Mayor welcomes Mid and East Antrim's High Street Heroes

Mid and East Antrim’s High Street Heroes have been recognised for their service to the local community at a special ceremony hosted by the Mayor, Councillor William McCaughey.

The High Street Heroes campaign was delivered by Retail NI and The Irish News and supported by Camelot and Translink. It included a Northern Ireland wide public competition, with shoppers being invited to vote for their favourite independent retailers and overall local high street.

Pictured is Glyn Roberts, Retail NI, Kieran McAtamney of K&G McAtamney and Mayor Cllr William McCaughey.

Ballymena's K&G McAtamney won second place in the Butcher category, with Hodges in Larne taking third place. Local favourite McAtamney’s also took bronze in the Deli category.

Pictured is Glyn Roberts, Retail NI, Linda Hill on behalf of Larne Traders and Mayor Cllr, William McCaughey.

Larne Main Street won third place in the High Street of the Year category, with Main Street Maghera winning second and Belfast’s Ormeau Road claiming the top spot.

Pictured is Glyn Roberts, Peter Nixon from the Corner Bakery and Mayor Cllr William McCaughey.

Corner Bakery in Ballymena took third in the Coffee Shop category, while Fiddlestick’s Fabric, also based in Ballymena, won bronze in the Homeware Retailer category.

Pictured is Glyn Roberts Retail NI, Valerie Brown of Fiddlesticks Fabrics and Mayor Cllr William McCaughey.

Congratulating the winners at a ceremony held at The Braid in Ballymena on Friday 27 August, the Mayor said:

“This is fantastic news not just for our winners, but for the wider borough as well. We have so many High Street Heroes across Mid and East Antrim and I would like to praise you all on this well-deserved recognition.

“Since the start of the pandemic, all of our retailers have shown incredible patience, determination and resilience throughout what has undoubtedly been their most challenging period ever coupled with the economic hardships that have come with it. “They have continued to go above and beyond for our community and work around the clock to provide essential services for our citizens, in a safe and welcoming environment. It is an important time for us to give back to our local businesses by encouraging everyone to shop local and support our local economy as we all come together on the road to brighter days ahead.”

Pictured is Glyn Roberts, Retail NI, Dean Hodges of Hodges Butchery and Mayor Cllr William McCaughey.

Glyn Roberts, Chief Executive of Retail NI, said:

“Congratulations to all the fantastic Mid and East Antrim High Street Hero winners. Ballymena and Larne have some first class independent retailers and this was clearly recognised by the large number of votes they received from shoppers.”