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Taunton is a
safe place to do business and to shop. That is the
official verdict of Action Against Business Crime when
it awarded the town The Safer Business Award.
Last week the
town centre security organisation, TRAC (Taunton
Retailers Against Crime) was assessed by AABC so see how
effective it is in combating and reducing business
crime in Taunton. Crimes include shoplifting, fraud,
antisocial behaviour, and mutual business support.
“The Safer
Business Award is backed by the Home Office. It is very
stringent and has taken many months for Taunton to
achieve. TRAC has an excellent record for reducing
crime in Taunton and is greatly appreciated and
respected by the Police as a key component in the
reduction and prevention of crime in Taunton. We are
very proud to have been part of the team that achieved
this accolade and endorsement for the town and we
congratulate Jason King the Co-ordinator and his
committee on this award” said Inspector Mike Ashwin.
Town Centre
manager Lucy Ball said “TRAC has been is existence for
over 10 years, it is a highly effective partnership
between the town’s retailers, the Police, Taunton Deane
Borough Council and the Town Centre Partnership. Through
its effective radio systems linked to CCTV and the
Police levels of crime have been reduced considerably,
and criminals know that if they to come to Taunton there
is a high risk that they will be arrested. Gaining this
certificate for the town is a great endorsement for what
TRAC has achieved, we need to expand and develop the
scheme from here to ensure that the whole town benefits
from this scheme and Taunton remains a safe and
attractive town to live work and do business.”
The assessor,
Richard Barron, commented ‘TRAC is a well structured
and disciplined partnership with extremely good
relationships with all key stake holders, particularly
the Police and Local Authority. TRAC will undoubtedly go
from strength to strength and take a pivotal role in
crime reduction in the County’
There
will be a presentation event later in the year to
celebrate this achievement
ENDS
Contact Lucy
Ball 01823 354299
Jason King
0781 2560907
Sgt N Frewin
01823 366000
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Big Name
Stores Give Taunton Thumbs Up (by Taunton Times)
Managers of some of
Taunton's larger stores are very positive about business
in the county town, it was revealed at a recent meeting.
Town centre manager Lucy Ball said:
"There was
air of optimism around at the managerial meeting of
Taunton's multiples.
"It seems that in spite of the gloom and despondency
that dominates the national media about High Street
spending, shops in Taunton are very positive about
business.
"Taunton, in the main, is trading at, or slightly above,
the levels of last year and in their regional groups
most stores are in the top five in trading activity.
What is apparent is that footfall appears to have fallen
a little year on year but spend per has increased.
"Confidence in Taunton as a vibrant town is reflected in
the levels of interest from businesses wishing to invest
or come into the town where there is a suitable site for
them.
"We welcome the recent arrival of Julian Graves in the
High Street, a new chocolate shop in St James Street and
the extensive refurbishment of Woolworths.
"The most noticeable changes are in Sunday and Bank
Holiday trading. All the stores reported strong
increases in Sunday trading, with most stores reporting
that Sunday is when more of the higher value items tend
to sell when both partners are available to make the
decisions.
"Free car parking and reduced traffic congestion are
also great incentives for shoppers to choose Taunton on
Sunday.
Taunton will of course be open for business on Bank
Holiday Monday in August, with more businesses opening
their doors to trade as more customers choose to spend
their time shopping here.
"Businesses are optimistic that this trend will continue
through the autumn and into the Christmas trading
period."
TRADERS in historic Bath Place have produced a leaflet
highlighting their individual shops in the pretty narrow
street. It also has a potted history of the area, which
was once believed to be the main route into Taunton
during the Middle Ages.
All the shops are privately owned, offering a personal
service and hope the leaflet, which will be widely
available throughout the area, and will be distributed
in the Taunton Times, will bring in more customers.
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Taunton Town
Centre Management Wins £2000 Sponsorship with Local
Company
Town Centre community values
informative and pictorial web site by local design
company ADK Ltd
 A
Taunton design company has compiled a World Wide Web
site that enables the residents, visitors and business
to discover more about Taunton Town Centre. The Taunton
Town Centre Company Ltd web site, found at
www.tauntontowncentre.co.uk provides more than 100 web
pages of Taunton shopping and entertainment, eating out
and accommodation as well as businesses information and
resources.
The site, described
as "informative", provides resources not only for
businesses on developments, (including statistics,
Taunton Vision, and news) but directs visitors to
numerous sites and resources that can further develop
their visit or stay to the town centre. “The
Entertainment section offers a great look in to
Taunton’s assets, facilities, architecture, heritage and
culture." said the site's creator, Andrew Knutt,
Director of ADK Ltd.
"It's a very well
designed and comprehensive site," said Lucy Ball,
manager of Taunton Town Centre. The site is designed to
offer greater breadth and scope than similar town centre
related sites on the Internet, Andrew said. "Unlike
other town centre sites that we researched, we will be
contributing much further to Taunton’s promotion and
services by offering the web site as a public
information centre for the town centre. This will
include a list of Taunton’s shops, the Partnership
Services and much more. The site doesn't just provide
links to other resources; it provides helpful content
and links to invaluable information for anyone visiting
or staying." Andrew noted that the web site will
frequently updated site by the Town Centre Management
themselves. This is possible through the training that
ADK Ltd provided to the management team as part of the
sponsorship, inclusive of full email integration and
administration.
Andrew explained
that a corporate theme for the website was considered
but it was felt that this did not reflect the diversity
of the many specialised shops in the town centre. "We
wanted the website design to be friendly and
approachable, giving a more casual, warm and welcoming
feel to those that visit and extend this feel throughout
the website content."
ADK
Ltd, a Taunton based company, completed photography for
the website and designed the new logo for the Taunton
Town Centre Company Ltd, which is to be launched at the
same time as the website. "We wanted to encapsulate a
cheerful feel to the logo while taking the principles of
Taunton being in a valley which is represented by hills.
The enlarged letter ‘O’ denotes Taunton’s central
location to the South West." Andrew said.
ADK Ltd, who
specialise in marketing and design, have already
sponsored local organizations in Taunton, Andrew Knutt,
Director said “Amid the usual mission statements of
quality of service and empowering businesses, ADK is
commitment to ‘getting Taunton online’. Through local
community and business projects within the Taunton area,
ADK Ltd intends to aid and encourage local businesses
and organizations to use technology such as computer
networks and Internet based websites. ADK Ltd achieves
this through a variety of schemes, promotions and
sponsorships within the geographical area of Taunton.
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