The Abingdon-on-Thames Business Improvement District, covering the town centre, was two years in the planning, and has been operating now for one year.

It was voted in by a majority of businesses, and charges businesses a levy in addition to the usual business rate. It has employed a town centre manager, and in feedback to members has noted the following achievements …

It has developed the Visit Abingdon brand, with the visitabingdon.co.uk website and a promotional brochure for visitors.

It has co-ordinated an annual events calendar, and helped put on new seasonal events at Hallowe’en, Christmas (Carols round town) , and Easter (Egg and Spoon races)

It has put up bunting in bid areas.

It has installed footfall counters in 9 locations and monitors and reports the findings and the effect of promotions.

It has set up workshops on business topics such as using social media, and is looking to develop a utilities buying group.

It chases up landlords of empty units and contacts potential businesses to attract them to the area.

It also reports minor issues in the BID area to councils, and lobbies councils on larger issues such as the future use of the charter, and the empty Upper Reaches.

Today was Mother’s Day and Rosie’s Cafe on West St Helen Street opened specially to serve tea and cakes.

Whereas most buildings along West St Helen Street have been knocked down and rebuilt in the last sixty years, Rosie’s Cafe is in an original building with a cellar, old roof timbers and a floor with a long history.

Rosie’s has undergone a change in the last month, with some redecoration, and Rosie, the dairy cow, has moved in.

Sixty years ago this shop was called St Helen’s Dairy and would have sold milk, eggs, and dairy products. Now they serve tea and home made cakes, home made soup and bread.

On the Market Place yesterday there was a Market with a difference. A dozen young enterprise teams, each with a company name and business idea were selling their product – a bit like the Apprentice on TV.

Pictures here are Nascent, a young enterprise team from Larkmead School. They had produced and were selling a cook book called ‘Oh Crumbs!’ with some of their staff’s favorite recipes. It included among others: Mr Crowe’s simple sausage and pasta, Miss Dering’s Lentil Dahl, and Mrs’s Box’s Fruit cake. They are seen here with the Mayor Cllr Alice Badcock, who went to Larkmead a few years ago.

A team from Abingdon School had developed a line of mobile phone products

including speakers that amplified the sound of the phone without the need for any wires. They went under the name of Acc.ESS.

Belindas Jewellery Box in West St Helen Street has started the first of a number of craft workshops in the shop

First one is a henna craft course.

For more information see Belindas Jewellery Box on facebook