Business Partnerships Report November 25, 2016 Section 1: Visitor Economy CONFERENCE CENTRE PLANS TAKE SHAPE Revised plans have been developed for the proposed new 25m conference centre adjacent to the Winter Gardens. The state-of-the-art venue is planned for a former car park site on Leopold Grove. Subject to funding being made available, the new build will include a new conference hall, exhibition space and break-out facilities. Blackpool Council has made two bids for funding to support the venture one via the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal, the other through the Coastal Communities Fund. Decisions on both are expected by the start of 2017. It is proposed that the conference centre will link to the Empress Ballroom and Opera House to provide a combined capacity of around 7,000 delegates. Meanwhile, an outline scheme for a 156-bedroom, five or six storey hotel opposite the proposed conference centre has been resubmitted. The site is currently used as a pay and display car park.
SEAFRONT HOTEL DEVELOPMENTS Sands Hotel & Venue Revised plans have also been unveiled for a luxury hotel on Blackpool seafront. Businessman Peter Swann intends to develop the 96-room hotel as an extension of the Sands Venue on Central Promenade. The plans include a three-storey extension to the existing venue, with glazed walls wrapped around the existing concrete and brick frontage. The design includes large penthouse suites overlooking the Irish Sea as well as a basement car park for 55 cars. Hamptons By Hilton The long-awaited demolition of the burnt-out Palm Beach and the neighbouring Bourne Hotel at South Beach is now underway. The site will be cleared over the next three months to make way for a new 130-bedroomed Hamptons By Hilton branded hotel. The demolition of the Palm Beach and the adjoining Bourne is being undertaken by Blackpool-based development company Create Construction. Approvals are in place to demolish the neighbouring Warwick Hotel, which is also disused and in a poor state of repair. It is envisaged that the new Hamptons By Hilton will be operational in the first half of 2018. Carlton Hotel The Best Western Carlton Hotel on North Promenade has been relaunched after a 1m investment. Businesses were invited to a preview of the extensive refurbishment earlier this week.
BLACKPOOL ON SCREEN Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool benefited from several hours of prime-time television coverage as Strictly Come Dancing returned to the Tower Ballroom for another spectacular weekend of entertainment. The two Blackpool shows went out to record audiences, with the Saturday night attracting 11.9 million viewers - the highest of the series and the most watched show on UK TV that weekend. In addition to coverage in the ballroom, there were additional location shots on the tramway, the beach and at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Note: Lancashire Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding an alleged assault on one of the Strictly professional dancers in Blackpool town centre in the early hours of Sunday morning. The dancer, Gorka Marquez, is expected to return to the show this weekend. DIY SOS The special edition of DIY SOS that helped create a new Young Carers Centre in Blackpool was broadcast on November 17. The hour-long programme, DIY SOS: Million Pound Build for Children In Need, followed the restoration of the property by the BBC team supported by hundreds of volunteers. The programme showed the building on Newton Drive being transformed from a run-down and neglected Victorian house into an inspirational base for young carers. The project was supported by generous donations of around 1m worth of goods, services and time from suppliers and volunteers, both locally and throughout the rest of the UK. Nick Knowles, the DIY SOS presenter, described the build as one of the most incredible shows he had ever been involved in. Blackpool s Illuminations ambassador, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, undertook the interior design of the property, which is now known as Beaverbrooks House.
The Lord Mayor s Show Blackpool s participation in the annual Lord Mayor s Show in London was featured in BBC 1 s live coverage of the event. A float, which featured Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen playing a mock Wurlitzer organ, was accompanied by a party of children from Thames Primary School in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast Dance Company. The new Lord Mayor of London, Andrew Parmley, had invited his home town to join the parade. He was once a pupil at Thames Primary. Thousands of participants joined the spectacular parade as it made its way from Mansion House through the streets of London. Jo Brand Film On Location A new film based on comedian Jo Brand's acclaimed novel, The More You Ignore Me, is being shot on location in Blackpool over several weeks in November and December. It stars the BAFTA awardwinning actress Sheridan Smith along with Sheila Hancock, Ricky Tomlinson and Lisa Stansfield. Britain s Got Talent The live auditions for the 2017 series of Britain s Got Talent will be staged at the Opera House in the New Year. The shows will be held over several days in January the first time that the live auditions have been staged in Blackpool for five years.
