Bromyard will extend a better welcome to visitors in the future after news emerged that an exciting tourist development is to take shape in the town.
Money from Advantage West Midlands for the Bromyard Better Welcome project looks to likely to be released to fund a tourist attraction in the form of a riverside walk which will feature a landscaped area alongside the River Frome in the Broadbridge area of the town.
Several ideas for the site had been touted by the town council, who own the land, since the Environment Agency ruled that the nearby cemetery could not be extended due to the area’s location on a flood plain.
The area got the go ahead from the town council last month to house a new set of allotments and with funding all but secured for the riverside walk, councillors are hoping the site will prove an unrivalled tourist attraction.
The funding, believed to be around £25,000, is part of a regeneration initiative between Herefordshire Council and Advantage West Midlands for several market towns in the county and will be split between the Shop Front Improvement Scheme for the town and the project at Broadbridge.
“This has been going on since last year,” said Town Councillor Alan Seldon. “We’ve got to the stage now where the money could be released.”
The news marks a high point for the town in recent weeks with the opening of several new businesses likely to boost confidence in the town’s economy.
Several councillors have raised the idea that the town should have a central feature to market to tourists and have identified nearby Ludlow’s reputation for food and Hay-on-Wye’s links with books as good examples.
One such idea is to promote the town as a centre for festivals; currently Bromyard hosts the Town Crier, Scarecrow and Folk Festivals as well as the Gala and Nozstock music festival which attracts around 3,000 people every July.
“I think it’s a good idea because we put on a huge amount,” added Councillor Seldon. “The scarecrow festival I was amazed at because it involved so many sections of the community. That’s got to be good at bringing the community together.”
