Ten high streets across Britain have today been given a cash boost and named a “Rising Star” in the Great British High Street competition.
The 10 high streets are:
- Alcester, Warwickshire
- Beeston
- Dartmouth, South Devon
- Faversham, Kent
- Folkestone, Kent
- Lowestoft, Suffolk
- Baker Street, Middlesbrough
- Newquay, Cornwall
- Thame High Street, Oxfordshire
- Tottenham, London
Last week the nationwide competition revealed the 21 best high streets in Britain – 3 finalists in each of the 7 categories.
These 10 high streets just missed out on the final but the judging panel were so impressed by the great strides made in improving their local high street that they awarded them a special Rising Star award and £1000 cash.
All nominations were assessed by a panel of government high street experts and cover categories from market town to coastal community.
High Streets Minister Marcus Jones said:
We had a record amount of high-quality entries to this year’s competition – testament to the pride local people have and brilliant work being done to boost Britain’s high streets.
The local high street is the life and soul of many towns, villages and cities across the country and these awards are a great opportunity to not only celebrate those that are the best of the best, but also to help others learn their valuable tips for success.
The Great British High Street Competition 2015 – sponsored by Boots, Costa, Post Office, Marks and Spencer and Tesco – is now in its second year and is one of a number of initiatives to help champion high streets as the cornerstones of the community.
These include a billion pound package of investment ranging from targeted business rate discounts, sensible planning changes and action that reins in over-zealous parking practices.
Winners in each of the 7 categories will get a share of a prize pot worth £80,000, which includes expert training and tailor-made tips from Google’s training taskforce for 100 of their shops, bars and restaurants.
This year’s competition saw a record 230 applicants and now, for the first time, the public has the chance to vote directly for their best-loved high street online. Between now and November you can cast your vote for free via thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk or on Facebook.
Alongside the public’s votes shortlisted towns will also be inspected by theFuture High Streets Forum judging panel – made up of industry leaders from across retail, property and business.
To go online to cast your vote, visit the Great British High Street website and follow @TheGBHighSt on Twitter.
Voting closes in November 2015.