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Weekly runs day-long campaign to promote main shopping street

A weekly newspaper ran an all-day live blog on its website to promote one of its patch’s main shopping streets.

Southport Visiter reporters Kate Lally and Paul Philbin reported live from Lord Street, in the seaside town, asking shoppers how it could be improved.

Last week’s campaign coincided with Sefton Council putting in a bid for a £2.9m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help improve Lord Street’s fortunes – as reported on the front page of the paper’s current edition.

Kate and Paul together with two journalism students spent all day on the street to talk to shoppers, volunteers and owners of local businesses to ask them what they want to see done if the bid is successful.

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In a message to readers, editor Andrew Brown said: “Lord Street has had some ups and downs over the years, but it is still such an amazing place – and it is something really unique to Southport that we should all be proud of.

“There is still a perception with some people that Lord Street is ‘full of charity shops and empty units’ and we want to put that right.

“There are some superb businesses which have been on Lord Street for many years, which we would love to remind you about. In the past decade we’ve seen some spectacular new additions too, with some great independents now trading.

“But we recognise the road also has its issues, with areas which can be improved – we’re going to be looking into what these are, and what can be done.”

Trinity Mirror sister title the Birmingham Mail recently ran a live blog looking at the future of New Street in Birmingham.

Andrew said staff at the city daily had been “great in giving us advice on running ours.”

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