Daily Telegraph: "Mary Portas on the shop closest to her heart"

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"[There is a] fight to save our local high streets. Why are they worth fighting for? Because, although it is shops that make high streets, at their heart they are about more than shops, more than selling; high streets are the heartbeat of our towns and neighbourhoods.

"They are the places where we meet neighbours, have coffee with friends, take our children to the doctor, get medicine from the pharmacy. They are where we get to know the shopkeepers and service providers who play a vital role in our communities and our lives. If we lose that, we lose our sense of belonging, and a social infrastructure that is vital to us as human beings.

"So what is the future? We have to roll up our sleeves to make our own future, first discerning what is essential to our communities; we are all stakeholders in our towns and high streets, not only the residents. Each high street should be different, according to the needs of each community.

"One thing I know for sure is, if you don’t use your local high street, you shouldn’t be surprised when it disappears. Do you really want to be left with the option of shopping either online or at an out-of-town retail park?"