Bringing tourists to your door – conference

RICHARD Ingrams, journalist and former editor of Private Eye, will the guest speaker at a conference on how local businesses can make more of the Ridgeway National Trail, which runs through Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

The conference is on October 20, in Streatley-on-Thames. It has been organised by the Ridgeway Partnership in association with the North Wessex Downs AONB and the Chilterns Conservation Board to help the businesses along the route work more closely together to generate more business and improve the experience for visitors.

Mr Ingrams has lived at the foot of the Ridgeway for the last forty years. “I have twice walked the Ridgeway, from my home to Avebury, a distance of 40 miles, in one day. It was exhausting but it is remarkable that it is still possible to walk this path for such a distance across the south of England”.

The Ridgeway is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales, which represent some of the finest walking routes in the country.

The conference is open to everyone with an interest in the Ridgeway – walkers, riders and cyclists as well as those with a business that is dependent on visitors. It’s being held at the midpoint of the Ridgeway in Streatley to bring people together to:

Find out more about social media how it can help to create an online community to help businesses and visitors alike.
Discover how to tap into grant schemes to improve the Ridgeway experience.
Hear about the free marketing tools that are available to attract visitors into the area.

The conference runs 10.30am-1.30pm, with workshops after lunch until 4pm.

To find out more and to book your place (£10 per person) by emailing ridgeway@oxfordshire.gov.uk or download booking form and agenda from www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway.