sceneJuLY/August 2012the newsletter for businesses and employees in the city central Bid area

Win a great music prize

Tourists get free ride around city centre thanks to BId levy.

Crime busting police station at St Johns scoops ‘outstanding’ ATCM award.

City Council to introduce new rules for pavement advertising.

Hit the high notes with a £50 gift voucher thanks to Curly Music.

Bid funded ‘cop shop’ wins award

on the buses for cruise passengers

All A-Board for new approach

Historic music find in makin move

Thanks to the Summer of Love campaign the city centre is awash with fantastic events to draw in the crowds.

Clayton Square is offering front row seats via a grandstand to catch every second of the London Olympics.

And for non-sports fans Williamson Square is to host the city centre’s first ever bandstand, with BId levy funding matched by the Arts Council.

Central Station, which has been playing host to the city’s Ping Liverpool! Festival, will also be tickled for three

weeks by the world’s only piano busking festival.

And with Liverpool Pride and International Beatles week to come, one thing is for certain – this Summer of Love will be a winning one.

(For full listings go to back page.)

• TotakeadvantageoftheSummer of Love, which is supported by Merseyrail, Merseytravel and Network Rail - promote your business for FREE at loveliverpoolcentral.com

For details call Emma Heylings on 293 0505.

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summeR oF goLdLiverpool city centre is set for a golden summer - come rain or shine.

The world’s only piano busking festival has gone on tour – to Central Station shopping centre.

New for this year Tickle The Ivories, which was launched

in 2011 in Liverpool ONE, has launched Tickle on Tour.

Organised in partnership with Open Culture the piano will be at Central Station as part of City Central BId’s Summer

of Love season until August 12.

The Tickle on Tour piano is open to everyone from professional to amateur players, who are

all invited to book free timeslots to perform on and around the pianos. Musicians can perform every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for 3 x 1 hour slots.

The rest of the time will be for freeplay sessions and anyone and everyone who is visiting Central Station, which has also been hosting two Ping! tennis tables, can jump on and have a go.

in BRieFBold street Bar is ‘Best’

Bold Street’s Leaf is the toast of the town after being named Bar of the Year at the

city’s Annual Tourism Awards.The independent business, run by Natalie Heywood, will now go forward to represent the Liverpool City Region in VisitEngland’s Awards for Excellence.Natalie, who collected the award at the BT Arena, said: “This is an amazing honour as there are so many great bars in Liverpool.“The team have performed brilliantly since we arrived in Bold Street and we hope to do the city proud at the national awards.”

gymnastics golden girl cast in bronze

Liverpool has paid tribute to Olympic hopeful Beth Tweddle by casting her

in bronze.Artist Peter Barnes has combined his enthusiasm for British gymnastics and his skills as a sculptor to produce three larger than life models of local ‘Golden Girl’ and double gymnastics World Champion Beth Tweddle.The stunning sculptures, based in Metquarter, Clayton Square Shopping Centre and Clayton Square itself capture Beth in competition mode, depicting both strength and beauty in motion.

pete in the pink at Bella italia

Radio City DJ Pete Price was in the pink this month as he helped

launch Bella Italia’s La Notte Rosa Festival.The Ranelagh Street restaurant took a leaf out of Rimini’s book which goes pink for a day.But Bella Italia went one step further by going pink for the whole of July, devising a special menu, pink cocktails and changing their interior décor.Pete, who recently discovered his father was a prisoner of war from Sicily, said: “Bella Italia is always so welcoming and buzzing. To see it all in pink for the La Notte Rosa festival was just a brilliant way to engage with customers in Italian culture and put a smile on their face.”

new collection service for unwanted itemsDo you have unwanted office items?

If so, a new service has been launched by Bulky Bob’s for city centre businesses with every item reused, recycled or disposed of safely and sustainable.

The new service will incur a small charge however City Central members will be entitled to a 10% discount.

If a large removal is required or there are specialist items to collect, Bulky Bob’s will provide an overall “job quote” following a pre-inspection. Any small electrical items, such as kettles, toasters, or microwaves will be collected at no extra cost along with other goods.Bulky Bob’s will collect for a minimum charge of £35. To get the 10% discount – quote City Central BId.

