There was good news for local businesses when the Skegness Area Chamber held its annual trade show - East Lincs Expo. As well as helping the hospitality industry prepare for the 2025 season, Connected Coast was there to announce more government funding is on its way. Barry Robinson went along to find out more...
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00:00Times may be tough for local businesses but there was some good news when the Skegness
00:05area chamber held its annual trade show. As well as helping the hospitality industry prepare for
00:13the 2025 season, Connected Coast was there to announce more government funding is on its way
00:19to the area. Barry Robinson went along to find out more. Tell me about the event, how long it's
00:25been running and how many stands there is here today? So Eastlands Expo and its current guys
00:31have been running for, this is a third year and we've effectively inherited the old caterex which
00:38was head of the Richmond Holiday Complex for many many years. We've had the expo here at Southview
00:43Hotel for three years now, this is the third year and again we're seeing lots of new standholders
00:49this year and an increased take up of visitors so we've got over 200 people registered via our
00:55Eventbrite site and many many more people expected on the day to come along and see what
01:00these businesses have to offer. So we're expecting a reasonable turnout today? Yeah, so last year
01:07we hit the 200 mark just over so we're hoping to increase that significantly this year so I'm
01:12secretly hoping for maybe a 50% uptick in that but we'll see at the end of the day when we
01:17count up our numbers. Now face with running costs for businesses and everything else, how hopeful
01:22are you for the year ahead this year that business is going to make it and it's not going
01:26to be quite as bad as last year? Yeah so again businesses all over the country and on the coast
01:32is no different you know they're always facing new challenges of rising costs and rising wages
01:37costs in particular this year but our economy our local economy and local businesses you know
01:41they're very resilient and they always find a way to to make it work and with rising living
01:49costs of course comes the opportunity for local businesses that potentially people from from
01:54around the country might might spend more time in the UK holidaying this year rather than going
01:58abroad so sometimes bizarrely in a time of rising costs the local visitor economy can actually do
02:04can do well. And I know we're about a year in advance like but if anyone wants to book for
02:09next year obviously it'll still go ahead next year. How to contact you? Email address, phone number?
02:15Yeah well I think that the best thing I'd say if they're seeing this today is come along come along
02:18to the Expo today and introduce yourself I guess is that is the first thing I'd say but yeah so
02:22these links Expo websites live as is the Skegness area. Connected Coast you're here to fly the flag
02:29for Skegness what's going to be new in 2025 can you give us any pointers? Yeah absolutely so we're
02:34here to give an update and share our latest annual report and talk about the projects that are
02:40underway and what we do for completion and carrying on over the next year so the big one is you've
02:45probably seen it is the Skegness learning campus it's under development and that's all on schedule
02:53so that's coming on this year. You've also might have seen there's a number of improvements going
02:57on at the Skegness railway station and if you've been in the town centre you might have seen the
03:03improvements at Allison for example a number of town centre businesses are being improved plus
03:09together with the town council Heritage Lincolnshire has worked to bring improvements
03:13to Tower Gardens so lots going on also the Embassy Theatre work's now underway to bring
03:19improvements so you'll see quite a lot happening this year as the projects start to
03:25gather pace and come to completion. Is there any little snip bits we're not supposed to know yet
03:31what's coming up? No I think to be honest with you everything's in here it's our annual report so we've
03:36given a big update that the new news really is that we're also here today because the government
03:42has announced some additional funding for the area and that's going to start from next year
03:48and what we really want to do is to get people to come along and tell us their thoughts and ideas
03:53we did some consultation last year but today we also want to hear people to tell us their ideas
03:58and tell us their kind of ambition for Skegness for the next 10 years so please do drop by and
04:05talk to us. And if people want to get in touch with Connected Coast email address phone number? Yes so
04:10we are on Connected Coast online and you can email us you can come and pick up one of these cards
04:17we're connected.coast-lindsay.gov.uk
04:26Hi we're with Lock-Up Luggage Skegness here there's the two of them.
04:32How do you think it's going to be this year with business being hard and everything else you know
04:37inflation going through the roof how do you think Skegness is going to suffer this year?
04:42Oh god that's a hard question. I think it's down to private caravan owners and stuff they've got
04:48to try and maintain their prices and hotels and stuff they've got to find that balance in between
04:55where it's not just all non-profit. Yeah from a lot of the owners we've talked to especially with
05:00the caravan size the ground rate has gone up that much though. Everyone's selling which is such a shame.
05:08I mean I know last year was really hit and miss it was quite bad in some times last year
05:13um do you think it's going to be any better this year a little bit better maybe?
05:17I hope so especially with the new buildings up in Skeg and the hotels and stuff hopefully that brings
05:22people forward a bit more you just got to keep pushing forward keep going keep advertising
05:28Skegness is great. So your message to holiday makers would be come and visit us in Skeggy.
05:36Oh definitely my mum wants to move here and I've told her no.
05:42So there you have it lock up luggage if you're going back to the railway station or anything
05:47uh they'll lock your luggage up keep it safe for you hop in and see them. Thank you. Whereabouts are
05:52you though? Lovely shopping plaza opposite the Hildreds, not in the Hildreds because that's where people are shooting.
05:59It's not Hildreds it's Lumley Plaza if you can't remember where that is it's the old co-op. Yeah
06:06Okay we're still at the Expo 2025 we're here with Skegness Tech uh we've all watched the building
06:12going up um so you know how long before it's actually operational? We will be in with students
06:18in September 2025 so very exciting. Yeah now I'm going to ask a question don't take it the wrong way
06:24but we've had colleges in Skegney before uh every time we seem to get one in their wisdom they get
06:31closed down again there used to be one on Briarway there was one down Prince George Street
06:36we're not going to see this go the same way it's going to take off and we're going to have
06:40our own proper college in Skegney. Absolutely well we're already on Heath Road the campus there so
06:44we're moving across to the new site and the plan is to keep increasing our offer to make sure that
06:49we're meeting the needs of the local businesses and what they need to have for us to train to
06:53come through so absolutely we're in it for a long time. The subjects I mean we've all heard from
06:58different sources what subjects are going to get now what's the word? Teached? Taught?
07:06In the you know what we're going to start showing our kids. So part of so we're continuing with so
07:12all the courses at the moment we're offering so you're talking hair and beauty health and social
07:15care business students hospitality motor vehicle electrician plumbing so there's a whole range of
07:22vocational courses that we do which we're hoping to increase as well so again the idea is we haven't
07:28got to keep sending the kids which they don't like to Boston or Grimsby or wherever. The hope
07:34is once they're trained they will stay in the area as well and we've everything we're offering
07:39we've been out we've been consulting for years with local businesses so everything we're offering
07:44that's what we've been told the area needs and we're planning the curriculum not just for now
07:48you know past 2030 and and beyond with the skills that people need so we're hoping we're going to
07:53cover those and we'll go from strength to strength as we open. Yeah I hope you didn't mind me asking
07:58that question you know it's just it's a good question we've seen it you know and in the
08:03wisdom a year later they shut down we don't want this to shut down we need something like this in
08:09it's on the main road coming into Skag if you don't know where it is it's on the way
08:13and uh there you go one more question are we going to have enough teachers