A THRIVING high street which hosted a vibrant Tour de France celebration has become the centre of two Community Pride nominations.

Bishopthorpe Road's Grand Depart celebration led to the street being named the best dressed street in Yorkshire, and attracted hundreds of revellers and now the organisers have been singled out for praise.

The Bishopthorpe Road Traders' Association has been nominated for the Service with a Smile award, which recognises outstanding customer care. Although the award is normally given to individual businesses or charities, this nomination has come for the whole community of shopkeepers in the Bishopthorpe Road association .

The nomination said: "Around here we know all of the traders by name, and they know us. Everyone is friendly and helpful and they go out of their way to provide a level of individual service in their shops and to put on events such as the street party and the Christmas lights that really brings the community together."

Their hard work throughout the year brings the community together with special events and has helped create Bishopthorpe Road's special character, it added.

At the head of the traders' association is chairman Johnny Hayes, who has himself been a Bishopthorpe Road shopkeeper for 15 years, and has been put forward for the Person of the Year award.

The Person of the Year award recognised those who promote pride in their community and the city, and according to his nomination Johnny does exactly that.

Local resident Graham Meiklejohn, who has lived in the area for ten years, said Johnny's effort this year have achieved something remarkable for his community.

He said: "Over many years Johnny has served his local community well through his shops, while caring about everyone.

"He helped create an air of excitement around Bishopthorpe Road leading up to and on the day of the Grand Depart that resulted in tens of thousands of mentions being made about the street on social media. The BBC News Channel also spent several hours reporting live from Bishopthorpe Road for the Grand Depart, where Johnny was interviewed several times, providing a great profile opportunity for the City of York."

Johnny said he was delighted with the nominations, both for himself and for the Traders' Association, and paid tribute to the community, which contributed to the street party's success.

He added: "I believe if you take something out of a community, you have to put something back."

The Community Pride awards are run by The Press with the City of York Council, and sponsored by Benenden Health. Nominations have now closed, and the winners will be announced at a special ceremony in October.