NEW businesses are moving into town, while existing ones have had a revamp as a fresh wave of optimism hits Radcliffe.

Thanks to Bury Council's Shopfronts Scheme ten firms have already had improvements and been renovated and a further eight have had grant funding approved.

The brightening up of shops and stores makes them not only attractive for business, but for the town in general. Meanwhile, Frydays Fish and Chip Restaurant on The Piazza will officially open later this month with Radcliffe born-and-bred John Dixon putting his future firmly in his home town.

Just a few doors away another local entrepreneur, Mark Burn, believes Radcliffe has plenty of potential for his new discount children's and ladieswear concern.

Radcliffe Area Board chairman, Coun Barry Briggs, said: "What we are seeing is a commitment by what many regard as the essential ingredient in any town, small, local businesses. They provide the variety and diversity that really brings a shopping centre to life and without which town centres can quickly fade and die. They are very much the lifeblood of local communities."

The Shopfront Scheme enables local businesses to obtain grant funding, up to a maximum of 75 percent of the full cost, to a limit of £5,000, for refurbishing or renewing their shop frontage. The latest schemes have not just been on the Piazza but spread right across the town centre on Water Street, Church Street West, plus the bottom of Stand Lane and New Road.

Coun Briggs added: "Small businesses now feel confident enough to invest in their future in Radcliffe. The town's fortunes are steadily rising and there is little doubt that things are well and truly happening."