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Today I emailed the board members of Coleraine BID.

Not a fun email. Not a welcome email. But a necessary one.

It read:

Good Afternoon,

I write further to my previous correspondence, in which I sought an acknowledgement no later than 3 October 2025. To date, I have received no such response. For the record, you were also provided with a postal copy of that letter to 2 Abbey St, Coleraine BT52 1DS by recorded delivery.

This communication is issued in the same vein as all prior correspondence, namely to ensure a clear and complete paper trail of the steps taken on my part. Unless I receive the requested acknowledgement by close of business on 3 October 2025, I will have no alternative but to initiate Civil Bill proceedings on Monday, 6 October 2025.

Such a course is not one I wish to pursue; however, ample time and opportunity have already been afforded to resolve this matter without recourse to litigation. I trust the position is now plain, and I urge you to address this without further delay.

That’s it. Straightforward. Nothing fancy.

Here’s why I sent it:

• No response is still a response. Silence tells you plenty. It says, “we don’t think this matters enough to acknowledge.” That’s not acceptable.
• Documentation matters. A clean paper trail is the difference between “my word against yours” and “here’s what happened.” I’d rather live in the second world.
• Deadlines are real. If you say 3 October, you mean 3 October. If nothing happens by then, the next step becomes inevitable.

I don’t relish sending emails like this. They’re not written for persuasion, they’re written for the record. They’re not warm, they’re not fuzzy—but they’re fair.

Sometimes you write to connect. Other times you write to protect. Today was the latter.

The three directors at this time are:

• Neville Moore
• Robert Wilson
• Frances-Ann Archibald

I continue to blog about my dealings with Coleraine BID to ensure transparency, accountability, and also to build a clear record online. This ongoing documentation helps others who may face similar issues and, over time, strengthens the visibility of these concerns within Google search results under the keywords “Coleraine BID.”

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are funded by levy payers and set up to deliver projects that benefit local businesses and the wider community. Members expect professionalism, transparency, and delivery in line with the approved business plan. Unfortunately, Coleraine BID has fallen short of these standards.

Two services, which my businesses Triovia and Explore Causeway Coast & Glens were due to carry out under agreed arrangements, remain unpaid. Significant time and resources went into creating these — including several thousands of pounds invested in developing custom digital services that were designed specifically to benefit Coleraine BID members.

Crucially, these services were not side projects. They were explicitly approved by the Coleraine BID Board and written into the 2024–2029 Business Plan, a plan which was subsequently voted on and approved by levy-paying members. Despite this, Coleraine BID has failed to honour its financial obligations.

This is more than just a late payment issue. It reflects a culture of poor governance and a lack of professionalism at board level. When levy payers’ contributions are not used as agreed — and when suppliers are left out of pocket for delivering commissioned work — confidence in the BID model is undermined.

Coleraine BID members deserve transparency and accountability. They deserve to know why approved services have been ignored, why commitments have not been respected, and why the organisation continues to fall short of the standards expected of it.

For small businesses and independent providers, non-payment is not a trivial matter. It represents hours of work, thousands of pounds of investment, and the trust that agreements will be respected. When that trust is broken, the damage extends far beyond one supplier — it damages the credibility of the BID itself.

It is time for Coleraine BID to reflect on its responsibilities, restore professionalism, and start honouring the commitments it has made. Anything less risks losing the confidence of levy payers and the wider business community.

This evening 24th Septemeber, a Letter Before Legal Action was issued. It’s not a step I wanted to take, but after months of delays and a lack of professionalism, there was no other choice.

After nearly six years of working as a freelance collaborator with Coleraine Business Improvement District (CBID), I’ve officially stepped back from most of my involvement. It’s the end of a meaningful chapter — one filled with creativity, strategy, and genuine community impact.

Since 2019, I’ve had the privilege of supporting CBID in a number of ways:

• Website support and development of a secure members-only portal
• Photography, videography, and content creation
• Email marketing, growing a subscriber base to nearly 5,000
• Social media management, building and engaging an audience of over 10,000
• Public relations, including leading PR for Hannah Scott’s Olympic homecoming parade — one of Coleraine’s largest-ever events

I also managed a large-scale ticketed event, handling online sales and promotional efforts to help drive attendance.

One personal highlight was the Christmas events, which brought thousands into the town centre. Many visitors described the festive experience as one of the best in Northern Ireland — a testament to targeted, community-focused promotion and strong digital engagement.

But beyond seasonal campaigns, there were moments of real national recognition. In 2022, I led the digital campaign that helped Coleraine secure the High Street of the Year title — a proud achievement that not only shone a spotlight on the town but also highlighted the value of digital-first storytelling. Through coordinated social media campaigns, community engagement, and content that captured Coleraine’s character, we ensured local voices and businesses were at the heart of the win.

Equally rewarding was my contribution to CBID’s business support package, which was recognised with its own award. My services — from digital education to hands-on marketing support — formed a key part of this initiative, giving local businesses the tools and confidence to thrive online. Helping independent traders grow their presence and adapt in an ever-changing retail landscape was one of the most fulfilling aspects of my role.

Alongside delivery, I proposed several ideas that helped CBID innovate and stand out nationally:

• A short-term Christmas radio station — making CBID one of the first BIDs in the UK to explore this concept
• A printed CBID magazine — which later became an award-winning publication
• Use of the town’s speaker system for business advertising — a project brought to life by Chris Arthur, his wife, and Peter Flanagan
• A reballot campaign video designed to communicate CBID’s value to stakeholders and council

We also made strategic use of my own platform — Explore Causeway Coast and Glens, with a following of over 120,000 — to amplify CBID events and drive broader visibility.

In mid-2025, after the Chief Executive of CBID moved on, I had a decision to make. Do I keep things going under a service level agreement, or do I take a different path?

I’ve decided not to.

Instead, I’m putting my energy where it matters most: building products that help BIDs across Northern Ireland, the UK, and beyond. Products scale, products last, and products don’t get bogged down in paperwork. That’s where I can do my best work.

That said, I’m not walking away from everything. I’m still proud of the part I played in CBID’s renewal and the campaigns that made a real difference on the ground. And for Coleraine BID, I’ll keep delivering two services we already agreed on, through 2025:

• Business promotion via Explore Causeway Coast and Glens
• Digital education and support through Triovia

So yes, I’m stepping back from day-to-day freelance digital responsibilities. But I’m stepping forward into something bigger: making tools that help BIDs everywhere, not just in one place, for one agreement.

The focus is sharper now. And sharper is better.

A sincere thank you to Jamie Hamill, CBID’s former CEO, for believing in my work early on and supporting creative ideas that delivered real results. To the CBID team — thank you for the collaboration, trust, and shared commitment to making Coleraine thrive.

As I look to the future, I’m now open to new freelance opportunities in:

• Marketing and campaign strategy
• Content creation (video and photography)
• Digital engagement and community promotion

If you’re working on a project and think we’d be a good fit, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s connect.

You can find out more about my work by visiting my Linkedin profile here.