OK let's get this out of the way first.

Yes, it was me in the Bolton Evening News last week with the Donny Osmond T-shirt on. And to date I have been to three concerts in this tour, with a fourth planned this weekend!

The main reason for telling you this is so that you realise that I get very passionate about things, and another major passion is the success of Bolton Town Centre. Here at the Town Centre Company we are working very closely with the police, Bolton Metro and the town centre businesses to improve your experience when visiting the town, specifically cleanliness.

I have had many phone calls regarding grot spots in the centre, including the issues of fly posting and graffiti and can assure you that every effort is being made, wherever possible, to address these issues. However, when there are private landlords involved, things become a little more difficult and the law does not allow either Bolton Town Centre Ltd or Bolton Metro to improve certain premises without the owners' permission.

Measures are being taken to work with private landlords, but unfortunately this is taking time and, believe me, a lot of effort. So please bear with us when you see eyesores, but rest assured we are aware of them.

The Careers Exhibition proved an enormous success and we have been asked to run a similar event later this year, so watch this space for more information.

The next big exhibition we will be running is a House, Home and Garden Exhibition on April 11 and 12 on Victoria Square. This is an extension of our annual Autumn House, Home and Lifestyle event but for Spring will include that very popular hobby of gardening. If any businesses are interested in exhibiting, please contact Michelle in our office for more information.

On March 1, I was pleased to be asked to exhibit at the "Flavours of Bolton" exhibition at Bolton Moat House -- part of the Great Days Out running at the Reebok stadium. This annual event is held to attract visitors to Bolton and I am delighted to report that the feedback was very positive. Many of the visitors I spoke to were coach operators who will be bringing visitors from all over the North-west in the coming months. Sometimes I think we forget just what a great town centre we have and many of the comments show just how highly the town centre is thought of by visitors.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, we are working very closely with Greater Manchester Police. Town Centre Superintendent Alan Greene has several key aims, including reducing the harassment of shoppers and to continue to make Bolton an even safer place to visit for either shopping or a great night out. If you have any comments or ideas regarding crime and disorder, he would be more than happy to speak to you and can be contacted on email: alan.greene@gmp.police.uk

Cathy Savage

Bolton Town Centre Ltd

Market Hall

Knowsley Street, Bolton

Tel 01204 523762

Fax 01204 523659

Email:catsava@aol.com