A CAMPAIGN has been launched to help breathe new life into a rural town.

Loftus High Street has been beset with empty shops and businesses as major companies have withdrawn from the east Cleveland town.

The closure of Barclays bank towards the end of last year and the development of nearby out-of-town shopping centres could be having an impact, according to one independent councillor.

And Wayne Davies has launched a fundraising campaign to help reverse the town's fortunes.

“It used to be the case that people from all over East Cleveland came into Loftus,” he said. “Now you can’t even get a direct bus in from Liverton, and that’s one thing that really needs to be dealt with because public transport links are so poor.

“If people can’t do their banking here, they won’t bother coming to shop or do much else.

“That creates a real rural poverty. Everything is being centralised to Redcar or Saltburn or even Middlesbrough.”

Speaking about the impact of recent developments in neighbouring Skelton, he added: "The fact that those big shops are there doesn’t help. People with cars will nip to the supermarket, or to McDonald’s rather than buying something on the high street.

“A number of years ago a lot of houses were built in Skelton and people didn’t want that at the time, but looking forwards it’s meant that Skelton has grown and has ended up with a lot of investment from the council and private investment.

“I don’t think Loftus has had enough public or private investment. But we’ll fight to change that.”

Last week fellow Loftus Independent Councillor Mary Lanigan presented Redcar and Cleveland Council with a petition calling on £2m in new public investment.

When she handed over the petition she said it was time that money was invested in the area following years of neglect.

And now the council’s ruling Labour group has agreed that the East Cleveland town needs help, maintaining it had “ambitious plans” for growth including £310,000 of already announced investment and a host of other proposals.

Announcing the council's investment plans, cabinet member for regeneration, Councillor Bob Norton said “This investment will make the High Street a place to be once again proud of and it also delivers the housing development called for in the petition.

"Old buildings will be turned into new homes, preserving the historic fabric of the empty buildings but bringing them back into sustainable use to meet housing need for local people."

He added: “Loftus also has tourist potential as a gateway route to the North York Moors and the proposed Grinkle Park Hotel development of 60 woodland lodges and cottages offers East Cleveland further potential for boosting tourism and growing the local economy.

To support Cllr Davies' fundraising campaign visit www.gofundme.com/loftus-regeneration-social-ent