MIKE Amesbury has hailed the recent nomination of Northwich for a high street award as further proof that the town is on the up.

Northwich was recently shortlisted among 12 candidates from across the UK in the Rising Star category of the Great British High Street Awards.

The news follows a string of retailer announcements for Barons Quay including H&M, Sports Direct, The Entertainer and Patisserie Valerie.

In May the town was also chosen to home a state-of-the-art centre of excellence for women’s football, with a £70 million complex planned including a 3,000-capacity stadium, world-class pitches, and a luxury hotel and spa.

In addition, the Cheshire FA is in talks with a club from the top flight of the women’s game – WSL1 – to move their operation to the site.

Along with the monthly artisan market, music festival and parkrun, Mike hailed the developments as reasons Northwich was a town going places.

The Weaver Vale MP said: “Northwich is a fantastic place with an enormous amount of potential. The town is growing and that’s testament to how it’s viewed as a desirable place to live.

“The town council is passionate about the future of Northwich, as has recently been shown by the nomination for council of the year.

“Recent years have been challenging because, like many towns – especially in the north - it’s been hit by the changing shape of retail, particularly the impact of the internet, as well as the aftermath of the credit crunch, while still also coming to terms with the long legacy of post-industrialisation.

“But the passion, drive and civic pride of those who love Northwich has meant it hasn’t stood still and has continued to try and find new ways to overcome these challenges.

“More recently, Barons Quay has been one of the biggest areas of concern for many of my constituents and it’s something I’ve raised at pretty much every meeting I’ve been to, trying to push for progress, but it’s clear now it’s making real headway. Northwich is definitely a town on the up and I really do believe the future is bright.”

Vote for the high street at thegreat britishhighstreet.co.uk and the town council at nalc.gov.uk