using the Gloucester Road Art Banners images and Kendall Harper Estate Agents have said they will sponsor them. Wheelie bin stickers are a great way to identify your bin and can cheer up the look of the street on bin day

while reminding people of the great things about our high street. Two thirds of the project is being funded by Gloucester Road BID traders and the local Neighbourhood Partnership with help from North Bristol Artists. However the final third (about £10,000) will have to be raised through crowdfunding. It is hoped that traders outside the BID area will also contribute. The local community is hugely supportive of the Gloucester Road and involving school children should ensure commitment from local families. About 60 artists should be involved in the project so these networks can be tapped into. Rewards for the Crowdfunding can be wheelie bin stickers, artist prints and original artworks plus offers made by Gloucester Road traders. www.glosrdcentral.co.uk www.facebook.com/GlosRdCentral

and an ageing population meant it was important to improve the ease of access to the upper high street.

Prestatyn High Street faced many challenges when a retail park was built in the town. by Dr James Davies MP The development of a retail park threatened Prestatyn high street, when the flow of traffic was now being diverted away from the main high street meaning that shoppers could visit the shopping park without having to come in to the high street. And as a result it was reported that footfall and traffic flows had reduced dramatically at the top of the high street. This together with a relatively steep incline to the high street

Prestatyn Town Council subsidised 4 hour free parking in a car park at the top of the high street. Public bus companies were also approached to reroute their bus services to include driving up the high street and a bus stop was built at the top of the high street. On street parking has been increased from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Focus was also placed on encouraging visitors to the town to circulate the full high street. Prestatyn featured in ‘Holiday on the Buses’ and so a Routemaster bus was brought to the town throughout the summer months providing a free circular bus route that connected the upper high street with the beach, various holiday parks, bus station and train station. Totally Locally Scheme - ‘use it or lose it’. Research was carried out and found that 75% of profits were made during the tourist season and so a

marketing campaign was carried out with the Totally Locally scheme to encourage locals to use their high street independent businesses. Business put on offers specifically for local people, leaflets were produced and social media was utilised to advertise the offers and an emotive campaign with the message ‘use it or lose it’. Social Media: ‘Business in the Spotlight’ A campaign highlighting one business a week on the town’s social media pages and website was carried out. Events Calendar: A variety of events aimed at differing target markets were organised to attract people to the high street and treasure hunts were also put on to encourage them to circulate throughout the entire high street and visit different shops increasing incidental sales. A number of events were based at the top of the high street creating additional promotion for this section of the town in the lead up to the event. The events helped to create a buzz within the town, attracted people to visit the high street and made it a community

hub for all ages. Aesthetics of the upper high street were also taken into account to ensure a clean, welcoming, attractive area. Window vinyls were places on untidy, vacant units to support surrounding businesses and to improve the overall attractiveness of the area. Enforcement was also increased on shutters that were on shops without planning permission. The shutters were untidy and damaged the streetscape it was also felt that they increased the fear of crime. Floral displays were also used at the top of the high street which were sponsored by Prestatyn Business Forum. Street furniture was improved and additional seating was installed which would allow for people to rest as required when walking up the high street. The Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail spans the length of the high street and so acorn plaques were installed on the lamp posts to signpost walkers down the high street to the end of the Offa’s Dyke Path at the beach. Signage was improved including

traditional finger posts throughout the town pointing to various attractions and highlighting the upper high street. A town map was developed which was displayed in shop window and also put in boards on the retail park to advertise the whole length of the high street. Bunting has been placed at the upper end of the high street with the aim of drawing the eye line up the high street and to help show that there are more things to see by continuing to walk up the high street. Prestatyn has prioritised entering various competitions such as Wales in Bloom, Britain in Bloom, International Communities in Bloom, The Great British High Street and the Healthy High Street. These competitions assist in synergising the whole town and generating positive news stories, encouraging people to vote for Prestatyn and help to increase civic pride. Meetings have also been set up regularly between various stakeholders including Town and County Councils, community

groups, independent businesses, event organisers and national high street chains. These meetings helped to get the whole high street working together and ensured that businesses were up selling all local businesses. Prestatyn has also recently had a re-brand to show off all the different aspects on offer in the town. The brand has been created so that it can be used by all differing businesses and community groups equally. It represents the traditional seaside fun with the modern additions that have recently been developed. Along with the rebrand a video has been created to show off the town and this video is circulated to various tourist information centres and is shown in the local cinema before every film is show. This is Prestatyn: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=iP77Lo8GteI

Legendary Places Conference 2017 Date: 2nd & 3rd March 2017

Venue: Vale Royal Abbey, Whitegate, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 2BA

Working Agenda to include: Keynote speakers Simon Quin: Director of the Institute of Place Management. Talking about Big Data in Small Places Philip Prentice: Chief Officer of Scotland Town Partnership: What is happening in Scotland’s Places? Joe Barratt: Co founder of The Teenage Markets Kim Cassidy: Professor of Services Marketing at Nottingham Trent University Networking Due to popular demand there will be

plenty of time to network and connect with other people passionate about place. Showcasing Local Legends Our Local Legends will be showcasing their work. These interactive sessions are designed to both highlight great projects and allow others to learn from them. Awards Dinner Drinks reception followed by a three course evening meal, more time to connect with others and for the winning local legends to be awarded Prizes.

Ticket Price Revive & Thrive Members: FREE (Just a £10 registration fee to secure your place) Non Members: £52+VAT Local Legends: One free ticket and 20% off additional tickets. Additional tickets £41.60 Awards Dinner: £30 +VAT Exhibitors: Members £500 Non Members £750 (free 1 page advert on the next two issues of Place Magazine) Sponsorship: Sponsor this event for £1000. Sponsors will get a premium position at the event, a double page spread in Place magazine for three months and an opportunity to speak at the event)

Recommended Hotel & Travel for those attending Legendary Places Conference All located within a 5 mile radius of Vale Royal Abbey. The Blue Cap (Premier Inn) Sandiway, Cheshire, CW8 2BD. Tel: 01606 880700 www.premierinn.com Wall Hill Farm Guest House Acton Lane, Acton Bridge, Northwich, Cheshire. Tel: 01606 852654 www.wallhillfarmguesthouse.co.uk

Premier Travel Inn (The Woodpecker)

The Hollies Forest Lodge

London Road, Northwich, Cheshire.

