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Go Forth Stirling’s recent AGM outlined the company’s achievements during 2024 and set out plans for the coming year.
The BID’s Project Director Danielle McRorie-Smith gave attendees a snapshot of this year’s initiatives including the successful Shop Front Grant scheme, a series of Halloween events and the festive Penguin Trail which is currently entertaining families in the run up to Christmas.
The AGM, hosted in the city’s new King Street Aparthotel, highlighted the wide range of activities undertaken by the Go Forth team and funded by annual business levy payments totalling approximately £205K plus an additional 35% leveraged through external funding.
Ms McRorie-Smith said: “I’m proud of all our achievements this year and believe we’ve done a great deal with the £205K of levy money we receive plus the extra £70K we’ve been able to generate through applications for external finance.
“We’ve delivered nine shop front grants which have allowed business owners to transform the look of their premises with four more in progress and another ten to come. We were able to secure funding of £70K from the Place Based Investment Programme, financed by the Scottish Government, to which we added £20K – meaning we were able to offer a substantial £90K investment in shop frontages for our businesses.
“We’ve also financed extra cross-street lighting to add to the festive winter lights which are brightening up the city centre just now and our third Stirling Business Awards are well underway and going from strength to strength.”
Further projects included a series of Halloween events which increased footfall in the city centre by 34%; the BID’s ongoing free training platform which has seen more than 10,000 enrolments since its launch and the introduction of new city centre business advice clinics run in conjunction with STEP.
The Go Forth team also welcomed new Board member Neil Munday, Managing Director of the King Street Aparthotel complex which includes a boutique hotel and flexible working spaces.
During the AGM, Ms McRorie-Smith outlined how the BID is working to reduce anti-social behaviour in Stirling through a number of schemes which work in collaboration with partnership organisations.
These include the use of crime-fighting software SentrySIS which is provided free to BID businesses through their membership of Retailers Against Crime and allows them to share real-time information and alerts about thefts and other crimes happening in the city.
The BID also administers and promotes the local Pubwatch scheme, which ensures the owners of Stirling’s licensed premises work together to deliver a safe night-time economy, and helps oversee the Stirling Community Enterprise Peer Mentor programme which sees mentors work with young people who have been caught up in anti-social behaviour.
Ms McRorie-Smith said: “We have some unique projects like SentrySIS which we are using to take a different approach to anti-social issues and which are proving effective.”
Further programmes showcased at the AGM included the BID’s Independent Stirling website which boasts 48,000 annual page visits and features articles and information aimed at celebrating and driving footfall to the city’s many independent businesses.
Go Forth also conducted an environmental audit this year, in conjunction with Keep Scotland Beautiful, which highlighted the impact of waste and litter on the city centre and outlined how the area can be improved.
A major BID project for 2025 is a wayfinding audit – the Stirling City Centre Wayfinding Project – which recently got underway and which aims to create a cohesive, accessible and visually engaging wayfinding system that highlights Stirling’s unique heritage and simplifies navigation through the city for visitors and residents.
The improvements envisaged by the project, which is being carried out in collaboration with Stirling Council, will provide a major boost to the business community by improving the visitor experience and enabling people to easily locate key destinations, attractions and businesses.
It should also increase footfall and dwell time throughout the city and help create a sense of place and more welcoming environment which will in turn make Stirling more appealing to investors, new businesses and tourists.
The initial part of the project asks visitors and residents to take part in a survey gathering information about how people move around the city and ideas for improving signage and other navigational tools. It can be accessed here – Project: Finding your way in Stirling | Stirling Council
Go Forth Stirling supports more than 600 businesses in the BID (Business Improvement District) zone with a key objective of increasing visitors to Stirling and devising campaigns to make the city a more welcoming destination for businesses and shoppers alike.
For more information visit www.goforthstirling.co.uk
