Published on Friday 27 September 2019
The town is officially celebrating today after receiving the news that they have been awarded the prestigious Purple Flag accreditation for its evening and night-time economy (ENTE) which it first won in 2010. The award is similar to the Blue Flag for beaches – which aims to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of town and city centres between the hours of 17:00 & 05:00. Areas awarded the Purple Flag are recognised for providing a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture while promoting the safety and wellbeing of visitors and local residents.
Since 2007, the programme has awarded the Purple Flag status to over 70 towns and cities in the UK and Ireland. Purple Flag accredited areas have all reported a consistent increase in footfall and a decrease in crime within the ENTE. The Purple Flag programme is managed by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) which works alongside a partnership of key stakeholder groups backed by Government, police and businesses.
Sarah Walker Purple Flag Programme Manager at the ATCM said:
"There are now over 70 towns and cities across the UK and Ireland who are proudly flying the Purple Flag after working hard to gain accreditation. The award is not just about safety, but also the vibrancy and diversity of the evening and night-time offer — this can only be achieved by people working together in a strong partnership to which we are seeing great examples of across the country"
For each of the three annual assessment periods, individual towns are shortlisted to receive one of five awards that represent the core agenda themes of Wellbeing, Movement, Appeal, Place and Policy Envelope. Bournemouth has been advised that the town has been shortlisted for the Movement Award, a real achievement in itself, and one that celebrates the work of other partners in the town including More Bus and Yellow Bus who operate the night time services.
Councillor Lewis Allison, portfolio holder for tourism and the night time economy, said:
"We are proud to have been awarded the Purple Flag for the current year which recognises the huge amount of work by all our partners in the ENTE, and really delighted that we have been shortlisted for the additional award of Movement"
The winner of the award will be announced at the ATCM Summer School in June 2020.
News courtesy of Bournemouth Tourism: https://www.bournemouth.co.uk/media