Welcome to our July Newsletter

With the school summer holidays now well and truly upon us, our first family-friendly trail of 2021 begins tomorrow – and it’s all about Lego!

Over the next three weeks, ten models, with a number unique to Harrogate, will be displayed in shop windows across the town centre for families and fans of the ‘bricks’ to follow. There’s also two public ‘build’ days taking place tomorrow and Sunday, and full details can be found in the body of this newsletter.

I’ve led on this story for a specific reason. A key remit of ours is to drive footfall into the town centre. For this project we’ve partnered with Levy payers in all four quarters of the BID area, and our hope is it will take people into areas they don’t usually visit. As said, this is our first trail this year, and we hope you enjoy it.

Also, have you walked in the passageway between Market Place and James Street? If so, have you noticed anythign different? If not, I suggest you have a look as I think you will be surprised. Again, this another aspect of what Harrogate BID is delivering for our town centre.As ever, if you have any questions, please do get in touch via email, info@harrogatebid.co.uk

Yours sincerely

Sara Ferguson
BID Chair
Miniature Harrogate landmarks star in Lego model trail
A series of Harrogate landmarks, replicated in Lego bricks, will star in a new town centre trail for families to follow this summer.Harrogate BID’s Lego Trail – which launches tomorrow (Saturday, July 31) and runs until Sunday, August 22 – features ten mini-models located in nine different locations, some created especially for this three-week event.

These small-scale masterpieces include Harrogate Town mascot, Harry Gator; Bettys Harrogate café; The Turkish Baths; The Great Yorkshire Showground’s main ring; and Hogwart’s School from the Harry Potter books.

At 10am tomorrow and Sunday, Victoria Shopping Centre will be hosting a live-build of a white rose, the county’s emblem, in which the public are invited to take part.

There is also a competition with 500 Lego prizes to be won. To enter, participants need to download the LoyalFree app and ‘check in’ at each venue using the QR code displayed. Toyland in the Victoria Shopping Centre is where the prizes can be collected from.

Harrogate BID Manager Chapman Matthew Chapman said: “With the school summer holidays already here we wanted to create a trail that would really appeal to families.

“With restrictions now lifted, this is one that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, and will be a fun way to spend a few hours visiting different parts of the town.”

The models can be viewed at the following locations:

  • Harrogate Town Shop, Commercial Street
  • Games Crusade, Oxford Street
  • HSBC, Cambridge Crescent
  • Primark, Cambridge Street
  • Waterstones, James Street
  • Bettys, Parliament Street
  • Maturi, Parliament Street
  • Westmorland Sheepskin, Montpelier Hill
  • Asda, Bower Road
  • Orvis, West Park
  • Victoria Shopping Centre (mosaic and public live build event)
Detailed plans for the proposed Harrogate Station Gateway Project will soon be in the public realm, and those behind the scheme — which has increased in value to £10.9m—will be seeking further comments during a second round of consultation. Ahead if this, we, The Chamber and Independent Harrogate, will be canvassing the town’s business community for their views. A short survey will be sent out next week and the results will be published in mid-August.
‘Harrogate letters’ start to take shape

Our Harrogate letters are now really starting to take shape.

For this project, we have partnered with charity
Artizan International for the projects, which will see the large art works being
installed in blocked out windows on the side of the Boots building, on
Cambridge Place.

Last month, we invited members of the public to offer inspiration to the
individual backgrounds by telling them what they felt best symbolised
Harrogate.

Responses included flowers, Bettys, cycling, Yorkshire Tea, The
Stray, The Great Yorkshire Show and The Valley Gardens.

A number of these are now being used as the backdrop to each letter, which
is being carefully made from pieces of brightly coloured pottery and tiles by
Artizan International’s differently-able participants and volunteers.

Harrogate BID Chair Sara Ferguson and Manager Matthew Chapman visited
Artizan’s Oxford Street shop and studios to see how the project was
proceeding – and to add a few pieces themselves.

Sara said: “The mosaics are starting to take shape, and the ones nearing
completion look absolutely stunning.

“I’d like to thank Artizan International for partnering with us on this project, and also to their differently-able participants for bringing these letters to life.

“When completed and in place, these mosaics are going to add a wonderful
splash of colour to what is probably one of the town’s best used, yet soulless thoroughfares.”

Join us at August’s BID Club
Harrogate BID is holding its next BID Club meeting on Thursday, August 19.

Being held at Hotel du Vin, the event for Levy Payers is being from 5.30pm.

BID Manager Matthew Chapman said: “The BID Clubs are a great way to meet fellow Levy Payers as well as BID Board members and the wider BID team”

Those wishing to attend, please register for the event by emailing info@harrogatebid.co.uk
Making Cross James Street ‘Happy’  
Have you noticed the giant mural taking shape along a wall on Cross James Street, designed to give this area a real splash of colour?We have commissioned artist Sam Porter, from Mural Minded, to carry out the work.

His remit was to create something really stunning, and I hope you will agree that’s exactly what he’s doing.
Become a voluntary Levy payer

Businesses may not know, but they can become a voluntary levy payer.

The annual cost is £300, and as a voluntary payer they will be entitled to all the benefits of currently afforded to all levy payers, including being able to claim up to £750 in match-funded ‘reopening’ grants.

To find out more, email info@harrogatebid.co.uk