The manager of Spalding Business Improvement District (BID) says people should make a new year’s resolution to ditch the negativity towards the town and support its ‘fantastic’ independent businesses.
Sarah Fletcher says she gets frustrated seeing mostly online comments saying there’s nothing to come into town for.
She told The Voice that the BID needs to deliver improvements to show value for money over the controversy surrounding its introduction.
But she also called for people to be more positive about the businesses, already here, especially independent ones.
“It’s important that businesses and shops see improvements in the town from BID,” Sarah said. “We are here to support businesses and do what we can for them, but we have to work together.
“It’s not just BID’s responsibility.
“It’s everyone in the town’s to work together and make things a success.
“The negativity about the town doesn’t help.
“One thing I hear frequently in Spalding is that there’s nothing to come into town for .
“You see people on complaining on social media saying there are no shops, yet there are over 300 independent businesses and around 35 independent retailers.
“There are these great and fantastic independents offering something that’s unique to Spalding.
“I find it really interesting that there are people in the town who quickly dismiss so many working really hard on the independent businesses in the town.
“It’s hard work running such a business and for many they are working long hours almost on their own and have a family to support.
“I’d love to see more chains coming into Spalding, but you have to ask people how likely that is in the current climate.
“Instead we have the likes of Coocumber in the town’s Victoria Street, which is just one example of an absolutely fantastic shop.
“These shops need promoting positively.”
Sarah says she finds it ‘quite hard’ seeing people be negative because of her ‘love’ for the town.
“I knew it was going to be hard but I love Spalding town,” said the former chief executive of Healthwatch.
“I grew up here, was brought up in London Road and lived around the Welland.“When I was younger I went out on the town to the likes of Bar Bacchus.
“I find it quite hard to see more people being negative about it,” Sarah continued. “We have to be open and see what they want from the town but it does have fantastic shops and business, beautiful areas, especially around Ayscoughfee.
“Regardless of the online negativity, this is a great town.
“You have to make sure you enjoy what is around you and don’t get complacent about it.”
Sarah says one way of supporting the local shops is to use them rather than go online.
“I think we’ve all got into the habit of buying online. But we can all still buy in the shops.
“I did all my Christmas shopping in Spalding bar a voucher I bought someone for swimming lessons.
“It was otherwise all there in town.”
The BID itself has received criticism in some quarters after a vote to set it up in 2024 passed by one vote with South Holland District Council, holding 18 votes due to the property it has in the town centre.
Some businesses have gone to court to say they shouldn’t have to pay the charge while a group, Spalding Traders Against BID, was set-up.
Sarah, who was appointed as the first custodian of the new role last June, recently met with some of the angered businesses alongside MP Sir John Hayes and the district council. She described the meeting as ‘productive’.
“I think there’s a minority of businesses very positive for the BID and also a minority very against it.
“From the feedback I’ve had, the vast majority are fairly neutral, but supportive and want to see some positives and the town to thrive.
“I completely understand that.
“There is a group that’s particularly anti-BID that is the most vociferous and it’s caused a lot of other businesses to be cautious of how much they should get involved.
“The BID board though wants to focus on developing a full and costed economic plan to show we’re value for money.
“We’re looking at the town centre to make it more diverse and interesting in a way that will make more people come into the town and we want our businesses to get behind that.
“We’ve hundreds of businesses and we need to show results but we’re also in our first year.
“Due to delays at Companies House we weren’t even able to register until October.
“We’ve spent that time looking at our strategy and planning.”
The official launch of a new app for Spalding and looking at more free parking for the town are among options the Business Improvement District (BID) is looking at for its first full year in existence.
Manager Sarah Fletcher says it is hoping to do much more in 2026, including putting on its first events in the town.
The group was able to carry out some initiatives last year, including funding a six month trial of a day’s free parking in Vine Street.
That ended yesterday (Wednesday, December 31) but Sarah says talks are ongoing about other free parking opportunities.
“We need to look at all the figures surrounding it,” she said. “Certainly there’s indications footfall was up in November.
“We also need to see how many shops have been promoting the scheme.
“Free parking is something that BIDs have helped install in other places, Ely being one.”
Another item BID carried out is the installation of hanging baskets in the town last summer, something Sarah said came up at short notice thanks to a donation of baskets by the Lincoln BID.
Negotiations to make them regular and fully funded features are being carried as part of conversations about the possibly returning Spalding In Bloom bid.
Sponsorship and working with community groups are among ways of financing and keeping the displays.
Among the events for next year the BID is planning is a new ‘food safari’.
“You go to different places as part of walking tour and have a bit of a taste at each stop off,” Sarah said. “It’s something I’ve done before and it has a real community feel.
“There’s lots of different cuisines and restaurants in the town and it’s about raising that profile.”
There are also plans for a summer ‘big screen’ timed for around the Wimbledon Championship and the World Cup, though the latter is being held in north America meaning kick off times are mostly late evening.
It’s still not clear where the screen will go, but in front of the South Holland Centre in Market Place, Ayscoughfee Hall and the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field among possible options.
It could also be used to screen films for outdoor cinema.
Classic car and bike shows are also being looked at, while the BID is working on events that can take place in the centre of town for the Spalding Flower Parade.
The group would look to address concerns from last year’s event around a lack of town centre attractions. It was the first parade which had to be taken to Springfields as work on the revamped leisure centre continues.
Sarah says the BID is also working with the council’s community safety team and Lincolnshire Police on safety measures and possibly providing more patrols.
An increase in the CCTV provision for the town is something else that’s being looked at.
l Spalding BID is also set to officially launch its phone app Hello Spalding in the next week.
It aims to include a directory of businesses as well as notifications of offers and events taking place in Spalding.
“People have started to sign-up and those that have are amazed at the amount of retail offers in the town,” said Sarah. “It can provide notifications of what’s going on in Spalding and businesses can post offers they have on.
“I don’t think people know how much there is going on in the town, for example there’s so many activities being put on by The Sessions House.
“It has all the information about Spalding in one place. We’ll continue to develop the app and provide more people the incentive to register with it.”
