May-July 2025

IT’S HAPPENING...

MAY 2025 – JULY 2025 EDITION

IN SUNDERLAND

Inside... everything you need to know about the Sunderland Food & Drink Festival, Seafront BID, Sunniside Activation and Animation, Business Breakfasts, as well as all the usual stuff!

YOUR SUNDERLAND BID NEWSLETTER

IT’S HAPPENING...

WELCOME TO OUR NEWSLETTER It’s that time of year again – winter is hopefully long gone and spring has finally arrived – and with it lots of positive and exciting news to share.

If you’ve regularly received our newsletters then you’ll probably notice this time round it looks slightly different and that’s because we’re delighted to include for the first time news from the seafront.

On 28 March businesses on the seafront voted overwhelmingly in favour of a Seafront BID and we’re delighted to have them as part of the BID “family”.

communications and the inclusion of information on events at the seafront.

impact on the local area in a whole host of ways.

Our ultimate aim is for the city centre, Sheepfolds and the seafront to work together and to communicate with each other in a seamless fashion – you can read more about our plans to achieve that in the pages ahead.

The project has now come to an end but the impact legacy is there for all to see.

We’re already working hard to help businesses connect and those of you who attended our business breakfast in April will no doubt have experienced this.

We now have the umbrella brand Sunderland Business Improvement Districts covering both areas, with the City Centre and Seafront BIDs sitting underneath this.

We were delighted to welcome David Bruce, Chief Business Officer at SAFC who shared his expertise in creating a fan experience and how this can be applied to other businesses as well. We have more breakfast dates lined up, so please read on to find out more.

We are so excited about getting started and you should start seeing some changes almost immediately such as a splash of blue in all of our

We were really fortunate to receive UKSPF funding that enabled us to deliver more animation and activation in Sunniside and make a really positive

LET’S STAY IN TOUCH...

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facebook.com/ sunderlandexperience/

instagram.com/ sunderlandexperience/

We’re currently working hard to finalise our programme for this year but hopefully the rest of this newsletter will give you lots of useful information and inspire you to get involved in all of the exciting activities.

As always, we’re here to help if you need anything.

Sharon Appleby, Chief Executive

If you’d like to know more about our BID, then why not give us a ring on 0191 722 1002, drop us a line at info@sunderlandbid.co.uk or visit sunderlandbid.co.uk

l inkedin.com/company/ sunderlandbid/

tiktok.com/ @sunderlandexperience

sunderlandbid.co.uk

SUNDERLAND FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL It’s back! The Sunderland Food and Drink Festival will return this June with a delicious, jam-packed programme of entertainment, along with celebrating and showcasing street food from across the world.

This is one of the biggest events in the city centre and last year attracted a staggering 30,000 visitors over the three day duration – so obviously we’re hoping of more of the same this time round.

Our research shows that around 86% of people who attended had a positive experience – but arguably even more important, these visitors also did other things while in the city centre such as shopping, going to a bar, eating out or visiting other attractions.

The event – which is running from June 6 to 8 - is hugely beneficial to the local economy, which is why we would encourage as many people as possible to get involved. The opportunities range from having a stall to putting on your own events which can be promoted as part of the programme.

You can create photo opportunities,

decorate your windows – or just help us to promote the festival to the widest audience possible. We are once again expecting huge crowds, so please use this opportunity!

It’s already shaping up to be the biggest event so far. We’re setting up the main entertainment zone in Keel Square where there will be a full programme of entertainment on stage, along with kids’ activities and stalls offering artisan produce.

High Street West will house street food traders and a green living zone, while Market Square will showcase more street food with two mini festivals on Saturday and Sunday.

June is Pride In Sunderland month and we’re working with organisers, Out North East, to host a mini Pride area in Market Square – again if you would like to get involved, please let us know.

On the final day we will showcase African culture with music, dance, kids’ activities and a range of food options.

Plans are still being finalised so keep an eye out for updates at www.sunderlandfooddrinkfest.co.uk 3

LET’S MAKE...

IT’S HAPPENING...

As we mentioned earlier, Sunderland BID’s plans to expand into the seafront have now become a reality, after an overwhelming vote in favour by businesses in the area.

