Winners of the Rochdale Borough Christmas Window Dressing Competition

Town Centre businesses across the borough recently took part in a Christmas Window Dressing Competition and the winners from each town centre are proudly displayed here:

Rochdale

Winner - Browns Cakes

Natasha from Browns Cakes recieving her award for Best Dressed Christmas Window in Rochdale presented by the Mayor & Mayoress of Rochdale.

Highly Commended - Number 10 Gallery

Angela Jenkin of Number 10 Gallery recieving the Highly Commended award for their Christmas Window display in Rochdale town centre from the Mayor & Mayoress of Rochdale.

Middleton

Winner - M24 Arts & Crafts

Tina Wright - M24 Arts & Crafts receiving her award for Best Dressed Christmas Window in Middleton from Jim Dobbin - MP for Heywood & Middleton and Ashleigh Webb - Middleton Town Centre Manager.

Heywood

Winner - Spares Centre Domestic Appliances

Owners of Domestic Appliaces reciving their award from Jim Dobbin - MP for Heywood & Middleton for Best Dressed Christmas Window in Heywood.

 

 Littleborough

Winner - Bliss Interiors

Gary Felton - owner of Bliss Interiors has been trading in Littleborough for 11 years and was delighted to recieve the award for Winner of the Best Dressed Christmas Window.

Highly Commended - Classy Cakes

Simon Danczuk - MP for Rochdale selected Classy Cakes as the Highly Commended runner up in Littleborough.

 

 

 

 

 

Lesley Thompson - owner of Classy Cakes recieving her award for the Highly Commended best dressed Christmas Window in Littleborough.

 

Milnrow

Winner - All About Flowers

 

Beverly Park owner of All About Flowers recieving her award for Best Dressed Christmas Window in Milnrow presented by Simon Danczuk - MP for Rochdale.

 

 

Highly Commended - Wisteria Lane Interiors in Milnrow

 

 

 

 

Louise Henderson receiving the Highly Commended award in Milnrow for Best Dressed Christmas Window from Simon Danczuk - MP for Rochdale and Katie Moore - Pennines Township Manager.

Natwest Mobile Business School is comming to Rochdale on Thursday 7 November 1.30pm - 3.30pm

High Street Foundation 08 October Meeting

Thank you to everyone who attended the latest meeting of the High Street Foundation. We had a great turn out with attandance from the following businesses to name a few:

Barclays Bank, Blue Orchid, Boots, Chantilly, Daily Rochdale, Funky Monkey Creations, Heywood Business Group, Sandifords, Rochdale Online, Molesworth Bright Clegg Solicitors, Number Ten Gallery, The Flower & The Glory, Hopwood Hall College, Style Magazine, Sagar Insurances, Mango & Pacific Nightclubs, Rochdale Town Centre Management Company, Rochdale Council and the Rochdale Development Agency.

You can download a copy of the presentations here

In the absense of Paul Clark, who was attending a meeting with investors regarding the £30m refurbishment of Warwick Mill in Middleton, Vice Chair Greg Couzens controlled the meeting.

Mark Widdup, Executive Director for Economy & Environment at Rochdale Council gave an update on progress made since the last meeting. Lots has been happening including:

• The establishmet of Town Teams within Heywood & Middleton
• Reopening of Drake Street
• Improvements to Wet Rake Gardens
• 16 x properties improved along Drake Street
• Public Realm improvements including 4 x new interpretaion boards and finger posts installed within the town centre
• Restoration works to Bulls Brow
• Environmental improvement works to Stationers Entry
• The launch of Incredible Edibles Rochdale
• Feel Good Festival - attended by over 10,000 people
• New businesses opening in the town and interest from developers now being shown
• New transport interchange opening on 27 October
• M&S Click & Collect scheme will be operational by 01 November
• Rochdale Town Centre International Design Competition being judged
• Small Business Saturday - boroughwide campaign taking place on 07 December
• Metrolink line to Rochdale Town Centre operational Spring 2014

Debbie Hernon, Rochdale Town Centre Manager showed a video of the Rochdale Feel Good Festival 2013 which can be viewed exclusively here:

(For best quality please do not view in full screen mode)

Christmas events in the town will include:

Saturday 16 November - Christmas Lights Switch On Event
Sunday 01 December - Reindeer Parade
Saturday 21, Sunday 22 & Monday 23 December - Ice Rink & Christmas Markets

The Ice Rink will be FREE for skaters on production of a reciept for a minimum of £5 spent within the town centre.

