Halesworth Portas team unveil new town logo. Kate Racho (left) and Frankie South from Bungay high school designed the new logo.

Efforts to revitalise the centre of Halesworth took a step forward at the weekend when the town’s new logo was unveiled.

Bungay High School students Kate Racho, 15, and Frankie South, 14, created the design after entering a competition run by Halesworth’s Portas pilot town team.

Design company Mustard Creative volunteered to combine the two students’ work to come up with a single image featuring the slogan “Halesworth visiting” and images of the town’s attractions.

Halesworth was named as a Portas town team partner last year. It received £10,000 from the government’s High Street Regeneration Fund to help revitalise its town centre as part of a high-profile campaign inspired by retail guru Mary Portas.

The new logo will be printed on shopping bags and other merchandise and is intended to help promote Halesworth’s independent shops and advertise it as a tourist destination.

Laura Churchill, who is leading the project in Halesworth, said: “We want to put Halesworth on the map.

“Tourists always say they didn’t know this place existed but once they’ve discovered it they say they are going to come back again.”

Halesworth had previously failed in its bid to become a Portas pilot town, missing out on the £100,000 in funding that went with it.

Ms Churchill said the lack of money hadn’t limited their ambition and Halesworth had achieved almost everything that was in its original bid.

Future planned projects include regenerating the old print works, making Halesworth more cycle friendly and improving street signs to increase footfall.

Competition winners Kate and Frankie were presented with their cash prizes by up-and-coming band Solko during a packed ceremony at Halesworth Library on Saturday.

Bags featuring the Halesworth logo cost £2 and are now available at the library and outlets throughout the town.