IN RESPONSE to objections to Islington Green hosting a winter festival, on behalf of local businesses we would like to say that recreating a winter festival is a spectacular opportunity to bring good things to the whole Angel area, for businesses and resi

IN RESPONSE to objections to Islington Green hosting a winter festival, on behalf of local businesses we would like to say that recreating a winter festival is a spectacular opportunity to bring good things to the whole Angel area, for businesses and residents alike.

The impact of the event will trickle through to everyone - from schoolchildren being offered free ice-skating, to residents getting together and delighting in the joyous atmosphere, and businesses benefiting from far more visitors and shoppers attracted to the green and discovering everything else the Angel has to offer.

The festival offers a fantastic chance for our businesses to fight the recession and local people to find much-needed work over Christmas, and Angel AIM is supporting it wholeheartedly.

Healthy, thriving businesses enhance any area and attract investment. The planning application makes it very clear that the winter festival will be a managed event, serving only seasonal drinks.

Angel AIM - which works in collaboration with businesses who pay to improve the environment at the Angel for everyone - funds an eight-strong police team on duty every day dedicated to tackling town centre crime.

That team will be on hand for the whole of the festival. They will be looking at all the safety aspects of the event and working with Islington Council to manage the area and ensure the festival is enjoyable for all. - Christine Lovett, director of Angel AIM, the company that runs the official business improvement district at the Angel, via e-mail.