John Hudson, Chief Executive of the Rochdale Development Agency then gave a presentation on the Rochdale Town Centre Medium Term Strategy which includes:

• Future Public Realm Improvements
• Re-opening of the River Roch
• Town Centre Highways Movement
• Investment in the Exchange and Wheatsheaf Shopping Centres
• Town Centre East - mixed retail & leisure development

Brian Sutcliffe AKA "Uncle Albert Potato Man" then presented his ideas on creating a temporary mobile food court on the site of the former Bus Station and Black box once this is demolished. Images were shown of the outdoor foodcourt at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester which is something that could be aspired to achieve and recieved a lot of support.

The evening wrapped up with the OPEN FORUM and we heard from Carol Stirzaker of The Flower & The Glory in Littleborough who has worked with a group of students from Hopwood Hall College on the Textile Live Project and was thrilled with the wall designs the students produced for her shop.

Emma Clark - the voice of the London Underground - promoted her business Voice Takeway and audio marketing campaigns that could benefit local businesses. For more information visit: www.voicetakeaway.com

Jan Melia from Blue Orchid promoted the free business support (funded by Rochdale Council) that is available to existing businesses including training courses in Social Media, E-Commerce, Finance and Selling Skills. For more information visit the website: www.theblueorchid.co.uk

Margaret Smith - Rochdale Town Centre Chaplain introduced herself and her role to support businesses and their staff within Rochdale town centre.

Finally, David Hexham from Sagar Insurances offerred to give any member of the High Street Foundation 10% off thier next insurance quote: www.sagarinsurances.co.uk

The meeting ended with a message from Greg who urged businesses not to be alone and work together in order to survive and thrive.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 27 November, 6pm - 7.30pm at Number One Riverside. All town centre traders welcome!

Reform of Business Rates - Please Sign this Petition

Following the launch of The Grimsey Review (An Alternative Future for the High Street) a petition has been started to force Government to look into Business Rates immediately.

 

It is clear that businesses feel this tax is out of touch with property values and that is why your support is required to get business rates debated in parliament before the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.

This is a very ambitious target but extremely urgent if we are to buy time for some 20,000 small retailers who are on the brink of failure. Although the crippling rates cost is not the only cause of failure some would argue it is the main reason today. Most agree that there is a need for a root and branch review of the business rates tax - but in reality that will take time.

The most important thing is to force a debate in Westminster and this can be achieved if we can get one hundred thousand signatures on a petition that we have registered with Downing Street. Once we achieve that we will gain the support of backbench MPs from all parties who are under pressure from the businesses in their constituencies.

We need your help to encourage businesses in the borough to sign the petition.

This can be done by logging on to the following link:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/54748

You will also be aware from both regional and national press about the adverse effects the postponement of the revaluations will have upon Rochdale citing that shop rentals have fallen by approximately 40% in the last 5 years and this now needs to be reflected in rateable values.

The petition reflects some of the recommendations from The Grimsey review and has been registered by me. It reads as follows:

Reform of Business Rates

Responsible department: Department for Communities and Local Government

The British high street is a world renowned institution. We can’t just sit back and watch it wither away. This means ministers have to make business rates a fairer tax that doesn’t disproportionately burden smaller businesses and retail. Property values must be realigned and the business rates system needs reforming. At the moment it’s not fit for purpose.

