North West Leicestershire District Council has launched a £300,000 Vitality Fund to boost town and village centres in the area.

Ashby will receive £50,000 from the authority, joined by Castle Donington, Coalville, Ibstock, Kegworth and Measham.

These six centres have been praised for their 'strong community spirit, active local businesses and potential for growth.'

The Vitality Fund is part of the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is aimed to help address local challenges and unlock opportunities identified by audits by the Institute of Place Management.

The audits showed that each centre chosen is valued by locals and businesses and the report highlights key areas for improvement, such as enhancements to public spaces, transport connectivity and high street diversity.

All funded projects must be completed by March 2026 to meet UKSPF reporting requirements.

According to Cllr Tony Gillard, Portfolio Holder for Business and Regeneration at NWLDC, said: 'The audits have given us a clear, independent view of what's working well and what can be better.

'The Vitality Fund is our way of responding quickly and collaboratively to those findings - empowering local people to take action and shape the future of their town and village centres.

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'A consistent theme of the audit is the need for groups and organisations to work together to address the challenges across our centres. The centre's reach can have a significant impact, but we can't do everything.

'We are looking for bids to the fund that promote cross-working and collaboration, to amplify the work we're all keen to do to improve our town and village centres.'