Welcome to your fortnightly update from the Newbury BID team, including the latest news from the business community, Newbury Town Council, West Berkshire Council, Thames Valley Police, and the Government. Look out for actions highlighted below!
Contents
CEO Update from Melissa
Footfall Update
Please see the footfall stats for last week (4th-10th October) and the YTD trend below. Footfall was up by 12% compared to the week before and was within 2.5% of footfall seen in the same week in 2019. This is the closest Newbury has been to normal levels of footfall since before the pandemic. I’ve heard anecdotally from a few business owners that this uplift was noticeable, especially last weekend. Let’s hope this trend is set to continue, especially in the lead up to Christmas!
The busiest day of last week was Saturday with footfall of 28,467 (an exceptionally busy Saturday!) with peak numbers of visitors seen at around midday.
General Update
ACTION: Please remember to view our consultation document online here and send us any feedback! If you haven’t received your personalised survey link, you can simply email your thoughts to us via support@newburybid.com.
We held our bi-monthly BID Board Meeting this week and feedback from sector representatives around the table was really positive. You can read my CEO Report for the meeting here.
ACTION: Street Pastors, a charity which does a fantastic job here in Newbury helping to support the evening economy, are holding a fundraiser quiz on Friday 3rd December and are in need of raffle prizes. If you can offer a prize, please email me directly and I can put you in touch with them.
We are fully immersed in Christmas and ballot preparation here at the moment, and we’re very excited about both! Please do spare 7 minutes to watch this video about what we’re doing for Newbury this Christmas, how you can get involved, and how you can help. We are determined to help make this the best Christmas Newbury has ever seen and we need everyone to get behind it!
Operations Update from Alison
Victorian Christmas Fayre: Friday 3 – Sunday 5 December
We expect this to be truly special and really hope the town gets behind this exciting new event for Newbury, which we hope will bring in footfall from further afield and will form part of our wider Christmas in Newbury marketing campaign! I’m busy organising actors & actresses, walkabout entertainers and local artists to perform to make this really special!
There are 2 free stall pitches available per day and these will be offered on a first come first served basis so please get in touch with me ASAP to register your interest as interest is growing!
We would love for all the town centre to support this and encourage all public facing staff to dress in Victorian attire for the 3 days to create a truly immersive and special event for visitors.
We also encourage all businesses with public facing windows to dress up their window with a Victorian themed display for this duration.
If you are a Hospitality venue and are interested in having a bar opportunity at this event please contact me ASAP to discuss!
We shall be dropping posters and programmes into all businesses over the coming couple of weeks to help promote the event.
Monthly Artisan Market
The last Artisan Market dates for 2021 are Sunday 31 October and Sunday 28 November.
I have 2 free stall pitches available per market so please get in touch with me to request your space – the actual stall is also included so you only have to rock up with your goods, set the stall up, and tap into the market footfall!
Vegan Market – Sunday 21 November
After its successful return in August the Vegan Market will also be back again (the day after the Christmas Lights Switch-On Festival) and I have 2 free pitches for this so please get in touch!
If you will be running any specific Vegan offers, please let us know so we can shout about it and include you in social media comms.
Our Vegan Map is currently in the final stages of production and will be printed and distributed over the coming weeks.
Christmas Tree
The tree is sourced and booked for delivery on 15 November! We invite ALL BID Members to provide their own Christmas tree decoration (maybe a bauble?!) to go on display on the tree to promote your business. Please get in touch if you have any queries.
Cardboard Collection
Shaun our Ranger will collect this next Tuesday 19 October between 9am and 2pm so please leave out before 9am if you are on our cardboard collection database.
CCTV
We are currently working through the quotes in conjunction with TVP and the Kennet Centre and trying to negotiate an even better arrangement with the intention of appointing a supplier next week so watch this space for the next update.
Bunting
The colourful Visit Newbury Bunting that we arranged ahead of the 12th April reopening earlier this year has been successfully taken down over the last two nights ahead of the Christmas Lights installation schedule next month.
BusinessWatch Crime Reduction Scheme
The next PubWatch meeting will be on Tuesday 2 November at 10am at The Catherine Wheel.
The next ShopSafe meeting will be on Thursday 18 November at 10am at Broadway House (our office building!).
Marketing Update from Kirsty
Newbury’s First TV Advert
This week was the deadline for Newbury’s first ever TV advertising campaign, which I am very excited to share with you very shortly. The advert has just passed the TV clearance vetting process and is being uploaded to the Sky platform as we speak. For any Sky or Virgin Media customers out there who live within an 1hr 30 mins drive of Newbury, keep an eye-out for our Christmas in Newbury TV advert, which will be going live mid-next week! For a sneaky preview, see above endframe from the advert!
