Support Derby Cathedral Quarter’s Bid For Great British High Street Award

Derby Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (BID) has today been named as one of the country’s best high streets by being shortlisted in the third annual Great British High Street competition.

This year’s competition saw a record 900 entries across all 14 categories, including the new categories for individuals and shops. The Cathedral Quarter has been named one of the top three in the city location category. Now, to be crowned champion, the Cathedral Quarter needs public support. The area will be visited by an expert judge – making up 50% of the score.  The other 50% will be decided by an online public vote free of charge at www.thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk. The voting opens today (October 18) and will close on November 18 with people able to vote once a day for their choice. If successful, the Cathedral Quarter will win a share of a £10,000 cash prize pot; dedicated support and mentoring 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.

Martin Langsdale, chair of the Cathedral Quarter management group, which drives forward activities under the area’s BID status, said: “It is a huge honour for the Cathedral Quarter to have made the top three in the city location category in the Great British High Street competition. “We are delighted to have reached the final but we now need support from everyone in the city and beyond to help us really put Derby and particularly the Cathedral Quarter on the map. “The Cathedral Quarter won the National BID of the Year recently in awards organised by the Association of Town and City Management and we hope to be equally as successful in this competition. “The Cathedral Quarter is an historic and unique area of Derby, full of interesting and creative businesses. There is a great community spirit where businesses work together to promote each other and the Cathedral Quarter. Visitors are always positive about the area and its unique identity which stands out from the rest of the city. “Our application for the competition focused on the successes achieved by the BID over the past eight years, creating what is now a recognisable brand for the area and working together under a collective vision to support and enable all businesses to benefit from the Cathedral Quarter as an attractive and vibrant environment with a sense of community and a lifestyle which is individual, diverse and inspiring. “We continue to work with partners to attract inward investment and new businesses into the area and spearhead a wide range of projects and events to support businesses, improve the visitor experience and increase footfall.”

The Cathedral Quarter’s application for the awards has been supported by Derby South MP Dame Margaret Beckett. She said: “I am very happy to support this application to the Great British High Street competition.  The success of our city centres is vital for our local and national economies and the role the Cathedral Quarter plays in creating a vibrant and attractive city centre in Derby is crucial.”

The Great British High Street competition is run by the Department for Communities and Local Government and sponsored by British Land, the Post Office, Holland and Barratt, Boots UK, Google UK, Marks & Spencer, Wilko, Revo and Ellandi. High Streets Minister Andrew Percy said: “Our high streets are the life and soul of towns, villages and cities across the country and the record number of competition entries, this year is proof of their continued importance to local life. “From North London to Northumberland, great work is underway to adapt the high street to the needs of modern life. I want to wish all who’ve entered the very best of luck.”

The Great British High Street Competition 2016 celebrates the great work that is being done to revive, adapt and diversify the nation’s high streets. It is one of a number of initiatives to help champion high streets as the cornerstones of the community. The Government is helping local business communities adapt to the changing face of high streets, with a £6.7 billion package of business rates support, to cut the rates for 900,000 businesses – with 600,000 now paying none at all. The second Great British High Street competition last year saw 230 entries and attracted over 200,000 public votes, with Bishy Road in York, a former finalist, crowned Britain’s best. Bishy Road found that winning not only boosted town pride, but also had a tangible economic impact with retailers reporting increased footfall.

To go online to cast your vote, visit the Great British High Street website www.thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk  and follow @TheGBHighSt on Twitter.
For more information about the Cathedral Quarter, please visit www.derbycathedralquarter.co.uk, like the Facebook page CathedralQuarterDerby and follow on Twitter @DerbyCQ.

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