As the city gears up for the annual Belfast In Bloom competition the Destination CQ Business Improvement District team are getting in on the act.
BID Manager Damien Corr has committed to “brightening up the streets” of the Cathedral Quarter starting this week with Winetavern Street in Smithfield.
Working in partnership with Belfast City Council the Destination CQ BID team have arranged for a number of hanging baskets to be installed throughout Winetavern Street in a bid to brighten up the area for the summer months.
Damien Corr, BID Manager, said: “We’re delighted to be able to facilitate this partnership with Belfast City Council by providing the funding for the council to plant, hang and maintain these new hanging baskets in the area.
“Our offering is in addition to baskets that have already been installed in the area by Belfast City Council.
“Smithfield is an important and historic part of our city and home to many independent retailers in the Cathedral Quarter.
“We are committed to working with the traders in the area, and across the district to make CQ even more appealing to shoppers coming into the city.
“Whilst providing these hanging baskets is a modest gesture at this time, they form part of a BID wide plan to continue to make the Cathedral Quarter as appealing as possible to locals and visitors alike.”
Destination CQ BID is an organisation democratically established by businesses in the local area to invest in and deliver projects that improve the local trading environment, drive down business costs and raise the area’s profile.
Traders on Winetavern Street include the Oldtime Favourites sweet shop, locksmithni.com, Voodoo Soup Records, City Centre Sports, House of Healing, Humming B Beautiful, The Alexander barbers and Mystiques Enchantments holistic shop among others.
Damien added: “After a long year of reduced footfall and business in the area the hanging baskets are just one way to add a little colour to this well known independent trader’s street in the city.
“We’re looking forward to delivering a number of other street aesthetics projects over the coming months to improve the Cathedral Quarter and remind people it’s a great destination for tourism, culture, creativity, innovation, and business.”
For more information about Destination CQ BID go to cathedralquarterbelfast.com