Forest Road, Little Budworth, Tarporley,

Tel: 0870 990 6362

CW6 9ES

www.premierinn.com

Tel: 01829 760761 www.theholliesfarmshop.com

The Holly Bush Smithy Lane, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 4QY 01606 853196 www.thehollybush.net Nunsmere Hall Tarporley Road, Oakmere, Cheshire, CW8 2ES. Tel: 01606 889100

Hartford Hall Hotel 81 School Lane, Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 1PW. Tel: 01606 786400 www.hartfordhallpub.co.uk

www.nunsmere.co.uk

Recommended Travel & Transport Whitegate Travel Coach & Minibus Hire Tel: 01606 786833 Club Class 24-7 Taxis Northwich 01606 46666

Travelodge Cheshire Business Park, Manchester Road, Northwich, CW9 7UA Tel: 0871 984 6484 www.travelodge.co.uk

We would like to thank our sponsors of the Legendary Places Conference PinPointer: Putting brands in the right places…the very best place they can be to attract the customers they want. PinPointer are leaders in ‘Location DNA’, a new way to make outdoor promotions more effective than ever. Not only do they know the UK’s top promotional locations, they mine the data around them to deliver the demographic, footfall and customer insights that let brands build profits from places. Blachere: As a major global player in the marketplace, Blachère has the resources and infrastructure to deliver projects of the highest quality. You can rely on Blachère to deliver on its promises and make things happen for you year after year. We deliver the whole package: from creative design to installation and storage, we create and deliver complete illumination concepts with an unrivalled service. Our vision for Northwich is to create a destination of choice for residents, visitors, employees, shoppers & service users and to make Northwich a location where business and the community can thrive. The BID aims to position Northwich as a vibrant, exciting and successful retail and cultural area where people of all ages choose to visit and spend in our shops, on our professional business services, in our restaurants, leisure outlets and visitor attractions.

Revive & Thrive Membership starts at £110 for individuals and only £345 for a whole town so why not join today and attend all our events and campaigns for FREE Visit www.reviveandthrive.co.uk for more information

Tickets Now Available>>

this we have delivered and continue to plan a number of projects and services to support Northwich. These include Marketing and PR initiatives, Public Realm Improvements, Events and Festivals, links to the Community, Crime and Prevention initiatives and Business Support packages.

Northwich

Northwich is a market town which is about 18 miles from Chester and 15 miles south of Warrington. The town sits as a hub within open green space, a number of Heritage assets and is made up of a traditional High Street. In addition the Council is currently undertaking the redevelopment of Barons Quay, an area which is a 26 acre site next to the town centre and adjacent to the River Weaver. This will provide a new cinema, shops, restaurants and supermarket. There has been a great deal of change within the town centre through major regeneration projects over the last 2 years which has impacted on business and the local community - Reduced car parking spaces, road works, trading hours, lack of evening economy and public realm work. The Northwich Business Improvement District whilst in its third year of delivery has taken great steps by delivering added value projects and services into Northwich to support the town through a period of change. It is the BIDs aspiration to place Northwich firmly back on the map as a destination of choice for Retail, Leisure and Culture. To do this

Where we can we deliver our projects through partnership working, whether this is with the local authority, town council, the private sector or the local community. The buy in from our partners and stakeholders has demonstrated that we can achieve greater “buy in” and economy of scale, whilst delivering “excellence”. Some examples of the projects delivered in 2016 have included the installation of a Pocket Park on a piece of “scrubland” at a key gateway to the town. Delivering the Easter, Summer and Christmas Extravaganzas, the installation of a walled garden feature on hoarding in the traditional High Street by Revive and Thrive partner City Dressing, investments in additional hanging baskets and planting features across the town, investments in Christmas lighting, delivering a suite of training courses and seminars to our businesses including Visual Merchandising support from Revive and Thrive partner Make you Look and developing relationships with our local policing team. We have made some excellent progress with the projects we have delivered in 2016, but there is much more to be done. Planned projects for 2017 include creating a hard copy and electronic copy visitor’s guide for Northwich, further investments into PR and Marketing

campaigns, additional investments into a greener and cleaner theme, with links to our Green Infrastructure audit, further investments into training courses and seminars to up skill our existing workforce, building on our relationships with the local community, including community groups, local schools and colleges and our local residents. Some of the outcomes we have achieved are: • The installation of Pocket Park has created a green open space that can be enjoyed by all. The park has been utilised to provide creative street performance at our events, whilst also providing the community with a peaceful heaven • Our events and festivals have seen a huge increase on footfall in the town centre. The recent Christmas Extravaganza saw footfall increase by 54% on the previous Saturday and some of our national retailers reported a 30-40% increase in sales, with our independents reporting an increase of 20-50%. The events bring a great sense of community to the town centre. The events also have supported with showcasing our businesses. • The partnership between the BID and Cheshire Police has seen shoplifting reduce in the town centre by 42% • The Visit Northwich marketing strategy goes from strength to strength with our social media presence on Facebook now reaching over 75,000 people a week. Our press releases have featured in local, regional and national media coverage.

Don’t work in isolation join Revive & Thrive Membership 2017

Be a part of a national network of place practitioners, BIDs, Councils, businesses and passionate people that facilitates discussion, learning, networking and up to date policy so that you can do your job supported and no longer in isolation. As a place management professional, business or passionate resident, becoming a member of Revive & Thrive will provide you with regular networking opportunities, monthly updates on policy and how this will affect your work. We will promote your

work, events and projects via our monthly Place magazine, website and social media. Our new distinct memberships will provide you with free and easy access to all Revive & Thrive events and competitions and information and advice.

