Date: 29/06/2009
Community leaders have won a prestigious regional award for an innovative project to give visitors a better welcome to Buxton and the Peak District, and encourage them to stay longer.
Managed by High Peak Borough Council and partners, the Buxton Visitor Welcome Scheme succeeded in the environment and culture category of the East Midlands Market Town Awards staged by Action for Market Towns.
And on Friday 26 June council economic development manager Helen Pakpahan was joined by colleagues at the East Midlands Rural Affairs Forum Conference at Theddingworth, near Rugby, to collect a handsome framed certificate.
The initiative focused on the conversion of the Pavilion Gardens' dated café into a modern visitor destination showcasing local products and arts businesses.
Key elements comprised:
Said Cllr Tony Kemp, Executive Councillor for Regeneration: "At a time when many councils are reducing tourist information points or converting them to self-service facilities, we and our partners felt it was essential to offer an improved visitor welcome.
"The aim was not only to help day and staying visitors but also to encourage people to make impromptu accommodation bookings or be inspired by the range of activities so they would stay longer or come back", he explained.
The scheme was funded by £500,000 from the council and £197,313 from Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership.
The council's partners were High Peak Artists and Craftworkers' Co-operative, Peak District and Derbyshire Destination Management Partnership, and Friends of Pavilion Gardens.
Not content to rest on its laurels, the council and its partners are now planning a project that will transform the Pavilion Gardens' underused auditorium into a 350-capacity arts centre hosting arts events, fairs, lectures and small conferences. The council has already secured £2.4m of the £2.55m needed to pay for the work.