Street Entertainment
Throughout the school holidays every Wednesday from 10am – 2pm we have arranged for toddler and primary entertainment to be available in the Market Place for FREE. Over the weeks there will be a variety of different attractions such as:
- Teaching children how to juggle
- Face painting
- Bouncy castles
- Balloons
- Magician and much more
Please come down and join in the fun and remember once you have finished, or on days when the weather isn’t great, you can also pop round to Buttercups Play on Westgate.
Wednesday activities will bring a new offer to the town centre and we are eager for the very most be made of this. It is a chance for the community to have a new attraction which can draw people from an increasingly wide area. In addition to it being an opportunity for parents, toddlers and schoolchildren during the holiday, to identify with Otley, more importantly for the BID we want them to bring their friends and relatives to start shopping in Otley. We want this event to grow and grow and, once the trial is ended, become all or predominantly self funding.
Memorial Gardens
You may have noticed that work has been taking place in the Memorial Gardens on Bondgate, where railings have been erected by the cenotaph to hold wreaths and to prevent them being damaged and blown away.
Councillor Peter Jackson was instrumental in organising this initiative, which the BID were more than happy to fund.
Successful BID Initiatives in Chipping Norton
Last month our BID Co-ordinator, Peter Mudge, was invited down to the Oxfordshire town of Chipping Norton, who came runner up in the UK Great British High Street 2015 and scored 10/10 for innovation.
One of the key aspects that the directors at Chipping Norton had championed was digital technology, in particular apps and interactive signage. Following this visit we are now exploring the best way forwards and looking at ways we can embrace this technology to benefit both our businesses and our residents and visitors.
We are also delighted to announce that Otley has been recognised in a Central Government Paper as one of the ‘the best digital towns’, and the team at Chipping Norton felt that the Otley Business Directory was far superior to their own! A feather in our cap!!
The Business Directory is a great place to find local businesses. Help us #ShopLocal and support our independents by visiting www.visitotley.co.uk/businessdirectory
Artwork in Empty Spaces
We are continuing to look at increasing artwork in both empty shops and in prime areas throughout the town. Our intention is to encourage footfall into areas which may not naturally be found by a new visitor, and develop this in the future into a trail around the town.
Business Plan Update
We are currently in the process of creating an update on our 5 Year Business Plan. The booklet is designed to inform all shareholders of the projects the BID has been involved with over our initial 2.5 years, and to share with you our plans for the next 2.5 years. This is due to be circulated shortly, watch this space for more information.
We Want Your Ideas
As always we welcome your thoughts on any of the above or new projects. Our aim is to improve our beautiful market town for our businesses, our residents and our visitors. Please feel free to contact Peter Mudge with your ideas, email peter.mudge@otleybid.co.uk.