Film will showcase flood-hit shops ‘Open For Business’

Whalley and Ribchester traders are to star in a short film as part of a national social media campaign aimed at putting flood-affected shops and businesses back on the map.

The national spotlight fell on Ribble Valley in December, when it suffered the worst floods in 50 years.

A Government campaign, #openforbusiness, was launched at Easter featuring a digital map showcasing shops and attractions in flood-affected areas that had reopened.

Ribble Valley businesses directly or indirectly affected by the floods are featured on the map, which is currently the subject of a national advertising campaign.

And now they are to star in a short film produced by Ribble Valley Borough Council in association with Marketing Lancashire and the Department for Communities and Local Government outlining how they have beaten the odds to get back to business.

The film, which will be released on bank holiday weekend, features a series of quirky rhyming couplets and the strapline: Open for Business.

And shoppers and visitors throughout the North are being invited to visit Ribble Valley, particularly Whalley and Ribchester, who took the brunt of the floods, to see what their independent, specialist shops have to offer.
Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Stuart Hirst said: “Some of the businesses featured in the film were badly affected by the floods and have pulled out the stops to reopen in time for the summer season.

“Our message to shoppers and visitors is this: It is ‘business as usual’ in Ribble Valley, which has some first-class specialist shops, and I hope local people will do their bit for the flood-relief by spending an afternoon in Whalley or Ribchester to see what they have to offer.”

According to official figures, in 2014 Ribble Valley attracted 3.7million visitors, who spent £187million and supported 2,754 full-time equivalent jobs.

Whalley is famous for its 13th Century Cistercian abbey, 49-arch viaduct, which is considered a triumph of Victorian engineering, and exclusive shopping, while the ancient riverside village of Ribchester is built on the site of a former Roman fort and its award-winning museum features a Roman helmet discovered in 1797.

Further information about days out in Ribble Valley are available from the Clitheroe Visitor Information Centre on 01200 425566 or visitribblevalley.co.uk.

Pic cap: FROM jewellery on-trend, to a girl’s best friend – Graham Kay of Fully Formed Films, with Leanne Rogers and Lauren Holmes (right), of Sarah Layton Jewellers, Whalley.