Inspiring High St heroes honoured Go Forth Stirling , students and food team all hailed
High Street Heroes in Stirling have been recognised for their work during the coronavirus crisis.
The dedication of people to support those around them throughout the pandemic has been celebrated as part of the Scotland Loves Local campaign’s High Street Heroes Awards.
In Stirling, the Regional Champion award goes to Go Forth Stirling BID and its project director Danielle Mcrorie-smith. A number of other people and businesses have been highly commended.
Go Forth Stirling’s nomination stated: “Danielle Mcrorie-smith and the GFS team have worked incredibly hard to support Stirling’s business community throughout the Covid-19 crisis. And they have come up with a range of initiatives to make sure the city was a safe and welcoming place for shoppers and visitors to return.
“Throughout the crisis they have listened to BID members and done all they could to support them via a comprehensive campaign of innovative measures. They are continuing to do that as businesses begin to get back on their feet. We should shine a spotlight on all they’ve achieved and the work they continue to do, from supporting digital campaigns to a colourful “We’re Open; Shop Local” poster campaign to an e-commerce voucher scheme to help people revamp their online shops or restaurant booking systems.”
Danielle said: “I stepped into a temporary role in early March and the country went into lockdown soon after. We quickly realised it was not in the best interests of Stirling city centre traders to make their levy payments at that time so we decided to suspend them for six months. We’ve now gone further by halving the levy for the year while at the same time actually increasing the number of services we offer to Stirling’s businesses.
“With only two employees, everything Go Forth Stirling has done has been aimed at helping our local businesses survive the pandemic and come out the other side with a thriving business.
“We have received some incredibly positive feedback from businesses who’ve seen us as something of a lifeline during difficult times.
“I’m delighted beyond words at the award recognition. The acknowledgement provides confidence in the support delivered to Stirling businesses and encourages me to keep working conscientiously to deliver more initiatives and projects.”
Danielle is currently working on a new initiative designed to encourage consumers to shop local and discover the city’s thriving independent scene.
Highly Commended awards in Stirling went to Mclaren High School volunteers (FETCH) in Callander and Stirling
Community Food.
Judges were told: “Stirling Community Food is a collaboration of three organisations based in Stirling 44 King Street, Transition Stirling and Made in Stirling - who joined forces to open a community fridge that was open to all.
“They were collecting surplus food from local supermarkets and thus saved an incredible amount of food waste while feeding those in need. Stirling Community Food was also using the collected surplus food to cook soup and other dishes with the help of surrounding cafes. Sometimes, the excess bread would go to the Blairdrummond Safari park. The volunteers running the project have devoted a lot of time and proved selflessness.”
Kayda Williams and Stirling Books were also praised for providing “a wonderful service to the people of Stirling during lockdown by supplying books to the community which provided distraction and a sense of normality”.
Scotland Loves Local is spearheaded by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP) with the support of the Scottish Government to help the country’s response to the pandemic by thinking local first for all shopping and service needs.
STP’S chief officer Phil Prentice said: “The dedication with which people throughout Stirling have supported those around them during the pandemic has been remarkable. They are an inspiration.”