Hull has been selected for a scheme aimed at breathing life back into the nation’s high streets as a result of work by HullBID.

The Healthy High Streets campaign, launched by Business In The Community and backed by some of the country’s biggest companies, selected Hull to pilot the venture after a proposal from Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager.

The objectives are to increase footfall, reduce the number of empty retail units and provide jobs. HullBID will partner with local representatives of Boots UK, the Co-operative Group, Marks and Spencer and Santander to encourage new businesses within the city centre.

Kathryn outlined the plans at the latest HullBID networking event, which also studied opportunities presented by the high-tech work of Hull’s Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) and the Freedom Festival.

Kathryn said the thread between all the initiatives and activities is the commitment to generating opportunities for businesses by improving the physical and virtual environment in which they work.

She said: “It is about working in partnership and engaging with people to tell them how great Hull is and what is happening here.

“The Yum Festival was a phenomenal event and there is no doubt that it helped get people into the city centre. Trinity Festival featured six bars when it started three years ago and this year involved 28 different venues as well as a main stage.

“The Christmas campaign will again feature a Victorian Christmas event in partnership with Hull Museums and Heritage Learning Services plus an extended Santa parade in conjunction with Princes Quay Shopping Centre which will cover more of the city centre than in the past.

“Our campaign will be about getting people into Hull to show them the attractions. There are not many cities that have three shopping centres and two Victorian arcades.”

Website: www.bitc.org.uk/programmes/healthy-high-streets

Pictured: The Hull Healthy High Streets team