COMMUNITY PAGES
Hitchin Town Centre Initiative - MARCH 2001 NEWS
SNIPPETS
You may have spotted
last month's deliberate mistake. Herts Action on Disability will be selling
red roses for St Georges Day. (Red noses were for Comic Relief). Part
of the proceeds will go to support Shopmobility in Hitchin. If you are
prepared to have a basket of red roses and a collection box and you haven't
been contacted yet, call Joan Kirby on 620649 or Jean Jenkins on 620672.
Talking of Shopmobility, we
have the offer of an electric scooter for use by those with mobility difficulties.
Unfortunately, Hitchin Initiative premises are not big enough to accommodation
this so if anyone is prepared to provide storage in the town centre we
can handle bookings from here. At some point, it would be nice to have
proper shopmobility facilities in a central location - new Churchgate
owners reading this?
Commercial activity is buoyant in town with extensive refurbishment at Wilkinsons, Clinton Cards and Halseys. Vacant properties are soon under offer but there is still a lack of units over 1,000 sq ft. The recent merge between Radio Rentals and Granada has brought a useful property on to the market at the lower end of Hermitage Road - but again just under 800 sq ft at an asking rent of £11,750. It is anticipated that this will be snapped up soon. Post Office Property Holdings should get their act into gear for with Sainsburys opening late summer, Hermitage Road becomes more focal and retail demand likely to increase.
The
Association of Town Centre Management Annual Conference in Reading at
the end of the month takes membership Schemes as the subject of one of
the workshops.
One of the most successful schemes quoted is Hitchin and I shall be speaking
there about our experiences. But of course, there are still mountains
to climb.
Currently
112 companies subscribe but that leaves probably two thirds who have yet
to be convinced or co-erced. Please network and try to persuade your neighbours
to join. From as little as £75 per annum which can be paid monthly,
quarterly or annually to suit, you can help to provide dedicated management
for the town on a whole range of issues. Call us for more information.
Keith
Hoskins.
Hitchin Chamber Of Commerce and Industry
The next Breakfast Meeting is on Thursday 15th
March when our guest will be Greg Blount who will be there to discuss
current employment legislation.
Breakfast meetings provide a good opportunity for networking and exchanging
views as well as keeping up to date on current issues. Meetings at Hitchin
Priory at 7.30am for 7.45am. Cost is £7 members and £12 non-members
payable on the day. Please book for breakfast via Hitchin Initiative on
453335 or e-mail htci@hitchin.net.
To join the Chamber, call Catherine Chamberlain on 433652.
Just Bin It
'Just Bin It' is the title of the new campaign from Tidy Britain Group as part of the overall 'Are You Doing Your Bit?' environmental campaign. Just Bin It aims to send out an uncompromising message that litter is ruining the UK and also to educate people as to why the campaign is an essential part of preserving our communities.
I was amazed to learn that it costs £340,000,000 per year to clean the streets of Britain and that an estimated 122 tonnes of cigarette butts, matchsticks and cigarette related litter are dropped every day across the UK.
Shedding some light on energy saving
If you're a small firm - especially an office-based firm - you could be spending around 30% of your electricity bill on lighting. With the introduction of the Climate Change Levy, Non-domestic fuel is set to rise by 0.43p/KWh for electricity. However, by switching to energy saving lighting, you can save money on bills and take advantage of government funded rebates to fund replacement products.
At the moment, for companies up to 250 employees, these rebates will grant:
- Up to £3,000
for the replacement of inefficient lighting products by designated energy
saving products
- OR up to £3,000
for installing energy efficient measures recommended following a survey
- PLUS up to £3,000 for lighting controls
To take advantage of this potential £6,000 grant, you need to act
fairly swiftly for as ever this offer does have a time limit although
it is likely to be replaced by something similar at a later date. To find
out more, there is a Lightswitch Helpline on 08705 133538 or a website
at www.lightswitch.co.uk
or to short circuit (sorry!) the system, talk to Initiative member David
Webb at J. Wesley (Electrical Contractors) on 01462 437677.
Churchgate
So goodbye Northern Trust, you are the weakest link or rather you
were.