The Grimsey Review are, therefore, calling on the government to:-

1) Reintroduce immediately the 2015 business rates revaluation to realign property values and freeze business rates from 2014. 

2)Once revaluations have taken place any future increases should be an annualised CPI rate rather  than a one-month snapshot.

3)From 2017 revaluations must be conducted annually.

4)Undertake a root and branch review to establish a flexible system that will reflect changes in economic conditions as they occur.

We all need to work together, stand up for fairness and get the 2015 revaluation reinstated.

 

Paul Turner Mitchell

All welcome to attend the next meeting of the High Street Foundation

ROCHDALE BOROUGH HIGH STREET FOUNDATION

Tuesday 08 October, 6.00pm- 7.30pm

 

Number One Riverside, Conference & Training Suite, First Floor

A G E N D A

 

1.	Welcome	Paul Clarke (Chair)
2.	Progress Update Presentation and Q&A	Mark Widdup
3.	Rochdale Town Centre Events Update & discussion	Debbie O’Brien
4.	Rochdale Town Centre Medium Term Strategy Presentation and Q&A	Gary Davies
5.	Open Forum Street Food Vendors Blue Orchid – Post Start Business Support Voice Takeaway The Flower & The Glory – Littleborough Rochdale Town Centre Chaplaincy Rochdale Business Awards	Brian Sutcliffe Jan Melia Emma Clarke Carol Stirzaker Margaret Smith Carol Hopkins
6.	Time & Date of Next Meeting   Thursday 12 December, 6pm – 7.30pm, N1R

 

Middleton Town Team

Members of the Middleton Town Team meet last week and appointed Adam Torevell from the Middleton Town Centre Management Company as their Chair, and Steve O'Toole from Boots as Vice Chair. Tony Nugent - Anthony K Associates agreed to be the Treasurer.

Membership of the Town Team includes:

• Adam Torevell - Middleton Town Centre Management Company
• Steve O'Toole - Boots
• Tony Nugent - Anthony K Associates
• Howard Gibbons - Middleton Shopping Centre
• Lee Todman - O2
• Councillor June West - Rochdale Council
• Bev Harmstone - Hopwood Hall College
• Peter Dawson - Community Rep
• Claire Costigan - Middleton Arena
• Tina Wright - M24 Arts
• Kirsty Williams - McDonalds
• Alison Johnson - Lords Butchers
• Paula Jones - Royal Bank of Scotland
• Pat Byrnes / Allan Robinson - Tesco
• Jim Dobbin - MP (Honorary Member)

The Town Team will meet every 6 weeks and will work on a 12 month action plan to improve the vitality and viability of Middleton Town Centre.

To keep up to date on the progress of the Middleton Town Team you can read more information on the Middleton section of this Blog.

Heywood Town Team

The Heywood Town Team held it's inaugural meeting last Wednesday 28 August, hosted by Morrisons Heywood.

From left - right top row: Mike Goldrick, John Carney, Cllr Ray Dutton, Gary Smith, John Kennedy, Jo Lutkevich, Sue Coates.
From Left - Right bottom row: Justin Ashton, Deborah Storah.

Membership of the Town Team includes:

• Jim Dobbin - MP for Heywood
• Deborah Storah - Boots
• Sonia Vitali - Dunnes
• Jo Lutkevich - Morrisons
• Mike Goldrick - Mike Goldrick Blinds
• Helen Fearon - BOSE / RMC Business Services
• Sandra Hobin - Barclays
• John Kennedy & Graeme Bowden-Witts - Heywood Business Group
• John Carney -  Heywood Together Trust
• Justin Ashton - The Heywood Pub
• Cllr Ray Dutton - Rochdale Council
• Sue Coates - Community Rep
• Gary Smith - Heywood Sports Village
• Malik Baig- Subway

The Town Team will meet every 6 weeks and will work on a 12 month Action Plan to improve Heywood Town Centre.

Rochdale Council have awarded the Town Team £25K to implement the Action Plan.

