Team & News

Team Norfolk’s High Streets Matter is passionate about keeping our high streets vibrant places to visit, shop and enjoy leisure activities. Norfolk County Council created the High Streets Matter initiative and the team is delivering this project through the Retail Excellence  and Hospitality Programmes, Love Your Market Place grant funding, town visits and expert support. Visitors and customers want to spend time together, buy their daily or weekly goods, explore our beautiful towns and access services. We are looking to help create experiences while serving those needs.

• £250k Hospitality Matters campaign to support Norfolk firms – Fakenham & Wells Times, Eastern Daily Press, North Norfolk News and Norwich Evening News, March 2026. Read article.
• Hospitality Matters launch – BBC Radio Norfolk, 27 February 2026. Interview with High Growth Adviser Alexandra Hemen who talks with Presenter Chris Goreham about the new hospitality support and £250,000 investment. “Hospitality Matters. It preserves a way of life and is important as part of our culture. Our family and friends work in these industries.” (listen at 1:02 and 1:08+). The support which will start from May/June 2026 covers an extensive programme, including training, grants and one‑to‑one advice. Business owner Joseph Ballard from New Stages and The Black Swan shares his experience of the retail programme and how the training, business support and connecting with others (listen at 2:05) made a difference. Listen here until 28 March 2026.
• Free retail training rolled out for Norfolk businesses – North Norfolk News, Eastern Daily Press and Great Yarmouth Mercury, September 2025. Read article.
• Free retail training for Norfolk businesses – Town & Around, September 2025. Read article.
• Why Norfolk high streets are so important to our communities, opinion piece by Cllr Fabian Eagle – Eastern Daily Press, 2 September 2025. Read article.
• Fakenham retailers set to benefit from new council scheme – Fakenham & Wells Times, 1 July 2025. Read article
• Lydia’s floral tribute to market town – Folk Features, 3 June 2025. Read article
• Support for businesses in Norfolk’s declining high streets (High Streets Matter launch) – Covered in regional and local newspapers, 14 May 2025. Read article
• High Streets Matter launch – BBC Norfolk Radio, 8 May 2025. Interviews with Cllr Fabian Eagle and Lucy Peacock from Mabel Bakery who talk about the new initiative at the launch.