A Derbyshire town has been named as having the best high street in England at a national awards.
Belper scooped the Champion High Street Award for England at the Great British High Street Awards, which took place in Edinburgh.
The awards aim to recognise and celebrate those who are working hard to revitalise the nation’s high streets and communities, while also supporting small businesses.
At the awards, which were backed by Visa, national winners for England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland were crowned.
Belper beat off competition from Hitchin Town Centre and Grimsby’s Freeman Street to win the England title.
Speaking about Belper, the Great British High Street Awards, said: “This winning high street has an innovative Town Centre Partnership that focuses on engaging community and supporting independent retailers via social media and their website.”
Efforts to revitalise Belper high street have been driven by a group called Love Belper, which is made up of independent retailers, eateries, heritage and arts organisations and charities.
At the awards, Laura Armstrong, founder and Love Belper committee chairman, was given a “High Street Hero Award”.
The awards said that her “drive and passion had helped her organisation to achieve incredible things in its first year, including events to bring new people into businesses”.
At the awards ceremony in Edinburgh, Mid-Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham lauded Belper as a “fabulous example of what can be done to keep the high street alive if people work together”.
She also praised the Love Belper team, who also attended the event, saying: “The Love Belper team, led by Laura, have put in so much effort and are rightly reaping the rewards.”
