2010

I was shopping in one of our independent town centre shops the other day. There was a small boy with his Mum and clutched in the boy’s hand was one of the items they had selected which he solemnly placedon the counter. His mum then gave him some money which he shyly handed over to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper rang up the goods and while he was doing so mum asked the little boy how much change he could expect from the money he hadhanded over. There was a pause as the small brain ticked over and delight whenthe right answer came out.

I hope, like me, you had a great time at the Food Festival over the weekend. The weather was transcendent and the crowds flocked to the town to take in a truly wonderful atmosphere. I’m sure everyone would agreethat it was a superbly organised event and special thanks must go to the Heritage Foundation and to Inspired Event Management for all their efforts inbringing what, I’m sure we all hope, will be an annual Festival.

Thousands of visitors visited Letchworth Garden City town centre last weekend (22 & 23 May) to enjoy the first Letchworth Food Festival.

Featuring live cookery demonstrations on Leys Square and an array of food stalls there was something for everyone - plus the weather was great.

To see photographs from the event visit www.letchworthfoodfestival.co.uk

A diversity of food, deliciously presented by traders, tasted by visitors and sold; cooking demonstrations by professional chefs; local schools and North Hertfordshire College, activities for children, plus free admission – just some of the ingredients for Letchworth Garden City’s Food Festival, on Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and 23.

Four businesses in Letchworth have been busy setting up shop in new premises. First to get out of the blocks was Past and Present, a furniture store specialising in Antique pine. Proprietor Paul Lawrence moved across to Leys Avenue in November 2009 and is really pleased he took the plunge.

'I wish I had moved earlier. The six week leading up to Christmas were excellent' Paul told ShopLetchworth.

There have been reported sightings of a large bunny hopping around Letchworth in the last few days.

Reports suggest this enormous Hare has been leaving brightly painted eggs all over town from Arena Parade to Station Road.

Stuck for ideas of what to get your mum for Mothering Sunday?

In case you'd forgotten it's on March 14th so make sure you get into town and pick up something for your mum as soon as possible.

Trading Up welcomes Lee Boswell as the new Town Centre Manager for Letchworth Garden City.

Lee, 39, joins the partnership from M&S where he was part of the management team at the flagship London Colney branch. Lee, who is married with 3 children, says he is looking forward to working in the town.

2010 is shaping up to be another exciting year for Letchworth Garden City town centre.

With street scene works in Leys Avenue due to be completed in May, the town centre shopping environment will be transformed. The massively eimproved environment will feature new landscaped seating areas, water features, sculptures and an enlarged Leys Square perfect for markets and events.

Behind the scenes planning is underway for a number of fantastic town centre events making use of the newly enlarged square and other locations. Watch this space for details.

Plinston, Broadway, SG6 3NX
North Hertfordshire’s premier entertainment venue

Plinston's new season of live music, featuring an underlying riftastic rock theme, kicks off next Friday, January 15.

This Saturday sees the start of the Letchworth Festival which is rapidly becoming a jewel in Letchworth’s crown. Amazingly it’s only the second year of the festival and yet there are over 100 different activities scheduled over the next two weeks.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked alongside the Festival Steering Committee and the efforts this merry band have made in getting the Festival to this high level is truly remarkable. They thoroughly deserve all the praise I believe is bound to come their way.

Okay, forgetting the football, it’s been a wonderful weekend. The dancing in Leys Square was only matched, in terms of energy and enthusiasm, by the frivolity in Leys Fountains where it literally felt like the local park. It was truly wonderful to see so many people in our town centre, enjoying the weather and entertainment.

The heart of the world’s first Garden City came alive on Saturday 10 July with music, dance and drama for Letchworth’s first-ever Street Fest.

Many congratulations to the organiser, Town Centre Manager Lee Boswell, for masterminding such a spellbinding day. Letchworth’s first-ever Street Fest brought together over 50 acts to perform on seven ‘live’ stages scattered across the Garden Square Shopping Centre, Eastcheap and Leys Avenue.

Saturday 17 July, saw Letchworth Garden City host its first Earth Day, celebrating all things environmental. The event featured stalls from organisations such as the Shark Trust, HydroActive, North Hertfordshire Beekeepers, Transition Town Letchworth and many more.

There was face painting and a treasure hunt to keep the kids entertained, plus photo opportunities 'in front of shark infested waters'. A flashback to 'seaside picture boards', families had great fun posing with the sharks, wearing masks and snorkels.

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Nearly 200 people entered the recent 'Face of Letchworth' competition for their chance to become the new face of the town.

With some incredible prizes on offer, photographer Paul Winterton, had his work cut out to keep up with the demand from all the entrants.

Voting for the Face of Letchworth Competition is now open. Please click on the following links to view the photos and vote for your favourite:

Face of Letchworth 5-12 years catergory

Face of Letchworth 13-25 years catergory

Face of Letchworth 26 and over catergory

The winners of the inaugural face of Letchworth competition have been announced. Francesca Burrows, Emily Thompson and Julie Kratochvil have been selected by a judging panel of five to become the new faces of the town

A crowd of over 2,000 saw Santa switch on the lights in Letchworth Garden City at the weekend (26th November).

Joined on stage by Elvis and his band, the Jack FM girls and our special guests; the Gentle family, Santa led an impressive countdown to set off the lights and cue the pyrotechnics and streamers.

As recently announced the proposed development to The Wynd has been put on ice and with that comes the opportunity to re-open the consultation on the future of The Wynd and the town centre as a whole.

Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation are currently seeking people to sign up to workshops planned for 2011 as well as opening up a forum where people can express their own views.

The forum is online at www.thenextsteps.co.uk and you can also sign up to the workshops from this site.

The winners of the Letchworth 'Design a Smiler Stamp' competition have been chosen. Alice Brookes and Charlie McGown were chosen by a panel which included Letchworth's Postal Pursuits proprietor Thomas Humphries.

The two designs will now be turned into sets of Smiler Stamps which are both rare and collectable.

"Both designs really captured the essence of Britannia, which was our theme." said Thomas.

We're on the search for the best shop in Letchworth for Customer Service. If you've experienced great service from one of our town centre shops we want to hear about it.

Has someone gone beyond the call of duty?

Have you been bowled over by someone's passion or commitment?

Have the staff from one of our stores been knowledgeable in the extreme?

We will collect up your nominations and then put out the choices to a vote to see who will be crowned champions of 2011.