West Kilbride goes 'Totally Locally'
Totally Locally, the award-winning shop local campaign, will launch in West Kilbride on Saturday 28 May 2016
Totally Locally, the award-winning shop local campaign, will launch in West Kilbride on Saturday 28 May 2016
Local shops will offer the best of local produce, and fantastic offers to celebrate West Kilbride's independent shops and businesses during the event.
The streets will be filled with music as local man, Drew Kirkwood, creates a party atmosphere in Boyd Orr Gardens with his pop-up DJ station.
There will be free entertainment for families with young children. A bouncy castle kindly donated by Bounce A Lot and face painting will be available in the Happy Bell Tent, kindly donated by Happy Bell TENT hire.
Businesses are getting very excited about the event and local taxi firm, DM Taxis, is offering a courtesy taxi from anywhere in the village to the Town Centre for the duration of the event.
West Kilbride is the latest of many towns across the UK, and now the world, to take up the Totally Locally campaign. This free initiative supports West Kilbride’s traders to show the value of local shopping and its benefits for the local economy. Many of the shops and businesses will have special offers - highlighting Totally Locally's message that if everyone in West Kilbride spent just £5 a week in local independent shops, it would bring an extra £1.3 million into the town's economy every year.
“This is a chance for locals to discover West Kilbride's great shops and businesses, and the real difference they make to our town,” said Craig Masterton, La Dolce Vita.
Craig continued:
“West Kilbride has always been a proactive community and in times of need, members of the community have rallied together to save endangered facilities and buildings and, most famously, the Main Street itself
“The closure of the Royal Bank of Scotland, in 2015, led to a drop in footfall to the town centre. A number of local businesses were forced to close their doors, while others noticed a drop in sales. A small group of local traders met to try and make a positive change.”
Craig Masterton, discovered Totally Locally and immediately felt that it was a fantastic an opportunity to turn things around for West Kilbride before it was too late.
With the support of local businesswomen Linda Hill, LAH Travel, and Gillian Wilson, The Wee Deli, Mary Cahill, Gosh Creative and Kay Hall, West Kilbride Community Initiative, Craig rallied the local businesses to help West Kilbride go Totally Locally.
Linda Hill added:
“There’s a bit of a buzz on the street right now and local residents both old and new, are taking a real interest in what's happening and want to be a part of it. There are so many good people in West Kilbride who really care about their town, are proud of its heritage and want to be a part of its bright future. I'm just one of them... to me its Ayrshire's hidden gem that just needs showing off.”
Totally Locally was created in West Yorkshire, in the UK in 2009 by brand expert Chris Sands for his home region of Calderdale. It has seen successes in towns like Hebden Bridge, Scarborough, Belper, Crickhowell , many who have gone on to win awards as "independent" thriving towns. Towns in Australia, France, New Zealand, Austria & USA also have started the campaign, and members from each town communicate with each other and help through social media groups. “It has become an international self help group for towns!” said Chris Sands.
Leek in Staffordshire had “The Totally Locally Effect” shown on National TV, having a huge impact on the economy of the town, and Brighouse, recognised one of the top five most positively changed towns in the UK. Crickhowell has gone on to set up Fair Tax Town, to be preview on BBC2 in January 2016. These are all led by volunteers who come together under the Totally Locally Banner.
“Totally Locally has had a big impact on the towns that have run the campaign. We are confident that it can do the same for West Kilbride. We have a wealth of wonderful shops here and Totally Locally will highlight the hidden gems right on our doorstep," commented Mary Cahill, Gosh Creative.
Totally Locally celebrates all local businesses, from West Kilbride’s travel agents to bakers, from clock shop to gift shops. These small businesses support many other local businesses, which keep the local economy alive. It’s what the whole fabric of a town like this is built on. The stronger the local economy, the better it is for the whole town.
This event will launch West Kilbride’s first "Totally Locally Fiver Fest" - a mini shopping festival for the town where many shops will have a special £5 offer.
We will also be introducing the “Totally Locally Disloyalty Cards, “ where shoppers can collect four stamps and get a free regular coffee at La Dolce Vita, The Wee Deli or The Barony Café. Each stamp must be from a different business – hence, “Disloyalty Card.”
"Totally Locally isn’t anti-supermarket or anti-internet”, said Totally Locally founder, Chris Sands. “There is a place for all these things in our lives. It’s just highlighting how a small change in spending habits can make a huge change to West Kilbride. We have a choice to make the place we live that little bit better by just diverting £5 of our weekly spend back into our local economy. And everyone wants their town to be great, don’t they?!”.
Totally Locally Campaign was released as a free kit for towns to download and use in 2012, after demand for it became so huge that the Totally Locally had to create a way for anyone to be able to use. It is now a network of volunteers helping each other across the UK and now around the world.
Totally Locally is a multi award winning campaign that has a proven record of helping towns to re-asses themselves and work together. Totally Locally is a social enterprise and is based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, UK.