The Largs BID is helping to increase visitors to the town with successful television and social media promotion reaching the masses.

The recent TV advertising campaign, which has had six separate bursts to date; each one seen by over three quarters of a million adults and targeted at the most important times of the business year.

Their social media campaign, a first for Largs, has been viewed not only in Scotland, but all over the UK and as far afield as Australia.

80,000 Explore Largs leaflets have been produced and distributed locally and in tourist information locations as far south as Cumbria.

The three main festivals which the BID manages are the Largs Food Fest, Largs Live, and the inaugural Largs Classic Cars festival this year.

All this is funded by a levy collected by North Ayrshire Council from local businesses, and an annual grant from NAC. In addition to this core funding, the BID has also raised over £82,000; £45,000 of this from festivals and other sources, as well as £32,000 from VisitScotland this year and £5,000 from Community Food Fund in 2015.

To make sure the investment in festivals works, the BID works with IBP Strategy & Research; one of Scotland’s top independent research companies.

In the past two years, the festivals have been attended by almost 26,000 adults, who have generated additional expenditure of over £435,000. Largs BID manager John Hamilton said: "Add to this the effect of their broadcast, online and print media coverage and the awareness of Largs has rocketed."

The net cost of staging the events in 2015 & 2016 was £72,400, showing a return on investment of 6:1, for each £ invested in the festivals.

John Hamilton added: "The Largs BID is seen to be punching well above its weight by Scotland’s leading business and tourist organisations and used as an example of what can be achieved with ambition, determination and a good dollop of creative flare and experience.

"Largs BID, which started in 2013, is run by a small, but dedicated team of part time specialists who have worked for Britain’s leading companies."

Largs BID also work with an independent company, to help BID businesses with savings on utility bills; in the past year alone savings of over £30,000 have been achieved, which, for many businesses, has more than covered the cost of their BID levy paid to North Ayrshire Council.

Then, there are the business improvement grants of up to £500, which can be applied for from any BID levy paying business in Largs. Not a new for old scheme, this fund has been devised to help business development.

Examples of this are C Fayre fishmongers which now sells and services online orders throughout the UK, and Pearsons Garage where a new state of the art servicing workshop has been built to increase the number of MOTs facility they can handle.

The BID has just over one year left of its current term, then Largs businesses vote on whether to continue with the scheme or not.

Mr Hamilton urged businesses to rally round the BID and support the process for five more years when it comes up for a business vote next year, to continue the good progress being made, and to keep the popular festivals going.