SUPER WEEKEND

Santa Fun Run/Live Nativity Weekend

LIVE NATIVITY IMAGES 2012

Great buzz, atmosphere and big additional footfall in town over the weekend and thanks to Rose Wiltshire from Cornwall Hospice Care for her efforts on the Santa Fun Run. A big thank you to Michelle Legumi and her Churches Together  team for giving up their time over the past few weeks simply to help Falmouth and making the Live Nativity yesterday such a success. 

Its an incredibly tough trading environment as we all know, so therefore its vital that businesses and enterprises work as a team behind the Falmouth BID/Town Management to instigate more initiatives and ideas to support the town. Towns that are disparate will struggle, towns that come together give themselves a great chance. 

I have put images of the Live Nativity that I took yesterday here – LIVE NATIVITY 2012

FALMOUTH UPDATES

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID Manager

Shop Local Think Falmouth Launch

We launched the Shop Local Think Falmouth initiative last week, thanks to the businesses who gave up only 10mins of their day to attend the photocall. This should be in the local media this week. Window posters are being distributed to businesses, bus shelter sites are also carrying the message.  This is a long term campaign and we will change the designs next year but the message is strong and will get stronger ONLY with your support. To that end do stick the poster when you receive it, in your window. If you’d like to listen to a Source FM interview with local businesses and myself talking about the initiative click here –
SHOP LOCAL THINK FALMOUTH SOURCE FM INTERVIEW

Falmouth Spring Festival
14-24 March 2013

This is really starting to take shape with a host of exciting activities planned. Loads more to add but do check out what is already in place to help promote Falmouth, attract visitors and support yourselves early in the 2013 season– FALMOUTH SPRING FESTIVAL 2013

FALMOUTH UPDATES

SHOP LOCAL CALL TO ACTION!

As I mentioned previously, the BID is launching its SHOP LOCAL THINK FALMOUTH initiative this week to highlight and remind people to use their local town for their shopping needs over Christmas and beyond. This is another strand of the long running ‘Support the high street’ campaign and in response to good ideas from one or two businesses. Important – there is a photocall on The Moor 11am this Thursday 6^th Dec which I’d ask as many of you, whatever your business type, to spare only 10mins please, to attend. The message is important to all of you and we can create a lasting impact if we get a good number there for the media photograph.  I have produced promotional material to distribute to all businesses who want one for window displays and have secured bus shelter sites for Dec and next year to keep shouting the SHOP LOCAL message. So once again PLEASE do come along and support this highly relevant campaign. See you there.

LATE NIGHT OPENING
Another reminder if you’d like to appear on the Falmouth Xmas Late Night Shopping page do let me know ASAP.

FALMOUTH FOOD & DRINK WEEK
9-17 Feb 2013
A call to action if you wish to come on board for this early season BID initiative. To recap the offer as per last year, is £10 or under- could be a hamper, lunchtime, or evening offer that’s entirely up to. BID will undertake the marketing both on and offline but it is an opportunity for free, once again to take advantage of a scheme to attract extra footfall at a quiet time of year. In the first instance, simply email to let me know you are interested. 

Falmouth BID Updates

Christmas Lights Switch on and Parade
Don’t forget, wrap up warm (shouldn’t need your snorkel!) and show your support for the Christmas lights switch on this Thursday 29^th Nov. Parade leaves Events Square around 5.45pm, arriving at the Moor for the schoolchildren to then sing carols before the 7pm switch on.

Late Night Shopping

I have now made live the Late Night Shopping Page as part of the Falmouth Christmas section on the Falmouth.co.uk website. Accessed via the homepage so very good profile. There are a number of businesses who have responded to requests from Richard gates and myself for late opening details, but if you are open late then please get in touch so that we can help promote the fact! We have no information from businesses around the Moor/Kimberley Park Rd/Berkeley Vale area for example, so please get in touch so that we can help promote anything you may be doing around Christmas!

Special Offers Page
Another reminder that I have set up a Special Offers Page accessed via a dedicated button on the homepage of Falmouth.co.uk, so great profile. Please do get in touch with Nicola Kneebone at the Visitor Information Centre who is co-ordinating offers on my behalf if this page could help your business in  any way - nicola@falriver.co.uk.

Shop Local, Think Falmouth

By way of an update, BID will be pushing forward with this key message and campaign and will launch next week. Some good ideas from traders, in particular Nick from Wavelength One has seen this come to fruition with BID  funding promotional material to distribute to all businesses in the town plus via bus shelter sites. I will be arranging a photocall (likely to be on The Moor) for as many businesses to attend as possible, details to follow in next week’s update but please do spare 5 mins to attend that. I want a big crowd to come along to shout about the Shop Local, Think Falmouth message so that the campaign has greater emphasis, leading to greater media coverage and subsequent benefit to you.