To book a Bulky Bob’s business collection call 0151 702 0556 or email businesscollections@bulkybobs.co.uk

Are you looking to grow your business?Struggling to get funds from your bank?If you’ve answered yes to both then help may be at hand.That help comes in the form of Lisa Ashby, the newly appointed Business Growth Manager at Liverpool Vision.Lisa, who hails from Aigburth, has a special remit to look at growth potential for businesses in the city centre – be that major multi-nationals to family run independent companies.Lisa, who can assist with funding applications, recruitment support and premises relocation, says that despite the banking crisis there is plenty of financial support out there.The 39-year-old explained: “The Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF) is a great resource to start with.“The Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF) is a great resource to start with. For example, the MSIF £3k-£50k loan fund has up until March 2013 to be fully invested, so I’d urge any SME to look into this. I’d love to hear from any business in City Central BId and I’d be even more delighted if I could help them create new jobs in the local economy.”Lisa can be contacted at lashby@liverpoolvision.co.uk or tel: 0151 600 2900.

Cruise passengers arriving in Liverpool will be getting a free ride this summer.As the cruise season enters its peak, Albert dock, City Central BId, Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool ONE have come together to provide a direct bus link into the city centre for visiting passengers.

The cruise bus, first initiated by City Central BId in 2008, offers an hourly FREE pickup service from the cruise terminal, with a stop off at Great Charlotte Street next to Clayton Square.

Passengers will be met by volunteers from the City Stars ambassador scheme providing a warm welcome and information about what’s on in Liverpool that day.

The new Cruise Passenger Courtesy Bus will be servicing visitors for 14 cruise visits until 12 September, including the visit of Cunard Flagship Queen Elizabeth on Friday, 3 August.

Ged Gibbons, Chief Executive of City Central BId, said: “Cruise passengers are now a vital part of our summer time economy and a free bus service is a great way to showcase what the city centre has to offer.”

on the buses for cruise passengers

Name: Lisa Ashby Job: Business Growth Manager, City Centre

piano tickles central stationolympic sundaysThe London Olympics has triggered a very different race - the race to open on Sundays!Sunday trading laws in England and Wales have now been suspended until the end of the Paralympics on Sunday, September 9.Marks and Spencer on Church Street is opening from 9am-6pm on Sundays with many others expected to follow suit.If your store is taking advantage let us know at citycentre.pr@liverpool.gov.uk or call 0151 233 2212

A new system to regulate street entertainment in Liverpool city centre is now in operation.

The scheme, which is on a 3 month trial to be reviewed in October, means performers will be required to have a permit and that pitches on the most popular locations have to be booked in advance.

Performers will also need to be over 18, have a permit which will cost £20 to cover admin costs and have public liability insurance.

Pitches in Bold Street, Williamson Square, the Cavern Quarter, Queen Square, Lord Street and Church Street have to be booked in advance for a maximum period of two hours at any one time. This system will be managed by City Central BId which recently oversaw a similar change to the policing of on-street charity collections.A number of other pitches, including those in Lime Street and Clayton Square do not have to be booked.Councillor Steve Munby, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said:

“On some Saturdays we have had 12 performers in a short stretch of Church Street alone – that can’t be good for the performers themselves as they are, in effect, competing against each other, for limited cash.

“We need to strike a balance and we welcome comments from all parties for the review in October.”

City Central BID will be included in the review. If any business has any issues relating to the new scheme please put them in writing via email to: mike.doran@liverpool.gov.uk

A new way of dealing with advertising boards outside shops, restaurants and other businesses is to be adopted in Liverpool.

