THE FUTURE OF THE HIGH STREET
BIDding to make Cheltenham better and better
Kevan Blackadder, director of the Cheltenham Business Improvement District (BID), on the work the organisation is doing to make a real difference. In five different project areas, Cheltenham Business Improvement District (BID) is supporting both the town and its great businesses. The BID has been running since August 2016 and we have been able to see many of the initial ideas grow and flourish. Everything we do is about making Cheltenham a more vibrant and prosperous town, which more people visit and stay for longer. When we first started, we had the message loud and clear that more Town Centre Events were needed. In the last year, we had more Christmas lights in Cheltenham than ever before, supported by a giant witch at a lights switch-on with a difference. In February, our Light Up Cheltenham event was extended to three weeks and to dozens of buildings, with the added attraction of a giant wheel in Imperial Gardens.
Our Hidden Cheltenham trail in the Easter and summer holidays proved incredibly popular with 580 maps given out and more than 60 businesses visited as a result. We supported Cheltenham Festivals, with our Around Town programme ensuring that festival-goers attended events in the town centre, bringing footfall to our businesses. We were again responsible for the Boutique Sale, Cocktail Week and Chilli Fiesta. Thanks to the BID’s support, new events like the charity Street Velodrome took place for the first time. In Marketing and Promotion , the BID is a key partner in Marketing Cheltenham and was at the centre of our rebrand as “The Festival Town”. With 25 festivals already held annually in the town, it really makes us stand apart. With the new Marketing Cheltenham team and new-look Visit Cheltenham website, we are targeting potential visitors in Gloucestershire, the UK and across the world.
94 | December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com
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