Hitting the streets with the town's ambassadors

Want to buy this photo?

Michael Tattersall, Tony Murray and Khalid Mahmood

Rochdale shoppers may be wondering who the people wandering around suited and booted in purple themed uniforms are, some have mistaken them for traffic wardens, others for security guards, they are in actual fact Town Centre Ambassadors.

Today (Friday 9 July 2010) Rochdale Online reporter Laura Wild spent some time with the three ambassadors to find out what it is they are doing and if it is worth while.

The new Town Centre Ambassadors work for Rochdale Town Centre Management and their purpose is to be the eyes and ears of the streets of Rochdale.

I met the ambassadors at the Town Centre Management offices this afternoon, before having a brief chat about the work they carry out we set off to complete their set tasks.

The three ambassadors are Tony Murray, Michael Tattersall and Khalid Mahmood.

Mr Murray has been an ambassador for about 6 weeks and Mr Tattersall and Mr Mahmood have been there for about two weeks.

The tasks that the three do vary and Mr Murray explained that no day is ever the same.

Their purpose is to help people if they need it, perhaps if they are lost and need directions, to be a link between Town Centre Management and local businesses and let the police or relevant authorities to know about anything they have seen that could be a cause for concern.

Our first port of call was the pubs on the Town Square where leaflets about the Feel Good Festival were given to staff to hand out to their customers.

As we headed from the pubs up Yorkshire Street Mr Tattersall and Mr Mahmood made their way to the Exchange Shopping Centre where they would hand out more Feel Good Festival leaflets.

I left the pair then and continued with Mr Murray on one of his ‘missions’ for the day.

Mr Murray explained that the point of the job was to create a link between businesses and Town Centre Management and also to ensure that any incidents were taken care off.

The first thing we encountered was rubbish down an alley way which had previously been reported by a shop owner. Mr Murray spoke to the complainant about it and also encouraged them to join the radio network which is a popular communication and safety mechanism used by many of the shops.

The role of the ambassador means they can’t do a lot with regards to solving a problem but they can pass the information on, in a way their role is based on customer services and giving advice.

We then headed to a new shop which is ready to open next week and Mr Murray spoke to the staff about the radio network, he was hopeful that they would get involved.

Mr Murray explained that since the robbery at Frasar Hart jewellers on Yorkshire Street earlier this week more businesses are interested in the radio system as a means of safety.

Whilst on Yorkshire Street we witnessed a man sat on a bench who seemed to be intoxicated eating raw meat. Mr Murray was keen to pass this on to the police.

I only spent an hour with the team but in that time I was able to understand what it is that they are trying to do and the links that they are trying to make.

Before I left I spoke to the team about their job and how they are enjoying it, Mr Tattersall said: “This is my first job following being unemployed for two years and I love it, I love helping people and we are always getting stopped with people asking us questions.”

Mr Mahood added: “I have worked in customer services before and I am really enjoying helping people and I think people are also really impressed with us.”

Mr Murray added: “It is a very worthwhile job being able to link everybody up.”

In a short time I witnessed just a glimpse of the work the ambassadors are doing, and I think their presence on the streets is a good thing for the people of Rochdale and local businesses. 

The men have been employed through the Future Jobs Fund and will work as ambassadors for six months.