THE inaugural Ashton Independent Retail Awards, which were launched in September, were a celebration of local businesses.
The awards, organised by Ashton Town Team and sponsored by Bromleys solicitors LLP, recognised the wealth of independent local businesses within the town centre.
And the finalists highlighted the wide range of successful businesses in the town.
The nominations formed shortlists for each category which had to be scrutinised by the judging team of Jackie Moores, from Tameside College; Pauline Town, The Station; Luke Mirfin, Tameside Markets and chaired by Jan Lord, Guide Bridge MOT & Service.
Jan said: “This year has been a challenging time for all the businesses in Ashton and choosing a winner from the hundreds of worthy entrants has been a task and a half!
“Every entrant is a winner in my eyes and deserves to be recognised but unfortunately, we did have to choose a winner in each category.
“Thank you to everyone involved in the process, the people who took their time to vote, the judging panel, the sponsors and Ashton Town Team for arranging the awards.
“Looking forward to 2021 already to recognise even more excellent local businesses.
“Remember to always shop local to support our local economy.”
Bromleys Solicitors presented Antonio’s Pizzeria e Ristorante as the winners of the Sponsor’s Choice Award.
Bromleys’ Paul Westwell said: “As you can imagine, this was a tough decision as we are lucky to have such a wide array of independents in our town centre.
“Restaurants have really suffered during the Covid-19 crisis and Antonio’s took part in the Government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme in August and have continued with this offer to encourage people back – adapting the restaurant to ensure social distancing and that they are Covid-19 compliant.”
Kevin Taylor, chair of Ashton Town Team, said, “I’d like to thank Bromleys for their support and Jan with the other judges who have had a challenging time picking winners from the finalists.
“These awards acknowledge the unique bespoke service provided by many of the independent businesses in our town centre.
“There was more than 1,600 nominations received which is a tribute to all those small shops who work so hard in our town.
“We need to celebrate businesses like these which make Ashton a perfect destination for quality, value and service for shoppers.”
WINNERS
Café/Takeaway:
Nat’s Bombay Kitchen – Market Hall
Clothing/Footwear:
Room 14 – George Street
Fresh Food Retail:
The Cheese Stall – Ashton Market Hall
Hair, Health & Beauty:
Mary Haworth – Warrington Street
Home Furnishing/Textiles:
Bargain Textiles – Ashton Market Hall
Jewellers:
Grade A on Market Avenue
Restaurant:
Lily’s Vegetarian – Oldham Road
Specialist Retail:
Rewind Collectables – Wellington Street
Tech/Electrical:
Microtech – Penny Meadow
Furniture:
Ashton Discount – Stamford Street
The Bromleys Sponsor
Choice Award:
Antonios Restaurant – Katherine Street
The Ashton Town Team
Special Award:
Cameraz – Stamford Street