Traders in Brixham are taking matter into their own hands to spruce up the town’s streets. Torbay Council’s swingeing cuts mean that the Tor2 lengthsmen team will not be in the port until September, after the height of the tourist season. So members of the Chamber of Commerce are pulling together to organise their own street cleaning to clear away moss and weeds.
Teams have been put together to undertake the task as well as encouraging shopkeepers to keep their own premises and street fronts tidy. Meanwhile the Chamber has written to the mayor and deputy mayor asking for help.
Judging takes place in July for Brixham’s entry in Britain in Bloom 2014 organised by dedicated volunteers from the group Pride in Brixham who look after the walkways and gardens around the harbour from Crab Quay House to the Breakwater. Ahead of the judging, the Chamber of Commerce sent out an appeal to town centres businesses to look at the general tidiness of the front, doors, windows and signs of their premises, to clear up the pavement outside and check any rubbish is disposed of.
Chamber of Commerce spokesman Nigel Makln explained “In an ideal world the council would be addressing these issues and we will be lobbying, challenging and demanding them to do so. It is unbelievable that as a tourist destination, we can’t have our streets cleaned. We should not have to do this when we pay enough in council tax and business rates. Traders are already working seven days a week at the moment but we are where we are.
“Britain in Bloom is a fantastic opportunity to not only show Brixham at its best but also to retain those looks for the rest of the year. Pride in Brixham do not have either the financial or physical resource to complete this work on their own. For now it is down to the business community to support the Pride in Brixham team and each other.”
Traders were also asked to provide a few flowers or planters for the immediate area around their premises.
Mr Makin continued: “As a Chamber, we want to support Pride in Brixham volunteers. But this is also the start of our objective to help rejuvenate Brixham as a retail and social destination. Our ultimate objective is to increase footfall into town and increase footfall into businesses and improving the environment is the first small step towards this.”
Story by Ellen Grindley, Brixham News. Reproduced by kind permission of author/publisher.