Keighley's award-winning town centre management scheme is providing a model for others.

A 26-strong delegation from Malton and Norton in North Yorkshire has visited the town on a fact-finding mission. The group had a three-hour meeting last Friday with Keighley town centre manager Sandra Parn-ham and Cllr Barry Thorne.

Organiser Roddy Bushell, from Fitzwilliam (Malton) Estates, says: "We are exploring ways of attracting more visitors and shoppers to our towns. We saw that Keighley had won the UK's top award for town centre management programmes so thought we would come and see how the best in Britain does things.

"We have learned an enormous amount from the visit and hope to be able to put the principles of town centre management into practice in Malton and Norton. I thank Sandra for her warm hospitality and the efforts made to make our visit go so smoothly."

Keighley town centre management group was named the UK's best in this year's Property Awards. With a £12,000 spending budget the group developed an action programme which reduced shop vacancy rates, improved the environment by removing fly posters and graffiti, and brought increased success in Britain in Bloom.

Group chairman Cllr Thorne says: "Working together in partnerships brings benefits to a town, as we have seen in Keighley. We were pleased to welcome the group from North Yorkshire and to answer their questions about setting-up a town centre management scheme."

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