Press release: Shortlist announced for Great British High Street Awards 2018

The awards, run by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and sponsored by Visa, recognise and celebrate local achievements on our high streets and shine a light on great examples of how high streets can meet the challenges of changing consumer behaviour and a changing retail environment.

After a rigorous selection process led by a panel of independent judges, 26 high streets have been shortlisted in the Champion high street category, which aims to find the UK’s best high street, while 12 high streets have been shortlisted in the Rising Star category, which aims to find the UK’s most ambitious high streets.

Shortlisted high streets – Champion category

England

• Queen Street, Amble, Northumberland (Northumberland County Council)
• Gloucester Road Bishopston, Bristol (Bristol City Council)
• Wimborne Town Centre, East Dorset (East Dorset District Council)
• High Street Alton, Alton, Hampshire, (Alton Town Counci)l
• Worcester High Street, Worcester (Worcester City Council and Worcestershire County Council)
• The Pantiles, Chapel Place and High Street Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent (Tunbridge Wells Borough Council)
• Hull Trinity Market and Hepworth’s Arcade, Kingston upon Hull, (Hull City Council)
• St Albans City Centre, Holywell Hill, George Street, High Street, Catherine Street and St Peter’s Street, St Albans (St Albans City & District Council)
• Guildford High Street, Guildford, Surrey (Guildford Borough Council)
• The Thoroughfare, Woodbridge, Suffolk (Suffolk Coastal)
• Altrincham High Street, (Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council)
• Poole High Street, Poole, Dorset, (Borough of Poole)
• Original Richmond Market Town, Richmond, (Richmondshire District Council)

Scotland

• Alness High Street, Alness (Highland Council)
• ‘Avenue 77’ – (A77- Pollokshaws/Kilmarnock Road Corridor), Glasgow
• Main Street / High Street, Turriff, Aberdeenshire Council
• High Street, Kirriemuir, Angus Council
• Kirkwall High Street , Orkney, Orkney Islands Council
• High Street Newport-on-Tay, Fife

Wales

• Holywell, Flintshire, (Flintshire County Council)
• Broad Street/High Street, Welshpool, Powys, (Powys County Council)
• Crickhowell High Street, Crickhowell, Powys, (Powys County Council)
• Carmarthen Town, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire (Carmarthenshire County Council)

Northern Ireland

• Cookstown Town Centre, Cookstown, (Mid Ulster District Council)
• Portadown Town Centre, Portadown, (Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council).
• High Street/Market Street Omagh, (Fermanagh and Omagh District Council).

Shortlisted high streets – Rising Star category

England

• Northwich, Cheshire, (Cheshire West and Chester Council)
• Burnley Road, Todmorden (Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council)
• Barnes High Street and Church Road, Barnes, London, (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames)

Scotland

• Prestwick Main Street, Prestwick, (South Ayrshire Council)
• High Street, Newport-on-Tay, Fife
• Ayr High Street, Ayr, (South Ayrshire Council)

Wales

• Pendre, Priory and High Street, Cardigan, Ceredigion, (Ceredigion County Council)
• Narberth, Narberth, Pembroke, (Pembrokeshire County Council)
• Cowbridge High Street, Cowbridge, The Vale of Glamorgan, (Vale of Glamorgan Council)

Northern Ireland

• Main Street, Larne, County Antrim, (Mid and East Antrim Borough Council)
• Bow Street, Lisburn City Centre, Lisburn Castlereagh, (Lisburn Castlereagh City Council)
• Armagh City Centre, County Armagh, (Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council)

The 38 finalists will now battle it out in a public vote, which accounts for 30% of the final scoring, and will then have the chance to impress an expert judging panel as they seek to be crowned Britain’s best.

Those interested in participating in the public vote can visit thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk for more information. The winning entries for both the Champion and Rising Star categories will be announced on 15 November 2018 at an awards ceremony in London.

High Streets Minister Jake Berry MP said:

Congratulations to all 38 high streets shortlisted for this year’s Great British High Street Awards. The awards celebrate the great work that is being done to revive, adapt and diversify the nation’s high streets and the quality of entries this year has been outstanding.

Over the next 6 weeks they have the chance to impress an expert judging panel as they also battle it out in a public vote for the title of Britain’s best high street. This is a great opportunity to show your support for the hard work taking place on our high streets, so get voting.

Sundeep Kaur, Head of UK & Ireland Merchant Services at Visa, added:

At a time when the nation’s high streets are transforming, this year’s Great British High Street Awards shortlist contains some fantastic examples of high streets and merchants which are evolving and embracing change to attract visitors.

It is genuinely heartening to see so many businesses and communities that are harnessing their adaptability, resilience and creativity to offer the services and experiences that today’s shoppers want.

The Great British High Street Awards 2018, which are being run by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, sponsored by Visa and backed by other partners, is recognising and celebrating local achievements on our high streets and supporting the communities in which we live and work.

The initiative includes a competition to find the nation’s best high streets, with 1 winner being named in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for each of the 2 categories: the Champion and Rising Star awards. An overall winner will also be named.

Author and TV presenter Simon Reeve is a judge for the Great British High Street Awards 2018.

Simon Reeve said:

I’ve spent the last couple of months visiting independent high street retailers across the UK and I’ve been blown away by the passion and commitment shown by shopkeepers to keep their high streets alive, especially in this challenging climate.

The best examples are those that are listening closely to their customers and innovating to meet their demands. These are the shops and high streets that will stand the test of time.

In 2016, Blackburn in Lancashire was crowned the Great British High Street winner thanks to the determination of the community and local businesses who worked in partnership to drive improvements and overcome the challenges their high street was facing.

For more information about the Great British High Street Awards 2018 terms and conditions and details on how to vote, visit: thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk.

To get involved in the conversation, members of the public can support their local high street on social media using #MyHighStreet via:

Research

The research was conducted by 3Gem between 26 April and 8 May 2018 and surveyed 2,000 consumers and 750 independent high street retailers across the UK.

Prizes

The prizes include 4 x £5,000 contribution towards a street party for Champion Award winners; 4 x £5,000 grant towards a local community / technology project for Rising Star Award winners and; 1 x £10,000 grant for a local community project for the Overall UK Award winner. Visit thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk/terms for full terms and prize details.