The town has been a place of importance through the centuries with its Easter fair one of the busiest in England drawing crowds from all over Europe during the 1100s.  Indeed it was its markets and fairs that led to the founding of the town.  In the 17th Century it was the home of Oliver Cromwell.

Its shopping centre has a good mix of independent traders and multinationals.  The original character is retained with regular markets held every Monday and Friday with Bank Holiday markets being very popular.  On the first and third Saturdays of each month an excellent Farmer’s Market takes place.

In June 2009 the town centre partnership launched its award winning independent town loyalty card, which helps local businesses to increase their revenue and rewards customers for shopping locally. The scheme has proven a great success and is a previous winner of an Action for Market Towns Award.

A focal point is the splendid 15th Century Bridge and chapel over the river and is one of only three such surviving bridges in England.  The Norris Museum houses a collection of books, manuscripts and objects relating to the history of Huntingdonshire bequeathed to the town by Herbert Norris on his death in 1931.

So, where is it?

Do you recognise this town from the description above?

If you do, post your answer in a tweet to AMT (@townsalive) with the hashtag #amtotw

We’ll reveal the name of the town on Friday 10th February!

What next?

• More about Town of the Week
• Nominate your town by email to jamie.veitch@towns.org.uk

Be bold, loud, and proud about your achievements! The awards offer recognition for the innovation and creative ideas which many small towns are using to survive and to thrive – ideas which could be implemented to help other towns, villages and high streets.

The Awards cover England, Wales and Scotland and are now open for entries until Friday 23rd March 2012.

Read the Awards Guidance and download an entry form, here.

What next?

• Find out more about the Action for Market Towns Convention 2011

2011 saw the introduction of the first ever Highly Transferable Awards in the AMT Awards

This year for the first time AMT celebrated not only the overall national winner of the Action for Market Towns Awards but also the overall national winner for each of the 4 categories:

• Environment and Culture
• Social and Community
• Business and Economy
• Partnership and Strategic Working

This award was named the Highly Transferable Award and was given to the project (from the regional category winners) that had the most potential to be implemented in other towns across the country.

Find out more about the projects that won the 4 Highly Transferable Awards below.

COAST festival – Partnership and Strategic Working Highly Transferable Award

A festival that brought together two rival Norfolk seaside towns has been commended as ‘Highly Transferable’ at in the Action for Market Towns (AMT) Awards 2011.

Chris Wade, the chief executive of AMT said:

“At AMT, we always marvel at the great ideas that our members have to find practical solutions and make them work.  This Award is about finding those ideas that are so good, that other towns should copy them. COAST is an inspiration for how the two towns of Cromer and Sherringham decided to work together and put on a great series of events to boost tourism in the wider area.  I look forward to enjoying COAST 2011 next week.”

COAST 2010 was a 10-day multidisciplinary arts festival in October half-term week.
A programme of 65 creative and cultural events took place in a wide range of venues and locations in Cromer and Sheringham towns and their surrounding rural villages.

The festival was coordinated by Cromer and Sheringham Arts and Literary Festival (CASALF), which was formed in 2009 as a direct result of a new spirit of cooperation and collaboration between the hitherto rival seaside towns and their surrounding coastal and inland parishes.

While the two festivals were organised autonomously, their objectives were the same. The towns worked together to involve existing community initiatives, meet local needs, avoid conflict and overlap, and make the most of opportunities for joint planning and promotion.

Congleton Apple Juice – Environment and Culture Highly Transferable Award

A project which has produced 1820 bottles of juice from more than 3.2 tons of apples that would otherwise go on compost heaps or into brown wheelie bins has been given  a ‘Highly Transferable’ Award at the Action for Market Towns (AMT) Awards 2011.

Chris Wade, the chief executive of AMT said:

“At AMT, we always marvel at the great ideas that our members have to find practical solutions and make them work.  This Award is about finding those ideas that are so good, that other towns should copy them. Congleton Apple Juice is brilliant for its simplicity and the fact that it takes something that could be wasted to turn it in to an enjoyable local drink and raise some money for good causes.”

Congleton Sustainability Group formed in 2009 to nudge the town towards a greener, more climate-change-friendly way of living.

At one of the group’s Seed Swap events, as well as the obvious plants and seeds some people brought apples to swap but many were left – they weren’t very pretty apples!

Rather than chucking them on the compost heap someone suggested making apple juice.

The group talked to Eddisbury Fruit Farm who make Cheshire fruit juices commercially and they agreed that if they received more than 100 kilos of Congleton apples they could keep them separate through their production process and bottle and label the juice just for Congleton.

Congleton Apple Juice was born.

The campaign then began for local people to give their surplus apples and more than 150 residents responded. To celebrate, the Sustainability Group organised a Congleton Apple Week to coincide with National Apple Day (21 October 2010).

The apple varieties are many and varied, cooking and dessert apples, all shapes and sizes, good and unremarkable but all donated by Congleton residents. Everyone who donates apples receives a free bottle of juice.

