A well-known local retailer and a senior specialist in economic development have outlined their vision for the high street having been appointed to the board of Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District.
Julie Teckman, who owns the award-winning Vintage Guru in St Giles Street, and Helen Miller, Assistant Director Enterprise and Employability at the University of Northampton, have both joined the BID board.
They will now work alongside a number of other business leaders to oversee the BID’s work as it looks to make the town centre a better place to work, live and visit.
Julie said: “As a town centre retailer I am well placed to understand the needs of businesses, the concerns we have and also the aspirations we have to make Northampton somewhere to be truly proud of and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in. The next few years have the potential to be hugely exciting for our town centre and I want to make sure things are done right so that both shoppers and businesses have a town centre they want to visit.”
Helen added: “The current projects in Market Square, Abington Street and Fish Street will hopefully go a long way to unlocking the potential that our town centre clearly has. It has been a tough time for town centre up and down the country but we are now starting to realise different ways they can be used and that natural evolution has begun.
“The University has a big role to play in that, with much of our student population now living in the town so I am keen to work closely with businesses to ensure all audiences are catered for and that we as a campus are closely linked to the town in every way.”
The pair will supplement a board that is jointly headed by newly appointed co-chair Sali Brown of Chelton Brown Lettings & Sales and Andrea Smith of Franklins Solicitors after previous co-chair Kerry Reynolds stepped down at the BID’s AGM.
Sali said: “Having been a BID board member for a number of years it is a huge honour to now serve as co-chair.
“This is an exciting period for the town centre with work underway on a number of high-profile projects that are going to change the face of Northampton for years to come. It represents a huge opportunity for businesses to make the most of that investment and establish themselves in our town centre as we embark on an exciting new era.”
Mark Mullen, BID operations manager, said: “I’m looking forward to working with our new board members under the leadership of Andrea and Sali. I’d like to thank Kerry for the passion, determination and professionalism she bought to the team throughout her term and the BID will continue to strive to deliver projects of value for our businesses that attract more people into our town centre.”
For more information, please visit www.northamptonbid.co.uk
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