A coffee shop owner in Preston city centre has been recognised for all she’s doing to help lift up one of the city’s main streets.

Bernice Marie Newton was given the City Star Award at the city centre business awards during Tuesday (9 April).

Her business Townhouse Coffee and Brew Bar also picked up the Independent Business of the Year Award.

Bernice has helped organise a big clean up of Friargate, where Townhouse is based, with businesses down the street joining forces to power-wash the street, repair faults and pick up litter.

Bernice Marie Newton said: “Congratulations to all the finalists, the Town House team, to Bid for a fantastic night and to everyone who voted and supports us, we only achieved this with you walking through our doors.”

There was also praise and recognition for one of the mainstays of the city’s live music and clubbing scene.

Peter Alexander was granted the Preston Business Improvement District Special Recognition Award.

DJing aroun the city for decades Pete started at The Warehouse before becoming owner-operator of Blitz.

He’s represented the city’s music scene on a number of national panels.

The Smiles Better Awards took place in Evoque with BBC Radio Lancashire’s John Gillmore and former Rock FM DJ Danny Bee hosting.

Read more: New monthly Makers Market coming to Fishergate

ITV news presenter Paul Crone made a guest appearance to hand out awards in the Outstanding Achievement in Leisure and Outstanding Achievement in Retail awards.

This saw the moment when Simon Rigby, who wasn’t present, roundly booed by many tables in the room when announced as a finalist for the Outstanding Achievement in Leisure Award for his work at the Guild Hall. It follows recent stories on Blog Preston and other media outlets about payment problems at the venue.

Seventeen awards were given out in total including a new award for Market Trader of the Year Aaward for the city’s new Market Hall.

Adrian Livesey’s butchers, run by Market Trader Association chairman Sam Livesey, picked up the award.

Preston BID’s Mark Whittle said: “These awards are always hotly contested with healthy competition between nominees, which is no bad thing. The city centre is awash with great people working very hard, in great businesses, and it’s good to recognise them publicly; they are the very reason many people visit Preston.”

More than 68,000 votes were cast by the public across the categories and the five or six people or organisations in each category with the highest votes were invited along on the night. All awards are decided by a public vote, apart from the Special Recognition Award.

Here’s the full list of finalists and the winner in each category:

Bar of the year
Northern Way
Plau – winner
Roper Hall
Wings and Beer
Yates

Club of the year
Baluga
Evoque
Popworld
Switch
Warehouse – winner

Restaurant of the year
Angelos
Bistrot Pierre
Turtle Bay
Nandos – winner
We Don’t Give A Fork

Pub of the year
Hogarths
Plug and Taps
Ships and Giggles
Twelve Tellers – winner
The Adelphi

Personality of the year
Brian Hudson – Tokyo Jo’s Reunion
DJ Ben – The Warehouse – winner
Darren Ofsarnie – Switch
Mark Freejack – Evoque
Matthew Wood – Krispy Kreme

Leisure manager of the year
Adam Coulson – Twelve Tellers
Dave Brown – Switch – winner
Joe Parr – Wings & Beers
Mark O’Rourke – Mark O’Rourke Group
Stacey Penney – Evoque

Retail manager of the year
David Bullock – Preston Market – winner
Gordon Gibson – Action Records
Matthew Wood – Krispy Kreme
Michelle Littlefair – PDSA
Sue Dodwell – Greggs

Multiple retailer of the year
Ann Summers
Greggs
Krispy Kreme
Mark O’Rourke Group – winner
Top Shop

Independent retailer of the year
Action Records
Cafune – South American Cafe Roast
Townhouse Coffee and Brew Bar – winner
Yog Yums

Best customer service – Leisure
Dan Cowell – Wings and Beers
Ellen Cunliffe – Twelve Tellers
Henry Fairclough – Ships and Giggles Lee
Lee Johnson – Switch – winner
Sean Devlin – Get Staffed

Best customer service – Retail
Gordon Gibson – Action Records
Matthew Wood – Krispy Kreme
Paul Roscoe – HMB
Sue Dodwell – Greggs – winner
Sam Eaves – Ann Summers

Outstanding achievement in retail
Adrian Livesey – Livesey’s Butchers
Andrew Stringer – St George’s
Dean Yates – Roast
Gordon Gibson – Action Records – winner
Matthew Wood – Krispy Kreme

Outstanding achievement leisure
Aimee Massey – Bistrot Pierre
Darren Ofsarnie – Switch
Kyle Perkins – Yates
Lisa Billington – Warehouse – winner
Simon Rigby – Guild Hall

City Star
Bernice Newton – Townhouse Coffee and Brew Bar – winner
Ed Walker – Blog Preston
Ranvir Singh – UCLan/ITV
Simon Meighan – Wings and Beer
Simon Rigby – Guild Hall

Market Trader of the Year
Adrian Livesey’s Butchers – winner
Brew + Bake
Capelli Remi
Cherry Pie
Redmans of Preston

Event of the year
Bongo’s Bingo – Guild Hall – winner
EvanFest – Ships and Giggles
GlastonFerret – The Ferret
Preston Pride – Flag Market
Record Store Day – Action Records

Special Recognition Honour – Peter Alexander