The Revive & Thrive Challenge is over for 2014 with £191,000 worth of prizes going to Wyre Borough Council.
Wyre has scooped a national jackpot – a massive £191,000 worth of business support to boost four of its town centres.
WINNERS!!! Karen Stringer of Wyre Borough Council with Paul McGrath and Emma Bailie being congratulated by Chair of judging panel Michael Weedon of BIRA and Revive & Thrive’s Mark Barnes
As the sole winner of the Revive and Thrive Challenge, Wyre Council gets to spend six months working with some of the finest retail and marketing minds in the country.
Altogether 24 business and consultancies have contributed to an overall prize package that includes tools, training, mentoring and key skills to kick start new schemes in Fleetwood, Cleveleys, Poulton and Garstang.
The expertise that the council will be able to tap into covers everything from street and window dressing to merchandising and customer profiling. There are also physical prizes such as smartphone apps, publications, digital window screens and even a machine for removing chewing gum from pavements.
Delighted Councillor Gordon McCann, economy portfolio holder at Wyre Council, said: “In many ways this prize package is more valuable than cold hard cash. It allows us to learn alongside experts to create action plans that are proven to work.
“We’ll be able to introduce new ideas that have previously eluded us and build further on the work that ourWyred Up network and Get ReWyred support schemes have already done bringing businesses closer together to future proof our local economy.
“The potential for attracting more visitors to our town centres as a result is huge and for that we are indebted to the Revive and Thrive judges who decided we were the worthy winner.”
More than 100 areas originally entered the competition and Wyre was the only one of seven finalists to submit a multi-town entry. The gamble paid off and the council will now talk to each of the prize-givers to tailor a package that will be deliverable across all four towns.
The other finalists were Blackburn BID, Broadstairs Town Team, Ipswich Town and Waterfront, Kidsgrove Town Team, Melton Mowbray Borough Council and Uppingham First. All provided a very high standard of competition.
Press release issued by Wyre Borough Council
Pre final press release – The Magnificent Seven!!
Mark Barnes, founder of Revive & Thrive said, “We wanted to give people the opportunity to bring about positive and permanent change in their community, especially with all the negative commentary around high streets and towns centres. The Revive & Thrive Challenge will enable the winner to do just that.”
The finalists are: Blackburn BID, Broadstairs Town Team, Ipswich Town and Waterfront, Kidsgrove Town Team, Melton Mowbray Borough Council, Uppingham First and Wyre Borough Council. They will all be at Retail Business Technology Expo (RBTE) in Earls Court on 12 March 2014 to present their ideas to the judges.
The Challenge is supported by the Historic Towns Forum (HTF), Essential Retail and The British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA).
Colin Munro, CEO of miconex and one of the judges said: “We had almost 50 entries from towns and cities across the UK and getting down to the final seven was a tough exercise. We believe we have shortlisted the best examples of innovative approaches to reviving destinations and those who were able to demonstrate how much they wanted to improve their town and bring their ideas to life.”
The winner of the Challenge will receive tools and training from a team of experts who can really make a difference to the future of our towns. Additionally, this will offer a new model and direction that can be delivered in communities around the UK.
The Judging Panel for the final are –
To find out more about what you can achieve and what we can do, contact us.
You can help your high street and community ‘Revive & Thrive’ right now. Take a look at the Revive & Thrive Partnership, as well as Who’s Who, the Revive & Thrive Business Group and how to join the Business Group. Also see our testimonials our free ‘Ask the Partnership’ service and how to join the Revive & Thrive Town & City Community
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