Alness High Street aims for UK recognition
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ALNESS has been hailed as a "beacon of hope" for other areas after launching a bid to be the best High Street in Britain.
Traders have submitted a bid for the Great British High Street 2018 competition, which last time around saw more than 900 communities vying for honours.
Carolyn Wilson, who runs a shop in Alness High Street, believes the town has a strong chance of winning.
"The High Street is looking amazing," she said.
"It’s spotlessly clean and the community council has done a wonderful job of the flowers. We’re always working together as a community so we feel positive about this award."
Alness entered the awards last time around but lost out to Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire.
However, it is no stranger to national competitions having won Britain in Bloom five times and Scotland in Bloom on four occasions.
Ms Wilson, who is also a local Highland councillor, said the High Street offered a great all-round shopping experience.
"We have lots of independent shops and very few chain shops," she said.
"Morrisons and Lidl work well with the High Street. They give people their food shopping but they don’t tend to compete with the independent shops.
"They try to work hand-in-hand."
Last year’s Great British High Street Awards were a big success with hundreds of High Streets being entered.
Jamie Stone, Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said Alness was this year’s obvious winner.
He said: "Alness High Street is a beacon of hope for all of us who worry about the decline in our town centres.
"It is a tribute to the fantastic work put in by local people and they richly deserve to win the top prize."
The awards are run by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and were launched to celebrate local achievements on UK high streets.
As well as recognising the best high streets, the awards also aim to celebrate the individual businesses and people who play a "leading role in making our high streets special".
Andrew Percy MP, parliamentary under-secretary of state and minister for high streets, said: "The awards are a great opportunity to recognise and celebrate the efforts of small businesses, dedicated individuals and community groups in our area who work hard to make our High Streets great.
"There’s also a chance to win up to £10,000 to spend on the local community."
Applications will close on August 22. Winners will be chosen by a judging panel.
To find out more information visit https://thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk/high-street-of-the-year-awards
