Success As Portadown Celebrated At Great British High Street Awards

A business showcase has celebrated Portadown's title of Champion High Street of Northern Ireland, as awarded by the Great British High Street Awards in 2018.

The event held in Portadown Town Hall last week saw Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon council recognise the ongoing work being implemented to revive, adapt and diversify the town centre.

Key speakers included Jonny Ross, Regional Director of Ground Coffee, who spoke about Portadown from the perspective of a new business operating in the area and why Ground Coffee chose to invest in the restored Pump House. Oonagh Murtagh, Head of South Business Centre at Danske Bank, discussed the challenges facing town centre businesses from the perspective of banks, while Chamber of Commerce President Adrian Farrell spoke about the positive outlook there is for the town centre and the importance of continued collaboration between local businesses, Council and the Department for Communities in order to build on the qualities which earned the town this prestigious award.

Welcoming the businesses, Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Julie Flaherty, commented: "I am delighted to welcome so many Portadown businesses to this special event to personally thank them for their continued hard work and dedication which has earned Portadown the title of Champion High Street for Northern Ireland."

Lord Mayor Flaherty also acknowledged the strong relationship between Council, the Department for Communities and the Chamber of Commerce, stating: "Regeneration of our town centres continues to be a key priority for Council and we look forward to continued engagement with Department for Communities and the Chamber of Commerce to deliver projects which will make real change for our businesses and residents.

"Portadown punches high above its weight when it comes to business acumen and this has been proven once again. To have beaten such strong competition to take this top prize in these national awards shows how cutting edge and influential our business community is."



(JG/CM)