Shopfronts burst into life with stunning spring displays

Shopfronts in Dovercourt High Street had a stylish seasonal makeover as the High Street was filled with beautiful spring window displays.

Throughout spring, traders were encouraged to claim a grant for £150 and come up with impressive spring window displays to attract even more customers into the town, especially in the lead up to Easter. Visitors to Dovercourt’s family fun day on 19th April were encouraged to collect a voting card from the CVST community hub on the High Street and then browse the decorated shopfronts to select their favourite.

After the votes were cast and counted, the winner was named as Cards4U followed closely by The Snug.

The project was perfectly timed for the beginning of the holiday season with families visiting the town to enjoy its history, hospitality and award-winning beach. It is also hoped the brilliant shopfronts will breathe new life into the High Street for loyal customers and visitors alike.

The project, which helped to bring new faces and increased footfall to Dovercourt town centre ahead of the summer season, was the latest initiative in the High Street Accelerator Programme.

A total of £737,000 has been allocated to the town through the national scheme which has led to a series of projects including cash to revamp shopfronts, banners being designed and a new website created. Grants were also previously made available to High Street shop owners to allow them to create a festive scene to attract Christmas shoppers.

Paul Milsom, Harwich and Dovercourt Tourism Group chairman, said: “We really feel we have momentum now from the range of fantastic projects which have been initiated through the High Street Accelerator Programme and we want to build on that.

“The Christmas front window campaign was a great success and this has been followed by a vibrant collection of displays in the High Street over spring to create a really fresh and exciting feel as the warmer weather arrives.

“It’s just another way the whole High Street Accelerator Programme has already been incredibly productive, not only in terms of business success but in bringing the community together in a united cause.”

As well as activities working directly with local shops, the funding will be used to strengthen transport links between the seafront, the High Street and park spaces, while green spaces will be added to the town’s retail areas and access routes into the town centre.

For more information on the grants available, email [email protected]