New campaign aims to restore pride in city and support local traders
A MAJOR initiative designed to help restore public confidence in the City Centre, local high streets and to help promote independent retailers and businesses has been launched in Birmingham!
Devised by Birmingham City Council, the People Make Places campaign will help to promote local shopping areas in the wake of disturbances in August. The £310k cost of the campaign will be funded from the Government’s High Street Support Scheme to help cities affected by the recent disturbances.
Central to the Birmingham initiative will be the introduction of a free special card, known as the B Card, which will give Birmingham residents special offers at participating independent businesses during the month of October.
Participating stores will display ‘Backing Birmingham’ signs in their windows, with many businesses already signed up to take part in the scheme.
And one retailer who’s given a thumbs up to the campaign is Azim Babar.
Mr Babar owns Safina Fashions in Acocks Green and he’s welcomed the new initiative.
“The village has been suffering for the last 9 or 10 years,” he says. “I’m really pleased to hear that something is being done in Acocks Green.”
Such is Mr Babar’s support for the scheme; organisers have included him in advertising material for the Acocks Green area!
Cllr, Timothy Huxtable, Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Regeneration at Birmingham City Council who launched the campaign said: “It’s time to take pride in our communities, to make the most of our strengths and acknowledge that it’s Birmingham’s people who make these places special. We hope that this campaign will encourage everyone to enjoy the great things that their community has to offer and, with the B Card initiative, encourage them to support their local independents.”
To support the promotion a series of posters and advertisements featuring local people taking part in the campaign will shortly start appearing on billboards, buses and poster sites as well as newspapers and radio stations throughout the city.
Leaflets promoting individual areas and their businesses will also be distributed across the City. Each leaflet will include a B Card and explain how the card can be used.
B cards are available to any resident of Birmingham, and for those not living in areas receiving the leaflet through their door; cards can be obtained by visiting www.BackingBirmingham.com or by cutting out the card on newspaper advertisements.
You can use your B Card in any outlet displaying a ‘Backing Birmingham’ sticker or poster and there will be a regularly updated list of participating stores at www.BackingBirmingham.com, where you also have the chance to win £100 to spend locally.
Any independent outlet who would like to find out more about the campaign can visit the website or call 0121 472 9009 for their free point of sale kit, while stocks last. There is no charge to take part and retailers / outlets can decide what special offer/s they would like to give to B Card holders.
The campaign is also getting Birmingham’s young people involved, recruiting them to help promote the scheme and spread the word to retailers.
For more information log onto www.BackingBirmingham.com