OPERA HOUSE SHOWS LINE-UP 2017 The Winter Gardens has confirmed a number of shows and musicals at the Opera House for the 2017 season. These include: La Cage Aux Folles, Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 February Cirque Berserk, Wednesday 8 to Sunday 12 March Wonderland, Monday 10 to Saturday 15 April The Wedding Singer, Tuesday 4 to Saturday 8 July Sister Act, Tuesday 22 to Saturday 27 August Dirty Dancing, Tuesday 29 to Saturday 2 September Hairspray, Monday 18 to Saturday 23 September The latest addition is Our House, a show based on the music of Madness, which will star Blackpool s own Linda Nolan. The Olivier-award winning show is due to be staged from Monday 9 to Saturday 14 October. PLEASURE BEACH ROLLERCOASTER Blackpool Pleasure Beach has announced plans to build a 16m roller coaster, with a scheduled opening around Easter 2018. The ride, which is being manufactured by Mack Rides in Germany, will feature the UK's first ever "double launch" coaster - an advanced technology that gives the roller coaster two thrusts of acceleration during a two and a half minute high-speed experience. Code-named "Construction 2018", the coaster will pass through two tunnels and interact with five other Pleasure Beach rides, including the iconic Big One. LABOUR PARTY RETURN The North West Labour Party (NWLP) returned to Blackpool at the start of November. It was the sixth time the NWLP has headed to Blackpool and around 700 delegates and visitors attended the two-day event at the Hilton Hotel.
ONE OF THE BEST SHORELINES Blackpool was named runner up in a worldwide study to find the best shorelines in the world. The resort, with its miles of golden sands and stunning new promenade, finished second in a new international survey pipped to the winner s post by Dubai. Blackpool, which achieved its first Blue Flag for the quality of its bathing waters this year, finished ahead of the Gulf of Mexico, Cape Cod, Cape Town and various parts of India, Ireland and Australia. The study was commissioned by Royal Caribbean Cruises and led by psychologist Dr David Holmes, who created a mathematical equation to scientifically prove which shoreline is the most seductive. The various locations around the world were based on the clarity of the horizon, the colour of the sea, quality of the beach, cleanliness, shoreline features, air quality and the weather. Blackpool scored highly for its Blue Flag beach and for its range of features along the shoreline including the world-famous Blackpool Tower, tramway and the Pleasure Beach. Only the British weather prevented the resort from beating Dubai to the top spot. Blackpool was the only British resort in the top 10..AND BRILLIANT BATHING WATERS Blackpool is set to retain its Blue Flag in 2017 after sea water tests at Blackpool South were classed as "excellent" for a second successive year. For the first time all eight bathing water areas on the Fylde Coast passed the tough standards set by the World Health Organisation. Bispham and Blackpool Central bathing waters improved to "good", while Blackpool North was classed as "sufficient". PRINCES WAY REOPENS The newly-regenerated promenade at Princes Way, Anchorsholme, has re-opened after a 27m investment over the past two and a half years. The new 1km sea wall will provide better flood protection to nearly 5,000 properties in the area. As part of the scheme, there is improved access to the park, an elevated roadway has been constructed and pay-and-display parking introduced. Artwork and poetry from children's book The Sea Swallow is being installed in further sea defence works. The new sea wall at Rossall will include huge concrete units depicting the mythical tale, based on Singleton Thorpe, a village submerged off Cleveleys in the 16 th century. The design will face the sea and be visible from the new promenade when it opens in November 2017.
