Committed business owners, councillors and passers-by came together to spruce up a high street in a bid to change people’s negative perceptions.

Volunteers spent their Sunday morning with paint brushes in hand and smiles on their faces as they redecorated the high street’s bollards, lamp posts and plant holders with a shiny new black coat.

After the closure of three major banks within the last 12 months, the town centre has become less busy and some residents even believe the high street has ‘had its time,’ harkening back to the 1970s when the street was bursting with life and trade.

But high street business owners, who form the dedicated Holywell Business Group, led by Russ Warburton from Ideal Lighting, are keen to invest some care and attention into the historic town centre.

After discussing the high street’s future at length with Flintshire council, Streetscene services purchased paint brushes and black paint for the volunteers
to get under way.

This simple gesture of painting the street’s rust-riddled features is an attempt to “get everyone on board” and retain a “positive opinion instead of a negative one,” according to Mr Warburton.

He said: “It was a great turn out and a great response on Sunday. It’s about everyone trying together and everyone getting on board and this project was positive enough.

“We’ve had enough stick in the past about the High Street, which has thankfully been resolved. Some people were asking why the council weren’t sending painters but we understand that they’re struggling and we wanted to take a bit off them.

“Flintshire’s Streetscene funded the resources, and a lot of business owners and staff came to help.”

Mr Warburton and partner Karen Humphreys who also works at Ideal Lighting, extended their thank you to all involved in this project.

These included Cllr Ted Palmer, Margaret Harrison, owner of Pet’s Pantry, Rick Scott, from C M Scott Jewellers, Stephen Hughes, from Peter Hughes Footwear and Lorraine Guy from the Artisan Shop.

Help was also on hand from Sarah Kennedy-Ratcliffe, owner of an online coffee business who is keen to help boost the high street, as well as Elaine McCarthy and Cheryll Oliver, prospective buyers of high street property, and the staff at Ideal Lighting themselves.

Mr Warburton added: “We also had Dave Young, a member of the public, who was just walking past and offered to help paint. It was nice to see.

“People passing were also saying we were doing a good job.

“What was also really nice was two teenagers who were walking down the street, Amber and Charity Williams, stopped to ask if they could help too. They went home, got changed, came back and spent their Sunday helping us.”

The volunteers managed to paint around three-quarters of the High Street and after running out of paint this weekend, the Business Group hope to organise another session where all volunteers are welcome.