The Malmesbury Town Team was set up in 2014 as a direct result of the decision to allow the Waitrose store development.

The Town Team is a group of volunteers representing various Malmesbury bodies including our Town Council, Residents Association, Abbey, Wiltshire Councillor and various individuals with retail commercial backgrounds. We exist to promote trade in our town, encouraging local residents and visitors alike to shop, eat and drink locally

Following a professional survey of shopper’s habits, we have put a detailed action plan and programme of activities to promote Malmesbury; its retailers, attractions, hospitality locations and businesses.

This programme aims to appeal to local residents, regional residents, UK and overseas visitors, the travel trade and wider media.

We take a collaborative approach building on and showcasing the terrific work of many community groups, businesses, attractions and organisations in Malmesbury.

We created a promotional brand identity for Malmesbury suitable for the immediate and long term digital and traditional marketing activities.

We planned and built an extensive website discovermalmesbury.life – again designed for use by the local community, UK and overseas visitors, travel trade and media.

The website includes downloadable maps, events, important historical features and stories and information on retailers, attractions and businesses.

We set up and manage a structured programme of social media platforms engagement posts, competitions and linked activities designed to inform, entice and direct locals and visitors to visit both the website and the town.

We place features and adverts online and in print media promoting Malmesbury. This information is featured in widely recognised and distributed publications including Discover Britain, Visit England and the soon to be launched Great West Way consumer magazine where over 100,000 copies will be distributed at key attractions, airports, stations and other outlets in the UK and overseas. We also promote through local publications.

We created a highly acclaimed Town Guide – admired by many other towns and distribute up to 20,000 of these a year locally through retailers, businesses and attractions and to other town Tourist Information Centres and hotels in a 30-mile radius which includes Bath and Bristol.

We established the Friday market & funded stalls (with 50% grant from Wiltshire Council) and provided advertising and promotional support

We have supported three years of subsidised two hours free parking at Station Yard in partnership with the Town Council

We regularly provide information and promotional material for local events which may be large or small such as The Boondocks Festival, the Eclipse Balloon Flight, Late Night Christmas Shopping, the Abbey lit up for World Pancreas Day, taking the lead on numerous activities in conjunction with the Town Council.

We are the delivery agent for the town’s Designate Ambassador role & activities with the Great West Way, England’s newest touring route.

As part of this work, the town will be featured in a new Rough Guide book soon to be published and we recently hosted a visit of 11 International Tour Operators to the town in conjunction with many local attractions.

Malmesbury promotion activities mirror those of much larger towns and even cities. We are recognised amongst areas of the Travel Trade community as the ‘Small Town’ with a big voice!

Future Plans…

Virtual Malmesbury – experience Malmesbury now and then will encourage residents and visitors to spend more time discovering and experiencing the fantastic history and facilities Malmesbury has to offer. Through exciting visual, augmented, written and oral information will be accessible from a number of locations around the town.

Malmesbury’s very own Gift Card Gift will help promote local businesses and the aim is to lock in additional spend for participating businesses. The card will drive footfall to the town centre and stimulate additional economic activity.

We also have some exciting plans to improve signage.