Welcome to the Experience Wakefield tourism and hospitality business enewsletter, bringing you information about opportunities, events, membership schemes and lots more.
This issue, we'll be talking about the Green Tourism award initiative, micro grants for accessibility, the Wakefield Business Awards, and Wakefield Top 100, plus Pontefract's Big Weekend, and a sneak-peek look at the extravaganza that is The Hatchling.
As always, you'll also find our round up of some of the ongoing business opportunities in the Wakefield district.
Don't forget, 2024 is Our Year in Wakefield, and there are loads of opportunities for your business (and yourself!) to get involved with. Scroll down to find out more.
Finally, 1 June is Castleford Roman Festival. This year, it's the first ever Roman Festival Food and Drink Trail as venues across the town centre will be offering delicious roman-inspired items throughout the festival. If you're the owner of a hospitality business in Castleford, Experience Wakefield will be at the festival all day - come and say hello!
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The official 2024/25 list of the Wakefield Top 100 Companies was revealed at Tileyard North on 8 May!Created by business support organisation Wakefield First, the new Wakefield Top 100 Companies initiative aims to help shine a light on the fantastic businesses of Wakefield, promoting the district as a place to do business with unrivalled investment and growth opportunities.
Wakefield-based Card Factory came in first position, followed by world-renowned game label Team17 Group in second spot. Pontefact's iconic Dunhills (also known as Haribo UK) came in at number three.
Huge congratulations from us to all the companies who made the list - you're a beacon for businesses around the region and a shining example of what Wakefield can achieve.
Read the brochure, including the full list, here.
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LAST CALL for the Pontefract Liquorice Festival Food and Drink Trail! If you want to be involved in the trail, there's not much time left - applications close on Monday 20 May. Find out more, including how to apply, by clicking here.The Green Tourism award is a leading world-wide-acknowledged accreditation for businesses that recognises the commitment of those tourism businesses which are actively working to become more sustainable. Visitors are becoming more and more eco-conscious, and the value of sustainable tourism is only increasing, so a green accreditation is a great way for your leisure or hospitality business to get ahead.Unlimited has announced a new micro capital grants opportunity. If you're an arts organisation, or your venue puts on arts events, you may be eligible to apply for a micro grant of between £2,000-£10,000 to make building alterations or fund equipment that will increase accessibility. Take a look here.Entries for the Wakefield Business Awards are now open! The awards, created by We Are Wakefield and due to be held in November, are a way to celebrate all that’s great about our district’s businesses - whatever their size or sector.So if your business has done something amazing, submit your entry here.Calling young entrepreneurs: the Castleford Young Market Trader Event is taking place at the newly-refurbished Castleford Indoor Market on 25 May. The event provides a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs aged 16-30 to showcase their business acumen and products. Don't miss out!
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A dragon is coming to Wakefield! This August bank holiday, Wakefield city centre will play host to a stunning outdoor performance. The Hatchling, taking place over three whole days (23-25 August), will bring thousands of visitors from far and wide to our district to witness the extraordinary spectacle of magic and light unfold. The jewel in the crown of the Our Year 2024 programme, this major event is an incredible opportunity for businesses to capitalise on the massive amount of people coming to the city centre. Representatives from Wakefield Council and other business support organisations will be engaging with businesses over the coming months to ensure you have everything you need to make the most of this one-of-a-kind festival. This will include engagement sessions, along with collateral drops and special “Things to know about The Hatchling” cards to help you talk about the event to visitors and locals. Stay tuned for more news coming soon, keep an eye on our social channels, and please spread the word through your own networks - the more we work together, the more successful this event will be. For more about Our Year, and other ways you and your business can get involved with this very special year, scroll down to our dedicated "Our Year" segment in this newsletter. |
It’s a music-filled month coming up, with open-air concerts and festivals taking place across the district. The increased footfall from big events is a fantastic opportunity for you to connect with new customers, or encourage increased spend. Footfall-boosting events coming up include: LIVE! At The Yard (24-25 May)Ossett Beercart (31 May-2 June)Castleford Roman Festival (1 June)Yonder at the Castle (8 June)Peddler Market (21-22 June)Ponte Rocks (22 June)Summer Solstice Festival (22 June)Wakefield Armed Forces Day (29 June)Proms at the Castle (29 June)Musicals Live at the Castle (30 June)Sign up to the Experience Wakefield visitor newsletter for a round-up of events each month, or get in touch with ExperienceWakefield@wakefield.gov.uk for more information, or to chat about how you can make the most of events near you. |
Pontefract's " Big Weekend" is an action-packed couple of days from 29-30 June, featuring Wakefield Armed Forces Day at Pontefract Racecourse, Proms at the Castle and Musicals at the Castle (both at Pontefract Castle) and the Strawberry Experience at Farmer Copleys. It's a great opportunity to draw footfall to the town centre and we're currently running promotion across various channels, encouraging people to come from further afield, stay in one of the area's fantastic hotels, take in the town's amazing food and drink offer and browse in the wonderful independent shops! As part of this, we've set up a competition with the help of Pontefract Castle and Farmer Copleys - entrants can win two tickets to this year's Proms at Pontefract Castle and a voucher for afternoon tea for two at Farmer Copleys. We'd love your help in sharing news about the competition and the Big Weekend itself - it's a great opportunity for Pontefract, and will help us build momentum heading into summer and the Liquorice Festival. Please let your network know about this, and share across your social channels (and if you'd like to be involved in this type of promotion in the future, don't hesitate to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you!). |
Wakefield First is part of Wakefield Council, and offers free business support to help start, grow and develop businesses across the Wakefield district. The specialist Business Support team are able to give you free and confidential advice to unlock your business potential. We Are Wakefield are a not-for-profit membership organisation providing business support through events, information, valuable connections and guidance to assist growth and stability. Wakefield BID is a membership organisation for businesses in Wakefield city centre. They lead on projects, deliver services and invest in new initiatives to help develop the city centre. Creative Wakefield is a free to join networking organisation for creative businesses and independent practitioners in the Wakefield district. Culture Grants is funding for creative and heritage activities. The grants can support creative people or groups based in Wakefield district, and a variety of amounts are available.
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24 in 24 event at Wakefield Cathedral, by Andrew Benge
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2024 is Our Year! This is a year-long programme of events and activities taking place all across the Wakefield district. There are tons of things to see and do - and loads for businesses to get involved with. Why not join the Leap Club? The Our Year team are looking for businesses to help make Our Year one to remember. For £366+VAT, you'll get your logo on the Our Year webpage, on the printed Our Year "366 days of activities" programmes distributed throughout the district, invitations to Our Year VIP stakeholder events and more! Contact ouryear@wakefield.gov.uk to find out all about it. If you don't want to "take the leap" just yet, there are still ways to get involved! Maybe you'd like to become a delivery partner, volunteer at an event, share your expertise with others, do something to coincide with big events (like running food and drink specials, accommodation packages, sales and promotions) - or attend an event yourself! You're a Wakefield resident, too, so join in the fun! Sign up to the Our Year newsletter here, or for any questions, get in touch at ouryear@wakefield.gov.uk |
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Photo from @thetwistedtreewhitwood on Instagram |
The best way for us to advertise your business is with an eye-catching image! If you have any photography you'd like us to use, please share it with us here. We'll always credit you wherever and whenever we use one of your images. |
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