This February, show some love to your favourite Bishop’s Stortford shop, business or organisation. Simply… ❤️Find the Valentine’s Prize Draw post on Instagram/Facebook @DiscoverStortford and X @Stortford BID ❤️Like the post ❤️In the comments, tag the town centre business that you love most and tell us why To be entered into the prize draw, and have the chance to win one of our Valentine’s themed gifts, comment before Sunday 11th February at 11.59pm. Prizes are varied and all come from a Bishop’s Stortford BID town centre business. Perfect for a loved one this Valentine’s Day or maybe a well-deserved gift… Read more »

There are lots of ways to keep the kids busy in Bishop’s Stortford, without breaking the bank. Here’s some ideas for the upcoming half term… Thirst Youth Café is for 11 -18s and offers table tennis, pool, darts, video and board games, as well as snacks and drinks, all under the watchful eye of their brilliant staff. For more information, go to www.thirstcafe.com Ace of Lanes offers fun for all the family with bowling, interactive darts, golf simulator, pool and a menu catering for all tastes and ages. Visit www.aceoflanes.co.uk Little Arts Workshop is perfect for getting those creative juices… Read more »

A new boutique cinema will be opening at Wood Grill on Station Road in the coming weeks. The Station Road restaurant, owned by Patrick Benabid who is also the proprietor of Wood Grill in Stansted and Royston, will be home to a high-end Pulse Cinema, offering a luxury arts experience, currently not available in the town or surrounding area. We, the Bishop’s Stortford Business Improvement District (BID), supports the town centre businesses and helps make Bishop’s Stortford a desirable and safe place to live, work and socialise. This new initiative delivers on so many levels. Madeleine Lees, BID Marketing &… Read more »

Water Lane Lounge and Cellar Bar is now up and running with a new ID scanner. The scanner was part-funded by the Bishop’s Stortford Business Improvement District (BID) as part of a wider initiative to keep people safe in the town centre’s night-time venues. Water Lane’s management commented: “(The) team really appreciates the help and support from BID to keep the town safe. Our customer’s safety is extremely important to us. We also join other venues in town who already use the ID scanner and work together to provide safer nights out to Bishop’s Stortford residents and visitors. (In a… Read more »

Congratulations to Friends Dress Agency on North Street who were voted by the the public as the winner of the Christmas window competition. Thank you to everyone who got involved and cast their vote and to all the businesses who have brought colour, magic and sparkle to the town centre. Victoria at Friends will receive a £50 Discover Stortford Gift Card. Congratulations also to Kate Carr who was drawn at random from all the voters to also win a £50 Discover Stortford Gift Card.

New electronic car park signage has been installed in Bishop’s Stortford and is fully operational in time for the peak festive period. You will see the four signs on key approach roads into the town centre: A1250 / Dane Street junction; A1059 Riverside; the A1250 Link Road; Bridge Street. The signs show real time space availability in the three big car parks – Jackson Square, Link Road and Northgate End. The Bishop’s Stortford BID have been working with East Herts Council to look at ways we can improve the parking in the town centre. A number of initiatives have been… Read more »

Have you seen the December issue of Velvet magazine, distributed across Herts, Cambs and Suffolk and now also available in Bishop’s Stortford? It’s FREE, packed full articles, gift inspiration, ideas for eating out, events and more! You can now pick up a copy in Bishop’s Stortford Waitrose, Tourist Information in Market Square and South Mill Arts. Check out this feature on some of this month’s highlights in town plus reasons to shop local this Christmas. Click here for the online version.

Once again, the Christmas Taxi Marshalling for Bishop’s Stortford Train Station, funded by the Town Council, returns to Bishop’s Stortford from 10.30pm to 3.30am on the following dates: Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd December Friday 8th and Saturday 9th December Friday 15th and Saturday 16th December Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd December Friday 29th, Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st December There will be two people on duty for each five hour shift. The aim is to help manage the queue and get people safely into taxis at the end of their night out. Gina Thomas, BID Manager, commented: “The taxi… Read more »

Earlier this year the BID put together a Town Centre Work permit proposal for East Herts with the aim to activate Northgate End car park and help out town centre workers with discounted parking. This was put on pause by councillors, and then rejected when it went to vote at Full Council in October. Following this the BID has kept in close communication with Cllr Tim Hoskins and the officers responsible for parking as other plans were considered. We are very appreciative of the opportunity to engage in extensive discussions. This has allowed us to explain in great detail the… Read more »

What wonderfully creative and festive displays we’ve seen appearing in recent weeks. Judging took place on Friday 1st December. The panel included Barbara Doherty (Isabel Hospice President), Mayor Cllr Richard Townsend, Renee Friend (Isabel Hospice), Gina Thomas (BID) and Kim (Jackson Square). First place was awarded to The Bishop’s Cave on North Street. Congratulations! Well done to Barnes Flooring on South Street and Russell Property on North Street for coming joint second. The streets of Bishop’s Stortford are looking very festive and inviting this Christmas. If you haven’t already, take a stroll and enjoy the winning windows in all their… Read more »

Jackson Square is the car park of choice for many shoppers and visitors to the town centre, but as we all know it can get busy at peak times, and unfortunately this has led to gridlock in the past. To keep this car park open and flowing as much as possible in the run up to Christmas, the BID have once again funded parking marshals in Jackson Square. They started Black Friday weekend, and will be there every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until 23 December. Whilst this doesn’t solve the problem totally, the marshals are there to keep an eye… Read more »

Thanks to you, the local people, and all our brilliant performers, suppliers and businesses, for joining in the fun on Sunday. What a brilliant way to launch Christmas in Bishop’s Stortford? To see the coverage in this week’s Independent newspaper, including lots of photos, click here