Sausages and schools have been hitting the headlines in the last few days, writes JENNY GROVES, chairman of Switch On To Swindon.

Let’s start with schools and the turf-cutting ceremony last week to mark the start of work to build a new secondary school close to the Waitrose store which will form part of the new Wichelstowe District Centre.

The £26m state-of-the-art school will provide and an outstanding learning environment for our young people and will also include a floodlit all-weather pitch, drained grass pitches and a Sports hall to Sport England club standards.

Swindon has had one of the most extensive school building programmes in the country in recent years with plans for much more. From a Switch on to Swindon (SOTS) point of view this is a great ‘product’ to help with our promotion. When attracting people to move or invest in a place education is a key selling point.

Businesses looking to grow or invest want confidence that a place has the ability to produce the right people with the right skills to take advantage of the jobs that will be created. Equally when people and families are thinking of moving to an area the quality of education provision is one of the key factors in making that decision.

Landmark schools like the one being built at Wichelstowe will certainly help sell Swindon and provide visible evidence of our commitment to education and our young people.

As will sausages!

The Old Town Sausage and Ale trail returned this weekend with record numbers descending on Old Town to sample local produce and delicacies. We were delighted to put the Switch on to Swindon name to this great event.

Way back when Switch On To Swindon was just a twinkle in our eyes the Old Town Business Association was one of the first group of people we spoke to in order to test the thinking about developing the campaign and galvanising efforts to promote Swindon.

In many ways they blazed the trail by coming together really effectively to develop the Old Town offer and brand.

We have been back regularly to update on progress and am always grateful for the support we receive from al the traders and business in Old Town. The trail was extended this year so approximately 4,000 people who went along certainly got a flavour (sorry) of what is on offer in this great part of our town. So, a big well done to all those involved in organising the trail.

Switch On To Swindon’s focus is on inward investment and attracting business growth. However there are number of things that go into competing for investment and making a place stand out above others.

Showing that you have excellent education facilities and showing that you are a place that is vibrant with lots to do can be just as important as proving that you have the right available square metres of office space or employment land.

A quick acknowledgement of a milestone achieved by one of our most recognisable brands. The National Trust reached a membership of five million it was announced last week.

With its headquarters in Swindon, opposite the Retail Outlet Village, the National Trust in just one of many renowned brands that we are delighted to have in Swindon – congratulations on hitting this milestone.