SHOPKEEPERS in one of Skipton's quiet backwaters have vowed to shout about the area's hidden treasures.

Business people in Coach Street and the surrounding area are fed up of visitors making a beeline for the market bargains and multi-nationals on the High Street without giving a thought to the smaller streets.

Now manager of Oswaldtwistle Mills Joan Evans and owner of Lotus Petals Linda Gray have joined forces to promote the hidden delights of the specialist shops tucked away on the banks of the canal.

Mrs Evans said: "We do feel it is the forgotten end of Skipton. We have a wide choice of shops down here."

She added that while trade had been steady she felt that many people were just not getting through to the area.

The campaigners both agreed that the way forward was to improve awareness and signage to the shops.

An application has been submitted to Craven District Council to reinstall a sign on Victoria Square so that when shoppers ventured down the ginnel from the High Street they did not stop when they hit the houses on Albert Square.

"We want the council to be more aware that Coach Street is a shopping area," said Mrs Gray. "I am the third owner of Lotus Petals and even Skipton people do not know I am there."

The pair has designed leaflets that have been posted to many TICs and other establishments telling everyone about the more picturesque part of Skipton - Coach Street, Victoria Street, Albert Street and Canal Street.

Twenty-one shops, pubs and cafes have added their names to the glossy leaflet.

Rita Barsby, manager of Monday's Child has been in business 15 years. She thought that people did not shop on Coach Street because of prices in the nearby car park.

"The number of people that have come into my shop and said 'this is the last time I am coming to Skipton to shop'. There are some lovely shops down here if people would take the time to explore.

"The little streets probably hold more than the High Street but there has been a great trend towards bargain hunting," she said.

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