For the first time the City Council is to allow businesses to put out A-Boards, providing they have obtained permission, while ensuring

that the pavements are accessible to all pedestrians.Guidelines which sets out the criteria under which permission will be granted can be found at liverpool.gov.uk:Applications for an A-Board licence can be made to the Council from 3 September. A fee, equivalent to less than £2 a week, will be applied to recoup the costs of managing the process. “We recognise that A-Boards are a major form of advertising for many firms, especially small and independent businesses”, said Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, cabinet member for regeneration and transport,

“and we want to support businesses of all types.“What we are proposing is a balanced approached which will allow good quality A-Boards where they are safe and let businesses continue to advertise.”Councillor Richard McLinden, Chair of the Council’s Corporate Access Forum, said: “We support this policy and hope that it will achieve a better pedestrian environment for partially sighted and blind people.”Ged Gibbons, Chief Executive of City Central BId, said: “These are hard economic times and anything that can support businesses to promote their product to the public has to be welcomed.”

Liverpool’s BID funded ‘cop shop’ has scooped a national award.Liverpool’s City Centre Access Point, received the ‘Outstanding work by a BId award’ at the Association of Town Centre Management’s annual awards in Bristol.Opened in March 2011, the ‘cop shop’ was praised for being ‘a great piece of “outside the box” thinking’ after it was created in response to a 20% cut to Merseyside Police which threatened to leave the city centre with no police presence and a similar cut in City Council funded environmental enforcement patrols.

But thanks to a free fit out by St Johns Shopping Centre and with rent paid for by businesses through the BId levy for the next three years, Liverpool city centre’s policing team has a home – and this April they recorded a drop in crime in the city centre just one year on from the opening.These include:• a 20% drop in violent

crime against target• a 13% drop in vehicle

crime against target• a 12% drop in criminal

damage against targetThe St Johns Cop Shop was also instrumental in Liverpool city centre retaining the

Purple Flag award which recognises high levels of safety in a city’s night time economy.Martin Blackwell, Chief Executive of ATCM, said:

“This is a great piece of ‘outside the box’ thinking that will reassure people and make it easier for retailers and visitors in the city get any help they need quickly.”

All A-Board for new approach

Bid funded cop shop wins award

in BRieFnew look for Royal court

The Royal Court is enjoying a new lease of life after

completing the first phase of a £10.6m renovation.Every seat in the auditorium has now been replaced and the first show at the art deco venue – Red and Blues the musical – has had to extend its run by 2 weeks!The £1.2m upgrade is being run by the Royal Court Liverpool Trust (www.royalcourttrust.org) which has introduced an adopt a seat scheme and a £1 a ticket levy to complete the renovation.

carnival weekend a sizzling success!

Liverpool’s Brazilica Festival has been hailed a huge success

with more than 100,000 people witnessing the cultural extravaganza.A highlight of the Summer of Love campaign, which is supported with BId levy funding, was even blessed with wall to wall sunshine!The event, in only its 2nd year, has now been nominated in the ‘Best Cultural Event’ category at the 2012 Brazilian International Press Awards.

Visitor numbers on the rise

Liverpool is officially one of the top UK destinations for both leisure

and business travellers.The city is now in the top five UK destinations for overseas tourists according to data from the 2011 International Passenger Survey, and the seventh most visited city in the UK for international business visitors.The 2011 Great Britain Tourism Survey also showed that Liverpool ranked eighth most visited city by domestic business visitors including those attending major conferences, an increase from tenth place in 2010.Hotel room occupancy for May and June this year was also the highest it’s been since 2008 and bookings for July and August also looking stronger than at this point in the last two years.

A new note for buskers

With Mathew Street Music

Festival around the corner it’s a better time than ever to brush up on your musical skills and get back in to the groove!Run by Musicians, for Musicians, Curly Music is known for its relaxed and friendly atmosphere that welcomes all ages and stages.Specialising in quality used guitars whilst offering on the spot repairs & set ups, trade ins and even pay cash for unwanted instruments. Curly Music has been established in Liverpool since the mid 1970’s located on Ranelagh Street and even offers guitar lessons. Stocking all the major names such as, Crafter, Washburn, Westfield, Ibanez and line6 and like the Cavern & Eric’s, Curly Music is famous for the celebrity musicians that have passed through its doors.Answer the following question – where is Curly Music and when did it first come to Liverpool?Email your answer(s) to citycentre.pr@liverpool.gov.uk by Thursday, 16 August.

HHHStar Event HHHComing up...

