It’s not easy running your own business, juggling increasing overheads, big company competition and a move away from town and city centre high streets and local communities to online shopping.

So, we want to show St Helens small business owners some love and celebrate the best the town has to offer.

Make your favourite independent’s day by nominating them for our Best Independent Shop award and join the #ukindieday celebrations.

Independents’ weekend will run across the UK next Saturday and Sunday, July 6 and 7, in a bid to support and promote independent retail businesses with International Independents’ Day being celebrated on Thursday, July 4.

Independents account for around 65 per cent of the 290,000 retail outlets in the UK and they are at the heart of local communities.

Do you have a local butcher who you visit each week to buy your family’s meat?

Which of St Helens’ florists do you place an order with each Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day?

When you want to buy something quirky or unusual for a friend’s birthday, where in the town would you go?

How about an outfit for that special occasion that you don’t want to discover is the same as someone else’s?

In our Best of 2024 campaign, we’ve given out nine awards so far in St Helens for hair, nails, cocktails, fitness and beer gardens as well roast dinner, fish and chips, breakfast and pies.

Voting is currently taking place to find St Helens’ Best for Tattoos, with the vote closing at midnight on Sunday, June 30.

Vote for St Helens' Best for Tattoos 2024

This week, we want to celebrate independent shops and businesses and the overall winner will be decided by you, our readers.

HOW IT WORKS:

Each Friday morning we will reveal new categories via our social media pages and ask you who is the best. Nominations will then close each Monday morning at 12pm.

Every Thursday we will publish a shortlist of finalists with voting officially opening.

You will be able to vote in one of three ways:

- By commenting under the relevant post on our St Helens Star Facebook or Twitter pages = 1 vote

- By entering via the online article on our St Helens Star website = 2 votes

- By entering via our St Helens Star newspaper = 5 votes

Voting closes each Sunday evening at midnight.

The following Wednesday evening we will announce the winner of that category on social media.

Usual Newsquest competition rules apply.

For more details go to newsquest.co.uk/terms-conditions

So, get in touch with your Best Independent Shop or Business nominations and tell us who is amazing enough to be one of our finalists.

To make your nomination go to facebook.com/sthelensstar or find us on X (Twitter) @sthelensstar

Alternatively, you can email your nomination, telling us the name of the independent shop or business, where they are based and why they deserve to be shortlisted, to heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk

Don’t forget to keep an eye on our website and our social media each Friday morning, when we will launch a new Best of 2024 search and then every Thursday to vote for your favourite from our shortlist.