Benefits include: FREE entry to all our events, campaigns and conferences •

National and regional networking events covering issues and policy affecting your place



A single voice to lobby for positive change nationally



Unlimited access to Revive & Thrive’s Non-Executive Board, steering Group, Regional Advisors and Expert Panel



Exclusive member only updates



Promote your place and BID by writing free articles for monthly Place magazine



Updates on the latest technologies and solutions for places



Discounts and special offers from our Place Solution Members



Place Magazine: 50% discounts on advertising in Place Magazine



Recruitment Service: Target your advert specifically at experienced place management and Business Improvement District professionals

Prices Individual Membership: £110+VAT Places Membership: £345+VAT Super Places Membership (BIDs with a levy of over £500,00): £545+VAT Multi Place Membership (4 towns): £1195 +VAT Place Solution Membership: £495+VAT

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vouchers and litter. The idea is that town centre retailers and businesses can display their latest products and services, and offer vouchers which shoppers can print out and use.

Mansfield BID is embarking on an exciting project Mansfield has become just one of three areas selected to trial innovative new interactive Touchpoint technology that aims to bring more people into town centres and provide intelligent data to the businesses engaged in the scheme. The BID was successful in being selected by Rewarding Visits to be a candidate town to install digital Touchpoints later this year, as part of the £1M Reimagining the High Street competition thanks to the town leading the way on digital and physical interaction. This high profile project is intended to help boost trade within Mansfield town centre, stimulate repeat visits, connect retailers digitally with their anonymous customers and develop the BID’s own database of town users. They hope that by giving the town digital tools to compete it will counteract online and out-of-town competitors. Seven Touchpoint units are to be installed in the town centre, which will combine display screens and voucher printers. Vouchers can display any promotional deal the retailer wishes, to run for as long as they want, with their own terms and conditions. Every retailer can potentially accept a voucher, and shoppers find them easy to use and understand. Each user can see the voucher displayed on the Touchpoint screen, so they can read and review the deal before printing, reducing wasted

To print out a voucher, shoppers will need a new I Love Mansfield card, which will replace the current I Love Mansfield privilege cards. The screens will be located in accessible points across the town, including the Four Seasons Shopping Centre, the bus station, the Library and at Vision West Notts College which will encourage the younger generation to shop local. The technology also means that an app for mobile devices will be developed, which means people will be able to see what the offers are and come into the town centre to print off the vouchers. The Touchpoint locations have been approved and the kits are due to be installed mid-January ready for a two week test period. The scheme is then going to be launched week commencing 6th February 2017 themed around I Love Mansfield and Valentine’s Day. Results/ intended results Touchpoints include digital information screens advertising local offers from participating retailers and raising awareness of the local scheme. Touchpoints work equally well with a contactless card or a smartphone app, so it is accessible to all ages and engages with citizens at all levels of digital preference. The hope is that the new technology and branding of the I Love Mansfield card will bring new life and vigour to the scheme. It will also engage all ages, particularly with the college working so closely with the BID. It will allow the BID to gain new clean intelligent data allowing it to target audiences and understand further

shopping habits of its catchment. The ability to use the screens to promote live community messages is very useful. For example having a further free way to let visitors know about events and activities taking place in the town has a great advantage, particularly at high footfall locations. The scheme will also enable all consumer facing physical businesses in the BID boundary to participate. The key categories are Shopping, Eating & Drinking, Health & Beauty, Entertainment and Services. From their online dashboard, each business will be able to create vouchers to be previewed on the app and printed from the Touchpoint. The retailer gets data indicating how many vouchers are printed off and is able to communicate through the Rewarding Visits platform to their customers who obtain them. Armed with this previously unavailable digital information, each Mansfield retailer will have the same marketing capability as their online counterparts and out of town superstore rivals. Along with this ability and to have an equal marketing arena it firstly promotes the town as a diverse destination to visit, but also puts all retailers (independent and national) and all sectors on an equal field to promote themselves and use intelligent data to design their own marketing campaigns. A further aim is to ignite excitement in retailers, particularly in a gloomy time of the year, the slump after the New Year sales. Mansfield BID hopes that the new power of this project will encourage retailers who traditionally have not engaged with them to see the power of a great project and take part, opening up better communication lines with the BID. http://www.mansfieldbid.com/

The partnership is extensive, comprising Walsall Council, 200 Aldridge businesses, national community groups, Scouts, Guides, Rainbows, Air Cadets, Walsall College, local community groups, the police, fire brigade and local residents They worked together to achieve their mission by addressing five key themes: 1) Business Partnership Development and Business Support: develop the business partnership to enable them to deliver and support a range of projects to improve the vitality and viability of the village. 2)Regeneration: supporting new businesses and job creation; improving the business mix and regeneration in the village by encouraging greater development and investment.

An inspirational Aldridge Village Partnership Aldridge Village Partnership is a perfect example of an how working in collaboration can achieve inspirational results. Aldridge Village Partnership came up with a mission: “To improve the economic viability and vitality of Aldridge for all who work, live or visit there through an effective public, private, and voluntary sector partnership.”

3)Public Realm and Environment: to establish and maintain a high quality, attractive environment for all who visit, work or live in the village. 4)Events and Marketing: to market and promote the village to shoppers, visitors, and potential investors, developing a shared positive image. 5) Community Safety: to establish a safe and secure village centre environment for all who use it including business and property owners. And together, under every theme, an enormous amount has been achieved. By delivering a wide range of projects that supported the most vulnerable

small businesses within Aldridge they reduced business closures and improved vacancy rates to an all time low of 2 percent. They delivered Business Partnership Development and Business Support, including free training from social media to fire risk assessments, in doing so generating over £20,000 in external funding and creating and sustaining jobs within the village centre. The Partnership worked with landlords to enhance the the town centre and to refurbish The Square in Aldridge Shopping Centre at a cost of £200,000. They installed statues to commemorate significant local people. http://www.walsall.gov.uk/ They installed new planted areas, better pathways, seating, bins and developed a heritage trail within the town and to top it off they achieved Gold in Britain In Bloom for 2017. The Partnership held, bringing in on average 30,000 visitors. They communicated with local residents by using social media and with their Amazing Aldridge Booklets which over the last three years have been delivered to over 90,000 people. Liaising with partners to target business crime and ASB was helped by introducing Radio Link to target shoplifting and offer support for independent lone workers.

