Gainsborough: Alison hopes to bring more people to the town in her role as Marshall’s Yard centre manager

Alison Hall, 31, has worked in the management team at Marshall’s Yard for three and a half years starting as the assistant manager before being promoted to manager earlier this year.

Alison was born in Kent and now lives in Walkeringham.

She went to Queen Elizabeth’s High School in Gainsborough before going on to Lincoln University.

She started working in the Lakes in a marketing role, then in Rotherham for Yorkshire Forward and she then moved into town centre management with the borough council.

And before moving into her role in Marshall’s Yard she worked as Louth’s town manager.

Alison said: “As soon as Marshall’s Yard was announced I hoped to manage it one day.

“I’d come from a town centre management background working on regeneration projects and carrying out activities to boost footfall and spend to improve the local economy.

“In doing that I formed close partnerships with developers and business owners and decided working for the private sector may be the next step for me.

“Then the position of Assistant Centre Manager at Marshall’s Yard came up and everything felt almost aligned for me.

“I’d always commuted for work and promoted everyone else’s town now this was time for me to do that for my own town.”

As the role of manager Alison has had many achievements.

She said: “I would be torn between last year’s Christmas lights switch on event and seeing that amount of people in Gainsborough and the DN21 awards which we held with Gainsborough Trinity and saw business people across the town celebrating their successes, however these weren’t my achievements alone.

“My biggest personal achievement was undoubtedly being promoted to centre manager from assistant earlier this year.”

And as well as achievements the role also comes with its challenges.

She said: “The challenges are probably no different to any other business.

“Keeping standards high and always trying to better everything we do is top of the agenda but day to day the job involves a lot of juggling from focusing efforts on a particular business to improve their trade to holding a large event to fixing maintenance issues.

“I find the job brings constant rewards which is why I love spending so much of my time and energy on it.

“I feel extremely lucky with the team of staff we have at Marshall’s Yard they constantly go over and above for the centre and its shoppers.

“I also feel rewarded that some really great things have happened through partnership working.

“We delivered a show stopping Christmas lights switch on event, a fantastic business awards event and have made improvements through planting in the town and clearing up areas to make Gainsborough look it’s best.

“This is purely down to joining up with the town and district council, town partnership, in bloom group, the independent businesses in the town and Gainsborough Trinity to name a few.”

Alison’s aspirations for her role include holding great events for the people of Gainsborough.

She added: “I want to grow the success and offer of Marshall’s Yard and ensure its full integration to the wider town, continue to hold great events that bring people to the town and ensure there’s a great environment once they’re here to keep them coming back.”