Issue 1 March 2012
Welcome to the new look City Speak newsletter This newsletter is for retailers, traders and organisations in Lichfield City centre. It aims to bring you all the news and views that will help you to be better informed about what’s going on in the city. Many of you have told us that in the past you have receive lots of different publications and newsletters, which makes knowing which one to rely on a difficult task! So, to make your life easier, agencies in the city (including the Chamber of Trade & Commerce, the TownSafe Partnership and the district and city councils) have come together to bring you the new look City Speak. We’ll also be offering organisations such as the Three Spires Shopping Centre, the cathedral and others, the chance to contribute on a regular basis. 2012 is set to be a busy year in the city. Read on to find out updates on city centre developments, including Friarsgate and the Friary Outer redevelopment. The Titanic commemorations, the Jubilee celebrations and the Olympic Torch Relay are also covered in this issue. If you have any news you would like to share through City Speak, please email elizabeth.thatcher@lichfielddc.gov.uk. We’d also love your views on whether you find this newsletter useful and how we can improve it in the future. Richard Lewis President, Lichfield Chamber of Trade & Commerce on behalf of city centre partners.
Titanic 100 years on Update from the Lichfield Titanic Commemoration Group and partners Lichfield is proud to be the home of a statue of Commander Edward John Smith, Captain of the Titanic. The statue stands in Beacon Park’s Museum Gardens and was recently restored as part of the restoration of the parks. To commemorate the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, a range of events will be taking place across the city and further afield. Visit www.visitlichfield.co.uk/ titanic to find out more or call the tourist information team on 01543 412112.
In this edition 2 Friary Outer update 2 ‘Free parking’ scheme 2 TownSafe update 3 Olympic Torch Relay & events 3 Lichfield in the national news! 4 Who’s promoting your city? 4 Portas pilot and vacancy rates 4 A who’s who of partnerships 5 Friarsgate consultation 6 Dash parking 6 Stripe the city 6 Jubilee celebrations 6 City centre funding up for grabs 7 Shop lifting survey 7 Coach parking update 7 Special offers card update 8 Key dates 8 Order your hanging baskets 8 Editorial team details
Friary Outer redevelopment Update from Lichfield District Council Work to build 60 homes, a hotel, a restaurant, replacement toilets and 170 extra parking spaces on the current Friary Outer car park (opposite the university), is set to get underway in early 2012. The £14 million development will feature 54 supported housing association homes for older residents, as well as six shared ownership homes, to give first time buyers a chance to get on the housing ladder. Turn over to see more artist impressions of the new development. While the work is underway, the car park will be out of action, and drivers will be encouraged to visit other city centre long-stay car parks. Although we recognise some shoppers and visitors will be disrupted by the closure, we know from our car park figures, which are calculated weekly, that there are ample long-stay car parking spaces in the city for displaced drivers. The public toilets will also be closed and we’ll be directing people to the Swan Road toilets (corner of Beacon Park opposite Ego). We’ve created a new website to keep you up to date on the development at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/ friaryouter If you have any questions about the development, please contact Helen Cook, Property & Projects Manager at Lichfield District Council, on 01543 308252 or email helen.cook@lichfielddc.gov.uk Who is involved in the project? Lichfield District Council are the landowners and will manage the new car park. Bromford Support will own and manage the supported accommodation. Bromford Homes will be the managing agent for the sale of the 6 affordable shared ownership homes. Visit www.bromfordhomes.co.uk to find out more. The Homes & Communities Agency invested £2.4 million in the scheme. The developers of the scheme is S Harrison who are also developing the Friarsgate shopping and leisure complex. 1
Artist impressions of the Friary Outer redevelopment To see the full plans and keep up to date on the development, visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/friaryouter
View from Swan Road
All change at TownSafe Update from the Townsafe Business Partnership As part of its role, the TownSafe Business Partnership works to identify and prevent serial shoplifters from entering local shops and businesses through the Business Exclusion Scheme. To date, the partnership has worked closely with the police to gather intelligence. Recently it adapted its set-up, so it isn’t totally reliant on police intelligence and has become a true civil scheme.
View from Festival Gardens
Encourage more shoppers into your business with a new ‘free parking’ initiative from www.saveourtowns.co.uk Local shopkeepers are getting behind a new scheme from www.saveourtowns.co.uk When traders sign up to the scheme they offer their customers a ‘refund’ on their parking charge. Simon Brailsford from Save Our Towns explains: “The amount give back to customers is up to you. You can include a minimum spend level and also decide on the amount you want to pay out. When you sign up, we’ll give you posters to promote the offer and you’ll get listed on www.4lichfield.co.uk.” So far shops that have signed up include City Jewellers, Cure, La Boutique and more.
