A SERIES of festivals is to be organised by Wootton Bassett Town Council to boost the town's image and to foster economic prosperity.

The decision, which will need to be sanctioned by North Wiltshire District Council, hinges on funding being available from cash left over from an earlier town centre management project.

Town clerk Johnathan Bourne said: "When the town centre manager left to take a similar post at Newbury, the appointment was not maintained.

"There is now £5,000 available from the district council and a similar sum from the town council, to be used for a project to help to boost the town's economy.

"A good way of doing this would be to attract visitors in for events such as a festival, so that they will see what we have to offer here and will want to come back to enjoy our town's facilities."

An extensive presentation, with slides, by twinning association representatives Anne and David Pope, prompted the town council's finance and general purposes committee to propose organising the first festival in conjunction with the twinning weekend next summer.

Following the town twinning with Blain, in the Loire Atlantique region of France, at the St Laurent Festival in August, reciprocal ceremonies in Wootton Bassett are scheduled for late July 2001.

Councillors considered that a local festival then, at the height of the tourist season, would be particularly appropriate and beneficial.

The town council has approved a grant of £1,500 to the twinning association towards the cost of the twinning weekend when visitors from Blain will be welcomed.