We can make our town more vibrant!
We can make our town more vibrant!
Businesses in Aberdare have voted to form a Business Improvement District to improve their town centre. Having a Business Improvement District puts Aberdare in good company.
There are now over 300 BIDs across the UK, working successfully to enhance commercial areas for their members. We join Port Talbot, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Colwyn Bay, Caernarfon, Bangor, Neath, Llanelli, Pontypridd, Aberystwyth and Cardiff.
Our programme pledges to deliver services above and beyond those currently provided by the borough council.
This ‘additionality’ is fundamental to the way in which the BID works and is ensured by a baseline agreement between Our Aberdare and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.
Our Aberdare pledges to work towards:
Our Aberdare pledges to work towards:
- Improving the look of the town.
- Creating a calendar of events throughout the town.
- Strengthening the voice of businesses on matters that affect us.
- Improving the signage in and around the town.
- Creating an Aberdare hub to include an information and advice centre for businesses and visitors and a potential co-working space.
- Incentivising people to shop locally with a loyalty scheme.
- Bringing extra money into the town through grant schemes.
Look & Feel
Look & Feel
A good-looking town means happier visitors.
Our Aberdare will:
Improve signage in and around the town – we will welcome more visitors with attractive signage and will work with the Council and the local college to develop some eye-catching new ideas.
Brighten up empty units – empty shops don’t look good. Our Aberdare will aim to make the windows of empty shops more interesting and colourful with window vinyls.
Decorate the town – we feel Aberdare would benefit from brightening up and we will work with local artists on ideas about how this could be done. We will also put up bunting and flags around the town for events, plus invest in greening initiatives.
Bring waste ground back into use – we will be able to identify these areas and work with partners on the potential to develop them for community use.
Marketing & events
Marketing & events
We need to encourage more people to visit our town.
Our Aberdare aims to:
Create a annual calendar of events – including food and music festivals (involving local choirs) that will appeal to a wide range of people. We will ensure that these took place across the entire town including Commercial Street, Market Street and Victoria Square.
Training workshops – we will provide workshops for businesses on a variety of subjects including social media and marketing. We will also train volunteers to help out at events.
Canvas covers for events – it’s a fact that rain puts people off coming to events. We will purchase a set of covers that could be used on event days along with other equipment.
Develop a loyalty scheme – to keep workers and visitors spending in Aberdare. We will also design pin badges and bags that will develop a sense of pride in our town.
Information & communication
Information & communication
There is no central information point where visitors can go to find out what our town has to offer.
We aim to:
Develop an Aberdare hub – which would act as an office-base for the town. Information would be available about the town for visitors wanting to know more. The town has a history in iron and the hub would be able to direct visitors to local places of interest such as the Cynon Valley Museum. The hub could also be a co-working space which could generate extra income for projects.
Help businesses succeed – by being able to signpost new and existing businesses towards the advice and grant funding that is available to them.
Be a stronger voice for businesses– Our Aberdare will work with ABTA and be a strong, collective voice for our town’s businesses with resources to deliver projects and resolve issues that matter to you.
Leverage in extra funding through grant schemes – we are lucky to have the Pen Y Cymoedd fund in the area and will look to match fund projects by accessing the scheme.
Accessibility & parking
Accessibility & parking
Develop and promote parking offers – we will work with the Council to attract
more footfall to the town.
Work on improving access – Aberdare is fortunate in having flat access from car parks into town. We will work with the Council and other agencies on some of
the disability access issues around the town centre. We will also lobby on the
traffic problems affecting the town.