To find out more about the scheme, email simon@saveourtowns.co.uk 2
To this end, the partnership has recently appointed a Business Crime Reduction Manager to administer the new scheme. This will see member stores gathering their own intelligence on offenders, which will be entered onto a secure database in the police station and managed by the Business Crime Reduction Manager. If a habitual offender is consistently causing trouble in the city centre and within member stores, the TownSafe board will have the power to ban that person. Anyone caught shoplifting and dealt with by the courts will still be banned for a two year period.
Find out more If you want to join the TownSafe Business Partnership or find out more about the Business Exclusion Scheme, contact Richard Lewis on 01543 250016.
Celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay Update from Lichfield District Council On 30 June 2012 the Olympic Torch will pass through Lichfield City and district. It will start its journey at the National Memorial Arboretum, then pass through Streethay, on through the streets of Lichfield City, and out towards Tamworth passing through the village of Hopwas. People will be celebrating the relay in style, with a range of cultural and sporting events taking place throughout the day. So far plans in the city include: Town Crier Competition - 30 June Where: Speakers’ Corner, Dam Street When: 11am first round shouts / 2pm final round shouts. Town criers will compete in Lichfield's first regional Town Crier Competition. Contestants ringing bells will process from the Guildhall to Speakers’ Corner. Individual cries for local businesses will also take place throughout the city. www.lichfield.gov.uk Cars in the Park - 30 June & 1 July Where: Beacon Park When: 9am - 5pm (weekend event) A fantastic display of classic and original cars from across the ages. With stalls for motor enthusiasts and keen shoppers, there’s something for everyone to enjoy! www.carsinthepark.com The Cathedral Dash - 30 June Where: The Close, Lichfield When: 10am - 12noon The much loved Lichfield Cathedral Dash has been brought forward to help celebrate the Olympic Torch passing through the district. www.kpevents.net
Timings and street route of the torch The Olympic Organising Committee, LOCOG, hasn’t announced the exact timing of when the torch will pass through the city yet, or the exact street route. As soon as they do (in March) we’ll publish it to www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/olympictorch
Things for city traders to consider: Visitor numbers We are expecting thousands of people to flock to the city to experience the torch relay and the events taking place during the day. This may impact on parking for your staff and on the staffing numbers you will require for the day. You may also want to consider offering special menus, such as ‘Torch Breakfasts’ or special ‘Flaming Hot Offers’ to encourage visitors into your shops and businesses. Getting staff and deliveries into your business When the torch passes there will be a rolling roadblock in place. In addition, many of the city streets will be closed to traffic during the whole of Saturday 30 June to allow festivities to take place. We’ll publish detailed information about road closures on www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/olympictorch and in future editions of City Speak. Street and window dressing We’ll be decorating the streets with bunting and we hope that city centre trades will join in the spirit by displaying red, white and blue hanging baskets (order form page 4). There are strict guidelines about what you can and can’t do when decorating your windows, including restrictions on the use of the Olympic logo and branding. To help you keep within the rules, we’ll issue guidance in a future City Speak.
Lichfield City in the Times’ travel section Update from Visit Lichfield (turn to page 4 to see more about Visit Lichfield and what they do). Late last year Lichfield hosted a visit from a Times journalist to Lichfield City. The resulting article was published on Christmas Eve in the Times Weekend section, and included quotes like:
A cathedral city by name, Lichfield is full of small-town charm, offering something of interest at every turn. The whole city offers something of interest … but then, as Dr Johnson almost said: “Sir, when a man is tired of Lichfield, he is tired of life.” Visit Lichfield worked closely with the journalist and we are very grateful to the members of our tourism association (LDTA - see more on page 4) who provided complimentary food, accommodation and entertainment, including St John's House, Ego, Lichfield Cathedral, The Johnson Birthplace Museum, Lichfield Heritage Centre and more.
Discover Britain magazine visit to Lichfield City Update from Visit Lichfield On 6 & 7 February (when snow lay on the ground!) Lichfield City hosted a visit from a Discover Britain journalist, who is preparing a five page feature for the next Discover Britain Magazine. Discover Britain (formerly Heritage magazine) is the leading British history and travel magazine. ‘Thanks to the growing domestic travel market Discover Britain’s UK newstrade sales have increased by 100% in the last year alone, making it the UK’s leading historic travel magazine.’ (ABC audited). We’ll update you on the coverage in Discover Britain in a future issue of City Speak.