LIGHTPOOL FESTIVAL The inaugural LightPool Festival saw six nights of spectacular live performance on the streets of Blackpool town centre during October half term. The programme included a Lumidogs parade, a fire and tango performance by the French-based Compagnie Bilbobasso (pictured right), the return of the Spark! drummers and two spectacular pyrotechnic displays in St John s Square. The festival, which was delivered through funding from the Coastal Communities Fund and Arts Council England, also included 20 light-based installations by internationallyrenowned artists including Yoko Ono. The installations were placed at different internal and external locations throughout the town centre and Promenade creating a unique walking trail for visitors. The free festival formed part of the wider LightPool programme which this year included three new projections on to the Tower building and the muchacclaimed Neon exhibition at the Grundy Art Gallery. That exhibition runs until January 7. PETER KAY FUNDRAISERS Comedian Peter Kay will appear at Blackpool Opera House on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 December for two special shows to raise money for a young mother's cancer treatment fund. The live Q&A sessions will see Peter talking about his extensive career. All profits will go to the Polly Haydock Appeal, a fund set up to raise 100,000 for a mum of three children from Bolton to get specialist treatment in Germany. RESORT PASS SALES Annual sales of the Blackpool Resort Pass have exceeded the 1m mark for the first time since it was launched. The total represents a 37% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year and equates to a total of 17,098 passes being sold in 2016 compared to 12,607 in 2015. The Resort Pass was introduced in 2013 and is a partnership between VisitBlackpool and various visitor attractions in the resort. It is designed to encourage visitors to stay longer in the resort. Research undertaken this summer among 600 purchasers revealed that 89% of them stayed at least one night and 31% stayed more than five nights.
BRING ME SUNSHINE The first ever statue celebrating the nation's favourite comedy double act, Morecambe and Wise, has taken pride of place in the entrance to the Winter Gardens. The 8ft tall bronzed statue was commissioned to mark the 75th anniversary of Eric and Ernie first appearing on stage together in 1941. Created by renowned sculptor, Graham Ibbeson, the statue will have a permanent home in the Winter Gardens. Eric and Ernie performed in Blackpool more than 1,000 times and family and friends say the duo looked on the resort as their spiritual home. The statue cost around 75,000 to create. LIFESAVING KIT Items of vital lifesaving equipment have been placed on Blackpool promenade to help visitors who need emergency aid. A defibrillator has been installed on the outside of the Lifeboat Station on Central Promenade along with a rapid body-cooling vest, while a second vest has also been put in the Tourist Information Centre at Festival House. Both items can be used quickly and easily by the public during an emergency situation while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. LANCASHIRE TOURISM AWARDS Blackpool dominated the Lancashire Tourism Awards with wins in several categories. The Blackpool winners were: Large Visitor Attraction: Blackpool Tower (with the Zoo and Sandcastle both finalists) Access for All: Sandcastle Waterpark Conference/Meeting Venue: Winter Gardens The Tourism Superstar award, which is decided by an online public vote, was awarded to Leye D Johns from VIVA Blackpool, in recognition of the work he has done in creating a highly successful business in the resort and supporting several local charities. The annual event was staged by Marketing Lancashire at Blackburn Cathedral.
