Festival summer wins backing of Bournemouth Development Company

Posted: 15/05/2014 at 12:50pm

Three fantastic festivals that will stimulate the Bournemouth economy are being staged with help from a leading regeneration and construction partnership.

The Wheels Festival, Bournemouth Air Festival and Bournemouth Food and Drink Festival will this summer attract tens of thousands of visitors whose spending will provide a boost to traders in the town.

All three events have sponsorship from Morgan Sindall and its public-private partnership with Bournemouth Council, The Bournemouth Development Company (BDC).

A delivery partner for the Council’s Town Centre Vision, BDC is redeveloping a series of sites in Bournemouth for residential, commercial and other uses and bringing in substantial investment value in the process.

Duncan Johnston, BDC Development Director, said it was a natural move to support the
trio of events.

He said: “We are all about championing town centre activity and working in partnership with the community. These three festivals promise not only a summer of fun for residents and visitors. They will make a direct contribution to the prosperity of many businesses, something that provides an onward catalyst for growth.”

At the Wheels Festival from 24 to 26 May, BDC is sponsoring a night bike ride and participating in a team relay challenge through the town centre.

The partnership will then lend its support to the Bournemouth Food and Drink Festival, taking place from 20 to 29 June. The annual extravaganza, which is rapidly building a reputation as the South’s go-to food celebration, features top-class chefs, open-air cookery workshops and many themed events.

Festival organiser Patrick Marmion said: “We couldn’t stage this festival without support from businesses in and around the town and so I thank The Bournemouth Development Company for being one of those to come forward and help make it all happen. It’s all about celebrating great food in a fun way in the fabulous South coast destination that is Bournemouth.”

The Bournemouth Air Festival, dominating the weekend of 28 to 31 August, has attracted more than six million visitors since its inaugural year of 2008. It features aerial displays by the Red Arrows, RAF and Royal Navy along with a range of other seafront entertainment. BDC’s sponsorship focuses on support for the Red Arrows.