It’ll come as no surprise to my regular readers that I’m covering a story about our high streets! You lot know how passionate I am about the great British high street – use them or lose them, I say. Well, any moment now we will know who has won The Great British High Street Awards for 2019, and I couldn’t be more excited.

There are three awards up for grabs – The Champion, The Rising Star and The High Street Hero. The Champion is awarded in recognition of exceptionally strong communities, setting an example for future high streets, and the Rising Star celebrates up-and-coming high streets that are making positive changes. The High Street Hero is an award in association with the Daily Mirror, celebrating exceptional individuals within our communities.

One of the main reasons for my excitement is that Hitchin in Hertfordshire is a finalist this year, and it’s a town very close to my heart. You might remember post after post I wrote about my involvement with the department store Hawkins of Hitchin, which I worked alongside for almost three decades until they shut up shop for good following the retirement of Peter Hawkins in 2018.

Hitchin didn’t get rid of me that easily though, and I now work for the town’s Business Improvement District, so I’m itchin to see how we do in these prestigious high street awards – I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed for a good outcome!