Voting opens in High Street Heroes competition

Telford & Wrekin Council is again holding its annual initiative to recognise those firms championing their local communities

Voting has now opened in a competition celebrating town centre champions.

The High Street Heroes 2026 initiative is run by Telford & Wrekin Council and recognises those businesses making a difference to their local high streets and the support given to their communities.

Residents and businesses can nominate their favourite high street names ahead of the deadline on October 16 - you can vote online here.

Last year, more than 1,500 nominations were received and a total of 29 High Street Heroes were crowned across the six borough towns of Dawley, Ironbridge, Madeley, Newport, Oakengates and Wellington.

Ironbridge Interiors was among the companies crowned High Street Heroes last yearplaceholder image
Ironbridge Interiors was among the companies crowned High Street Heroes last year

Winners ranged from pubs and hair salons to kitchen specialists, clothes shops, cafés and travel centres.

This year's champions will be presented with trophies and certificates in the run up to Small Business Saturday, an annual campaign encouraging people to shop locally and support all types of small businesses which this year will be on December 5.

The awards are part of the council's Pride in Our High Street programme which aims to support local businesses and retailers through start-up trial grants and start-up grants.

Trial grants give previously home-based or online businesses the opportunity to test themselves out in a high street setting in the form of a market stall or small retail unit while start-up grants give firms the chance to expand by having a permanent high street presence.

The council's jobs chief Councillor Ollie Vickers said: "Our High Street Heroes awards are a really important way of recognising a wide range of local businesses which are excelling on our high streets.

"These businesses are so important across Telford & Wrekin and their value is recognised by the council through these awards which are voted for by customers and other businesses which benefit directly from their services.

"Last year, we received a record number of nominations and we'd encourage people to back their favourite businesses again this year."

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Local news you can trust
Follow us
© 2026 Iconic Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice