THE deadline is fast approaching. Our shopping areas in Barry have the opportunity to participate in the Great British High Street competition. Entries must be submitted in August so I am calling on the local partnership and town teams to nominate retail areas in Barry - whether old or new, high profile or a best kept secret - to be in with a chance of winning £50,000 of prize money and support from leading industry professionals.

It is the independent traders that make our high streets a part of the community. From family owned businesses passed down the generations to new start-ups offering something new and interesting – I am keen to see town teams and local partnerships on High Street, Park Crescent and Holton Road and others submit an application that highlights the very best that Barry shopping streets have to offer.

I believe that independent traders in Barry and the Vale provide something unique to our high streets. Simply knowing your customers and providing a great service is what makes local traders so important to our towns and villages in the Vale. That is why I am calling on the Post Office to work with independent operators in the Vale as they seek to identify suitable sites. We must also ensure that we provide suitable and usable parking provision in our towns and villages to encourage visitors to shop, relax and stay in the local area.

The six separate categories are town centres, city centres, market town, coastal community, shopping parade and village. In Barry and the Vale we have many viable entrants from Barry and along the Heritage Coast, so I call on those with an interesting story to tell to enter and be in with a chance of winning. By entering the competition, local high streets will showcase the very best that Barry has to offer - and remind visitors to rediscover what is great about their local shops. Our high streets are changing as the internet has revolutionised how we all shop, but visiting a shop in the local community to try an item for size, not miss a delivery or simply get some advice is something we should protect and encourage.

Details of how to enter the competition can be found at www.thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk.

The race is on to find Britain’s best high street, so why not from Barry and the Vale?