City Central BId, c/o Rapid, Williamson Square, Liverpool L1 1EATel: 0151 233 2213 Fax: 0151 233 2218 www.citycentralbid.comEmail your latest news, views and pictures to: mike.doran@liverpool.gov.uk You can now follow City Central on and

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• Liverpool Drag Race Stanley Street 28 July

• Vintage Fashion Fair the Bluecoat 28 July

• Liverpool Pride Stanley Street to Pier Head 4 August

• Reds And Blues - The Musical by Dave Kirby Royal Court Until 11 August

• Olympic Grandstand Clayton Square Until 12 August

• Tickle the Ivories on Tour Central Station Until 12 August

Liverpool city centre will host its first ever bandstand - to entertain people not interested in the Olympics!

City Central BId has commissioned the bandstand as a key highlight of its Summer of Love Campaign.Launched by legendary comic Ken dodd the Liverpool Bandstand will feature dozens of programmed performances by entertainers of all kinds during the free, four week festival.Thanks to Arts Council England funding the Bandstand will be programmed Thursday-Sundays by Open Culture, with a professional sound engineer to support four performances a day from noon to 5pm.For info go to www.culture.org.uk/liverpool-bandstand

• Annie Liverpool Empire Until 18 August

• Summer Garden Tea Party Metquarter 18–20 August, 12-3pm

• Liverpool Bandstand Williamson Square Until 22 August

• Beatles Week Across Liverpool city centre 22 – 28 August

• Mathew Street Festival City Centre 26 – 27 August

• DaDa Fest – The Ugly Spirit The Bluecoat £6/8 Until 22 August

competitionH H

echo Arena Box office moves homeThe Echo Arena has relocated its box office to Queen Square to make it more convenient for customers to buy tickets.The counter service moved from the venue to the recently opened TicketQuarter outlet, located within the Merseytravel Travel Centre, which will further boost footfall in the vicinity.The decision to move to a new permanent home at TicketQuarter, which sells tickets for more than 500 events across the North West, was made due to positive customer feedback.

Liverpool Bandstand26 July - 22 August Williamson Square

£50 Voucher to spend at Liverpool’s Curly Music.

Most of your clients or customers will have a mobile phone. Why not use Foursquare to spread the word of all your offers and promotions direct to their mobile phones?

Foursquare is a free app that is a location-based and social networking website designed for mobile devices, such as smart phones and iPhones. It is estimated half of the UK

population own a mobile phone.Foursquare allows you as a business to list your promotion for the user to then ‘check in’ and find the nearest location with the best offers and discounts.Users also use this for socialising to see where their friends are, what deals they are using and what pictures they have uploaded from their experience.Whether you are a

restaurant, bar, bookstore, food vendor, department store or coffee shop - people all over the UK are checking to see what is on offer.Simply download this app or go online to www.foursquare.comFor further information, support or promotional ideas call Álvaro Sanchez at City Central BID 0151 233 2491 or email to alvaro.sanchez@liverpool.gov.uk

How to promote your business for FRee...

An office conversion revealed a treasure trove of documents relating to the historic Liverpool city centre music store Rushworths.The artefacts, which include old ledgers and business

records from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s, were discovered in a huge safe on the top floor of the Whitechapel building when E. Rex Makin & Co solicitors firm relocated.

The safe was hidden behind a wall which was being knocked down in preparation for the law firm moving in. An expert safe cracker was called to open it and reveal its secrets on a business most famous for selling John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison their guitars.

The documents have now been donated to the University of Liverpool’s School of Music which is conducting a three-year research project to record the history of Liverpool’s long established and largest music business.

E. Rex Makin & Co. Solicitors and Advocates, which has a long association with The

Beatles, having represented Brian Epstein and had been based in the former NEMS offices, moved to the premises at the start of 2012 to make way for the Forever 21 development.

Robin Makin, Managing Partner at E. Rex Makin & Co, said: “From discussions with members of the Rushworth family who visited the premises for ‘old time’s sake’ when we were converting the premises, I knew about the research project that was being undertaken.

“It was a great surprise to find these documents and a great pleasure to pass over such important source material to the project.”

Historic music find in makin move

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summeR oF goLd

Robin Makin with historic Rushworth find.