Visit Bath is the city’s official tourism agency which has always been on hand to welcome and inform our visitors about what this World Heritage tourist mecca has to offer.
Like us – they must be hoping Bath can open its doors again very soon – so much of our business and local authority revenue comes from the hundreds and thousands of people who come here.
The agency is also very aware of how many businesses and organisations are suffering at the moment and have come up with an initiative called Pay it Forward and it’s a way we can do our bit to support our own traders.
People reading this elsewhere in the UK or overseas may also be interested in helping.
Emma Frayling from Visit Bath writes:
“Pay it Forward’ in Bath – how you can support the many businesses and organisations you know and love in the city currently closed during these uncertain times.
Purchasing a voucher or gift card to be used later in the year or making a donation is a great way to help many of the tourism and hospitality businesses right now while you stay home and stay safe.
Here are some of those with ways to Pay it Forward in Bath…
Food and Drink
Plant-based cookery school Demuths offers a wide variety of classes across different cuisines and skill levels, inspiring vegan ways of working with food. Their gift vouchers– valid for 12 months – make a great present for food lovers and can delivered immediately by email or sent as a handwritten voucher by post.
Buy a voucher to help recently opened restaurant and bar The Walcot on Walcot Street. The restaurant serves contemporary British cuisine with a European twist and is set in a 1960’s industrial bakery flooded with natural light. Vouchers and valid for 1 year and can be used on all food and drink.
Support Sweet Little Things tearoom and bakery in the city centre by purchasing a gift voucher. Treat yourself to a delicious afternoon tea, lunch or brunch once the cafe is open again.
As well as ordering a box of brownies from the Good Day Café, you can also support them by buying a gift voucher or a branded coffee gift set from their website.
Buy a gift card for local favourite Noya’s Kitchen – look forward to lunchtime Vietnamese dishes, a Thursday curry evening or a weekend 5-course supper club.
Shopping and gifts
The Bath Gift Card is the perfect present for any occasion and a great way to support local businesses. It is accepted across the city in over 200 businesses from shops and restaurants, hotels and bars to museums, beauty salons plus many more.
If you’re looking for a gift for an interior lover – Neptune who have store and café on Walcot Street, offer gift cards that can be sent directly to the person you are giving it tovia the post in a wallet or as an e-voucher direct to their inbox.
Beauty and Hair
Number Three Hair Salon on Saville Row is currently closed to clients. Gift vouchers from £20 to £150 can be purchased by calling 01225 443222 or by emailing hello@numberthreebath.com.
Ubiety, the Bath based beauty and personal care brand is selling gift cards as well as their products online. 100% of profits go to Dorothy House Hospice Care to provide end of life care to patients, their families and carers – so this really is the gift that gives twice. The plant-based range includes candles, diffusers, hand lotions and face mists.
Museums and Galleries
Bath Preservation Trust are looking to raise £5,000 to help ensure day-to-day maintenance of their four museums – No. 1 Royal Crescent, Beckford’s Tower and Museum, Museum of Bath Architecture and Herschel Museum of Astronomy – as well as continue with campaigning work for the protection and enhancement of Bath’s architectural and historical environment.
The Holburne Museum has been at the cultural heart of Bath for over 130 years. While they are keeping in touch with their community through creative online activities, as an independent charity, the loss of income is a great threat to the museums’ existence. They are asking art lovers and their supporters to donate what they can to help them through the current crisis.
Bath Artists Studio supports Bath’s community of artists, giving them an affordable space to work, teach and develop their creative practice. Over the years the studio has provided a home to hundreds of artists and given enjoyment for thousands via classes, events and exhibitions. A donation will help ensure that they can continue to meet the costs of running and maintaining their premises, whilst the current closure to the public and their member artists is causing a loss of income.
Experiences and attractions
Although not flying at the moment, Bailey Balloons flight vouchers are still available and will be valid for 12 months from when the flying season starts again. They are also giving the option to pay £40 now and the rest in July.
Support Komedia, one of Bath’s main entertainment venues with a voucher while they are temporarily closed. Valid for 1 year they can be used to purchase tickets for any future show.
Carters Steam Fair is a vintage travelling known in Bath for its annual visit to Royal Victoria Park. They have come up with several ideas to help support them through this period so they can return to Bath in the future. These include: gift experiences that can be used on the rides and attractions and give more free rides than usual, virtual sign-writing and fairground art courses, personalisation of one of the dodgem cars and the opportunity to buy limited–edition Carters Fair posters, books and tote bags.
The Theatre Royal is calling on theatre lovers for donations to help ensure work can continue behind the scenes, so that when it does open its doors again it will continue to be a significant part of the community bringing the best of theatre to Bath.
For film lovers a Tivoli gift card can put towards food, refreshments and future cinema tickets.
Hotels, places to stay and spa days
Brooks Guest House, who have Bed & Breakfast properties in Bath and in Bristol, have gift vouchers – valid for 12 months – that can be put towards romantic stays or Christmas breaks.
For some luxury to look forward to, The Royal Cresent Hotel & Spa has a variety of gift vouchers to purchase for breaks, spa days, treatments, wine and dine dinners and afternoon teas to use once the hotel is open again.
Boutique hotel No. 15 GP also have vouchers available for breaks, spa days and afternoon teas, valid for 18 months from the date of purchase.
Support the Pig Hotel at Hunstrete with a choice of vouchers including a 3-course dinner or lunch or an overnight stay.
Purchase a gift voucher and plan a spa day, afternoon tea or dining experience at Homewood Park Hotel just outside the city.
Given the uncertainty of when and how normality might return, it would serve these businesses well to remove 12 months (or all?) validity period clauses. To be attractive, the vouchers should aim to be as gilt-edged as possible.