Wilton Welcomes-
Wilton Community Land Trust and Our Wilton working together!
About the initiative
The concept of the Wilton Welcomes scheme was the idea of local veteran’s wife, Kerry Harvey, who explains her inspiration here
“My husband, Gavin, and I have lived in the local area for the past 10 years. Gavin was very seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2009, we are very lucky in that the local community has always been extremely supportive of our situation which is one of the reasons we chose to settle with our two daughters in a village very local to Wilton. The idea for this scheme came about after holidaying in a small town that had a similar scheme in place, we went into several small cafes and were always offered a free coffee and a gift shop gave us a 10% discount with a lolly pop for our children. It made us feel appreciated and welcome in their little town and, of course, these were the businesses that we revisited frequently throughout the week of our stay. It was lovely to feel appreciated as a veteran’s wife even when Gavin wasn’t with me, itreally made our stay stand out from others and we are already planning our next visit. To have a similar scheme locally, in such a huge military and ex-military community and with such an exciting project such as the Our Wilton Veterans accommodation, will really help to show a warm welcome toall those who are serving and have served. I feel privileged to be involved in the initiative.”
Living and working in close proximity to one of the biggest garrison communities in England we are in the ideal location to really show our thanks for all the work that they do by offering a small discount on services or goods or maybe an exclusive reward scheme. We are aware that an increasing number of service families are also choosing to settle in our area once they leave service and with Veterans’ accommodation coming to the Our Wilton site we ask that you extend your Wilton Welcome to veterans as well as those currently serving.
Businesses – What do I need to do?
It is really simple to join, all you need to do is decide what your business would like to offer, please do not think this has to be a large gesture, all we ask is a very small gesture of goodwill for example, a café may offer a free tea or coffee with other purchases or even a reward stamp scheme that is exclusively for the Wilton Welcomes scheme. Whatever you decide to do, all we ask is that you offer it in the spirit it is intended; to show gratitude for service, past or present.
It costs nothing to join except the cost of a sticker or poster to display!
Naturally, we recognise that commercial organisations need to balance their corporate social responsibility activities with their business interests, so it’s worth highlighting some relevant points. The ‘Our Wilton’ project is the Social Enterprise element of a major private housing development by Redrow Homes called Wilton Hill. Adjacent to ‘Our Wilton’ are 292 new private homes (around 75% complete and occupied), purchased by potential customers. The residents of ‘Wilton Hill’ (and the broader Wilton area) are natural supporters of the ‘Our Wilton’ scheme as the area has well-established links with the UK Armed Forces and its service personnel past and present. We anticipate participants will receive a considerable ‘goodwill boost’ within the local area.
The scheme will be publicised using our local media and social media. We will also be forwarding the details to the local garrisons. You will be able to purchase (at minimal cost) window stickers and posters to advertise your membership on your premises, your business details will also be featured on the Community Land Trust website and the Our Wilton website.
Once you have decided what you would like to offer please request a joining form from zoe.cupit@wiltonclt.com