Come To Wimbledon For A Great Night Out

Town centre to apply for 'Purple Flag' status

Wimbledon town centre will be applying for 'Purple Flag' status to mark it out as a place to head for a great night out.

The new accreditation scheme recognises excellence in the management of town centres at night - so just as Blue Flag is an indicator of a good beach, Purple Flag tells you where to go for an enjoyable and safe evening out.

Helen Clark Bell, manager of Wimbledon's Business Improvement District, revealed the plans to apply for Purple Flag status at a meeting of local stakeholders in the town on Tuesday (January 22).

She said: "The night-time economy is important to us, and Purple Flag status is a recognised standard that we can reach. We want people to know that Wimbledon is thriving in the evening and is a vibrant place to go for a night out."

Purple Flag accreditationMore than 30 towns or city centres around the country have achieved Purple Flag accreditation, including Kingston, Clerkenwell, Covent Garden and London's Victoria area.

As the town centre's Business Improvement District looks ahead to its second year, Helen Clark Bell also outlined other initiatives to boost the town centre.

She said a number of "big events" would mark Wimbledon fortnight and Christmas in 2013. "We plan to make a very big impression - rest assured, it will be different! But I can't let the secrets out," she said.

Other initiatives under the Love Wimbledon brand include a conference later this year with key stakeholders to look at Wimbledon's future as we head towards 2020. This will be run in partnership with Merton Borough Council.

The Wimbledon Way heritage walk, which now runs from the train station to the All England Lawn Tennis Club, will also be extended to cover the attractions and history of The Broadway.

Tuesday night's event also looked back at the achievements already made by Love Wimbledon. These include:

  • The launch of the Love Wimbledon mobile phone app
  • Forty six events on the town centre Piazza in 2012
  • A free recycling service for all Love Wimbledon businesses
  • 1,220 sq m of paving jet washed and cleared of gum
  • Development of an online business directory
  • Dressing of the town centre with Christmas lights and banners
  • Helping co-ordinate and train Wimbledon's London Ambassadors for the Olympics
  • A total of 30,805 pieces of literature distributed from the Town Centre Information Point in the Centre Court Shopping Centre between May-December 2012.

Paul Windsor, Chairman of Love Wimbledon, added: "There is a passion for Wimbledon in our business community and we have shown that we care about the town centre. The work done so far is tremendous and there is so much more to come."

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January 23, 2013