TODMORDEN has had one of its most difficult summers for some time, with flooding affecting homes and businesses and tourist numbers down on a year ago.
But businesses are showing their commitmnent to Todmorden by re-opening, and others are shwoing their commitment to the town by expanding or new ones opening, as the Mayor of Todmorden, Coun Abid Hussain has found.
Coun Hussain had been asked to open some of them and believes the commitment shown by all those recovering from flooding or showing new commitment to the town is important to Todmorden’s future.
In midsummer, for example, he opened Spice Infusion Indian takeaway at Patmos and last week was in Burnley Road as local bakery Saker expanded by opening its first shop in Todmorden.
The Mayor said: “I am very pleased to see businesses open. I don’t like to see shops shutting because it doesn’t give a good impression of Todmorden.
“It’s good people are giving it a go after the difficult summer we have had - it’s very positive.”
At Spice Infusion the Mayor and consort Joe Rez were served traditional Indian food prepared by the establishment’s award winning chef from London, who has over 20 years experience in the curry trade.
Organic bakery Saker, run by Karl Badger and Clare Stagg at Lydgate, specialises in vegan and vegetarian products and has been planning to open an outlet also selling new products inspired by the bakeries, cake and coffee shops in Todmorden’s German twin town of Bramsche, which they visited last year.