ABC Council rolls out borough wide economic recovery campaign

The new economic recovery campaign is also being helped along the way by signage and imagery featuring ‘Bob’, a colourful character who is getting out and about across the region’s city, towns and rural areas to spread the message across the borough and beyond to encourage everyone to shop local, dine local and stay local to boost the local economy.

The imaginative and creative campaign will also see the introduction of a local retail loyalty card scheme – providing discretionary discounts with retailers.

Joining Bob in Banbridge to launch the campaign, Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Kevin Savage said: “With the entrepreneurial spirit woven in the fabric of our borough, we have always been proud of our hard working, innovative and successful local business community.

“There is no doubt that the Coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on our economy, resulting in local businesses facing an extreme and unprecedented period of turbulence.

“As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, it is great to see many of our local shops get back to business, but with this slow and cautious return, we understand things will not be like the way they were, as businesses pivot and adapt to meet social distancing guidelines.

“We recognise our local business community has a long, tough road to recovery ahead of them and as a council we are wholeheartedly ready to get behind our local traders to support them on this journey. As we all start to navigate this ‘new’ normal, I would urge all residents to show their support by shopping and staying local, so together we can start to rebuild and revive our local economy.”

Backing the Boost our Borough campaign, Chairperson of the Business Partnership Alliance, Adrian Farrell said: “The financial assistance from the various Government support packages has enabled many of our local businesses to stay afloat but we know this cannot last forever.

“We need to see our local shops and retailers trade safely again to ensure the long term viability of the borough’s economy. Now more than ever it is vital for local residents to show their support and back their local high street shops.”

You can find out how to be part of Bob’s mission to ‘Boost our Borough’ and show support for the local economy by visiting: www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/bob

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