by Lorraine Gibson.

Forget the Oscars… a sweet film about a young couple who fall in love after an accidental encounter in the town where they live, has bagged Wimborne a top national retail award.
In the romantic short, we follow aptly-named actor Rohan Gotobed, a would-be Romeo, strolling along the street past some very familiar shops when his head is literally turned by a girl, played by actress, Lauren Carver, who passes him in the opposite direction.
He notices her a few more times around the town, and as they journey past well-known businesses, they steal glances at each another.
Emboldened, he eventually stops his mystery girl and asks her to meet him. She agrees and, after an anxious few seconds checking his watch, boy meets girl outside Wimborne Library.
From there, a charming romance blossoms as they walk, chat and laugh along a backdrop of local landmarks, including the Minster church.

Tammy Sleet and Fiona Harwood of Wimborne BID with their award

Now smitten, they walk hand-in-hand, pause for the odd embrace and even stop to buy flowers, and a bite to eat, try on sunglasses, share a book and grab a coffee.
They find time for a lovers’ tiff before the denouement where they kiss and make up.
Conceived by Wimborne BID, the film was part of their campaign to showcase the quality and variety of shops, eateries and other businesses in the town.
It was created by Justin Gray, a filmmaker who’s worked on some of Waitrose’s TV ads. In campaign promotions, the hashtag #FallInLoveWimborne was used and the film generated about 14,000 viewers on social media.

Along with the positive vibes, it crucially brought shoppers and visitors and attracted such good feedback that the BID entered it into the Good Retail Awards 2023. Organised by Modern Retail, the awards aim to spotlight inspiring retailers in the industry.
Despite the organisers commenting that all the shortlisted entries displayed fantastic stories of innovation, creativity, purpose and success, the Wimborne love story worked so well that the judges, just like the happy couple, fell in love with it and declared it a winner.
One judge even told BID manager, Tammy Sleet, that when she saw Falling In Love With Wimborne, it brought a tear to her eye.
Don’t you just love a happy ending?