Belper To Benefit From New Tourism Drive

A new drive to boost tourism in nine Derbyshire market towns will see Belper benefit with the appointment of a new Market Towns Project Officer.

Jessica Grocutt (see the picture above) has been appointed as the new Market Towns Project Officer at Derbyshire’s official tourist board; Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire. Jessica will be tasked with helping nine market towns in Derbyshire to realise their full tourism potential, by increasing and sharing visitor numbers, and by boosting the vibrancy of the towns. She will be working closely with town teams, councils, local businesses and other organisations to make the county’s market towns even more attractive to visitors.

In this new role Jessica will also be assisting: Ashbourne, Bakewell, Bolsover, Buxton, Glossop, Matlock/Matlock Bath, Swadlincote and Wirksworth, as well as Belper.

Amber Valley Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Cllr Trevor Ainsworth, commented:

We are delighted that Belper has been chosen to be included in this new initiative. The town has already received considerable recognition as a great place to visit, and we feel has significant additional potential to attract even more visitors. This latest development will clearly help.

Jessica’s role also involves: promoting tourism-related Derbyshire products (with special emphasis on food and drink), improving the quality of local services for tourists, and encouraging tourists to spend locally. In her press release Jessica stated:

We’re working with towns that have been identified as having potential to develop further as thriving tourist attractions, and my job will be to act as a catalyst to help them fulfil that potential – organising everything from workshops and seminars to business support and advice.

I’ve already been in touch with many of the town teams and councils about the project, but would also like to hear from businesses across the nine towns to discuss what type of support they need to help their communities flourish and prosper in the future.

The creation of a Market Towns Project Officer is part of a £1.49 million support programme funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The programme has funding for three years and was secured by the tourist board with the aim of boosting business quality, profitability and performance.

Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire is working closely with partners including Amber Valley Borough Council, Derbyshire County Council, and Business Peak District to deliver the programme. The programme will also include business workshops, networking, and the ‘Inspired by the Peak District’ and ‘Pedal Peak District’ projects.

Businesses and organisations who would like to get involved in the Market Towns project are invited to contact Jessica at jessica.grocutt@marketingpdd.com or on 01246 212924 ext. 2008.