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

Our second Watford Food & Drink Week will take place from May14 to 20 May. Every Watford household will receive a Food & Drink Week brochure through their doors, which will be full of offers from bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes within the BID area. We will also be distributing brochures to the offices along Clarendon Road and promoting the week on local radio and in the Watford Observer.

The idea is to encourage more people to come into town and experience the town’s wide food and drink offer. It’s a great opportunity to visit established favourites and try some of the new businesses that have opened on the high street.

Our free-standing floral displays and railing baskets will be back in the town centre in June. We’ve again co-ordinated our colour scheme – red, white and blue – with the hanging baskets Watford Borough Council installs on lampposts. Several town centre businesses have bought baskets from us for hanging outside their premises. The combined effect is a welcome splash of colour to the town, making a real difference to its overall appearance.

After getting positive feedback for the wraps we installed on the hoardings outside Metrobank and the One Bell, next will be the St Mary’s Church hoardings so people coming from the car park will know what is happening at St Mary’s and where different things are in the town.

We are working with the major stakeholders in the town to look at how we can collectively market and brand Watford over the next five years. This is particularly important, as so many of the developments in and around the town are nearing completion. In a few months’ time Watford town centre will be an impressive place - somewhere we all need to shout about and be proud of.

The BID is also now starting to plan for our AGM, which will be held on June 6 at West Herts College, all BID levy payers are welcome.

Keep up to date with BID activities by visiting www.watfordbid.co.uk.

- Maria Manion is chief executive of Watford BID