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Brian Loftus
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16/11/2006 14:33
Babergh Matters
I have recently received my Autumn 06 copy of Babergh Matters and in the middle page spread entitled Plenty To Do In Babergh in would appear that it should have been subtitled As Long As You're Not In Hadleigh. Do Babergh believe that Hadleigh closes for the winter?
In the column about Tourist Information Centres there is no mention of the Tourist Information Point in Hadleigh Library.
No Hadleigh attractions are listed as being open during the winter - Kingfisher Leisure Centre is listed but there is no mention of Hadleigh Leisure Centre or Hadleigh Pool.
The Autumn Craft Fair, Xmas Street Fair and Street Lighting Up Ceremony, and Skating in the Market Place are just a few of the local events which don't seem to get a mention under Community Events in Babergh - the dates for the first two of these having been published since the beginning of the year and being readily available from Hadleigh Town Council if confirmation were needed.
As we are all paying for the production of this publicity brochure where Babergh can pat itself on the back and charge us for the privilege, is it asking too much that Hadleigh can be included, particularly as Babergh's Head Office is actually based in the town.
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Paul Simon
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16/11/2006 14:58
It takes two to publicise!
As far as I can see, Brian Loftus articulates two questions.
The answer to the first is no.
The answer to the second is Babergh will certainly strive to publicise more Hadleigh and area events should it include a similar article in future editions of Babergh Matters!
However, there is also a responsibility upon event organisers to be more thorough in their marketing. The Communications Unit at Babergh has received no publicity from any of the events being organised - it is not good enough to assume that your marketing will be picked up by those not on your database.
So, a practical suggestion - send us details of your Hadleigh events and we will try to include them in a relevant publication - including our staff magazine.
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Brian Loftus
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16/11/2006 16:12
One third of a reply
I note and agree with Paul Simon's comments regarding the responsiblity upon event organisers to be thorough in their marketing and I will respond on that point when I have clarified some facts as I had been informed that event details had been passed to Babergh some time ago.
However with regard to the section on Tourist Information Centres and the section on Local Attractions, there appears to be no answer from him. Surely Babergh is aware of the existence of the Tourist Information Point at Hadleigh Library, Hadleigh Leisure Centre and especially, at the moment, Hadleigh Swimming Pool or is he expecting them to remind him every quarter that they are still there.
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Cyndy Hilton
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17/11/2006 20:37
Babergh Matters
It was truly saddening to see that Hadleigh appears to be on a different planet. I endorse Brian's view that omission of the tourist centre details must be laid at Babergh's door. Perhaps that could also be said of the lack of any shopping details. Or maybe even mention of the Guildhall. Could it even have made the grade as a market town listed as one of the country's most valuable, therefore worth a visit? Much of this information is already available on this website and could easily have been included. Paul's reply is interesting and begs the question of how items are selected for this article. To be fair, maybe Hadleigh is a bit slow in forwarding information so I suggest all Hadleigh organisations bombard Babergh with details of events, attractions etc as soon as the details are available. Wouldn't want to miss any deadlines.....
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Paul Simon
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20/11/2006 15:43
Targeting not bombarding!
Cyndy
Hadleigh 's tourist information point offers a much narrower service than the various TICs and since the article was promoting those functions available at the latter (including the sale of local produce), it naturally didn't reference the Hadleigh element. Maybe, with a different editorial focus, it could do so next time?
As to 'bombarding' Babergh with event details etc. - I would suggest that that might not be the most effective way for the town to get its message across. Surely, it would be better for the C of C and others, to target key relevant departments at Babergh (namely the Tourism and Comms Teams) with the information?
Neither of those teams has received any information about Hadleigh events to date.
However, more positively we are always on the look out for good news stories that help promote our towns and villages and we do strive to cover Hadleigh within those. Recent issue of Babergh Matters! have included articles on the Hadleigh guided walks scheme and on Celeotex.
