New shop for Mid Sussex traders: Burgess Hill Help Point relaunched after refit

Councillors, local organisations and residents came along to take a look at the modernised Help Point, which now has a shop to support traders in the area.

It was officially opened by Burgess Hill town mayor Anne Eves and Mid Sussex MP Mims Davies.

“This marks an exciting era for the Help Point,” said Ms Eves, who made a speech about its working partnerships with Sussex Police and Job Centre Plus.

She also talked about the new addition of a public terminal computer.

People can see photos of the new Help Point and shop here.

Other attendees at the event included Burgess Hill Town Council leader Robert Eggleston, Help Point manager Gemma Wallis, and other staff members Sarah Thomas, Gill Kilgour and Alice Bolton.

The attractive Help Point shop is an extension of Burgess Hill Market and provides an affordable platform for small Mid Sussex businesses, market stall holders and artisans to sell their products.

Mr Eggleston said that the original Help Point had been ‘a great asset for the town’ for 25 years but that Burgess Hill Town Council had recognised there was a ‘changing pattern of usage’.

“We decided to broaden its scope by bringing in more technology to support resident’s needs and provide more help remotely,” he said.

“We also wanted to create a shop front for our many excellent local craft and artisan businesses to help them grow and prosper, as well as supporting the wider town centre economy,” said Mr Eggleston.

“The relaunch repositions the Burgess Hill Help Point for the next 25 years and we look forward to a broader cross section of the community visiting us in the future,” he said.

The Help Point and Burgess Hill Town Council Offices were originally opened on November 11, 1996, by the late Rt. Hon. Paddy Ashdown, MP.

The Town Council said the ethos of this modernised Help Point will remain the same, offering a ‘one stop shop’ that gives Burgess Hill residents a single point of contact for all local government enquiries in West Sussex.

Looking to the future, the council said the Help Point will continue to evolve to meet residents’ changing needs.