BID chief hits the ground running to roll out initiatives to boost Clonmel's economy

May Stokes hit the ground running two weeks into her new role as Clonmel Business Improvement District company's CEO by announcing a Christmas ice rink at Market Place. And now she is working with the company's board to launch a Safety on the Streets scheme for the town.

These are the first of a wide range of initiatives Clonmel BID will roll out over the next five years to boost the prosperity and vibrancy of Tipperary's county town, particularly its retail centre that has suffered decline in recent years.

May says she feels proud and privileged to be appointed CEO of Clonmel BID and excited about the prospect of working over the next five years to deliver valuable initiatives for the town's business community.

“There is so much potential in Clonmel, it just needs a bit more attention and resources,” said the native of Birr in county Offaly, who has lived in Kilsheelan for the past 14 years.

The BID company's establishment was formally approved at Tipperary County Council's June meeting after a plebiscite of the town's 986 ratepayers delivered a massive 85% vote in favour of setting up the company.

The 19 proponents of Clonmel BID, who are mostly local business owners, have drawn up a five-year action plan centred on five pillar areas: Safety on the Streets, Marketing and Promotion of Clonmel, Revitalisation and Infrastructure, Business Supports, Tourism and Visitor Experience.

It's the task of the company's CEO and 11-member board chaired by Patrick O'Gorman and comprising local business people, the sitting Mayor of Clonmel and Clonmel Borough District's Director of Services to deliver the plan's goals up to 2031 when ratepayers will vote again on whether to continue the BID for another five years. The company has set up a series of sub-committees to deliver the action plan's recommendations.

“I think businesses in Clonmel know exactly what businesses in Clonmel need for the town to work well,” says May.

“It makes sense that they come together to make decisions and drive some change for their own environment. It has been done so well in other areas.”

She has been bowled over by the level of support in the town for the BID company and has received many texts, LinkedIn messages and phone calls welcoming her since she started on September 1.

“Everyone is so supportive of the role and potential of Clonmel BID. There is so much goodwill. The whole town is behind it; it really feels that way.”

Clonmel BID's first announcement that the long-time vacant former Superquinn premises at Market Place is to be transformed into an ice rink called Clonmel on Ice from mid-November to mid-January has received widespread welcome and created a much-needed positive buzz around the town centre ahead of the festive season. The rink will now be accompanied by an outdoor Christmas market in Market Place on the two weekends before Christmas.

May says Clonmel on Ice is a great way to start their campaign and the public reaction has been brilliant.

“The company that runs Clonmel on Ice say the bookings are flying in. We hope to get over 20,000 people through the ice rink between November and January.”

She urged Clonmel businesses to make the most of the extra visitors the ice rink will bring into the town centre by having special promotions, meal deals, discounts and extending their opening hours to encourage people to eat, drink and shop in the town before or after their visit to the rink.

May and the 11-member BID board are also preparing to announce a Safety on the Streets initiative for the town.

She says they are working collaboratively with gardaí at Clonmel Garda Station to roll out the project that will include a Purple Pulse app where business people can record incidents of anti-social behaviour and crime they observe around them.

May says the bank of data collected on the app will help inform gardaí of what areas are experiencing issue and at what time of the day and week. The data collected will also assist gardaí when they are making a case for more garda resources for the town.

“Safety on the streets has been the number one concern of most ratepayers. It's the one thing everyone mentions to me. The intiative will be about helping business owners feel empowered when it comes to safety and anti-social behaviour challenges.

“Garda resources is a big issue and we are working with the gardaí on how to help them build a case for more (garda) resources on the streets of the town.”

Reducing the vacancy rate of business premises in the town is another of Clonmel BID company's key goals.

“It's one of those unfortunate realities in Clonmel that the vacancy rate is high. But there is huge engagement, drive and focus to improve the appearance of the town.

“We will be working with property owners, estate agents and businesses to work out how to reduce vacant properties, be that pop-up shops or an ice-rink in a building vacant 10 years.

May says she will also be working with Tipperary County Council Town Regeneration Officer Shane Grogan on what the BID company can do to best market Clonmel to attract more businesses.

May reveals that like Christmas, Clonmel BID is also planning to expand Clonmel's St Patrick's Day festivities next year to bring more people into the town, and will be consulting with the town's businesses about what they want in the coming months.

May brings a wealth of experience in communications and marketing to her new role. After completing a degree in Communications, Media, Film and Broadcasting at DIT in Dublin, she worked in advertising first with Spin Radio in Dublin then in London with the publisher of glossy magazines like Red and Elle.

When she moved to Australia in 2006, she worked in advertising for an Australian women's magazine similar to Good Housekeeping and then moved into online advertising.

She met her husband Will Stokes, a farmer from Kilsheelan, during a visit home to attend a friend's wedding in Clonmel. He joined her in Australia for a number of years and the couple returned to live in Kilsheelan in 2012.

May points out that she has ties to Clonmel dating back to her teens as one of her close friends is from the town. She remembers attending Dano's disco during her visits to Clonmel and recalls was a very buzzy and busy town back then with a vibrant nightlife.

Once settled back in Ireland, May moved into marketing, working with the Griffin Hotel Group, 360 Marketing Consultancy, Merlyn Showering in Kilkenny and with a travel company in Cashel that specialised in guided limo and van chauffeur tours for tourists around Ireland.

For the past four years, she worked with Curraghmore Whiskey based at the Curraghmore Estate in Portlaw, marketing its two whiskey brands made from grain grown on the estate.

A key reason she applied for the role of Clonmel BID CEO was that she wanted to work in a job that would benefit her three-year-old son Patrick in the long term.

“I love Clonmel and I really want it to be a positive, healthy, thriving place for Patrick as he grows up,” she points out.

The experience and expertise of other BID companies in towns and cities around the country has been a vital source of support and inspiration for those involved in setting up the Clonmel BID company.

Sligo, Dundalk, Drogheda, Sandyford in Dublin and the Grafton Quarter in Dublin city centre all have BID companies.

May says they have received a lot of help and advice from the BID team in Sligo where the company has been up and running for 10 years.

“All towns have different challenges but Sligo would be the closest in similarity to Clonmel in terms of location, size and type of town. It has a fantastic BID company that has delivered so much for that town from retail to boosting the night-time economy to tourism.”

Closer to home, May believes there is a lot Clonmel can learn from what Kilkenny is doing in terms of promoting its heritage, food, shopping and sport to attract people into the city. She wants Clonmel to have the same confident and positive vibe that Kilkenny exhudes.

The establishment of Clonmel BID coincided with another very positive development - the Government allocating the first substantial tranche of funding for regeneration of the town centre.

In the same week, BID's Clonmel on Ice Christmas plans were unveiled last month, Minister James Browne announced €13m Urban Regeneration & Development Funding (URDF) for a public realm facelift of O'Connell St., Mitchell St., Abbey St. and Bank Lane and transformation of the area around the derelict DW Parkes chemists on Gladstone Street into the Clonmel Pharmacy Historical Quarter including a museum.

“It's really fantastic, welcome news. It just shows the commitment of everyone to pull any resources available to make Clonmel a better place,” says May.

“I know there are some great public representatives working hard to maximise the funding that Clonmel can receive.

“It's up to us to make the most of that funded development in a way that works well for businesses.”

May's office is based at the Regus building on Gladstone Street in the heart of the town centre.

She says she works there from 8.30am to 5pm from Monday to Friday and is available to talk to anyone with ideas and proposals on how to improve Clonmel as a town to live, work and socialise.

May also encourages people to check out Clonmel BID's new website www.clonmelbid.com along with its Facebook. Instagram and Linked-In accounts for information on the company and updates on its projects for Clonmel.