Find out more If you want to find out more about the work of Visit Lichfield, or put your name forward to provide complimentary products or services to journalists who may visit the city in future, contact elizabeth.thatcher@lichfielddc.gov.uk
To keep up to date visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/olympictorch or email elizabeth.thatcher@lichfielddc.gov.uk 3
Who’s promoting your city?
Who’s who? An introduction to business
Update from Visit Lichfield To help boost visitor numbers to the city and district, and to support local businesses, the council has a dedicated tourism team - Visit Lichfield.
partnerships, groups and committees in the city There is a
The team delivers a wide range of activities including:
Lichfield District Tourism Association (LDTA). A membership organisation for all tourism related businesses (£25 a year). Run by Visit Lichfield it offers marketing initiatives, reduced price training, networking meetings and more. Call Jonathan Oates, Visit Lichfield, on 01543 308210.
Promotion of the city and district through www.visitlichfield.co.uk, the annual Visitor Guide, two issues of a What's On events guide, a guide that encourages groups into the city, special event promotions, and associated marketing.
Developing special offers, including a monthly e-newsletter to over 3,000 potential customers.
Provision of the tourist information centre and clear signage and up to date tourist information points across the district. Offering support to tourism businesses.
Providing Green Badge Guided Tours.
Delivering the right infrastructure for visitors – from hotels and restaurants, to coach parking and toilets.
To find out more about the work of the team, or to get involved in any of the team’s promotions, please contact emily.robinson@lichfielddc.gov.uk / 01543 308215, jonathan.oates@lichfielddc.gov.uk / 01543 308210.
Bucking shop vacancy trends & the Portas pilots Update from the Lichfield City Centre Co-ordination Group A study of shop vacancy rates published earlier this month shows that Lichfield is bucking the trend with 9% of shop units empty (by shop number). Across Staffordshire the rate is 12% and in Walsall it is 26%. Last year the government asked TV presenter Mary Portas to come up with plan to save the ‘high street’. Her report made 28 recommendations, including 'town teams' to lead regeneration projects and the relaxation of planning laws to allow empty units to be turned into gyms, crèches etc. The first step to implementing her ideas followed when Grant Shapps, the local government minister, launched a competition for a dozen towns to become 'Portas pilots' with the chance to share in a £1m pot to revitalise their 'unloved and unused' high streets. The Lichfield City Centre Coordination Group is now looking into whether Lichfield could apply to become a Portas pilot, and has been invited to attend workshops hosted by the Association of Town Centre Managers, ACTM. We'll let you know the outcome of these meetings in future issues of City Speak. If you would like to get involved, call Richard Lewis, President of the Chamber of Trade, on 01543 256001 or email lewis_rm@yahoo.co.uk 4
wealth of groups in the city and district, working towards a common aim of improving the city centre and boosting the levels of trade. Here’s a ‘who’s who’ guide:
Tamworth & Lichfield Business Enterprise Partnership (BEP) All businesses in Tamworth and Lichfield District are automatically members of the BEP. It is led by local business people for local businesses, and works alongside Lichfield District and Tamworth Borough councils and other public sector organisations to shape local policies through things like the Economic Development Strategy. It produces a quarterly newsletter and hosts regular networking events. Email james.roberts@lichfielddc.gov.uk Lichfield City Centre Co-ordination Group A city working group that brings together representatives from the district and city councils, local businesses, including Friary Shoes, Tempest Ford, Tudor Row and others. The group meets monthly to discuss ways to improve the city centre, through small projects and other ideas. Email nicky.haycock@lichfielddc.gov.uk Lichfield City Forum This neighbourhood forum brings together residents and businesses, through a network of local residents' associations and other neighbourhood organisations such as North Lichfield Initiative. Lichfield City Council provides the secretariat and members include the police, fire & rescue service, as well as schools and businesses. Email peter.young@lichfield.gov.uk Lichfield Chamber of Trade & Commerce A membership organisation for local businesses (£40 a year to join). Members benefit from representation in consultations with local authorities, such as the council and police. Monthly member meetings are hosted so members can share views on local issues. The Chamber also provides the hanging baskets in the city and organises the Christmas Fayre. Call Richard Lewis on 01543 250016 TownSafe Partnership A membership organisation for city retailers, primarily concerned with crime and safety issues. Provides the Storenet Radio Scheme and the Business Exclusion Scheme. Membership is £100 and members benefit from a book of ‘known city shoplifters’ and updates. Members can also join the Storenet scheme for a further cost. Call Richard Lewis on 01543 250016 Local Enterprise Partnerships In the 2010 Local Enterprise Partnerships were established following the closure of Regional Development Agencies. The two LEPs that cover Lichfield are: Stoke on Trent Staffordshire LEP www.stokestaffslep.org.uk Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP www.birmingham.gov.uk/lep LEPs are locally owned partnerships between local authorities and businesses. They play a central role in determining local economic priorities and undertaking activities to drive economic growth and the creation of local jobs.
