NORTHWICH has been in the national spotlight this month thanks to The Charlatans, with the town benefiting from an upturn in visitors both on the streets and online.

North by Northwich, which saw the famous band play a series of gigs alongside numerous activities across the town, drove a footfall increase of more than six per cent when compared to the previous week and significantly boosted evening visitors too.

Concert nights saw footfall rise by more than 100 per cent, as people not only came into Northwich to watch the gigs, but also visited the town’s bars, pubs and restaurants to enjoy live music, food and drink.

The Northwich Business Improvement District (BID) also noted huge spikes on their social platforms over the ten day event, most notably on their Visit Northwich Facebook page.

They reported that their posts reached more than 30,000 people while more than 11,000 Facebook users engaged with content over the course of the festival.

More than 15,000 people viewed videos from The Charlatans and various bands playing at venues such as The Salty Dog, The Salthouse NW, The Witton Chimes and Northwich Plaza as the spotlight shone on Northwich.

Northwich BID Manager Jane Hough has hailed North by Northwich as a huge success and believes the positivity surrounding the event will leave a lasting legacy.

Jane said: “The vibe in Northwich throughout the whole festival was electric and it was great to see so many visitors coming to the town, experiencing everything Northwich has to offer and making memories they won’t forget.

“As well as interacting with the public each and every day, the band really did everything they could to include the town’s traders, as was shown by events and initiatives at The Seafarer, The Salty Dog, Barons Quay, The ODEON, The Salthouse NW, The Gladstone Club, The Witton Chimes and Northwich Library.

“It’s also been brilliant to see such positive figures in regards to footfall and through our social media channels where interaction was at some of the highest levels we’ve seen this year. Hopefully the people who came into Northwich and also saw the photos and videos are inspired to return or visit the town in the near future.

“North by Northwich, the recent announcement about Barons Quay and the events coming up in 2018, such as the Northwich Festival of Arts, The Northwich River Festival and Northwich In Bloom, are really helping to put Northwich on the map and making it stand out as a destination with a difference.”

The belief that the event will leave a lasting legacy has been borne out on social media with many positive comments following the event.

One Twitter user said: “I loved your humble little town. I wasn’t kidding when I said we would be back. There is so much to discover there. Locals were so kind and helpful.”

Another said: “Visited Northwich twice last week because of The Charlatans. Have to say – lovely little town and great chippy, some nice little pubs, hope to be back some day.”