Blackburn's high street crowned best in the country
Blackburn's High Street has been crowned the best in the country after winning the 'Best Town Centre' category and scooping the overall award in the Great British High Street competition.
Blackburn's High Street has been crowned the best in the country after winning the 'Best Town Centre' category and scooping the overall award in the Great British High Street competition.
The competition attracted over 500,000 votes and Blackburn scored well enough to take home the crown for the ‘Great British High Street of the Year Award’ beating 26 other finalists.
Blackburn will now receive the £10,000 grand prize and they’ll gain expert training from Google’s digital taskforce for shops, bars and restaurants and a trip to Twitter UK’s London office to further boost social media skills.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Our high streets are going from strength to strength as this year’s Great British High Street competition shows. Town centres are being revitalised, with vacancy rates falling over the last year, and Blackburn is a great example of how hard work and support for local businesses can turn things around. The strong Blackburn Business Improvement District is working closely with the council to invest in the town and put on a vibrant calendar of events that has seen visitors flock in their thousands to the town centre – long may it continue. One of the first industrialised towns in the world, Blackburn has reinvented itself over recent years with the council investing £9 million in its heritage buildings to bring them back to their former glory."
Both awards recognise the progress that has been made to rejuvenate the town centre by a range of partners including Blackburn Business Improvement District (BID), Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, the Healthy High Street Team and a range of organisations and businesses across the town.
A team of experts from across the country were given a personalised tour of the town earlier this year as part of the competition sponsored by the Government.
Judges were ‘impressed’ with the tour which included a visit to the renovated railway station, Fleming Square, the multi-million-pound Cathedral Quarter, the new bus station, Blackburn Market, the Mall Shopping Centre and the Cotton Exchange