A WEEKEND of events will aim to draw shoppers to the road which has traditionally been Bournemouth’s Bond Street.

The Westover Style Weekend will take place from May 18-19 and will feature fashion shows, exhibitions and a street market.

The aim is to boost Westover Road which has been the home of high-end shopping in the town, with its fashion shops, jewellers and galleries.

In recent times, the road has seen the demise of the high street chain Austin Reed, the closure of its Odeon and ABC cinemas and a rise in homelessness and begging.

The style weekend is being funded by Bournemouth Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) and organised by James Dixon-Box of Dbox Events.

He said: “Westover Road and the Arcade have always had a history of style and fashion and were always known as the Bond Street of the south coast. This weekend aims to re-engage that passion for fashion in Bournemouth and specifically in that area and showcase the amazing style that Bournemouth businesses have to offer.

“We’re taking style to mean everything – not just fashion but clothing, interiors, food and art.”

The event will take in Westover Road, the nearby arcade and Gervis Place. Fashion shows will take place in the Arcade and there will be a ticketed evening event to showcase the work of local designers. There will be a stage at the Pine Walk, with a style market and students given a platform to display their work.

The organisers plan to close one lane of Westover Road to allow the events more room.

Mr Dixon-Box said: “The businesses have been great. They’ve had challenges and they’re really looking forward to having an event that they can own and be pro-active.”

“By drawing people into that area, it will have the knock-on effect and start to help those shops.”

The event is one of several that aims to attract people to different parts of the town centre, with others planned for Beale Place, outside Beales department store, when pedestrianisation work there is finished.

The BID has previously stated its intention to help retailers turn increased footfall into money in the tills at their shops.