​We’ll keep the Purple Flag flying here!

Bury town centre has been awarded Purple Flag status for a fifth consecutive year in recognition of its thriving night time economy.

Purple Flag is a town and city centre award – similar to the Green Flag for Parks and Blue Flag for beaches – which promotes excellence in the evening and night time economy and aims to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of town and city centres between 6pm and 6am.

Areas awarded the Purple Flag are recognised for providing a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture while promoting the safety and wellbeing of visitors and local residents.

Bury is one of only two town centres in Greater Manchester to fly the Purple Flag, having been the only town across GM for the last four years.

The accolade comes as Bury starts 2020 as the first GM Town of Culture, which includes plans for a multitude of family-friendly ‘Happy’ events inspired by the legacy of Bury’s own Victoria Wood.

Councillor David Jones, leader of Bury Council and chair of the Purple Flag Steering Group, said: “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award for the fifth year in a row, and the timing could not have been better.

“I had the pleasure of picking up our first Purple Flag years ago, and our fifth flag is a tribute to all the efforts that partners across Bury have put in to maintain our high standards.

“We will continue to work together to ensure that Bury continues to go from strength to strength and offers an enjoyable and safe evening out for everyone.’’

To retain Purple Flag Status, the Bury team had to provide detailed information for a range of criteria including, cleanliness and safety, movement and transport, the range of attractions, entertainment and events, high quality environment and strong partnership working.

The team has recently been working to strengthen the Town Centre Pub Watch group, support the Street Pastor service (who help vulnerable people on a night out), improve safety standards across the taxi/hackney carriage service and work towards a Best Bar None scheme which will be led by Greater Manchester Police. This programme, supported by the Home Office, is designed to improve standards within licensed premises through partnership working with the licensed trade, police and Bury Council. The aim is to create safer, busier and more successful businesses coupled with reduced levels of crime and disorder.

Not only has Bury retained Purple Flag accreditation but it has also been selected by the Purple Flag Panel as a finalist for the Purple Flag Award in the “Movement” category. This reflects the strong partnership working with TfGM and the authorities continued work to ensure that all town centre users have a range of safe options to travel to and from Bury. The town will be up for the award with two other areas chosen from other Purple Flag rounds, with the winner being announced at the Association of Town and City management (ATCM) and Purple Flag awards in June 2020 in Cardiff.

John Locke, chair of Bury Pub Watch, said: “This is fantastic news and reflects the ongoing hard work of the Bury Purple Flag partners including Pub Watch and GMP. We are determined to create an expanding and improved quality offer for Bury, and ensure all of our customers can enjoy a safe, enjoyable night out in Bury. We will continue to work with all partners to improve standards, support our evening economy businesses and ensure Bury offers entertainment for all age groups.”

The Purple Flag assessor commented: “I was exceedingly impressed with the commitment and enthusiasm of the Purple Flag Assessment Team and partners during the assessment. Their pride in the town was palpable.

I have no hesitation in recommending Bury for retention of their Purple Flag status. They are leading the way for Greater Manchester authorities.”

For more details about Bury being the first GM Town of Culture, go to https://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/bury-council/pressreleases/get-happy-bury-secures-prestigious-greater-manchester-town-of-culture-accolade-2955167

ENDS

Press release issued: 23 January 2020.

Picture: Purple reign – celebrating the news are (from left) John Locke, chair of Bury Pub Watch; Angela Lomax, head of trading standards and licensing; Cllr David Jones, leader of the council; Lynne Ridsdale, deputy chief executive of the council; Rev Julian Heaton, Rector of Bury; Jill Youlton, business liaison and development officer; and Victoria Robinson, CEO of The Met.

Note to editors:

The ‘after dark’ economy is worth over £66bn annually to the UK, supporting thousands of businesses, employing 4.5% of the UK workforce, and significantly contributing to local economies.

About Purple Flag

The Purple Flag programme was developed following the Civic Trust’s “Night Vision” report in 2006, and is now managed by the Association of Town & City Management, which works alongside a partnership of stakeholder groups backed by the Government, police and businesses, as well as the UK sponsors Diageo Great Britain.

Since 2012, Purple Flag status has been awarded to more than 70 towns and cities in the UK and Ireland. Purple Flag accredited areas report a consistent increase in footfall and a decrease in crime and anti- social behaviour within the evening and night time economy.

Purple Flag is an accreditation process similar to Green Flag Award for parks and Blue Flag for beaches. It leads to Purple Flag status for town centres that meet or surpass the standards of excellence in managing the evening and night-time economy.

A comprehensive set of standards, management processes and good practice examples designed to help transform town and city centres at night.

A research, training and development programme, to help towns and

cities improve their evening and night-time economy.

A positive initiative that indicates an entertaining, diverse, safe and enjoyable night out.