ILKLEY Business Improvement District (BID) has received £8,000 from the Town Council to develop a campaign called Discover Ilkley which will promote all that the town has to offer.

Ilkley Town Council’s contribution will help fund a new website which will include business listings and promotions, dedicated pages for local events and links to voluntary and community groups in the area.

Ilkley BID Manager Helen Rhodes said: “Discover Ilkley is our key project for the next few months and we are delighted that the Town Council have recognised the value this can deliver for the town’s businesses and residents.

"We have already started work on the new website and expect this to be launched in November. The aim is that this will become the ‘go to’ place for the whole town and the wider audience and will enable us to promote Ilkley both locally and further afield.

"The addition of digital, radio and print advertising, will enable us to promote Ilkley and all it has to offer to our target audiences in a way no other site currently does.”

The website will work alongside the place promotion app LoyalFree which was launched in August as part of the town’s recovery plan from Covid-19. The app aims to boost footfall and sales by encouraging consumers to shop local safely. It provides area information, including a local guide, access to local discounts and loyalty schemes, local events and interesting trails.

Ilkley Town Mayor, Councillor Mark Stidworthy said: "Ilkley Town Council is delighted to work with Ilkley BID on the Discover Ilkley project. The Council fully supports investing in key initiatives focused on helping the town ‘bounce back’ as the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to be felt."

Councillor Joanne Sugden added: "Working together with Ilkley BID ensures that the two organisations are fully aligned and that we jointly focus our resources on Ilkley’s recovery – working with local businesses to maintain and improve the town and its retail and hospitality offering and giving our full support to the community, voluntary, sporting and cultural organisations on which many of our residents rely."

To find out when the new website is launched sign up at www.discoverilkley.co.uk.

You can download the app LoyalFree at https:www.loyalfree.co.uk/download or search ‘LoyalFree on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

For more information about the BID and current projects, visit: www.ilkleybid.co.uk