YARM High Street has been crowned English Rising Star High Street in the Government-run Great British High Street Awards 2019.
The award also comes with a £5,000 prize for the local community.
High Streets Minister Jake Berry, who presented the awards today at a ceremony in Edinburgh, said: “Every place has its own unique strengths and challenges, but all our town centres and high streets have one thing in common – they are the beating heart of our communities.
“The Great British High Street Awards celebrate the grit and determination of local people who are dedicated to supporting their communities, growing their local economy and finding innovative solutions to modern day challenges.
“Today in Edinburgh I saw the very best of our high streets and I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all of this year’s winners and to give my personal thanks to the individuals and communities helping to build the future of the high street. I am delighted to see such strong examples of thriving high streets from every nation in our UK.”
Sara Fellows, member of the Yarm Business Forum, nominated the town’s high street for the awards following successful initiatives such as Summer Fashion Launch Day and Carols on the Cobbles.
The town recently hosted events to continue to bring the community together, including a Big Cuppa event, which encourages social interaction and the Bright Minds, Big Future conference, which attracted younger audiences to the high street. Yarm is also encouraging more sustainable methods of transport, including the introduction of charging points for electric cars and scooters as well as more places to leave bicycles.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ms Fellows said: “We are honoured to be named English Rising Star High Street and hugely grateful to both the Great British High Street awards and Visa for putting our beloved high street on the map.
"It is undoubtedly the commitment, hard work, dedication and drive of the whole community of Yarm and the surrounding area that has helped us to win this.”
Matt Vickers, Stockton South MP celebrated in Treats of Yarm when he heard the award news
Matt Vickers, Stockton South MP, is keen to promote high street businesses and is pressing for a new car park in Yarm to encourage more visitors to the town.
He said: "I couldn't be more made up with this, I'm really feeling so proud of Yarm today.
"This is a high street I have campaigned for for so long now, as we have many wonderful local businesses who play such an integral role in the community here.
"We have beaten off competition from all over the UK to win this award, and so now I want to use this as a springboard to secure more investment for us and and to oversee the end of the dithering and debate around parking and congestion here in Yarm.
"There is real progress on this, as a potential plan deal is on the table with Network Rail who have agreed in principle to allow us to open up a strip of wasteland behind the High Street, transforming it into a brand new car park.
"This new car park will hugely benefit shoppers and staff and help traffic flow much better through the our newly award winning High Street."
Jeni Mundy, managing director, UK & Ireland, for award sponsors Visa, said: "Yarm is a fantastic example of a community that has made huge strides in transforming its high street to significantly improve the experience for locals and visitors alike. In particular, its entry highlighted how the community has joined together to drive footfall while supporting existing and emerging businesses, as well as exploring new opportunities to increase sustainability.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here