SPLASH BIG ART Banner
Due to the extreme weather I have arranged takedown of the vibrant 100ft long art banner along Grove Place, that was installed for the BID funded SPLASH Festival week in September and helped improve that area of fencing. The intention will be to install again in Spring 2013.

BID Updates

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID Manager

BID AGM & Presentations
Many thanks to those businesses in the town who made the time and effort to attend the BID AGM and presentations. Some excellent feedback regards the ranges of projects delivered in 2012 and exciting plans for 2013. Thanks also to Camborne BID who made the time and travelled up to hear the exciting work being undertaken here in Falmouth. BIDs can only be effective in the towns/cities they operate in (145 currently operating and growing) when businesses engage and support the efforts to improve their town. Browse the substantive BID presentations given by Richard Wilcox and Directors Jilly Easterby, Richard Thomas and Chairman Nigel Carpenter

Love Falmouth, Shop Local

The BID will be instigating a ‘Love Falmouth, Shop Local’ initiative in Dec as another further support for local businesses and will be looking for widespread support from businesses to spread that message. Thanks to one or two businesses including Wavelength One for their proactive ideas here. More details will follow in the local media but this involve window posters, off and online promotion in an effort to further highlight Falmouth’s vibrant main shopping areas. Furthermore, we will have the Shop Local, Falmouth for Business image exhibition in The Poly 21 Jan-4 Feb as another creative way of celebrating local business. All this will be put onto Falmouth.co.uk, supported by our PR efforts and backed up further with more exciting ideas in 2013.

Falmouth Food & Drink Week

More info to follow of course but I will look to run the second Falmouth Food & Drink Week 9-17 Feb 2013. The campaign has a simple but effective message – cafes, bars, pubs, restaurants, delis can be creative as they wish with their offering under the banner £10 or under. There’s no cost attached for businesses of course, BID will further support with promotional material, off and online promotion but please as per last year get in touch with me if you are interested in getting involved. The more we have, the more effective the campaign which in turn means greater impact, footfall and so on.

Falmouth.co.uk website further stats

Just following on from the 750,000^th unique visitor milestone for the Falmouth.co.uk website which you would have read about,  some other useful stats on how it has helped support businesses (this is in the presentation above)in 2012-

·         Over 165,000 page views for the accommodation section in 2012

·         Equates to around 2,000 per establishment

·         The website, BID working with the Visitor Information Centre, plus their excellent work has subsequently led to 150 accommodation bookings that has been worth £20,000 to the local economy in 2012

Falmouth Top Town Interview
Interview on Source FM - click on link given, interview with BID and Richard Gates regards Falmouth Top Town Shortlisting, BID’s business support and promoting Falmouth efforts

Falmouth Safe
You may have read in the local media last week about this very good new scheme which Falmouth BID is helping to support and will be involved in. Read more here - SAFE PLACES.

UK & Ireland Great Town Shortlisting for Falmouth

Centre three - Richard Wilcox Falmouth BID Manager, Geoffrey
Evans Mayor of Falmouth, Richard Gates Town Manager

Falmouth: ‘Punching well above its weight’ at International Urbanism Awards

Entrepreneurialism and an innovative approach to Town Management put Falmouth in the spotlight at the prestigious 2013 Urbanism Awards in London on Friday 9th November. Shortlisted for The Great Town award for the very first time, Falmouth was singled-out for its highly effective Town Team (the Falmouth BID and Falmouth Town Council) who work alongside many town partners, whose drive and professionalism was credited as an excellent example of good urban practice.

Held annually, the Academy’s Urbanism Awards recognise the best, most improved or most enduring urban environments. In May 2012, The Academy of Urbanism shortlisted twelve UK and Irish and three continental European finalists for its Urbanism Awards, held at The Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden, London. The finalists were selected on - Effective/Innovative Town Management, Evidence of Effective Partnerships and Evidence of Innovative Marketing and Approach to Town Centre Challenges.

Judges were particularly impressed with Falmouth’s ability to foster entrepreneurial partnerships to deliver projects, and the success of its year-round events programme, which has become one of the strongest in the South West, providing a significant impact on the town’s economy. Acknowledged for ‘punching well above its weight’, Falmouth was up against strong competition from Shrewsbury and the eventual winner, Galway.

Kevin Murray, Chairman of The Academy of Urbanism, said:

“Falmouth presented a difficult challenge for Academicians when voting and narrowly missed out on the main prize. The Academy was particularly impressed with the way in which partnerships have formed within Falmouth to deliver results, and of the value that has been placed on investing in higher education.”

