A YEAR ago Ilkley Business Improvement District (BID) launched the Ilkley Gift Card with the aim of locking in spend to the town by encouraging consumers to shop locally.

Since then there has been a total value of £30,000 in gift card sales and the BID team is very pleased with both the level of sales and the uptake from retailers.

Another peak sales period is expected in the run up to the end of the school year as gift cards are purchased as thank you gifts for teachers. This was demonstrated last year when July was a bumper month for sales.

In response Ilkley BID is launching a ‘spend it’ awareness campaign to remind recipients who still have a gift card to redeem it in any of the 90 local participating businesses before the expiration date of one year.

These businesses comprise shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, hair and beauty salons, as well as places to visit like Ilkley Manor House and Ilkley Pool and Lido, and leisure activities like Clip ‘n Climb.

Recent business sign ups to the scheme include Boots on Brook Street and 93 Cycles.

Lisa Drake, Project Coordinator for Ilkley BID, said: “At Ilkley BID, we are passionate about the ‘shop local’ message. The introduction of our gift card has been fantastic for reinforcing that message and encouraging people to think about our local shops and businesses before buying from large online corporations such as Amazon.

“It’s great to see so much support for the concept from businesses as well as consumers; we’re delighted that people have been embracing the idea of buying a gift card to support our amazing array of businesses and we’re very pleased that after a year it’s proving so popular. To buy a gift card for someone is to give them the gift of choice and flexibility as well as to show support for the town that we all love. If you do still have a gift card in your purse and wallet, please check the expiration date and have fun spending it in town!”

Consumers can buy the card pre-loaded with any value from £5 to £500 at the Visitor Information Centre or they can pick up a card at selected retailers to load at home as well as buying online at www.ilkleygiftcard.co.uk.

All the details can be found on the Discover Ilkley website: www.discoverilkley.co.uk