Canterbury BID employs full time City Ambassadors to help in all aspects of the BIDs work. The team is deployed 7 days a week so we always have an Ambassadors on duty, including weekends and Bank Holidays. They are instantly recognisable in their uniform and will be happy to help wherever they can. Their duties are:
Building relationships: The Ambassadors are available to visit all businesses within the BID Area, both on a scheduled basis and an adhoc basis, providing a vital link between businesses and organisations within the BID area and Canterbury BID, to ensure that businesses are getting the best out of the BID services and projects.
Reporting; They are the eyes and ears of the BID and report various environmental and other issues in the City Centre, so that collectively we can ensure that Canterbury is the best it can be for businesses, staff and all users of the City Centre. They record what they see in the city on their handheld devices so that we can produce data and reports about what is happening and work to resolve issues. This way they can virtually immediately report any issues to the local authorities and other relevant agencies.
Connecting; The Ambassadors work with the statutory services (Canterbury City Council, KCC, Kent Police) to highlight any issues that may cause concern for businesses to try to resolve the issues you report to them such as graffiti, litter, illegal street trading, faulty street lights, broken pavements and anti-social behaviour.
Welcoming visitors; Our BID Ambassadors provide an information and a welcoming service for visitors, workers and residents. They help to promote the city centre to visitors, signpost them to cultural activities and locations, tourist attractions, shopping areas, places of interest and events, in order to make every visit to Canterbury a pleasant, enjoyable and memorable experience.
Meet the Team
Simon Jackson – BID Ambassador Team Leader
07812 238642
Simon started working as a BID Ambassador in May 2017, having previously worked as an ambassador in Vancouver, Canada.
- Interests/hobbies: Football, pub lunches, current affairs, travel
- Funniest question asked: I once was asked where The Shambles is, which is one of the famous streets in York! Someone mixed up their cathedral cities.
- Best thing about being an ambassador: Seeing all the festivals in summer, and how the city comes to life.
Zak Rees – BID Ambassador
07815 702406
- Interests/hobbies: Sports, Reading, Podcasts, Music
- Funniest question asked: Can you direct me to the Cathedral? While standing next to the gates of the Cathedral.
- Best thing about being an ambassador: Working with businesses to solve issues and improve Canterbury.
BID Ambassadors are responsible for communicating and supporting over 650 businesses and take part in around 3000 interactions with visitors each month
