Say it with Flowers! Our Covid Approach

Say it with Flowers! Our Covid Approach

Say it with Flowers! Our Covid Approach

Delivered by BID Leamington

Our approach to supporting social distancing in the town centre during the Covid pandemic made national and even international headlines as we looked to nature for inspiration, and adopted a creative approach whilst acknowledging the vulnerability that exists in the town’s communities.

Our flowers were positively embraced by the local community and inspired many other places, and organisations, such as schools, to be similarly creative. The learning from our ‘Social Distancing’ flowers was also featured in High Street Task Force and a Local Government Association (LGA) case studies, and in a presentation now available on You Tube.

Our flowers and the thinking behind them were featured in numerous national and international press articles:

BID Leamington as quoted:

Stephanie Kerr, executive director of BID Leamington, said: “We wanted pavement graphics that would be less authoritative and more welcoming, and came up with the idea of colourful flowers as we felt it reflected our town and would be enjoyed and embraced more.

“As we plan for the gradual opening up of the town centre, it is important to us that our community knows we are thinking about ongoing safety.

“Fostering trust and loyalty is more important than ever as more people start to return, and we see creative signage as part of that.

“We installed a first bunch as a trial to gauge feedback and the response was incredibly positive.

“Where possible, we will be using them throughout the town centre and are working in partnership with businesses and other stakeholders to help manage other public space challenges, such as queuing.

“I think there was tangible relief that the interventions being installed to protect them were also attractive, colourful and lifted the spirits.

“Parents have told us that it is also easier to get their children to stand by them, as they are fun and interesting.

“We have also been contacted by schools, who have also identified the value of using them to reduce stress and anxiety for returning students, which is relevant to us all.”

This creative approach then fed into lots of other Covid-19 placemaking interventions that we delivered.

 

Spa Stars

Spa Stars

Spa Stars

Delivered by BID Leamington

The Spa Stars walk of fame was warmly welcomed when Covid restrictions were being lifted in 2020. It featured the names of local people nominated for being a shining light. Friends, family members, neighbours and colleagues were nominated, each with a short reason whether it be for a kind act, for their friendship or simply because they are loved.

The sparkly star pavement stickers decorated walkways around the town centre, including spaces around the Royal Priors Shopping Centre, Regent Court and the Town Hall.

Over 800 responses were received, nominating around 250 individuals. Each nomination had their own star which when promoted on social media attracted received comments that they will be coming into town to see them!

Feedback from the community was very positive and this promotion lifted community spirit and helped to make the town centre a community centre.

 

 

Elves in Leamington

Elves in Leamington

Elves in Leamington

Delivered by BID Leamington in partnership with Gibsonhaus

During Covid, all normal festive activities had to be abandoned, but in Leamington Town centre CCTV captured footage of a naughty elf who has been let loose in Leamington in the run-up to Christmas – and families were invited to discover his antics and be in with a chance of winning a prize.

In 2021, BID Leamington launched an ‘Elf Hunt’ in partnership with the creators of ‘Atmap’, where participants followed the footsteps of a cheeky elf to decipher his clues. The elf trail was followed by downloading the local events app Atmap onto a smartphone, and participants located the elf’s trail of destruction around seven Leamington shops. The app allowed people to scan a QR code in a shop, giving them a secret letter and a clue to where to find the next one. Once the codeword was revealed – participants went to the final location to pick a mystery treat and enter the prize draw where a grand prize of £100 to spend in Leamington shops could be won.

The Elf Hunt ran throughout December and coincided with Small Business Saturday, a national campaign to highlight small businesses and encourage people to use them over the Christmas period. All off-street car parks were to park in on the day (Saturday 4th December 2021), and BID Leamington’s ‘Christmas Angels’ gave away 250 ‘goody bags’ full of vouchers for town centre businesses.

View the naughty elf below.

Santa’s Postbox

Santa’s Postbox

Santa’s postbox

Delivered by BID Leamington

Seeing the magic of Christmas through children’s eyes, when they post their letters to Santa is priceless, so each year we install this special postbox in a new location. 

First launched during Covid, with careful promotion this allowed engagement with Leamington town when other festive activities were not available.

In 2020, over 2,700 beautiful letters were posted from adults and children, some of which have been archived in the Royal Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum as they reflect an unforgettable point in history.

Santa’s postbox returned in 2021 and this time was placed in Regent Court Shopping Centre with around 900 letters posted over the four weeks it was in place. 

In 2022, the postbox will once again return in a new location with new surprises to delight town centre families. 

The Lights of Leamington Study

The Lights of Leamington Study

Historic Lights of Leamington Image Credits: Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum (WDC) and Maurice Mead Photography

Lights of Leamington Study

 
Delivered by BID Leamington in partnership with the Lights of Leamington Steering Group including David Clargo, Carole Sleight, and Sidney Syson.

 

BID Leamington secured some grant funding from Arts Council England to research the return of this amazing historical event. The feasibility study has now launched and is underway. The consultants will be visiting soon to assess the site and run some workshops, including an online workshop open to businesses too.

From 1951- 1961 the lights attracted thousands of visitors to Leamington Spa and many people have fond memories of this spectacular event. It was this event that inspired the Leamington Lantern Parade, an event we have been running since 2012.

During this time many people have discussed the idea of ‘reigniting’ the Lights of Leamington, however it would be a significant task and support from all stakeholders, business, residents, local organisations and the wider community will be essential. This is why the Arts Council of England has supported us to carry out a feasibility study to understand all aspects of the idea.

We have created a dedicated website and social media pages to provide background information and keep communicating updates to the project. A survey has just been completed by 237 people, the results will be announced soon.

For more information please visit www.lightsofleamington.co.uk