LETTER FROM THE NEW BID DIRECTOR, SARAH-JANE

LETTER FROM NEW BID DIRECTOR, SARAH-JANE

Firstly, welcome back to an unrestricted, although altered, way of trading. I hope that this time allows you to grow and thrive, and for us to throw open the doors of Royal Tunbridge Wells with a

new sense of purpose and confidence.

Of course, now is also the time for you as a business, and us as the town centre collective, to assess the challenges that we have all faced through the last 18 months – as a town centre business ourselves, we have also had to adapt.

For us as your Business Improvement District, this means making sure that we understand if and how your priorities may have changed, and how our work can most effectively support you in this post-Covid landscape. To this end, I’ve put together a mid-term and Covid impact survey to give voice to your needs.

This is your opportunity to directly inform me, as your new BID Director, of what additional services you’d like to see from us, and to have a direct effect on the kinds of projects we choose moving forwards, to enhance those we already deliver, so it’s really important for you to have your say. You can complete the quick survey by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QLMNMFQ, or you’ll soon receive a paper copy.

Alternatively, you can contact me any time if you’d like to go through your responses, or just have a chat more generally, with me by phone, Zoom / Teams or in person. Contact me any time, and not just in relation to the survey – if you have stories and news you’d like shared, or would like to get involved in events and campaigns or find out how we can help promote or advise you, I’m here to help.

We’re very proud of the work that the Business Improvement District has carried out so far, and the role it has played in helping levy members navigate unforeseen and unknowable circumstances and uncertainties. But this feels like a great time to take stock, and look to the future of your business, and ours, and drive new projects forwards based on your feedback.

I’d like to pass on my thanks on my thanks to Ross Feeney, who has now moved on from the role, having successfully steered the BID through the most challenging of periods. I wish him the very best in his new venture and appreciate his ongoing passion for the town and its traders. I am coming to this role from the Business Improvement District for nearby Maidstone, One Maidstone, and prior to that Maidstone Borough Council, and look forward to getting to know you all.

Please do get in touch: sarah-jane@tunbridgewellstogether.co.uk / 01892531985 / 07808646758 Sarah-Jane Adams