Keep up to date with what’s been going on at Otley BID this Winter; from our 2020 Business Training Programme, to supporting Otley Events and much more…
Otley Business Awards – The Nominees are In!
We’re delighted to be one of the main sponsors for this fantastic annual celebration of Otley independent businesses. It’s fantastic to see so many businesses nominated this year and we look forward to celebrating with you at the Awards Evening on Friday 20th March 2020.
View the nominees here.
Business Training
Following the success of our 2019 Free Business Training Workshops, we have now confirmed our Training Programme for 2020:
- Thu 27 Feb & Thu 5th Mar – Emergency First Aid at Work (SOLD OUT)
- Thu 23 Apr – Health & Safety Awareness at Work
- Thu 14 May – Small Business Employment Law
- Thu 18 Jun – Keeping up with Food Hygiene Laws
- Aug/Sep – No workshops
- Thu 17 Sep – Small Business Marketing Made Simple
- Thu 8 Oct – Mental Health Awareness
- Thu 12 Nov – Getting Recruitment Right
- Thu 26 Nov – Fire Safety at Work
- Dec – No workshops
We ask that all sessions be booked by our levy payers in advance as they are very popular and are available on a first come, first served basis – Terms apply.
To book, please see our website, Facebook page and if we have your email address on our mailing list we will also email links to you as soon as they are available to book.
Quarterly ‘How To…. Guide’ – Service Sector Businesses
Our quarterly newsletter is continuing to be well received with residents and businesses across Otley & the surrounding areas.
Our next newsletter is all about “How to…Look After Your Finances” and will feature an article on the 2020 Budget which is due to be announced on 11th March, with the newsletter being distributed shortly after.
We will then be following this up with a dedicated “Wharfebank Mills” newsletter, as we have a lot of hidden gems tucked away in this out of town business centre and we’d like to share some of the fantastic businesses that reside there.
The newsletters are written & distributed to 9,200 residents and businesses that hold an LS21 postcode, at no cost to our levy paying businesses.
Our 5 Year Business Plan 2019-2024
We recently ran out of our printed 5 Year Business Plan booklets that Rachelle, our Otley BID Champion, has been busy handing out to the 160+ businesses she has visited so far.
Following a Facebook poll where we asked our members/followers if they would prefer us to spend money on a re-print, or save the money for other projects and direct new and existing businesses to our website, it was voted unanimously that we should do the latter.
If you want to know more about our Otley Business Improvement District, our past projects and what our plan is for our current 5 year term ending 2024, please visit our website http://otleybid.co.uk/business-plan-2019-24/.
Our Website – www.otleybid.co.uk
Over the coming weeks we will be making some improvements to our website following conversations we have had and ideas that have been discussed with our members:
- Empty Premises link will be added which will list all the empty premises throughout the town, with the aim of promoting these on our social media and assist with these being filled quickly.
- Invitation to Tender
- New Deals will continue to be added to help save our members money and continue to encourage our #ShopLocal ethos. If you’d like to offer a discount to your fellow Otley BID businesses, please email info@otleybid.co.uk.
Otley Events
Otley Coffee Festival
The first Otley Coffee Festival is nearly upon us! Make sure you have saved the date – Saturday 25th April 2020. If you haven’t booked your tickets yet, head over to their website.
We are delighted to have provided a £3,000 grant to the organisers to get the festival off the ground. It’s great to see so many businesses (not just café’s) thinking outside the box and getting involved. We’re looking forward to seeing coffee lovers from around the region flock into Otley to enjoy the event.
Otley Carnival
As many of you will know, Otley Business Improvement District and Otley Chamber of Trade always join forces to celebrate this fun annual family event. This year, we will be handing out free reusable hessian bags in line with our environmental and #ShopLocal ethos.
We hope that everyone will get into the spirit and bring their hessian bag each time they shop in one or more of our fabulous local independent businesses, with the aim of helping us to reduce plastic throughout the town.
Another date for your diaries for this Summer – Saturday 20th June 2020.
Otley Armed Forces Day
We are pleased to announce that we have approved £3,000 funding for the Otley Armed Forces Day which is due to take place on Sunday 5th July 2020. It is planned to be a fun day out for all the family, with appearances from Winston Churchill, vintage cars and much more.
This event is linked to the Official Armed Forces Day which will be celebrated across the UK, and has been organised by Councillor Peter Jackson – see official website for more information.
One of the conditions of funding is that Peter liaises closely with the team at Visit Otley to ensure that the event is widely promoted and brings visitors into the town. Watch this space for more information coming soon.
Britain in Bloom
This year Otley Business Improvement District will be funding Otley’s Britain in Bloom entry. We already fund a large majority of the floral displays around the town, in partnership with Otley in Bloom.
Environmental Meeting
As a town we are keen to be as environmentally friendly as possible. With Climate Change being a huge subject on the World’s agenda we have been in discussions with Councillor & local businessman, Ray Georgeson, to get involved with the Street Vision 2030 and the town’s Environmental discussions, with a view to how businesses can help support this important topic.
Watch this space for more information coming soon.
We’re Here to Help
Is there anything that you are bursting to tell us that we should be doing? Don’t keep ideas to yourself, speak to us, we may be able to make your idea a reality. Please email us at info@otleybid.co.uk.