The Skipton BID

The first Board of Skipton BID Limited was elected at a meeting at Herriots Hotel in Skipton held on 23 March 2009.

The 12 directors are:

• Joan Evans -Oswaldtwistle Mills (Chairman)

• Tony Barrett- Belmont of Skipton( Deputy Chairman)

• Sebastian Fattorini -Skipton Castle

• David Goldie -David Goldie Countrywear

• Christine Hodgson- Coffee Care 

• Barry Peters- IMH Group

• Andrew Mear -Eagerlux

• John Rhodes -John Rhodes Carpets

• Lena Ward - Mo's

• Ian Wilcock - Spencer's

• Kenneth Wood- Skipton Guest'otel

• Richard Mashiter -Craven Stationery

There are six main policies in the Skipton BID:

1. To market and promote Skipton as a high quality destination.

This objective aims to raise the profile of Skipton as the centre for retail and tourism in the Southern Yorkshire Dales. A professional marketing company will be used to ensure that Skipton is portrayed as a vibrant town with many attractions and placing it in the forefront of public awareness as a town to visit and do business in.

2. To improve and enhance the built environment.

This objective aims to raise standards of appearance through enhancement of the built environment with cleaner ginnels, improved signage and tidier areas which have been neglected in the past. The measures taken will ensure a safer and more pleasant environment within the BID area for workers, residents and visitors alike.

3. To improve resident and visitor satisfaction of Skipton's car parks.

This objective aims to ensure that, in partnership with Craven District Council, customers of the town's car parks are provided with the best possible image of the town. The switch from "pay and display" tickets to "pay on foot" will have the dual benefit of removing the likelihood of visitors cutting short their stay (and thus spend) in the town and removing the prospect of visitors receiving a parking ticket if they overstay, thus creating a bad lasting impression of their trip to Skipton.

4. To help finance and develop existing and new festivals and initiatives which add to the cultural activity of Skipton.

This objective aims to expand and develop the existing programme of festivals within the town, which put Skipton in the public eye. New events would be encouraged and existing ones would be underwritten to ensure that bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances do not incur losses.

5. To expand Skipton's provision of Christmas lights and underwrite the provision of Christmas festivals.

This objective aims to remove the uncertainty over provision of Christmas lights in the town centre and provide financial stability for the Christmas Yuletide Sunday Markets, which bring thousands of visitors into Skipton, benefitting both local and national retail outlets. The Yuletide markets are heavily dependent for their financial success upon the weather and a BID would guarantee against the event ceasing due to financial losses caused by bad weather. However, any sums not used may be transferred to the other projects.

6. To provide a well trained and flexible work force.

This objective aims to provide all the BID members with the opportunity to attend free courses provided by Craven College's training arm, Tyro Training. Specific courses can be tailored to meet individual requirements, paid for by the BID process.