The Welsh town bucking the national trend of high street decline

Take a wander up the half mile of Prestatyn's high street during the day and you might not notice much of a difference with other towns the same size.

There might be a few more independent shops - maybe fewer gaps where empty shops are waiting for their next owner.

But this town's worked hard to create a high street which they say has bucked the national trend and witnessed an increase in footfall.

They have one large advantage - an out-of-town retail complex that's only a couple of hundred yards away from the High Street.

They've also decided to use persuasion - and free parking - to give people the time to wander beyond the retail park back into the high street.

The out of town shopping centre nearby helps keep footfall high Credit: ITV Wales

The local cinema shows Prestatyn's own ad campaign - MadMen's Don Draper might not entirely approve, but it's literally a town that doesn't mind singing about its own virtues...

They've competed in the Great British High Street contest; done the hard work of qualifying as a dementia friendly town; added the bars and bistros that make the high street a night time as well as a day economy. ‎

It's not a complex model for other high streets to look at - what it does depend on is both hard work and business owners' hard cash.

The local shops will tell you the gaps there are will, most likely, soon be filled: could Prestatyn's gentle retail revolution be part of the answer for other mid sized towns in Wales?

The town's high street continues to thrive Credit: ITV Wales