Free, fast and friendly – that's the motto of Llanelli town centre’s new electric cargo bike delivery scheme, DeliverElli!
Coordinated by Ymlaen Llanelli and funded by the UK Government, this initiative will allow town centre businesses to offer an eco-friendly delivery service to their local customers, completely free of charge.
The scheme has been made possible following a successful partnership application to the UK Community Renewal Fund by ourselves, Llanelli Town Council and Carmarthenshire County Council. In total, the partnership has been awarded £177,550 of funding from the UK Government, which is being put toward a variety of projects including DeliverElli.
Customers can request delivery from participating businesses when ordering over the phone, or by shopping in person and requesting delivery for items that are too heavy to carry home. Neither customers nor businesses have to pay for use of the service.
Chair of Ymlaen Llanelli, Lesley Richards, is excited to trial the scheme: “DeliverElli is unlike anything we’ve done before and we can’t wait to see what our businesses make of it. Delivery services have become a huge topic of discussion in the business community over the past two years, so to offer a delivery solution for those that thought it impossible before feels great – not to mention that it’s free and easy to use!”
The electric cargo bike was bought by Carmarthenshire County Council with funding from the Welsh Government’s Local Sustainable Transport Covid Response Fund.
Cllr Emlyn Dole, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “We have committed to looking at all options as we work towards net carbon zero and economic recovery, and these e-cargo bikes are a perfect example of the kind of difference we want to make.
“One of the shining lights during the pandemic was the innovation of local businesses who adapted to ensure they could keep going and serve their customers. We saw businesses starting to offer local deliveries and click and collect services for customers, and we hope these e-cargo bikes will support those who are continuing to evolve their businesses and take advantage of the ‘new normal’.
“We will be loaning these bikes free of charge, giving businesses a unique opportunity to expand their services to local customers whilst reducing their reliance on vehicles for short journeys in built-up areas.”
Cllr John Jenkins, Leader of Llanelli Town Council, said: “DeliverElli is a massive opportunity with enormous potential to really get town centre businesses on the road. The facility to offer bespoke delivery of goods and products from town centre businesses to customers directly gives our traders a direct route from the shelf to the consumer.
“I really hope this delivers a massive uplift in custom for our town centre, offers a fantastic facility for shoppers and is a unique delivery service which will benefit everyone.”
DeliverElli is the second scheme by Ymlaen Llanelli to be funded by the UK Community Renewal Fund. Last month, we launched our AmbassadorElli scheme, which has seen two ambassadors supporting local businesses and welcoming shoppers to the town centre, and so far the pair have received positive feedback for their work.
The UK Community Renewal Fund support is also being used by Llanelli Town Council to build a promotional website and app for the Llanelli area, while the Transforming Tyisha project is putting money toward a community hub study, grassroots community projects, support for resident-led initiatives, and workshops in local schools to encourage children to get involved in their community.
Carmarthenshire County Council secured £2.94million from the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund to support a range of projects to help people into employment, invest in local businesses and communities and boost the skills of local people.