Masham’s High Street project, funded through the Mayor’s High Street Fund, is well underway — with lots already achieved and more to come. The programme is designed to strengthen our town centre, celebrate our Peculier™ heritage and encourage both residents and visitors to support our local economy.

What’s been happening so far

There’s been a huge amount of work behind the scenes to get things moving and we’re already starting to see some exciting changes take shape:

Peculier History Tours

Launched this summer, our new walking tours have sold out so far! The tours promise to uncover the quirky tales, characters and little known facts about our rather Peculier history that all work to make Masham unique — from Saxon saints to civic eccentricities. Visitors have described them as entertaining, memorable and “a must for every Masham resident.” Tours are held every Friday and one Saturday per month. Book your place here.

Yorkshire Day Celebrations

Masham marked Yorkshire Day (1st–2nd August) in style, with two days of quirky family fun. Highlights included crafts and children’s games at St Mary’s Church, live music and dancing, a re-enactment of the historic Court of the Peculier, a reindeer parade, barrel making and even cow-milking! Acorns Pre-School raised £500 at their open day and the weekend finished with a screening of Brassed Off at the Town Hall. Read the full weekend roundup.

Peculier Edible Planters

If you’ve walked down Silver Street recently, you’ll have spotted some new wooden planters full of herbs, vegetables and flowers. Planted and cared for by local groups including the Scouts, Guides, Primary School and Maple Creek residents, they’re a real community effort. Soon, each ‘peculier’ planter will feature a QR code linking to recipes from chef Jon Atashroo (Where There’s Smoke), and passers-by will be able to pick fresh ingredients to use at home!

Shop Local Campaign

The Masham Peculier: Shop Like A Local initiative has been designed to encourage locals and visitors to spend just £10 in our High Street when they next visit, rather than shopping out of town. The new brochure is now in circulation, showcasing our wonderful independent shops and the people behind them. Distributed to tourist boards and local accommodation providers, it encourages visitors to support Masham businesses during their stay and includes ideas for things to do locally. A radio campaign on Greatest Hits Radio has also helped spread the word about our High Street over the past four weeks.

What’s Next

There’s plenty more to come:

• New High Street maps available soon from Masham Community Office and local shops.
• Interactive online map showcasing shops, attractions and walks — take a sneak peek here.
• Creative Blue Plaques – heritage plaque trail around town introducing some creative legends from the screen, canvas, literature and sport with links to Masham. Plus, a few quirky local legends too!
• Shop Local pre-order service launching soon.

With planters to pick from, unique history to explore and a host of independent shops to discover, there’s never been a better time to visit Masham. Pop into the Masham Community Office to grab your Shop Local / Discover Masham brochure now. We also share all of our Peculier™ High Street activities on social media, so follow us over there to stay up to date.

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