Rye has achieved another impressive first in the county. ‘A Rye Good Time’ app, brainchild of Arabella Ansar, launched to a local business audience at the Mermaid Inn last week.
“I’d thought for some time that a one-stop solution could be a time saver for residents, businesses and visitors alike. People want to navigate the town, stay up to speed with local information, bag some offers and find out what’s on. And our retail, leisure and hospitality sector wants to welcome them with open arms. So I began the project with startup funding from the legacy of the late Claude Newton, generously given by Jackie Brooks”, says Arabella, long-time advocate for all things Rye. “Winning support from 1066 Country and Rother District Council was the clincher and that meant I could go ahead with confidence to develop the app that places leisure, shopping and hospitality in the palm of your hand.”
The app is the first of its kind in East Sussex and has won praise from many quarters, including from Cllr Brian Drayson, Rother DC Chairman, who said, “ I wasn’t sure what to expect when Arabella invited me to the launch of this app, but the amazing group of people I met and saw at the Mermaid, who had supported it from conception to delivery, explains why the ‘A Rye Good Time’ app is so very user friendly, functional and practical. The amount of local information that residents and visitors can find with just 3 clicks on their phone is impressive and I’m sure other towns will want their own version. I will certainly be using it on my visits to Rye in future.”
1066 Country also predicts a better experience for visitors and local businesses agree, seeing great potential to boost the numbers of customers in town. “At Rye Fine Wines we recognise this huge opportunity to engage directly with visitors as well as with local residents. We have already had great response to our wine offer and we’ve seen a lot of downloads in a short time. I’d urge every business to get involved. It’s pioneering stuff that can only benefit the town”, said Graeme Foster, Proprietor.
Arabella is especially grateful to the local heroes who donated their time and skills to this unique enterprise. Oliver Brooks created the illustration and icon design, Mark Baker the ad campaign and David Angell the website. A host of other people pitched in, with a little copywriting from Patricia Driver and the iconic ARGT logo designed by Emma Miller of Little Gem Studio. The launch party last week was a prime example of local goodwill supporting a very successful event. Guests enjoyed great music from The Violet Jive at the Mermaid, with local sparkling fizz from Carr Taylor Vineyard (provided by Beaumont Property Investments Ltd) and freebie mugs and a banner from 1066 Logos. It’s fair to say the community have got behind this initiative.
You can download the completely free ‘A Rye Good Time’ town app from Google Play or the App Store.
Local groups, venues and event organisers are invited to add their future events to the calendar section too, another free resource made possible by the app. Arabella says, “Explore it. We’ll update it all the time so everybody can access the latest information about Rye and enjoy it all the more. Here’s to Rye, East Sussex in the palm of your hand”.
Image Credits: Rye Good Time , A Rye Good Time .