Town centres shine in Visit Warwickshire spotlight

Warwickshire’s town centres have a great deal to offer all year round - green spaces, interesting history, a real sense of place.

Within each of these town centres, local independent business owners are working hard to boost footfall to their own business but also to raise the profile of their towns. To support this objective, two new websites, enabled by Warwickshire County Council, have been launched this year to provide space to showcase the towns’ offer. The result has been significant media interest.

In south Warwickshire, Love Shipston is aimed at encouraging day-trippers and families to spend more time in Shipston-on-Stour and explore its small businesses and restaurants. The website brings together a directory of all the shops, places to eat and drink and all the places to spend some time.

Since the launch, local businesses report that customers have been using the site to plan their visit. One retailer involved in the project, Shane Slater from Sheldon's Wine Cellars, said the aim is to raise awareness of what the town had to offer.

"Letting people know we're here, attracting people to the town, increasing footfall - especially during the week - will be important to all the businesses,” he said.

Following the launch of the site, town retailers enjoyed their moment of fame through a slot on BBC Midlands Today, which generated £128k of advertising equivalency. On top of that, multiple live broadcasts on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire and press features have offered a boost to the town centre.

In north Warwickshire, the launch of the Visit Coleshill website has also captured the attention of the local press, with features running in Birmingham Live, highlighting the history of the town, easy access from Birmingham and showcasing 11 independent businesses.

The Coleshill Partnership reports that “local businesses are delighted with the coverage and grateful for the spotlight that has been shone on the town, demonstrating the town’s independent character.”

The attractive offers of Shipston and Coleshill have received a very welcome and deserved lift in profile and towns across our beautiful county warrant a visit, just like them. If you are spending time in Warwickshire this summer, please have a look at the Visit Warwickshire towns offer.