Wimborne BID Introduction

Having just started our second term, the Wimborne BID finds itself in a pleasing position in respect of hugely positive relationships with other organisations working in Wimborne Minster. A great deal of effort and focus on cooperation has allowed us to nurture and cultivate positive relationships with local councils, business organisations and others who deliver services into Wimborne Minster. By being a statutory body and having financial influence, BIDs are in an ideal place to carry influence in the communities in which they operate. By

working with relevant groups, a BID can be more effective in delivering projects and in generally making a case for the businesses in the BID area. The purpose of this case study is to give a brief overview of how we have overcome initial challenges and cultivated these relationships, how they help Wimborne Minster to thrive and what we have learned from our experiences. We are happy to answer questions, please feel free to email [email protected]. We hope that some of our methods are helpful to those wishing to build better relationships within their localities. Not all Plain Sailing

The Wimborne BID has not always enjoyed good working relationships with our partners. In the first term of the BID there was a definite mistrust between different organisations in the town. Some in the BID were distrustful of Councils and distanced the BID from all three council bodies serving Wimborne Minster, namely Wimborne Minster Town Council (WMTC), East Dorset District Council (EDDC), and Dorset County Council (DCC). The Wimborne Minster Chamber of Trade and Commerce (CoT) was distrustful of the BID and in some cases worked actively to undermine the BID. We had no relationship with the police, the Minster, Tourist Information Centre – all vital groups within the town – and with large chunks of levy payers, such as those in the Riverside Park (Riverside Park is a business park which was included in the BID boundary but was largely ignored during the first term). The consequences were that it was more challenging to deliver projects for example a simple street sign took almost 18 months to be placed because of the lack of communication and

contacts between the BID, the planning permission department at EDDC and the Highways department at DCC. Work was often duplicated, with other organisations working towards similar goals but without consulting. This caused confusion in many areas as different groups were trying to do similar things, but in a disjointed way. This also led to additional costs, wasted time and poor relationships. In the case of levy payers, the lack of BID engagement caused a negative feeling and, in some cases, hugely vocal criticisms and accusations which have taken years to resolve. Myths about the fairness of the initial BID Ballot were still being put to bed in the run up to the renewal ballot four years later. Over the past two or three years, the BID Team, having undergone changes in the Board, have worked incredibly hard to rebuild relationships where they were damaged and to establish contact where there was none. In the latter, it has largely taken just one visit or telephone call to reach out and open a discussion. In the case of the former it has taken a determined and unceasing effort to build trust. In the case of Riverside, we have committed a ring-fenced spend in that area in order to help build confidence among the levy payers there. The key has been discussion, consultation and inclusion, or as we put it in the run up to the renewal ballot, cooperation, collaboration, cohesion. Key Relationships The Wimborne BID has built a complex network of groups with which we collaborate. The key bodies are:









EDDC - As the local authority overseeing the BID, it is vital that the BID has a positive relationship with EDDC. They are responsible for collecting the BID Levy and manage areas such as planning permission. We work with them on issues of infrastructure, licencing and town planning WMTC - We work with WMTC largely on town maintenance and town centre issues. This started initially as part of the Town Centre Liaison Group (TCLG) which was established with representatives of the BID, WMTC and CoT to manage the pedestrianised Town Square, but has since developed into a forum which deals with general town centre issues. CoT - As one of the business groups working in Wimborne Minster, it is natural that the BID should seek to work with the CoT. Since the successful BID renewal ballot the CoT has relaunched itself somewhat and we seek to work with them in areas of networking events and having an independent organisation to help monitor the BIDs progress. The CoT is a hugely respected organisation in the business community, and by working together we make a formidable case for business. Levy Payers - Businesses who pay the BID levy are vital to the success of the BID. It is for them that the BID exists and it is vital for a BID to consult, listen and act in the best interests of the business community. This is not always the same thing as working in the interests of individual businesses, and this occasionally causes friction. We position the BID as working on behalf of the



town – creating a clean, pleasant, safe, well-advertised environment, with events that attract people into town, but make it clear that businesses themselves need to take advantage. Dorset County Council - We are building an increasingly strong relationship with DCC through local councillors and helpful officers. A key here is to know who to speak to and who to build the relationship with.

How we built relationships Vision 2020 In late 2014 WMTC, CoT and the BID agreed that there would be benefit in defining a single vision that all organisations working for Wimborne could align to, and a consultation was set up to gather input into that vision. The consultation, delivered using SurveyMonkey, ran during April and May 2015. 78 BID levy payers responded. The resulting Vision 2020 included areas covered by the EDDC Core strategy, and was discussed with the TCLG. The Vision was a set of about positioning the town that everyone could sign up to. The paper set out: • •

A draft vision for Wimborne, derived from the consultation and other inputs A summary of the consultation responses.

The document had the effects of: • Galvanising action by giving clear achievable goals • Reducing duplication as groups started pulling in the same direction



Providing a stake in achieving the principles set out in the Vision for all those who took part.

BID Governance The BID places such a big focus on collaborating with others that “working together” was included in the renewal business plan as its own project strand. As part of this focus the BID invited WMTC, CoT and EDDC to take standing places in the second term of the BID. The CoT declined this offer over concerns that their organisation would be “absorbed” by the BID. At this stage we had already come a long way in achieving full support for the BID renewal from the CoT, and since the BID renewal the Chamber has developed a role for itself in the business community as a partner of the BID. WMTC and EDDC took up positions on the BID board and therefore we have a direct line of communication to these authorities and those authorities have the influence of a voting member of the BID board. There are two members of the CoT Committee on the BID Board. One was elected as a levy-payer voted Director; the BID Chairman was elected onto the CoT Committee by Chamber members, and is the CoT Treasurer. Strategic Forum In addition to places on the BID board, the BID have developed a strategic forum including representatives of the BID, EDDC and WMTC to discuss town infrastructure and planning issues, such as the regeneration of Crown Mead, a rather run down area of a very beautiful town. Joining others In addition to asking other groups to join the BID Board, The BID has a member on the CoT committee and in other groups, such as the Wimborne History Festival, a collaboration which in itself has led to a discussion between the main festival organisers of the town about how resources can be shared.

