Town centre businesses across Morpeth are coming together to champion everything the town has to offer, launching a new campaign that puts pride, community and the heart of the high street front and centre.
Shops, cafés and restaurants are being encouraged to display striking window stickers declaring “Keeping the heart in Morpeth town centre” – a visible reminder of the importance of supporting local shops and services, and of the town’s longstanding commitment to a town centre first approach.
This policy has helped protect Morpeth from outoftown retail schemes, ensuring investment remains focused on the historic centre and preserving the town’s character, vitality and economic strength.
Ken Stait, Chairman of Morpeth Business Forum, said the campaign is a timely reminder of the value of the town centre and the businesses that keep it vibrant.
“This is a great way for our town centre businesses to shout about what we have here in Morpeth. We should never take for granted the hard work that goes into making the town the special place it is. Morpeth is the place it is because of continued investment from businesses and local stakeholders – and because we’ve resisted outoftown retail developments that can drain life from a high street.”
Chris Mitchell, Managing Director of Rutherfords – which celebrates an extraordinary 180 years in Morpeth this year – also welcomed the initiative.
“Rutherfords has been part of Morpeth for generations, and there has never been a more important time to support our town centre. The Arcade and the wider high street have transformed Morpeth into one of the most attractive and successful centres in the region. This campaign is a great reminder that if we want to keep our town centre strong, vibrant and full of character, we all need to play our part.”
Erica Malpass, from the Sanderson Arcade centre management team said: “Morpeth has a fantastic town centre with a unique blend of national names and muchloved independents. This campaign is a simple but powerful way for businesses to show pride in the town and remind people how important it is to use and look after the centre we all rely on.”
Businesses across the town will be encouraged to display the window stickers in their shopfronts to show their support and reinforce the message that Morpeth’s strength lies in its highquality retail mix and strong sense of community.
