Products and Services : Market Towns Week

Market Towns Week 2004 attracted 246000 people to 15 towns during 7 days at 483 events... 

Market Towns Week 2005 attracted 268,000 people to 29 towns during 7 days at 521 events...

For 2005, the towns raised an incredible total of £149,738 in match funding from just £48,750 from the Countryside Agency, SSP's (emda) and EMMLAC.

Background

Action for Market Town's Chairman, David Fletcher MBE, talked of a high profile event that would celebrate market towns, that would show what work has gone in to various regeneration programs and would increase the vitality of our market towns.

The Project

May 2004 saw the launch of the pilot project in 15 small towns throughout the East Midlands.  Between 1st May and 8th May, these towns staged events following four key themes of:

• Arts
• Community
• Food
• Tourism

May 2005 engaged with 29 towns throughout the East Midlands, who were asked to stage events that both attracted people into towns and engaged local businesses.

Together with the towns willing to stage events, it is adviseable for the organisers to engage with the local RDA, County Councils, other local authorities and some regional funders to provide some match funding to attract additional funds.

In the first two years, each town was offered up to £2000 funding, to help them obtain match funding from businesses, major grant funders, local authorities and other sources.  On average each town has managed to raise £7500 for event during Market Towns Week.

This was achieved by using one project manager per town, one organising committee per town and on average 105 direct and indirect volunteers per town.

Further details can be found at www.mayfayresday.co.uk

The Future

Action for Market Towns will be looking for partners from May onwards to launch Market Towns Week nationally in 2006.  Experience has shown that 7 to 12 months preparation work is vital to the success of the event (taking in to account funding, PR, marketing and selection processes).

For further information please contact info@towns.org.uk

You can download an evaluation report of the 2004 event below, but please bear in mind this was the pilot year and these levels of RDA funding are not required to stage a sustainable annual event.  Although necessary to launch the event as a national pilot, we found that funds were better directed at a local level (2005).

You can also download a sample copy of a guide listing 5 of 2005's 29 towns.  This leaflet was designed in a series of 6 by Consider Creative (www.considercreative.co.uk/casestudies/detail.php?id=90 ).

 Information File 1