14th May 2012
Aberystwyth has joined the 29 English and Northern Irish towns and cities who have already been awarded with Purple Flag status for their achievements in helping people have a great night out. Aberystwyth has been recognised for showing evening visitors an entertaining, diverse and safe night out and has brought the Purple Flag accreditation to Wales for the first time.Particularly recommended for their provision of late night venues and the feeling of general wellbeing, Aberystwyth achieved a high overall Purple Flag score. The town was commended for having highly visible police presence concentrated in areas of high footfall and it was noted that the feeling of being welcomed as a visitor was very apparent.
Purple Flag is a town and city centre award, similar to the Blue Flag for beaches, backed by Government, police and business. To achieve Purple Flag status, towns and cities must be welcoming to everyone, offer safe ways for visitors to travel home, provide a good mix of venues and be appealing after dark. Purple Flag towns benefit from more visitors, lower crime and anti-social behaviour and improved perceptions of centres.
As a popular university and coastal town, Aberystwyth always strives to create an enjoyable and relaxing evening and night life for visiting tourists as well as for its residents, and we are very grateful for all the hard work from the Purple Flag Partnership that has led to this award.
The Purple Flag initiative is led by the Association of Town Centre Management alongside supporters including Diageo, the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers, Local Government Regulation and many other high profile national bodies, displaying industry wide commitment to this important initiative.
