Swindon Swindon Link vows to back business

By Jamie Hill jamie@positive-media.co.uk

I don’t think there’s any argument that we all want to live in a prosperous town with thriving businesses providing employment at every level.

And we all know that Swindon definitely punches above its weight when it comes to a lot of things.

The town is growing every day with new developments like the Eastern Villages expansion and the growth of new estates like Tadpole Farm and Wichelstowe only adding to the mix, giving prospective businesses a skilled workforce on their very doorstep.

For business there have been some good news stories like Zurich’s new HQ, the Foundry, in the Carriageworks, becoming a haven for start-ups and tech, and Pannatoni’s £700 million plans to redevelop the Honda site.

There’s a robust business community in Swindon who do all they can to help each other thrive with the help of organisations like Business West and The Federation of Small Businesses.

But the elephant in the room is that on a local level especially the town has been suffering.

It’s all well and good building all of these developments around the town but until we have the political will and investment in the town centre, Swindon will always be a ring doughnut with dormitory housing around the outside but nothing enticing in the middle.

We want residents and employees to be proud of the town and not just use it to sleep and then go out to neighbouring towns and cities where there has been proper investment like Cheltenham, Reading, Bath, Oxford and Bristol to spend their hard-earned money. That money should stay in Swindon to help local business thrive.

I would like the powers that be to do the following to support business. These are over simplistic but they raise good points - n Create a holistic plan for the town centre that incorporates Old Town, The Railway and Outlet Villages, and The Oasis with good hop-on hop-off public transport routes and maybe a value for money park and ride at one of the motorway junctions or at least reasonable parking charges that actually encourage rather than discourage. At the moment it all seems piecemeal with no overall plan. These plans should incorporate hospitality, retail, culture and leisure. n Have vision and the courage of your convictions. Don’t highlight a new project and then go into hiding as soon as there’s someone being a bit negative on Facebook. Sell your vision to us. Get us on board. n Stop spending hundreds of thousands on outside PR and marketing consultants, ending up with just a logo and brand identity meaning there’s no funding left to sell it to the people that matter - the residents. There’s plenty of talent within the town that could easily do the same for a fraction of the cost. I have seen this happen with different projects on at least five occasions over the last seven years and each thing comes to nothing with just a shiny logo and brand to show for the trouble. It’s just haemorrhaging money that could be used to support more local businesses.

It’s been a hard time for businesses over the past few years and that is why we should all be supportive and why Swindon Link itself has come up with a range of bespoke business support packages to help firms through these tough times.

Let’s help Swindon thrive.

Swindon Link Business Support Packages

Gold – The Ultimate Promotional Package - £800 plus VAT

- 1* Half Page print advert in each edition

- 1* Online Advert 300px by 300px box advert on www.swindonlink.com running for 30 days

- 1* Business Profile – Full Page in print

- 1* Business Profile online on www. swindonlink.com

- 1* Social Media share of Business Profile

- 2* Additional business news article throughout the month on www.swindonlink. com and social media share

Silver - The Business Boost Promotional Package - £500 plus VAT

- 1* Quarter Page print advert in each edition

- 1* Online Advert 300px by 300px box on www.swindonlink.com running for 30 days

- 1* Business Profile - Full Page in print

- 1* Business Profile online on www. swindonlink.com

- 1* Social media share of Business Profile

Bronze - The Start Up Promotional Package - £200 plus VAT

- 1* Online Advert 300px by 300px box on www.swindonlink.com running for 30 days

- 2 *Online Business Articles going out on www.swindonlink.com

- 2 *Social Media Post shares of online article

Business Profile - Blaylocks Shoes of Swindon

Business Type - Shoe retailer

Established - 1920

Address - 1-3 Bath Road, Old Town, Swindon, SN1 4AS

Telephone number - 01793 534271

Website- blaylocks-shoes.co.uk

By Barrie Hudson barrie@positive-media.co.uk

Mark Blaylock is manager and a director of the company which has proudly carried his family’s name for more than a century.

His father, David, is a fellow director, and one of Mark’s children has already said he hopes to work there one day.

According to Mark, the reasons for the firm’s longevity and continued success are perfectly straightforward:

“I put that down to good, longstanding staff. One lady did 50 years for us and another lady did 40.

“Of the current staff we have one who must be coming up to 29 years working here.

“We carry a range of stock and brands that you wouldn’t find in your department stores or your normal high street stores, and we couple that with a one-to-one service to the customer.

“When a customer comes through the door, they are with a member of staff until they leave - hopefully with a bag in their hand!”

Staff pay attention to detail. Customers’ feet are carefully measured, with separate specialist devices for men, women and children.

Mark said: “On the men’s side we do brands like Barker and Loake, which are traditional Englishmade shoes, made in Northampton. They are fully leather; leather soles, leather-lined, leather upper. They are very good quality.

“For ladies we have

The History of Blaylocks

brands like Hotter, Ara, Rieker and Padders.

“These brands create styles that look good and are built with longlasting materials and hard wearing in mind.

“We have a good rapport with our customers. We have our regulars.

“I’ve got customers who no longer live in Swindon, and who now live as far away as Australia, but when they need new shoes they contact me and I send the shoes that they’re after because they don’t want to buy their shoes anywhere else.”

Although Blaylocks has been a familiar Old Town landmark since 1928, the company began its long life as a shoe repair business in Gorse Hill.

Many customers still bring shoes they bought in the shop years previously for repair, and they are sent by Blaylocks to a specialist firm. In some cases, manufacturers offer a repair and reconditioning service.

The firm has traded through four generations, and is proud not only to be Swindon’s just family-run shoe shop but also to be recognised as one of the leading independent shoe businesses in the south of England.

It carries a wide range of high-quality brands not generally found in high street chain shops, covering men’s and women’s shoes and school shoes for children.

Welcome to Abbey Meads Community Primary!

At Abbey Meads Community Primary School, we develop citizens of the future, who are caring, resilient to change, and skilled both academically and socially. In its simplest terms; we aim to develop caring, conscientious, free thinking children with a love of learning.

We have very simple school rules:

Always Pay Forward and

1. Be Kind

2. Be Kind

3. Be kind

From our 3-year-olds in the Nursery through to our mature and capable Year 6, we operate as one big family; focussing heavily on caring and supporting each other - developing leaders for the next generation!

Feedback from our parents survey was as follows: “I would recommend this school - 100% YES!”

School Profile: Abbey Meads Community Primary

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This issue: Abbey Meads Community Primary School

Address: Hugo Drive, Abbey Meads, SN25 4GY

Tel: 01793 723239

Email: admin@abbeymeads.swindon.sch.uk

Website: www.abbeymeads.swindon.sch.uk

AMPC: The Land Of Opportunity

At Abbey Meads Community Primary School, we believe children should have life-long memories of their time at Primary School.

Academic achievement is of course important, but how we achieve our high standards is crucial.

Children need to feel safe, be nurtured and have so much fun that school is a joy. There are so many opportunities offered at AMCPS which extend children’s own passions, as well as introducing them to new and exciting experiences.

Whether these experiences be through amazing trips and residential fieldwork, inspirational visitors, specialists in music, dance and drama, Forest School and STEM activities or the high quality of our everyday teaching, children are left with a love of learning and life-long memories.