Calling all Hornets fans - we have just put the boards that were placed over the windows of the former One Bell pub during Graham Taylor’s funeral on February 1 up for auction on eBay.

The boards were produced as part of the work undertaken by Watford Borough Council to enhance the area of St Mary’s Square ahead of the funeral and were provided to us by the council to auction off – with the approval of Graham Taylor’s family - and raise money for a local cause.

The logical choice for us was to support the major refurbishment programme planned for St Mary’s church, the venue at which the funeral was held. The church is planning a £1.1 million refurb to transform it into both an inspiring place for worship and a town centre civic building that’s accessible for all to use regardless of faith and while it’s raised a large part of the money it needs, there is still a shortfall.

Read more: Graham Taylor posters going on sale to raise money for church where his funeral was held

Watford Observer: f

One of the hoardings

Having a town centre community hub within St Mary’s, combined with other initiatives on which we are working in partnership with the Council and the Police, plus the renovation of the former One Bell pub, will all help upgrade the whole St Mary’s area and transform it into a focal point of the town centre, for the right reasons.

Watford BID as a company has been officially up and running for a year now. At our AGM on April 26, we’ll present our annual report, reviewing all we’ve achieved in year one. None of the investment or the activities we undertook last year would have been possible if hadn’t been for the BID and the businesses investing in their town centre. Our neighbours in St Albans and Welwyn Garden City launch their own BIDs on 1 April this year, we’re looking forward to seeing what projects they carry out and sharing experiences.

Year two is already shaping up to be a busy one. We’ll be repeating all our main year one projects and develop some new ones. Only yesterday we met with a company that produces 3D street art that would create an amazing wow factor if installed on our High Street. – so watch this space!

You can follow what is happening in the town and at the BID by visiting: watfordbid.co.uk and watfordforyou.org.uk or find us on social media for news, offers and events.

  • Marian Manion is chief executive of Watford BID