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Brian Loftus
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20/11/2006 17:14
Two thirds of an answer
Paul Simon has still not answered the point as to whether Babergh is aware of the existence of the Hadleigh Leisure Centre and especially, at the moment, Hadleigh Swimming Pool regarding their omission from the things to do in Babergh in the winter and, from his earlier answer, whether he is expecting them to remind him every quarter that they are still there.
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Paul Simon
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21/11/2006 07:41
Marketing responsibilities
Since both are managed by organisations other than Babergh (don't forget that Hadleigh Pool is managed by South Suffolk Leisure Trust), it would seem sensible for them to regularly target any messages they wish to convey to third parties - including the District Council.
As to whether they should do this on a quarterly basis as suggested by Brian Loftus is not for Babergh to comment upon.
Perhaps Mr Loftus would care to contact these (and other) organisations and advise them of his ideas?
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Chris Edgar
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22/11/2006 07:37
notification of events
Paul, two questions, specifically who would I send notification of upcoming events to and when would the cut off date be prior to publication?
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Paul Simon
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22/11/2006 09:05
Contacts
Chris
I think that in the first instance you should send any information to me in the Communications Unit.
I also think that there are two main publications which could be useful for Hadleigh C of C (and related groups') publicity, namely:
Talking Shop - a monthly magazine circulated to all Babergh staff and Councillors. The deadline for that would be two weeks prior to publication date (eg mid December 2006 for the January 2007 issue)
Babergh Matters! - a twice -yearly publication distributed to all 38,000 homes in the district. Although the precise publication dates vary (although they are always within the late spring/early summer and late autumn periods), it would be helpful to have your content ideas by early March and early September respectively.
Hope this helps.
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Chris Edgar
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28/11/2006 20:25
deadlines
Paul, thanks for the information.
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Brian Loftus
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30/01/2007 12:16
Internal Communication (or lack of it)
My apologies for the delay in coming back with the information as to where in Babergh District Council the event details had been passed. I can now confirm that they were emailed to Susie Tyrrell who was at that time, and I believe still is, the Arts and Community Development Officer on 1 February 2006.
I would have though that if Paul and his department were planning to produce a centre spread in Babergh Matters detailing community events in Babergh one of the first people that they would contact would be their own Arts and Community Development Officer.
Paul would do well to remember that he and his department, like the other employees of Babergh District Council, are in fact public servants paid for by the public to provide a service to that public. Perhaps the emphasis ought to shift to reflect this and a more pro-active service might therefore be a good idea.
On another note, as I plan to take up his suggestion of 21/11/06 and contact South Suffolk Leisure Trust (SSLT) regarding the omission of Hadleigh Swimming Pool from the list of Attractions Open During The Winter, I would be grateful if he could confirm that SSLT only supplied his department with details of Kingfisher Leisure Centre and omitted any details for Hadleigh Swimming Pool.
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Paul Simon
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30/01/2007 15:12
Positive partnerships
I wonder whether Mr Loftus' considerable energy would be better channeled in promoting future events in Hadleigh rather than information retrieval?
As yet the Communications Unit has not been made aware of any specific events that the business community wishes to publicise, although I hope that our meeting with Tony and Cyndy next week will help in this regard.
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Paul Simon
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15/02/2007 10:46
Promotional opportunity
There is a possibility that the June issue of Babergh Matters! may carry some 'What's On?'-style editorial.
So this is a chance for the Hadleigh Chamber of Commerce and other regulars to this site to send as much information as possible regarding local events scheduled to take place later in the summer.
I fully anticipate that my email inbox will soon be groaning under the weight of your emails!
paul.simon@babergh.gov.uk
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Paul Simon
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10/04/2007 13:22
An opportunity missed?
Oh, dear.
In spite of our requests for information promoting Hadleigh, we have received absolutley, er, nothing.
We will be running another 'what's on?' article in the June issue of Babergh Matters! and would love to include something about Hadleigh. Please could Brian Loftus and others who wish to promote any specific events, contact me as soon as possible with the material they would like to see included.
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