Northampton is ready to ‘step up’ and progress to the next level in its ongoing regeneration, according to two well-respected experts appointed to the board of the town centre’s Business Improvement District.
Branch manager of NatWest in The Drapery, Mark Townson, and Matthew Tyrrell, a director of Michael Jones Jeweller, will now work alongside other business leaders to oversee Northampton BID’s work as it looks to make the town centre a better place to work, live and visit.
Mark Townson, who first moved to Northampton in 2009 and has worked in the bank’s town centre home ever since, said: “I spend every day engaging with business owners in town and the public when they visit the branch, whether they are regular town visitors or if they have travelled in from further afield. I am passionate about Northampton as a town and want to do my part to help it thrive by helping to implement changes and promote the brilliant initiatives that are happening.
“The town centre has been through a period of huge change and that work is still ongoing. It’s an opportunity to create something very special and I think we’re all excited to see what comes next. Northampton is ready to go to the next level and I’m keen to play my part and help make a difference where I can.”
Last Autumn, businesses in Northampton town centre voted overwhelmingly to renew the Northampton Town Centre BID, unlocking more than £2.2 million to be invested in the area over the next five years.
The successful ‘Yes’ vote, which saw 82 per cent of participating businesses support the renewal, ensured continued funding for projects that improve the town centre trading environment and champion local business interests.
The new BID term will begin on Wednesday, 1 April and takes in a widened catchment area to include businesses in Marefair and the University of Northampton’s Innovation Centre opposite the railway station.
Throughout the new term, the BID will finance initiatives that enhance Northampton’s appeal and support economic growth.
Matthew Tyrrell, who has worked at Michael Jones Jeweller for 28 years, including the past eight as a director, said: “We have traded from Northampton for 107 years, with two of our three shops within the town, and I want to play my part in supporting the efforts to improve the offer Northampton has.
“As a local success story, recently expanding both showrooms and experiencing huge growth over the last 10 years, we are well-positioned as a business to spend time and resources to promote the town and support the BID as they build on what they have already achieved.
“Speaking to customers every day, people can see the upwards trajectory Northampton is on and it is beginning to unlock the potential that our town centre so clearly has.
“It has been tough for town centres everywhere but we are now starting to realise different ways they can be used. Northampton is very much at the forefront of what a modern, inclusive and vibrant town centre needs to be.”
The pair will supplement a board that is jointly headed by co-chairs Sali Brown, formerly of Chelton Brown Lettings & Sales, and Andrea Smith of Franklins Solicitors.
Mark Mullen, BID operations manager, said: “I’m looking forward to working with our new board members as we enter our new five-year term. As a collective, we will be working hard 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
