Luton BID: The sun has arrived for a summer of fun in our town centre

It’s taken a while, but summer’s finally here and our town centre is very much appreciating the long-awaited sunshine. The flowers are blooming and the skies are blue with everywhere and everyone looking and feeling a bit brighter as a result.

Summer is always a busy time here in Luton and this year promises to be no exception. Hot on the heels of welcoming Radio 1 for The Big Weekend, we are gearing up for the launch of The Short Tail Trail – a stunning collection of hare and tortoise sculptures that will be coming to Luton from Saturday, July 6 to Thursday, September 12.

In aid of Keech Hospice Care, the sculptures are set to fill Luton with colour and energy, giving visitors the opportunity to follow the trail, see all the sculptures and discover dozens of attractions and businesses across the town over the next 10 weeks.

Meanwhile, the “Rough Gemstones” mural project, a transformative public art initiative led by internationally acclaimed artist Silvia Lerín, will commence its next phase on Monday, July 8.

The project aims to enhance the vibrancy of Silver Street and Library Road, creating a captivating new landmark in our town centre.

To facilitate the mural's installation, scaffolding will be erected and several temporary changes will be in place to ensure the safety and convenience of the public.

The pavement on Silver Street next to the library will be closed for a few days at the beginning and end of the project. Pedestrian traffic will be rerouted to the opposite side of the street next to The Shisha Lounge.

The bus service, notably route 27, will also be temporarily rerouted during these days to accommodate the scaffolding setup and removal.

This vital infrastructure work is scheduled to last only a few days and will ensure the project can proceed safely and efficiently. The mural itself is expected to be completed by early August.

Finally, we recently said a fond farewell to our popular BID ambassador Mo – a familiar face to businesses and shoppers in our town centre. I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Mo for all his hard work while welcoming Aishah, who joins the team from Monday, July 1.