Traders in Ottery St Mary are being invited to apply for funding to revamp the outside of their businesses.

The town council has opened applications for its third Shop Front Fund scheme, offering financial help with work that makes traders’ premises more attractive.

The funding is offered to shops and restaurants within the parish which are open to the general public and sell a range of goods, foods or services.

Grants are available of up to £500 or half the project costs, whichever is lower.

This year the scheme has been updated to include retrospective applications for work that has already been carried out, if it was done after October 1 2023.

When the scheme was last run, in 2022-23, more than £3,000 was awarded. The successful applicants included Rabbit & Co and The Coffee Bank, both of which used the money to pay for repainting and new signage.

Nick Scott from Rabbit & Co said at the time: “It was a welcome contribution towards the costs of setting up the new site. I think these types of grants are incredibly valuable to small businesses and help us improve the look of the high street.”

Ottery Town Councillor John Green said: “We were delighted with the success of the last scheme and the positive impact that work carried out had on the look of the high street. We look forward to receiving more applications this year to continue the process of improving the look of Ottery’s high street and help increase the footfall of visitors.”

Applications for the next round of funding must be received by May 31, with work to be completed by June 30..

Full details of eligibility and an application form can be found on Ottery Town Council’s website.