The tourist town is in the running to have their high street crowned the best of the best in the nation. Community Council chairman Bob Opray is over the moon to have reached the top ten in Scotland’s Town Partnership’s competition, making Moffat the only Dumfries and Galloway representative.
He said: “Call me biased but I think Moffat High Street is spectacular. “As a community councillor I’m always looking at ways to improve Moffat and make changes for the better, but when I stop and takeastep back and look at it with fresh eyes, it always strikes me just how beautiful it really is and how lucky I am to call it home.”
And it was Bob’s poem about life in Moffat that caught the judging panel’s eye and earned it a shortlisted space.
In it he enthuses about the town’s unique attributes from its lime trees to its iconic Moffat Ram and the war memorial.
Moffat’s historic links with legendary wizard Merlin and the Tsar of Russia, as well as the events it hosts – Sheep Races, Classic Car Rally, Moffat Gala – also get a good mention. He also highlights the lack of chain stores – “There is no M&S, Boots, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl or Sainsbury or phone shop anywhere near it” – and boasts about the boutiques and unique shops on offer.
But to win the title Moffat must now go head-to-head with larger communities, such as Elgin who boast a pedestrianised high street complete with touch-screen interactive tables to let visitors unearth the town’s history.
Also in the running is Lanark, who created webpage ‘Lanark Life’ to promote life and events in their town. The winner will be announced at the Scotland’s Towns Conference on November 21 in Paisley. And Bob is appealing to locals to get voting.
He said: “Tell your friends, tell your granny, tell anyone who will listen to vote for Moffat.”
■ To vote visit: http://www.scotlandstowns.org/mbhs_vote?utm_campaign=vote_smbhs&utm_medium=email&utm_source=scotlandstowns
