World Car Free Day
Worcester is officially marking World Car Free Day on 22 September by closing Lowesmoor to cars from midday to 3.00pm to hold a special event.
Instead a giant astro turf play area will take over the road and staff from Freedom Leisure will run free multi sports and tennis sessions.
The Duckworth Worcestershire Trust will also be on hand to offer free play sessions and a chance to ‘pimp your bike’ using scrap resources from the Worcestershire Resource Exchange.
Woo Bikes, a city-wide electric bike share scheme, will also be at the event, giving members of the public the chance to try out the bikes. The scheme was initially piloted with staff and students at the University of Worcester and is now being offered to other employers in the City.
Let's Waste Less volunteers will be present to offer advice on reducing food waste, recycling, composting, Repair Cafes and cloth nappy schemes.
Cllr Joy Squires, Chair of Worcester City Council’s Environment Committee says:
“We are holding this event to raise awareness of the dangers of toxic air and to encourage everyone living, working or visiting Worcester to look at ways they might cut down on car travel.
“As our prosperous city expands, we are determined to ensure that this does not have a detrimental impact on residents or the environment.”
If you would like to volunteer at the event please contact Michelle.Newell@worcester.gov.uk
Free guides to walking and cycling routes in Worcester can be downloaded at: http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/downloads/download/1157/walking_and_cycling_guides
'The Times' Christmas Advertising!
'The Times' Christmas Advertising'
This year, we have 4 pages booked in The Times 'EAT' magazine for Christmas!
The edition will be going out on 16th November and will feature our fabulous Worcester independent businesses, explaining why shopping in Worcester is so unique compared to any other city.
We will be putting together a spread creating a 'Worcester Christmas Hamper' made up from our wonderful Worcester independents, ensuring all products are exclusively available in Worcester.
We will then be launching a competition to win the 'Worcester Christmas Hamper', with the winner being announced on Small Business Saturday on 7th December.
All we need from you is a product image and a price; the Worcester BID team will then put the hamper together
Please send images to sam.mccarthy@worcesterbid.com
Christmas Independent Late Night Shopping Event
Christmas Independent Late Night Shopping Event
The Guildhall : Thursday 5th December, 4pm to 9pm
Late night shopping can sometimes be a struggle in Worcester. This year, Worcester BID is enhancing the customer experience of late night shopping by bringing Worcester’s well-loved independents to the High Street for an evening of Christmas shopping, live music and festive drinks.
Tickets to the shopping event will be £3 and proceeds will go to our Worcester Cares charity.
Guests will be greeted with a festive drink and mince pie and will have the opportunity to shop at many favourite Worcester Independents under one roof on the High Street.
This is a free opportunity for our BID businesses; we just need a yes from you and we will reserve your stall pitch!
The event will form part of our 'Small Business Saturday' campaign with supported media through The Worc Social, The Saturday Times, Birmingham Metro, Live 24 7, Newquest and Gloucester Reach.
We want to give our Independents the best chance to trade this Christmas and make the most of the night time economy in a prominent location.
To register for a free stall, please email sam.mccarthy@worcesterbid.com
CityNet event welcomes DISC training and more!
This month saw the inaugural CityNet event for both the day and night-time economies and it was fantastic to see it so well received amongst CityNet members and partners. The meeting covered a variety of hot topics, including a demonstration on DISC, free training courses and workshops and an update on the work we are doing on licensed premises.
DISC is CityNet’s new website and mobile app and the event welcomed Charlie Newman, the app developer, who gave a demonstration on how to use the software and how it can be used to benefit our members. It’s our members one-stop shop for reporting incidents of crime to the scheme, browsing prolific offenders, receiving news and alerts, instant messaging each other and submitting public realm reports. DISC also allows members to report crime directly to the Crime Bureau. With reports ranging from theft, violence to begging and street drinking, this app lets users identify problem areas and authorities to combat these issues.
On top of this exciting app, we are now running weekly Safer Business workshops. The workshops are free for Worcester BID and CityNet members and will go through everything needed to help keep customers, staff and businesses safe. Topics covered will include managing conflict, radio operation, DISC, loss prevention and spotting the signs of suspicious behaviour. The training is perfect for any kind of business, whether you are a retailer, bar, restaurant, salon or office, the workshops will give you and your staff the confidence and tools to effectively handle potential situations.
As well as this, Worcester BID is working alongside the West Midlands Counter Terrorism unit to organise ACT Counter Terrorism training. This one-hour session is free for Worcester BID and CityNet members and comes with an online course which gives attendees a nationally recognised accreditation.
Worcester BID also organises free Customer Service and Social Media courses. The customer service courses cover a range of topics, including ‘Customers with Disabilities’ and ‘Principles of Customer Service’ whilst the social media courses can cater for basic and advanced abilities covering any social media platform out there!
As well as training courses, Worcester BID has been working alongside licensees to improve customer experience and safety through Best Bar None. This accreditation looks to reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder by assessing licensed premises on their responsible management. The assessment period has now begun and, since the CityNet meeting, both Slug & Lettuce and Cote Brasserie have achieved accreditation! Several other businesses will now be looking to follow their lead over the next few weeks, and these venues successes will then be celebrated with a high-profile awards night towards the end of the year!
Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting, to Charlie Newman from DISC for the wonderful training on the system and to the Guildhall for providing such a beautiful venue. We hope that everyone who attended found the event both informative and useful and we will be looking forward to the next one!
If you would like more information on the topics discussed, please contact James Bell on 01905 731 612 or james.bell@worcesterbid.com.