A council scheme to spruce up a north Cumbria town has given the high street a new lease of life.

Wigton businesses have benefited from £61,782 in grants from the Allerdale Council scheme, which can help pay for improvements to the front of properties.

Applications remain open for the grants, which aim to make the area more attractive to residents and visitors and improve the appeal of the town.

The money is available to all those who own properties in the town centre, though priority will be given to those on High Street, Market Place, King Street, Church Street and Water Street.  

So far, the council has received 73 applications and each successful applicant is required to match-fund the grant, to the tune of 10 per cent of the grant total.

One of the businesses to benefit from a grant is True Health & Beauty in Duke Street.

Beauty therapist, Lesley Burns, 36, said: "We own the Toad Hall building next door as well, so we got two grants.

"We have painted both the fronts of the stores and the windows and doors. It has spruced the buildings up. The lane used to be a dark blue colour, now it is a brighter grey."

Lesley believes the scheme has been positive for the town.

"When you look at all the buildings it has made a big difference. I think it will encourage more people to come to Wigton.

"We are absolutely delighted (with the benefits of the scheme), it was a lot of money and we probably wouldn't have done the work without the money from the grant.

"It has made a massive difference, Wigton looks completely different. It looks like a place that you would want to come to do your shopping."

The application process is very simple, says Lesley.

"I went to the council offices and got the form and we had to get three quotes from painting and decorating firms and they choose who we use.

"But we gave a preference, because I have used them for my house, and they granted it no problem."

Although they haven't benefited from the scheme directly, the manager of Redmayne the Tailors, Tom Mahon, praised the initiative.

He said: "We have benefited because the town looks nicer. We didn't personally benefit from it, as we did the building improvements ourselves.

"But we have benefited because the town looks a lot nicer. It is a relatively cheap way to spruce up a town and bring more people in."

Mark Fryer, executive member with responsibility for economic growth and town centre development, at Allerdale Council, said: "This is a great scheme which has worked really well in Maryport and it’s really good to see the people of Wigton taking advantage of it too.

"You can see the difference it is making to the town and I'd encourage anyone who hasn't yet applied to do so."

A spokeswoman for Allerdale Council, said: "Applications for the scheme remain open on an ongoing basis, however we would encourage people to apply as soon as possible by completing an application form, which are available from Allerdale Borough Council's customer service desk in Wigton Market Hall in Church Street.

Any queries should be made to the Allerdale Council's town centre manager, Toni Magean, at toni.magean@allerdale.gov.uk.