Latest news with #BID
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Peregrine chicks celebrated in city's pilgrimage
Three peregrine falcon chicks who were born against the odds are being celebrated during a cathedral city's annual pilgrimage. The chicks were born at a nesting platform on St Albans Cathedral after their parents' first set of eggs was destroyed by a vandal in April. "As we celebrate Alban Day and honour Britain's first Christian saint, it's a delight to witness new life flourishing right here in our city," said Canon Kevin Walton. Huge puppets – including peregrine falcons and Roman centurions – will be carried through the Roman city to retell the story of St Alban's execution. The procession attracts visitors from beyond Hertfordshire as it celebrates the legacy of the saint who became Britain's first Christian martyr about 1,700 years ago, having been executed in the early 3rd Century by the Romans. Canon Walton said: "Alban's story is still powerful today as he stood up for truth and justice by sheltering a persecuted stranger. "It is also the reason why the city is proud to be called St Albans." Festival activities will take place between 12:00 and 17:00 BST in the city centre and cathedral orchard. Local theatre company OVO will re-enact "impressive battle formations" as Roman gladiators, while families can take part in a giant jigsaw based on Roman mosaics, heritage trails and clay modelling. Businesses across the city will also be joining in the activities. Vivien Cannon, manager of the St Albans City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) group, said: "It's the first time we have teamed up with the cathedral for Alban Day and we are delighted to be part of this must-experience celebration of our city's rich and fascinating heritage. "We are proud to showcase our city's extraordinary story, its incredible business and retail offering, and our award-winning food and drink." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Peregrine chick hatches in 'wonderful comeback' Cathedral pilgrimage returns to historic route Falcon puppets join city's annual pilgrimage St Albans Cathedral St Albans City Centre BID
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Stirling city centre streets in bloom thanks to business group's planter scheme
There are now a total of 73 planters outside businesses across various streets in the city centre - with a local garden centre helping to provide the blooming boost. Vibrant flowers and blooming planters have added a welcome splash of colour across Stirling city centre. Pollinator-friendly plants, funded and organised by Go Forth Stirling BID (Business Improvement District), can be seen brightening up the city in Station Road Square, Murray Place, Pitt Terrace, King Street, Wellgreen Road and Melville Terrace. The number of planters has been gradually increasing each year and there are now a total of 73 across the city which are regularly maintained by Stirling Community Enterprise. The planters and the city's ground-level flower beds are filled with plants and flowers from Stirling's Homesteads Nursery. William Johnston, who runs Homesteads Nursery, said: 'We've picked a lovely selection of colourful plants and flowers which look fantastic as they liven up Stirling for everyone. 'We're pleased to work with the BID each year to do our best to improve the look of the city centre.' Meanwhile one of the flower beds, in the Top of the Town, has been adopted by Stirling Baptist Church who have planted it out and are maintaining it. Fiona McMillan, Community Engagement and Business Improvement Officer at Go Forth Stirling, said: 'Ensuring Stirling looks wonderful with beautiful planters and flower beds to welcome visitors and residents is an important part of our remit to make the city a more inviting destination for shoppers and business owners. 'The floral arrangements help give the city centre a vibrant appearance and feature pollinator-friendly native species which promote biodiversity.' The Go Forth team have also been busy spearheading a drive to clean up the city's streets through a series of 'Friends of the BID Spring Clean' litter-picking sessions over the last few months. The initiative, designed to inspire pride in Stirling, saw BID Street Ambassadors Gail Lamb and Josie Brown, Stirling Council archaeologist Murray Cook and volunteers from the city's business and residential communities join forces to pick up litter and remove graffiti. They are now continuing the clean-up drive by hosting monthly maintenance days where volunteers can join the BID team to improve Stirling's environment. And they will have some extra help with their efforts thanks to the donation of equipment for removing stickers and graffiti from the Wickes Community Programme which supports local initiatives aimed at maintaining and renovating community areas. Ms McMillan said: 'We're so pleased to have this support from the Wickes Community Programme. Having the right gear for city centre maintenance, especially tricky tasks like graffiti and sticker removal, makes the job so much more impactful. 'It's great to kit our volunteers out properly and we thank Wickes for helping us to keep Stirling gleaming!' She also encouraged anyone interested in lending a hand to come along to the next Maintenance Day which takes place on Wednesday June 25 from 10am until noon. She said: 'Anyone who would like to help is more than welcome to join our efforts to make a visible difference to the city centre. Collectively, we can do so much more to make our beautiful city a welcoming place for everyone.'
