by Helen Clark Bell | Sep 21, 2022
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.
by Helen Clark Bell | Sep 21, 2022
Pumpkin Trail
Delivered by BID Leamington
Bringing families to Leamington during Hallowe’en, our pumpkin trail is now an annual event in our BID Leamington calendar. Over 50 businesses get involved each year, by hosting pumpkin clues in their shop windows and offering prizes to the winners. By following the trail, visitors explore parts of Leamington they may not usually frequent building loyalty and spending time in our lovely town centre.
We receive hundreds of entries from families who have enjoyed the trail from Warwick, Coventry and Rugby with the majority from North and South Leamington.
by Helen Clark Bell | Sep 21, 2022
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.
by Helen Clark Bell | Sep 20, 2022
SUPPORTING OTHER LOCAL EVENTS
Delivered by BID Leamington
Working together to bring activities and events to Leamington is an important way to bring vibrancy. By working in partnership we can increase the number, diversity and the promotion of activities, helping to put Leamington firmly on the map.
We are fortunate to have many other local people and groups who deliver regular annual events and we are proud to support them. This may be by assisting them with the management of the event, promotion, volunteer recruitment, or with flags, radios and resources to support safe delivery. We also add these to our ‘Summer of Fun’ promotional literature and social platforms.
We encourage local event organisers to use the services of and/or support local businesses. We provide helpful contacts and connections, and where possible, look for the opportunity to distribute maps, guides, goody bags and literature promoting BID member businesses at these events.
Some examples include:
If you are a local events organiser, or have an event idea and would like some advice, please get in touch.
by Helen Clark Bell | Sep 13, 2022
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
