May 2023 Newsletter

It has been a busy month for Harrogate BID. We have had a great time hosting the coronation event at the start of May and the recent Harrogate Celebration of Fashion.

I continue to be proud of what the BID has achieved in our town since its inception, and I want to be able to keep building on the successes from our first term. When we recently presented for our AGM and in the business plan launch, the volume of projects we’ve completed was apparent!

Equally, it demonstrated the amazing opportunity we have to continue to develop some of our ideas, such as our Christmas displays and summer floral trail.

Harrogate BID is a vital part of taking our town forwards. I hope that as a result of its outcomes, members will vote positively, and residents and visitors to the town can continue to enjoy the benefits of Harrogate BID and how it supports the businesses of our town.

Thank you for your continuing support, and if you have any questions of me, please do get in touch at dan.siddle@harrogatebid.co.uk

Yours sincerely

Dan

Dan Siddle
BID Chair

A Successful Coronation Event & Big Help Out

Battling the true British bank holiday weather, we still managed to host a fun-filled family celebration event to mark the coronation of King Charles III! Each day hundreds of people attended and had a brilliant time.

We would like to give a special thank you to the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa for hosting the event and Your Harrogate for partnering with us.

We also gathered volunteers for our ‘Big Help Out’ event with the Harrogate Advertiser. Despite the downpour, we collected 14 full bags of litter and weeds from Cambridge Street, Oxford Street, Bower Street, One Arch, the Cenotaph area and Beulah Street.

Harrogate Celebration of Fashion

We also had an incredible turn out at our May Harrogate Celebration of Fashion – a jam-packed day which gave retailers across the town the opportunity to showcase their latest collections. Models took to the catwalk throughout the day outside Victoria Shopping Centre, which sponsored the event along with the Stray Ferret.

Enchantica supported the event through creativity, community and engagement with Suzie Vaughan acting as the lead stage host.

Businesses involved ranged from Morgan Clare, Primark, Marks and Spencers, Sophie Likes, Elite Bridal, Harrogate Town AFC, Infinity & Co, Monsoon, Hoopers, LK Bennett, Specsavers, Bias, Artizan, Sweaty Betty, Hobbs, the Turkish Baths, Lush, Beyond Imagination, Molton Brown, Bettys, Phoenix Lounge, Fennec & Darwin and many more. Nicholls Tyreman, A-Plan Insurance, Mumbler and The Stray Ferret supported as high street champions in the upcycling challenge.

Click here to find out more. Footage from the day can also be found here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFtLwJM2ff8

Keeping Our Streets Sparkling

Over the summer weeks our deep clean team will be out in force early in the morning to ensure our town looks its best for businesses, residents and visitors alike. Here they are pictured cleaning on Parliament Street last week, making sure that the streets are sparkling!

New Floral Displays in Full Bloom

The BID fully funded summer floral displays and hanging baskets are now in place around the town centre. We are pleased to have had these replanted and to have already received positive feedback on how these are brightening up the town.

You Asked…We Delivered

During a recent survey with BID members, feedback was given that you would like Harrogate BID to undertake short term improvements to vacant units.

Although we are all working towards these units being filled with vibrant businesses, we have in the meantime applied attractive visual displays to several shop fronts as a temporary measure. We hope that these make a difference to the appeal of the town whilst the units remain vacant.

Business Plan Launch

The ballot for the BID’s five-year term is now open! As a member, you get the opportunity to cast your vote to decide if the BID should stay in place.

We want to remind our members of the cleaner pavements, bold street art, footfall-increasing campaigns, street dressing, floral flair, match-funding grants, unique entertainment, collaborative networking, locked-in local spend, and much more that will come with keeping the BID in Harrogate.

Harrogate BID will act as the glue that brings everyone together, while allowing us to raise our collective voice for the good of our town. We will continue to work on your behalf to get opinions heard and aspirations delivered.

Please find the 2024 – 2028 Business Plan here