It is worth looking deeper to find the best local secrets. Now it’s possible to plan a visit by using https://southam.co.uk/.

Throughout the difficult last few years for the tourism industry, excellent work has been continuing across Warwickshire to build a stronger profile for the region. For the market towns, there is a renewed opportunity for small independent businesses to reach local visitor markets and a growing resident population to discover and enjoy leisure walks and cycling in our leafy county.

In Southam, a partnership of local businesses and community organisations has been working together to engage, promote and improve the local area.  Using a template produced by Warwickshire County Council, the group has created an informative and attractive new destination website for the town which will showcase Southam and nearby villages for residents and visitors alike. In raising awareness of what’s on offer and promoting a better understanding of the area’s history, heritage, and natural environment, visitor numbers are set to increase.

The new website has been developed by volunteer members of Southam First, a group dedicated to promoting events that bring people to the town centre, the Civic Ideas Forum, who aim to enhance the town plus support from Warwickshire County Council and Southam Town Council. Other civic groups in Southam and surrounding villages also contributed including Southam Heritage, Southam Rotary 2000 and Southam Rights of Way Volunteers.

The website is one example of WCC’s ‘Visit Local’ project which aims to help some of the county’s smaller towns to realise their untapped visitor potential. Through this initiative, Southam has been the latest to have received technical expertise, training and a new online toolkit aimed at helping those that know their places best to put Warwickshire’s under-explored rural places on the tourism map and be recognised across the county.

"Warwickshire has so much to offer beyond its more famous attractions,” said Cllr Martin Watson, Portfolio Holder for Economy & Place at Warwickshire County Council. "Every town has its unique selling point and we want our wonderful, under-explored places in Warwickshire to promote their strengths.”

Graham Foster, chair of Southam First, commented: “Even in this social media era, you still need websites like ours to showcase what an area has to offer in enough depth to allow people to plan a visit. I am very happy that we now have this resource for Southam’s visitors, residents and prospective residents.”