A campaign to encourage more visitors into town centres in Stafford Borough has received a boost from a European-backed fund

The ‘Our Beautiful Borough’ campaign was launched towards the end of 2020 to help high street retailers attract people back into their outlets safely following the restrictions of Covid-19.

The project was one of a number of initiatives to help businesses across the borough who had been hit hard by the pandemic. A website was set up alongside social media channels - and posters and other promotional material erected in Stafford, Stone and Eccleshall.

Other initiatives included a dedicated business advice team for people looking to launch an enterprise - with the council providing financial help for 20 new start-ups last year.

Now the campaign has been freshened up as part of the European Regional Development Fund’s ‘Welcome Back Fund’. It brings together food and drink producers and providers under one umbrella to promote the borough as the place for hospitality, tourism, and leisure.

Councillor Frances Beatty, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Planning, said the idea behind the campaign was to support the local visitor economy by encouraging visitors to stay for more than a night and to experience the wealth of hospitality the borough had to offer. 

More details of the campaign can be found from www.ourbeautifulborough.co.uk

The campaign will also feature digital and print promotions, engagement with businesses and local business groups, and outdoor advertising in and around the borough. And videos of the three town centres have been created so that other agencies and groups can help promote the area.

Councillor Beatty continued:

“We do have an amazing borough with rich variety of heritage and culture; sitting on the doorstep of Cannock Chase - an area of outstanding natural beauty - a river running through an award-winning historic park in the heart of Stafford, and miles of canals flowing through villages and towns, with some wonderful places to eat and drink in Stone, Eccleshall and the county town.

“This campaign captures so much of what we have to offer and makes it easy for others to share and also shout out about ‘Our Beautiful Borough’ and why it is a great choice to visit and enjoy.”

Richard Williams, Chair of Visit Stafford and Chief Executive of Stafford Showground, said:

“It’s great to see the Borough Council supporting the hospitality sector further by working with our food and drink producers and providers alongside the team at Visit Stafford. 

“With The County Show and LoveCheeseLive events providing opportunities for enterprises and entrepreneurs to showcase all that the Borough has to offer there is a wealth of support to help those who have faced incredible challenges.”

The council received nearly £122,000 as part of the European Regional Development Fund’s £56 million ‘Welcome Back Fund.’ In addition to the promotional activities there will be benches installed in Victoria Park, Stafford with tree lighting in the town and Stone.

Since the start of the pandemic the borough council has paid out nearly £50m in government grants to the retail hospitality and leisure sector.

To find out more about the support on offer from the council go to Business Advice | Stafford Borough Council (staffordbc.gov.uk)