To keep up to date on the progress of the Heywood Town Team you can find more information on the Heywood Section of this website.

Time & Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting of the High Street Foundation (originally scheduled for Tuesday 03 September) has now been re-arranged for Tuesday 08 October, 6pm - 7.30pm at Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale, OL16 1WU.

All town centre traders welcome to attend.

Feel Good Festival Stalls Available at The Station Bazaar

Rochdale Best Bar None Awards 2013

The Baum collects accolade as drinking spots put safety first

 

The Baum has been named ‘Best Bar None’ in ceremony celebrating top safety standards at drinking establishments across the borouh.

 

Andy Glover - Rochdale Council Public Protection Manager presents the award for "Best Bar None" to Heidi & Simon Cromton of The Baum, Rochdale.

Best Bar None is a national scheme backed by the Home Office which sees venues which sell alcohol adhere to a range of strict safety standards. Only those which pass a gruelling two hour assessment by nationally accredited assessors are awarded a Best Bar None plaque. Venus undergo reassessment each year.

 

Prospective members have to answer questions on a range of things including whether their staff are trained in conflict management and first aid, how they ensure safe use of glass, whether they hold regular meetings to review security and whether they have a dispersal policy in place to deal with large numbers of people leaving their venue at the same time.

 

The annual Best Bar None awards, which were judged this year by Jim Taylor, Chief Executive of Rochdale Borough Council, Annette Anderson, Chief Superintendent of Rochdale Police and Councillor Sultan Ali, Cabinet Member for Strengthening Communities at Rochdale Borough Council, reward those venues which have implemented additional safety measures beyond what is required to be a member of the scheme.

 

The Baum was highlighted because of its excellent staff training record and community involvement, including a scheme which saw their staff work with business students from Hopwood Hall College to improve their product knowledge. They were also praised for their responsible attitude including ensuring revellers do not create noise nuisance while leaving the premises.

 

The full list of winners is:

 

Winner Best pub - The Baum

Runner up best pub - The Flying Horse

Winner best bar - Mango

Runner up best bar - Pacific

Overall winner - The Baum

 

The Rochdale Best Bar None Scheme, which is managed by Rochdale Town Centre Management, was introduced in 2008. Earlier this year, it expanded to include venues outside Rochdale including the Ladybarn in Milnrow, the Healey in Shawclough and the Norden Arms.

 

Councillor Sultan Ali, Cabinet Member for Strengthening Communities at Rochdale Borough Council. Said: “It’s encouraging to see that our licensed premises take the safety of their customers and the wider community so seriously.

 

“This project, along with schemes like Homesafe, which sees police and licensing officers flood the town centre streets at key times on Friday and Saturday nights, go a long way to ensuring that our town centres are safe and enjoyable places to be.”

 

Rochdale Town Centre manager, Debbie O’Brien said: “We’re lucky to have fantastic venues like the Baum in our town centre. These awards are a mark of quality and yet another reason for people to come and enjoy all that our borough has to offer.”

 

Andy Glover presenting the award of best Bar to Mark Dorosz - Manager of Mango

For more photo's from the Best Bar None Awards Ceremony please visit the Rochdale Town Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rochdaletcm?ref=ts&fref=ts#!/rochdaletcm/media_set?set=a.567544296631403.1073741826.100001275122230&type=3 

 

Rochdale Co-operative Fun Day - Saturday 22 June, 10am - 4pm, Rochdale Town Hall

 

 

Meeting of High Street Foundation - Tuesday 21 May

This week around 40 members of the Rochdale Borough High Street Foundation met at Number One Riverside to discuss the Heritage offer within our town centres. Attendees included Marks & Spencer, O2, the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre, Rochdale Style Magazine, Molesworth Bright Clegg Solicitors, Recruitment Solutions, Hopwood Hall College, iTXT, the Rochdale Hornets, Morris Dean and The Best of Rochdale (to name just a few).