The Falmouth Town Team (private/public partnership between Falmouth BID and the Falmouth Town Council funded Falmouth Town Management) commented:

“We’re delighted that the superb year-round events programme, proactive partnerships and the Falmouth Town Team approach have been commended at a national level. Over 50 towns across the UK and Ireland were long-listed, with Falmouth making it into the final three for the first time ever. We know it’s an incredibly challenging trading environment but this is further strong evidence that towns that invest in town teams provide a great visitor experience, while working together, can provide innovative solutions to current issues, and are the ones that buck trends. This is evident in Falmouth where we work hard to ensure we have one of the lowest vacant unit rates in England at 5.8% (national average is 14% +), the most comprehensive Festival programme in the county and a very active destination marketing campaign, to continually support our businesses and community.”

About the selection process: 

- Towns are nominated by individuals, companies or organisations
- Over 50 towns made the long list Any town with a population between 20-150,000 population are eligible from across the UK & Ireland 
- Academy of Urbanism – comprising 500 academics who are leading lights in urban design, thinking, planning and architecture from private and public sectors. They all are part of the decision making process. - - Thorough decision making process whittled each category down to 20 and then a final 3 
- Judges visited Falmouth in the summer, a day co-ordinated by Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID Manager and were hosted by the Richard Gates, Town Manager and Ruth Thomas Falmouth Town Council. 
- A thorough report was written and circulated to all Academy Of Urbanism members for voting.

The winners in full were: The European City of the Year – Antwerp; The Great Town Award – Galway, Ireland; The Great Neighbourhood Award – Brixton, London; The Great Street Award – Hope Street, Liverpool; The Great Place Award – City Park, Bradford. For more information about The Academy of Urbanism, visit: www.academyofurbanism.org.uk

Falmouth BID Updates

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID Manager

Website visitor milestone
You may read in the local media this week or have read already online that the Falmouth.co.uk website has just passed the 750,000 unique visitor mark since we launched it 2 years ago. It is the official destination site for the town and we have recently been working with the Visitor Information Centre to help promote it for the benefit of businesses in the town. All BID businesses as I’ve highlighted a number of times, can have a free page to help promote themselves and with a monthly unique average of 30,000 hits it is well worth doing! The press release is attached or you can read it here – WEBSITE MILESTONE...

British Tourism Awards
Congratulations to Tim Light and his team at Fal River Links for winning UK Boating Operator Silver award in the recent British Tourism Awards, the most important awards in the UK for the tourism industry. Fal River also scooped best Coastal Town/Area bronze award.  Cornwall’s achievements in full:

·         Best UK Holiday County or Region: Cornwall – gold

·         Best UK Visitor Guide Website: VisitCornwall.com – gold

·         Best UK Coastal Town: St Ives – gold, Fal River - bronze

·         Best UK Leisure Attraction: Eden Project- gold

·         Best UK Heritage Attraction: Minack - bronze

·         Best UK Waterways/ Lakes Boat Operators: Fal River - silver

Falmouth for Business

Many of you will have noticed the new Celebrating Falmouth Businesses wallpaper on the ex Bon Marche site. We’ve complimented this with a developing Falmouth for Business online section on www.falmouth.co.uk  see here – FALMOUTH FOR BUSINESS. This section which is still being developed, will be a one stop shop for individuals/businesses thinking of investing in Falmouth. We have also put the Celebrating Falmouth’s Business images up here as well, as you can see.

Traders Meeting
Agenda at meeting but the next traders meeting will be 09.30am this Weds 7^th Nov in the Town Chambers on The Moor. Lasting no longer than 45mins, please do come along for town updates and discussion.

Maritime Line Growth
Past 4 week period -  The Maritime Line carried the most number of passengers 53K+, for any given 4 week period. This is great news and in fact the year to date figure is already the highest ever in terms of the number of passengers carried. Whilst there is never an ideal time to carry out engineering work on the line (as per last week), given the volumes it become clear why regular maintenance is crucial for future capacity.

Visitor Milestone for Falmouth.co.uk

BID funded official destination website for Falmouth passes 750,000 unique visitor mark

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID Manager and Jonathan Griffin Falmouth BID Director

Falmouth.co.uk the official destination website for Falmouth continues to grow from strength to strength, playing a key role in the promotion of Falmouth further exemplified by the site just passing 750,000 unique visitors since its launch two years ago. The website, designed by Falmouth based agency Gendall was funded by the Falmouth BID and is overseen by the Falmouth BID Manager Richard Wilcox.

It is one of the largest projects so far delivered through the five year BID programme and along with the BID funded and co-ordinated national PR campaign, forms a key component in the destination marketing strategy for the town. More recently the BID has been working in partnership with the recently opened Fal River Visitor Information Centre to ensure a co-ordinated approach to supporting local businesses and raising Falmouth’s profile.