KONG LIVE! King Kong, one of the most exciting stories of all time, is to make a spectacular return to Blackpool. Kong Live! is scheduled to be staged over three weeks between September 8 and 24 next year using some of Blackpool s iconic venues and spaces, both indoors and outdoors. The production is being specially written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, screenwriter, novelist and co-creator of the London Olympic Opening Ceremony 2012. Blackpool has strong historic links with King Kong. Edgar Wallace, one of the most popular and prolific writers of the early 20 th century, stood as a Member of Parliament for Blackpool in the 1931 General Election. Following his defeat he immediately headed for Hollywood where he wrote the King Kong story dying a short time later before even seeing the original 1933 film. Kong Live! is being produced by Blackpool Grand Theatre, LeftCoast and Arts Council England. DESTINATION GUIDE 2017 Blackpool s new destination guide for 2017 has now been published. It follows the award-winning format of the last two years with high-quality images of the resort being used to showcase all that Blackpool has to offer. The guide was formally launched at an end-of-season review attended by around 100 businesses from within the visitor economy at the Winter Gardens. Copies of the guide can be collected at the Tourist Information Centre at Festival House, or downloaded online at www.visitblackpool.com/blackpoolguide ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA The English National Opera's proposed run in Blackpool in 2017 has been postponed. The staging of The Mikado at the Opera House would have marked the ENO's first full-scale production outside London. Discussions are continuing over potential dates in 2018.
2017 EVENTS The draft VisitBlackpool events programme for 2017 has now been agreed. The main highlights include: Armed Forces Week, June 19-25 Air Show, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 August Ride The Lights August 29 Switch On Weekend September 1-3 Fireworks September 8/15/22/29 Illuminations September 1- November 5 Note: The main change in the events programme is the switching of the Air Show from a Sunday and Monday event to a Saturday and Sunday in 2017. VISITBLACKPOOL WEBSITE A new website design has been commissioned by the VisitBlackpool team. The site, which receives well over 1.5m hits a year, is now under construction with a view to re-launching it in the New Year. The design will be image-led, bringing it into line with the other VisitBlackpool marketing materials which already focus on high-quality photography to showcase everything that Blackpool has to offer. It will include an enhanced one-stop shop for ticket booking and a new accommodation booking system. WINTER GARDENS ACCESSIBILITY Blackpool s Winter Gardens has become one of the first venues in the North West to champion disability rights by adopting a new accessibility scheme. The Access Card, which is operated by Nimbus Disability, makes access to concerts, shows and events more dignified and easier for disabled customers. Rather than having to explain why they might need certain facilities or access arrangements when booking tickets, the scheme gives customers the option of simply passing over their unique card details so Winter Gardens staff are aware of their requirements. This enables the registered card holder to gain an extra ticket so that an assistant can attend and, once at the event, they simply have to show their card to staff who can ensure their particular needs are met. The Winter Gardens was encouraged to introduce the scheme by a young resident from the Fylde Coast who contacted the Winter Gardens following a concert last year as she felt the venue was not doing enough to help people with disabilities and health impairments.
TRAMWAY EXTENSION TOWN CENTRE INVESTMENT Talbot Gateway Section 2: Town Centre Economy A futuristic glimpse of how the next phase of the Talbot Gateway might look has been revealed. New artist s impressions show the dramatic transformation of the area around the Wilko store building. The image above shows the proposed integration of Blackpool North Station into the new transport hub that will be created by the extension of the tramway up Talbot Road. It also shows (below) how the area might look following the demolition of the existing Wilko store and adjoining multi-storey car park, and the creation of new hotel, office and retail space. Development of the area around High Street and the station underpass is due to start in Spring next year.
Houndshill Phase Two Revised plans for a second phase of the Houndshill Shopping Centre have now been revealed. They include a 56-bedroom hotel on the upper floors of the proposed new Wilko store on the site of the Tower Street car park. The development will link into the Houndshill and face on to the Winter Gardens building. The Wilko store is intended to replace the existing retail outlet which is housed on the site of the proposed tramway interchange at Talbot Gateway. Restaurant Venue A new town centre restaurant and bar is to open on the junction of the promenade and Queen Street. Sam Oyston, son of Blackpool FC chairman, Karl, has successfully applied for a licence to open the venue in the former Kelly s Café. The ground floor restaurant will have around 60 covers and the venue will have a 1am licence. Post Office Development A separate application has been submitted for the redevelopment of the former Post Office building on Abingdon Street. The plans put forward by Joe and Kelly Thompson, who bought the Grade II listed building 12 months ago, would see the building converted to a 50-bedroom hotel with a mezzanine glazed courtyard incorporating restaurants, shops and café bars. Talbot Gym The Gym Group has opened up new premises on the ground floor of Talbot Road multi-storey car park. The gym is open 24 hours and operates on a no-contract basis. CHRISTMAS IN BLACKPOOL Festive Lights The Winter Gardens has become a giant projection screen with a fabulous range of lights and images reflecting the magic of Christmas on the building frontage. The projections will take place from late afternoon each day until January 5. Christmas lights are also in place throughout the town centre and the Tower will be lit by almost 6,000 lights throughout the season.
