Celebrating the lift re-opening after a period of closure at Lurke Street multi-storey is Frescoes Coffee House.

With his business being just 100 yards from the critical gateway to the town centre, Frescoes owner Kevin Kavanagh noticed a distinct impact on footfall when the lifts coming down on the Howard Street side of the giant car park were closed. Plans to refurbish the other lifts in the building have been postponed until after Christmas, at the request of the BedfordBID, to avoid confusion with shoppers thinking they can’t easily get in and out.

To celebrate the good news the Frescoes team were greeting eight people out of the Howard Street lift with a free hot drink voucher for Frescoes.

Said BID Director Christina Rowe: “We had a number of complaints from businesses who said customers were staying away from this important stopping off point because the perception was the lifts were closed. We asked the council to hurry along the works and to defer the same activity on the other lifts until the New Year. Bedford is open for business big time this season we want people to be spending their hard-earned money in their local town.”

Photo shows Frescoes team member Cathy with one of those tempting drinks