IBTA - Ilfracombe & District Business & Tourism Association

10/06/2026

Dear members

Following recent discussion and publicity concerning anti-social behaviour in Ilfracombe, the IBTA wrote to both Ilfracombe Town Council and the Devon & Cornwall Police & Crime Commissioner seeking constructive engagement on behalf of local businesses.

As a result, a follow-up business engagement session has now been arranged for:
Wednesday 1 July
5:30pm – 7:00pm
Lantern Club Room, Ilfracombe High Street

Attendees will include:
Alison Hernandez, Devon & Cornwall Police & Crime Commissioner
Our local Police Inspector
A representative from UKPAC

The session will provide an opportunity to discuss anti-social behaviour, business concerns, town safety, partnership working, and practical next steps for Ilfracombe.

We hope that you can come along, join the discussion and make your views known.

25/05/2026

Just to let you know that while you were all enjoying a sea breeze at the excellent Beer Festival, the IBTA spent a rather hotter three days in Exeter at the Devon County Show.

Our mission this year was to promote the arts, crafts and creativity of Ilfracombe, as well as the more familiar coastal attractions, and we had an excellent 3 days, giving out over 1500 Visit Ilfracombe leaflets to interested visitors, as well as several hundred Ilfracombe Art Trail leaflets. Hopefully this will result in additional business in the coming year, and certainly reminded a lot of Devon residents how much they had enjoyed previous visits to Ilfracombe and encouraged them to return.

We also won a Bronze Award for our stand, which is a tribute to all our very creative contributors!

Thanks then to all those who helped on the stand - Steve and Wendy from Wildwood who helped with assembly and display; Kara, Laura, Mary and June from Ilfracombe Town Council, demonstrating a co-ordinated commitment to promoting our town; Steve Saxton, our talented and dedicated Town Crier; Juliet from North Devon Resort and The Billy and Betty Beachball puppets from Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks. And especially Stacey, who I used to work with, who helped me disassemble on a very hot and late Saturday evening! You are all absolute stars

Thanks also to all the Galleries who trusted me with their beautiful creations - hand:plant and Helen Weedon; The Pier Gallery (Emily Graham Wright and Margaret Taylor especially); Ilfracombe Art and Craft Society for their various unique arts and crafts; Jeanette at the Ilfracombe Chocolate Emporium for loan of tables and a wonderful display of handmade chocolates; and Adrift Ocean for the very much admired tee shirts.

The arts posters were created by Buzz signs with help from, and thanks to, contributing artists Sarah Jackson; Lesley Ennis; Mary Taylor; Jennie Cousins; Ted Childs; Helen Weedon; Joshua Day; Sarah Cox; Alison Rowe; Alix Hazell; Fiona Bates and Katie Rees. They are beautiful posters and I hope with your permission to repurpose them for one of the empty High Street windows, as they are certainly more attractive than a blank space.....

Look forward to many of those we spoke to bringing additional business to our town, and will be asking you all for support again for the North Devon Show on August 5th. Very many thanks

Alison Sanders
IBTA Committee Member

25/05/2026

Have you voted and supported our local businesses? Votes close Tuesday!

21/05/2026

Look who popped by our stand and performed a few songs 🎵

Chloe Marie Aston ❤️

21/05/2026

IBTA - Ilfracombe & District Business & Tourism Association are at The Devon County Show showcasing our fantastic art community and promoting Ilfracombe. Do pop by and say hello if you are attending, we are there each day in the Art and Craft marquee.

Visit Ilfracombe Naturally Creative
hand:plant
Ilfracombe Art and Craft Society
The Pier Gallery - Ilfracombe
Ocean

12/05/2026

Well done to our IBTA team of sleuths who made it their mission to solve the clues of The Lost Listening Station at the Venture Games Escape Room. They all thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend. Well done all.

22/04/2026

Congratulations to all of our IBTA members who are finalists in the Devon Muddy Stilettos awards. Now they need us to all pop over to the website and vote for them.
(Votes close on 26th May - but do it now before you get sidetracked!!)

