Your Bromley is the Business Improvement District (BID) for Bromley town centre.

It is a business led and business funded scheme to improve Bromley town centre through additional services and new initiatives and aims to promote Bromley to visitors old and new.

The BID has been running for five years and there will be a reballot shortly.

For six weeks a member of the BID team will be sharing their experiences over the past five years and explaining why they feel a yes vote from Bromley businesses is important for Bromley.

This week we hear from board director, Chris Glover:

I’m Chris Glover, Theatre Director at The Churchill Theatre and Board Director at Your Bromley.

One of the highlights of each year for me is the Christmas lights switch-on, organised every year by Your Bromley alongside our team at The Churchill Theatre. It’s a great community event and, in most years, people fill the High Street to watch the parade and the cast from our panto. It marks the start of Christmas for me, followed by the arrival of the Christmas Market that really makes our town stand out and look different. I’m glad last year’s online lights switch on meant we could still share some festive joy, albeit virtually and that we managed to offer a Christmas Market too.

News Shopper:

The events Your Bromley organises throughout the year really help to attract new people to the town, delivering increased footfall that the businesses then benefit from. From the Christmas Lights to the wonderful Wimbledon screenings that create a great atmosphere at lunchtimes and, of course, the free movie screenings at the Midsummer Movies event every year in Queen’s Gardens. All of these events, combined with some of the really practical things the BID does like street cleaning and chewing gum removal, and the wonderful ambassador, help to make sure the town centre is an attractive and pleasant space to spend leisure time.

A yes vote for Your Bromley will be a great thing for the town. The Churchill Theatre, the BID and the Council will be working together to continue to rejuvenate the High Street by bringing in art installations and storyboards celebrating the cultural influences on Bromley like HG Wells and David Bowie. We’re planning mini concerts in the High Street and much, much more. We need to celebrate the culture of Bromley and remember who has influenced it and who was born here.

Your Bromley has supported the businesses of Bromley through the pandemic, keeping us all up to date on information from both the government and local authority and providing practical help accessing additional funding. I would encourage businesses to vote yes at the reballot as there’s so much going on in Bromley, from the great shopping experiences to the cafes, restaurants and leisure facilities – and the BID will help shout about this and make sure even more people enjoy the benefits of the town centre.