Chipping Sodbury Tourist Information Centre to open all year after Chauffeurhire agrees to pay heating bill
7:00am Friday 12th July 2013 in News By Alexandra Womack
CHIPPING Sodbury Tourist Information Centre (TIC) is to open all year round, the Gazette can reveal, after a generous offer from a company which relies on visitors.
The centre, based in the clock tower on High Street, has previously only opened between March and November because funding grants did not cover the cost of heating the building during the winter.
However, local coach company Chauffeurhire has now stepped in and offered to pay the centre?s winter heating bills so volunteers can remain on hand to offer information to visitors to the town all year long.
Tourist information centre manager Laura Lee Phillips said: ?The TIC is run by volunteers and receives grants from Sodbury Town Council, Dodington Parish Council and Yate Town Council. Although welcome the grants are not sufficient for the TIC to remain open over the winter.
?Due to numerous requests from locals and businesses, the Committee of the TIC voted to open all year round to satisfy demand. The extra cost of heating the TIC will be met by Chauffeurhire coaches who stepped in when they heard of the shortfall in funding.?
Gary Davies, who owns the travel firm on Hounds Road, said: ?I think this is what our town needs.
?The TIC has been so much busier this year and it would do our town good to stay open all year round.
?It will do us good as a company and I think if you ask other local traders they will say the same.?
Mr Davies said the extra heating bill, estimated at around ?110 a month during winter, should have been met by Sodbury Town Council but councillors voted against picking up the bill at its June 11 meeting.
Added Mr Davies: ?I think it is something the town council should be doing but we were happy to step in and help rather than see it not open all year.?
The TIC is now planning to launch a fundraising appeal to help improve facilities and the services it offers. Some donations from local companies have already been received and the centre is continuing to sell maps, books, pictures and tickets to local events in exchange for funds.
The TIC is open Monday to Saturday (10am?5pm). Call 01454 888686 or email chippingsodburytic@gmail.com if you would like the centre to sell tickets on your behalf or can offer sponsor of the service.
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