Published on 1st November 2024

In December 2023, businesses in Horsham town centre approved a proposal to establish a Business Improvement District (BID).  

There are more than 300 BIDs in the UK, some operating in towns such as Guildford and Dorking, others in villages or even industrial estates, including Manor Royal in Crawley.  BIDs are funded entirely by businesses within the area they serve, with each one paying a levy equating to about 1.5% of their business rates. They run for five years, after which businesses can choose to extend or stop the BID.  

Under the brand of Your Horsham, Horsham’s BID is led by Project Manager Rachel Noel and supported by a Task Group comprised of owners and managers of town centre businesses. They hope to improve life for those working in or visiting the town and one of their first significant initiatives has been to introduce ambassadors. AAH met lead ambassador Emma Jeffries, as well as Lucas Rymarz and Tim Fifield, to find out more… 

Why did the role appeal to you?

Emma: I met (Project Manager) Rachel while working at fashion boutique Doodie Stark in Market Square. Having previously worked at Café @No.4, I had six years of retail experience in the town and was excited about the BID. I enjoy helping people and love the town, so it was a perfect opportunity to contribute to Horsham’s development.  

Lucas: I was working in Chococo in Carfax when I saw an advertisement for the role of ambassador. I have always taken pride in customer service and thought I was well suited to the role. I was the first ambassador to be hired and for a month worked alone, introducing myself to businesses and getting to know the Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) and Neighbourhood Wardens. 

Tim: I joined the team in September as a part-time ambassador, working one day a week. I am Business Development Director at town centre-based company britweb, and we supported Your Horsham with the development of its website. As well as being a business person, I’m involved in running networking groups and have lived in Horsham since 1994, so its social and economic wellbeing is important to me.  I have also staged comedy shows at the Capitol Theatre, so I’m embedded in the culture of the town and its economic prosperity. Therefore, the idea of giving something back to the community appealed to me.  

What is the aim of the ambassadors? 

Emma: Essentially, we’re here to help. As we’re still finding our feet, we attract strange looks as most people don’t know about us, but that will change in time. We help visitors to town by providing directions to shops or facilities around the town, and support local businesses in any way we can. They can report issues such as broken paving slabs or graffiti to us and we’ll look into it quickly. 

Tim: We also run subsidised courses for local businesses. These range from first-aid and mental health awareness courses for employees to visual merchandising courses that offer advice on displaying goods and produce. We are also organising networking events to promote collaboration, as none of us is as clever as all of us, so it’s good to work together and address key issues that impact the BID area. 

Are you targeting anti-social behaviour?

Emma: We met some youths who asked who we were and what we do, and a passer-by said we were there to keep an eye on people like them! That’s not strictly our role, but we hope our presence alone will have a positive impact. By maintaining a visible presence, we can be additional set of eyes and ears that could assist the PCSOs and Neighbourhood Wardens. We also help business to engage in schemes such as DISC, an information-sharing App used to report crime and anti-social behaviour, which has already been adopted by the Business Crime Reduction Partnership in Horsham.   

Your uniform is quite distinctive…

Lucas: We wanted to create an unique image so that people could differentiate our role from that of the police, the PCSOs and Neighbourhood Wardens. We have our own role to play in the town and hopefully it won’t be long before people associate our grey bright pink uniform with Your Horsham. 

Tim: We also have a distinctive logo, designed by Horsham branding specialists xHeight. It is a strong logo, as it incorporates a point on a map and has a heart at its centre, symbolising Horsham as a great location. 

Your Horsham also hosts events…

Tim: One of the aims of Horsham BID is to organise events across town. Friday Lates, a series of summer events with music and entertainment organised by Horsham District Council, really took off and got people talking. So, we’ve organised the first big Your Horsham event, our Christmas Launch Party on Friday 22 November. We’re encouraging businesses to extend their opening hours to promote late night shopping, aiding the town’s evening economy. These things take time to build momentum, but I’m sure there will be a tipping point where more businesses see the benefit of opening later, even if it’s only on the odd occasion. 

Emma: Horsham BID covers East Street, Piries Place, Market Square, West Street, Swan Walk and the Bishopric (as far as the King’s Arms), then loops around John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, the Forum and the library. So, the Christmas party will be spread across town with many independent outlets and larger retailers such as TK Maxx, Dunelm, Waterstones, John Lewis and Swan Walk Shopping Centre opening their doors. As well as enjoying the entertainment, we want visitors to spend at local shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants, so we’re encouraging visitors by entering those who spend £50 or more into a prize draw, with some amazing prizes on offer. 

What do you have planned for the party?

Emma: It’s a festive celebration with angels on stilts, a lantern parade and St Mary’s Choir singing carols around the town. There will also be live music from the Carfax Bandstand, culminating in a show by the Almost Elvis Band. The focal point of the night will be the switching on of the Christmas lights by John Partridge, star of the Capitol Theatre pantomime. We’ve invested a significant amount in Christmas trees and festive lights and they will be placed not just in the Carfax and West Street, but throughout town, including the Bishopric and The Forum. Whirligig Toys is hosting lantern-decorating for children prior to the parade, and we’ll also be launching the Jack and the Beanstalk Christmas Trail, which includes major retailers such as John Lewis and independents such as Ragdolls Fine Framing, Gwyn’s Bakery and Valsa Gelato. 

Tim: Going forward, we hope to host events for Easter and other occasions throughout the year. The Council used to organise wonderful events such as Piazza Italia that attracted thousands of people to town, boosting the local economy. Sadly, they’re not in a position to do that currently, but while we may not be planning anything quite on that scale, we can organise many smaller events that businesses can engage with.  

Are all local businesses – even those who voted against the BID – becoming more open to the scheme?

Lucas: I think they are, because they’ve seen how it can make a positive difference. Rachel Noel has been very proactive, meeting local businesses and making newcomers to the town feel welcome, while the newsletter is packed full of information. It’s early days, but we have good momentum and as ambassadors, we are helping to increase awareness of the various aspects of Horsham BID. 

INTERVIEWS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright

Further information: Email Rachel Noel, BID Project Manager, at rachel@horshambid.org or visit www.horshambid.org