Richard Wilcox, the Falmouth BID Manager said: “I’m delighted at how well the website has performed so far but also how well it has been received by local businesses. All BID businesses are eligible for a free page on Falmouth.co.uk as a further supportive measure and this serves to enhance the amount of great up-to-the-minute content that exists on the site, over 600 pages and counting! We’ve worked hard to ensure that the website is top of the Google ‘Falmouth’ search term which therefore provides a great platform to promote all the BID businesses. We’re averaging over 30,000 unique visits per month, a statistic we’re determined to keep building upon and also referring a lot of interest from it to BID businesses’ websites leading to many bookings and enquiries which is terrific.”

Jonathan Griffin, Falmouth BID Director added: “This is really great news. Falmouth.co.uk has really helped to bring together information about the many activities in the town into one place: not only listing shops, restaurants, hotels and businesses but also the events for which Falmouth is justly famous. And it is providing a real service both to local people, people across Cornwall and to visitors. The newspapers are full of news of run down and depressed towns wanting to improve things. Most talk about creating a lively and dynamic website. We are so fortunate to have one already which is a model for others to follow. It, like so much of the work of the BID, is helping to galvanise energy in the town and is why Falmouth is bucking the retail trend and looking forward with a degree of confidence.”

Nicola Kneebone, Fal River Visitor Information Centre Manager also added: “The website has performed so much better than we ever could have imagined. There is a lot of hard work behind the scenes by Richard Wilcox, but also our small team here at the visitor centre have been updating and improving areas such as the Accommodation section. We have had over 170,000 page views for accommodation providers in 2012 and the visitor centre itself has also processed in excess of 150 accommodation bookings worth over £20,000 to the local economy. We know that a great website with excellent content will help inspire people to visit Falmouth time and again. We’re keen to push on from this and improve on what is already a fantastic achievement and will be working hard with Falmouth BID in 2013 to make sure this figure continues to grow.”

Falmouth BID Updates

Falmouth for Business Initiative

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID Manager

Many of you will have seen the new wallpaper designs on the ex Bon Marche site that celebrate our vibrant local business scene while proactively tidying up a vacant unit as we have done several times before. This is one strand of a wider Falmouth for Business initiative just launched that seeks to do several things but in essence – celebrate what we have while working hard to attract more investment into Falmouth.  If you would like to see some of the business images taken do visit the Celebrating our Businesses page here.   We aim to take a selection of these images on a roadshow – starting locally in The Poly for a 2 week exhibition 21 Jan -4 Jan 2013 before taking it further afield. The reason is as I say is to do all we can to celebrate and showcase the vibrant, good quality businesses we have here.

Falmouth projects online

The wide range of projects now delivered by the Famouth BID are available online. Do feel free to have a browse here – FALMOUTH BID PROJECTS. Download the BID business plans, read about the projects delivered under the four BID Priority areas that aim to help support businesses and drive forward Falmouth.

Letter from Sec of State

I have now received a reply back from the Sec of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin. To recap, BID sent a letter to him regards the vital rail link between London and Cornwall requesting that any future rail franchise recognises its important role in the economic vitality of the region and the need for faster, more efficient services. Mr McLoughlin has confirmed that the issues raised will form part of future discussions (which have been put on hold pending the outcome of reviews into the West Coast Line Franchise process fiasco).

Special Offers Section

I’m working with the Visitor Information Centre to put together a special offers page on the homepage of the www.falmouth.co.uk to further support businesses especially as we come into perhaps a quieter period of the year. This isn’t restricted to accommodation providers. All BID businesses can submit an offer/promotion – cafes, restaurants, retail outlets etc. Bearing in mind as I’ve mentioned several times, that the BID funded Falmouth.co.uk is now the main site for the area with over 25,000 unique hits per month, this is another excellent opportunity for you. Can I ask you contact Nicola Kneebone nicola@falriver.co.uk who is coordinating on my behalf with any info. We will then take a look at it.

High St Taskforce
I thought you may be interested to read about the High St taskforce that has been established (one of Mary Portas’s recommendation in her High Street Review) – HIGH ST TASKFORCE.

HMS Bounty
On a much more sombre note, the tall-ship replica HMS Bounty that visited Falmouth last year, sank in mountainous Atlantic seas yesterday, a victim of Hurricane Sandy. Thoughts and prayers to those affected.

Falmouth for Business Initiative Launched

Richard Gates & Richard Wilcox, Falmouth Town Team

Attracting more quality business ideas and start-ups to Falmouth, providing substantive on and offline business information and support while celebrating the existing diverse business community of Falmouth are all part of the new Falmouth for Business project being launched this month by the Falmouth Town Team (partnership between Falmouth BID and Falmouth Town Management).

