A new incentive scheme to encourage people to shop in Spalding is to launch next month in time for the town’s Christmas celebrations.
The bid to encourage people to buy from local independent businesses and potentially win a cash prize is the latest in ideas being worked up as part of the Town Centre Steering Group.
Other new ideas being worked on to increase footfall in the town include encouraging Boston College to open up more space for start-up businesses to work within its Red Lion Street campus and to encourage more courses that might be open to more people.
In an update on the improvement scheme to the Spalding Town Forum, Town centre improvement coordinator Beth Stinson said the group was working with the college.
“The group is exploring a proposal to increase the business start up space available within the centre,” she said. “This builds on the digital skills hub that opened in the centre in May this year and the work that is taking place as to how the centre may offer more social courses such as a craft course to encourage footfall into the town.
“It’s to encourage the use of our independent retail businesses as well as encouraging increased footfall into the town with the chance of shoppers winning a cash prize when shopping at our local independents.”
Ms Stinson also told the meeting that members of the Town Centre Improvement Scheme were working with Lincolnshire County Council as that authority looks to submit a bid for more funding for bus services.
“The group is looking for better services that link the suburbs of the town with the town centre and specifically how routes may better serve stopping points close to the high street,” she added.
Other new initiatives include an event to be held in Spalding town centre on the second Saturday of every month and the plans for Christmas celebrations were also revealed.
The meeting heard the big switch-on of the Christmas will be part of a two-day celebration on Friday and Saturday, December 3 and 4.
Decorations are due to include a 35ft Christmas tree and more Christmas lights.
Ms Stinson revealed that the council had been working with an outside contractor to provide a four-day Christmas ‘festival’, but that the contractor had since pulled out.
She said: “We were originally planning for a four-day fest using an outside provider but due to COVID-19 they had to cancel all the dates they were doing in smaller towns so we were left with plan B for Christmas.
“We’re still looking for any festive markets coming in.”
The Voice asked South Holland District Council for more information on the new shopping incentive. After the print copy had gone to press on Wednesday a council spokesman responded to say that ‘final details and promotional plans for the incentive scheme are still being finalised’.
