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The Partnership is a stakeholder in the advertising and promotion of Huntingdon. Local residents and tourists visit for a variety of reasons, for example the history of Oliver Cromwell and The Cromwell Museum, short weekend breaks or visiting family and friends. The provision of tourist information literature is vital for all our visitors. Working with Huntingdon Town Council, a variety of publications have been produced recently including the Huntingdon Town Trail and the Town Council Official Guide. Accomodation information is available using the following leaflet "Quality Assured Accommodation in Huntingdonshire.
The following websites are also useful
The Partnership has a track record of organising FREE training for local businesses. "Ambassador" training took place in 2005 and focused on providing a warm welcome to visitors, sharing knowledge of the town to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more. This was followed by two initiatives in Partnership with Huntingdonshire District Council. In 2006 the "Pride" Retail programme covered a variety of specialist retail workshops and in 2007 the Enterprise Project focused on training for small and medium sized businesses and included topics such as web design, visual merchandising and a historical tour of Huntingdon. Retail training, in the lead up to Christmas, created more opportunities and an NVQ Level 2 qualification in 2008.
The number of businesses open on a Sunday has been gradually increasing each year. In the first half of 2007 major construction in Huntingdon led the Partnership to promote and actively advertise Sunday opening when there is also free car parking. The message was Shop Local, Shop Sunday in Huntingdon. In 2011 there are 90 businesses and destinations open on Sunday with core opening hours 10am to 4pm. See "Whats On, Sunday opening times" on this website.
Christmas LightsThe Partnership has been involved in the Christmas Lights and the "Big Switch On" event for a number of years now in partnership with Huntingdon Town Council.
These events are funded by sponsorship, fundraising initiatives, grants and contributions from town businesses.
Although there is no designated late night shopping throughout the year, there is a need for promotion of late night shopping at Christmas. In the past, various approaches have been tried to increase footfall at the busiest time of year and this work will continue.
The future for Huntingdon retail is bright. The total retail space is set to increase significantly in the next five years and the challenge will be to create a balanced mix of retail and services. This project is being led by Huntingdonshire District Council Economic Development and is supported by the Partnership.
The Partnership will liaise with local authorities to support, develop and promote the night time economy including arts and drama groups.