Background
Town centres throughout the nation have struggled with community engagement and business recovery following the Covid pandemic, and Erith is no exception. In response to these challenges, a partnership officer, based in The Exchange, was funded via the Government’s Additional Restrictions Grant to work with a range of partners across Erith. Through this work the officer and partners have developed a new, proactive town partnership which aims to improve footfall and engagement with Erith Town Centre.
Outcomes
Various partners from local businesses, organisations in the voluntary sector, and beyond have coordinated to form the Erith Town Centre Partnership. The partnership has worked to engage with local business and community partners and run multiple lively events in Erith. These events have been ongoing from Christmas 2021 through 2022 and have been major successes for the town.
Events and projects co-ordinated by the partnership include:
The partnership has also worked to develop the Welcome to Erith website which is a one-stop resource for anyone looking to visit or stay in Erith, with directories of events, restaurants and bars, shops, and experiences. Visit the website and read more about the partnership’s work here.
The partnership is now looking to build upon this work in the future through the formation of a Community Interest Company. This will enable the partnership to take advantage of opportunities to access external funding and keep the momentum in Erith going with more and bigger events and better community engagement.