Peter Ruscoe has been been appointed Chair of Bournemouth Coastal BID after his predecessor stepped down following seven years in the role.

Paul Clarke was presented with an original canvas of Bournemouth’s coast by local artist, Miroslav Lucan (LucanArt), in recognition of his commitment.

He had been with Bournemouth Coastal BID since 2015, first as a Director representing the East Cliff and hoteliers and then as Chair.

His successor, Peter, is Manager of the Sovereign Centre in Boscombe and was previously Vice Chair.

He said: “As Vice Chair, I’d worked closely with Paul over the last seven years and saw first-hand his dedication to the role.

“Paul, as with the rest of the Board, has been giving his time in a voluntary capacity since the beginning, during which the Coastal BID has gone from strength to strength.

“As a testament to this we have also appointed five new Directors this year, each drawn from retail and hospitality sectors throughout our areas.

“Thanks to Paul and the rest of the Board’s hard work, the Coastal BID has become well known for the innovative and forward thinking support it provides to its businesses and areas.

“On behalf of everyone at the Coastal BID, and all our levy payers, we’d like to publicly thank Paul for all of his hard work in shaping the Coastal BID over the last decade into what it is today.

“We are now perfectly positioned to continue delivering new and exciting projects for the businesses along Bournemouth’s coast and I am honoured to be continuing his legacy.”

Bournemouth Coastal BID, funded by local businesses, works across Bournemouth’s coastal neighbourhoods from Southbourne to Boscombe, and the seafront over to Westbourne and in between.

It supports local businesses with improvement initiatives aimed at increasing footfall.

They range from lighting and planters to recycling business food waste into compost and providing security to hotels and retail businesses.

The Coastal BID has also funded events and murals.

• coastalbid.co.uk