At the last pressing Congleton had produced 1820 bottles of juice from more than 3.2 tons of apples that would otherwise go on compost heaps or into brown wheelie bins.

The juice is on sale at community events and farmers markets, cafes and restaurants, the Tourist Information Centre and local food shops.

The profits from the apple juice will go towards planting apple trees in each of the schools in Congleton.

The Dales Festival of Food and Drink – Social and Community Highly Transferable Award

A project organised by community volunteers which has generated over £120,000 of grants to community projects has been given a ‘Highly Transferable’ Award at the Action for Market Towns (AMT) Awards 2011.

Chris Wade, the chief executive of AMT said:

“At AMT, we always marvel at the great ideas that our members have to find practical solutions and make them work.  This Award is about finding those ideas that are so good, that other towns should copy them. The Dales Food and Farming Festival is an inspiration to other towns for how out of the adversity of foot and mouth, an enjoyable event has been started that goes from strength to strength each year, boosts tourism and raises a lot of money for good causes.”

The Dales Festival of Food and Drink has taken place every year over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend since 2002 and was conceived to help the area recover from the impact of foot and mouth disease in 2001.  It is now celebrating its 10th year.

The event showcases Yorkshire food production (most of the produce comes from within 50 miles of Leyburn), real ales, local chefs, the importance of Dales agriculture, alongside entertainment from local brass and jazz bands, morris and sword dancers, and activities for children.

Local volunteers organise and steward the festival making it a real community achievement.  Every effort is made to ensure that the event appeals to all members of the family. Children under 16, who attend free of charge, are especially catered for, with interactive displays in the Farming for Food area and vintage fairground attractions.

The event has been so successful that the organisers have been making grants from the profits since 2003 towards a wide variety of community projects. These grants now total over £120,000 and offers totalling £20,000 have been made for this year.

Gillingham Work (Job) Club – Business and Economy Highly Transferable Award

A project which raises all its own funding and is run entirely by volunteers from the community has been given a ‘Highly Transferable’ Award at the Action for Market Towns (AMT) Awards 2011.

Chris Wade, the chief executive of AMT said:

“At AMT, we always marvel at the great ideas that our members have to find practical solutions and make them work.  This Award is about finding those ideas that are so good, that other towns should copy them. Gillingham Job Club shows how local people can show a ‘can do’ attitude and get together to help others get back on their feet and get back to work.  It is a good idea that will catch on.”

Gillingham Work (Job) Club aims to help unemployed people make the most of local knowledge to identify opportunities and resources in their communities to gain employment, experience, training and support.

Launched in November 2010, the club provides help in a warm and welcoming atmosphere to anyone of any age who is looking for work.

The club meets every Friday in Gillingham (Dorset) Town Hall, raises all its own funding and is run entirely by volunteers from the community.

It’s early days for the club, but it already has 12 volunteer advisers on its books and handles an average of five job seekers each week, some new, some returning.  They plan to extend their help to ex-prisoners and to young people looking for apprenticeships.

“So what do you do?”
Advisers greet visitors with a smile, a cup of coffee and a private, informal chat to find out why they’ve come and to see how they can help them. Once the visitor joins (there is no charge), the adviser gives practical help on everything from writing a CV to using voluntary work or internships to gain experience.

Most of all the club gives attendees the two things that not having a job can destroy: confidence and identity. We live in a society where, upon meeting a new face, we ask, “What is your name?” and “What do you do?”.  The club gives members the means to answer that second question with a positive response.

Background to the Awards

2011 saw the Action for Market Towns Awards generate one of the highest number of entries since its launch in 2004.

The Action for Market Towns Awards recognise and showcase initiatives that are helping towns to adapt to change and flourish.

For the Awards, the presence of a ‘market’ is not the determining feature – more important is the relationship between the town and its hinterland. Towns eligible to enter the awards have a population of between 2,000 and 35,000, offer at least convenience shopping and meet some weekly and specialist needs.

See more information about the 2011 Action for Market Towns Awards, including case studies on previous winners:

Notes to editor

1. Action for Market Towns (AMT) is a national charity committed to the vitality and viability of our small towns.
2. It offers training, consultancy, national advocacy and a range of other services to more than 400 members.
3. See more information about the judges and their organisations
4. Photos of several projects are available on Flickr here

What next?

Find out more about the Action for Market Towns Awards 2011

Mold Spring Clean, a multi-award winning project to help improve the town’s physical environment and promote recycling, sustainability, pride and community spirit, has picked up its most prestigious award to date.

It was crowned the national winner of the Action for Market Towns Awards at the AMT Convention Gala Dinner on 13 October.

Mold Spring Clean began from a local desire to make the town a pleasant environment to live, work and play in, and generate community pride for everyone. It is one of the largest community initiatives of its type in Wales.

All hail Springy

A stroke of genius was the introduction of Springy, the Mold Spring Clean mascot who has been hugely successful in engaging both young people and the wider community.

Find out more about Mold Spring Clean and the Action for Market Towns Awards 2011