Where we are now • • • •

• • •

Great relationship with EDDC, who are the point of contact for town and businesses. Great relationship with WMTC, who work with us for the town. Good relationship with DCC, who we can contact when needed. Good relationships with other organisations who have an interest in the town such as Wimborne in Bloom, Wimborne Minster Church, Tourist Information Centre, Dorset Waste Partnership, the Police etc) and with other BIDs in the district. Good relationship with Festivals. Reasonable relationship with CoT. Good relationship with most levy payers, although there is a vocal negative minority.

Where next In the next four and a half years, and hopefully beyond, the Wimborne BID will continue to retain and strengthen the relationships we have already developed. We will work increasingly with local authorities, festivals, community groups and others to deliver our business plan and make improvements in the town. We will focus on building relationships with organisations where we currently have no contact. Lessons We have learned a great deal about building relationships in place management, sometimes the hard way. Here are a few thoughts. • Taking the time In the first few years of the BID some organisations who were vital to the delivery of BID objectives were not even contacted, and there were areas where it was considered that nothing could be done. There is no blame here as in the first years of the BID there was

no capacity to build relationships. No one had time to visit levy payers, meet with local authorities and other groups. This is the case for many BIDs with a relatively small income, but it is vital. Pick up the telephone, go and visit, put a face to the name. • All of the people You can’t please everyone all of the time. Not everything a BID does will be considered an improvement, and often projects will be criticised, sometimes heavily so. What is good for some businesses will not be good for others. Some businesses will not or don’t know how to take advantage of BID initiatives. Sometimes you can help, sometimes you can’t. (To quote one friendly levy payer: “it’s really hard to communicate with someone when they don’t look at their emails or read your newsletter”.) • Keep true to your beliefs The BID has a commitment to deliver the business plan on which it was elected, and that business plan was based on hours of consultation, hundreds of discussions, meticulous research, pages of documentation, expertise, thought and over a year in preparation. When the BID says “we believe events are good for the town” we know this belief to be true. It is vital that everyone involved in the BID talks positively about principles on which we have committed to delivering projects. Listening to those who disagree is vital, but knowing where we are heading and why is equally so. •

Work with those that share our vision We are interested in working with groups that share our objectives. Wimborne Minster is an amazing place with so many community organisations all working towards the improvement of the town, whether they are a community centre or a local authority, a business or a club, we all want Wimborne to be the best it can be. If we all work towards the same goals, imagine what we can achieve.

businesses in the town. Having attended various Wimborne BID meetings, about Events and general activity within the town, we thought that the idea could be one that the whole town could really get behind and put Wimborne on the map… locally, nationally and internationally.

Challenge Wimborne 2016 The Longest Line of Books

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE IDEA In June 2015, we opened The Short & Sweet Company in Mill Lane, Wimborne. We are a Juices / Smoothies / Shakes & Sourdough Café, with a focus on fresh & healthy products. Our customer demographic ranges from 5 – 85 years old and so we have a broad appeal to a wide number of people. We have been operating The Short & Sweet Co. for nearly a year and we have enjoyed being part of the events that are already established in Wimborne, having produced our own events in store to complement the events happening within the town. The range of cultural & community events are one of the reasons we chose to base our business in Wimborne. It appeals to us as much as it does visitors to the area. WHY: THE IDEA BEHIND THE EVENT After spending a year doing events in our own shop, we wanted to create a new yearly event for Wimborne to fill the gap in the events calendar that appears in July / August. We put our heads together and at the time of discussion, the Wimborne Literary Festival, now in its 4th year, was coming up and we thought it would be relatively simple to do a book related event, such as a book sale/ market, with the aim of generating funds for our business precinct. The ultimate aim was to get the area smartened up and produce some new marketing signage and try to give our area a brand identity. The immediate response from our business neighbours was negligible so we decided to expand the scope and do the event on our own. After some discussion, followed by some inevitable internet research, it transpired that no-one holds the record for The Longest

Line of Books. In fact, it had never been attempted, according to Guinness BoWR. We were surprised; it seems a relatively simple idea, and one that could involve a large part of the town centre, and involve as many people and community groups & clubs as possible. Plus, the item we were requiring would be readily available in most households. Everyone has books. I had 180 we could donate and didn’t even count all the shelves! Wimborne has a Business Improvement District (BID), which is essentially a town management committee that works outside of, and alongside, the council and can provide funding, if applied for, for any type of event, as long as it benefits the town. The BID themselves do not do their own events, but encourage events to be created by the

The idea was presented to the Town management on 9th May 2016 at a Wimborne BID meeting and was well received by the businesses represented and followed up with a meeting presenting it to the town and its residents on the 25th May. It was on this date that we officially launched Challenge Wimborne 2016 / The Longest Line of Books! The aims of the event were: To break / set a new World Record. To Engage with the community – Businesses & Residents alike. To Involve as many people as possible, from all areas of the community. To Inspire somebody to create another event in 2017… THE ORGANISATION & LOGISTICS: We split the event into three phases: Phase 1 – The Collection of the books.

Target: 15000 based on 6 books per metre with a target distance of 2500m. Phase 2 – The Attempt, planned for Sunday 31st July 2016, a mere 67 days away. A back up date of Sunday 7th August was planned in case of unsuitable weather. Phase 3 – The Legacy. Where the books used in the record would end up? How could it benefit the community? Where would the money raised be used most effectively? What cause or social issue can it promote or address? PHASE 1: THE BOOKS The obvious question that was raised was where to get the books from? What had seemed so simple initially presented a bit of a problem. Our own customer base helped to a degree with donations from them as a result of house clearances & moves etc… but the initial yield was about 200 per week and we needed 250 per day! At that rate we would need to be doing the event next year! It simply wasn’t the volume of donations we required so action was needed. Approximately three weeks into phase 1, we had collected just 600 books. Donations alone were not going to do it, plus the community wasn’t really sure what we trying to do, and more importantly, why we were doing it! Wimborne, like many towns, has one

