An Aberdeenshire community has launched a new initiative to combat the impact of Covid and boost local business and tourism.
Experience Huntly, a new website and app, has been designed to offer an “invaluable” resource for residents and visitors and increase footfall into the town centre.
It provides a wealth of information about Huntly and the surrounding area by promoting local businesses, community groups and activities for all ages.
The project has been facilitated by funding made available to support towns and villages, following the restrictions and challenges imposed by Covid-19.
Helen Kings, treasurer of Huntly Business Association, who helped secure the funding, said the tool will be a “fantastic asset” for the community, businesses and visitors.
Experience Huntly – a ‘one-stop shop’ for residents and visitors
The app is free to download and offers users exclusive deals and access to local events calendars and news.
It also includes a directory listings of local businesses and community groups to provide a one-stop shop for everything relating to living in and visiting Huntly.
With dozens of firms already listed on the app, it is anticipated the platform will become the go-to hub for relevant and up-to-date information for the town.
Following the launch, businesses and community groups will now be able to utilise the tool as a real time communication channel with an engaged audience.
Bill Dean, managing director of family shortbread company Dean’s of Huntly, was “delighted” to join the initiative and bring a “positive change” to the local economy.
He said: “The Experience Huntly app and website will be an invaluable resource for Huntly residents, encouraging us to shop local and support our local businesses as everything reopens and we can see some normality returning.
“We are delighted to support an initiative like Experience Huntly which has such a huge potential to drive positive change for our local economy.”
Reaching wider audience to boost appeal to Huntly visitors
The platform will also provide information for local festival and events to reach a wider audience and attract more visitors.
Laura McNeil, event organiser for the annual harvest festival Huntly Hairst, said this would be and “excellent opportunity” for Huntly.
She said: “For businesses and clubs trying to rebuild coming out of recent restrictions, this is a great tool and I believe it will be beneficial to everyone.
“I will be using the Experience Huntly app for Huntly Hairst so that we can have a wider community reach, keep everyone informed about what is happening during the event and post up to date information in real time.
“Together we can make this an excellent opportunity for Huntly.”
The project has been led by Experience Huntly’s marketing manager Vivien Rae, who has worked alongside Scottish-based app developers Our Community Hub to deliver the project.
As well as coordinating the website and app development, Ms Rae has been encouraging businesses towards participation in local initiatives to boost the town centre appeal.
Encouraging local initiatives
Experience Huntly has already proved successful with the current Fiver Fest promotion which runs from June 12-26.
Ms Rae said: “There has been a fantastic response to Fiver Fest, with over 20 local businesses taking part and an array of shoppers embracing the opportunity to grab a bargain.
“Within the first day of the promotion launching, businesses were already reporting increased footfall and higher sales.
“The launch of the app will complement these efforts longer term and really help to showcase what Huntly has to offer.”
Work will now continue on other ways to increase footfall in the town.