1st February 2012

LYME REGIS: Traders will bring business experience to council chamber

By Francesca Evans

LOCAL traders can bring their business experience to council matters and issues in the town, says chairman of the newly formed Lyme Regis Traders’ Organisation, Tony Colston.

Speaking at last week’s Tourism and Advertising Sub-committee meeting, Mr Colston, who owns By The Bay restaurant on Marine Parade, said there was a “common desire” from traders to bring their experience to what is going on in the town.

Mr Colston was officially introduced to members of the town council and joined the sub-committee as a non-council member, to bring the views of traders to the council chamber.

He added: “These are difficult economic times. Lyme will be competing with everywhere else for visitors and we need to make it an attractive place to visit. Traders have lots of ideas and initiatives and we will work on these and bring them to this sub-committee with recommendations, and ask for funding in some cases.”

Councillor Rikey Austin, who led the reformation of the traders’ organisation, said that Mr Colston had already been working on a plan of the year and thinking of ways to promote Lyme Regis in each month, taking into account all the different events taking place.

The Mayor, Councillor Sally Holman, congratulated Councillor Austin for getting the organisation “off the ground”. Councillor Anita Williams also commented on how pleased she was to see “an active traders’ group again”.

Signage review

As one of their first projects, councillors asked the traders’ organisation to look into a review of signage across the town. The council had previously asked the Little PR Company of Newton Abbott to look into a signage review and were given suggestions, including creating a “cohesive identity” for Lyme Regis and using recognisable logos and colours throughout the town.

Councillor Austin said: “This is probably the first time the traders’ organisation will prove their worth. It is something they have already identified and they have been talking about putting together a plan for signage. Perhaps the first step is for the traders to put that together.”

It was agreed that Mr Colston and the traders would work on a plan for signage and come back to council with it in mid-February.