£130,000 to help Shropshire's market towns recover
More than £130,000 is being made available to help Shropshire’s market towns attract and encourage visitors as lockdown measures start to ease.
A total of £117,000 will be split between seven towns that have been impacted by both coronavirus and by flooding earlier in the year, with Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Bridgnorth, Oswestry, Market Drayton, Whitchurch and Shifnal set to receive support – equalling about £16,714 per town.
A further £20,000 of funding, with grants of up to £5,000, will be made available to smaller market towns throughout the county, which will be able to bid for the funding in an open competition.
The money has been made available through Marches LEP’s Investment Fund and can be used to support innovative projects that will attract visitors and drive confidence and footfall.
Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure, waste and communications, said: “We know all too well the devastating impact that flooding and coronavirus have had on market towns.
"Now, as lockdown measures are eased and visitors start to return to our town centres, I’m really pleased that we can make this funding available.
“It needs to be spent on campaigns or measures that will help them attract visitors, but they’ll need to make sure that people can visit in a safe manner in line with the latest social distancing guidance. I look forward to seeing the ideas and suggestions that come forward.”
Applications will open on Monday, July 20, and close on Friday, July 31, 2020.
Applications for the £5,000 grants can be made by the town council or community groups who are supported in their application by the town council and its councillors.
Submissions can be made from Monday, July 20.
They must be sent by email to both visitor.economy@shropshire.gov.uk and invest@shropshire.gov.uk by 11.59pm on Friday, July 31.
