Aberystwyth
has become the first town in Wales to achieve the Purple Flag Award.
Purple Flag is an accreditation
scheme that recognises excellence in the management of town and city centres at
night. It aims to raise standards so that what is now called the ‘night
time economy’ can thrive in a way that is safe and crime-free. Just as Blue
Flag is an indicator of a good beach, Purple Flag is an indicator of where to
go for a good night out and brings
positive publicity for successful town and city centres.
The award considers issues such as perceptions,
policing, licensing, pedestrian routes, different agencies working together, public
transport and taxis, parking, crowd management, information, food and dining,
pubs and bars, other attractions, arts and culture, diversity and identity.
The ‘Aber@Nos/Night’ project involves a number
of organisations working together to address night time economy issues.
Partners of the project include Ceredigion County Council, Aberystwyth Town
Council, Aberystwyth University, the Guild of Students, Dyfed Powys Police
along with others such as the Chamber of Commerce and Menter Aberystwyth.
Initiatives include:
* The ‘Sshhh!’ campaign - aiming to heighten
awareness of noise at night and to be mindful of local residents.
* The Best Bar None Award scheme - rewards
licensed premises which fulfil the requirements of this UK award scheme which
aims to recognise and reward businesses which are serious about customer care,
customer safety and offer a quality
venue.
* The Validate Card - an approved proof of
age scheme.
As part of this work, officers from
Ceredigion County Council’s Public Health Protection service also attend
Aberystwyth University Fresher’s Fayre, Coleg Ceredigion, secondary schools and
community events to give health improvement and alcohol harm reduction
information.
All this increases positive rather than
negative activity at night and supports the town’s economy. This was evident
recently where over a 1000 people attended the Christmas Lights event which was
a collaboration between ‘Aber@Nos/Night’, the Town Council, the Chamber of
Commerce, Radio Ceredigion, local businesses and Santa who also attended.
More events are planned and it is hoped that
five or six annual events will become a regular feature of the town, during
which time the ‘behind the scenes’ work with regards to keeping Aberystwyth
safe, mobile, vibrant, clean and efficient will continue.
Aberystwyth was independently assessed for the Purple Flag Award over the
weekend of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of March.