To have sat on Churchgate for 18 months and done nothing frustrated the whole town. It is to be hoped that, unlike Northern Trust, the new owners will fully engage with Hitchin Initiative and Hitchin Chamber of Commerce and Industry who stand ready to assist them in whatever capacity with the local authority to ensure the best possible outcome. Plus you never know guys, we might have one or two useful ideas worth incorporating!
More free business training
The Academy of Business Excellence is staging another set of seminars for owners and employees within independent businesses in North Herts.
Weds
7th March - Retail Security
Presenter-Sgt. Mick Jackson (Herts Constabulary)
Identify the
motives of and methods used by shoplifters
Examine the
methods recommended to prevent retail crime
Understand your
rights of arrest
Identify an
action plan for dealing with theft in your shop
LETCHWORTH
POLICE STATION. 6pm-8.30pm.
Weds
14th March - Internet for Beginners
Presenter - Mick Dobson THE SUN RUNNER, BANCROFT, HITCHIN. 11am-2pm.
How to use search
engines, browsers and e-mail
How and why
businesses use e-commerce
Identify a need
for e-commerce within your business
Weds
21st March - Websites for Small Business
Presenter - Mick Dobson THE SUN RUNNER, BANCROFT, HITCHIN. 11am-2pm.
Understand the
role of domains, providers and e-commerce
Discuss site
design guidelines
Understand the
benefits of 'Dreamweaver' and 'Frontage'
Weds
28th March- Website Design & Construction
Presenter - Mick Dobson THE SUN RUNNER, BANCROFT, HITCHIN. 11am-2pm.
Site
construction for small businesses
Managers
of larger stores may be interested in Retail Security and are welcome
to attend, subject to space - please telephone to book.
For all bookings and information about ABEX seminars, telephone Sally
Williams on 01442 867818.
Hitchin Hard Half
Once again Aro Sports in Bancroft is organising Hitchin Hard Half on Sunday 1st April starting and ending at Hitchin Girls School. The main purpose is to raise money for local charities as well as giving several hundred people a fun day ("assuming you consider running 13.1 miles as fun" says organiser Tony Osborne).
The main beneficiaries
will be The Lister Hospital Kidney Foundation and The Blue Cross Centre
at Kimpton with other donations to St John Ambulance and Hitchin Scouts
for their invaluable assistance on the day.
A small part of the entry fee goes to the good causes but individuals
are welcome to obtain further sponsorship. Forms can be arranged by the
organisers if necessary.
For full details or if you can display information on your company noticeboard contact Tony Osborne at Aro Sports on 01462 420292 or e-mail TONY@AROSPORTS.CO.UK.
Seventh Hertfordshire Pleasure Ride
Yet
another way to have a pleasant day in the countryside, stay healthy and
support a good cause. Organised by C J Frost & Son in Walsworth Road,
this is a family bike ride or horse ride from Ickleford on Sunday 20th
May starting at 9.30am for cyclists and 10.30am for horseriders. The route
will follow approximately 14 miles of unspoilt bridleways and mostly private
tracks. "The event is not a race" says organiser Graham Frost
"but there will be a prize for the highest amount of sponsorship
raised".
All proceeds go to the Hertfordshire Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre
based in Letchworth. For full details or a poster for your company noticeboard,
call Graham Frost on 01462 434433 if a cyclist or Mrs Peach on 01462 459596
if a horserider .
Hitchin Rugby Club
is available for private parties, club dinners, live bands etc. The Clubhouse is able to hold 120 people and has won Camra North Herts 'Club of the Year' for the part 3 years and came second in the National Club of the Year.
With 3 rugby pitches, 2 cricket squares and 2 football pitches, there is plenty of room for large outdoor events and the Club already hosts several company sports days and barbecues. There is off road parking for approximately 50 cars in winter and in summer, parking for hundreds. The Club has another large room (without bar) for meetings. For full details call Jan or Cled Vincent on 01462 631240 or email cledvincent@hotmail.com. Hitchin Rugby Club is situated at King George V Playing Fields off Old Hale Way.
home page | news | noticeboard | chat | local link | feedback | top of page
Hitchin.Net are not responsible for the contents of this page.
©1997-2001 Hitchin.Net. All rights reserved.
Privacy statement.
Developed and hosted by netmark.co.uk.