Harrogate’s Victoria Shopping Centre is one of 200 shopping centres across the UK taking part in ‘One Great Day’
- Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 June
- Raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and Fighting Ependymoma
Participating shopping centres provide a special event or family fun day for local communities across the UK, whilst raising money for a number of great causes.
One Great Day was established in 2014 and has so far raised over £500,000 for 113 different children’s charities along with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. One Great Day now covers over 70 million square feet of retail space across the United Kingdom, from Folkestone to Aberdeen and nearly everywhere in-between!
Victoria Shopping Centre will be raising money for Fight Ependymoma, which funds research into childhood ependymoma brain tumours as well as Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.
Lis Robinson from the Harrogate BID said:
We were invited by the Victoria Shopping Centre to have a stall and jumped at the chance.
Today we have been talking to people, handing out the UCI Guide and the Harrogate BID map.
Research shows that successful BIDs are those that work closely with the local businesses and community – and that’s what we are aiming to do.
The Business Improvement District (BID) is an organisation that is run by a team and BID Board that answers to the BID payers themselves. While Harrogate Borough Council has representation on the board, but the BID doesn’t answer to them.
Larger business in the BID area, the town centre, are required to pay the BID levy and smaller businesses have the option to join.
The BID is demonstrating a new approach to engaging with the town and the development of the town centre. While some want things to happen quicker than they are, most of the businesses welcome the greater engagement and developing focus for the town centre.
Most recently they undertook a car parking survey and have started dialogue with North Yorkshire County Council.
Sarah Wilson is chairman of Fighting Ependymoma, a charity that was set-up in 2013 after Chris Bramhall died the age of 21.
Sarah Wilson said:
For us it is about being part of the event, raising awareness and funds for the charity.
Today we have talked to many,giving out our brochure and running a tombola.
We are here again on Sunday or we have the Chris Bramhall Metal Thunder event coming up on the 21 September, once again at the Bilton Working Men’s Club.
