LOCAL retailers have made a passionate plea to Wokingham’s shoppers: come in to the town centre and get shopping.
A new video, featuring local store owners, has just been released by Love Wokingham extolling the virtues of supporting the many independent stores in the centre, which have been blighted by the current regeneration works.
The new Love Wokingham People and Personalities campaign – backed by The Wokingham Paper – aims to let local faces and characters to share what makes Wokingham’s community so special.
In the first of several new videos, the retailers have a chance to speak for themselves about why they love the town, why it needs a bit of extra help now and why its future is going to be brilliant.
The first video, titled ‘All we need for Christmas is YOU’, features nine personalities of the town talking candidly about what business is like for them at the moment and what everyone can do to help them through the building works and Christmas period.
A second video will be released on Thursday. Callled ‘Our future… after the builders have gone’, it will be followed next week by a third video highlighting what it is that people really love about Wokingham.
The campaign will also include advertisements in The Wokingham Paper and be linked social media campaigns such as #wokypresents and #wokypeople and complements other initiatives to market the town such as the Free After Three town centre parking introduced by the Borough Council and the Wokingham Business Association’s Christmas Scavenger Hunt with retailers across the town.
The campaign has been funded by the Town and Borough Councils with the Wokingham Business Association in part in response to the difficulties being experienced by traders during the Market Place Improvement works and in part because, as the town’s regeneration starts to take shape, the message of the great things to come needs to be spread.
Town Councillor, and nominated Council liaison with Wokingham businesses and Business Association, Gwynneth Hewetson, said: “Wokingham is all about its personalities and that’s why we think the best people to promote it are those personalities. We had nine great volunteers for this campaign – including a local musician, publican and well-known waiter, as well as familiar shopkeepers and a market trader and anybody who is at all familiar with the town will recognise some or all of them.
“I would urge everybody to have a look at these videos and, once you’ve done so, I am sure you’ll be inspired to visit Wokingham for a shopping spree or evening out.”
Jan Rixon, owner of TG Art Gallery joined the campaign, said: “I took part in this video because I passionately believe that Wokingham is a good place to be. Your support is of utmost importance to ensure that we, the independent retailers are all here when the work is done. Please work with us, take the time to come into town, there is plenty of parking and plenty of us independents with great products for Christmas. Please use us!”
Those featured in the campaign are:
- Lamri, a waiter at Sanpa Restaurant in Denmark Street
- Hardeep Bahra, from the Eye People in Market Place
- Lynne Wild from Wild Card in Broad Street
- Jason Hughes from Strange the Jewellers in Bush Walk
- Marianne Dreelan from Stitchery Do in Denmark Street
- Andy Rogers from The Redan in Peach Street and Bar Fifty Six in Rose Street
- Darren Phillips a flower seller in the market
- Pauly Zarb a musician and event organiser
All members of the Wokingham Business Association were invited to take part and there will be further marketing opportunities for other shops, businesses and personalities to support.
