Blackburn named Britain's best high street

Blackburn’s High Street has been crowned best in the country after winning the ‘Best Town Centre’ category and scooping the overall award in the Great British High Street competition.

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.

"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.

"One of the first industrialised towns in the world, Blackburn has reinvented itself over recent years with the council investing £9m in its heritage buildings to bring them back to their former glory."

“New shared space is creating facilities for the local community and new street scaping reflects the town’s heritage. Crime and anti-social behaviour are being tackled with ground breaking partnerships. Perceptions are being challenged and changed through events, marketing and social media campaigns.”

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.