My parents moved to Hunsbury in the eighties when it was still a building site, and I’ve grown up in the town. I remember trips to the Oven Door bakery in the Grosvenor centre to buy iced buns and sausage rolls, and staring at the swinging monkey in the shoe shop window on Abington Street.

Even though I’ve stayed living in Northampton my relationship with the town centre has become more distant and I rarely go in anymore. I work in Milton Keynes so if I shop it tends be there. Having said that though, in recent years it’s become obvious that despite its woes of losing a lot of big name shops from its high street, Northampton’s strength is in its independent shops and cafe’s. If the town centre has a reason to visit anymore after losing the likes of BHS, M&S (no doubt Debenhams will follow sooner or later), it’s these shops and they need every bit of support to stop Northampton turning into a total ghost town.