Retail expert Mary Portas, paid a visit to Market Rasen today to see how it's developed since being given a £100,000 grant to improve it, after it was chosen as one of 12 towns to be come Portas Pilots. Kate Hemingway has been talking to the self-styled "Queen of Shops"
Mary Portas is back in Market Rasen today to offer some more advice.
The town is one of the Portas Pilot towns and recently won an award for hosting Britain's best speciality market.
Stallholders and business are hoping shoppers will be flocking to Market Rasen today as the town hold's its first new big market there . It received 100 thousand pounds of investment and advice from retail expert Mary Portas on how to revamp its town centre.
It is just a few weeks since a small town in Lincolnshire was named the only place in our region to become one of the first so-called Portas Pilots.
Market Rasen is getting 100 thousand pounds of investment as well as advice from retail expert Mary Portas on how to revamp its town centre. Preparations are now being made for the first big new market there tomorrow.
Market Rasen is preparing to hold its first new market after being awarded funding as part of a project organised by retail expert Mary Portas. Steve Hine runs a shop on the main high street in the town. He hopes it will encourage people to explore what Market Rasen has to offer.
Sara Scott is the chair of the new Market Rasen Business Improvement Group and has been signing up retailers to both take part in the new markets and promote them to their shoppers.
Wendy Harrison is part of the team on the Business Improvement Group which has been organising this first new market. She is hoping it helps to increase footfall within the town
The Lincolnshire town that was the only place in our region to become one of the so-called Portas Pilot locations will hold it's first new market this Saturday. Preparations are being in Market Rasen for around 30 stalls to set up in the market square from early morning.
The market is first major change in the town since it won £100,000 of government funding to revamp its high street with advice from the retail expert Mary Portas. Organisers say the market will focus on high quality local produce and five further such markets will be held before Christmas.
Members of the new Market Rasen Business Improvement Group have spent the last few weeks drumming up support from retailers in the town and hope it helps to increase the number of shoppers and in turn ensure the high street there has a sustainable future.
The Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet, is joining leading figures from the world of business, sport and politics at this year's Yorkshire International Business Convention
Among the other speakers at the event, which is held concurrently in Leeds and in Bridlington for the first time, are retail guru turned government advisor, Mary Portas, political heavy-weights Michael Portillo and John Prescott and former world record holding athlete Steve Cram.
Shoppers in Market Rasen have been reacting to the news that the town is to benefit from a share of the Government's £1m fund to regenerate the high street.
They tell Calendar that at the moment it is difficult to buy men's clothes and ladies underwear in the town, among other things.