A NEW town centre wide gift card has launched in Colchester, the first scheme of its kind in Essex.

Our Colchester Business Improvement District (BID) has created the Colchester Gift Card in response to the Covid pandemic to encourage more spending in the town's retailers.

Created by Miconex, the gift card is now on sale and can be loaded with as little as £5.

More than 30 businesses are so far signed up to accept the card, including everything from retailers like Red Lion Books to hospitality venues like Stock and Bailey Wine Bar.

Sam Good, BID manager, said: "We are delighted to be bringing The Colchester Gift Card to town.

"It's a great way to show your support for local businesses and the town centre.

"We have been working hard to make sure that the users of the Colchester Gift Card can get a great range of businesses on board to give everyone the greatest choice.

"By buying a Colchester Gift Card you are telling businesses and the people working there that you support the high street and the Colchester community.

"It’s also a great option to gift for those who are hard to buy for or as a thank you."

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More businesses are set to be added to the list over the coming weeks so residents can expect to have more choice of where to spend the cards going forward.

Colin Munro, managing director of Miconex, said: "One of the positives from the pandemic is that people are more inclined to shop locally, and gift cards play a big role in that.

"A quarter of those buying a gift card for someone else in June 2021 did so to support local businesses or the local high street. And it’s a trend that continues to build.

"The Colchester Gift Card is a prepaid MasterCard that can be spent right across Colchester, making it a secure, attractive way to shop and gift.

"There are no costs for businesses to accept the Colchester Gift Card as payment, and it’s as easy to accept as any card payment."

Find out more at https://incolchester.co.uk/gift-card.