After a devastating fire destroyed Great Yarmouth's indoor market, former traders are among those being boosted by a scheme to improve shop fronts.

Eastern Daily Press: Richard Marks and Eleanor Rodgers from Woodcraft. Great Yarmouth Borough Council has approved its first grants to help businesses and social enterprises improve their town centre frontages. Photo: GYBCRichard Marks and Eleanor Rodgers from Woodcraft. Great Yarmouth Borough Council has approved its first grants to help businesses and social enterprises improve their town centre frontages. Photo: GYBC (Image: Archant)

The Borough Council has approved its first grants to help businesses and social enterprises improve their town centre frontages with a total of £60,000 available.

Under the Town Centre Shopfront Improvement Scheme, which remains open for applications, eligible applicants can ask for grants of up to £3,000 each to help fund renovation, decoration, new signage and/or replacement of historic features including lighting.

Richard Marks, of Woodcraft, in the Victoria Arcade was given £1,645.23 to pay for new signage, lighting and window display.

He said: 'Our previous trading location of 25 years, the Indoor Market, was sadly destroyed in the fire in August, but we have made a fresh start here in the Victoria Arcade and are hoping to bring our customers with us.

Eastern Daily Press: Ryan Lawes from Gentleman's HQ. Great Yarmouth Borough Council has approved its first grants to help businesses and social enterprises improve their town centre frontages. Photo: GYBCRyan Lawes from Gentleman's HQ. Great Yarmouth Borough Council has approved its first grants to help businesses and social enterprises improve their town centre frontages. Photo: GYBC (Image: Archant)

'Together with our own funds, this fabulous grant from the borough council will pay for shopfront improvements that will help us promote our shop and products, in addition to enhancing the historic architecture of the arcade.'

Other businesses which relocated to Victoria Arcade after the fire also received funding.

Stephen Cook, of Branded Toys, got £891 for more lighting to window displays to help improve the shop's visibility and advertising that it is open and Mike Wallis, of Wallis' Wonders got £1,026 to help with providing spotlighting for both windows to help enhance the shop.

Sharron Hanks and Jonathan Hanks, of the Sock Stop, in Regent Road, which was also affected by last summer's fire in Regent Road got £3,000 towards improvements including replacing an old outdated, shopfront which does not have disabled access, adding a new awning, new signage, roller security doors and repainting.

Ryan Lawes, of Gentleman's Headquarters, a new barber shop in Regent Street, was awarded £1,950 to help fund new signage and window decoration to further enhance the shop, which he has already recently pained.

To apply go to www.enterprisegy.co.uk/shop-front, email enterpriseGY@great-yarmouth.gov.uk or by cal 0800 458 0146. Applications close on March 31, 2018, or sooner if funding is spent before this date.