BID Newsletter May 2024
Hello everyone and welcome to our latest BID newsletter as we move towards those sunny summer months!
It’s been a busy month for us at Harrogate BID, which saw the return of the Celebration of Fashion. It was fantastic to bring another successful event to the town, which saw more than 60,000 people pass through the BID area on the day.
The day was a brilliant celebration of the classy fashion offer we have in our town centre, with positive feedback coming from both residents and visitors of all ages!
We launched another campaign around the Harrogate Gift Card, offering the chance for wedding goers to purchase that perfect present for the new happy couple as we move into the marriage season.
We want to help our town celebrate Father’s Day this year, so we have created a brand new football-themed event to help families do so! The ‘Fathering Funday’ will give people the chance to beat a keeper in the town centre to enter a sweepstake to win some top prizes for their dad of father figure.
Our new Town Centre Support Officer Kiam has been hard at work since he started and has made some top progress so far, helping to tackle issues with crime and anti-social behaviour in our town centre.
The newly expanded BID team are all working well together as we continue to move further into our second term, with everyone pitching in as we continue to work towards our objectives and overall Business Plan.
We’ve got plenty more campaigns and events coming up across the summer and throughout the rest of the year, so be sure to keep an eye out!
Yours Sincerely
Andrea Thornborrow
BID Chair
Harrogate Celebration of Fashion 2024
Another successful celebration of Harrogate’s excellent retail offer saw the crowds gather to join a day fashion-themed fun put together by the town’s Business Improvement District (BID).
The sun shone down on the Piazza on a lovely spring day for the second Harrogate Celebration of Fashion, organised by the team at Harrogate BID. The latest figures from the data firm HUQ, a partner of Harrogate BID, show that more than 60,000 people passed through the BID area on the day of the event. This is an increase of more than 7,000 on the first ever Harrogate Celebration of Fashion held in 2023.
To read more on this, please click here.
Launch of Town Centre Support Officer
Harrogate BID is delighted to announce that the new Town Centre Support Officer (TCSO) role has now launched, helping to keep the town safe and welcoming for all.
Kiam Taylor, a former civil servant, has now kickstarted the new role at the BID – and said he is excited to be part of a team making a positive difference in the North Yorkshire town.
To find out more about the TCSO role, please click here.
Wedding Gift Card campaign
The BID team have launched a new campaign to encourage wedding goers to give the gift of Harrogate to help family members or friends celebrate their special day.
Harrogate BID is looking to promote the Harrogate Gift Card, which is now accepted by more than 100 businesses in the town, as a top wedding gift as we move into marriage season. As part of the campaign, Harrogate BID will give an extra 10% to any Gift Card purchased as a wedding present.
Floral Summer of Celebration
The Harrogate BID team are delighted to announce that the Floral Summer of Celebration will return again this year with a brand-new theme – friendship. The unique floral trail will see fantastic displays placed in key locations around the BID area, allowing visitors to view the Harrogate offer and celebrate the town’s floral heritage as they pass by each exhibit.
This year’s event will highlight friendship in line with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2024.
BID Street Dressing in Harrogate
Harrogate BID has begun to dress the streets to continue to take pride in the town by displaying the well-known Coat of Arms on new bunting.
Harrogate is known for its unique welcome and the BID wants to carry on supporting this through eye-catching public realm and targeted campaigns. The Coat of Arms bunting has been placed on streets in the heart of Harrogate including James Street and Princes Street, while other popular shopping areas such as Cambridge Street, Oxford Street and Beulah Street have been lined with spring-themed flags as we move into the warmer months of the year.
To read more on this, click this link.
Harrogate’s twin town launches new Gift Card
A shop local ethos is the latest link between Harrogate and its twinned Canadian city as Barrie introduces its own gift card scheme to boost the economy and keep money local.
They might be 5,000km apart, but the twinned areas of Harrogate and Barrie are closer than ever thanks to the arrival of a new gift card to encourage shopping local. Barrie, one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, introduced its new Downtown Barrie Gift Card in early 2024, following in the footsteps of its twinned town, Harrogate.
Visit the BID website here to find out more on this!
HUQ update for May 2024
We’re continuing to work alongside the data firm HUQ to develop our plans and strategies when putting together our campaigns, services and events to improve our town. The total footfall recorded in May 2024 was 1,304,703, with the highest on Wednesday May 21st at 66,187.
For a full update on HUQ, please click here to view a document.
Latest BID Blog on heritage
Our latest blog has investigated historic Harrogate’s heritage. From the discovery of an unusual series of springs in the 16th and 17th centuries, to the modern-day popular spa, shopping and conference town we see today, Harrogate’s heritage is renowned both nationwide and internationally.
As the Business Improvement District (BID), we want to be an important part of this town’s future and contribute positively as it continues to shine as the jewel in North Yorkshire’s crown.
To read our latest blog, please click here.
BID creates new ‘Fathering Funday’
Harrogate BID is delighted to announce the launch of a brand-new free event to kick off Father’s Day celebrations in the town.
The BID team are excited to be working alongside Harrogate Town AFC, Harrogate Town Community Foundation and Your Harrogate to deliver the inaugural ‘Fathering Funday’ in the town, set to take over the grass area in Prospect Place on Saturday, June 15th from 10am.
Offer at popular Harrogate bar
The team at North Bar have announced a brand new ‘hotdesk’ deal…
For just £10, you can get a toastie for lunch, free coffee and tea refills and a pint when you finish. They also have high speed wi-fi and all the sockets you need.
The offer is on between Monday and Friday, so drop the team a message on social media or an email to book a space!