The meeting was excellently Chaired by Paul Clark of CJ Partnerships along with Vice Chair - Greg Couzens and the theme of the evening was HERITAGE.

Peter Rowlinson - Director of Planning & Regulation at Rochdale Council kicked off proceedings with a general update. Lots has been happening in Heywood & Middleton Town Centres and the Council are working with local businesses to establish Town Teams for both centres and budgets of £25K are being allocated to both centres to invest in supporting the vitality and vibrancy of these towns.

We saw some exclusive photographs taken of the medieval bridges underneath The Butts (see photo's below!) which will be exposed when the River is re-opened, and heard about exciting plans to launch an international design competition for Rochdale town centre backed by English Heritage.

Julian Jefferson - the Arts & Heritage Director for the Borough gave a sterling presentation on the Borough's heritage offer despite his Powerpoint slides running away with themselves! We heard about our physical heritage offer;
East Lancs Railway
Ellenroad Engine House
GM Fire Service Museum
Middleton Golden Cluster
The Pioneers Museum
Touchstones
& the wonderful Town Hall

He also promoted a range of heritage events taking place including a Rochdale Co-operatives Day on 22 June, the Heywood 1940's Day (29 June), Rochdale Food Good Festival (30 & 31 August) and a Zusammen Choir Procession that took place last week!

A pop up shop has also been opened for 1 month by young people in Rochdale Town Centre who took their inspiration from the town's industrial heritage. 

Other exciting snippets of news...the Metrolink into Rochdale Town Centre is on schedule and could be running as early as January 2013, a section of the Tour de France race will come through Rochdale Borough next year! (OK so it's only 1Km but it's still comming to the Boro!) Marks & Spencer are investing in a store refurbishment in September and O2 have opened a new flagship store in Middleton town centre!

CAR PARKING was a usual hot topic - should it be free all day? Should people be charged 10p an hour so it can be measured? Should people have to buy something to get a free parking ticket? Should you be able to park anywhere for 10 minutes saving grace? The Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre are offering permits for town centre workers for £2 a day!

Marks & Spencer called for action to be taken on the empty shops and quick wins could include decorative hoardings / artwork in shop windows to make the high street look more attractive.

A new development is opening in July - The Rochdale Station Bazaar (opposite Rochdale train station) comprising 15 individual retail units, a coffee shop and Cost Cutter supermarket.

The Best of Rochdale promoted their philosphy - to promote the best of Rochdale! And Winning Pitch are holding a Growth Accelerator workshop for local businesses on 19 June.

It was a shame the meeting ran out of time as I could have sat and listened for another hour, and the energy in the room was captivating.

All of the ideas and issues discussed at the High Street Foundation meetings are reported back to Rochdale Council Town Centres Committee to ensure action is taken.

If you would like to get involved and join the High Street Foundation, come along to our next meeting on Tuesday 09 July, 6pm - 7.30pm at Number One Riverside, Rochdale.

These images show the medieval bridges above the River Roch - taken by Urban Exploratory Photography.

 

A group of young people have opened a Pop Up shop on Yorkshire Street in Rochdale Town Centre - selling T-shirs and fabrics inspired by the town's industrial heritage.

 

A selection of goods on sale at the Retail Ready Pop Up Shop on Yorkshire Street, Rochdale.

 

Oh What A Night!

The much anticipated #SingRochdale Zusammen Choir Procession took place around Rochdale last Thursday evening. Over 200 people joined in the drop-in choir, the rain stayed away and there was even some sunshine!

The procession was organised by the Rochdale Pioneers Museum and Touchstones Rochdale as part of the national Museums at Night Festival. The drop-in choir consisted of members of the public and community groups who came together to sing for one night only. All were given a commemorative #SingRochdale gold medal with a green and white ribbon.  The choir was accompanied by Littleborough Brass Band and Rochdale Youth Brass Band as well as singers and musicians from Rochdale Sixth Form College.

