Uckfield shopkeepers urged to do their bit in the snow

Uckfield shopkeepers and businesses are being urged to prepare to help themselves when snow falls this winter.

The town’s Chamber of Commerce has negotiated a deal with Green DIY for members to buy a shovel and grit at a special price enabling them to clear the pavements outside their shops as soon as snow falls.

The deal will run from Monday, October 17, until Monday, November 7, and is part of a wider initiative to help keep trade and transport in Uckfield moving in the snow.

Uckfield Town Council will be recruiting volunteers from the community to help clear key residential areas and it is hoped traders will work on High Street pavements.

Initiative

The initiative, which also involves Wealden District Council and East Sussex County Council, will be formally launched in early October.

Executive committee member Mark Arno told a meeting of the Chamber on Wednesday, September 21, that it was important to be ready for snow this year and encouraged traders to play their part by clearing the pavements outside their businesses.

He told members clearance of the pavement outside his own shop, Carvills, last year had the double benefit of shoppers feeling safer on a clear pavement and able to easily access the shop and the shop being able to take advantage of extra business from people who couldn’t drive out of town.

“It’s no good leaving the snow to get compressed and freeze. It needs to be cleared immediately,” he said.

Some members of the Chamber queried why they should clear the snow when they were paying business rates.

But Mr Arno said that councils’ resources were limited and focused on clearing the main roads. If pavements were to be certain of being cleared traders would need to take the responsibility themselves.

He said the owner of Footcraft in the High Street had cleared outside his shop and all the way down to Grange Road last year and if others did the same outside their businesses everybody would benefit.

Uckfield Business Awards

Ninety members attended the Chamber meeting which was held at Newick Park Hotel.

Also on the agenda was an update on the possibility of organising Uckfield Business Awards next year.

Adrian Corbin, who put forward the idea which was welcomed at the last meeting of the Chamber, said the costs of organising the awards would have to be underwritten by selling sponsorship.

An awards ceremony would probably take place at the East Sussex National Golf Resort at the end of June, beginning of July, having been launched in January.

The awards would be open to all businesses – about 600 of them - in the TN22 and BN8 postcode areas.

New members

Chamber president Peter Gale, from Swindells accountants and tax specialists, welcomed five new members to the meeting saying that took membership to more than 220.

The five new members are: Surelock Solutions, locksmith of Newick; Fluffy Side Up, flooring services, Uckfield; The Soleman, shoe repairs/engraving/trophies, Uckfield; Cannadines, kitchen and bathroom retailers, Uckfield, and Recruitment South East, recruitment company, Eastbourne.

Mr Gale said: “To have this scale of membership provides us with the resources we need to serve our membership and our area generally and not least to be able to stage meetings in such superb venues as we are enjoying this evening.”

Other speakers at the meeting included Francis Wallace, from solicitors Rix and Kay, who presented on Looney Law taking a look at the Bribery Act 2010, Yvette Beckett who talked about her business My Marketing, Mike Ziolek and Gary King from Uckfield FM and Caroline Mack from Wealden Citizens’ Advice Bureau who made an appeal for work for one of her volunteers.

Newick Park manager Andrew Hawkes welcomed members to the hotel and talked about some of the facilities there and opportunities offered, such as the chance to drive a tank or quad bikes in the grounds.