Luton's town centre set to sparkle this Christmas after 'Tidy Hour'

Local businesses brought ‘sparkle and shine’ to Luton’s town centre streets during a dedicated clean-up ahead of the Christmas light switch-on this Saturday.

More than 40 volunteers from Clearhead Media, The Mall, Tokko Youth Space, Luton Library, Luton Rotary Club and staff from Luton Council took part in the ‘Tidy Hour’ - organised by Luton Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with Luton-based community group, Asset Based Community Development (ABCD).

Pupils and teachers from Chantry Primary School also helped, along with Luton Council representatives who were on hand to dispose of sharps and waste.

The aim was to get the town centre looking its best for ‘Lighting up Luton’ on Saturday November 27, and in preparation for the busiest retail period of the year.

“We were able to cover a wide area because we had so many volunteers and our BID-funded vacuuming machine was out in full force too. People were stopping to thank and congratulate us on our efforts, and we ended up filling an impressive 45 bags of rubbish between us,” said Luton BID Manager, Julia Horsman.

“Thousands of families and visitors will come into Luton town centre this weekend for the annual switch-on, and to see PAW Patrol’s Chase and Marshall making personal appearances on George Street. Thousands more people will be Christmas shopping over the coming weeks too, so we wanted to get the streets and pavements looking their best.

“We’re delighted with the results and the fantastic team effort. It’s down to members of the public now to properly discard their rubbish so that our town centre can stay looking clean and tidy all year round.”

Lighting up Luton will take place on Saturday, with PAW Patrol’s Chase and Marshall entertaining families at separate intervals between 1.15 and 4.15pm on George Street, and stage entertainment from 2pm.

Follow @LutonBID and @LutonCouncil on social media for the switch-on timings and line-up.

Find more information on future Luton BID projects to make the town centre safer and more attractive at www.lutonbid.org.