The total percentage of votes cast in favour was more than 90 per cent, with the combined rateable value in respect of those who voted in favour of the BID continuing its good work at the seafront was 95.3 per cent.

The Seafront BID officially launched on 1 May and the aim is to create a clear connection between the city centre, the seafront and the Sheepfolds – a really joined-up approach to positively promote what Sunderland has to offer.

Key to the success of this is getting businesses in each area to work and think collaboratively. We took our first steps at our business breakfast where both city and seafront businesses were able to meet up for the first time and hopefully that will be the springboard for them continuing to work together.

Our first priority for the Seafront BID is the look and feel of the area and so we are carrying out an audit of the existing infrastructure which will help us to identify gaps and opportunities.

Our SR1 Street Rangers are ready to help businesses at the seafront in the way they have in the city centre and Sheepfolds - helping with their day-today issues but also concentrating on 4

planting, painting, and sprucing up the area.

These first steps include updating tired and out-of-date signage and setting up a scheme to give people free dog poo bags to reduce the problem and the negative effect it is having on businesses in the area.

Safety and security is a massive priority too and we’re looking to introduce safety schemes to encourage collaboration between businesses as well as helping them be more vigilant.

We carried out a feasibility study when planning the Seafront BID and one of the subjects which was frequently mentioned was that of transport links – and connectivity.

We have taken this on board and are looking at ways to improve this, not just the physical infrastructure but destroying the myths that the seafront is too far from the city centre and vice versa.

Our BID priorities include one entitled “voice” and that will now go for the seafront as well as the city centre and Sheepfolds.

We want the seafront businesses to know they will be heard when it comes to decision making for the area and with this in mind, we will be working closely with the council on the tourism strategy, of which the seafront is an

important part.

The seafront is a huge asset and we will be looking at ways it can be utilised more as part of the plan to grow tourism and visitor numbers.

We also collect data on areas such as spend and footfall to be able to paint a picture of how Sunderland compares to other towns and cities in the country, as well as using that information to make informed decisions. We are more than happy to share this information with anyone who may be interested.

If you are not already signed up to our databases and to our newsletters and other communications, please make sure you do that as a matter of priority.

Promotion has always been at the heart of the BID and that won’t change for the seafront.

The good news is that those businesses can now get on board for some of our biggest events of the year such as Restaurant Week and Cocktail Week.

They will be a great addition to the events that already take place in the area such as Summer Streets, Sunderland City Runs, Boxing Day Dip and the Classic Car Show and we are very keen to work with event organisers to see how businesses in the area can support these events if they are not already doing so.

We also operate Sunderland Gift Card

sunderlandbid.co.uk scheme which since its launch has produced more than £400,000 in gift card sales that get invested back into the local economy.

It’s a great way for businesses to attract more customers at no cost to them and we hope that seafront businesses will also now recognise the benefits and join.

You may not be aware of the existence of the Sunderland App, created by Sunderland City Council and the Smart City team.

It’s a fantastic asset that residents and visitors can use to understand what’s happening and take advantage of a range of great offers. We’ll be working with businesses to get more of them on the app so they can benefit from this free promotional tool that helps to get more people through their doors.

These are just some of the amazing projects that we are looking at, taking into account the priorities that the seafront businesses have outlined to us.

...OUR SEAFRONT HAPPEN

For more information and to see the full business plan please visit sunderlandbid.co.uk/seafrontbid

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IT’S HAPPENING...

SUNNISIDE ANIMATION AND ACTIVATION The BID was lucky enough to be awarded more than £269,000 from UK Shared Prosperity Fund to deliver a programme of events to animate and activate Sunniside area to increase footfall and reduce anti-social behaviour in the area.

That project has now come to an end and we are absolutely delighted with the outcome and everything we were able to achieve.

Between June 2023 and March 2025, we delivered 125 events, with something for everyone.

This included regular community events such as Sunniside Food Markets, tabletop gaming socials Tactic and Young Musicians Project.

Other events were based around specific dates on the calendar such as Lunar New Year, Arts and Culture Trail, Make Music Day, Art in the Park, Sunniside Music Social and Urban Fest.

And that’s not all - recent projects have included the vintage clothing event Threads, discussion evenings and panel discussions hosted by the Literary and Philosophical Society, murals on buildings for wayfinding, creative workshops delivered by Harbour Printworks and Sunniside Nights event.

