Lerwick and Kirkwall will go head-to-head in a hunt to find Scotland’s most beautiful high street.
The competition, run by Scotland’s Town Partnership and Keep Scotland Beautiful, aims to find the country’s best high street, based on a variety of factors.
Members of the public are asked to vote for their favourite, with the choices this year of: Lerwick, Kirkwall, Rothesay, Ayr, Innerleithen, Linlithgow, Lanark and Milngavie.
The shortlist was pulled together based on horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility, and community participation.
Last year, Turriff won the title – with the famous Turra Coo helping securing vital public votes.
Marj Chalmers, chairwoman of Turriff Business Association, encouraged people to get involved and said winning had been a great boost for the town.
She said: “We had lots of press coverage and TV crews visiting Turriff and doing a report. The footfall was increased greatly and it certainly put Turriff on the map with the businesses in Turriff benefiting from the extra trade.”
The public have until November 10 to cast their vote online and the winner will be announced on November 18, at the beginning of Scotland’s Towns Week.
Phil Prentice, chief officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, added: “This competition is about celebrating the incredible work of people up and down the country, who give up their time to improve their local places.
“We’ve been blown away by the strength of the entries this year which goes to show that town centre revival is on the up, and it’s driven by local people.
“Our high streets and town centres are the beating hearts of communities and local economies, and each has its own unique identity and experience to offer for both residents and visitors.
“I would urge people to get online and vote for their favourite entry and help us celebrate the success of our thriving town centres.”
Katie Murray, communities and place manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Congratulations to all eight shortlisted high streets – it is always inspiring to see communities and businesses working together to help the places they care about thrive.
“For over half a decade we have celebrated the success of communities, through our Beautiful Scotland competition so we know how important competitions such as this are. I’d urge everyone to vote – working together we can all enjoy and celebrate cleaner, greener and more beautiful high streets.”
To vote, visit
https://www.scotlandstowns.org/scotlands_most_beautiful_high_street
