Communication is vital for us as a parish council in building trust, ensuring transparency and engaging more effectively with our residents.
Why we use different channels
We use many different channels to communicate to residents to ensure our news reaches as many people as possible.
By sharing our key messages, goals and updates clearly, we help create a more informed and involved community — which will help shape better services.
With the many modern tools now available, we’re able to reach residents and others interested in the town through a variety of channels.
This includes:
- our website
- the Explore BOA website
- our quarterly newsletter, The News
- BOA Snippets
- noticeboards.
Email & physical newsletters
The town council produces 4 printed newsletters every year, called The News. The News is delivered to all households in the parish boundary.
Our newsletters – and things like the annual report – are printed on FSC-certified paper, by local FSC-certified printers.
Find out more about The News and read or download previous newsletters.
BOA Snippets is our fortnightly email newsletter produced by the town council. The email newsletter is where residents, businesses and anyone interested can read about news and events from around the town.
It was created following a suggestion from the Residents’ Panel. Since its launch, BOA Snippets has grown to over 2,000 subscribers and has become one of our most effective tools for keeping residents informed and promoting local events.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Our social media channels
Social media is a key tool for keeping people informed – and the town council makes good use of it. While we still send out email and physical newsletters, some updates need to be more immediate. It’s also a good way for us to see what’s happening within the community in real-time.
The town council manages both Facebook and Instagram accounts. Our tourism brand, Explore BOA, has its own website, Facebook, and Instagram. Additionally, the town market runs its own Facebook and Instagram pages.
Noticeboards
We also have 5 community noticeboards across the town. These are used for things like flyers, event posters and details of upcoming town council meetings.
You can find out noticeboards in the following place:
- Westbury Garden
- underneath the green wall
- Barton Farm Country Park
- Poulton Park
- Whitehill.
If you want an event flyer in any of our noticeboards, please pop into our Kingston Road office.
Sorry — our noticeboards aren’t for political or religious messages, and we reserve the right to decline any posters.
QR codes on our posters
We often use QR codes on flyers and posters now. We also use them in letters, including our town council newsletter.
How to scan a QR code
- locate the QR code – it will appear as a square made up of black and white patterns
- open the camera app on your phone or tablet – most modern devices have a built-in QR code reader in the camera
- point your camera at the QR code – hold your device steady so it can scan the code
- tap the link that appears on your screen – this will take you directly to the website linked to the QR code.
Annual report
Each year, we put together an annual report. This is presented at the annual town gathering — typically in May.
The annual report looks back over the previous administrative year of the town council. You can view some of the previous editions of the Annual Report below.