Town in line for cash boost

HAILSHAM is one of only six towns in Britain to make the short list for a 240,000 cash boost.

The money is up for grabs from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) Market Towns Fund, and can be used to pay for community projects like crime prevention schemes.

If the town is to be successful in its bid for the booty, a full plan detailing exactly how the funds will be spent must be drawn up. Town clerk Liz Jones explained: 'We were initially asked to prepare a submission of interest.

'We are very lucky to be one of six applicants to go forward into the second round. Now we have to be more specific about the projects we would like to have funded. These include crime prevention measures, which will mean working closely with the police.'

Other potential projects which the town council will look at include training schemes for school-leavers.

A public consultation exercise may also be carried out to get ideas for other projects. 'We want to find out what people like about Hailsham, and what they would like to see added or changed,' said Liz. 'We also need to know what would make Hailsham more viable for businesses to succeed in the town.'

Nick Ellwood, leader of the town council, said he was excited about the news, and Cllr Margaret Kirkpatrick commended Hailsham on its success.