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Bracknell Town Centre is highly praised at Award Ceremony

22/03/05

Bracknell has been Highly Commended in two different categories at the first Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM) Regional Awards. The awards, which aim to showcase the best towns and cities in the region, were presented at the South East England Regional Showcase Conference in Brighton on 18th March 2005.

In the Promoting Community Safety category, Bracknell was highly commended for its Safer Shopping scheme, while a second commendation was received for the Bracknell Flowers! initiative in the Creating a Quality Environment category.

The commendation in the Promoting Community Safety category recognises a sustained commitment to community safety over several years, leading to the achievement of Safer Shopping status, through the combined efforts of Bracknell Town Centre Management, Bracknell Regeneration Partnership, Thames Valley Police, Bracknell Retailers Forum and Bracknell Forest Borough Council.

Through the gradual introduction of new initiatives and facilities, the town centre has acquired a full-time Ranger, three dedicated police officers and a radio network with more than 80 members, linked to a comprehensive CCTV system.

Originally funded by the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership, the addition of a third town centre police beat officer freed resources for a dedicated staff member to concentrate on meeting the criteria for the Safer Shopping award. This included developing cohesive measures to tackle persistent offenders and promoting the benefits of this approach to shoppers.

Business support was secured by personal visits from police beat officers and the town centre Ranger, leading to a series of banning orders being issued to known persistent offenders and an ongoing system to identify and exclude new offenders. This targeted approach led to a series of arrests that removed from circulation nearly half of the town centre’s most prolific criminals. A survey conducted six months after the scheme began revealed that shop theft had fallen by 50 per cent compared to the previous year, encouraging more retailers to get involved. Following this success, the scheme has now been extended to encompass methods for addressing antisocial as well as criminal behaviour, and work is in hand to develop a civil recovery scheme. The scheme will become self-financing in future, with ongoing costs met by radio link revenue, including a contribution from the radio suppliers.

The commendation in the Creating a Quality Environment category was awarded for the way in which the town centre management partnership, with a wide range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations and individual members of the public, has developed floral displays which make a significant contribution to Bracknell’s vitality and viability.

Bracknell Flowers! draws on the resources and skills of these partners in creating a stunning display of flowers and plants that challenge people’s perception of Bracknell as a ‘new town.’ Since its inception as a limited town centre event in 2002, the display has expanded to encompass surrounding areas of the town, twice winning the Thames & Chiltern Britain in Bloom Gold Award, a Silver Award in the National Britain in Bloom final and a special national award for the town’s innovative approach to partnership with businesses.

Funding for the scheme was underwritten by Bracknell Forest Borough Council and Bracknell Regeneration Partnership, whilst an innovative approach to sponsorship raised more than 12,000. In-kind support was also generated in the form of free newspaper coverage and an event staged by local traders and voluntary sector agencies that turned the town into a horticultural advice and garden centre for a day. The number of sponsors and their donations continue to increase year on year.

The project has had a measurable impact, enhancing community spirit to the point where hundreds of people now contribute to improving the town’s environment, increasing both footfall and dwell times in the town centre and acting as a catalyst for further initiatives, including an expansion of the scheme itself to a year-round attraction with winter as well as summer planting.

Martin Blackwell, Regional Development Director for ATCM and Chair of the judging panel, confirmed: “The standard of entries in what was one of 12 Regional competitions across the UK was remarkable. It really does highlight the quality and variety of projects being undertaken in our towns and cities, through Town Centre Management, to enhance our town centres for the benefit of all.”

Graham Mountford, Town Centre Manager for Bracknell Forest Borough Council said: “We are absolutely delighted to be highly commended in two categories. It’s a real boost for the town centre and everybody involved in both the Bracknell Flowers, and Safer Shopping schemes should be feeling very proud.”

Helen Barnett, Marketing Manager for the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership added: “To be highly commended in not one but two categories in these prestigious awards is a true reflection of the hard work and dedication that so many people have shown to these important initiatives.”