What is Promote Penzance Positively?

Promote Penzance Positively began with a simple idea: Penzance has a lot going for it — but sometimes people need help discovering it.

What started as an effort to promote parts of the town has gradually developed into something much broader.

Today, Promote Penzance Positively is bringing together ideas around local participation, independent businesses, reuse, tourism, community information and the vitality of Penzance town centre.

It isn't just about advertising shops.

It is about encouraging people to look at Penzance differently, explore it, participate in it and take pride in what is here.

Penzance Fashion Hub

One of the first projects was the Penzance Fashion Hub.

We started identifying independent clothing businesses across the town, including vintage and pre-loved retailers.

There is a fascinating collection of businesses offering clothing, accessories and second-hand fashion in and around Penzance.

The idea is simple: bring these businesses together, make them easier to discover and encourage people to shop locally and consider reuse.

It is good for independent businesses — but it is also good for the town.

Discovering Penzance

Another part of the project is the Penzance Discovery Map.

Penzance has businesses and places that people can walk past without ever realising what is there.

A map can change that.

By helping residents and visitors discover independent businesses and different parts of the town, we can encourage people to explore beyond the places they already know.

It can also help spread footfall rather than concentrating it in just one part of town.

Our town and seafront

PPP is also interested in the wider experience of Penzance.

That includes ideas around the seafront, public spaces and the identity of the town.

A successful town isn't simply a collection of shops.

It is somewhere people want to spend time.

It is somewhere people can meet, explore, discover things, participate and feel that they belong.

Information matters

Sometimes something as simple as knowing where to go and what is available can make a difference.

That is why PPP is also looking at practical community information through projects such as a Facilities Guide.

The aim is to make information easier for both residents and visitors to find.

Making the ideas visible

We've also been developing physical and digital ways of promoting Penzance.

These have included:

• postcards
• maps
• banners
• printed guides
• digital promotion
• merchandise
• community promotional materials

Some of these have already been produced and put into use.

They are small things individually, but together they help create a visible identity for the project — and for Penzance itself.

And this isn't being done alone

One of the most encouraging parts of PPP has been the support we've received from local businesses.

Businesses supporting the work include:

The Quirky Bird Cafe, USA Chicken, Istanbul Turkish Barber, Little India, Le Raj, We Have What You Want, Flashback Fashion House, Dead Sailors, Ministry of Flavour, Marigold Moth, Fishboy PZ, Endless Spiral, Newlyn Cheese & Charcuterie, Ramies, Noir Taj, Selo Turkish Barber, Angel Art Tattoo, Napoli Bar PZ, Knickerhood, Ali Baba Kebab, Number 36, Penzance Angling Centre and Red Chillie.

Their support shows something important.

There is an appetite among independent businesses to work together and be part of something bigger than an individual shop.

So what is PPP really about?

That's probably the most important question.

It is easy to look at a map and think, it's just a map.

Or look at a postcard and think, it's just a postcard.

But the bigger idea is about connection.

Connecting residents with information.

Connecting visitors with the town.

Connecting independent businesses with one another.

Connecting people with places they might otherwise overlook.

And encouraging people to participate in the town rather than simply pass through it.

The beneficiaries are the community

Residents can benefit from better access to information, stronger community connections, opportunities to participate, volunteering, skills development and cultural activity.

Visitors can benefit from better information and new ways of discovering Penzance.

Businesses benefit when the town around them is healthier, more active and better connected.

And Penzance itself benefits when people use it, explore it, support it and believe in it.

That's why Promote Penzance Positively has gradually become more than a promotional project.

It is becoming a community regeneration and participation project — rooted in Penzance and built around the people, businesses and places that make the town what it is.

And we're still developing it.

This is Penzance. Let's promote it positively.