The development of a comprehensive online business resource ‘Falmouth for Business’ on the official website for the town www.falmouth.co.uk, will be supplemented with offline, targeted, business to business information about Falmouth, collaborating with commercial agents, University College Falmouth and University of Exeter business teams to ensure a co-ordinated approach. 

A selection of the Celebrating Falmouth Businesses images can be viewed HERE

As Richard Wilcox, the Falmouth BID Manager explains:
“The project has several strands. Firstly I want Falmouth to do all it can to seek competitive advantage as well as promoting itself more effectively to a new business audience. We get numerous enquiries from potential investors which is terrific, but it highlights the need to provide much better, more substantive economic data and other relevant information on Falmouth to them. Such a professional can-do approach may just ensure that a business chooses to invest in Falmouth over another area of the country. The second strand is a proactive offshoot of the BID High Street Campaign which aims to celebrate the wide range of quality businesses that exist already in the town. To that end, BID has commissioned a Falmouth based photographer Hugh Hastings to capture that vibrant business spirit which we will then look to take on a Celebrating Falmouth Businesses exhibition roadshow locally and nationally so as to tell the Falmouth business story far and wide.”

Richard Gates, Falmouth Town Manager added:
“The Falmouth for Business initiative is another great example of the Falmouth Town Team (Falmouth Town Council working proactively with Falmouth BID) resource helping to support Falmouth and its businesses in a variety of ways. The new images of businesses that are being taken by Hugh Hastings look terrific and we have also designed new vacant unit wallpaper vinyl to showcase some of them. We work with numerous other organisations to help keep the vacant unit rate for Falmouth as low as possible – it currently stands at 5.8% making Falmouth the lowest in the South West (national average is 14%) – but if a site does become vacant in the town we look to improve its appearance as quickly and innovatively as possible.”

Falmouth-based photographer Hugh Hastings has lived in the town for 18 years and has always enjoyed the diversity of the local shops:
"Buying online or from vast supermarkets can only give you limited satisfaction, frankly there's so much more to life than saving a few quid. The shopping streets of Falmouth are one of the main reasons I chose to live here. The Falmouth shops and the people who work in them create a great atmosphere; they are the heart of the town in many ways. Working with the Falmouth BID team to promote the great things we have here has been a real pleasure and I look forward to developing the project further in the coming months."

Barney Peters, Partner at Scott Burridge Commercial added:
“As retail property agents it is great to see the proactive work that the Falmouth Town Team put into the town centre, the improvements, signage and attention they show greatly improves Falmouth’s town centre. We are pleased to work with them on a number of our client’s properties adding vibrancy and interest in empty units which await re-letting or the finalisation of new leases.”

Key points:

* The developing Falmouth for Business online section can be viewed via www.falmouth.co.uk
* Local exhibition of Celebrating Falmouth Businesses will run in The Poly, Falmouth from 21 Jan – 4 Feb 2013 New
* Celebrating Falmouth Businesses wallpaper vinyl installed at the ex Bon Marche store

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID Manager can be emailed via richardwilcox@falmouth.co.uk Richard Gates, Falmouth Town Manager can be emailed via richard@falmouth.co.uk Falmouth Town Team Office can be contacted via 01326 313353

Pulse of the High Street

Newsletter October 2012

Info from the Local Data Company:

So the big question everyone is asking us is, how is the increased closures of multiple retailers and the slowdown in independents expansion going to impact vacancy rates and where? Analysis of the first half of the year shows that a NET 953 multiples closed in the top 500 town centres, versus a NET 175 closures for the whole of 2011. This reduction would have been greater if we had not seen expansion from £ shops, pawnbrokers and cheque cashing operators. Of interest is the slow down in the growth of convenience stores, which might imply saturation, but then again Little Waitrose, M Local and others have rollout plans in action. Outside of town centres, the real area to watch is the role of petrol stations as the next new retail hub. The fact so many of us have cars and the need on average to refuel weekly has not been missed by the supermarkets and others, including Starbucks as they launch their drive through offer.

Independents now account for 67% (+1%) of all high street units and as such are heavily exposed to the declining footfall in town centres that will be further impacted in those towns where multiples are exiting. The good news is that despite these challenges, including rising rents, rates and parking charges, independents still managed to grow by 0.8% in the first half of 2012. This is a NET increase of 852 by number. The leisure and service sectors were the main drivers, with growth from cafes, nail salons, tattooing and piercing, takeaway food shops and pawnbrokers.

Whilst this highlights the dying and thriving sectors, it is more important to note that these changes are creating a fundamental change in the appearance, function and perceived health of our high streets. Every town is changing in a different way but what the data shows is that traditional 'comparison goods' shops are closing and being replaced by discounters, non internet services and alternative forms of 'banking', such as cheque cashing and pawnbroking. The overall long term impact on the traditional businesses still in place is being played out and one that we will continue to track with our army of field researchers.

