Elves in Leamington

Elves in Leamington

by | 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.

Pumpkin Path

Pumpkin Path

by | 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.

Santa’s Postbox

Santa’s Postbox

by | 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. 

Supporting Local Events

Supporting Local Events

by | 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. 

The Lights of Leamington Study

The Lights of Leamington Study

by | 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

Leamington Lantern Parade

Leamington Lantern Parade

by | Dec 14, 2020

Leamington Lantern Parade

Delivered by BID Leamington

This is an event that brings the whole community together in a creative way to share in the spirit of Christmas, meet new people, create something wonderful, share smiles, and have a fun, magical evening lighting up our beautiful town centre.

It is our intention that this event grows into an event that thousands of people can take part in every year.

Every year we see around 1,000 lanterns winding their way through the town centre whatever the weather! Entertainment starts at the Bandstand approximately 30 minutes before the parade sets off. It winds its way around the Pump Room Gardens, up Bedford Street to Warwick Street and then along to the Parade before heading back down to the Town Hall, meeting Santa’s reindeer along the way. For the finale, the Royal Spa Brass Band leads Christmas carols on the Town Hall steps.

We offer FREE lantern making workshops throughout November, where all the equipment is supplied in a local venue so that the community can come together and make lanterns supported by some of our fabulous local artists and volunteers.

Toys for Children

Every Christmas there are a huge amount of local families who just cannot afford Christmas, so we collect Toys for Local Children.

The initiative is aimed at supporting families in our community who need a little extra help making their Christmas wishes come true. We appreciate your help with whatever donation that you are able to give.

It doesn’t matter how big or small, the only stipulation is that your gift must be new. If you wrap your gift up we just need to know if it’s for a girl or boy and the approximate age between 0-18.

All toys will be distributed to local children by Christmas Eve.

 

 

 

Leamington’s Jubilee Tea Party

Leamington’s Jubilee Tea Party

by | Sep 18, 2020

Leamington’s Jubilee Tea Party

Delivered by BID Leamington

Rain didn’t stop play at Leamington’s Jubilee Tea Party on Sunday. Despite the poor weather, an estimated 1,000 people visited the celebrations in the Pump Room Gardens to help mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and join in the fun activities on offer.

Leamington BID director Stephanie Kerr, who organised the Tea Party, said: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to the families who braved the weather and the businesses who put on such a great day. In true British spirit, our community came out and had a great day admiring the hand-painted flags and taking part in all the activities.”

The 1.5 metre long silk flags were the colourful centre piece of the event and were decorated by local scouts, community groups and businesses.

The Garden Town of Shakespeareland

The Garden Town of Shakespeareland

by | May 11, 2020

The Garden Town of Shakespeareland

Delivered by BID Leamington, Sarah Horne Flowers, Creative Garden Design and Charles Branson Design

This was an ambitious project to showcase Royal Leamington Spa at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2014 and the garden won a coveted Chelsea Silver Medal.

This enchanting exhibit was the result of the enthusiasm and involvement of local businesses, organisations, schools and individuals who brought together their skills, their resources and their energy.  The team were overwhelmed by the response from the local community in supporting this project.

The design captured the essence of the town with its sophisticated Regency exterior, its unique individual character and its artistic, cultural and theatrical interior.

The collaboration contains planting to reflect the different areas of Leamington with floral pods each encapsulating a different style.  It also incorporates a large water inspired element to reflect the River Leam, lakes and fountains associated with this beautiful town.

This ambitious project was completely community funded – drawing together over 70 businesses and many residents from across the region who wanted to make a positive contribution to the town.
You can view the arbour in Jephson Gardens.

 

Leamington Food and Drink Festival

Leamington Food and Drink Festival

by | Apr 28, 2020

Leamington Food and Drink Festival

Delivered by BID Leamington

Since 2008 we have been organising this annual foodie extravaganza which has gone from strength to strength, year on year.

One of the highlights of the local events calendar held every September in the recently refurbished Royal Pump Room Gardens.

An estimated 27,000 visitors from all over the country attend the two day event where there are approx. 130 exhibitors, Live Cookery Theatre, Kid’s Cookery School and Live Music from the Bandstand.

BID Members receive space at heavily discounted rates and preference on bookings, which open in February. Bookings open to outside traders in April 2023. 

To find out more please visit www.leamingtonfoodfestival.co.uk.