BALLYMENA BID LAUNCHES £1M FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO HELP RETAIN BALLYMENA AS THE NUMBER 1 RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY TOWN IN N. IRELAND

Ballymena Business Improvement District (BID) has unveiled five-year plan, in excess of £1m, which will double as part of a post-COVID, economic recovery strategy for Ballymena town centre. The local BID Board, run by a collective of owners and representatives of local businesses, is encouraging all local traders and stakeholders to come together in support of their recently published BID Business Plan for 2021 -2026 which will go to ballot on 16^th February 2021.

Stephen Reynolds, Chair of Ballymena BID, and proprietor of the award-winning Front-Page Bar explained, “The Ballymena BID was the very first BID district established in Northern Ireland in 2015. There are now over 300 Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) throughout the UK. BID is a tried and tested business model.   The BID has been deemed a huge success by levy payers, stakeholders and board members alike. Ballymena BID was established to encourage growth, development and continued investment into Ballymena town centre. During its first five-year term the BID has been instrumental in helping to build and maintain a clean, safe, accessible and welcoming experience for local shoppers and visitors alike.”

“Ballymena BID intends to build on the success of our first term, and to assist in the provision of a road-map to recovery on the heels of the current Covid pandemic. The highlights of the past five years include a host of coordinated marketing and family-friendly, town centre events. We collaborated with our colleagues at MEABC to maximise the financial return from the 74th All Ireland Pipe Band Championships when 10,000 visitors, made up of pipers, drummers, highland dancers, drum majors and their families and supporters descended on Ballymena town centre for an all-day Saturday event in the summer of 2019.”

“The locally produced Ballymena Christmas Bear video, initially designed for social media, was a huge success and exceeded everyone’s expectations when it was picked up by local television and news stations and local and national press. BID has assisted with car parking initiatives, improved signage and maps, improved public transport, improved visitor experience, information awareness, support for new and existing businesses, business training and networking opportunities, improved safety and security, improvements in the local environment….to name but a few.  We’ve recently created a new and improved website, have continued to grow our social media presence and increased consumer recognition.”

BID Manager Emma McCrea added: “The past five years have been a huge success story and one which myself and fellow board members are very proud of. The next few weeks will see the commencement of our BID re-ballot process which will be crucial to securing our integral place in the economic recovery of Ballymena.

“Ballymena has always had a reputation as being a popular retail and hospitality destination, and one which we plan to make even better. Over the past few years (pre-Covid) we have increased footfall, with the statistics showing a 6.9 per cent increase, bucking the national trend.

“We have improved the visitor experience in Ballymena with the introduction of a town centre Warden, “meeters and greeters”, an additional Police presence, alongside the development of a five-year crime reduction strategy.

“We have organized and hosted numerous events and initiatives which have been rolled out through sustained, extensive marketing and PR campaigns which have firmly established Ballymena’s place on the Northern Ireland map.

During Ballymena BID’s first term we have generated an additional £150,000 additional income for the local economy through funding from various local and UK Government grants.  The BID Board would remain confident in securing similar funding during the next five-year term.

Emma concluded:  “If the BID is successful, it means we will have secured over £1m of funding to help roll out the five-year plan. Also, over the past six months we have received a £36k boost from the Department of Communities, which roll her added to the budget.”