HOLA! Traders in Radcliffe are looking forward to a prosperous new year after Seville was named as their Spanish partner for an exclusive retail twinning project.

The town is one of 14 in Britain selected to join a project that forges links between matched shopping districts at home and overseas.

Radcliffe has also been partnered with North Finchley in London as part of the Persefones project to regenerate independent retail centres across Europe.

The scheme, led by Manchester Metropolitan University's Retail Enterprise Network, aims to protect and promote small and specialist shops.

Retailers are encouraged to share ideas on initiatives and events to attract new shoppers and retain existing customers.

Delegates from Radcliffe Traders' Association and Bury Council's economic development unit were among 80 representatives from 28 towns to attend a two-day September workshop in Seville and Malaga.

Topics for debate included shop crime prevention, support for new independent enterprises and the problem of competing with large stores.

Representatives were provided with bi-lingual case studies for each shopping area and asked to choose preferred partners ahead of the end-of-year announcement.

Radcliffe's Spanish partners come from a traditional and specialist retail quarter on the edge of Seville's historic core. Their colleagues in North Finchley are investigating ways to counter the threat of surrounding shopping centres. Councillor Barry Briggs, chairman of Radcliffe area board, said: "I think it's an ideal opportunity for us to share our own experiences and learn from other people for the development of the town. Clearly we are not the first town to experience difficulties due to industrial decline. This is about what lessons we can learn from others and how we can apply them in a local context."