Does your shop have what it takes to be the Best of British?

Hornchurch shops are competing to be crowned ‘Best of British’ in a new council scheme.

The town centre will be decked out in red, white and blue for two weeks from Sunday July 22nd to Sunday August 5th. Havering Council wants people in the area to vote for the store they think is the most patriotic.

The five shops with the most votes will go before a panel of councillors, who will pick the overall winner. Everyone who votes – either through the council website or by filling in a form in one of the shops – is in with a chance of winning £100 to spend in the successful ‘Best of British’ shop.

Cllr Robert Benham, cabinet member for community empowerment, said: “With the Queen’s Jubilee, Euro 2012 and the Olympics, it has been a very ‘British’ year. To celebrate this and to show our commitment in backing local businesses, we came up with a British-themed competition to really get people celebrating again.

“This fun competition is aimed at encouraging residents to shop local and choose Hornchurch. It will highlight the enthusiasm of the traders and the wide variety of shops in the town centre. It will also help protect local jobs and preserve the unique and vibrant character of the area.”