Bus Supersides
I’m so delighted to share with you the fantastic artwork for our new Bus superside adverts, which are going live on 18th October as part of the wider Christmas in Newbury marketing campaign. As with our Re-Visit Newbury campaign, these are going up on x 3 buses that do 15-mile routes in the Newbury, Thatcham and Reading areas. Below is a mock-up of what the advert will look like on the buses, and the final version of the artwork! N.B. Unfortunately, the bus company weren’t keen on having vinyl ‘elves’ riding the buses, so we had to abandon this fun idea!
Reading Lights Digital Billboard
This week has also been the deadline for our Reading Lights digital billboard adverts. This double sided, full motion screen is a fantastic spot with phenomenal reach of 4.8 million every fortnight. Our Christmas in Newbury advert will be going live on 18th October and will be played once for 10 seconds, every 2 minutes until the 26th December. I have included images of the spectacular advertising space for your reference below, and will share the advert with you on the screen soon.
Radio Advert
Our 4-week radio advertising campaign with Kennet Radio is booked and will begin on 25th October. I’ve produced the final script and look forward to sharing the advert soon!
Christmas Landing Page
You may have noticed our new Christmas banner across our website, which links to our new Christmas in Newbury landing page which I created and launched live this week! Please click here to check it out.
Christmas Lights Switch-On Festival This week I published our recent press release: Newbury BID announce Christmas Lights Switch-On Festival, which has earned us free coverage in Round & About Magazine (right) , Newbury Reporting and Newbury Weekly News. You can find the Facebook event by clicking here- please help us to promote and share!
Rangers Update from Shaun
Business Community Updates & Shout Outs
A message from Mandy, the owner of Pageant Party in Cheap Street: We all know what a tough year it has been for hospitality and events based businesses, us included! I would love to reach out to all pubs, cafes, hotels, or any business really, who will be hosting a Christmas party or event. I understand with everything, that budget limitations may apply for many of you, which we are more than happy to work around, to see what we can offer to make you stand out. I love being able to help my customers celebrate better, and I just feel that I can also help my fellow businesses as well! If you are interested, please send us an email to info@pageantparty.co.uk, call 01635 552244 or even send a social media message. If you are able to include your ideas on colour schemes, budget and any location preferences in your message, that would be appreciated.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Newbury Town Council Update
Green Flag for Victoria Park
Faraday Road Football Ground Renewed as an Asset of Community Value
Newbury Town Council Newsletter
You can read Newbury Town Council’s October Newsletter here.
West Berkshire Council Update
Calling all eco-conscious independent local businesses! WBC would like to hear from you if you are a local business with strong environmental values who could be part of their Christmas magazine for 2021. WBC want to showcase the best independent shops with green agendas to help encourage residents to shop local and shop green this Christmas. So whether you are a farmshop selling locally-sourced produce, or an online craft store with eco-friendly gifts, tell WBC more to be included in the Christmas magazine!
To find out more, and to apply, click here. Deadline for application is 11.59pm 31 October 2021.
Let's Get Active Fund supports Educafe Free Fitness Classes
Residents Newsletter
West Berkshire Council Weeknotes
Coronavirus Weeknotes
Mental Health Support
Government Update
Coronavirus Lateral Flow Testing for Businesses
The government are encouraging businesses to take regular lateral flow tests in the workplace. It’s easy to get a lateral flow test. Your staff can simply order kits online here, or find their nearest collect site using this link. Tests are free, and the whole process only takes a few minutes. Let’s work together to act responsibly and stop the spread!
Here are links to the latest updates from the Government:
- Lateral flow tests to be introduced for vaccinated international arrivals – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- G7 Finance Ministers agree to work together to address global supply chain pressures – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- SIA opens registration for 2021 national conference – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Adapt or die, says Environment Agency – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- New capital raising review to boost UK companies and markets – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Time to get ready for Self Assessment – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Staying safe with fireworks – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Travel advice changes for over 50 countries and territories – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Events, Resources & Industry News
Business support during the COVID-19 crisis is available from the following organisations:
- West Berkshire Council – COVID-19 information for businesses – https://info.westberks.gov.uk/coronavirus-business
- Public Protection Partnership – advice and support on COVID guidelines and regulations – https://publicprotectionpartnership.org.uk/covid-19/
- Business Growth Hub – free COVID advice and support for businesses in Berkshire – https://www.berkshirebusinesshub.co.uk/
- Government – summary of COVID support available for businesses – https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support
