Harrogate BID Newsletter May 2025
Welcome all to the June edition of our Harrogate BID monthly newsletter.
May has been a busy month for the BID team, with the highlight being the Celebration of Fashion which showcased our town’s amazing retail offer. The sun shone down as the models took to the catwalk to strut their stuff and show off some of the best ranges from our businesses.
We’re also delighted to be working alongside the Pubwatch scheme in our town to introduce a new app and accreditation to help to streamline the initiative and drive footfall and spend into our hospitality sector. We have supported the scheme for a number of years now and look forward to developing the partnership further in the future.
Since the turn of the year, more than 10 new businesses have opened within our town centre! As the BID, we are in full support of these new openings as we work hard to maintain our town as a vibrant, bustling hub.
As a part of our wider promotional campaigns, we also recently launched our brand new guide maps,
featuring four unique quarters within the town centre, and our classy, charming Harrogate-themed postcards.
Our Father’s Day competition is still open for entries too – with a top Harrogate-themed prize package featuring all the perfect items for your dad, grandad or guardian this year…
Yours sincerely,
Simon Midgley
BID Chair
New Harrogate postcards and town guide map launched in BID wider promotion campaign
Harrogate BID is delighted to launch brand new themed postcards and guide maps as part of a wider promotional project for the town centre.
The Business Improvement District (BID) delivers campaigns, services and events across the year to help not only keep Harrogate on the map, but to showcase the town far and wide across the country and even overseas.
The new guide maps show Harrogate split into four key quarters – Central, Montpellier, King’s Road and Victoria and West Park – all with their own unique traits that contribute towards creating a vibrant town centre.
The postcards have been designed to create a classy, charming picture of the North Yorkshire town for local people and visitors to share with their friends and loved ones.
BID proud to deliver another successful Celebration of Fashion to highlight town’s top retail offer
Harrogate BID was delighted to deliver another successful Celebration of Fashion event over the weekend to shine a light on the town’s top retail offer.
The event, organised by the Business Improvement District (BID) team every year, encourages both local people and visitors into the town centre to join in with the fun.
The sun shone down on the Piazza area on Saturday (May 17th) as the volunteer models took to the catwalk to strut their stuff and show off some of the best ranges from Harrogate’s businesses.
BID supports multiple new business openings in vibrant Harrogate town centre
Harrogate BID is very pleased to see multiple new business openings in the town centre over the last few months, contributing to creating a vibrant, bustling hub.
Since the start of 2025, more than 10 new businesses have opened in the centre of Harrogate, including jewellers, office space, homeware, clothing retailers, bars, restaurants and more.
From inspiring homeware at Søstrene Grene and statement fashion pieces at Sosandar, to comfortable workspaces at WorkWell and tasty food and drinks at the new Mayfair bar, the openings have expanded the town’s business community with some fantastic new additions.
BID team set to share key information from stand at monthly market in Harrogate town centre
The Harrogate BID team are pleased to share they will be hosting a stand at the monthly Farmer’s Market in the town centre to share key information on the organisation.
Each member of the Business Improvement District (BID) team will be present at the stall throughout the day to help local business owners, residents and visitors to learn more about the services, campaigns and events the organisation delivers across the year.
The team are excited to share details on plans for a jam-packed year and new schemes and initiatives as they move further into their second term in the North Yorkshire town.
BID and Pubwatch launch new app and accreditation
Harrogate BID is very pleased to announce funding for a new app to support the Pubwatch scheme in the town centre, along with a fresh accreditation for venues.
Officially announced during a meeting on Thursday (May 29th), the BID team and Pubwatch scheme are delighted to launch a partnership with the Alert app by ShopSafe.
Following extensive research and development, both the BID team and Pubwatch are confident that the Alert app will help to revitalise the scheme by connecting venues using modern, state of the art technology leading to more proactive, efficient results against offenders.
Father’s Day competition with top Harrogate-themed prize package for one lucky winner
Harrogate BID is pleased to announce the details of a brand new Father’s Day competition, offering the chance for one lucky winner to take home a top themed prize package filled with the best treats for a dad, grandad or guardian.
Launched on May 19th, the prize package includes a season ticket for Harrogate Town AFC for the 2025/26 campaign, a Saturday afternoon experience at The Den in the town centre featuring fantastic food, delicious drinks and exciting entertainment, a £100 voucher for the Yorkshire Farmers Meat Company’s top quality range and a £100 Harrogate Gift Card available to spend in almost 100 different businesses around the town centre.
BID hosts ‘Lifetime of Harrogate’ campaign to showcase jewel in Yorkshire’s crown to wider audience
Harrogate BID has funded a series of impactful wider promotional campaigns featuring new branding for key town centre locations, a series of videos, guide maps and themed postcards.
