Stevenage’s town centre manager has reflected on her 14 years at the helm after confirming she will leave her post at the end of next month.

Tracey Parry, who has been organising events and working with businesses in the town centre since the Stevenage Town Centre Management Company was formed in 1999, will step down at the end of January.

She says the private/public sector partnership will be dissolved, with some of the management company’s town centre responsibilities reverting back under the control of Stevenage Borough Council.

Reflecting on her time in the role, the 50-year-old said: “I have enjoyed many aspects of the role over the years.

“Working alongside my predecessor Brian Moore and then my colleague Becky Spencer, we have organised some fantastic events over the years, such as the Beach Party for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002, the Caribbean Pirate Party, Space Day, Wild West Bonanza and, of course, the very popular Christmas Lights Switch-On in November.

“We have generated income from a number of different sources to reinvest in the town centre to create a vibrant shopping destination for visitors and we have raised more than £25,000 for local charities.

“I have met and worked with some great people throughout my time at Stevenage, and have had tremendous support from many different organisations, community groups and retailers over the years, especially Astrium, Stevenage Leisure and the Comet.

“It’s a shame that the company will not continue to operate without me, but it’s a challenging time for many businesses and partnership funding is always going to be difficult to maintain.”

Tracey will be concentrating on her own e-commerce sunscreen business Techniblock, which she set up five years ago.

The product, which is developed and manufactured in South Africa, has become increasingly popular in the past 12 months, with Tracey’s business becoming the official supplier of sun protection to The Professional Golfers Association.

For more information visit www.techniblock.co.uk.