Cheltenham awarded prestigious Purple Flag for the ninth year in a row

The nationally recognised Purple Flag award is given to towns and cities that have an appealing, safe and welcoming evening and night-time economy.

Similar to the Blue Flag for beaches, the Purple Flag aims to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of town and city centres between 5pm and 5am.

The annual award, made by the national Association of Town & City Management, assesses qualities such as safety, diversity, vibrancy, accessibility, cleanliness and partnership working, and it gives positive reassurance to those people planning a night out in the town.

Key successes in Cheltenham's submission include the growing offer of new food and leisure venues, the focused approach to safety through stakeholder engagement and training, and the fantastic events schedule, particularly the success of hosting the Cheltenham Races.

Cllr Victoria Atherstone, cabinet member for safety and communities, said: “What a fantastic achievement! Cheltenham’s evening and night-time economy has once again been recognised as a safe night out for us all. Independently assessed each year, our town has been accredited with its ninth consecutive Purple Flag award. This is all thanks to Cheltenham’s wonderful local businesses and the council’s strong partnership work with key support organisations and individuals, we appreciate all that you do.

“Cheltenham is a great place for exploring our wonderful evening and night-time economy, whether that’s restaurants, pubs, clubs or our wide range of entertainment activities. Together we continue to work hard to make nights out as safe as possible so that everyone has a positive experience.

I would like to congratulate our local businesses, the council team and all our local partners. It is an amazing achievement for everyone involved.”

Francesca Inman, chief executive at Cheltenham BID, said: “Cheltenham achieving Purple Flag status for the ninth consecutive year is a testament to the towns commitment in providing a safe, thriving, welcoming environment for everyone to enjoy. This recognition reflects the collective efforts across our businesses, community and local authorities working together to make sure our town remains a premier destination for both residents and visitors. We are incredibly proud of this achievement and remain dedicated to maintaining the high standards that Purple Flag represents now and in the future.”

Find out more about Cheltenham’s Purple Flag status and night-time economy.

For media enquiries, contact: communications, telephone 01242 264231, email [email protected]

Notes:

The Purple Flag programme was developed following the Civic Trust’s “Night Vision” report in 2006 and is now managed by the Association of Town & City Management.

Purple Flag is:

An accreditation process similar to Green Flag Award for parks and Blue Flag for beaches. It leads to Purple Flag status for town centres that meet or surpass the standards of excellence in managing the evening and night-time economy.

A comprehensive set of standards, management processes and good practice examples designed to help transform town and city centres at night.

A research, training and development programme, to help towns and cities improve their evening and night-time economy.

A positive initiative that indicates an entertaining, diverse, safe and enjoyable night out.