Welcome to our Huddersfield BID town centre blog where every month BID manager SAM SHARP looks at some of the exciting things going on in the town
One of Huddersfield BID’s key aims is to bring more people into Huddersfield town centre – and we’ve got some ‘cracking’ events planned.
Last year Huddersfield BID brought 10,000 new visitors to the town centre by running trails via the LoyalFree app and our first trail of 2023 will be our popular Easter Egg Hunt, which runs from April 3-17.
The Easter Egg Hunt encourages families to explore the town centre and it’s not just those businesses on the trail route that benefit. Our figures show that 82.3% of groups taking part visit other businesses and the average number of shops and businesses each group visits is 13. That’s a great opportunity for all town centre businesses.
We have 10 giant Easter eggs which are currently being hand-decorated by Rob Curran, owner of The Wonderworks Creative in Lindley. Rob is creating an eye-catching design for each egg so that you can’t miss them!
The eggs will then be placed around the town centre and people take part by downloading the LoyalFree app and following the clues.
Once LoyalFree is installed, you will have access to town centre deals, and be able to participate in our trails.
Simply open the app and follow the trail map. Once you find an egg, scan the QR code next to it and the app will register that you’ve found it.
Once you’ve found all 10, come to the Hello Huddersfield! office in Market Avenue to claim your free Easter egg. Everyone who completes the trail on LoyalFree will be entered into a prize draw for a £50 voucher.
The other big event which proved really successful in bringing people into town last year was our comic con ‘Get Your Geek On’ which returns on Saturday June 24. It’s just one day this year.
We’re at the planning stage now and we’ve teamed up with Unleashed Events, who are one of the UK’s leading comic con organisers. Unleashed are acting as consultants for the event, to ensure we hire in the best props, cars and teams to deliver the day.
We’ll have: movie prop experience; real movie cars; cosplay characters; a Star Wars experience; a huge merchandise market; a free Jurassic Park experience; and a celebrity guest. All will be revealed soon!
And just a teaser about our top secret large-scale outdoor event in September. If you like food, drink, entertainment and St George’s Square, you’ll love this one! Can’t say anymore right now but it’s exciting.
Meanwhile, Huddersfield BID is also helping support The Welcome Centre Food Bank in the town centre.
We’re passionate about giving back to our local charities and good causes and we’ve partnered with travel franchise, Cath Bracegirdle – Not Just Travel, to offer our community fantastic package holidays.
With every booking through our unique link, The Welcome Centre will receive a direct donation. People can find out more HERE or by contacting Cath on 07958 330784.
Alongside our holiday promotion, we are working with The Welcome Centre on their smartphone recycling scheme.
Huddersfield BID have provided three recycling/donation bins where people can donate old smartphones they no longer need or use.
Donated phones will be refurbished by The Welcome Centre, in partnership with Vodafone. The refurbished phones, along with a SIM card, will be given to homeless people to help them access the internet and apply for jobs.
Finally, if you’d like to meet the BID team, chat about what we do and give us your thoughts on the town centre we’re holding a Meet the Team event on Friday March 24 (10am-2pm) at Tommy’s Lounge in Station Street. It’d be great to see you!
The Welcome Centre food bank wants your old smartphone to help combat digital exclusion