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
RailTel share price gains 4% on THIS order update despite stock market sell-off: Check details
Stock Market Today: RailTel share price gained more than 1% in the intraday trades on Wednesday despite the stock market sell-off after the company announced this order update. The order book update was announced by RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. on Tuesday, after market hours. RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. intimated the exchanges on 17 June 2025 regarding securing a major order. As per the release by the RailTel Corporation on the National Stock Exchange and the BSE, or the Bombay Stock Exchange, it has received a Letter of Intent for a domestic work order. The nature of the order contract bagged by RailTel Corporation is for the implementation of the Mizo Fibre Grid Network (MFGN) Project. Zoram Electronics Development Corporation Ltd. (Zenics) is the entity that has awarded the work order to RailTel Corporation. The RailTel Corporation needs to complete the project related to the implementation of the Mizo Fiber Grid Network (MFGN) in a time period of more than 1 year, i.e., by September 2026, as per the details by RailTel. The broad consideration for the work order or the contract to RailTel Corporation or the estimated size of the order as per BID is Rs.43.99 crore. However, the company said that the exact value will be known once the purchase order is issued. RailTel Corporation recently announced another order win. On June 11, 2025, the company won a significant order received by RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. The total value of the work order that RailTel Corporation received from South Eastern Coalfields is Rs. 11,94,89,669 (tax included). RailTel share price opened at ₹ 925.90, and at the time of opening, the RailTel share price was slightly higher compared to the previous day's closing price of ₹ 922.90. It gained to intraday highs of ₹ 932.50, which meant a decline of more than 1% in the intraday trades on Wednesday over the previous day's closing price of ₹ 2664. The BSE share price, despite the stock market sell-off. Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
The Courier
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Dundee hotel boss on why he's backing a Business Improvement District
Plans to introduce a Business Improvement District (BID) in Dundee have been resurrected. Attempts to create a BID in Dundee have fallen short previously, in 2015 and 2017. In 2019 the idea was floated again, but did not materialise after the coronavirus pandemic. An improvement district is a business led and funded scheme which sees a community pot shared out to help build and 'improve' areas like a city centre or high street. The pot contributes towards things like shared marketing projects, installing furniture like benches and planters and bins, to hosting events to encourage people in to shops. Businesses pay into the scheme, based on a percentage of their rateable value, usually between 1-4%. Owners with businesses located in the BID area will vote on whether to approve it in March 2026. And a steering group, chaired by Apex City Quay general manager Paul Mooney, has been established. There are 37 BIDs in Scotland, including in Aberdeen and St Andrews. Mr Mooney decided to get involved after seeing how the scheme benefitted other Apex hotels in the UK. He said: 'A business improvement district is essentially an additional resource that's going to be business led, that's going to have strong transparency and a stakeholder voice to really focus in on the areas that we see as challenges as a trading environment in Dundee city centre. 'One of the first things we will be doing is going out with a survey to all businesses in the proposed catchment area to ask them what the big things are they worry about on a day-to-day basis.' He said business owners have already raised concerns about anti-social behaviour and security, and enhanced cleaning provision over and above what the council already provides, with him. 'We would be looking to see what events and exciting initiatives would help drive footfall into the city centre,' the hotel manager said. 'We want a better environment that brings people into the city centre. 'It sounds crude, the more people there are the more they will spend with the businesses in the improvement district. 'I've only been in Dundee eight years and I love it. There's so much goodwill and collaborative working already in Dundee across businesses. 'And the BID is almost a natural evolution of that, of us all coming together, being able to pool resources in an equitable way where the bigger businesses will pay more into the pot, (but it's spread across all businesses and everyone benefits from it. Dundee businesses have tried three times previously to pull together a BID. In 2015, 106 businesses voted in favour of a BID compared to 80 against it. But the rateable value of those in favour did not meet the figure needed to allow it to go ahead. Plans for a Dundee BID reappeared in 2017 and again in 2019, but failed to gain traction. Critics of BIDs claim the schemes can be 'undemocratic' with transparency issues. In 2021, businesses inside the Crieff business improvement district voted not to renew it.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Let us tax visitors on overnight stays in England, mayors say
A coalition of mayors has called for powers to be given to local authorities to create visitor levies across England, in an attempt to boost tourist infrastructure and regional growth. The group of mayors from around the country, led by Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, is calling on the government to grant devolved powers to allow regions to create a visitor levy, which could see a small charge added to overnight stays. Mr Rotheram said the overnight charges are 'the kind most of us wouldn't think twice about when travelling abroad' and 'would give us the power to reinvest directly into the things that make our area so special'. Other mayors have echoed his sentiment. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said: 'A modest overnight accommodation levy, similar to other international cities, would boost our economy, deliver growth and help cement London's reputation as a global tourism and business destination.' A similar law is already in place in Scotland, passed in 2024, which allows councils to tax overnight accommodation if they wish to do so. Edinburgh has already made headway with this power, voting in January to add a five per cent surcharge on visitors' overnight stays by 2026. A bill has also been proposed by Welsh lawmakers to introduce a small visitor levy that could see visitors to the country paying up to £1.25 per night by 2027. The mayors say England is 'at risk of falling behind' as Scotland and Wales move ahead with their own tourism levies, so are calling for rapid action from the central government. The mayors have argued that the powers to create a visitor levy would unlock 'vital' funding for tourism and cultural infrastructure and drive regional growth, as well as reduce dependence on funding from the central government. English legislation does not allow cities to create a visitor levy; however, using legal workarounds has meant Liverpool and Manchester have introduced a form of tourism levy. The city councils both introduced a tourism-based Business Improvement District (BID), using existing legal power to establish a form of tourist tax that allows hoteliers to charge £1 (in Manchester) or £2 (in Liverpool) per night as part of a 'city visitor charge'. The mayors said that the BID visitor levy in Liverpool has received strong backing, while in Manchester, a recent survey revealed 70 per cent of tourists are willing to pay a small charge if it is used to visibly enhance tourism services. However, the local authorities are hoping to see devolved powers to create visitor levies written into law. The campaign is backed by the mayors of the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester, London, the North East, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire. 'These regions collectively attract hundreds of millions of visitors annually and contribute billions to the UK economy,' the group said. 'Yet none currently benefit from a dedicated funding stream to reinvest in tourism resilience and growth.' The Liverpool City Region predicts that a visitor levy could raise nearly £11 million per year for the area from the over 60 million visitors it receives annually. Greater Manchester says that a £1 to £5 overnight tax could raise between £8 million and £40 million per year, which could help fund key infrastructures such as the regeneration of Old Trafford or airport development. Over in the capital, the group said tourism accounts for one in seven jobs and nearly 12 per cent of London's economy, whereas visitor economies stand at £6.1 billion in the North East and £16.3 billion in Birmingham.
