Leaders of the Weymouth Business and Improvement District (BID) have outlined their plans for the next year to mark the BID’s first anniversary.

After receiving the yes vote on June 3 last year, the organisation wasted little time in working on its five-year business plan, with the sole aim of improving footfall to the area, and it has announced its latest plans to get more people into the town.

New events in Weymouth are now being planned for the town, and the BID appointed local business consultancy firm Roger Dalton Associates to organise and plan two-yearly events, a Christmas festival and a Maritime festival, which will take place in September The board of elected repre-sentatives has changed numerous times during the past 12 months, but is now jointly chaired by Alistair Clarke and Alison Theobald.

Ms Theobald said: “It has been incredibly busy for Alistair and I since taking over the chairman position in January and we are both very pleased with the projects that are now underway and the progress that has been made.

“The BID has achieved a huge amount in a short space of time the results of which we all hope will become evident over the coming months and years.”

Earlier this year, the board agreed to a campaign to brand the town, with the new WE Welcome logo.

Leaders of the Bid have also invested heavily into their online presence.

The BID website, used by the levy payers, has undergone a revamp and the weareweymouth.co.uk website, which is aimed at tourists and people wanting to visit the town, is set to be launched later this month. Training for the Wey-farer Volunteer pro-gramme, which is based on the Olympic Amb-assadors programme, is now underway and the first batch of volunteers are now in training to hit the streets to advise tourists during this year’s summer season.

The organisation has also invested in footfall cameras, which will be located at different entry points into the town centre.

The cameras will provide regular information on the amount of people in the town during the whole week, and will provide data for the group to analyse and pinpoint areas and times in need of improvement.

Mr Clarke added: “Being involved with the BID has opened my eyes to Weymouth with everything it has to offer, but it has also highlighted the need to invest in the town’s future. “Weymouth BID is run by committed volunteers who really want to make a difference in the town.

“During the first year we have worked on many projects, but I think the Weymouth Weyfarer volunteering project has been the best one to work on as we have found a great team of people willing to give up their time to promote the town they love so much.

“The Weymouth BID is working on so many fantastic projects ranging from brand new events like the maritime festival in September to out of season marketing campaigns, there is so much to do.”