thing on the high street that have thousands of books. Charity Shops. So I approached all ten of the shops here in Wimborne. Of the ten, only two were interested in helping, seeing the idea & the problem immediately. It was a mutually beneficial situation as the two shops, Lewis-Manning Trust on East St, and DeBRA on Crown Mead, both receive huge volumes of donations per week, too many for them to utilise as intended. Both shops filtered the best books for their shops, usually standard fiction books as these are easily stored and they sell relatively quickly, keeping up with the volumes of donations. The other books, usually larger reference style books, or non-fiction were collected twice a week by a local book recycler. Approximately 2000 books per week were filtered out this way. This spare volume would help us reach our targets much quicker, plus it gave us a huge variety of books that we could sell post event to generate funds, as was the original idea. So, immediately we started collecting books from these two sources and the figures started to leap up. The only drawback was that they did not come easily and simply packaged, sorted for size & genre etc… that had to be done by us, predominantly myself as Jen was six months pregnant at the time and she was busy running our shop whilst I was on my knees outside, sorting and

packing books. All in the summer, and mostly in the school holidays, so we were hot & busy. Every day. For 6 weeks. In amongst all our own activity, we had met with a number of groups in Wimborne, all of which wanted to be involved in the record attempt. We had Wimborne Rainbows, Brownies & Guides collecting books as part of a Community Badge, eventually collecting & donating over 500 books. The Wimborne branch of The Royal Air Force Association donated over 300 books to the line, having asked if they could take part in the day, raising awareness & funds for their charity RAFA. Two Wimborne Schools, both of which we had existing links with, had full library refurbishments planned for the summer and so donated their remaining, and aging, stock to the line. St Catherine’s & Colehill First School each contributing approximately 2000 books each. These books would have significance after the event as a percentage were then donated to AdventureAid, another charity in Wimborne, to help with their efforts in Nepal helping children in their schools learn English. Several home collections from customers who, through the various media publicity, called us and offered us their own books. These donors tended to be

elderly and unable to get into us with heavy books so were more than happy to collect from them. This added up to about 1000 books in total from about 15 donors.

as we had storage facility offered to us: V&A Discount Warehouse on Mill Lane gave us their first floor which in the end held the bulk of the books collected, approximately 8000 or so.

Several businesses and sponsors also acted as Book Drop Points, collecting books from their own customer bases through Phase 1, collecting about 500 between them all.

The Allendale Community Centre on Hanham Road who were unable to involved in the actual event on the day, so they gave us their under stage storage as well as acting a Book Drop Point, collecting 1000 books and eventually storing 4000 books. The Allendale also hosted our two community meetings prior to the events and our post-event book sales.

The local museum, The Priest’s House, got involved as they also have thousands of books in their bookshop, one of the main ways that they generate funds. They got involved and lent us 500 books for the line and then had a book sale on the day, generating funds from the event. Plus all the community donations from various people who had seen the event publicised in the local media which kept trickling in all the way to the Collection Cut-off date of July 23rd. Even so, we had donations coming in all the way through the following week, giving us an approximate total of 16,000 books, even more than we had originally asked for! BOOK STORAGE: The books were stored in three places,

Our own shop on Mill Lane is quite small but at points we filled it with books in order to achieve the target. On July 20th, Jen’s birthday, we spent 2.5 hours emptying the shop into our own garage at home, eventually storing about 4000 books in there. PHASE 2: THE RECORD ATTEMPT WHO BROKE THE RECORD The record attempt was created, organised, designed and managed by Daniel Hancock & Jennifer Ormond of The Short & Sweet Company on Mill Lane, Wimborne.

We created Challenge Wimborne, the official name of the event, and run it alongside our main business. We had always planned to add an Events division to our company, as we have extensive experience in this area. This event would be a launch for that also. We worked in association with a number of Wimborne businesses, who primarily supported the infrastructure of the event by supplying storage, transport and funding through sponsorship, as well as media production and associated print media. Sponsors were invited to be directly involved in the laying of the books, we wanted them involved, not simply giving us sponsorship and letting us do all the work! Wimborne BID (Business Improvement District) part funded the event and were involved the event, but not involved in its planning or management, though their advice & help was sought on a number of town management issues. The BID Chairman, Ian Faulkner, and BID Manager Tammy Sleet were both involved on the day. The books were laid by 40 volunteers from the community, all of which got involved due to their relationship with us through the shop, or were interested in the unique nature of the event. The books were distributed around the route by volunteers also. WHEN DID THE ATTEMPT TAKE PLACE: The record attempt was organised to take place on Sunday 31st July 2016, with a back-up date of Sunday 7th August, in case of unfavourable weather conditions. The venue was the town of Wimborne Minster, Dorset, UK and encompassed the majority of the town centre’s streets and public parks, including the internal space of Wimborne Library. On Sunday 31st July 2016, the weather was excellent and so the volunteers assembled as planned at 7.45am for a team briefing prior to the event starting. We closed the roads in Wimborne at 8am, as scheduled, and once that was completed we started delivering books to the sections around the 2km route. The books started to be laid at approximately 8.15am.

An initial test measurement of the route revealed a minimum distance of 1,965m around the streets and urban environment of Wimborne. This equated to approximately 12,000 books and we had at least 15,000 in storage, so we knew that we had the option to extend the route where possible. By 10.30am the original line was completed and the decision was made to extend it through several of the sections, adding another 300 – 400 metres to the line to take it over the 2000m mark. This doesn’t sound like a lot but it equated to another 2,400 books, all of which were scattered through the town, requiring several van & trolley runs to get them to the required areas. By now, the sun was up and the interested visitors were asking questions of the volunteers and so things inevitably slowed down. By 11.30 the line was as complete as we could make it, despite having 2000 more books in storage. At 11.35am, Peter May, the official surveyor / measurer, started his measure of the line from the start line on Mill Lane. He was using a Roadwheel / Pediwheel measuring wheel that we purchased direct from ScrewFix. It was measured in the Metric system. A test calibration of the wheel proved it to be accurate. A Go-Pro camera was attached to the pediwheel and footage of the measure was recorded. It is listed in the documents. The surveyor followed the route as closely as possible as the line had been placed quite tightly to buildings and other obstructions in places. The footage clearly shows The Surveyor accommodating the nuances of the route and its urban environment very well and is as accurate a recording of the line as he could manage. The vast majority of the line is straightforward and the difficult areas were minimised. THE FINAL MEASUREMENT: The final measurement was announced by Peter May to be 2263.6 metres. The measure was witnessed by Dave Parsons & Imad Mirza, contact details supplied. The item count determined that 13,410

