Visa is calling for towns across Scotland to enter Let’s Celebrate Towns – a nationwide showcase of the hundreds of towns helping local businesses and communities to thrive.
Communities should encourage their local authorities and councillors to share their success stories to be in with a chance of winning.
They want to hear all your stories: from examples of brilliant entrepreneurship, fresh new initiatives to upskill young people, or ideas that have helped local businesses flourish.
Let’s Celebrate Towns will highlight examples of how different towns are adapting to new challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing environment and will use these to actively encourage the adoption of best practice, to help unlock prosperity and economic growth across the whole of the UK.
Eight towns will be recognised across the UK; one “Champion” and one “Rising Star” will be named in each nation.
The “Champion” awards will highlight towns that have demonstrated an exceptional ability to create a supportive environment that helps business and communities to thrive.
The “Rising Star” award celebrates the up-and-coming towns that are on their way to transforming the local economic environment and community as a whole.
Mandy Lamb, Managing Director, UK & Ireland, Visa, commented:
“At Visa, we believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere.
“That includes the economies created by our towns.
“Home to a rich diversity of independent businesses operating alongside major brands, restaurants, cafes, and retailers; our towns are the places where the majority of us live and work.
“We believe it’s time to put towns centre-stage.
“We hope that by championing the contribution they make through Let’s Celebrate Towns, we can showcase the many advantages that come from fostering growth and prosperity locally.”
Winning “Champion” towns will take home up to £20,000 and those crowned “Rising Stars” will receive £10,000, each prize provided to help fund a local community initiative.
All winners will also receive a learning and development package for local businesses.
The winners will be selected by a panel of independent judges and aspects that will be recognised include the business environment, infrastructure, people and skills, sustainability and economic prosperity.
Let’s Celebrate Towns is the latest initiative from Visa to celebrate and recognise the contributions of local communities and economies across Britain, following on from its Great British High Street Awards programme and commitment to digitally enable eight million small businesses across Europe.
The deadline for entries is the 14 December, 2022. For further detail, and to enter, please visit https://www.visa.co.uk/campaign/talk-of-the-town/
