Business owners and community groups in Banff and Macduff are hoping a £20,000 funding boost will help them rise into the post-coronavirus world with renewed vigor.
The twin towns have launched a Town Centre Phoenix Fund working group to dish out £10,000 to either side of the bridge to aid collaborative business-led projects aimed at relaunching the economies there.
They’ll use the one- off grant money from Aberdeenshire Council to help the towns bounce back from the economic impact of the coronavirus lockdown first imposed in March.
The money will be ploughed into creating a new website, compiling an events programme and creating a marketing stragety to promote the towns and their activities, businesses and opportunities to locals and visitors alike.
The group also hope to be able to improve aesthetics by adding artwork and seating around the town centres.
Phoenix Fund working group member Lynn MacKinnon said: “This is good news for the towns.
“We had a number of discussions with businesses, community groups, individuals from both towns over the past few months and collated the feedback and prepared the fund application based on these discussions.”
The group will now work alongside other organisations, individuals and businesses to begin the process of delivering the project’s goals to showcase the towns, increase footfall in them and improve public perception and awareness of the area.
The £20,000 grant was secured by the working group which includes representatives from Banff and Macduff Area Business Forum, the community council, and Banff’s Rotary Club.
It believes the estimated impact on the two town centres following the Covid-19 pandemic includes loss of income for firms, difficulties related to reopening of businesses and community groups, lack of footfall in the town centres and concerns over future income.