Finally, the national shop vacancy rate for September showed a marginal decrease of -0.01% to 14.57% which is positive news but in light of what is said above, is this the calm before the storm?

 <http://localdatacompany.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=739beb262c0817edd639eaf51&id=9076e9a4a6&e=6b822dc0e8>

FREE car parking

Cornwall Council is offering free parking in a number of Council run car parks in main towns in Cornwall on 31 October as part of a campaign to encourage people to use their local town centres.

The Go To Town campaign to get more people using town centres in Cornwall was set up by the West Briton, Cornish Guardian and Cornishman newspapers in February.  At that time the Council offered free parking in some town centre car parks on February 29 through a voucher scheme in the paper.

The newspapers are keen to stage a second free parking day on 31 October and approached the Council to see if it would repeat its offer.

Although the authority was keen to back the campaign, there was concern that providing free parking would put additional pressure on the parking budget.  However, former leader Alec Robertson agreed to use some of the Leader’s Contingency Fund to cover the loss of income.

Under the terms of the offer free parking will be available after 9.30 am on Wednesday, 31 October in some Cornwall Council run car parks in the following towns:

• Bodmin
• Bude
• Callington
• Camborne
• Falmouth
• Fowey
• Hayle
• Helston
• Launceston
• Liskeard
• Looe
• Mevagissey
• Newquay
• Padstow
• Penryn
• Penzance
• Porthleven
• Redruth
• Saltash
• St Austell

• St Ives
• Torpoint
• Truro
• Wadebridge

Please note that the free parking offer is not valid before 9.30am and only applies to some Cornwall Council run car parks and not to any other car parks in the town.

The voucher is not valid in the following car parks:

• Bodmin, Dennison Road;
• Bude, Post Office
• Callington, New Road North
• Falmouth,  Grove Place, The Moor, Well Lane, Church Street
• Launceston, Castle Street, Pannier Market;
• Liskeard, Upper Sungirt, Westbourne;
• Looe, Riverbank;
• Mevagissey, Church Street;
• Newquay, Fore Street;
• Penryn,Saracen
• Penzance, Greenmarket, Causewayhead, Penalverne;
• St Austell, West Hill - Short stay area;
• St Ives, The Sloop, Porthmeor;
• Saltash, Belle Vue West, Culver Road;
• Torpoint, Antony Road;
• Truro, Old Bridge Street;
• Wadebridge, Goldsworthy Way

To qualify for free parking a voucher must be displayed clearly in the front windscreen of the vehicle.  The voucher is being printed in local newspapers and will be available on the Cornwall Council website. 

The vehicle must also be parked in accordance with the terms and conditions of the car park and failure to abide by the terms of the offer may lead to the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice.

BID Best Practice

British Retail Consortium – inclusion of Falmouth BID project in annual report

The BRC is the UK’s authoritative voice of retail, recognised for its powerful campaigning and influence within government and as a provider of excellent retail information. They produce an annual report on the UK High Street and are keen to include one of Falmouth BID’s projects as an example of best practice. 

They will highlight how the BID spearheaded Falmouth brand and destination marketing campaign helped to foster a unique sense of place and helped with the promotion and profile raising of the town. 

This is really good recognition on a national level again and follows on from the BID FREE car parking project being highlighted by the British BIDs in their annual report.

Falmouth video

Check out Falmouth video we've co-ordinated and thanks to John Waplington for producing this. The only downer is the fact you have to put up with my partner in crime at the beginning but don't let that put you off :)

Falmouth BID Updates

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID Manager

Falmouth Oyster Festival

The BID this year has funded a new event in an effort to grow and develop the Oyster Festival so that it ultimately encompasses many other venues across the town. The Food & Folk event will be taking place on the Saturday and Sunday on The Moor and will feature numerous food outlets from across Falmouth showcasing their wares. The BID has also provided PR and marketing support to enable us to promote Falmouth once again to as wide an audience as possible. Confirmed press trips and subsequent articles will include:

·         BBC Olive magazine

·         MSN Food

·         The Guardian

·         Reading Post

·         Delicious Magazine

In addition, numerous BBC Radio Cornwall interviews have been secured as well as features in regional newspapers and magazines such as Cornwall Today, Western Morning News on top of local newspaper coverage.

PR recent achievements

Following on from the above we are also continuing to drive at a rate of knots, the PR campaign for Falmouth. Our strategic efforts to promote Falmouth to a much wider audience in order to raise profile and attract extra visitors has meant we have now passed the £600,000 mark in terms of national coverage and 70 BID businesses being mentioned, profiled or supported. The latest two:

·         BA Highlife magazine – one of the highest profile in-travel magazines, this being the in-flight magazine for British Airways. Audience 3.4million. We featured in an article that profiled 12 great towns that the Olympic Torch passed through.

