Watford Business Improvement District (BID) works for and is funded by town centre businesses, working together, investing in and improving the town centre.

The BID team has had a busy past few weeks. We hosted our second annual business networking event, this year hosting in West Herts College’s superb new business lounge. We used the opportunity to launch our new BID Business and Shop Improvement Grant. This is a grant specifically designed to help BID levy-paying businesses in the town centre improve and develop their business offer to consumers. Further details about the grant can be found at www.watfordbid.co.uk

We are also preparing for the town’s next food and drink week coming up in May. This will be based on the last successful week we ran last October, when the restaurants, cafes, bars and bars, as well as supermarkets and other food retailers, offered special promotions throughout the week. This is a great way of trying out somewhere you may not have been before. Food & Drink 2018 will run from May 14 to 20. If you are a business in the town centre and want to get involved contact enquiries@watfordbid.co.uk

You may have noticed a few new additions to the flyover - the clean art images, created by using water, is something completely new. The flyover, while a necessity, does tend to almost split the town in two – we thought we would try something a little different. The images work within the limitations of the structure while also reflecting something of the character of the town, and should be subtle yet create a point of interest. Time will tell how people react to them.

Finally, we also welcomed two new directors to the BID Board, they are Daniel Berko from Aspect Properties and Gary Foley of Everyone Active and General Manager at Watford Leisure Centre.

- Maria Manion is chief executive of Watford BID