Parking Offer Blackpool Council and the Blackpool BID have joined forces to launch two festive car parking offers ahead of the Christmas shopping period. The first offer, aimed at helping local independent retailers on Small Business Saturday, will see free parking offered at all Council car parks, apart from Talbot multi-storey car park, on Saturday 3 December from 2pm until midnight. The second offer provides parking for 1 in four town centre car parks West Street, Central, Talbot multi-storey and East Topping Street on Thursday evenings and Sundays in the run-up to Christmas. This offer will run on the four Thursday late night shopping events on December 1, 8, 15 and 22 from 5pm until midnight, and on the four Sundays November 27, December 4, 11 and 18. The Houndshill Shopping Centre car park will also be available for 1 on the Thursday evenings. Blackpool Transport has also introduced a 1 tram fare for people travelling to and from the town centre on the same times and dates included in the Christmas parking offer. Santa s Grotto Santa will arrive in the town centre on Saturday 3 December. He will make his way along Coronation Street, Victoria Street, Bank Hey Street and Adelaide Street, before arriving at the Houndshill where his grotto will be open every day between 10am and 4pm in the run-up to Christmas. Santa Dash 2016 This year s annual Santa Dash will take place on Sunday 4 December, departing from the Sandcastle Waterpark. Entrants can run, walk or jog along the route to Central Pier and back. Entry fees are 10 for adults, 5 for children, with proceeds going to Trinity Hospice and Brian House. All entrants will receive a free Santa suit, commemorative medal and hot chocolate! Click here to enter now Grand Panto This year s Grand Theatre pant offer is Aladdin. Starring CBBC s Barney Harwood and featuring Radio Wave s Hayley Kay, the show runs from December 9 to January 8. Tower Circus Panto Clowns Mooky and Mr Boo will be starring in the annual winter panto, Jack And The Beanstalk, together with a cast of top class circus acts from around the world. It runs on selected dates from Saturday 26 November to Sunday 22 January. Snowman In The Ballroom The classic Christmas story of The Snowman is brought to life with a full orchestra at the Tower Ballroom on December 18. The production will also include a new-telling of the fairytale, Cinderella. Nicktoons Grotto Blackpool Pleasure Beach does its own unique take on the Christmas grotto on selected dates in the run up to Christmas. The Nicktoons Grotto will feature characters from Nickelodeon, a traditional Santa and ice skating for all the family in the arena.
