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New business ambassador for the town centre
Wearing a smart blue uniform with a distinctive ‘Love Hastings’ logo, the new ambassador is easy to spot.
Peter Rolfe may be a familiar face to many people as he previously worked successfully as a council street warden – and now he’s back in Hastings with a mission to clean up the town…in every way possible.
Pictured here with BID manager, John Bownas, Peter’s role will be similar to that of the previous warden, but with some key differences.
The changes are very much based on feedback from the business survey carried out by the BID earlier in the year and as well as the new look include:
– Far more focus on environmental issues and problems to keep the town looking its best
– A more welcoming presence to help visitors find their way around and get the most out of their stay
– More intelligence-based work with businesses to help them cut down on shop theft
– Close working with other agencies to help support and reduce the negative impact on the town of the street community
– Communicating
What hasn’t changed is the provision of support for Barwatch and Shopwatch members in the BID area – so if you need help training staff on the use of DISC or the radio system, want assistance completing an incident report, or if you are not yet a member and want to sign up, the ambassador is there to help you.
In his first few days Peter has already met with dozens of businesses to make himself known and get re-acquainted with the town. He’s also spent time at the local police station being introduced by the Inspector to the various teams, including the local PCSOs, the response unit, and the missing persons officers. As well as the police he will be working closely alongside the both the borough and county councils, and will be in regular contact with the environmental health, licensing, waste management, public safety, homelessness, highways, and planning departments – as well of course as having daily interactions with the CCTV control and warden teams.
BID manager John Bownas, said: “The feedback about Peter’s new look and his new role has been brilliant, and he’s already making a big difference. If he sees a problem around the town its his job to get it fixed as quickly as possible, so we’re really keen people let him know if something is wrong or causing concern. It might be noisy buskers, a fly-tip or some broken glass, or it could be a damaged paving stone, a shoplifting incident or an illegal street trader. If it’s not something he can deal with directly Peter will have all the contacts to ensure things get sorted as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“I’d like to thank Dickies Menswear on Queens Road for help choosing and resizing the uniform.”
Peter added “I’m looking forward to getting to know the local business owners and working collaboratively to help improve the town centre’s look and feel. One of my first projects is coordinating some community clean-ups of areas not covered by Hastings Borough Council. I would be really interested to hear from anyone that knows of any problem areas that require some TLC. Please get in touch with me via the contact details below, so we can work together to make the required improvements where possible.”
You can call the business ambassador on 07508 869351 or e-mail ambassador@lovehastings.com
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