Loughborough town is in celebration today after receiving a £100,000 cash injection from retail guru, Mary Portas.
Mary Portas, best known for her TV show Mary Queen of Shops, has been appointed by the government and given £10 million pounds to regenerate Britain’s most troubled high streets.
Loughborough is one of fifteen towns in the country to receive £100,000 under the Portas pilot scheme after the second round of winners was announced early this morning.
Roger Perrett, chairman of Loughborough Business Improvement District (BID), commented: “We are absolutely delighted by the news and so proud of the team which worked hard on the submission.
“We are joined together as a ‘Town Team’ and this is very much a collaboration with other partnerships in the town and each one of these relationships is vital for its future prosperity.”
A number of initiatives are set in place for the Portas cash including market start-ups, generating interest in vacant units and ‘retail masterclasses’ where Loughborough University will offer training and support for new and existing retailers, and mentoring on social networking.
Loughborough university will also be involved in research to gain a greater insight into further developing Loughborough’s catchment areas.
The £100,000 is also being matched by BID Loughborough, the University, Charnwood Borough Council, the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and Leicestershire County Council, bringing the total amount of money to be spent on improving Loughborough to £275,000.
David Slater, leader of Charnwood Borough Council, stated: “This investment in our town benefits not just the town centre but the whole local economy. When the town centre prospers, the whole town prospers.
“This news is a vindication of all the hard work that has been put into making Loughborough town centre a thriving shopping destination thanks to our thriving markets and the work of BID Loughborough.
“We have outlined in our Corporate Plan that we want to ensure that Charnwood continues to be a prosperous and innovative Borough which embraces enterprise.”
Loughborough will also receive a tailored package of support from Mary Portas herself, and Local Government Minister Grant Schapps, who described the cash as a “golden ticket” to demonstrate the ambition, enthusiasm and imagination needed to help the high street thrive.
What would you like to see come to Loughborough town centre? Let us know by commenting below.