Section 3: Enterprise & Economic Development YOGA BY THE SEA Angela Ross has set up Blackpool s first dedicated yoga space in Bispham, two years after starting up her own company. Angela, who had previously been renting spaces across the town, has now set up Yoga Blackpool at its permanent base on the first floor of a building at the corner of Red Bank Road and the Promenade. Her enterprise was supported by Blackpool Council s Get Started service, which aims to help new businesses set up and grow. BOOST BUSINESS GROWTH Lancashire s new-look Business Growth Hub has launched a campaign to create thousands of jobs and grow the county s economy by 50m over the next two years. The #GrowingLancashire campaign is being driven by Boost, Lancashire s dedicated Business Growth Hub, after the organisation secured almost 8m to provide a range of support services to the area s companies. Business leaders from across Lancashire have given the campaign their backing, including representatives of three Chambers of Commerce and business groups such as Growth Lancashire, Downtown Lancashire and the Federation of Small Business. By 2018, #GrowingLancashire hopes to have assisted over 4,000 firms, created nearly 3,000 jobs and helped to establish almost 700 new businesses. Nearly 4m of the Hub s funding is from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with the rest coming from the county council, the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership s Growth Deal and various private sector sources. CIVIL SERVICE RECRUITMENT Around 80 permanent new jobs are to be created in Blackpool in the second big civil service recruitment exercise in the past year. The administrative roles are being created as the Government rolls out its Universal Credit benefits scheme. FRACKING Plans to frack for shale gas at a site close to Blackpool have been approved by the Government, overturning a previous Lancashire County Council ruling. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid gave the go-ahead to Cuadrilla's plans to start fracking at Preston New Road in Little Plumpton. He deferred a decision on the second application to frack at Roseacre Wood.
Section 4: General News GREAT TOWN Blackpool s regeneration has been recognised by the prestigious Academy of Urbanism which showcases great place-making across Europe. At a ceremony in London, Blackpool was named as one of the three Great Towns in the UK and Ireland for 2017. The other finalists, Clonakilty in Ireland and Todmorden in West Yorkshire, were also cited. Judges said all three had shown the value of dedicated leadership from politicians, professionals and community representatives. Other categories in the awards included Great City (won by Copenhagen), Great Neighbourhood, Great Street and Great Place. Each of the places nominated received a bespoke illustration (pictured right) and a poem summarising the character and personality of the place. Although the overall prize in the Great Town category went to Clonakilty, the judging panel paid tribute to the work that has been done in Blackpool: Blackpool Council has shown strong leadership and vision in tackling the twin challenges of managing and evolving tourism, its main industry, and dealing with significant social and health issues to create a better place to live. From the high-quality restoration of Grade 1 Listed Blackpool Tower to a major programme of purchase, restoration and re-use of tired B&Bs for housing, the Council has boldly tackled the big projects working in joint venture with businesses and neighbouring authorities. Investment in high-quality public realm and new trams has created an environment that both local people and tourists enjoy and a reputation shift that is attracting inward investment. Blackpool will now be invited to share learning with other European towns and cities that have been recognised in The Urbanism Awards over previous years. GREAT EXHIBITION OF THE NORTH Blackpool missed out to Newcastle and Gateshead in the final stages of the competition to win the rights to stage a Great Exhibition Of The North in 2018. Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said she was won over by Newcastle s ambition including the organisers estimate that the exhibition would attract three million people to the area. B&Q CLOSURE DIY retail chain, B&Q, has announced that its store on Holyoake Avenue, Bispham, will close in January. The firm revealed earlier this year that it was one of 60 of its 360 stores nationwide that were earmarked for closure in 2017.
LAYTON BRIDGE Plymouth Road has closed to traffic for six months in order to allow work to take place to demolish the 80-year-old bridge and replace it with a stronger structure. The 6m scheme will also see the bridge raised in order for ongoing electrification works to the railway line underneath to take place. Both schemes will take place at the same time to minimise disruption and were deliberately scheduled to commence after the illuminations and during the winter months when the roads are relatively quieter. Drivers travelling southbound are being recommended to use the diversion along Warbreck Hill Road, Devonshire Road, Talbot Road and Westcliffe Drive, while northbound traffic is advised to use the same route in reverse. Dismounted cyclists and pedestrians will be able to use the sloped temporary pedestrian bridge which has been created adjacent to Plymouth Road. Weather permitting, it is planned that the bridge will re-open in April. For updates, visit www.blackpool.gov.uk/bridges NETWORK RAIL UPDATE Network Rail has provided an update on the Blackpool North to Preston electrification project for the coming months. Consultation Events Four public consultation events will take place over the next month for residents and businesses in close proximity to the railway line between Blackpool North and Preston. Each event will run between 4pm and 7pm: Friday 25 November at Poulton Civic Centre Monday 28 November at Ashton Methodist Church, Preston Friday 2 December at Kirkham Community Centre Thursday 8 December at Lund Vicarage, Clifton, near Kirkham Thursday 15 December at Blackpool Central Library Weekend work in 2017 From Saturday 21 January 2017 there will be a series of 10 weekend closures on the route between Preston and both Blackpool North and South stations (excluding 18/19 February). During these closures Network Rail will be carrying out significant track work in the Poulton and Salwick areas. While the railway is closed, bus replacement services will be in operation. More information about changes to train services and bus replacement services will be issued soon.
