The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire March Edition 2013 | Page 14

SPOTLIGHT ON WARMINSTER

Thriving Warminster

Warminster is strategically situated at the junction of
the A36 and A350 with direct links to the M4 motorways.
The Sailsbury Plain dominates the landscape which is used as
a military training area and is home to The Royal Yorkshire
Regiment- based at Battlesbury Barracks in the town.
Although famed for its military connections
this town is a thriving business centre.
Many of the businesses here are steeped
in British tradition such as Warminster
Maltings - the oldest working maltings in
Britain. Warminster is also home to Dents
established in 1777 and famous for making
luxurious leather gloves from their factory
based in the town.
Warminster’s largest employer is Longleat
Safari & Adventure Park which includes the
Center Parcs holiday complex. Longleat has
been one of the UK’s best loved attractions
for over 60 years.
The town is forward thinking and
Warminster Town Council has an Enterprise
Warminster group consisting of various
interested parties from businesses and
local organisations.
The Warminster Parking Partnership
comes under this group, made up of 24
retailers who refund up to the first two
hours of customers’ parking costs on
presentation of a refund voucher issued with
pay and display tickets.
The majority of Enterprise Warminster
members are independent retailers and they
set their own T&Cs as regards minimum
spend. The Town Council then refunds the
retailers on a monthly basis when they bring
in the vouchers they have refunded over
the month. This scheme supports smaller
businesses in mitigating some of the effects
of the parking charges that are set by
Wiltshire Council.
The Enterprise Warminster group has

also been working to support those in the
town who are seeking employment and
is about to hold its third Job Fair on April
3, from 1pm until 5.30pm. The previous
two job fairs have had stands occupied by
a mixture of employers, training providers
and careers advisors. The fairs have been
well received by residents and as a result
Councillor Pip Ridout, the main driving force
behind the initiative, was able to secure
funding to set up a fortnightly job club in
Warminster Library that has been running
for over a year.
Enterprise Warminster is currently
focussing on tourism and looking at how
Warminster can make the most of its
advantageous position in the heart of
Wessex and its great transport links. The
group is looking at the town acquiring
‘Walkers are Welcome’ status and are
working on developing the walking offer in
the area. It is also looking at the needs of
group travel and how better to promote the
accommodation available.
The Town Council is currently working
on its Neighbourhood Plan and is involved
with Wiltshire Council on the campus
project. The campus will bring major
changes to the centre of town, and the
West Urban Extension that is proposed
in the Core Strategy will be a huge new
development to the west of the town. There
is a great deal of discussion on how these
changes will affect the town and how it
looks as a result, so these are exiting times
for Warminster’s future.

Warminster Rugby Club is at
the heart of the town
Warminster Rugby Club is a progressive,
family friendly organisation, open to
all ages and abilities, from 6 to 96, and
welcomes members from all sectors of the
local community.
Currently, it runs two senior men’s sides,
playing league rugby across Wiltshire,
Dorset and Somerset, a veteran’s side
playing social rugby and a plethora of
Minis and Junior teams, starting at U6 and
going right up to U18, who also range far
and wide across the three aforementioned
counties and even into Hampshire. The
Club was founded in 1977, moved to
its current home at Folly Lane in 1997,
where in 2009 the Club members
themselves brought to fruition the design,
procurement and delivery of a superb new
Clubhouse facility, which is now a shining
example to other Clubs of what strong
commitment, collectiveness and team
spirit, the cornerstones of the rugby ethos,
can achieve. It hasn’t looked back since.
The Club is always looking for new
members and is keen