Achievements

Home About Us Achievements

Our Town Centre BID events in 2022/23 include

  • Launch of a new monthly Farmers & Craft Market held on the last Sunday of each month in September, October, November 2022.  Each market has attracted 40+ stallholders and thousands of visitors.  The BID funded the gazebo hire for each of the traders during the three month trial, we also funded free face-painting and live music on the market dates.  The markets were organised, managed and advertised in-house by the BID to reduce overheads
  • Due to the success of the three month trial our Farmers & Craft Markets will return on the last Sunday of the month from Sunday 26th March to Sunday 26th November 2023.  Traders will supply their own gazebos and there will be a small fee for traders to cover our costs
  • Free flight simulator for Armed Forces Day 2022
  • Stilt walkers, face painter, balloon modeller, bubble-ologist and live music for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022
  • Meet and greet with Transformers Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee
  • Meet a life size animatronic T-Rex
  • See the Butterfly stilt walkers
  • Roaming Christmas entertainment over six weekends leading up to Christmas Day 2022 including The Grinch, The Gingerbreads, The Penguins, Roller Skating Christmas Presents, Animatronic Polar Bear, Father Christmas and the Naughty Elves
  • Breakfast with Santa mornings at four BID venues – the library, Wetherspoons Bottle of Sack, Market Village Cafe and the United Reformed Church
  • Free Christmas photo inside the giant snowglobe
  • Meet the U.K’s only Gordon Ramsey approved lookalike at our Farmers & Craft Market
  • See the Nightmare Before Christmas Halloween stilt walkers
  • Meet and greet Bluey from CBeebies February 2023
  • Meet Peter Rabbit over Easter weekend April 2023
  • Meet Batman and see the classic Batmobile car June 2023

Other BID projects in 2022/23 include

  • We created a new Visit Royal Sutton Coldfield BID brand and logo to recognise the Royal town and promote the key qualities including the park and church
  • Distributed free Union Jack bunting to local businesses to display for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022 and ran a Best Dressed Window Competition where the winner won a giant billboard advertisement plus gift vouchers to treat their staff. Congratulations to Smart Ideas who won and the runners up who received plaques
  • Sponsored the Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce Business Fair at the Town Hall 2022
  • Funded the ‘Birmingham Jazz Festival Month of Music’ with 11 performances held at various BID venues. We funded this for eleven years 2012-2022
  • Covered the cost of the Sutton Pastors public liability insurance to support their work
  • Sponsored TunsFest at The Three Tuns pub 2022
  • Produced a new Sutton Coldfield Food & Drink guide and map to promote the 52 local businesses within the BID area that sell food and drink. The guide was hand delivered to 15,500 homes and businesses across Trinity Ward, Mere Green, Four Oaks, Boldmere, Wylde Green and the town centre throughout March 2023
  • We brought our social media management in-house in May 2022 and have increased our Facebook followers from 1,300 in May 2022 to 5,300 in March 2023
  • Co-ordinated a new Commonwealth bench for Sutton Coldfield College
  • Organised a free BID NotWorking Event for BID Members to meet one another, kindly hosted by local business WAA Chosen with two guest speakers Cllr Simon Ward Leader of Sutton Town Council and Andy Wilson Chief Executive of WAA Chosen marketing agency followed by a professional gin masterclass
  • Contracted four new BID Marshals to patrol the BID area every Friday and Saturday evening throughout December 2022 from 4pm to 1am to provide a safe and reassuring presence for visitors, revellers, pubs and bars during the World Cup and Christmas party season
  • Promoted local businesses through Facebook competitions on our ‘Visit Royal Sutton Coldfield BID’ Facebook page. The BID paid each business for the prizes awarded and as well as benefitting the individual business it also helped to increase our followers online which really helps us to spread the word when we advertise events and local news. Competitions include:
    • Veeru’s Restaurant: 425 entries and prize value of £80.00
    • Simpson’s Gin Bar Mother’s Day competition: 106 entries and prize value of £399.50
    • Poller’s Sandwich Bar afternoon tea competition for local businesses: 88 entries and prize value of £413.30. The winners were local businesses Bell Lax Solicitors 15 cream teas, Good Hope Hospital Maternity Unit 15 cream teas, Edge Creative 20 cream teas, DJ Collectibles 2 cream teas
    • Military Chef Valentine’s Competition: 157 entries and prize value of £90.00
    • Tea San House gift voucher: 179 entries and prize value of £20.00
    • Waterstone’s gift voucher:186 entries and prize value of £50.00
    • Nando’s gift voucher: 226 entries and prize value of £100.00
    • TGI gift voucher: 175 entries and prize value of £100.00
    • Brummie Honey: 160 entries and prize value of £50.00
  • We produced three BID newsletters in 2022/23 which were hand delivered and emailed to BID Members
  • Funded and organised graffiti removal on BID Member’s premises throughout the BID area in March 2023
  • Organised a Business Seminar for 200 BID Members with retail, high streets and business Expert Mary Portas in June 2023, kindly hosted by Sutton Coldfield College

BID Board

Our BID Board members are BID levy payers that wanted to help shape and deliver the Visit Royal Sutton Coldfield BID proposal

Voluntary BID Members

Businesses that are within the Sutton Coldfield BID boundary but are below the £7,500.00 rateable value threshold are exempt from paying the BID levy and exempt from voting at BID ballot.

BID Questions

BIDs are an arrangement whereby businesses come together and decide which improvements they feel could be made in their town or city centre and also how they will implement these improvements and what it will cost them.