Wycombe wins ‘good night out’ Purple Flag award with help of Buckinghamshire Chamber Council Vice-President

Tuesday, 9th November 2010

High Wycombe was one of only six towns and cities across the UK to be specially recognised for offering evening visitors an entertaining and safe night out. The results of the national Purple Flag awards were announced at a ceremony held in Nottingham last week. The other winning cities were Bristol, Halifax, Oxford, Bournemouth and Winchester .

Purple Flag is a new national award for town-centres – similar to the Blue Flag for beaches and the Green Flag for green spaces – and is backed by Government, police and business. To win Purple Flag status towns and cities must be welcoming to everyone, offer safe ways for visitors to travel home, provide a good mix of venues and attractions and appeal to visitors not just at night but during the day too. Purple Flag towns can expect to benefit from lower crime and anti-social behaviour, and more visitors.

Jette Peddie of Wycombe Watch, the town’s pub and shop watch, and Buckinghamshire Chamber of Commerce Council Vice-President, added: “It is a great opportunity for the town to receive this award as the perception of safety at night, in particular, has been an issue for many years. I hope the community, not just in High Wycombe, but also in the surrounding area, will now come and use the diverse facilities High Wycombe town has to offer.”

Cllr Lesley Clarke, Leader of Wycombe District Council said: “We’re delighted to be one of only six towns and cities nationally to win this award. The night-time economy in Wycombe makes a vital contribution to our town’s financial and social prosperity. Wycombe is the winner of a prestigious and coveted national award, but is a also a winner in a very real sense because this award is the result of local agencies and local people working together to achieve a great result for our community, our economy and for our district.”

The assessors and panel were impressed by the partnership, policy development and particularly with the working relationships they saw in High Wycombe. They commented on the town’s high level of commitment to the Purple Flag Award and the commitment to customer care and active work with the local community. Judges also commented on the work done locally to maintain the attractiveness of the town centre in the face of financial challenges and vacant business premises.

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