·         Birmingham Mail – we also target regional newspapers and this double page spread all about Falmouth is another great example of the sort of coverage that has been secured.

You can also view a much fuller range of coverage here – FALMOUTH COVERAGE

BID Letter to Transport Secretary

Mr P McLoughlin
Secretary of State for Transport House of Commons, Westminster SW1A 1AA

Dear Mr McLoughlin

I write with reference to the vital mainline rail service connection between London/the South East and the West Country, and on behalf of the Falmouth Business Improvement District (BID), a body that represents a community of over 400 businesses from one of Cornwall’s largest and most prosperous resorts.

The Falmouth area welcomes over 500,000 visitors annually and the BID drives forward numerous, innovative projects (www.falmouth.co.uk/media) that aim to give Falmouth a competitive advantage, support its diverse range of businesses and encourage opportunity despite the prevailing challenges arising from current economic conditions.

In addition, Falmouth’s maritime sector has a reputation for excellence that extends beyond the UK and the recently outlined Port of Falmouth Masterplan is seen as one of the most critical economic development strategies for the region. It is one that will see a multi-million pound investment in Falmouth Docks to ensure its viability and competiveness for a generation, securing thousands of jobs and livelihoods in the process.
Falmouth and its neighbouring town, Penryn have also seen multi-million pound public sector investment during the past decade in the development of a flagship university campus at Tremough.

Shared and jointly managed by University College Falmouth, which is regarded as one of the UK’s leading arts universities and the University of Exeter, that has recently been invited to join the Russell Group of leading research institutions, the Campus is the County’s Higher Education hub; the catalyst for Cornwall’s economic regeneration as part of the European-funded Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative; and is a key driver of new business incubation in the south west, particularly in the areas of environmental sustainability and the creative industries.

A reliable, frequent and speedy rail service between Penzance and Paddington is vital to the continuing success of our tourism, maritime, higher education, environmental and creative industry sectors. When you evaluate bids for the Great Western franchise shortly, we would therefore urge you to ensure that:

1. The number of trains operating the London Paddington – Penzance route remains at least the same as now and is not reduced.
2. There is a thorough review of service that focuses on ways in which the journey time between London Paddington and Penzance can be reduced. Faster trains, with fewer station stops at certain times of day/week would open up business opportunities for the region, ensuring synergy with the positive developments that are taking place in the County in the sectors referred to above.

The demand for cross-country and regional rail services clearly exists and this is no better exemplified than by the 90% increase in usage of the branch Truro-Falmouth Maritime Line over the past five years making it the fastest growing branch line in the country. Whilst we are relieved that the future of this branch line has been secured, as well as the sleeper service to Paddington, Cornwall’s future depends on improved rail services. Quite simply it is a lifeline that connects Cornwall to the rest of the UK.

The Falmouth BID very much hopes that the coalition Government and future West Country rail service provider can work collaboratively and innovatively with key regional business organisations to ensure that Cornwall is positioned to potential visitors and investors as an attractive proposition by rail.

We look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

Richard Wilcox Falmouth BID Manager

Cc Falmouth BID Board Mrs Sarah Newton, MP for Falmouth and Truro and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Mr George Eustice, MP for Camborne and Redruth Mr Kevin Lavery, Chief Executive, Cornwall Council Ms Suzanne Bond, Chief Executive, Cornwall Development Company Cllr Mr Alec Robertson, Leader of Cornwall Council Mr Peter Child, Managing Director, A&P Falmouth Mr Henk Wiekens - Joint Managing Director, Pendennis Shipyard Professor Anne Carlisle, Rector, University College Falmouth Mr Steve Trotter, Assistant Director, University of Exeter Cornwall Campus Mr Chris Pomfret, Chairman, Cornwall & IOS Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Cornwall Town Manager and BID Forum Mr Malcolm Bell, Head of VisitCornwall Cllr Mr Geoffrey Evans, Mayor of Falmouth Mr Richard Gates, Falmouth Town Manager

BBC Antiques Roadshow coming to town!

Fiona Bruce

13 SEPT 2012. 09.30am-16.30pm

BBC Antiques Roadshow is coming your way! Bring your treasures to the Roadshow experts in Events Square and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. If you have large pieces of furniture and/or bulky antiques you‘re unable to carry, we may be able to help. Write now enclosing your address, telephone number and a photograph, if possible.Closing date for letters/emails: Tuesday 4th September Antiques Roadshow, BBC, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2LR Email: antiques.roadshow@bbc.co.uk. 

