THE Wear Valley Advertiser is joining forces with its sister newspaper The Northern Echo to launching a drive to support the businesses that are the lifeblood of our communities.

In partnership with traders, our Shopping for a Future campaign will champion the cause of the many and varied enterprises which make our towns vibrant and stimulating places to live and work.

Responding to an appeal from Bishop Auckland traders, we aim to help communities across south Durham overcome the obstacles that threaten their vitality and viability.

The move follows the launch of our Working for a Future campaign last autumn after almost 1,000 jobs were cut at power tools manufacturer Black and Decker in Spennymoor.

It aims to highlight the need for extra help for areas which have been hit hardest by the decline in major industries in the North-East.

Small towns across the region are facing a series of challenges such as competition from out-of-town shopping developments, traffic congestion and the continuous recovery from the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Working together we will promote what small towns in the south of the county have to offer and traders will take some positive action to safeguard their futures.

With the support of our campaign, traders in Bishop Auckland will challenge the local authorities to tackle the main issues they feel threaten the prosperity of their town. Many will participate in special offer days, to be held every Thursday, which is market day, and display posters as a sign of their unity.

In Bishop Auckland traders feel a lack of central car park spaces and disabled parking restrictions are discouraging drivers to visit the town.

Many town centre businesses have also reported a fall in trade since the relocation of Asda supermarket, from the Newgate Centre to the former site of Wilson's Forge on the outskirts of the town.

Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster said: "This campaign is important because people are very proud of their town centres and they want to see them return to their former glory.

"The only way to do that is to attract more people into the towns to spend their money locally. And the more we can sustain individual businesses the more character and attractiveness we can give to the town."

Wear Valley District Council leader, Olive Brown, said: "I back The Northern Echo campaign 100 percent because we want Bishop Auckland to be the best market town in the North East."