Inside Out East - 06/12/2010

Last year Mary Portas from the series Mary Queen of Shops visited Dunstable and said it was like a cemetery. Two local women, Sharon Knott and Sharon Warboys, weren't having that. They launched a campaign. 'Long Live Dunstable - Don't let Dunstable die' and set out to revive the town. David Whiteley goes in search of the shoots of recovery on the town's high street. He meets the two Sharons and doctor Leigh Sparks of the Institute of Retail Management who arrives to give the town a health check. Whilst the campaign has succeeded in breathing new life into some parts of the town it is the doctor's view that in order to survive, many towns - including Dunstable - might have to let some streets die in order to save others. First it was Tupperware now its gold. Gold parties are the latest way to make money at home. As the precious metal holds its value ordinary folk are profiting from what they find in the back of their drawers. Businesswoman Jasmine Birtles joins in a gold party in Essex where the guests are finding surprising value in their old jewellery. He's Luton's answer to Lord Sugar. From mango seller to retail supremo, Nadeem Mohammed's business empire has transformed the town. Now it's his turn to appoint an apprentice of his own. 17-year-old Stephen failed his GCSEs but manages to impress Nadeem and beat off the competition. We follow them as Stephen spends the summer following in Nadeem's golden footsteps learning his secrets of success.