Brigg Tourist Information Centre, housed in the Buttercross, is not affected by the severe funding threat to the organisation Visit Lincolnshire, which is good to hear, as the Buttercross-based facility is one of our town's best-known and is housed in one of our major buildings.
A North Lincolnshire Council spokesman made it clear to Brigg Blog today: "The Tourist Information Centre is run and funded by us and will not be affected by the proposed cuts to Visit Lincolnshire funding. We pay a membership fee to Visit Lincolnshire of about £4,000 per year and they help market North Lincolnshire's tourist attractions and tourism-related businesses."
Brigg Blog has no figures to say how many visitors to the Brigg area result from the efforts of now-threatened Visit Lincolnshire. However, we note that North Lincolnshire Council "works in partnership with" Visit Lincolnshire, as do neighbouring West Lindsey and North East Lincolnshire.
West Lindsey, whose borders meet Brigg on Bigby High Road and Westrum Lane, clearly feels concerned about Lincolnshire County Council potentially withdrawing funding from Visit Lincolnshire from April 1. This will mean Visit Lincolnshire is very unlikely to survive beyond next March.
West Lindsey District Council's Economic Development and Regeneration Committee Chairman, Coun Jeff Summers, points out 42 tourism businesses in West Lindsey are members of Visit Lincolnshire - giving the district the second largest membership in the group.
"We realise that members of Visit Lincolnshire will be concerned about how this will affect the future marketing of local tourism businesses and Lincolnshire as a destination," he says. "We are also very concerned and although there are no definite plans in place would like to assure you that we are in talks with other partners and investigating options available in order to find a working solution to this situation."
Letters have been sent to businesses in the area inviting them to a meeting to discuss the future of Visit Lincolnshire. It will take place at 11am on January 31, in the Council Chamber at the Guildhall, in Marshall's Yard, Gainsborough.
Coun Summers added: "This will give them the opportunity to let us have your thoughts and to discuss the future of tourism marketing in Lincolnshire."
Brigg Blog has suggested before that our town's potential as a tourist destination is not being realised, believing we have things people would want to see and enjoy, if they knew about them. Having got West Lindsey's response on Visit Lincolnshire, we approached North Lincolnshire Council for its views on the topic, which are given at the top of this article.
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3 comments:
Brigg - The Gateway to the Wolds
It depends on how the meaning
of 'tourist' is defined.
Does it include those coming to Brigg for a Stag Night/Hen Party - or is purely defined as those coming to Brigg to explore the surrounding area?
Strangely, Brigg can adequately cope for the former groups, but where exactly are the facilities for the masses wanting to stay in Brigg for several days? - the Exchange and bed and breakfast accommodation is not what could be called comprehensive - could they cope for a coach load of visitors?
One of the biggest attractions for Brigg is not in Brigg - it's Brigg'S Garden Centre. Shouldn't the TIC have a satellite unit in the centre encouraging the punters to visit Brigg.
Ok - so Brigg has the Farmers Markets, but there needs to be a programme of regular attractions and events.
There's not even a well-equipped touring caravan site in the area. (the simple site at Brandy Wharf is in great demand in the summer and I'm certain Brigg and district has more to offer than a cider pub.)
Brigg can't keep saying how fantastic the town is (which it has a habit of doing) without indicating the range of attractions and activities in the environs of Brigg.
For example, what does the NLC's several 'Tourist Information' dispays have in Brigg?
Answer: A street map of Brigg - repeated-
Shouldn't it have info showing Wrawby Mill, info about Scawby Hall, Humber Bridge, riverside walks, paintballing at Barnetby, quad-biking at Newstead, horseriding at Caistor......ad infinitum
Use Brigg as the hub.
"Use Brigg as the hub" is a spot-on suggestion, Ken. In terms of accommodation, there's Arties Mill very close by at Castlethorpe - not forgetting Jollies at Wrawby (rooms and carvavan facilities). Brigg's own Lord Nelson, too. The Woolpack would seem to have lots of space upstairs and has been known as an Inn or Hotel. If things took off, others in Brigg would soon come onboard to meet the demand. Brigg, with all its pubs (though not as many as we once had) could form the base for visits by real ale devotees (eg CAMRA members) allied to a night or two staying locally. Perhaps the police might have concerns about Brigg becoming a Blackpool-style venue for visiting groups on stag nights/hen parties. Although, having observed many of these at very close quarters in various UK resorts, it must be stressed the vast majority of these drinkers have a good, if noisy, time without causing damage or disgrace. They might breach the peace within the strict letter of the 1361 Act of Parliament - but not excessively so. There you go, Ken, I've now impressed you with my journalists' college knowledge of one of the oldest statues still operating in the British legal system. I've observed many a man at Brigg court sentenced under the provisions of thise very sensible statute and agree to be bound over and keep the peace in the sum of £50, for a year. Meaning, if they came up before Lord Yarborough or Colonel Nelthorpe again they would lost their fifty quid straight away.
It is said that it will take at least a decade of whatever the new fashion trend in London to permeate 'Up North'.
It seems to take a bit longer to reach Brigg...
One trend that has been in and about London pubs for some time is the 'Theatre Pub' and some of London's locals being used as the venue exhibitions of local art/photography clubs.
I've been to a number of so-called theatre pubs when I've been in London visiting my ankle-grippers. Local drama groups put on plays in a pub's spare room, or in the summer, outside,
- they seem to attract small, but steady audiences to their programme of plays.
It seems to be a win-win-win situation for some pubs. It attracts new punters; it creates a bit of local culture, promotes budding play-writers to direct their own productions and can encourage the most-unlikely to try their hand at becoming a small-part thespian in a relaxed and social environment.
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