Margaret Moreira didn’t expect to win any awards when she started work on the “Experience Ashcroft” Pocket Guide.
Yet that’s just what the Village of Ashcroft’s economic and development tourism co-ordinator did. Moreira and her team received an Economic Development Marketing Innovation Award from the BC Economic Development Association (BCEDA) last month for their work on the pocket guide.
“We wanted to produce a visitor’s guide for Ashcroft because we’ve never had one,” explains Moreira. “There was a lot of work involved in this and it was a labour of love. It was wonderful to see it win an award, it was quite exciting.”
In their statement announcing the pocket guide’s win, the BCEDA noted it gives out awards to individuals and groups who have dedicated themselves to community-based economic development. This work is all the more important as the province recovers from the pandemic, BCEDA’s CEO Dale Wheeldon says.
“As economic recovery continues to be in the forefront, we couldn’t be more proud of the work done by BC’s Economic Developers,” he notes. “This year, we received a number of nominations put forward by communities and economic development professionals showcasing the creativity and smart strategies that encourage economic recovery and resiliency in their region.”
The pocket guide’s creation was partially funded by a grant from the Northern Development Initiative Trust and involved several members of the community, Moreira says. Mayor Barbara Roden wrote most of the text, community members provided Moreira with pictures, and Ashcroft’s CAO Daniela Dyck oversaw the project and added editing suggestions for the 20-page guide.
Due to the pandemic, Moreira says they chose to include local businesses in the guide free of charge. It’s an arrangement she says will likely change with future editions of the guide as things get back to normal.
Moreira adds that she didn’t expect the guide to end up being as popular as it was. By the end of 2021, all 5,000 copies from the first printing were gone and Ashcroft had to print another 6,000 copies for this summer.
Before the summer tourism season kicks off she intends to distribute them to visitor centres throughout the South Cariboo. She’s hopeful it will encourage people to come and check out all that Ashcroft has to offer.
“We have a history walk and an art walk with just over 100 installations of different pieces of artwork,” Moreira says.
“We have a fabulous swimming pool and our heritage park is just chock-full of history, and a beautiful place to have a picnic.”
editorial@accjournal.ca
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