Canterbury Business Improvement District

It’s a YES! We’re delighted to announce that the BID term renewal ballot has closed and 90% voted yes to a third term. This means we can invest another £3.6m into the city over the next five years – Christmas, additional street cleaning, events, flower baskets, ambassadors, safer streets, Purple Flag, training, and Visit Canterbury can all continue along with many other things. Read the full story on our website:

Has your business got a great idea to save water but not the funds to make it happen? If so, Southern Water has just announced the third round of their popular Business Partnership Fund, which provides financial support for projects that improve water resilience, environmental sustainability, and community well-being in Southern England. Find out more:

Congratulations to The Ivy on an amazing opening event. The local business community gave the new venue a warm welcome as crowds packed out the beautifully stylish bar and restaurant on the corner of Rose Lane and the High Street. A few lucky diners were also able to sample the food early on trial service at the weekend! The restaurant officially opens on 29th October, be sure to book a table and pay them a visit.

It's Spooky Saturday! We have been stirring the BID cauldron and casting spells to ensure Spooky Saturday delivers a bumper day of fun and activities for all ages, with a campaign that has spread far and wide across different media outlets and marketing spots. And that's not all.... under the cover of darkness, Canterbury is crackling with Halloween nightlife - from devilish parties, fright nights, creepy cocktail crawls, spooky quizzes, monster clubbing sessions and loads more! Check out our special Fright Night Guide!

Canterbury City Council is currently reviewing and updating their Events Management Policy an would like to hear your thoughts through a new survey. This review is designed to balance the desire for more events in the district, with the need to minimise potential disruption to residents and reduce strain on some of our essential services such as street cleaning. Find out more here:

Time to get planning for the city's festive late-night shopping event! Wednesday 27 November is Canterbury's official Late Night Christmas Shopping day. With advertising going out across the county to promote the event, this is a great opportunity to trial evening shopping with your clients. Not only will Whitefriars and the Christmas Market remain open, but so will the Cathedral Precincts. Here's what's on offer: - Both markets (Whitefriars/St Georges, plus the Cathedral Precincts market) will stay open until 8pm - Park for a £1 at Whitefriars' multi-story car park from 4pm onwards. The other car parks will be charged at the regular price - Festive Snow Showers / Santa's Grotto / Live Music and much more.

Discover Canterbury’s rich history at the first Heritage Expo at Westgate Hall. The city's vibrant past meets its dynamic present on Saturday 9th November at the Westgate Hall. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious to learn more, you can expect a day filled with engaging talks and meeting those who are passionate about keeping Canterbury’s history alive. Find out more and book here:

Booking is now open for our next networking event at Pho! Fancy sampling some authentic Vietnamese street food? Join us at Pho from 12:30-2:00pm on Tuesday 19 November to catch up with other businesses, hear the latest updates from the BID, and taste delicious food. Our lunchtime events are always extra-popular so please make sure you book your space ASAP!

A new arts and creative community hub is launching in the city centre this month ❤️ The former Currys building on the corner of Longmarket has a new purpose, as the HQ of Streets Ahead. Rock Paper Scissors owner Liz Welstead has taken over the premises to launch Streets Ahead project, an Arts and Creative Community Hub with a shop, studio space, exhibitions and more. It has taken an incredible amount of hard work, and the doors will be opening at the end of October. https://buff.ly/4fjoBKr

Two rounds of congratulations from us! Kreston Reeves has won International Firm of the Year at this year's Accounting Excellence Awards, and also picked the Progressive Audit Firm of the Year award 🙌 Craven Street Wealth has also been celebrating after being recognised as one of the top-ranked financial advisory firms in the UK by the Financial Times Advisor publication. Great accolades for two fantastic Canterbury businesses