All these events brought more than 55,000 people to the area, but the positive outcome is not just about their attendance.

What these events also served to do was make people not only aware of Sunniside and what it has to offer, but also showcase that it is a safe and friendly area to visit.

This was confirmed by our research around these events, where the majority of people confirmed that they had a positive opinion of the area after attending.

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At the same time, many people who went to Sunniside for a specific event also went on to stay in the city centre and be involved in other activities – from eating and drinking or to shop at the Bridges or in other areas.

An average of 88% also spent money in the city centre as a result of attending, with the average spend per visit being £35.79.

The success of our Sunniside initiative has led us to being successful in our bid for further UKSPF funding, which will allow us to extend our work in the area for a further year.

This means that events such as Urban Fest, Sunniside Food Markets and Sunniside Nights will continue, along with new projects such as the Social Side of Sunniside, Frames Festival and more If you would like to get involved in any of these events, please contact info@sunderlandbid.co.uk

sunderlandbid.co.uk

HIGH STREET WEST GETTING READY FOR THE HIGH LIFE The massive improvements and investment in and around Sunderland city centre are there for all to see – from Culture House to the new Eye Hospital, to the Beam and City Hall.

They are all aspects of Sunderland’s Riverside Masterplan, first published five years ago and now preparing to move on to its next stage.

The council recently launched a public consultation on the proposals for High Street West, presenting their suggestions and asking for feedback.

While the results of this consultation are yet to be revealed, there’s no denying that the redevelopment of High Street West and the surrounding area will breathe new life into this part of the city.

The improvements – which include St Mary’s Boulevard - are specifically focussing on improved connectivity of the city, with the aim of making it “a safer, more enjoyable experience for pedestrians in particular.”

On the agenda is the restoration of the “lost lanes” linking High Street West to St Mary’s Boulevard, which “will further strengthen links between the old city and the new, creating connections between the city centre and the Riverside.”

These lanes have been neglected over the years but bring character and value to the city, “reflected in the richly detailed townscape of Pann Lane and Back Bridge Street.”

Find out more about the plans at hsw-consultation.com

The plan also includes creating four plots along High Street West, offering a mix of leisure, retail, residential and commercial properties which should enhance the offering in that particular area and add to the city’s vibrancy.

It will add a whole new dimension to living and working in the heart of Sunderland, creating lively and attractive urban spaces.

The safe passage of pedestrians is being outlined as a priority and with that in mind, Sunderland City Council is working to redesign pedestrian crossing points and servicing arrangements to better serve the routes across the new development.

These ambitious plans will also have a huge and positive economic impact on the city.

More than 1,000 jobs in construction will be supported and will generate more than £210m in capital expenditure. It will create up to 45,000 sqm of floor space and – perhaps most importantly of all - it will play an active part in reinvigorating the high street.

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IT’S HAPPENING...

BUSINESS BREAKFAST Our business breakfast networking events are a fantastic way for our levy payers and affiliate members across Sunderland city centre, Sheepfolds, and the seafront to connect, collaborate and share ideas.

community. If you’re interested, please email us at info@sunderlandbid.co.uk Future event dates: 11 June, 3 September, 22 October and 17 December.

These informal, friendly morning meet-ups are designed to strengthen our business community by sparking conversations, encouraging partnerships and spotlighting important issues affecting our city.

Each event will take place in a different location and feature guest speakers offering fresh insights, practical advice and food for thought on a range of topics relevant to local business life.

Would you like to be a speaker or host a future Business Breakfast?

We’re always looking for new venues and speakers from within our business

SUNDERLAND APP Marketing and promotion are key to any business success – which is why the Sunderland App is an amazing opportunity, particularly as it’s for free!

It is a fantastic way to reach an audience of potentially thousands of residents, visitors and other businesses and to promote what you do.

You can add exclusive offers, discounts and promotions to help drive new 8

customers and build awareness on what you offer.

It’s an opportunity that no local business should miss out, particularly as it continues to grow and become the one-stop-shop for information and experiences for anyone wanting to come to Sunderland.

For further information or to have your own offers included, email Cityapp@sunderland.gov.uk