Twitter campaign scores success as Cornwall says it’s #openforbusiness

Despite the phenomenal storm which struck the South West this weekend your Cornwall cottage holidays are safe this year, with The Valley and many other Cornish companies declaring they are “open for business” following the storms.

The Valley’s luxury holiday cottages escaped any damage in the storms, since they’re tucked away in a secluded hamlet in the Cornish countryside near Carnon Downs, but nonetheless the business is supporting the new Cornish “open for business” campaign.

The company has jumped on board the campaign, which started with a few businesses using the Twitter hashtag #openforbusiness to declare how they were ready to deal with customers, despite the county being deluged and severed from the rest of the UK.

Now hundreds more Twitter users, including businesses, journalists and local celebrities, have taken up the cause and started re-tweeting the hashtag – signifying how the county’s thousands of businesses in the tourist trade are determined to continue providing outstanding service to visitors.

It was first coined when Cornwall Council members, including leader John Pollard, met board members of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership and Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin.

With the meeting initially organised to discuss the way in which Cornwall had been cut off from the rest of the UK by the storm attention soon turned to the question of how to make sure people outside the county were made aware the picture wasn’t quite as bleak as the media may have portrayed it.

The campaign has gained support across the Tamar, where Plymouth City Council leader Tudor Evans said it didn’t matter the South West’s main rail link was broken at Dawlish.

With thousands of people helping spread the message across Twitter and other social networks, with the hashtag now trending across the South West.

Even Prime Minister David Cameron has received the message, with many people tweeting the hashtag directly to his @Number10Gov account.

A further boost for the county has come off the back of the campaign, with airline Flybe announcing it is to double the number of daily flights it runs from Newquay to London Gatwick, from three to six.

The leaders of councils across Cornwall and Devon have also written to Mr Cameron asking for urgent action to be taken to restore rail connections as soon as possible.

Megan Cookson at The Valley said: “As soon as we saw the #openforbusiness hashtag we knew it was something we had to get involved with.

“It does such a good job of telling the story of what’s going on here in a simple way – Yes, we have been battered by the storm but most businesses are just getting on with things and continuing to provide the sort of service that makes Cornwall a favourite holiday destination.

“We wanted to make sure we were part of helping to spread that message.”

About The Valley

Welcome to The Valley, a picturesque gated hamlet with a range of luxury self-catering cottages near Falmouth and Truro in South West Cornwall, offering you the combination of the space and privacy of your own cottage perfectly coupled with all the perks of staying in a great hotel.
We have a selection of five styles of 5 star self-catering cottages to choose from.
Cornwall self-catering cottages at its finest, with a plethora of facilities to keep the whole family entertained. A heated indoor as well as an outdoor swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, a fitness suite, games rooms, an adventure play area, woodland walks and our Cafe Azur restaurant. All these facilities are complimentary to you and easily accessed within our charming surroundings.