Welcome to your February Foodie Newsletter!
This month we have a great opportunity we wish to share with our restaurants and cafes. Bristol Food Connections arrives for 11 days on 12th June and we want to make sure Bedminster takes a big bite out of it. Thus we have bought a 'World Food Passport' for Bedminster which is a co-promotion run by Bristol Food Connections and happening in several other areas of the city such as Gloucester Road, Clifton etc.
Each passport will be coloured differently, this year Bedminster will be a pale turquoisy blue.
IMAGE: 2018 World Food Passport
150 passports will be available via the Bristol Food connections website - click and collect (at Tourist Info) or postal service. Venues in the passport offer a complimentary taster to holders of passport. Once a food explorer has visited and sampled - the venue stamps the passport (looks nice and ensures people only visit each venue once with the passport).
Passport holders can visit venues any time during BFC 10 days (this means generally you don't get 150 people descend on one day). Bedminster passport will be for up to 15 eating venues with a page dedicated to a simple map of venues.
Passport stamps can be provided if necessary but many businesses will have their own stamps/logo to use. So this is up to you.
The Benefits
Part of a trail that was piloted last year in the Gloucester Road area in which 120 passports sold out in 3 days. 79% of visitors had NOT visited those venues in the past and 84% said they would return. There is an ‘upsell’ – ie most passport holders purchased something else on top of their complimentary taster.
Clearly it’s a fun way for people to discover the neighbourhood through the diversity of food (last year saw a many international foodie adventurers including a couple of well know foodie bloggers/influencers and visitors from other Bristol neighbourhoods). In addition there is marketing and social medial support from Bristol Food Connections (on the programme).
What Next
If you wish to be involved then please let Joss know via email by February 18th (northst@bedminster.org.uk). Then other than thinking of an effective free taster sampler to offer in June just sit back.
IN OTHER NEWS
We will be updating you on numerous projects for the rest of the year in our next newsletter. In the meantime some potentially very good news on East Street which could mean significantly more funding being targeted here, however, some of it is subject to a consultation exercise:
CIL S123 LIST CONSULTATION
The council are proposing extending s123 List to the area subject to consultation. This could be very significant for us and as such we urge you to respond by emailing cil@bristol.gov.uk that you support the council's intention to improve East Street via investment in improvements to the highway infrastructure including upgrading the public realm and landscaping etc.
FUTURE HIGH STREET FUND
The £675m fund the chancellor announced last autumn is now approaching the deadline for applications - it could mean £ms for East St. Each council must choose just one high street to apply for funding - the council still has not made their decision and so any lobbying you can do to encourage the council to elect East St for this grant will be helpful.
EAST STREET VISIONING EXERCISE
The BID has just instructed Purcell Architects to commence a visioning exercise - ie what ideally would we like East Street to look like in order to ensure its future - which will serve our interests in respect to both of the above. We are looking for businesses to become involved over the next 4-6 weeks in this process and if you are interested please email business@bedminster.org.uk.
GET INVOLVED IN THE BID
If you are interested in becoming more closely involved with the BID, we are an informal, friendly group, whose basic duties are to direct spending for the BID and Town Team. The BID Board meets 6pm on the first Tuesday of each month. Please do get in touch if you'd like to get involved.
Alternatively a marketing (and arts, culture) group meets on the last Monday of every month also at 6pm and a Built Environment Group on the first Tuesday monthly at 4pm (please see our calendar here). Alternatively if you prefer drop us a line or telephone us for a chat to discuss any ideas you have that you think the BID should be pursuing.
About the Business Improvement District
Bedminster BID funding is generated via a small levy on all eligible businesses in the area and paid into a central 'kitty' in November each year, to be spent on projects that benefit Bedminster businesses.
Our stated priorities are to:
Create vibrant streets that excite and delight
Market and promote Bedminster
Reduce crime and improve the shopping environment
Advocate and lobby for Bedminster business interests
Drive down costs
Further Information
Business to business news: www.bedminster.org.uk/business-what-is-bid
Customer facing website and social media:
Contacts
George Grace - business@bedminster.org.uk
Jocelyn Wellby - northst@bedminster.org.uk
Simon Dicken (Wilko) - man242@wilko.co.uk
Stef Brammar (AGB) - stef.brammar@way-out-west.org
We are grateful to local accountants Tyrrell Procter and communications experts Plaster for their generous pro bono contributions to our activities.