The ‘Lifetime of Harrogate’ project, fully funded and delivered by the Business Improvement District (BID), was launched to showcase the North Yorkshire town as a must-visit destination, drawing in new visitors and enhancing its renowned heritage.
The series of videos, highlighting Harrogate’s historical spa heritage, the town’s beautiful parks and gardens, the super shopping culture and culinary excellence, have so far gathered tens of thousands of views across different platforms reaching a vast amount of unique users, with only three out of six published on social media channels so far.
Harrogate BID proud to claim Chamber’s President’s Cup
Harrogate BID was delighted to receive the President’s Cup from the District Chamber of Commerce in May.
This prestigious accolade, presented by Chamber President Phill Holdsworth, recognises outstanding contributions to the local area and economy. Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID Chief Executive, attended to receive the award on behalf of the team.
The BID work consistently hard for the good of our town through the events, campaigns and services they deliver, so the team are super proud to be acknowledged with this award.
BID team proud to be a part of the Barrie–Harrogate Twin Exchange opportunity
Harrogate BID is pleased to announce the organisation’s involvement in the Barrie–Harrogate Twin Exchange, an international business initiative connecting the North Yorkshire town with Barrie in Ontario, Canada.
Harrogate shares a formal twin city relationship with Barrie – a thriving business community with many shared values and complementary strengths. Two years ago, we had the privilege of attending a trade mission with the Downtown Barrie BIA, which sparked authentic dialogue and laid the groundwork for future partnerships.
We’re excited to take the next step forward — now in partnership with Barrier Chamber of Commerce, the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Barrie BIA — bringing together business leaders from both sides of the Atlantic to foster lasting relationships and real opportunities.
Latest BID Blog on teams on the street
As the Business Improvement District (BID) in Harrogate, one of the key services we deliver are our teams on the street.
Our two Street Rangers and Town Centre Support Officer (TCSO) work hard on a daily basis to ensure our town centre is safe, clean and welcoming for all businesses, residents and visitors.
As one of over 400 BIDs in the UK, we aim to offer additionality on top of baseline statutory services delivered by the local authority and police force.
Working both proactively and reactively around the town centre, both teams act as the eyes and ears for our BID Members to respond to any issues and offer a friendly ambassadorial presence to make sure Harrogate remains an attractive, must-visit destination.
Odyssey Gaming Festival returns to Harrogate
The Harrogate BID team were delighted to again act as a sponsor for the festival, which returned over the weekend.
Featuring retro gaming, arcade games, indie gaming, tech showcases and much more, the festival had something for every generation!
HACS Harrogate Music Festival
Jam-packed with unmissable acts and bringing the brightest talents to the heart of Yorkshire, HACS Harrogate Music Festival returns from June 26th to July 11th.
The Festival opens with a night of Hollywood Hits from trumpet virtuoso Mike Lovatt’s Brass Pack at Harrogate’s Royal Hall, featuring West End singer Anna-Jane Casey on vocals.
The feather-rustling House of Burlesque returns for a raucous night of cabaret followed by a Silent Disco in the ballroom of the Old Swan Hotel.
Cyber security event in Harrogate
Harrogate is set to welcome a major cybersecurity event this June, aimed at equipping local businesses with the tools and knowledge to protect themselves from growing online threats.
Local tech entrepreneur Chris Dickinson, founder of ASE, one of the region’s most trusted IT solutions providers, is behind CyberShield: Security Solutions Expo, a free, one-day event designed specifically for SMEs.
Taking place on Tuesday June 24th at The Pavilions of Harrogate, CyberShield will bring together some of the biggest names in tech, including Microsoft, Sophos, Check Point and IT Governance, to offer practical advice, insights and hands-on demonstrations tailored for small and medium-sized businesses.
As an active supporter of the Harrogate business community, Chris is passionate about helping local companies build resilience and safeguard their operations in an increasingly digital world.
Free advertising space in Harrogate
We host a free stand for leaflets, brochures and flyers on the ground floor of the Victoria Shopping Centre.
There’s still some space available for Harrogate-based companies, charities and community groups to shout about their work!
You may also spot our new guide map for the town centre and Harrogate-themed postcards around the stall…
HUQ update from May 2025
Looking back at the footfall data from over the last month, we can see that the total footfall was 1,622,095 – which is actually just over 50,000 higher than the total footfall in the BID area in the same period 2024.
Visitors travelled from 34 different postcodes from areas including Stafford, Worksop, Accrington, Leigh and Northolt, while Bower Street, King’s Road and Raglan Street all feature as Harrogate’s hotspots throughout the month.
If you have any questions, or would like to see a specific data set from HUQ, please email us on info@harrogatebid.co.uk