Ashby has entered itself into a national competition in the hope of being crowned the nation's best 'champion' high street.

The North West Leicestershire town is the first in the East Midlands to enter the Great British High Street Awards 2018 in a bid to be recognised for its unique shops and vibrant streets.

The awards aim to recognise and celebrate local achievements on our high streets and the support they give to communities in which people live and work.

In its entry to the awards, Ashby Town Council boasts that the town has a "vibrant town centre" offering "a wide variety of independent retailers and small businesses".

It also mentions its offering of unique shops and retailers, and how customers are able to find the majority of goods and services within the town centre with the area still retaining the character and quirks of a historical market town.

Ashby is in the running for the accolade

Other benefits of the town are also mentioned in the nomination, including its recent improvement in digitalisation.

The town has introduced free digital marketing and social media training programs for all retailers has claimed to improve customer experience, increase the area's network and helped to promote Ashby to neighbouring towns and villages.

The increased social media engagement has also helped to boost local support amongst the many independent retailers.

The town has also recently introduced an Ashby 'bag-for-life' in order to reduce the amount of plastic bags used when shopping and are implementing a water-refill scheme, allowing people to fill up their empty water bottles for free at any of the participating businesses.

High streets minister, Jake Berry MP, said: "The Great British High Streets competition this year will celebrate the creativity of the many businesses in the UK which are providing the shops and services so vital to our economy.

"The previous Awards were hugely successful, proving the Great British public really cares about the centres of their cities, towns and villages.

"I'd urge everyone to get involved in this important competition."

The overall winner is determined by a judging panel from the Great British High Street Awards and will be decided on Wednesday, August 22.