A �10,000 boost to benefit The Saints – and other specialised retail areas of the town – has been announced.

The Town Team project funding will promote St Peter’s Street and St Nicholas Street through more specialist markets and by marketing the streets as a unique retail quarter.

The Town Team funding was secured from the government by the traders, with the support of Ipswich Borough Council.

Traders in The Saints have already set up a Street Meet group, which aims to increase footfall in the area and use multimedia marketing methods to “sell” both The Saints area and the town centre in general.

The Saints trader Cathy Frost, owner of LoveOne interior design in St Peter’s Street, is a member of the Street Meet group.

She said: “The Saints have worked very hard in recent years to create a vibrant and interesting shopping/leisure destination.

“This award will enable us as a group of traders to build on this foundation, give our local high street a boost and move forward to promote Ipswich as a creative and dynamic place to visit, both for its residents and our visitors.”

Other specialised retail areas will benefit from the funding, including Fore Street, where traders are still recovering after months of roadworks carried out by National Grid hampered sales.

Councillor Carole Jones, planning and economic development portfolio-holder for Ipswich Borough Council, welcomed the boost.

She said: “This is excellent news.

“The town centre has so much going for it and consists of so many interesting quarters.

“We want to promote areas like The Saints and Fore Street as arteries to and from the town centre and the Waterfront and are pleased that groups like Street Meet are driving this forward.”