A group of determined businesses in Whitby is bidding to transform the town’s seasonal appeal through a major funding application to the York and North Yorkshire Mayor’s Vibrant and Sustainable High Street Fund.
The proposal, spearheaded by a collective from Baxtergate, seeks to secure investment to evolve the town’s existing Christmas Festival into a comprehensive months-long winter festival.
Whitby Town Council has formally agreed to serve as the accountable body for the bid, which focuses on the "Whitby winter events expansion" project. The initiative aims to support the local economy by increasing footfall during the quieter "shoulder" months through a series of coordinated events.
Jacqueline Goddard, representing the Baxtergate group, says the group are hoping to win funding for the project from the York and North Yorkshire Mayor's High Street Fund:
"We've been discussing how we might access some of that money and bring it into Whitby and trying to pull together a group of people who are willing and able to try and make that happen.
We've discussed a lot of options around possibilities for enhancing the area particularly around Baxtergate the town and we've settled on a project called Whitby winter events expansion.
So this would be strengthening the events that already happen through the shoulder of the season and driving footfall specifically through the main high street in town from both residents and potentially visitors, supporting the economy and making it better."
The project scope involves enhancing the sustainability of the current Christmas market—potentially including new chalets—and introducing a significant new draw for the month of February: a fire and ice trail. This follows the fund’s objective to increase the number of events that attract people to local town centres and improve the overall perception of high streets for both residents and visitors.
The bid comes as part of the third and final phase of the fund, which was launched by Mayor David Skaith to "future-proof" high streets across the region. Since February 2024, the fund has already invested more than £2 million across thirty-nine different projects. Mayor Skaith has expressed his support for such community-driven plans, stating that high streets remain vital hubs and that "residents and businesses know best what their communities need".
Expanding on the specific ambitions for the town, Jacqueline Goddard noted:
"The goal, the project scope is to expand the Christmas festivals into Whitby Winter events, improving the sustainability of the market.
This really is to amplify the great project and run that through into February and this new highlight event for February, the fire and ice trail.
We are aware that the Christmas market is looking for some new chalets and there's potentially some of this funding available throughout piece of that.
The benefits for Whitby, I think, are pretty clear. We are a very passionate group of people who hope that we can deliver something that's new and is going to make an impact and support the businesses that are there whilst getting locals and visitors back down to the town centre again."
The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has acknowledged that high streets face significant challenges from the pandemic, online shopping, and the rising cost of living, which have led to reduced investment and footfall. This final round of funding is designed to support local partnerships that can demonstrate a sustainable, long-term legacy for their communities.
The application window for this phase closed last week, submissions will be assessed throughout February and March, with final decisions and the full fund announcement expected in April 2026. If successful, the Whitby project would move into its delivery phase between May 2026 and December 2027.
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