The procession was led by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) Junior Wardens who carried the #SingRochdale banner. The procession began at St Chad’s Church at 6pm with the drop-in choir singing ‘If I Knew You Were Coming I’d Have Baked A Cake’ by Rochdale’s own Gracie Fields, followed by Geoff Alexander’s ‘I’m Going Back to Rochdale’.

The procession went on to sing at various local landmarks including the Broadfield Park Bandstand and the Rochdale War Memorial. Songs included children’s favourite ‘Reach’ by S Club 7, William Blake’s Jerusalem and ‘Eight Days A Week’ by the Beatles. The procession ended at around 7.45pm at the Rochdale Pioneers Museum with the choir singing another Gracie favourite, ‘Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye’, and the Rochdale Youth Brass Band playing ‘The Final Countdown’. The parishioners of the St Mary in the Baum Church, neighbour of the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, provided participants with tea and coffee after the procession.

Artist Susan Forsyth, who has previous organised Zusammen Choir Processions in Lisbon, London and Warsaw described the #SingRochdale event as ‘the best Zusammen Choir ever!’ and said ‘huge credit to everyone in Rochdale for embracing the Zusammen spirit.’ One participant said they enjoyed the ‘friendliness, camaraderie and general 'feel' good atmosphere’ with another saying they liked ‘the fun, the brass band and no rain’. Rochdale Pioneers Museum Manager Jenny Broadbent said ‘since the event several individuals have contacted us to to say they enjoyed it so much they’d like to see #SingRochdale become an annual event!’

 

Photography by Andy Hirst: www.andyhirst.com

The Next Meeting of the High Street Foundation will be held on Tuesday 21 May, 6pm - 7.30pm, Number One Riverside

A G E N D A

 

6.00pm	Networking Light refreshments will be served		15mins
6.15pm	Welcome	Paul Clark	5mins
6.20pm	General Update	Mark Widdup Executive Director, RMBC	10mins
6.30pm	Update on Heywood & Middleton progress	Peter Rowlinson Service Director, Planning & Regulation	10mins
6.40pm	Rochdale Borough Heritage Offer Discussion / Q&A	Julian Jefferson Arts & Heritage Manager – Link 4 LIfe	35mins
7.15pm	Open Forum Any delegates are welcome to say a few words to promote their business / raise any issues or share best practice.   Specific requests have been received from:   Rochdale Online   Best of Rochdale	All                 Pauline Journeaux   Deborah Bell	15mins
7.30pm	Close

 

Museums At Night - Thursday 16 May, 6pm onwards, St Chads Church, Rochdale

Zusammen Choir Procession

#SingRochdale

Why not vist a museum or a twilight market after work on Thursday 16 May?

Rochdale town centre is taking part in Museums at Night, a national after hours festival of arts, culture and heritage.

You can visit any of the town's museums for free until 8pm, including Rochdale Pioneers Museum, Touchstones Arts and Heritage Centre and Rochdale Town Hall.
 
There will also be a Zusammen Choir Procession through the town, a twilight market held outside Rochdale Town Hall and a range of street theatre, music and family entertainment.

Come along and join the Zusammen Choir Procession! Zusammen means 'together' and the drop-in choir will consist entirely of members of the public and community groups who come together to sing together for one night only. There are no rehearsals and no singing skill is required. Song sheets will be provided. To join in the procession meet at St Chad's Church, Sparrow Hill, at 6pm.
FREE car parking is available on Rochdale Town Hall from 3pm onwards. More details are available on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/562690513771077/


Song List:

1. If I Knew You Were Coming I'd Have Baked A Cake (Gracie Fields)
2. I'm Going Back To Rochdale (Geoff Alexander)
3. Leaning On A Lampost (George Formby)
4. Magic Penny (Traditional)
5. Reach For The Stars (S Club 7)
6. Jerusalem (Words By William Blake)
7. Danny Boy (Traditional)
8. I Vow To Thee My Country