Friarsgate consultation Update from S Harrison, developer of the scheme S Harrison, the developers of the planned £100 million Friarsgate scheme, were delighted with the public response to their latest consultation event on the amended plans for the Friarsgate development. The changes include taking the hotel out of the development, moving the cinema ,and changing the layout of a number of shops and the car park.
View of Friarsgate from Garrick Square
More than 500 people, including many local traders, visited the exhibition at Lichfield Heritage Centre in late January to see proposed changes to the approved scheme, which will feature shops, restaurants, a cinema and new homes. Feedback from local traders was generally that this type of development is needed for the city, and more shops and restaurants will increase the footfall throughout the city. Some stressed that the city needs to ensure that it makes the most of the new development, and work to ensure that footfall into the Friarsgate/upper end of the city, feeds into the cultural/cathedral end of the city. David Clancy, Director of S Harrison Developments Ltd said: “We are still analysing the many written comments we received, but the response was overwhelmingly positive. People see the benefits that a thriving Friarsgate will bring to the city as a whole, and are eager to see the revised scheme delivered.”
The recent exhibition in Lichfield Heritage Centre
Where next? The revised plans are set to go before Lichfield District Council’s Planning Committee for consideration later this year.
To keep up to date on the plans visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/ friarsgate or email helen.cook@lichfielddc.gov,uk View of the cinema from Frog Lane
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Introducing Dash Park - a cash free way to pay for parking
City centre funding up for grabs
Update by Lichfield District Council Your customers no longer need to search for loose change when they park in any of our short-stay car parks in Lichfield City centre. That's because we've introduced a new system called Dash Park across all our council owned short-stay car parks. Cash free payment systems, like Dash Park, are common in larger cities and, we had lots of great feedback about a trial we ran in Lombard Street car park, so we introduced it in October.
Update by Lichfield District Council Thousands of pounds of funding will soon be available for projects in the Lichfield City area. If you need funding for a city centre project, why not find out how to apply today?
How does it work? Customers register online at www.dashpark.co.uk or by calling 08456 800 104. They pay for their parking using their mobile phone. When our parking officers see a car without a ticket, they enter the registration number into their computer, and it will tell them whether the driver has paid using Dash Park.
Key facts: Projects need to benefit the local area - from tourism infrastructure, to public art, to community facilities. Money is only available to fund capital projects (for example for a building or benches) Money is not available for revenue projects (for example the running costs of an event or a venue).
The deadline for applications has not yet been set, but to So, if your customers are running late back to their car, or worried their parking is going to run out, they can extend their payment at the find out more visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/section106 touch of a button (provided they haven't exceeded the maximum stay Where is the funding from? in a car park). When a major new development (such as a new housing estate) is given planning permission, often the developers Transaction charges When your customers use the service, they will provide financial support to build new social, recreation, be charged an additional 30p per booking (20p from 1 April 2012). education, community and health facilities and/or public Is it secure? It’s compliant with payment card industry standard PCI open spaces. These are known as Section 106 planning DSS v1.2.1. obligations. These funds help to make sure the new If you want a set of leaflets to promote Dash Park to your customers, development enhances the local community and helps to reduce the impact of the development on local areas. email nicky.haycock@lichfielddc.gov.uk
Stripe the city! Update from The Lichfield Festival
For two weeks this summer, the Lichfield Festival is attempting to paint Lichfield City Centre red, blue, orange, yellow, green, and more! We are calling for local businesses, schools and groups to help us decorate the city with artwork inspired by our famous striped logo. Whether you are an experienced artist or a complete beginner, if you have an idea or an exhibition space, we would love to hear from you. Stripe the city aims to get colourful artwork, crafts and displays sited across the whole of the city during July. We are asking any local residents and workers to either create something to add to the project or help us to exhibit work from a different group. Can you knit a striped leg warmer big enough to fit a tree trunk? Can you bake a rainbow cake? Do you have an idea to brighten up a shop frontage or window? Do you have a window in the city centre that could house a piece of art for ten days? Interested? Email jennifer.smith@lichfieldfestival.org or call 01543 306275 or visit the festival website to download an application form. 6
From improving roads and building new community facilities, to creating open spaces and improving local schools, Section 106 planning obligations help to create better quality environments in and around new developments, and sometimes further a field. If you have any questions please email asmita.kathrani@lichfielddc.gov.uk or call 01543 308149.
Celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee Update from Visit Lichfield This year attractions and venues across the city and district will be celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee in style. Keep up to date at www.visitlichfield.co.uk/jubilee Key dates include: 3 June - Big Lunch at Lichfield Cathedral 4 June - the Lichfield Diamond Jubilee Bower 7 June - Jubilee Japes at The Johnson Birthplace Museum 16 June - A Jubilee Proms Concert, Lichfield Cathedral If you would like to hold a Jubilee street party in Lichfield District, you will need to apply (for a temporary road closure) to Lichfield District Council by 4 May 2012. Please apply in writing, making sure you list the date and time of when you want the road to be closed. There is no charge for road closures. Email dawn.everitt@lichfielddc.gov.uk
Survey reports a reduction in shop theft but a Promote your business with our special offers card rise in the cost to retailers Update from the TownSafe Business Partnership The British Retail Consortium's (BRC) Retail Crime Survey 2011, published in early February, shows that that while crime is down, each incident has been more costly, and total losses to businesses have increased sharply, when compared with the last year. Money spent on crime prevention by retailers taking part in the survey rose by 1.4%, to £214 million, with a median spend of £700,000 per company. This has substantially reduced opportunistic crime, but combating the rise in violent crime, that retailers and their staff are exposed to, requires the support of law makers and enforcers. Despite a reduction in numbers of offences, the cost of retail crime has risen significantly with the overall cost increasing by 31% to £1.4 billion. This is equivalent to 130,000 retail jobs nationwide.
Update from Visit Lichfield The special offers card was introduced in 2009 by Visit Lichfield. It aims to offer card holders unrivalled access to discounts at local restaurants, shops, attractions and more across the district. It also aims to support local businesses by offering the opportunity to promote their business to a wide audience, on a cost free basis, through special offers.
Nearly 2,000 active card holders Each month around 15 businesses supply offers – ranging from restaurants, to local retailers, to local attractions
A worrying recent trend is the increase in threats and verbal abuse to retail staff, which has increased by 83%, when compared to last year.
The special offers card is managed by the Visit Lichfield team. Every month the team:
Robberies have also increased by 20 % with retailers reporting an increase in the use of weapons and violence.
Whilst there is no evidence that these trends are affecting Lichfield City centre, if you have any concerns about safety, or want to report any incidents, please contact the TownSafe Business Crime Reduction Manager on 01543 250016.
Coach parking update Update from Lichfield District Council Lichfield City is a ‘Coach Friendly City’ and welcomes well in excess of 1,000 coaches every year (approximately three coaches per day). Coaches tend to bring between 30 and 50 passengers per coach. We know that the average day coach visitor spend in historic cities such as Lichfield is between £27 and £34 per person. On this basis, we can estimate that currently coach visitors directly contribute between £1.08 million and £1.35 million into the local economy every year. We know that this is vital to heritage attractions, restaurants, cafes, pubs, shops and small businesses. The majority of coaches visiting Lichfield City currently don’t stay overnight. Lichfield District Council’s ambition is to convert a large percentage of our current coach visitors into overnight visitors, which is why we are working to bring more hotels to the city centre. This would see the average spend of coach visitors increase to £80 per person, with people spending on hotel nights, evening meals, entertainment and more. This could result in coach visitors directly contributing £3.28 million into Lichfield City and the wider district’s local economy every year.
Contacts over 120 local businesses to request special offers Creates and distributes an e-newsletter to over 3,000 local people, detailing ‘this month’s special offers’ Provides posters to local information points, special offers providers, and the tourist information centre, advertising the special offers
The special offers card is also widely promoted in all Visit Lichfield and Lichfield District Council publications, such as What’s On (50,000 distribution twice yearly), and intouch (40,000 distribution twice yearly).
