News from the Minehead BID team.
We hope you find the information in this message informative and helpful.
Please feel free to forward it to anyone you think might find it useful. If anyone would like to be added to the mailing list they can email me at this address and I'll ensure they receive the newsletters.
Don't forget to email with any items you would like us to include in a future edition.
Best Wishes, Richard Robbins
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Our New Minehead Business Video
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Currently being shared on Social Media
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To say thank you to your child's teacher at the end of this school year, why not give them a gift that they can use to treat themselves in a choice of fabulous local businesses?
Pick up your Minehead Gift Card from the Minehead Tourist Information Centre at the Beach Hotel, or order online at: www.mineheadgiftcard.co.uk
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WIN A £50 TOWN & CITY GIFT CARD FOR YOUR KIDS SCHOOL SUPERHERO AND A £250 CASH PRIZE FOR YOUR SCHOOL OR CLASS!
Teachers, coaches, support staff, dinner ladies, janitors and cleaners - every single member of your school staff is a superhero that has in some way supported your learning this school year.
At Town and City Gift Cards we want to help celebrate these school superheroes by sharing why you think they are special. What’s more, by sharing your story one lucky school superhero will win a Town and City Gift Card of their choice and the class will get a £250 cash prize as well!!
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What would you buy your teacher?
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PRESS RELEASE
SWT adopts new beach safety App
Somerset West and Taunton has adopted a new innovative App to safeguard visitors and residents to Minehead and other beaches around the UK.
The UK Beach Check App allows beachgoers to stay Covid-safe by checking congestion levels at popular coastal areas before visiting, and either choosing less populated zones or beaches with lesser crowding to help maintain social distancing.
The App is based on a simple traffic light system displaying congestion levels for individually listed beaches or via an interactive map as either red (crowded), amber (less congested) or green (uncongested).
Congestion updates are provided throughout the day using a mix of sources. The App predicts how busy areas are likely to become based on historic data, weather and footfall counter data.
This is supplemented with regular manual updates provided by the team at Minehead BID from overhead panoramic cameras. The cameras are not CCTV; instead they provide static images of Minehead’s beachfront on request to help determine congestion levels.
UK Beach Check App was initially launched by Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council in 2020 to alleviate overcrowding of its beaches seen at the end of the first lockdown.
The App is now being rolled-out to coastal authorities nationally and the Council has adopted it as part of its Covid-safety planning. As further costal authorities adopt the App, it will provide a comprehensive safety monitoring resource for visitors across the UK.
Executive Member for Economic Development, Cllr Marcus Kravis, said: “We decided to adopt the Beach Check App in line with our Covid-safety planning as we recognised the value it can provide keeping visitors and residents safe when planning a trip to Minehead’s seafront. It allows users to plan ahead and visit quieter areas to maintain social distancing.
“Now that the App has been officially launched, we can provide more details behind the recently installed cameras at Minehead Beach that work in conjunction with it. To allay any privacy concerns, these only send low-res distance shots on request to the Minehead BID team, enabling them to set the congestion colour for each zone displayed via the App's map.
“As the lockdown continues to ease, I encourage visitors to stay safe and download the App to check the crowding status beforehand.”
 Minehead BID Manager, Andrew Hopkins, added: “Minehead BID is delighted to support this national project and to take on responsibility for updating the Beach Check App.
“Throughout the last year working with Somerset West and Taunton and other partners, we have been encouraging people to come back and safely visit our beautiful beach and town. Accommodation bookings are looking very encouraging and our many independent retail and hospitality businesses are ready to welcome new and old visitors.
“We are all looking forward to a very vibrant summer ahead and would encourage visitors planning to visit Minehead to download the App and check the congestion rating before visiting us.”
The national roll-out has been funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, including maintenance costs for the first year at no expense to local authorities.
The App is free of charge and simple to use, downloadable from Google Play (Android) or the App Store (Apple), with no in-app purchases.
The key features of the App include:
- Congestion status for individual beaches and via an interactive map
- Management of ‘favourite’ beach locations
- Information and availability of parking, toilets, cycling routes and dog exercise areas
To find out how to use UK Beach Check App, watch the video below from England's Coast’s YouTube Channel.
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How to use the App
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New grants to boost tourism in West Somerset and Sedgemoor
The Hinkley Tourism Action Partnership (HTAP) is offering grants to help fund business projects aimed at boosting tourism in the West Somerset and Sedgemoor area.
Led by Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT), the Tourism Innovation Grant Scheme has been set up by the HTAP partners in response to the impact on tourism from Covid.
The value of tourism towards Somerset’s economy is substantial. Prior to the pandemic, 23 million day trips and 2.6 million overnight stays helped generate £1.3bn each year, in turn providing employment for 10 per cent of the county’s total workforce.
Tourism is even more significant in West Somerset and Sedgemoor, accounting for 40 per cent of all staying visitor activity across the county.
The new grant scheme is specifically designed to support SMEs in offering a greater range of visitor products and experiences. Grants between £5,000 and £10,000 will be made available to businesses and organisations operating in the tourism, hospitality and events sector.
Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals aligning with HTAP’s strategic aims by contributing towards industry growth and the local economy. Where possible, proposals should promote a ‘green’ visitor experience by being sustainable and less reliant on carbon.
The HTAP partners are also looking for creative and innovative experiences which are new to the area. Inspiration for projects can be sought from other regions or internationally, providing they suit the area's natural resources and have not been adopted previously.
Above all, they must create a lasting legacy by being inclusive, providing an exceptional welcome and creating positive perceptions for the greater area.
Qualifying projects may fall into one or more of the following categories:
* Higher-spend customer markets
* Genuinely new service provision
* Shoulder season visitor opportunities
* New networks or partnerships that consolidate activity into a package that enhances the visitor experience
Applications for the Tourism Innovation Grant Scheme will open Monday, 12 July 2021 until Friday, 10 September 2021, or until all the funding has been allocated.
The scheme is open to applicants based in the Somerset West and Taunton and Sedgemoor district council areas. Applicants are required to match-fund a minimum 10 per cent of the awarded grant.
Any small business partnerships or networks looking to apply should visit SWT’s Hinkley tourism partnership webpage.
The HTAP was set up in 2013 to mitigate the impact on the local community from the development of two new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C on the West Somerset coast. The partnership provides various schemes and initiatives including housing, business support, skills and tourism.
The partner members include Somerset West and Taunton Council, Sedgemoor District Council, Somerset County Council, EDF Energy, Visit Somerset, Visit Exmoor and Exmoor National Park Authority.
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