HOUSING SCHEME A 1m housing scheme in Blackpool has been completed by Great Places Housing Group. The redevelopment of the former brownfield site on Milbourne Street comprises eight new two- and three-bedroom properties. It has been developed in partnership with Blackpool Council to meet affordable housing needs for local residents. Homes will be let through Great Places, with a weekly rent of 101 for a two-bedroom home and 111 for a three-bedroom home. The development was built by RP Tyson. AIRPORT SALE Blackpool Airport is likely to be sold by owners Balfour Beatty as part of a review of its investment portfolio. The company, which bought the Squires Gate site eight years ago, closed the airport in October 2014 with the loss of 100 jobs, although daily passenger flights to the Isle of Man and Belfast resumed in April 2015. Blackpool Council retains a 5% stake in the airport, which remains a base for a number of flying schools and helicopter flights servicing the gas and oil platforms in the Irish Sea. The Squires Gate site is now part of a designated Enterprise Zone. OPPORTUNITY AREAS The Government s Education Department has unveiled a new 60m programme that will target areas where youngsters are failing to achieve their potential including Blackpool. The Education Secretary says the "opportunity areas" will help improve social mobility in some of England's most disadvantaged regions. The scheme will be trialled in Blackpool, Derby, Norwich, Oldham, Scarborough, and West Somerset - with four more areas set to be announced later. The programme was announced at the Conservative Party conference in October. NEW BUSES Blackpool Transport has confirmed it is to invest in another 25 new buses to add to its fleet next year. This is in addition to the 10 acquired this year and is part of the company s commitment to ensuring that no bus in the fleet is older than five years by 2020. It is anticipated that the new buses will arrive in March and enter service prior to Easter 2017.
Section 5: Requests for private sector support A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE Students and staff at The Blackpool Sixth Form College will be using their musical skills to send a powerful message about child poverty. They have composed and produced a song called A Christmas Miracle that aims to increase awareness throughout the country of children who live in absolute poverty. The public release date for the song and video will be Thursday 1 December. An audio recording will be available for purchase and download on itunes for 79p with all proceeds being donated to the national charity, The Children s Society. The money raised will support the charity s work to improve the lives of the most vulnerable 10-18 year olds across the county. Note: More details on the launch of A Christmas Miracle will be presented at the November 25 meeting of the BBLG. NORTHERN INDEPENDENT LIVING Northern Independent Living CIC is starting to develop a project in Blackpool called My Life, My Choice. This project will offer information, advice and advocacy support to individuals around personal budgets and personal health budgets. The team are keen to develop an advisory group to support and work alongside the board of directors. They are looking to recruit people with experience in business, legal or NHS. The commitment is a two hour meeting every three months. Anyone interested, please email martin.yates@northernindependentliving.co.uk for further information. SAFEGUARDING Blackpool Safeguarding Children Board, the multi-agency strategic partnership responsible for ensuring that children are kept safe in Blackpool, is seeking the help of the business community. They wish to recruit a business representative who is able to link in with the wider business community on a Child Sexual Exploitation sub-group. This would entail a commitment to attending six meetings a year. If you are interested, please contact Paul Threlfall, email paul.threlfall@blackpool.gov.uk Philip Welsh, Head of Visitor Economy