BOSSES at Oswestry’s Business Improvement District (BID) have sent back an 11-bullet-point document highlighting its work to the town council.

Last month, councillors voted to turn down Councillor Duncan Kerr’s motion to create a small working group to work face-to-face with Oswestry BID about how to attract shoppers back to the town.

Cllr Kerr said he was hoping to replicate the success of ‘Totally Locally’ elsewhere in the UK, but Lib Dem councillor James Owen called it 'a waste of officer time’.

However, his motion to ask what work BID was doing to ensure ‘local shopping’ was passed instead and at March’s meeting on Wednesday, an email from BID manager Adele Nightingale will be discussed.

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In it she told town clerk Arren Roberts that BID has approached ‘Totally Locally’ for quote on membership, and set out its work.

She said: “Using our social media platforms to promote local businesses, their offers/products/services, using great photos and Imagery.

“We do use the words 'shop local and encourage local people to think about their spend and remind them that if we don't support our local businesses we will lose them.

“We run a number of BID events and work in collaboration with OTC and others to sponsor, run and promote events.

“We also used paid ads to reach a wider audience with the strategy to drive footfall, attract people to town.

“We produce videos – again these are used to promote our retailers and hospitality businesses in Oswestry and uses another way through media to reach a wider audience encouraging them to visit our shops and hospitality venues.

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“We work closely with you, Oswestry Borderland Tourism and we are a gold member with Visit Shropshire to do all we can to promote our town to the daycation/staycation markets.

“We also take part in street cleaning, litter picks, put up our festoon lighting, bunting etc, as we need to ensure that visitors to the town, whether locals or tourists have a 'good experience', so it is important to do what we can to spruce up the environment.”

Ms Nightingale also highlighted customer service training, and also that Oswestry was ‘awarded the Coach Friendly Status last year and are using this to promote Oswestry to coaching companies’.