books had been used in the line. The minimum distance required was stated as 1000m, which was achieved. PHASE 3: THE LEGACY It was always planned, and it goes right back to the original idea, to utilise the books to generate funds to be reinvested back into Wimborne itself. We had no specific charity in mind, and we actually preferred to include the charities in the event so they could benefit immediately, either through visits to their shops or through exposure via exposure from the event, which has happened. Wimborne Library Through our existing links with Wimborne Library made through prior events earlier in the year, we met with the manager, Jude Leyman, and discussed how the event could benefit the Library. We agreed that all newly printed books (from 2013 onwards) should be donated to the Libraries West service, the newly created system of book sharing created by the library service, for the South & West of England. During Phase 1, the collecting of the books, we were donated many brand new / read once copies of a wide variety of books, mainly fiction but reference & auto/biography also. I filtered out the new stock and made judgements on older, but excellent quality, stock that I felt were of benefit to the Library. Through this method, we were able to donate over 325 books to the Library for use by its members across the area. In the following book sale, a week or so later, Jude also selected about 75 books for the Children’s Library. These came from stock that had been filtered for sale and were of better quality. We also donated a copy of the new Harry Potter book, The Cursed Child, as we had purchased three copies for use as prizes in our Route Quiz, which could be entered on the day of the event and then subsequently over the following week. This donation made Wimborne Library the first library in the area to have a copy. And a delighted manager! Adventure Aid We have formed prior links with this charity as one of its active members is one of our regular customers. We

discussed the project with Ashley PlatenMills with focus on how any of the books could be used in the projects that AA are involved in. As a result of these discussions, we filtered out approximately 500 educational books that had been donated by the two schools mentioned earlier. These will be taken by Ashley to Nepal in a trip planned for later in 2016. They will be used to teach English in the schools that AA are involved with, to children from 5-15 years old. www.adventureaid.org.uk Publicity for Wimborne Minster Obviously, an event such as this garners a lot of media interest. Prior to the event, we featured in a number of news publications, as well as several radio interviews, with BBC Radio Solent on both The Breakfast Show as well as Breakfast Over Dorset. The event was also publicised in a Town Management online publication called Revive & Thrive, discussing the event and what effect we hoped to have on the town. Post event, local media interest increased and on the Monday following the event, Monday 1st August, we were interviewed by The Bournemouth Echo and then contacted by BBC Radio Solent to appear on their Drive Time show that evening. Earlier in the day, the news item had appeared on the BBC News Website and was then discussed on BBC Breakfast, by Charlie Staite & Louise Minchin. (We are trying to obtain the

footage at the moment.) Internationally, the event was publicised on The Reading Room website, an American site aimed at promoting reading & books in general and we hope we will feature in the GBOWR at some point over the next year. A documentary of the event is being produced by us, in association with RT Media, one of our commercial sponsors. We hope to have this ready in the next few weeks and it documents all phases on the event, with focus on the event itself. All this media interest and publicity, especially when the record is verified, will only benefit the town itself and the region and we have already had discussions and suggestions from lots of people about Challenge Wimborne 2017! We had hoped that the event would have a positive impact on the town and it certainly has created some buzz. The Book Sale Funds As part of the fundraising activity, as well as relocating some of the books, we held two book sales. One took place immediately after the Record Attempt in five locations around the route. We then followed up with another book sale event The Allendale Centre ten days later, to enable people to purchase books they might have seen on the route, or for those who were unable to attend on the day.

These funds will be re-invested into various Wimborne events, projects, charities and groups with a focus on donations going to those who helped us achieve the record. Book Donations In amongst all the donations, I collected approximately 80-100 books relating to Dorset & Wimborne history that were then donated on to the Priest’s House Museum in Wimborne, for use in their own reference library. We also donated approximately 1000 books to The Allendale Centre as a thank you for allowing us to utilise their storage space. These books will go into their own permanent fundraising book shelves and should provide a decent amount of funds for their community projects. The remaining books were donated on to a charity for their use around the country. SUMMARY: So, in summary, we wanted to engage, involve & inspire Wimborne and its community to do something incredible and we both feel that we have achieved that. It has been an incredibly satisfying project, hard work at times and challenging but we have met so many people and forged so many links that the hard work has all been worth it. We have so many new friends and invites to assist with new events that we agree it has all been worth it. We are looking forward to Challenge Wimborne 2017! www.facebook.com/ challengewimborne

Encouraging discovery in your place with a Window Wanderland Lucy Reeves Khan created Window Wanderland in 2015 out of her own experience. “I was stuck in the home for many years because of chronic pain, and being a stay-at-home-mother. While doing short therapeutic walks around the block, in the winter darkness to hide my disability, I noticed that if the curtains were open in neighbours houses, I didn’t feel the pain so much. For years I assumed I was just a nosy parker, but I realised that the light

and openness made me happier.” Lucy, a set designer, imagined the streets being alive with people looking at different displays, snap-shots of life like a cat asleep on a sofa, a TV playing a favourite film, disco lights or even live music. The seed was sown for Window Wanderland, so she created one in Bristol when people were getting stir crazy from the winter, waiting for the spring to come. The event was such an amazing success. She saw that it lifted other people’s spirits too. It strengthened her belief in the power of people, of play, and that everyone has at least one creative bone in their body even if they can’t see it. Whatever your circumstances you can join in this event by either coming out of your home on the night or making a display in your own home. It is accessible to everyone, easy to take part in and a unique way to get to know your neighbours. “Other areas then asked to make their own event” says Lucy “I knew it was a big event to put on, so I have spent over a year making a website that takes

care of much of the admin. This makes it much easier to do, allows them to engage their whole community with a simple toolkit to follow, so that if an alien wanted to do one on their planet, the instructions are all here.” This is not an event that needs to be ‘created for you‘, it’s for your community to make from the ground up, you are the show. It’s an opportunity for you to ‘WANDER‘: go down roads never been down, alleyways you didn’t know existed, feel proud of where you live. You can say anything you want, make something out of anything you want and the best bit is, you don’t have to buy anything. By enabling neighbourhoods to make their own event, we aim to encourage those who feel isolated in their communities to participate, so that everyone can join in the fun. The website with lots of pics and a short film is: www.windowwanderland.com

Revive & Thrive Recruitment Service Revive & Thrive Ltd has an unrivalled network for promoting recruitment opportunities in its specialist area of Town and City Centre Management and Business Improvement Districts. Revive & Thrive’s network reaches around 30,000 contacts with an interest in Retail and/or Place Management. We also receive enquiries from professionals looking for work or contract opportunities as well as BIDs and Councils looking for new recruits. Our daily interactions with our members and other contacts mean that we can offer a powerful, focussed and specialised recruitment service that will help you find the right professional for your BID, Partnership, Council or Town Team.

