New films aim to boost Horsham tourism and local business

The council, which has also produced podcasts about local attractions, says it wants to remind local people that they can have a great day out on their own doorstep.

The project - called ‘Visit’ - also aims to support local businesses. It takes in the market towns of Billingshurst, Henfield, Horsham Pulborough, Steyning and Storrington & Sullington, with each area receiving a localised short video, downloadable activity and a podcast with an audio tour of the area.

The council engaged Whistlestop Arts to create the series of short films highlighting different areas across the district.

Visitors can pick up a passport from one of the businesses involved and tick off their visits around the area.

Horsham District Council cabinet member for the llocal economy Chris Brown said: “Rebuilding a stronger local economy by supporting local businesses as we come out of the pandemic is now vital for us as a council.

“The local tourism and hospitality industry has been disadvantaged a lot over the past 16 months, but signs of recovery are now very much in evidence.

“I think this initiative will do a lot to give local tourism just the boost it needs at this critical time and I would encourage people to come along and visit our beautiful district and all it has to offer.”

The videos and podcasts are presented by Luna Russell and Annalees Lim from Whistlestop Arts, and the two quickly realised when filming that they had a lot more to learn about the area – even though they’ve lived and worked here for years.They commented: “We loved getting out and talking to passionate people about their businesses, the area they live in, and the heritage of the area.

“We’ve had the opportunity to record some beautiful walks across the South Downs and Downs Link, enjoyed some incredible cakes and treats and generally discovered so much more than what we thought we would.”

All the films have been produced in collaboration with Horsham TV, where they will be shown on a weekly basis, as well as being available to download from

https://www.discoverhorshamdistrict.co.uk/visittours where the podcasts and associated activity sheet can also be downloaded.

Passports are available from shops in the featured areas.

For more information contact [email protected]