More information on our website.bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow. Antiques Roadshow asks for 14 days notice if you need a sign language interpreter.

BEN AINSLIE’S LONDON 2012 GOLD MEDAL WINNING BOAT COMES BACK HOME

Olympic games may be over but there is one golden star from London 2012 who still has her moment to shine.

Rita, Ben Ainslie’s loyal Finn from the games is returning to National Maritime Museum Cornwall after helping Ben win his incredible fourth gold medal, cementing him as the most successful Olympic sailor in history.

Together, Ben and ‘Rita’ have won three Olympic Gold medals, in Athens, Beijing and now London and their partnership has become legendary.

Rita’s home, when she’s away from Ben, has been the Maritime Museum in Falmouth, along with Ben’s gold medal winning Laser from the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Visitors will soon be able to see all of Ben’s gold medal winning boats in the main hall of the Museum forming an installation in honour of what Cornwall’s great man has achieved.

The boats will be on display together as soon as Rita makes it back from Weymouth – expected in the next couple of weeks. They will feature in the heart of the Museum until the end of the year where they will then be ‘suspended’ in the Museum’s flotilla of flying boats.

“It’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s coming, Rita’s coming home…”

Falmouth BID Updates

SPLASH 2012 7-16^th Sept
Significant efforts undertaken regards this new creative event for Falmouth in order to raise profile of Falmouth and drive additional footfall:

·         15,000 A5 flyer inserts into Falmouth Packet (today's edition) and West Briton (last week)

·         Bus shelter posters are in place, shop window posters we’ll distribute next week

·         The 16 page guide has been produced and looking good! 10,000 will be distributed next week. In the meantime do browse it here SPLASH GUIDE

·         Substantive PR effort with local and regional articles having appeared and due to appear over next few weeks

Falmouth Week

Clearly Falmouth Week is progressing well that includes a very good Music on the Moor event which the BID is providing support for, liaising with Pubs United on that initiative. Our support also ensures the event’s marketing and PR continues to grow and develop.

Falmouth.co.uk

We are seeing some significant figures in terms of unique visits to the BID funded and managed official website for Falmouth. We are also working well with the Visitor Information Centre to ensure its growth and visibility remains strong. This month we will see over 35,000 unique visits. 

Falmouth Oyster Festival

I am liaising with Pubs United to look at ways BID can support the Oyster Festival even more by hosting events around The Moor among other things. More to follow on this..

Best Town Award

You may have read that Falmouth has been shortlisted for a Town of the Year award. Richard Gates and I helped facilitate the judges visit and we are now further promoting Falmouth and the reasons behind our short listing as we speak, to maximise even further, the profile of the town.

Falmouth BID Updates

Events activity and the BID’s involvement

As I’ve mentioned before, the BID is involved in funded or extensively supporting all Falmouth’s main festivals:

Pendennis Cup – BID provided PR support, working with Pendennis to gain further national coverage for the event and Falmouth. Several national journalists were down as a result, with good national coverage to follow.

SPLASH 2012 – the new BID organised and funded creative festival is really taking shape. Over 12 authors including several national award winners supporting the Book Festival, award winning plays across the town, leading south west artists creating light and sound installations and nationally important exhibitions. Look out for colourful bus shelter adverts, 20,000 A5 flyers to follow early Aug, A4 window posters for businesses first week Aug and a 16 page guide nearer the event. All this backed up by extensive PR effort to promote the Festival and of course Falmouth. So far local coverage in the Packet and West Briton with more to follow over the next few week. You can listen to a Radio Cornwall interview here and view the schedule here

Fal Week – BID is giving extensive support to enable this key Festival to develop further. Liaising with Pubs United, BID will be supporting a comprehensive Music on the Moor event.

Oyster Festival –BID will be giving PR support which will ensure maximum national and regional coverage. In addition we are currently looking at ways to support via new activities in other parts of the town

Website

An update on Falmouth.co.uk, the BID funded and managed website for Falmouth of course. The official destination website for the town with consistently over 25,000 unique hits per month. As a BID business, you are eligible for a FREE page, another benefit which if you had to pay would be £200 per year. So if you haven’t take up this offer I would encourage you to do so as it is an excellent way to further promote your business. We have meetings later this week to map out future development to further secure its position over the next three years. The website is a huge marketing asset for the town so I would urge you to take advantage of it!

Sarah Newton meeting

Another reminder that we have been co-ordinating with Sarah Newton’s office to arrange another session with Sarah to discuss issues such as business rates. This session will be taking place on Thursday 19^th July 3.30pm in the Council Chambers on The Moor

Car parking

To reiterate Richard Gates’s comments thank you for your responses. We will be reviewing all the feedback and taking this to meetings with Cornwall Council in the near future.