Despite a valiant effort, Thame finished runners up in the 'small market town' category of the Great British High Street Awards.
They narrowly lost out to Hebden Bridge, who beat hundreds of high streets across the country to be named one of Britain’s best.
Hebden Bridge took on the challenge of Thame and Chipping Norton, and won the ‘small market town’ category of the Great British High Street Awards, following a public vote.
Hebden Bridge received £5,000 and was awarded a trophy by High Streets Minister Andrew Percy at a ceremony in London earlier today (Monday 12 Dec).
In addition to winning their category, Hebden Bridge was awarded a special new prize of People’s Choice for receiving a record breaking 40,000 votes – the most ever cast for a place in the history of the competition.
Shortlisted ‘small market town’ high streets were visited by judges from Holland & Barrett, which accounted for 50 per cent of the overall score.
Andy Torrance, Chief Operating Officer at Holland & Barrett said:
“What struck me in this category was the enthusiasm of the individuals and businesses who make these small towns the cultural and business hubs they are.
“They may be small, but they have big ambitions, and coming from a business which began in Nuneaton but is now present on high streets up and down the country, we know how important it is to think big when it comes to your goals.
“Hebden Bridge is a worthy winner, and one with a lot to teach the rest of us about the importance of enthusiasm and innovation within the community.”
Winners:
- City Location Winner – The Cathedral Quarter, Derby
- Runners up – Castle Arcade District, Norwich and Broadmead, Bristol
- Town Centre Winner – Blackburn
- Runners up – Hemel Hempstead and Banbury, Oxfordshire
- Large Market Town Winner – Bridgnorth
- Runners up – Hinckley and Market Harborough, Leicestershire
- Small Market Town Winner – Hebden Bridge
- Runners up – Chipping Norton and Thame, Oxfordshire
- Coastal Community Winner – Falmouth
- Runners up – Sea View Street, Cleethorpes and Prestatyn, Wales
- Local Centre Winner – Hoole, Chester
- Runners up – Claygate, Surrey and The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells
- Village Winner – Pateley Bridge
- Runners up – Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria and Langport, Somerset
- London Winner – Myddelton Road, Haringey
- Runners up – Romford and Waterloo
- Rising Star Winner – Stockton
- Runners up – Leominster and Dornoch, Scottish Highlands
The overall winner was Blackburn.
Winners in each category will not only get a share of a prize pot worth £100,000, but they’ll win expert training from Google’s digital taskforce for shops, bars and restaurants, and a trip to Twitter UK’s London office to boost their social media skills.
The Great British High Street Competition 2016, run by the Department for Communities and Local Government, celebrates the great work that is being done to revive, adapt and diversify the nation’s high streets. It is one of the Government’s initiatives to help champion high streets as the cornerstones of the community.
This year’s competition saw a record 900 entries and 500,000 votes across all 14 categories, including the new categories for individuals and shops. On 18 October 2016 a shortlist of 27 places was drawn up to go through to a month long public vote.
The second Great British High Street competition last year saw 230 entries and attracted more than 200,000 public votes, with Bishy Road in York crowned Britain’s best. Bishy Road found that winning not only boosted town pride, but also report a rise in sales due to increased footfall.
