Ipswich.Love CIC

Report of the Directors for the year ended 31st December 2025 The Directors are delighted to report a second successful full year for Ipswich.love CIC. Having initially evidenced need via our start up investigations, Ipswich.love CIC continues to improve positivity and connect our diverse communities across Ipswich. The following key activities took place during the year: Participation in 121 separate networking and collaboration meetings or events with businesses, authorities, academics, charities, faiths and community organisations in the town. Participation in Ipswich Minster’s Charter825 programme. Delivery of a new service, a Weekly Event Guide, which is offered to subscribers free of charge and has quickly received over 1,250 subscribers at year end. Background preparation of a town-wide comprehensive Directory (to be launched in early 2026). We will provide a searchable directory of local establishments with detailed information and integration with Google Places API for up-to-date opening times. This modular approach ensures maintainability and scalability as the directory grows. The self-service aspect of the directory brings significant benefits to the local business community users: Empowerment of Local Organisations, Enhanced Data Accuracy and Community Engagement. This self-service approach, combined with moderation controls, creates a sustainable and dynamic Ipswich Directory platform that serves both organisations and consumers effectively. Website build delivery consultancy services launched; currently working with two clients. Kiosk product delivery to one client – a live stream of Ipswich.love events which refreshes at regular intervals Expansion of services beyond Ipswich Borough Council boundaries to include outlying villages and areas identifying with Ipswich as the nearby Town. Core statistics for 2025. Web 3,600 events hosted since the platform’s launch; third party users rose to 203 by the end of 2025. Events’ listing now covers around 600 single and repeating events each week, including grassroots and community events across the wider town and environs. Above target growth to website impressions, with 2,280,000 impressions by the end of 2025 81,500 Clicks Average 2025 3.63% click-through rate to our site from Google Search Social media across platforms Impressions - 306,100 Engagements - 7,412 Post Link Clicks - 1,299 Engagement Rate (per Impression) - 2.4% The Directors meet regularly to review progress and plan, including the securing of ongoing funding and revenue streams to allow us to expand our services. In times of increasing social isolation and unhappiness, we continue to see an increasing demand for our service to ‘connect the dots,’ supporting residents, organisations, businesses, and community initiatives promoting activities on a single platform. Ipswich.love is the only central source across the wider Ipswich and environs that provides this free service to commercial, charity and community enterprises alike. We continue to see this as a pivotal time in Ipswich’s long and evolving history - an identified need to further galvanise the town’s organisations and residents into a more unified community. The town and its people continue to inspire us to deliver more in 2026.