The word 'unprecedented' has never been used so often by so many people.

Since the spring all of us in Hitchin have had to quickly adapt and come to terms with measures imposed on a scale we've never seen before.

Hitchin BID have been doing our upmost to keep you all up to date with the fast-moving changes and announcements by the government, and communicating relevant information on how and when you can access support, guidance and equipment.

While this has been an incredibly challenging time for our town, I have been impressed by Hitchin businesses ability to adapt and come up with innovative ways to continue trading over the past three months.

The Hitchin BID team have been working hard to provide businesses with subsidized PPE, external floor stickers and signage to ease the financial pressures of re-opening. We've installed 10 outdoor public hand sanitizer stations throughout our town and put up social distancing signage to help customer's safety in shops.

We've also been working closely with North Herts District Council on reducing traffic by increasing the pedestrianisation of the narrower parts of the town centre.

We are also working on launching the new 'Eat Alfresco' opportunity, which will open the Market Place up to restaurants and cafes for outdoor dining.

We're staying on top of delivering the BID's day-to-day activities with our cardboard and coffee recycling, 'Street Rangers', floral displays, information centre and promotional activities to ensure our town centre is a vibrant, clean, safe and well-promoted place for visitors to enjoy and businesses to prosper.

The situation has certainly highlighted the importance of our town centre businesses and community. When this crisis has passed, I'm confident Hitchin will be stronger and more resilient to future challenges.

If you require any equipment, guidance or assistance from the Hitchin BID team please do get in touch.

Tom Hardy. Hitchin town centre manager

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