Wisbech has been named as one of the first 29 places in the country to be given extra help from a nationwide healthy high streets campaign.

The announcement gives a big boost to revitalise the town centre and means it will get a wide range of intensive support from leading businesses over the next three years.

Wisbech was selected following a bid submitted by Fenland District Council as part of the ongoing work of the Wisbech 2020 Vision.

The Healthy High Streets campaign has been launched by the charity Business in the Community (BITC) and has the backing of central Government.

It is targeting a total of 100 towns across Britain. It seeks to create 3,000 jobs across the 100 areas, increase footfall by 10 per cent and reduce the number of empty property units by 20 per cent.

The campaign is focused on towns that demonstrate a need for the support, have potential for growth and have an established or emerging partnership to improve the town.

FDC leader Councillor John Clark said: “This is great news for Wisbech and indeed for Fenland as a whole. Our success in being picked in this first group of the 100 towns being selected across the whole country shows that all the hard work we are doing to focus attention on the town is paying off.

“It means that our local needs are now being increasingly recognised nationally.”

Councillor Fred Yeulett, FDC’s Cabinet member responsible for growth and inward investment, added: “This comes at the perfect time. It links in brilliantly with all the other work we are doing under the Wisbech 2020 Vision, including the bid we are currently preparing for the Heritage Lottery Fund to help us improve the High Street.”

Target areas will be dealing with empty and unsightly properties, providing expert help to celebrate the high street, creating high-profile events to encourage people into town, creating relevant pop-up shops and markets to support start-up businesses and helping to improve customer service.