How businesses are aiming to make Todmorden a Rising Star

Business Network Todconnect has nominated Todmorden for the Great British High Street Rising Star award.

The group is spearheading the campaign which mostly takes place through the social media platform Twitter.

The Rising Star category is for towns that are making improvements both for the community and the high street environment. Todmorden will hear by mid-September if it has been shortlisted.

Angela Richards, of Todconnect, said: “Burnley Road was specifically chosen to represent the town for its diversity, with the market winning a national award, plans ongoing for a community hub from the old community college, and improvements to public transport.

“New shops are opening along this road and some existing ones giving themselves a makeover, so it was the perfect combination for the Rising Star category.”

The bid is an initiative to improve the area, under the banner Our Planet Tod, and is mainly based around regeneration, from tidying up the streets with litter picks and reducing the use of plastics and promotion of locally produced goods.

The indoor and outdoor markets are presented as a perfect place to get locally sourced food and many of the shops are now supplying their own re-usable bags. Louisa Needham, has set up a regular litter picking group, Keep Tod Tidy, and hopes to get support from local businesses and target areas that particularly suffer, such as the bus station.

“The Incredible Edible team also provide an appealing element to the bid image we are trying to portray of the town,” said Angela. “Their planting up of previously unclaimed areas and waste ground with raised beds of vegetables and flowers, adds a wonderful diversity to the bid.”

You can add your support on Twitter – using the hashtags #MyHighstreet and #Todmorden and also the tag @TheGBHighSt.