Evesham Market Town Partnership

Report to Wychavon Strategic Partnership Meeting

30th January

Evesham Town Plan

A Town Plan Steering Group has been established and Patrick Staines was elected to Chair the group with Lynn Powel taking the office of Vice Chairman.

It is anticipated that the process for completing the plan will take at least 12 months.

A wider stakeholder group will be established to ensure that they views of as many interested partners as possible can be captured and be used to help inform the Plan’s action plan.

Yes Loyalty Card

A ‘lucky street’ has seen its second winner of Evesham loyalty card’s £1,000 monthly prize draw as 76-year-old Michael Parker claimed the January jackpot.

Mr Parker, who lives in Digby Road, just four doors away from December’s winner Simon Johns, was thrilled to have won the vouchers, describing the moment he heard as ‘a delightful surprise’.

Although he is planning to buy some shoes and clothes with the vouchers, Mr Parker has already shared the majority of the winnings with his family – his two sons, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, all of whom live locally.

Mr Parker’s winning card was drawn at random at the Rainbow Chippy, in Port Street, which was the first shop in Evesham to have YES shopping vouchers spent in it. The chip shop owner, known locally as Giggsy, plans to frame ticket number one after it became the first voucher spent in the town.

He said: “The scheme seems to be working well and I have noticed quite a few people coming in with the cards for them to be stamped.

“It’s good for the town and when people see others winning £1,000 it should encourage more people to support local business too.”

The YES campaign was launched in October and encourages people to spend their money in town businesses. By collecting stamps from local stores, shoppers can be in with a chance of winning £1,000 each month. After 12 months, all the cards are entered into a £3,000 cash grand finale draw.

The YES scheme is funded by Worcestershire County Council, Wychavon District Council and Evesham Market Town Partnership (EMTP) and aims to encourage local people to spend their money in town shops.

Retailers can still sign up at while participating stores can be seen at

Evesham Market Town Partnership Action Plan 2013/14

Evesham Market Town Partnership (EMTP) is part of Wychavon’s Local Strategic Partnership structure and as such supports the Worcestershire Single Sustainable Community Strategy. The partnership has been awarded, for the past 8 years, an annual budget of £30,000 per year from Wychavon District Council (WDC) to deliver community projects.

WDC has agreed a new funding strategy for its three town partnerships. Funding will now be sourced from its New Homes Bonus pot and the council has committed to fund the partnerships up to March 2017. In 2013/14 an annual budget of £20,000 is available to each partnership to deliver projects prioritised by partnership members and identified in the action plans of each individual partnership.

The partnerships use the seven priorities identified in the Worcestershire Single Sustainable Community Strategy to steer the development of annual action plans. These are:

  1. Support and improve the local economy;
  2. Develop skills and life long learning;
  3. Reducing health inequalities and promoting healthy lifestyles;
  4. Supporting older people;
  5. Providing positive activities for young people;
  6. Supporting people to play an active role in their communities and take more responsibility for improving their lives; and
  7. Deliver housing that meets local needs.

As a result of discussions at the EMTP meeting held 13th September 2012 it was agreed that EMTP’s 2013/14 Action Plan will particularly focus on the “Supporting and improving the local economy” priority.

Responding to this decision a draft Action Plan and budget for 2013/14 was presented to EMTP at its meeting 13th December 2012 (see table 1 below).

EMTP’s Scrutiny Panel has appraised 4 of the proposed project applications. The 5th (Evesham Bridge Contingency Fund) is carried forward from last year. The only application yet to be appraised is Evesham Festival of Music. An application is expected to be submitted shortly.

EMTP has accepted the Scrutiny Panel’s recommendations and has agreed that the projects proposed in table 1 form the basis of EMTP 2013-14 Action Plan.

Table 1. Evesham Market Town Partnership Budget 2013/14

Action/project / Start Date / Due Date / Lead Partner / Success measure / MTP Funding / Notes
1. Priority: Supporting and improving the local economy
Attracting inward investment / April 2013 / March 2014 / WDC / EMTP will target 4 key events where there is a realistic possibility of accessing representatives of national retailers. / £2,000 / Evesham Town Council (ETC) has contributed an additional £3,000 to support this project
Business Grants / April 2013 / March 2014 / WDC / To provide at least 12 grants to investors locating in the Vale of Evesham or support businesses that are developing new services or products. The maximum grant available will be £750. / £3,000 / ETC and Worcestershire County Council (WCC) have each contributed an additional £3,000 to support this project.
Local Distinctiveness / April 2013 / March 2014 / WDC / To provide financial and/or administration support to 12 events / £7,000 / ETC will contribute £9,000 to support this project.
WDC will contribute £22,000 to support this project.
VECTA will contribute £2,000 to support this project.
The project is expected to lever in £1,000,000 in the form of positive media coverage.
Vale First Food Festival / April 2013 / March 2014 / Transition Evesham Vale (TEV) / Project has 6 themes:
  1. Festival
  2. A web-based guide to local food
  3. ’30:30’ list of cafes, pubs and restaurants;
  4. A ‘local food outlet’.
  5. A “local menu”;
  6. Educational events
/ £2,000 / The project receives in kind support from members of TEV to the value of £2,500.
It receives £800 from Mid-counties Co-op
Evesham Bridge Contingency Fund / April 2012 / March
2014 / WDC / To support the local economy through the period of reconstruction of Abbey Road Bridge (year 2of 2 year project) / £5,000 / WCC is contributing £150,000 over a 2 year period to support this project.
WDC is contributing £34,000 towards this project.
Evesham Festival of Music / April 2013 / March 2014 / Evesham Festival of Music Committee / To support events that make up the festival / £1,000 / This application has not been received yet.
EMTP Budget 2013/14 £20,000 / Total budget commitment of projects listed £20,000 / Partner’s funding (confirmed) £226,800