Hi everyone,
As always there is a lot happening on many fronts. Please click here for our most recent newsletter – in a digital format. This covers the information discussed at our recent Business Meeting last week. Our thanks to the businesses who attended and shared their views and ideas. As contained within we are listening to concerns around parking, rough sleepers and other issues, and we are speaking to Council Leaders about this.
1. In the Newsletter
There are a number of opportunities we wish to highlight as follows:
- Events: We are planning a variety of Christmas activities and events. Please see the Christmas Calendar for key dates and let us know if you wish to get involved in some way.
- Flyer Request: There is still time to give us up to 500 flyers to be distributed in our goodie bags on Small Business Saturday – 3rd December. Please drop them into the BID office before 25th November.
- Free Parking Days in town: Warwick District Council off-Street Car Parks ONLY (not on-street – as this is County Council run)
- Sunday 6th November – Christmas Light Switch-on
- Saturday 3rd December – Small Business Saturday
- Photo & Copy Request: The new Royal Leamington Spa website is LIVE. Please check your profile is up to date and correct. If not, please send us your logo and photos. Here is how:
- Please upload your business logo and 3 x landscape images at the link below – and you will see all the details including the minimum size (200kb).
- Upload here: https://bidleamington.com/member-photo-form/
- Password: leamington (lowercase).
- Business to Business Offers: Do you have any offers you wish to promote to fellow business owners and employees? We now have a space on the BID website to do this and if there is enough interest, we will put together a mailer. Please email us the details and images.
- Student or Customer Offers: These can be promoted on the refreshed www.royal-leamington-spa.co.uk website. Please email us the details and images.
2. Dates For the Diary:
- Pumpkin Path: 22nd – 31st October
- Autumn & Christmas Markets* Sundays on Parade: From 2nd October (no market on Remembrance Sunday) (Organised by Warwick District Council with CJ Events – not BID Leamington)
- Leamington Christmas Light Switch On: Sunday 6th November (Organised by WDC)
- Christmas Scratch Cards: 21st Nov – 16th December (these go to print next week, so please let us know if you have prizes to offer or instant win offers)
- Social Media Showcase: 21st Nov – 20th December (let us know if you wish to feature)
- Small Business Saturday & Christmas Goodie Bag Giveaway: Saturday 3rd December
- BID Leamington – flyer distribution deadline 25th November
- Santa’s Post Box – Royal Priors: 3rd – 24th December
- Leamington Lantern Parade: Sunday 4th December
- Christmas Tree Festival: 10th – 18th December (Organised by Whittle Productions)
- Myton Hospice Santa Dash: 11th December (starts in Victoria Park – organised by Myton Hospice)
- Santa’s Train – Regent Court: 17th -18th December (TBC)
3. BID Survey
We have received feedback from over 100 businesses so thank you! Your input is vital in helping shape our priorities. Please let us know if you would like to set up a time to chat through our activities and the support we can offer to your business.
4. Lobbying for Support – Energy Crisis
Despite all of the political turmoil, we are still working behind the scenes on a joint campaign with industry leaders to secure urgent additional support for businesses facing escalating costs. We know the energy price rises, businesses are facing, are not sustainable and that this is on top of labour shortages and price rises for insurance, wages, national insurance, haulage, repairs etc. We are focusing on ‘asks’ that we know from our lobbying experience can be swiftly delivered and are impactful. We want it to help all business sectors. We are still looking for case studies as well as businesses happy to speak to the press. Thank you to those who have already shared information with us.
5. Green Grant (for SMEs, up to 40%)
Warwickshire County Council has announced a new ‘Green Grant’ scheme today. As always, there are various eligibility requirements. In this case, it is for businesses whose operations can be defined at least 50% Business to Consumer and who employ 50 people or less. We see this scheme as potentially beneficial to businesses who may have already been considering investing in this area – and therefore have the funds to hand (as this covers 40% and the business must invest 60%).
Following a free energy audit, the grant may fund up to 40% of the investment businesses wish to make – and are between £1000 and £20,000. The following items are often identified in an energy audit and provide examples of activities that may be eligible for grant assistance, should the carbon saving per tonne per £1,000 invested be achievable:
- Lighting – LED, controls, sensors
- Heating – replacement boilers/burners, upgrades – electric to gas, zone control, heat recovery, oil to gas, thermal stores,
- Compressors
- Ventilation – fans, distribution
- Refrigeration
- Renewable technologies
- Recycling and waste – compactors, balers and crushers
Please see the website for more details: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/greengrants
We are happy to help with any questions also.
6. Looking Forwards, BID Support – Please Stay in Touch
Throughout December we will showcase your businesses and products on our websites and social media platforms and this will continue into the New Year. Importantly if you are doing late night shopping or your circumstance change please let us know so we can update our websites and let the wider community know. Also, please email us content and ‘tag’ us into your social media posts.
The Royal Leamington Spa Town Centre Facebook page, Instagram, twitter and www.loveleamington.com is where we showcase what you are now doing.
Please also join our Leamington Town Centre Facebook Group if you haven’t already and share your ideas, information, promotions etc. We also post updates on the BID Leamington Facebook Page and information on our refreshed BID website: www.bidleamington.com. The business tookbox also contains helpful ideas to make the most out of Christmas.
Very best wishes – please take care and stay in touch.
Steph, Alison and Gary
