Well, we've known it for a long time but now it's official, Barlick has the best High Street Britain! I am absolutely delighted and would add my thanks for all the hard work done by the volunteers in Barlick's Town Centre Action Group under their leader David Whipp. I'd also like to add another category without whose support it couldn't have happened, the lovely people of Barlick who have stuck to their local shops through thick and thin. Every trader will tell you that it doesn't matter how much initiative goes into planning and executing a bid like this, in the end it's the fact that shoppers put their money where their mouth is. When we first saw the stirrings of awareness in the government and the Portass style initiatives I forecast that whilst the exposure of the problem of the declining High Streets was a good thing, in the end it was going to be down to us to make sure it happened. So a big thank you to the shoppers and the traders who also played their part.
Years ago I was against the concept of the Town Square after the demolition of the Central Co-op but I was totally wrong. It has proved to be a life-saver. The constant programme of volunteer led projects like the Beach and the Switch On of the Christmas lights have brought the public flocking into the town centre and the new market seems to be doing well also. The footfall going up has benefited the shops and it's so nice to see the Square acting as a focus for leisure as well. I have commented before on how nice it is to see people sitting out in good weather or standing in groups talking to each other.
The question now is what do we do for an encore? How do we encourage new businesses to start up? Surely there is room for say a good draper's shop where you could go the buy household linens or an outfitter’s, I'd far rather go shopping for a shirt or some new underwear in the town than go elsewhere. What do you think would succeed?
Another area where we are doing well is in promotion, if you haven't seen the Barlick Video go and seek it out online, it's a wonderful presentation. I support the present strap line of Barlick as a market town but would like to see associated with this the concept of Barlick as one of the oldest communities in Britain. After all we know we had a Saxon church sometime after 600AD. We were the precursor of Kirkstall Abbey, the monks from Fountains Abbey settled here before moving to what they saw as a better offer. Even our 'new' church at Gill is over 800 years old. Later we had the heaviest concentration of weaving in the country and when that failed we were ingenious enough to provide the premises and work force for the aero industry 'shadow factories' in WW2.
There is more to Barlick than just a thriving High Street!
One of the first nonconformist chapels licensed in England.
