Social media has the power to bring entire communities together.
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This has been evident through the recent Bringing Bowral Together initiative.
Over the past month, anyone who bought products from certain Bowral stores could upload a photo on Facebook or Instagram with the hastag #bringingbowraltogether to go into the draw to win an amazing hamper.
The brainchild of Bowral Sweets and Treats owner Mishell Currie and Nic Smith-Bertram, the social media initiative drew great interest.
The winner of the first competition and giant hamper, drawn on June 23, was ‘@jaelbarrios’. Mishell made special mention of ‘@antoninazaccar’ who will have a special thank you gift to collect from Bowral Sweets and Treats for supporting almost every business involved.
The hamper, valued at $800, was filled with treats from the businesses involved. What started out as just three soon grew to 12, and plenty expressed interest in being a part of the promotion once word had spread.
“The whole idea is literally just bringing local businesses together and businesses supporting businesses,” Mishell said. “When you do support each other, the sky’s the limit really.”
The first Bringing Bowral Together may now be wrapped up, but Mishell and Nic said they had plans to hold a similar promotion later in the year.
They hope to expand it to other towns in the Highlands, perhaps even the whole shire.
“We’ve had a lot of people say they want to get in on the next promotion so this is a trial run and we’ve got bigger plans for the next one,” Nic said.
“We thought about doing another for each town but really it’s all about bring the Highlands together, so keep an eye out for the hashtag #bringingthehighlandstogether,” Mishell said.
The pair said they had several ideas they wished to pursue. One included a fairy trail through the Highlands and Mishell said she also hoped to run an Easter promotion next year.
“It’s bringing not just the businesses but the whole community together because there’s a lot of community things and we’re hoping to tie all those businesses together and support each other.”
