The Northwich Business Improvement District (BID) AGM was held on Thursday 24th January at the Memorial Court, giving businesses the opportunity to learn about the projects delivered in Year 4 of the BID and to look ahead to what will be taking place in Year 5.
Employees from a range of BID businesses were welcomed by Northwich BID Manager Jane Hough and Chair of the Executive Board Michael Thomas, who both outlined initiatives, successes and challenges that have taken place in the town between September 2017 and August 2018.
During that time, a whole host of projects and events were delivered to help make the town more visible, vibrant and co-ordinated.
Highlights include the Northwich Independent Spotlight video series, the Northwich Festival of Arts 2018, Northwich in Bloom and the town’s entry into the ‘Rising Star’ category of the Great British High Street Awards.
Extravaganzas were once again delivered by the BID at Easter, in summer and before Christmas with support from Northwich Town Council, while the BID also provided Marketing and PR support for The Charlatans’ CW Nine Festival and Now Northwich which brought thousands of visitors into the town.
Businesses also heard about the growth of the BIDs social platforms and media coverage, while Jane discussed the projects and initiatives that have been delivered across the themes of ‘A Supported Environment for Business,’ ‘Safe and Secure’ and ‘Greener and Cleaner.’
55 Northwich BID employees were upskilled though the BID training programmes for example and additional funding into floral displays and planting saw the town centre awash with colour over the spring and summer.
Attentions then turned to the aims, objectives and goals for 2019 across the four main themes of the BID before a question and answer session took place.
Northwich BID Manager Jane Hough was pleased with the BID’s progress over the last year and is determined to keep helping move the town in a positive direction in the coming months.
“We feel like 2018 was a really action-packed year for Northwich with so many events and initiatives delivered to bring new demographics to the town. CW Nine, Now Northwich and the Northwich Festival of Arts really created a buzz here and we’ve had some great feedback from businesses regarding these.
“We’ll be looking to build upon the schedule of events in 2019 and Year 5 of the BID has already seen the introduction of a new Visit Northwich website, along with the ‘destination with a difference’ strapline to really position the town as a must-visit place in Cheshire.
“Alongside our partners, we will do our utmost to make Northwich a great place to live, work and visit and look forward to working with our businesses throughout the year to help provide an environment where they can flourish.”
