Really busy week with my client Action for Market Towns. Their annual convention took place in the lovely Shropshire market town of Ludlow last Thursday: pretty much every hotel and B&B in the town was fully booked, and we reckon the event injected well over £100,000 into Ludlow’s economy.
The convention marked the launch of AMT’s new 21st Century Towns report, offering a new vision for town centres and packed with radical and imaginative thinking about their future – and practical steps to turn this vision into reality.
It was fantastic – and of course very satisfying – to generate a lot of media coverage of AMT’s new report and the Convention: BBC Midlands Today broadcast a great segment about why Ludlow is thriving and an interview with AMT’s Chief Executive Chris Wade; Chris and AMT’s outgoing Chair were both interviewed on BBC breakfast radio shows; and varied newspapers have covered the Convention and the launch of the new report (see AMT in the press for links).
The Convention included the announcement of the overall winner of the Action for Market Towns Awards for 2011: Mold Spring Clean – a community initiative which has transformed the environment in the town of Mold and has used social media and its own mascot, ‘Springy‘, to engage young people in cleanup activities. A worthy winner.
Despite a packed programme at the Convention there was time to explore Ludlow – and a couple of study tours demonstrated how the Ludlow Town Council, Shropshire Council, and Ludlow’s businesses and community have worked so effectively to create a thriving small town. I stayed in an independent hotel and was able to spend a little cash within 5 other independent businesses whilst there – I think Chris’ calculations of the boost that the event brought to the town certainly make sense.
Like most delegates and the AMT team I left Ludlow inspired and a little bit tired!
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