Old Town Team shows good progress since summer 2012

Old Town’s Portas Pilots team still has a large amount of the money left from the pot it was given to regenerate the area
MHLC-31-07-13 Portas Jul199
It has been 12 months since Old town won £100,000 in the Portas Pilots regeneration scheme. Team leader Jeremy Ireland will show you the parts of Old Town where the work can be seen including the new businesses which have opened as part of the project.
Pictured,Jeremy Ireland (old town team leader).MHLC-31-07-13 Portas Jul199
It has been 12 months since Old town won £100,000 in the Portas Pilots regeneration scheme. Team leader Jeremy Ireland will show you the parts of Old Town where the work can be seen including the new businesses which have opened as part of the project.
Pictured,Jeremy Ireland (old town team leader).
MHLC-31-07-13 Portas Jul199 It has been 12 months since Old town won £100,000 in the Portas Pilots regeneration scheme. Team leader Jeremy Ireland will show you the parts of Old Town where the work can be seen including the new businesses which have opened as part of the project. Pictured,Jeremy Ireland (old town team leader).

A list of the team’s expenditure and financial commitments up to October this year shows that the team still has almost £83,000 left from the £100,000 it received in the summer of 2012.

Most recently the team has committed up £12,000 - taken into account in the current balance - to provide new Christmas lights for Clemens Street and other roads with a further £10,000 from Leamington Town Council going towards the illuminations.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Team leader Jeremy Ireland said about £6,000 has also been spent to bring new traders into the area through the new Artisan Night Markets, which are taking place on Friday evenings in the build up to Christmas and have increased footfall in the area at those times by about 1,000.

Mr Ireland said: “ The last few weeks have been incredibly busy attracting traders, and visitors to the night markets and we are continuing with that activity.

“The expenditure and commitments make a bit of a long list, but it shows how we are building up the reputation of Old Town, generating interest and conversations about development, events, activity and new retail here, and creating an atmosphere of change and excitement.

“We are really pleased with the spin-off benefits we are part of encouraging with the help of so many networks across Leamington Warwick and the Midlands.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Since it was founded The Portas team has organised winter and summer street events and contributed about £500 towards the Oxjam charity music festival which was attended by about 2,000 people across all of the events at Old Town venues in October.

It has sought free consulting advice on how to improve the appearance of the railway bridge at the junction of High Street and Clemens Street and it has also ran an ongoing media campaign via The Courier, radio, the internet, Twitter,and Facebook.

Work has continued on the Heart-up project to establish new businesses in the area with a proposal having been made to set up a fashion design, wholesale and retail enterprise in the area.

Volunteer project managers are also being sought to run small projects to enhance shop fronts, arrange seminars and co-ordinate small activities.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Other proposals include the launch of an art supplies retail unit and gallery to support artists in the area.

Talks are also taking place to set up a project between the Portas Team, the Foundry Wood group and volunteers from Ryton Organic Nurseries to produce edible growing points across Old Town.

A new butchers counter has opened at Spar in Bath street.

Becks Butchers is both a wholesaler and a retailer and will have a stall at the Night Markets.

For more information about the team and its work search for Mary Portas Bid South Leamington Old Town on Facebook.

Related topics: