Wishing all our members a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2024

Welcome

Wishing all our members a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2024.

As you may have seen in the Shropshire Star and the latest Visit Shropshire newsletter, tourism boosted the Shropshire economy by £767.23 million last year, according to a new report.

Let’s make 2024 bigger and better!

In this newsletter:

Save the Date for our 2024 Leaflet Swap
2023 In Review and Plans for 2024
Boost your Social Media presence
Visit England launches Accessibility Toolkits
Meeting Dates for 2024
Membership Renewal & Benefits.

2023 In Review & Plans for 2024

If you missed the AGM you might not be aware of all the things we’ve achieved this year – here’s just a few of them:

Here’s what we are planning to bring you in 2024:

SOCIAL MEDIA SKILLS TRAINING
More on how to get the best out of your social media, including how to use Artifical Intelligence (AI) and getting the best from your images.

BRUSH UP YOUR LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Do you yearn to know more about the Shropshire Hills, its history and heritage? We are planning some events that might just help – watch this space for more details.

MEMBERS-ONLY PHOTO ‘SHARING’ COMPETITION
A chance to showcase your photography skills, while at the same time opening up a treasure trove of images that you can use across your social media and website.

MORE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
We’d like to bring you more face-to-face networking opportunities – think ‘business breakfasts’ (but at a more suitable time for accommodation and attraction businesses!) and meet-ups, possibly combined with some of the above activities.

…BUT we need your help! We are a small committee of volunteers with busy ‘day jobs’ so we can only do so much – if you have any skills or time that you can give us to help achieve the above then please email info@visitshropshirehills.co.uk.
Thank you!

Boost Your Social Media Presence

Are you making the most of the Visit Shropshire Hills Instagram and Facebook platforms? Have you been featured or had some of your own content shared? Our social media accounts are here for YOU and using them really can help boost your social media presence and increase your audience.

Here’s how you can tap into the 1000s of VSH followers:
– Tag your content by using @visitshropshirehills in your caption on either Facebook or Instagram (or both!)
– On Instagram, add the @visitshropshirehills tag to your images
– Use the hashtag #visitshropshirehills
– Let us know if you would like to be featured – see an example here
– Follow other businesses in the Visit Shropshire Hills group and of course, make sure you’re following us! – see links below.

How Accessible is your Business?

In case you missed it in the latest VisitEngland newsletter, they have launched a new ‘Accessible and Inclusive Toolkit for Tourism Businesses’ in England.

The toolkit includes practical guidance on providing an inclusive welcome, designing accessible buildings, employing disabled people and creating quality accessibility information.

The free toolkit includes case studies, top 20 tips and downloadable business specific actionable checklists to plan and prioritise improvements, as well as more aspirational technical design guidance.

Download the Guide HERE

Upcoming Committee Meetings

Dates for 2024 VSH Committee meetings are as follows (all via Zoom at 14:30):
Tuesday 6^th February
Tuesday 12^th March
Tuesday 23^rd April
Tuesday 11^th June
Tuesday 3^rd September
Tuesday 22^nd October
Tuesday 3^rd December.

AGM – provisional date
Thursday 14^th November (time & venue TBC).

If you have anything you’d like to raise please email info@visitshropshirehills.co.uk

Membership Renewal and Benefits

We very much hope that you will be renewing your membership for 2024. Here’s a reminder of just a few of the benefits of being a
Visit Shropshire Hills member:

– Listing on our website, www.visitshropshirehills.co.uk

– Invitation to attend the annual Leaflet Swap – pick up leaflets, network with other members and attend talks and workshops at the event

– Newsletters with events, help, training resources and more

– Familiarisation trips (plus other activities through year)

– Representation at county and national level

– Social post shares and features using the hashtag #visitshropshirehills…we now have OVER 3,500 FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM and 1,200 on FACEBOOK, so any posts will reach plenty of people

– and more….

Click here for more details.

Membership Information