Benefits to Revive & Thrive Recruitment include – •

• •

• • •

A unique specialism in Town and City Centres and a service run by experienced TCMs and BID Practitioners Daily interaction with 30,000 relevant contacts through Twitter and LinkedIn At least three mailouts to over 5,000 relevant contacts per month all of which will include your appeal for candidates. One recruitment specific mailout per month Advert on www.reviveandthrive. co.uk for as long as required to secure the right candidate Vetting and shortlisting service available (enquire for costs)

Cost: Revive & Thrive Members – £165 + vat Non Members – £235 + vat

Revive & Thrive are also inviting professionals looking for a new position or new contract to submit CVs for Revive & Thrive to hold on record for new opportunities. This service will ensure that you are at the front of the queue and are signposted to relevant inbound calls looking for suitable candidates. Additionally, Revive & Thrive will promote 500 words and a downloadable CV about the professional through the website, 30,000 contact reach and regular mailouts. Cost: Revive & Thrive Members –£35 inc vat Non Members – £55 inc vat To find out more or to submit an advert email: [email protected] or call 03330 124285

The Rye Christmas Festival is a community event run by volunteers

THE RYE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL 2016

RYE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL 2016

Rye Christmas Festival www.christmasinrye.co.uk

10TH DECEMBER 2016 10AM TILL LATE, THROUGHOUT THE TOWN

www.christmasinrye.co.uk

Josephine demonstrates that there are two key factors when it comes to the local community: •

A passion for your local area and



A willingness to meet and talk to people.

Plans for 2017 will include •

A bigger and better light parade for the switch-on, hopefully including pre-event workshops.



A Christmas event to attract people into local shops such as a treasure hunt or shop window advent calendar.



Fundraising for more Christmas lights.



Production of Kidsgrove postcards/ notelets/Christmas cards which can be sold to provide funds for projects, raise the profile of Kidsgrove to residents and visitors and highlight its heritage.

Josephine Locke, Chair of Go Kidsgrove Josephine was nominated by her team for her hard work and dedication to Kidsgrove Town Centre Partnership, GO Kidsgrove. Since taking on the chair of the Kidsgrove Town Centre CIC (GO Kidsgrove) in April this year, Josephine Locke has worked tirelessly to encourage businesses and residents to get involved in GO Kidsgrove. Virtually single handedly, she has signed up over 50% of Kidsgrove businesses to become members (and is currently working on the other 50%). She has also significantly raised the profile of the organisation with community groups and local residents and forged a good working relationship with the town council. Probably her most significant achievement to date is the funding of the Christmas lights in Kidsgrove, where Josephine raised over £1500 from local businesses and residents towards festoon lighting, following the withdrawal of funding from the borough council. No opportunity was missed to promote the appeal and Josephine took the “if you don’t ask, you don’t get” principle to a whole new level! She also pulled together a last minute DIY Lantern Parade to increase community involvement in the switchon event, attracting over 40 families who joined in with torches and homemade lanterns (including one lady who had wrapped her crutches in Christmas lights).



Reprising last year’s classic car show ‘Go Karsgrove’ and involving community groups and businesses.



Looking at event ideas for other festivals, e.g. Easter, Staffordshire Day, etc.



Exploring a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to promote local heritage through a town trail and improved signage from the nearby canal.



Getting more businesses and groups involved with GO Kidsgrove, in particular supporting activities and joining the Board.



Developing a model for individuals to become members of GO Kidsgrove.

Josephine personifies the old saying “if you want a job done, ask a busy person.” If you are looking to follow someone working to remove barriers by engaging the local community, Josephine is the perfect candidate! Josephine’s efforts to get more people involved resulted in increases in social media followers and businesses who purposely signed up as supporters for a small membership fee. Through word-of-mouth contact, particularly with community groups, and articles in the local free magazine, the profile has also been raised with less IT literate residents. Over £1500 was raised towards the

Christmas lights but of even greater value was the community buy-in to the aims of GO Kidsgrove resulting from the funding appeal. As one Facebook user commented, “Well done GO Kidsgrove for the improvement in the Kidsgrove lights! So much better! Thanks. If we can all give a little, next year’s will be even better.” As we all know, no matter what you do, there will always be negative comments, but this year, other members of the community quickly responded to these on GO Kidsgrove’s behalf – another priceless contribution from local people. Because the lights are starting to improve, they have also started to notice an improvement in the quality of window displays. They feel that they have a long way to go but at least now have a story to tell for next Christmas. The DIY Lantern Parade created a real family feel-good factor, which again gives them something to build on for next year. By starting the planning earlier and running workshops, GO Kidsgrove can get more groups/schools involved, providing an activity which brings the community together. Capacity issues have meant that the group has not been able to put on many events to increase footfall to businesses, however, as it makes more people aware of GO Kidsgrove, they hope to attract more volunteers. The first GO Kidsgrove event this summer attracted visitors of all ages and their comments have provided a blueprint for development of the event for 2017. Other events linked to specific celebrations, such as Christmas and Easter are intended to drive footfall into participating shops, whilst providing an activity in which families can participate. There is currently no souvenir of Kidsgrove so the postcards/notelets are the first step in developing something which visitors from the canal in particular, can take away with them to remember their visit to the town. It will also provide an additional source of funds for future activities. https://en-gb.facebook.com/GOKidsgrove-1479610618989212/