The winners of the Original Richmond, Richmond Business and Tourism Association (ORBTA) Loyalty Card promotion, which the Association ran throughout October, have been drawn.
First prize of £100 of vouchers to be spent in members’ businesses was won by Mrs. Markham. The £80 hamper of goodies donated by The Station businesses was awarded to Nora Yates. Other prizes went to P. Durkin who has won ten free swims at Richmond Swimming Pool and Mrs. Mankelow who won 10 free swims for an under-18 at the pool.
Mad Hatter Tea gave three hampers worth £25, £18 and £15 and these were won by Charlotte Garth, also a winner in 2017, Brian Benson and Beverley Lawrence. Prize winner, Beverley Lawrence, said, “I like shopping in Richmond. I receive a personal service and the shop owners are more able to respond to my needs – they’ll often order in what I need. I live in walking distance of the Market Place, so I don’t have to drive anywhere and there are no parking issues. Shopping locally means I am supporting people committed to our community”.
Nora Yates has lived in Richmond for almost 40 years and always tries to shop locally, “I use all the shops and businesses and encourage friends to do the same. They start by saying they can’t get what they need in Richmond but they are frequently surprised by just what is on offer in the town”. Nora continued, “I think the Loyalty Card Promotion is a great incentive for people to try businesses they haven’t visited before. It’s an excellent way of working together for the benefit of all”.
Brian Benson added, “Local businesses are very knowledgeable about what is happening locally – I find it so much better to shop locally than to buy through Amazon. The Loyalty Card Promotion is an exciting initiative that led me to explore more of our shops”.
Business owners were also happy with the promotion. Vickie Mcgee of Richmondshire Leisure Trust said, “The Loyalty Card promotes Richmond as a whole unit, encouraging people to use local businesses and bringing a new variety of people into town”.
Nitin Bajaj, of The Estate Café feels that the promotion is good encouragement for people to use and spend in local businesses with a hope to win prizes. He said, “It is good benefit loyalty scheme for both customers and businesses. It also helps and gives a chance to promote Richmond local businesses”.
Chairman of the Association, Marcia McLuckie agrees and said, “We shall definitely be running the Loyalty Card Promotion again next year. This was its second year and from the increased number of cards we gave out it is obvious that interest in the promotion has grown”.
Marcia continued: “We now have over 90 members in the Association in Richmond and the surrounding area. As more businesses join it is creating a great buzz that is of real benefit to the town. Richmond has some excellent shops and restaurants – we are really very fortunate.”
“This year we entered Richmond in the prestigious Yorkshire In Bloom competition, we missed gold by just three points but received a special award for Best New Entry. We then went on to achieve shortlisting in the Champion category of the Great British High Street Awards. Our members have really pulled together this year as well as working closely with Richmond Town Council. Our efforts are helping to put Richmond more firmly on the map”.
Efforts really are paying off and plans are already in place for entry into next year’s Great British High Street Awards and Yorkshire In Bloom. Next spring Richmond will feature on the BBC Britain In Bloom series, giving the town a half-hour programme just as the tourist season is starting. Marcia added, “This is a great offshoot from the Yorkshire in Bloom campaign”.
Photo © Guy Carpenter