Trafford Council launches Additional Restrictions (Discretionary) Grant Scheme
Trafford Council is now inviting applications to the Trafford Additional Restrictions (Discretionary) Grant scheme. As of 12 February, Trafford Council has further expanded the Additional Restrictions Scheme to support more businesses across the borough. Rounds 3a, 3b and 3c have now been introduced. Round 3a is to assist businesses in the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Sectors where RV valuations have been amended by the VOA post 11 March 2020 and have been backdated. Round 3b is to assist self-employed businesses operating from residential properties which have not received support via the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). Round 3c is for medium-sized businesses which employ between 50 and 249 people in Trafford and which are compliant with State Aid Regulations. More information is available on the Trafford Council website
FREE Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources Pack for Individuals and BusinessesA reminder, that to support both individuals and businesses, The Growth Company has developed a Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources Pack providing information on how the pandemic may affect mental health along with advice and guidance on how to best manage this during these challenging times. A library of resources and local, national and international support
services is also included in the pack.
VAT at 5% Extension for Hospitality
We have been asked to share the link to the parliamentary petition to extend VAT at 5% for hospitality until at least March 2022. Last summer the chancellor cut VAT on food, accommodation and attractions for six months from 20% to 5%, which was then extended to the end of March 2021. Although there have been mounting calls for this to be extended further given the restrictions still in place on the sector, no further announcements are expected ahead of the chancellor's budget on 3 March. If the petition reaches 100,000, it will be considered for debate in Parliament. You can add your signature to the parliamentary petition here.
Instagram Training
Thursday 25th February, 2-4pm
Following on from the positive feedback after last month's session, the BID has scheduled another FREE Instagram group training session for BID businesses. Alex McCann, Altrincham HQ will be leading the session on Thursday 25th February, 2-4pm which will take place on Zoom. The session will cover: - How to grow your Instagram Following
- Maximise the impact of your posts in the feed - themes, captions, hashtags and more
- How to use
Instagram Stories, Reels, Guides effectively - humanising your brand + maximising reach and engagement
- How to engage strategically
The session is fully funded by Altrincham BID. If you would like to register to join this session please email: info@altrinchamunlimited.co.uk
TBC Covid Compliant Activity this Easter
Subject to the government announcement next Monday, the BID is planning Easter activity, to encourage families to visit the town in a Covid safe way. Outdoor Family Town Trail (9th-12th April)
Due to the popularity of the Christmas town trail and the number of businesses who requested to take part, we will be looking to introduce two trail routes, to allow more businesses and families to take part safely. If you're business would like to be involved, please email info@altrinchamunlimited.co.uk Outdoor Children’s Easter Bonnet Competition
We are hoping to launch a children's Easter Bonnet Competition which will be judged in the town centre on Saturday 10th April. More details to follow.
Children’s Easter Art Competition
We are also hoping to launch an Altrincham themed art competition which will be displayed in the town centre shop fronts creating an outdoor gallery, with a People's Choice competition on social media. Installations will go up on Saturday 10th April and the winner will be announced on Saturday 17th April. More information will follow after the government announcement to ensure that all activity is aligned with the latest government guidelines.
Social Media Campaigns - Average reach 5k
In February, the BID continued to support businesses with 'Countdown to Valentine's Day' posts and the ongoing 'People Make Places' posts. The average reach of these posts is 5k+. A great example is the recent post about the Marta and the team at BAP which reached over 6k on Facebook and Instagram. If your business would like to get involved please let us know. To support hospitality businesses who are operating a takeaway or delivery service during the lockdown the BID will produce a monthly guide, as well as dedicated social media posts for individual businesses. Other guides have also been produced to highlight the businesses which are open. Please let us know what your business is doing so we can help to promote or if you would like more information, please email: info@altrinchamunlimited.co.uk
Town Centre BID Business Directory
Now more so than ever, the local community are wanting to support local businesses of all types. In response to enquiries, the BID will be producing an online and printed guide for professional services BID businesses. For any non-BID businesses located in the town centre, who would like to be included in this directory, please contact us about joining the BID as a voluntary member. We will be contacting BID businesses over the coming weeks.
BID Procurement Opportunities 2021-26
A reminder, that the BID will be looking to procure services on larger contracts which we know now will be required for the next BID term (5 years). If your business can provide any one of the services listed below and you would like to be included in the tender process, please get in touch. - Website Update for the BID
- Christmas Lighting Scheme for the town centre
- Insurance for the BID's events and business activities
- Litter picking the Unadopted Areas (alleys and ginnels)
- Planting and Watering of plants in town centre
The BID Board will make the decision regarding the appointment of the suppliers.
In January, Sara Todd CEO of Trafford Council, joined BID businesses for a Q&A. Topics included the Council's response to the pandemic, cultural strategy, issues around operating safely and the discretionary grant scheme. The BID is planning to do updates like this at least 3 times a year.
The ongoing clean up of the alleys and ginnels has continued during lockdown. This week a total of 9 bags of rubbish have been collected. Without the BID these unadopted areas would not be cleared of litter.
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