In the running are:

Best Café - Storm In A Teacup - Watermouth Harbour
Best Farm Shop / Deli - The Dinki Deli (Ilfracombe)
Best Wellbeing Specialist - Kin Wellness Devon (Ilfracombe)
Best Family Experience - Watermouth Castle and Family Theme Park (Ilfracombe)

You can find a list of all finalists and place your vote at https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/awards/finalists/
(it takes seconds to do, but don't forget to verify your vote through the email they send you or it won't count - you may need to check your junk folder!)

Good luck to you all 🤞

21/04/2026

Places are filling fast for this training session - with just a few spaces remaining. Please get in touch ([email protected]) if you would like to attend. (Free for IBTA members, small charge for non-members).

📣 AI Training for Local Businesses – 28 April
We’re pleased to be running a practical, hands-on AI workshop for local businesses, designed specifically for small and micro operators.

This is not theory or tech talk — it’s about real, everyday use of AI to save time and get more done.

🤖 Practical AI for Small Businesses
📅 Tuesday 28 April
⏰ 5:30pm start
📍 North Devon Resort

What to expect:
A 2–2.5 hour in-person session
Fully hands-on — bring your own device if you’d like to follow along
Simple, practical skills you can use immediately

You’ll learn how to use AI for:
Creating authentic social media content
Producing quick marketing assets
Saving time on admin (emails, summaries, spreadsheets)
Managing everyday business tasks more efficiently

We’ll also cover:
How to get better results from AI
Simple, sensible ways to use AI safely in your business

Cost:
✅ Free for IBTA members (no-show fee applies)
💷 Chargeable for non-members

👉 To book: simply reply to this post or send a message
Places are limited to keep the session practical and interactive.

16/01/2026

Thank you to all those local business owners who have confirmed their attendance for Tuesday, however the more businesses that join in the more effective the system will be for tacking crime against our local businesses in Ilfracombe.

So please attend if you can, and also spread the word this weekend. 🗣️

🔊WHAT EXACTLY IS ON OFFER?

We're encouraging businesses in Ilfracombe to sign up to a FREE tool to help tackle retail crime!

UKPAC unites business communities through a secure and widely used crime management platform. This crime reduction scheme enables its members to quickly and conveniently report crime incidents to a centralised crime hub and collaborating police constabularies.

A FREE* subscription to the UKPAC system is being offered to traders in and around Ilfracombe in a bid to tackle repeat offenders and reduce crime.

The initiative is a multi-agency project being delivered by Devon & Cornwall Police and has been funded by The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall

The UKPAC team are keen to stress that this scheme is not just for large nationals or retailers but also for independents, corner stores, business venues that can see ASB, experience unwanted behaviour including pubs and clubs who are all able to benefit.

To find out more visit: https://orlo.uk/rKDp0 or you can come along to hear exactly how the Crime Reduction Partnership can work for you straight from the UKPAC team

📅 20th January 2026
🕰️ 6:30pm
📍 The Lantern Ilfracombe (1st Floor Clubroom)

Please can you confirm your attendance either in the comments, via Messenger or by contacting [email protected]

*FREE until November 2026

08/01/2026

We're encouraging businesses in Ilfracombe to sign up to a FREE tool to help tackle retail crime!

The UK Partners Against Crime Business Crime Reduction Solution is an online portal that enables businesses to easily report crimes and share intelligence.

A FREE* subscription to the UKPAC system is being offered to traders in and around Ilfracombe in a bid to tackle repeat offenders and reduce crime.

The initiative is a multi-agency project being delivered by Devon & Cornwall Police and has been funded by The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall

The UKPAC team are keen to stress that this scheme is not just for large nationals or retailers but also for independents, corner stores, business venues that can see ASB, experience unwanted behaviour including pubs and clubs who are all able to benefit.

To find out more visit: https://orlo.uk/rKDp0 or you can come along to hear exactly how the Crime Reduction Partnership can work for you straight from the UKPAC team

📅 20th January 2026
🕰️ 6:30pm
📍 The Lantern Ilfracombe (1st Floor Clubroom)

Please can you confirm your attendance either in the comments, via Messenger or by contacting [email protected]

*FREE until November 2026