The Countryside Agency has announced the first towns in its Beacon Towns Initiative, which will examine the particular challenges facing market towns and ways to overcome them.

Each has been chosen to demonstrate how to tackle a particular issue or range of issues, including encouraging tourism, local food production/distribution and the provision of affordable broadband internet services.

As an example, the Beacon Town project in Whitby, North Yorkshire will help the town develop as a model for sustainable tourism.

This will be embedded into the town’s regeneration plans, ensuring tourism is recognised as the major potential driver for economic change.

Over the next 18 months a number of demonstration projects, seminars and a conference will be organised to encourage new and diverse activity in the industry.

The other towns selected – chosen from more than 200 – are Barnard Castle with Middleton, Co. Durham; Belper, Derbyshire; Bridport, Dorset: Faringdon, Oxfordshire; Richmond, North Yorkshire; Hexham and Haltwhistle, Northumberland and Wolverton, Buckinghamshire. Details: www.countryside.gov.uk