Does it really work? Feedback on the scheme has been very positive, both from traders who have noticed and uplift in sales, and from holders of the card.
How much does it cost to provide a special offer? It’s entirely free to provide a special offer. Just email the details of your offer to Emily Robinson, Visit Lichfield, 01543 308215 or email emily.robinson@lichfielddc.gov.uk
With the new Friary Outer redevelopment and the forthcoming Friarsgate Development, we are looking for new locations for coach parking spaces. We are carrying out an options appraisal on sites across the city. We’ll update you on the outcome of the appraisal in future editions of City Speak. In the meantime, if you would like any further information, email Tourism & Communications Manager, elizabeth.thatcher@lichfielddc.gov.uk or call her on 01543 308781. 7
March events 18th
Mothering Sunday
20th
Chamber of Trade & Commerce meeting 8pm, George Hotel Interested in joining? Come along!
20th
Thinking about employing an apprentice, or want to find out more? Come to the Apprenticeship Event at Drayton Manor hotel (5.30pm start)
30th
Schools break up for Easter holidays
April events 6th
Good Friday
9th
Easter Monday
11th
Edward Wightman commemorations and opening of the Guildhall Cells
15th
Remembrance Service of the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, 2pm Museum Gardens, Beacon Park
17th
Chamber of Trade & Commerce meeting 8pm, George Hotel Interested in joining? Come along!
23rd
St George’s Day Court, 12 noon, the Guildhall
May events 7th
May Day Bank Holiday
15th
Chamber of Trade & Commerce meeting 8pm, George Hotel Interested in joining? Come along!
June events 3rd
Big Lunch picnic at Lichfield Cathedral
4th
Lichfield Bower Procession
2nd - 5th
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Bank Holidays
4th - 8th
Half Term
19th
Chamber of Trade & Commerce meeting 8pm, George Hotel Interested in joining? Come along!
30th
Olympic Torch Relay passes through Lichfield - A day of fun & events around the city
Order your Jubilee hanging baskets now! Could you improve your premises with a little extra colour? Why not help to make the city centre a more attractive place for shoppers and visitors by supporting the Chamber of Trade’s efforts to brighten up the city this summer? Every year, the Chamber teams up with Woodhouse Green Nurseries to provide a spectacular display of colour, with over 120 baskets brightening up the fronts of shops and premises around the city centre. This year the displays will reflect the Queen’s Jubilee theme with blooms in red, white and blue and additional ribbon decorations. Early bird discount: Pay for your basket by 31 May 2012 and you get a discounted price of £46 per basket. This includes hanging, weekly watering and disposal in the autumn. Baskets ordered or paid for after 31 May will cost £49.50 each. Any non Chamber of Trade members who orders a hanging basket will also get free membership for 2012, worth £40! You’ll receive an order form in early March, but if you want to order now, or if you don’t get a form, just call Rob Young on 01543 473183. Last year, we were worried that orders would be down as a result of the recession, but we were delighted that city businesses took up the offer and we had more hanging baskets on display that the previous year! We’re hoping to top the number of baskets in this special year, so please help us by placing your order today.
The editorial team Partners and organisations across the city provide articles for City Speak. These are brought together and published by the communications team at Lichfield District Council. If you would like to add anything into future issues of City Speak, email elizabeth.thatcher@lichfielddc.gov.uk
Distribution
July events 17th
Chamber of Trade & Commerce meeting 8pm, George Hotel Interested in joining? Come along!
20th
Schools break up for summer holidays
Keep up to date with events, or promote yours for free in What’s On What’s On is the events guide for Lichfield City and district. It is produced by Visit Lichfield and you can list up to five events for free. It is distributed to most local homes twice a year. emily.robinson@lichfielddc.gov.uk
City Speak is distributed free to businesses across Lichfield City. If you are not on the mailing list and would like to be added, email elizabeth.thatcher@lichfielddc.gov.uk
When is it distributed We hope to issue six editions of City Speak a year, and if it’s well received, we may issue more. In between these times we’ll update www.cityspeak.info
Feedback
We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading City Speak and that it’s been useful to you. If you have any feedback on City Speak, or want us to include particular topics in future editions, please email the editorial team at elizabeth.thatcher@lichfielddc.gov.uk
8 City Speak is brought to you in partnership by Lichfield District Council, the Chamber of Trade & Commerce, the TownSafe Partnership, Lichfield City Council and other city partners.