Weymouth is celebrating receiving a Purple Flag Award for its evening and night time economy at a recent ceremony.
A town landmark, the Jubilee Clock, will be turned purple on Friday to mark the presentation of the award, which took place earlier this month at a special ceremony in Chippenham. The flag itself will be raised outside the council offices also on Friday. (16/11)
The award recognises places that provide a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture while promoting the safety and wellbeing of visitors and residents.
Organisations that worked hard to secure the Purple Flag include Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, Dorset Police, the Street Pastors, Weymouth BID, Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce and Pub Watch.
Cllr Mike Byatt, Community Safety Briefholder at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said: “Weymouth is now officially one of the best places to enjoy a night out. I am delighted we have received the Purple Flag. It recognises the hard work that we and many other organisations have put into making Weymouth safer.”
Cllr Richard Nickinson, Economic Development Briefholder at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said: “I am delighted we have achieved the Purple Flag accreditation. We are committed to doing all in our power to promote our borough, as it all helps our local economy.”
‘Weymouth is vibrant and culturally rich’
Cllr Richard Kosior, Briefholder for Tourism, Culture and the Harbour at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said: “This award shows what a vibrant and culturally rich place Weymouth is to enjoy an evening out. Our new patrol officers and the police work hard to make our borough even safer, so we can all enjoy a night out.”
Inspector Barry Gosling, of Weymouth Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Our officers work hard with local partners to ensure that Weymouth remains a safe place to enjoy a night out.
“I am glad this has now been recognised and we will continue to do all we can to ensure residents and visitors experience a safe and enjoyable evening out in the town.”
Claudia Moore. Weymouth BID, Chief Operations Officer, said: “Weymouth BID is very proud to have been part of the Purple Flag accreditation process and congratulations must go to the team that worked so hard on it. We hope that this will bring new visitors to Weymouth and encourage our local residents into the town at night.”
Sarah Walker Purple Flag Programme Manager, said: “There are now over 70 towns and cities across the UK and Ireland who are proudly flying the Purple Flag after working hard to gain accreditation. The award is not just about safety, but also the vibrancy and diversity of the evening and night-time offer. This can only be achieved by people working together in a strong partnership to which we are seeing great examples of across the country”
The Purple Flag programme is managed by the Association of Town & City Management. It is an accreditation process similar to Green Flag Award for parks and Blue Flag for beaches. It leads to Purple Flag status for town centres that meet or surpass the standards of excellence in managing the evening and night-time economy.
